Chapter 18

I woke up the next morning to the smell of something awful. Cringing, I pulled the pillow over my head and groaned. Pip was cooking again. At least this time, I knew she wasn't cooking us breakfast but rather brewing up a potion for the competition held at the festival.

"Maybe I should have stayed dead," Jessica grumbled. She was perched on the branch next to my bed. It was so relieving to see her there.

"That's a little dramatic," I said with a straight face. "And after I went through all that trouble..."

"Wow…" Jessica deadpanned.

"Too soon?" I chuckled, ignoring her grumbling.

Smiling, I managed to roll out of bed, grateful it was empty. Freddy slept with me last night. I made them promise to take turns every once in a while so I could have a little room on the bed. Also, Jessica liked to hang out with Albert and Billie sometimes in Michael's room. Freddy and I got a little alone time last night, and I needed it badly.

My thighs tingled, remembering the way his mouth had played over them last night, the way that skilled tongue swirled around my clit, making me shake. I'd held in my moans behind a pillow as he made love to me until I was nearly in tears, and he looked extremely pleased with himself afterwards. These men were going to be the death of me.

I was still reeling from the changes in this whole dynamic. Just a couple weeks ago, they hated me. Or at least they tried to make me think they hated me. It had worked better than they'd hoped, but now that I knew the truth behind their motivations, I couldn't fault them. Their methods may have been a tad undesirable, but they did the trick in the end. Their constant harassment kept my head from spiraling into a dark place. They kept me on my toes for a whole year, making sure I didn't retreat into myself. Deep down, I knew my parents would have hated watching me break like that.

I showered and primped for the better part of an hour, meticulously straightening my hair until it gleamed. Eyeing that pesky white streak framing my face, I contemplated dying it, but then I thought better of it. That streak was a product of bringing the people I loved back to life. It was a signature of sorts, a reminder of my power. I'd keep it for now and wear it like a badge of honor, celebrating my father and the powers he'd passed down to me.

I glanced at Jessica as I walked out of the bathroom to grab my costume from the wardrobe. She was still perched on the branch, and I thought she might've been sleeping again, so I moved silently. My heart sank every time I looked at her, remembering the way she'd lain there lifelessly in my hands. Payton still had to pay for what she'd done to my familiar, banishment or not. I'd figure it out somehow. There had to be some kind of punishment set in place for harming people's familiars. I'd have to talk to the aunties about it, but eventually she would get hers.

I smiled to myself as I took the black dress off the hanger and laid it on my bed. It was the same flowing princess dress I'd stolen from the theater. When I'd first put it on, I'd done so with the intention of returning it soon, but when I stumbled into the hall that day and all those theater people were clapping, I knew the dress was forfeit. We'd call it payment for my lost pride.

Under the dress, I wore a black lace bralette, matching lace panties, and stockings with garters. There was just something about nice lingerie that I'd always found appealing, and now that I had four men who would actually get to see it, it was all the more fun. I stared at myself in the mirror. My lips were black, and my liner was winged. I looked like some kind of gothic fairy princess, the dark orange of my hair contrasting with my pale skin and onyx dress. This was my vibe. This was perfect.

I knew I'd have to face the music and join the others downstairs. I wished I had some kind of nose plug, because the second I opened my door, I staggered at the stench. Someone really needed to have a talk with Pip before I was forced to move into the greenhouse.

I glanced to my right at the door that never used to be there. The portal lay behind that door, and I could hear the knocking every once in a while. All that power was just shoved behind a door. It was overwhelming just to think about it. There was an entire world just on the other side—our old lives.

I knew in my heart that I never wanted to return to the mortal world. This place was the home I never knew I was yearning for. My parents were buried here, my aunties were here, and my heritage was all around me. I finally felt like I was exactly where I needed to be, and all the tiny holes that had been ripped into me over the last year were starting to fill—pun fully intended.

I padded down the hall and down the stairs with a smile on my face. When I entered the kitchen, all my guys were sitting around the table with cups of coffee. They looked up as I entered, eyeing each other a moment later. I knew what they were seeing—a happy October with a smile on my face.

Maddie squealed from the kitchen, running over and pinching the skirts of my dress between her fingers. "Holy fuck, Tobs! This dress is gorgeous; where'd you find it?" Then her eyes went wide, and she burst out laughing. "Oh my god, is this the theater?"

I shushed her with a palm over her mouth and glanced at the aunties, whispering to Maddie, "Dude..."

"Sorry," she mumbled against my palm, her eyes alight.

I wasn't ready for my aunties to hear that particular story. There were just some things I needed to keep to myself if I ever wanted to look them in the eyes again.

Pip was bustling around in the kitchen, covered in flour and flakes of dried herbs. There was a cauldron bubbling over the stove, with a large wooden spoon stirring itself. Auntie Fe was sipping a mug of tea and flipping through what looked like a newspaper. They were both dressed even more outlandishly than usual, in long dresses of purple, orange, green, and black with frills, lace, and buttons, and matching witch's hats. They really did look like true cottage witches.

