Page 70 of You Can Make Me

“I’m thinking of what the old ladies by the general store said to me all those years ago. Granddad said the same words to me in my dream. I didn’t put it together until now.”

“Can you remember the words?” Dane asked.

“Yes,” I said, my chin quivering with my tears. “Yes, I can.”

You seek answers meant for others

You trespass upon the fears of mothers

You tread upon the bonds of brothers

And it will be your undoing

You question the righteous

You goad the innocent

You cater to the immoral

And it will bring about your demise

Your curiosity will lead you to death’s doorstep

Your pleas will go unheard

Your bargaining will fall on deaf ears

And your life will be forfeit

So dwell on the consequences

Weigh your options

Settle your debts

And the Reaper may pass you by

But continue on this path

Remain on this road

And upon the area of rest

The swipe of the blade will be the ultimate test

“Cooper, when I use my talking board, those are the kinds of words I get, rhymes that require analyzing. Have you thought about what it means? Because that’s what counts. Not what anyone else thinks.”

“I’ve thought about them a lot. I must have, I committed them to memory. I figured it had to do with warning me, you know, for when I became a reporter. Do no harm? Isn’t that what witches are all about?”

“But after what happened, do you feel like there are any other connections?”

I blew out a breath and it was as if the words were in front of me, swirling around close enough I could reach out and grab them.

“My curiosity definitely led me to Death’s doorstep. The end part obviously means my attack. But what are my debts? What immoral people? I don’t understand? And what does any of this have to do with the carnival? God, it hurts my head.” The pain returned, the harder I tried to work all of this out.

“Shhh,” Denny said close to my ear. “We’ll help you figure it out. You’re safe.”

“Cooper, I can help you. We can use the board together, but you have to be careful. You cannot engage with the man in your dreams. You can’t trust that it’s your granddad, and you can’t tell him anything. Understand? Evans will bring you under his power, and by the time you realize he’s got you, it might be too late. Hunter Holland was under his control, and look what he did. And there were many others. Don’t be one of them. He might be trying to use you to find the carnival.”