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Sadie’s fists tightened and magic stormed within her, aching for a key to unlock it so a spell could burst free from her lips. Clasping her hands together, she silently chanted a spell under her breath for the futon to collapse, but still, nothing rose.
River stood and came toward her, cupping her cheek. He ran his index finger across her lips, distracting her, yet she only calmed a fraction. Neither noticed him nor even looked from the corner of their eyes in his direction.
Sadie placed another bag of popcorn in the microwave and waited, her thoughts turning to her unborn child. Then came the miscarriages, her depression, her worry, her helplessness because of them. But she always had River’s shoulder to lean on in the past, how he’d still brought a smile to her face, then how their lives were ruined because Ada’s spell had made them both die. Once the veil brought down its dark claws, if everything went according to plan, they would remember.
River stood behind her, his nose skating up her neck. She arched into him, her arm falling back around his neck, and her gaze met Skyler, who studied her with a frown. She cleared her throat, coughing, drawing away from River. Even though she couldn’t see River’s expression, she knew a smirk was there.
The microwave beeped, and Sadie emptied the popcorn into a bowl, her stomach growing queasy over the buttery smell. Gritting her teeth, she shoved the bowl into Charlie’s hands. “Here.”
“Are you all right?” Charlie asked, staring up at her with her brows pinched together.
“Peachy keen.” Sadie needed to remind herself that they didn’t seem to know about any of this. If Skyler had known, she didn’t think he would’ve let Charlie be alone with Sadie out in these woods. But what if her plan didn’t work? What if they didn’t experience anything at midnight? Neither one of them could see what Sadie saw in the woods. The strangeness hadn’t started for Sadie until after she’d slept here the first night, though. Then came the quiet during the day, followed by how it shattered into noise at night, and finally, the music of midnight. But she’d had an initial undisturbed sleep, then a few dreams after that, so would they? Or would they all be in the same place if it worked?
As the film played, Sadie glanced over at Charlie—her sister wrinkled her nose as she watched the woman in the white gown holding up a lantern and walking through the woods. Most people would assume her sister hated the movie by the look on her face, but that expression always meant she was finding a film decent. Sadie continued to watch Charlie out of the corner of her eye, her nerves shooting off inside her like firecrackers. For a moment, Sadie wondered briefly if she was on the verge of a breakdown, that maybe she had conjured all this up, that maybe she wasn’t really sitting across from her, but no, she wasn’t.
“I think I might call it a night,” Charlie said with a yawn, placing the empty popcorn bowl on the table.
Sadie fumbled with her phone to check the time—ten minutes until midnight. She couldn’t leave… “No! You have to stay.”
“I’m tired, Sadie. But hey, we’ll be together at the beach tomorrow.”
“Stay!” Sadie shouted, her nostrils flaring. This was the part of herself she hadn’t known existed, that had been tucked away. The dark part of her that had been marking her aura.
Skyler scowled. “What have you been seeing? I was going to ask you about it later, but I can’t pretend like everything is fine and dandy. Your eyes have been drifting to the same spots near the wall throughout the movie. And don’t get me started on the kitchen.”
“He’s right,” Charlie said. “I wanted to pretend with you that everything was all right, but it isn’t.”
“Just stay until midnight,” she pleaded, grasping Charlie’s wrist. “You’ll see, or you won’t see when it comes. We can discuss things after.”
“When what comes?” Skyler asked, his gaze focused on hers. She could see the emotion there, that he was contemplating what he should do if she were to lash out. Sadie had never been dangerous, but now she knew she had the potential where she could be.
“The music I told you about. And now the past,” she said, her voice trembling. Her heart pounded harder, and she fought back the urge to shake them.
“What past?” Charlie placed her hands on Sadie’s shoulders, and she yanked out from her hold.
“Our past,” Sadie seethed. “And don’t look at me like I should be locked away in an institution. You will understand. And if you don’t, I’ll explain it all. You will find a way to undo what you did to me and River.”
No one uttered a word as Sadie gripped her phone, urging the numbers to move. “Give me until twelve.” They both nodded, but she could see in their eyes that they were beyond worried. River came to her then, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, grounding her.
Perspiration beaded her brow as the seconds passed into minutes. But when the time changed to 11:59, it felt as if the world stood frozen, and she avoided the heavily concerned stares from Charlie and Skyler. “One minute.”
Then the numbers changed. 12:00. River’s arms left her waist, his form disappearing from the room.
“It’s midnight,” Charlie whispered as if she were trying to calm a wild horse. “Nothing’s changed. Whatever is going on here isn’t healthy.”
Sadie’s lips tilted up at the edges as she dropped her phone onto the futon. “You’re wrong. It did work. Listen closely.”
The instruments were soft at first, followed by a deep melody, gradually picking up its pace as though it were being chased. Then the answer rose, soaring somewhere within the wind outside. Screeches and wails tore through the air farther away.
For a moment, Sadie believed that it was only her hearing it, but Charlie’s eyes widened, and she ran to the door. Before she got there, Sadie grabbed her by the waist, tugging her back. “Do not go outside,” she bit out, her voice hushed.
“Something is out there,” Charlie said softly. “It sounds demonic.”
Skyler’s chest rose and fell, the only sign of his uneasiness. A confused expression formed on his face as his eyebrows drew together. His gaze focused on Sadie, squinting, seeming to recall something. “I know what the sounds are coming from, and you can’t go out there,” he murmured to Charlie, then his throat bobbed as his eyes locked with Sadie’s. “You’re Harlow.”
Skyler knew, and Charlie didn’t… “Did you know all along?” Sadie narrowed her eyes, her heart pounding faster as she studied him. “I only recently discovered everything. Years and years of not knowing.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t know. I haven’t known in this life or any of the others. Not until now.” Perhaps there was a reason he remembered right away inside the veil, just as River had.