Maddie didn't look too shabby herself. Her festival outfit was a long black peasant skirt with a thigh-high slit up the side and a blood-red crop top that she dug out of my goth closet. It matched perfectly with her red lips and expertly curled midnight hair. The hair change was starting to grow on me, to the point that I couldn't even picture her as a bottle blonde anymore.

I looked at the guys and narrowed my gaze on Norman and Freddy, who were smirking at the dress. If it weren't for the burning lust in their eyes, I would have flipped them off. Jason and Michael were studying me carefully, their eyes running along the narrow bodice where my breasts pushed up invitingly. I wore a lace choker around my throat with a tiny amethyst spider pendant dangling from it. There was approval in their eyes—all of them.

Satisfaction filled me as I took a cup of tea offered by Auntie Fe. Breathing in the jasmine steam, I let myself relax as we all watched Pip piddle around the kitchen.

"What kind of poison are we making this morning?" I asked.

"Oh! Only the most deadl—" Pip spun around mid-sentence with narrowed eyes and a hand on her hip. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

Maddie snorted, taking a seat at the table. "Smells like someone threw up in there."

"Oh, hush," Pip admonished. "Before I decide to have you test out the cookies I made for the bake sale,"

Maddie snapped her mouth closed, eyes going wide as I said, "It's a good thing most of Midnight Hollow's residents are already ghosts."

A spoon came flying through the air, straight towards my head, and I dodged it just in time, laughing until tears pricked my eyes.

"I'm heading to the festival early. Mr. Hottie—I mean, Baen has a booth set up, and I'm sure he could use some help," Maddie said.

"Help with what?" Jason teased, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Unbuttoning his pants?"

Maddie's eyes went round, and she blushed furiously, stammering, "I-I don't know what you're insinuating, perv! "

"Sure you don't," added Michael, casting a knowing glance at Jason as the two of them bumped fists.

"Well, I was going to invite you guys to join me, but now I don't think I will." With her nose in the air, Maddie stood up, took a cloak from the coat rack, and swept out of the room.

"Mads, hold up!" I called after her. I glared at my smiling guys over my shoulder, muttering, "You guys must have a death wish."

"I love you too!" One of them yelled as I crossed the threshold, and I staggered for a moment, catching my balance as my heart soared. I knew how they felt, but hearing it would probably catch me off guard for a while.

Maddie stood with her arms crossed by the front door, smirking at me. "You know, these walls are mighty thin."

Rolling my eyes, I pulled the door open, and we walked into the moonlight. "Maybe you should plug your ears then," I mumbled.

"And miss all the entertainment?" She held a hand to her chest. "Honey, let me live vicariously through you for a while."

I laughed, looping my arm through hers as we made our way towards town. I could see the festival up ahead as the aunties' street blended into Main Street. "You don't seem to be struggling in the man department."

She sighed, but when I glanced sideways, her cheeks were flaming. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't get why you're pretending," I said, squeezing her arm. "Everyone saw the way Baen and Cal were fighting over you at the bonfire. Clearly they're smitten."

"Smitten?" She laughed. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Think whatever you want, but I know what I saw. Baen looked like he wanted to physically eat you in the best way, and you've had Calvin wrapped around your finger since you sashayed into school the first day."

"Oh my god, that's so not true! He was all over you ! I was just the sidekick. Besides, I'm still kind of peeved about him not telling us about the Society." Her face dropped.

"Maddie, you could never be a sidekick. You're the main character, babe, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Besides, there's nothing going on between Cal and me. He doesn't even like me like that, and I could never..." I shuddered just thinking about it. "Not to mention he's pretty much always staring at you or your ass whenever you're not paying attention. Maybe he had his reasons for keeping the secret society a, um, secret," I a-r quoted.

"Maybe you're right; I mean, it's a secret for a reason. I don't know. But for real, he stares at my butt?" She squealed, pushing my shoulder with hers. A smile lit her eyes, and I felt warm all over.

I'd been worried about Maddie since we got here. I could tell behind the fa?ade of bubbly humor that she was struggling with this transition.

We reached the start of Main Street, and I could already smell the sweet and savory scents of cooking food, coffee, tea, and candy. Jack-o'-lanterns were everywhere, and twinkling lights hung in the trees like little fireflies. Torches were lit up and down the sidewalks, and the street lanterns were blazing, lighting up the whole area in a warm orange glow that matched the moonlight. I was starting to enjoy the perpetual night here. No more sweating my ass off under the glaring sun or worrying about my skin burning to a crisp. It was always pleasant.

There were some clouds in the sky, but not many—just enough that there was a small breeze flowing between the buildings and booths .

Booths lined the streets on either side, while the townspeople dressed in their best, selling handmade crafts, treats, and fresh harvested crops. I saw a booth for the blood bank run by vampires stationed out front as one passed out flyers with a fangy smile. They were advertising flavor-infused blood, sold in little glass bottles that you could carry around with you and add to your drinks. I'd have to snag a sample for Norman at some point.

Toil and Trouble Tea had a booth too, set up right outside their shop. Cauldrons were bubbling and ladles were pouring as the witches handed out small mugs to passersby with infectious cackles. My mouth immediately watered for more of that witchbramble tea. I had no idea what was even in it, but it was delicious.

