Page 42 of The 13th Daughter

"Answers?"

"About what's going on with the Coven."

"CJ, you know I can't talk about the Coven. You're not a member."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Jeff. You owe me."

"I wasn't in on any of that," he snapped.

"No, but you made damned sure I found out about it in the worst possible way. Now what kind of friend does that make you?"

"A crappy one," he sighed. "I'm sorry, CJ. It was wrong, I know, but I just wanted you to see that Ethan's not the guy you think he is."

"Then who is he?" I demanded.

"What do you mean?"

I growled in frustration. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Who is he?"

He looked out the window, refusing to answer.

"Dammit, Jeff..."

"Can't you just for once in your life trust me?"

Trust him? Everyone seemed to be telling me to trust them. Oddly, Jeff was the only one I did trust.

"I do, Jeff, that's why I'm here. No one else will tell me what's going on. I just want the truth. I thought you'd tell me that much."

"It's not that simple," he sighed. "There are things I can't say."

"Things about the curse?"

His head whipped around to face me and his eyes bulged with shocked surprise.

"They killed her, Jeff. The Coven killed Emily and it has something to do with that stupid curse. I need to find out why."

"No, CJ, you're wrong," he shook his head. "She was the Junior Coven leader. They wouldn't hurt her."

"They did. I found her diary. Her last entry said they were coming for her. She died that same night."

"But..."

"The night she died, she was so scared. I stayed with her while Mom and Dad talked to the doctors. I never told anyone, but she woke up for a few minutes. She said I was right, that it was a bunch of nonsense, but her eyes were full of fear. She made me promise not to go anywhere near the Coven."

"That's why you never came to any of the meetings?" he asked softly.

"I made a promise to her and now I have to break it. I have to find out why they killed her. It has to do with the curse and the boy she saw. Is that who Ethan is? The stranger that got the town all riled up before?"

"I wish I could tell you." He hung his head. "I can't."

"Yes, you can!" I shouted. "Please, I have to know why my sister died."

"The c-c-c..." His voice broke off and he made a horrible choking sound.

"Are you okay?" I asked, alarmed. He was starting to turn blue. It looked like something was choking the life out of him.I ran over to pound him on the back, but he waved me off. He stopped trying to talk and his face slowly turned back to its normal tan shade. Well, almost normal. He looked a little pasty.

"I can't!" he whispered hoarsely. "I want to tell you, but I can't! They made sure of it."