"Oh, there's Baen," Maddie whispered, staring off to her left with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You mean Mr. Hottie?" I teased.

"Shut up; he can probably hear you!" She gasped loudly as he turned our way, a smile aimed right at Mads.

"Oh, he heard all right, judging by that hungry smile. I wonder what he is. Does he read minds, you think? I wonder if he knows how much you think about his butt?" I laughed as her cheeks turned as red as a tomato.

"I swear to the great pumpkin, October—," she threatened, but it was too late.

"Hey, Baen!" I called out, waving my hand over my head, before Maddie could finish her empty threat. It was time for Operation Get Maddie Laid.

"Get Maddie what?!" she screeched.

"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" I had to bite my cheek to hold back my laughter at her outraged face.

Baen stopped stacking books on the table in front of his shop and waved at us, his eyes never straying from Maddie. Yeah, dude had it bad. I didn't understand why Mads couldn't see it.

We were about to head over to help Baen out, but someone intercepted us first. "Fancy meeting you two here." Cal stepped into our path with his hands in his pockets as he attempted to smile, but it fell short.

I grimaced at him before forcing it into a smile. I knew deep down that he probably had nothing to do with what happened to Jessica, but I still couldn't stop picturing him ripping off that hood. I watched his eyes flicker over Maddie, and something flared in their depths before he forced himself to look back at me. I could tell he was into her, but he was suppressing it, and I needed to know why.

"Hey, Cal," Maddie said as she gazed at him with her arms crossed before she looked away with disappointment when he barely nodded.

"Maddie," he said in a dismissive way.

I could physically see the way Maddie's heart dropped to her stomach as he disregarded her. Shit. She really liked him. He liked her too, so why was he acting like an ass?

"October, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, his eyes clearly straining to look at me and not Maddie.

Her eyes were glossing over, and she looked anywhere but at him, biting the inside of her cheek again, this time probably to keep from crying.

"What do you need?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, ready to rip him a new asshole for treating my sister from another mister this way. "My strong-as-fuck, grumpy-ass boyfriends will be here any second, so you might want to hurry up. They aren't feeling so kind when it comes to liars lately."

His eyes turned wary as he said, "It's nothing like that." Clearing his throat, he shifted on his feet, looking visibly uncomfortable. What the hell is his deal? Where did the suave Calvin go? "My dad wants you to be in this year's festival portrait for the Society… You know, since your parents aren't around anymore for it."

"Why would I want to be in that after the shit Payton pulled?" I demanded, looking at him like he'd lost his mind.

"None of us had anything to do with that," he pleaded, begging me to trust him as he stepped forward to talk down to me. "Trust me, October, what she did to your familiar was vile. She won't be coming back; my father made sure of it."

My eyes widened. "You're serious? He actually kicked her out of town?"

"Yeah, fuck her. But we still want you to join, and we'd really like it if you came with us for the portrait in front of city hall." He was really pushing for that portrait as he started walking backwards, nodding his head for me to follow him.

I glanced at Maddie, who looked ready to bolt. Her eyes were flitting to Baen every few seconds as he stood there with his arms crossed, looking like he was about to come over and drag her away from Cal by the hair.

To save her from a jealous tirade on Baen's part, I said, "Sure, Cal, let's get this stupid portrait over with." I gave Maddie an apologetic look. "I'll be quick, and then I'll come right back here when I'm done. Can you keep an eye out for Jessica while I'm gone? She woke up kind of late after all that shit yesterday."

Maddie's face softened, and she smiled. "Of course. Go take a good picture. It's a good thing you wore your lucky dress." She stifled a laugh behind her hand, her eyes light with mirth.

"Oh my god," I groaned, while Cal just looked confused. I tugged him away, while Maddie just winked and turned back to head over to Baen.

"Why is that your lucky dress?" Cal asked, eyeing me up and down as we continued down Main Street.

With a snort and blood rushing to my cheeks, I said, "Trust me, you don't want to know." As we got closer to Toil and Trouble's booth, I suddenly had a hankering for some tea. "Wanna grab a cup?" I pointed to the brewing cauldron.

"We're already kind of late," he said, glancing at his wristwatch. His amber eyes were shifting over my shoulder, as if he were looking for someone.

Groaning, I shuffled past the delicious-smelling tea when he said, "Let's cut through here; we can shave off a few minutes."

He headed for a side street between two buildings, and I halted. Flashes of my last encounter in this area of town slithered into my brain, making me second-guess taking the long way around. Zombies are everywhere. "I—"

"Come on. It'll take forever to get through that crowd, and they're all waiting on us." He kept walking, so I decided to bite the bullet and catch up after glancing at the hustle of the streets.

It was dark on this side street and quieter than the bustle of the crowd back on Main. My eyes were flitting back and forth, jumping at every shadow. A rat scurried from a trash can onto a drain pipe, and I swore my soul departed my body for a second there. I was walking so fast now that I was overtaking Cal in a powerwalk, and I probably looked like a fucking spaz.

"I swear to the great pumpkin, Cal, if your phone starts playing ‘Thriller,—"

I choked as something was placed over my face from behind. My nose and mouth were immediately filled with something sharp and pungent-smelling. My eyes burned, and I began to cough as a strong arm wrapped around my torso, holding tight. Thrashing from side to side, I tried to shake my head and bite through the scratchy cloth covering my face, but I was losing the battle. Suddenly, my arms felt leaden, and my vision started to swim.

I'm being drugged.

Who would do this?

Who would…

Cal.

That was the last thought that ran through my head before darkness descended.

It was pitch black when I came to. My eyes felt like they were filled with sand, and my mouth was as dry as a desert. It was cold—bone-chillingly cold. I shivered, cringing as my teeth gritted together.

I tried to move, but I was immediately met with resistance, with my right knee slamming into something hard. "Fuck," I muttered, sticking my hands out in front of me.

Light was beginning to creep in through the blurriness of my vision, and I realized that if I stood on my tiptoes, I could see out of a little rectangular slot fitted with four small iron bars. Panic set in as the sight of the twin orange blood moons shone back at me from behind the bars. I was obviously outside still, and I could feel just a small amount of frigid wind on my cheeks when I pressed my face closer to the bars.

I felt around in front of me, and to my horror, I realized I was completely caged in on every side with about half a foot to move. The walls were made of dark stone, and they smelled like moss and soil. Standing on my toes again, I looked outside and realized exactly where I was.

Midnight Hollow Cemetery. I must have been on the very top of the narrow hillside because I could see the road far below and that arched wrought iron gate past a sea of headstones. Fear coiled in my gut.

How the fuck did I get here?

I thought back to the moments leading up to nothingness and froze. Calvin. He'd done this to me, but why? He drugged me with some kind of potion and brought me to this stone coffin, like some kind of serial killer. He freaking kidnapped me and was probably going to bury me alive! My veins ran ice cold, and I suddenly wished I'd forced Jessica to wake up. She could have fled and alerted someone, telling them what Cal had done.

I could see my mother's and father's graves from my perch on the top of the hill. They were less than thirty paces away, and when I squinted, I realized that was exactly where another source of light was emanating from. There were black pillar candles scattered around the base of my parents' headstones and a pewter bowl between them. An athame rested atop the stone, gleaming in the flickering light.

A shadow moved in my peripheral vision, and I stiffened. The crunch of the soil underfoot was slow and deliberate. That shadow quickly became a man, and his face was inches from mine in less than a heartbeat.

"Mayor Ichabod?" I breathed in disbelief, my eyes going wide. "What are you—"

"What am I doing here?" he sneered with a slow, creepy smile. "I find it adorable that you even have to ask." His laugh was slimy, and there was something strange about his face that I couldn't put my finger on.

"What do you want from me? Why am I here?" My voice came out in a whisper as panic took hold of me, making it hard to draw in a proper breath.

He laughed again, and it made my stomach roll. Stepping backwards into the moonlight, I could see that he was bare-chested under an open white frilly dress shirt, and down the front of his torso was a bleeding wound that dripped down his abdomen. It didn't look deep, but it looked self-inflicted, if the bloody athame in his hand had anything to do with it.

"Calvin, you never told me she's as stupid as she is pretty." His eyes were staring at me a little too close for comfort, then they shifted off to the side for a moment, and my blood boiled. So Cal was still here.

I saw movement from beside Ichabod, and my breath caught as three familiar clowns moved into position at the cemetery gates in the distance. Each of them I recognized as the ones from outside that motel on the first night. They were dressed in their usual jumpsuits and were twirling around blunt-force weapons and machetes in their meaty hands. Payton's family was here.

Through the fog covering the ground came a shadow skipping into the clearing, pigtails bobbing on the side of her head. Red lips pulled in a sinister smile spread wide, past the point of normal. A bristle of fabric, and Payton appeared next to my parents' headstone as she waved her pom-poms, little sharp knives embedded into the shiny material around them. Payton's eyes met mine, and she swirled around, her cheerleading skirt billowing around her legs as she started to dance in place like she was at a prep rally. She was fucking crazy.

"Gimme an M!" she squealed. "Gimme an O.R.T.A.L!" she added with a chuckle and a shake of her pom-poms. "So I can kill her!" Payton cheered dramatically, laughing like she would never stop. A screw had to be loose in that head of hers.

A woman was right there on her heels, wearing a Society cloak, and I recognized her immediately as Payton's mother. They looked nearly identical, but her mother somehow held more hatred in her purple eyes, which were aimed right at me. Unless she was staring at Ichabod, then she seemed entranced and besotted.

"You didn't think I brought you all the way out here without a little backup, did you?" Ichabod asked, gesturing to Payton's family, who grinned with the same fucking smile.

I quirked a defiant brow. "That's a really weird way to say you have a small dick."

Nice one, October. Now he's going to make it hurt.

His grin dropped instantly, like a switch was flipped, and he approached the bars with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "You're just like your father with that mouth of yours."

"Is that why you dragged me all the way out here?" I laughed, pretending to be braver than I was, but it sounded hollow to my own ears. "You had a crush on my mother twenty years ago, and you still can't get over the fact that you lost to my dad?" My eyes flickered over his face, unimpressed, just to piss him off. "It's becoming clear she chose right."

"How dare you! Take that back. He is the most wonderful, most handsome, and most powerful warlock to ever exist, you bitch!" Payton's mother screeched with outrage, but I only rolled my eyes at her.

She was a fucking lovestruck idiot who couldn't see how she was never going to get a chance with that loon.

"Righhhhttt. How could I be so stupid?" Sarcasm was heavy in my voice, and it was probably going to get me killed .

"You little b—" Ichabod hissed, his eyes murderous.

"Father!" came Cal's voice from behind my stone cage. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him as if he were right next to me. "It's time to start the ritual."

"What ritual, you sick fuck?" I watched in horror as Ichabod backed away. "What ritual!" I screamed, pounding desperately against the stone. "My family is going to tear you to fucking pieces when they find out!" I threatened, and I knew they would.

"You have a lot of faith in your lovers, Miss Hallowell, but you'd be wrong, of course. See, right now, I have one of my associates keeping them distracted for me." Dread pooled once more, and he laughed again, holding out his athame to his side. "Don't fret, my dear. I won't be needing you for long, just long enough to complete the ritual. Then we can bury you six feet under, just like dear old daddy." He pointed down the hill, and it was then that I saw the freshly dug grave.

Fuck, I'm going to die.

Calvin appeared around the side of my coffin and took the athame from his father's hands, making it a point to avoid my glare, but I hissed, "Fuck you, Calvin. We treated you like a friend. We welcomed you into our home. And Maddie—" I choked, my throat closing with the need to cry. I fought against it.

His head whipped towards me, and his amber eyes were blazing. "Don't you bring her into this," he snapped. "Just stand still and shut up, October."

"Fuck you!" This time I literally spat right between the bars, but he took a step back and dodged it with a grimace.

"There's no need to be feral," Ichabod said. "And here I thought all you necromancers were uppity snobs just like David Grimm. I guess being raised among those savage mortals will do that to a young girl." He clicked his tongue a few times. "Pity…"

"Ichabod, the moons..." Payton's mother stepped forward with a pleading look on her face. She was carrying some kind of dark velvet bag, and she handed it to the mayor. Payton stood there watching me with a smug smile on her clown face, and I wanted nothing more than to break her teeth.

The moons , she'd said. I looked up, and sure enough, the two moons were moving closer together, nearly overlapping. I supposed this must be this world's version of an eclipse. A blood moon eclipse. I surmised that Ichabod had been waiting for this night in particular because everyone who knew anything about even the most basic witchcraft knew that the power of the moon meant everything. The moon could control the tides and the blood in a body.

That's it… The athame. Ichabod's doing blood magic.

Holy shit, this was bad. I'd read about blood magic after the aunties kept dropping hints about it. It was dark stuff, even darker than necromancy. It was forbidden in the witch and warlock communities and considered taboo for thousands of years.

"Why are you doing this, Ichabod?" I asked. "If you're going to kill me anyway, can't you at least tell me what I'll be dying for?"

He faced me with a confused expression. My body was racked with shivers at the gleam in his eyes. "Would you like me to give you the big villainous play-by-play so you can somehow figure out a way to pull a miracle out of nowhere and thwart me? How very mortal of you." He laughed madly. "I don't think so, Miss Hallowell. Now sit tight. You'll be dead shortly."

"You're disgusting," I snapped, my breathing shallow because this was it—the end. I'd just found love again, and I was going to die without telling each of my guys how much they truly meant to me.

Ichabod ignored me, instead turning his attention first to the moons and then to Cal. "Now, Calvin," he demanded.

I watched Cal's entire body stiffen. He came towards me with dread in his dark eyes and approached the bars with the athame in his hands. "Give me your palm," he said, hardly able to look me in the eyes, the coward.

"Go to hell!" I whispered hoarsely past the lump in my throat.

"October…" His voice lowered to a whisper, and his suddenly panicked eyes flickered to where his father had his back to us, preparing for the ritual. "I'm going to get you out of this," he promised, his eyes unyielding and hard.

I blinked, not comprehending. Was this a joke?

His voice lowered even more as he said, "I sent someone to get your friends, but I can't stall my father for much longer."

"I don't believe you," I sneered. "You kidnapped me, you prick. Who does that?"

"I didn't have a choice." His jaw was clenched tight, but his eyes flickered nervously at his father again. "October, I don't have time to explain, but I'm so sorry for my role in this. I'm going to help you. He's got this sick obsession with—" He stopped nervously.

"With what, Cal? What the hell is he trying to do?"

His face dropped, and my stomach clenched as he said, "He's trying to raise your mother from her grave."

Every muscle in my body was locked up. The world seemed to go silent as a cold fury seeped through me. He wanted to raise my mother. She's been dead for a year. There wasn't much left by now to even raise. This man was truly sick.

Cal kept going. "He's convinced the only reason she chose David was because he used his powers to force her. He actually believes she would have chosen him. It's a fucking obsession, but he can only bring her back with the blood of a necromancer. It's the only way to complete the ritual during an eclipse."

"If all this is true, why would you want to help me? What do you get out of going against your own dad for someone you barely even know?" I was stalling, pulling at the last thread of hope.

He sighed heavily. "Believe it or not, I do have a fucking conscience. He's had me going along with this shit since you got here, and I've done my best to throw him off, but he'd kill me if he found out." His eyes held mine, and I could see the truth.

His father was a psychopath, and Cal had been at the end of that for who knows how long. I almost felt bad.

"Where are the guys and Maddie? What about my aunties?" I asked, needing to know if they were safe at least.

"Hopefully on their way. I sent someone to get them, but he's a little dumb." He cringed, biting his lip worriedly.

"Oh, my fucking god," I groaned. "You're talking about that freaky marionette dummy, Roger, aren't you? I can't believe this shit is happening."

"Give me your hand before he gets suspicious."

"I'm not handing over my blood, Calvin. Fuck off." The fucker didn't deserve a nickname, so calling him by his name seemed appropriate.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to use your blood, but I need to make it look like I am. Give me your hand."

I contemplated it for a moment. I wasn't sure I could trust him. I wanted to, but after kidnapping me and letting his father place me in this cage... But what choice did I have? I held my palm against the iron bars. They were just wide enough to get my hand through, and Cal grasped my wrist gently. Using his body to cover us, I watched him slip a little pocket knife from his sleeve and make a slit in my palm. I winced and yanked my hand back.

Cal pocketed the knife and held the athame out in front of him, pulling up his own sleeve and making a slit in his forearm. The athame was bathed in Cal's own blood as I watched with wide eyes. He winced as he put his sleeve back into place to cover up the cut, and then he met my eyes.

"I'm sorry for my part... I don't want to see you get hurt. My dad's not been right in the head for a while now, and he's deluded himself into thinking your mom can come back. I just can't stop him alone." He pleaded with me to understand, and in a way, I kind of did. Family was family, and you couldn't help who you cared about.

"You should have told me a long time ago, Calvin," I gritted out, peeved about all the lies, but at least he was helping me now. "Just stall him until everyone gets here. Please."

"I'll try. My blood should throw him off when the ritual doesn't work. He needs to place her soul back into the body, but without your blood, all he can do is raise empty shells," he said, shuddering

"The zombies?" Holy shit… So that whole thing at the theater had been Ichabod all along? The morgue? It was all starting to make sense.

"Yes. My father can raise corpses, but not souls. Only necromancers can control them. It's why blood magic like this is forbidden. It's sick and twisted, and he needs to be stopped." At least we agreed on that part.

"Is he going to raise my mom's body?" My voice trembled, terrified. I didn't want to see that. I didn't think any part of me could handle having that image in my brain.

Cal shook his head. "I hope not. I placed a ward around their graves, but I don't know if it's strong enough to hold. I may be a warlock, but I'm not as strong as my father. My specialty is mainly potions, but I did what I could to hold him off. If he breaks through it..." It was out of his hands, and we were doomed if that happened.

"Just get me out of here," I said as I stared at that fresh hole just for me.

"Hold on, okay?" He gripped the bar and stepped back after a second.

"Cal," I choked out, a single tear racing down my cheek, "don't let him bring her back. Kill me if you have to, but don't let him do that to my mom."

His eyes held mine, and in them, I could tell he was telling me the truth. I could feel the remorse and the guilt rolling off of him in waves. "I'll try, I promise."

With that, he turned around with the bloody athame and made his way to his father, who was waiting for him impatiently. By now, the twin moons were eclipsing, and the sky began to change. There were no stars visible overhead, and clouds rolled in much too fast to be natural. I watched as Ichabod dropped to his knees next to my mother's headstone. He dragged a palm along his bloody chest and then wiped it off on the graveyard dirt. He took that little bag Payton's mother had handed him earlier and scattered what looked like herbs around the dirt. Taking the athame from Calvin, Ichabod stared at it with a wide smile.

A crack of thunder split the night, making me jump. The once-orange moons were turning the creepiest shade of electric green. Thunder crashed again as Ichabod began chanting. His voice was low and trembling, and I didn't understand the words, but somehow, my body recognized them. He was reciting a necromancy spell—something ancient, something he shouldn't be messing with. Dark magic was thick and sticky in the air, making it hard to breathe.

I was banging against the stone walls, screaming and thrashing.

"Let me out of here, you sick fuck!" I pleaded with a shout.

Dread washed over me in waves as green-tinged lightning shot across the sky and clouds swirled overhead like the eye of a hurricane. The ground began to rumble as if something was coming.

There was a commotion that cut through Ichabod's chanting, but he didn't stir, his once clear amber eyes now inky black. The clowns standing guard at the cemetery gates burst into action as a werewolf barreled into one, and a massive black shape curled around the throat of the one who loved popping balloon animals. I felt like crying, screaming, and laughing all at once as Freddy grappled with one of the clowns. He dodged the swinging machete heading towards his head, and his howl rent the air as he crouched low and sprung over the clown's head. Then he stopped short when the clown spun around fast and held the machete under Freddy's chin.

Michael's dark magic traveled straight from his palms, a black fire burning as he stood there, chanting under his breath. His snake familiar wrapped around the balloon-popping clown's neck until he fell to his knees from the tight grip.

"Norman!" I shouted, banging on the stone. "Norman, Jason!"

They came through the gates, Norman tearing the clown with sharp knives away from Freddy with a speed that was almost a blur, and then he yelled something unintelligible at his brother. I watched Freddy shake blood from his muzzle and look my way. They couldn't see me inside this fucking box, so I kept calling their names. Jason was already running toward me. His eyes were bright yellow, channeling Damon, as he vaulted over headstones like something out of the Olympics.

I saw the clown with the blood dripping down his chin step right into Jason's path with a scary as hell giggle. Jason skidded to a stop, his eyes impossibly wide as he stared down his greatest fear.

"Your fear smells delicious, demon. I can't wait to tear you open and eat your insides."

"The only thing tearing up my insides is my girl. She's already ripped my heart out, so you'll have to fight her for it. Too bad you're about to die," Jason taunted in a strong, steady voice, and his body started vibrating until a dark purple smoke rolled off his skin and Damon suddenly shuddered out of his body.

"Ah, now I can smell the fear. Run away, little clown, because this demon's hungry to suck your soul out, mate." Damon's catlike yellow eyes narrowed on the clown, who actually started shaking in his big red clown shoes.

It was like Damon was a ghost. Jason's mirror image was nearly transparent as he stepped into the clown's body. The clown started shaking like he was having a seizure, his machete dropping to the ground. I watched, holding my breath, and had to close my eyes when blood started pouring out of the clown's mouth, ears, and eyes. I heard a loud tearing sound with a painfully deep moan of agony, and then nothing. Opening my eyes, I only saw Jason spitting on the ground, which was covered with the insides of the clown. Oh god, he exploded him from the inside out !

The ground rumbled, and the coffin jostled, knocking me around and threatening to send me toppling over. I heard a horrible cracking noise and strained to see through the bars. Ichabod was still chanting, like a fight wasn't breaking out around him. The moons were fully eclipsed as fingers started to sprout from the surrounding graves.

I watched as Payton and her mom yelped in tandem and scrambled back, leaping atop a stone monument and squatting there while bony hands reached skyward. Grotesque, gnarled bodies followed in their wake, moaning and groaning when their decaying heads crested the surface, rotting flesh hanging off their limbs.

"No, no, no!" I screamed desperately. "Freddy!"

He was close now, and at the sound of my voice, he stopped running, his wolf ears perking up. Our eyes met as he let out a low grumble and headed to my coffin on four legs to gain speed. His claws gripped the bars, and he pulled with his hairy forearms straining, trying to get me out, but the coffin was too heavy and solid. Freddy howled into the air in frustration.

"Freddy, you have to stop the mayor! He's trying to raise my mother!"

His yellow eyes went wide, and in the face of a werewolf, it was an incredibly odd sight. Jason slammed into Freddy a moment later, peering into the small slit in the stone. "October!" he shouted, relief coloring his voice. "October, is that you?"

"It's fucking me!" I called out through tears, watching as his face came near the bars I was gripping. All around him was swirling fog, green lightning, and the smell of decayed flesh. Corpses were staggering out of their graves in every direction I looked, and they began to gather slowly towards us with their arms outstretched. Their eyes were empty, soulless, and unnatural.

The ground rumbled again, but this time it was different. The rumble was low, shallow, and thunderous. I peered past Freddy and Jason, and a hysterical sound fell from my lips.

"To the death!" came the smallest, squeakiest voice I'd ever heard. Jessica barreled around the headstones, and Maddie was sitting on her spidery back like a rider on a horse, with freaking Roger behind her, throwing rocks at the undead.

Jessica was currently the size of a Volkswagen Beetle again. Sparks of magic were flying from Maddie's fingertips, and her battle cry was one for the history books. I realized that aside from that day in the library and that broomstick ride, this was the first real time I'd seen her use her powers.

"Be gone, foul beasties! Back to the graves with you!" Mads shouted, her magic flying from her fingertips and zapping the undead in the buttocks.

Jessica was swiping corpses around left and right with her big, spindly spider legs. Beside them was a massive, greenish man standing over ten feet tall, with skin the color of moss and fat tusks protruding from his lower jaw. It took a second to realize who it was. Baen. It was freaking Baen in his true form, and he was crushing corpses under his fist like the Hulk.

"That's my man! Don't mind me, just staring!" Mads cheered on Baen, then blew him kisses before stampeding away on Jessica.

"Where's Cal?!" Jason/Damon demanded, grabbing my attention again.

I shook my head in shock. "Don't hurt him; he's on our side. No blowing him up. "

He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with rage. "He kidnapped you!"

"I don't care; he's the only reason the ritual isn't working! Ichabod is trying to resurrect my mother, and Cal tricked him. It's not going to work, but I need to get out of this fucking coffin!" I looked at Freddy next; his nose was in the air as he sniffed around the coffin, trying to figure out how to get me out. "We have to stop him before Calvin's ward breaks around their graves!"

Freddy went to nod but was thrown backwards when one of those clown assholes slammed into him from the side, its freaking toot horn blaring as they went down. I screamed his name, but I saw Norman there, ripping into the fucker's throat a second later and spitting out the blood in disgust, his eyes completely black.

"And stay dead," Norman mumbled under his breath, and he kicked the clown in the gut for good measure.

I knew they could take care of themselves as they grew into their powers every day, but I still couldn't handle the thought of any of my guys getting hurt. I'd already lost them once. I couldn't waste this second chance.

My friends were fighting the attacking horde, and even Jason had to rip himself from beside my coffin to help. There must have been fifty zombies snarling, scratching, and biting. Payton and her mother were cowering, just watching the spectacle— bitches —until Mads hopped off a running Jessica and marched over to Payton with clear revenge in her eyes. Payton hopped off the tombstone with a back flip and shook her pom-poms in a come and get it motion.

"There's only one cheerleader allowed in this town, and that's me! My name's Maddie, head cheerleader at Sunset Hollow; prepare to die!" Mads took a fighting stance, but not before pulling off her hoop earrings and throwing them to Roger, who caught them without looking as he charged away into the zombies.

Look at his little legs go. So cute.

I shook my head and cheered for Maddie as she danced in place with her fists raised, dodging pom--poms and doing a backhand flip that made her foot connect with Payton's chin. Her head snapped back, and she spit out a broken tooth that added a gap between her teeth. Her smile was even creepier now.

"You're going to pay for that," Payton said with a lisp.

"Bring it on," Maddie goaded, and she charged towards her head first like an all-star linebacker.

I saw Baen standing off to the side, throwing zombies around like flopping fish, but he kept looking over his shoulder to shout encouragement at his girl. That was kind of sweet in a weird way. Maddie kept swinging her arms, her fists connecting over and over again, until Payton's face was black and blue instead of a powdery white. She passed out as Maddie stood to her feet, dusting off her hands, and then jumped in place, throwing Payton's pom-poms in the air.

"Take that, you bitch. Who's the cheerleader now?" Maddie sneered down at her with a head bob and skipped away with a smile, all the way to Baen's side, where she stroked his hulking back muscles in wonder.

"Where are the aunties?" I shouted, terrified because if something happened to them, I'd lose it for good.

"I'm getting a special book at my shop," Baen grumbled out as he lifted two zombies by the necks and sent them flying.

I closed my eyes in relief but snapped them back open when I noticed how silent it got.

My eyes went back to Ichabod, who suddenly stopped chanting and started cackling, his fingers curled towards the sky. My heart dropped into my stomach when I watched that green lightning strike the graveyard dirt, right over my parents' grave.

"No!" I screamed, thrashing again. "Freddy, tip the coffin!" His head popped up at the sound of his name, and he fought to get back to me, biting through jugulars and clawing the faces of the undead. "Freddy, tip this thing! Do it now!"

He took a running start and slammed into the stone coffin, making it rock. I teetered backwards, my head spinning as he slammed into it again. I needed to face the moons. I needed the eclipse to shine directly on me for this. I was so out of my league here, still new to all of this, and it wasn't fair.

The coffin finally toppled, and I slammed against the stone when I hit the ground. My head nearly cracked against it, but I covered it in time and saved myself from a concussion. Moonlight washed over me as I lay on my back, staring up at the sky through the opening of the bars.

Closing my eyes tight, I let the moonlight sink into my skin and concentrated on my breathing. The fight happening around me was dimmed to background noise.

"Dad…" I whispered quietly. "I don't know what I'm doing, but please, please help me do this. You never taught me how to be what I am, but I'm begging you to help me now before I lose everyone."

I didn't know where people went when they died. I didn't even try to imagine, but I hoped that wherever he was right now, he could hear me. If I had the power to control the dead, shouldn't it stand to reason that I could breach that veil, too?

A stark cold seeped into my veins then, and my mind went blank. It was as if the shaking had stilled and the hurricane-force wind had stopped. I could hear nothing but the blood pumping under my skin and my heartbeat as it slowed. And then I felt my lips moving.

"Et vocavi vos oriri ex somno... Intra haec vita in regnis hoc iterum... Arcum meum sentire potestas, et meo imperio..."

The words were not my own, but they were coming from my mouth. My voice was tinged with another, and power filled my veins. I chanted the same words over and over again until something began to burn deep in my chest.

My eyes flashed open when a blast lit up the world around me. Bright green swirls of power and strikes of lightning hit me at once as the stone coffin shattered into millions of tiny shards. Static electricity ran along the surface of my skin as some invisible force lifted me into the air. My body righted, and I hovered there, my feet inches from the soil. My dress and hair flowed around me, but my lips kept on repeating that same ancient chant. Over and over again, until my voice rose to a scream, a desperate cry, as the earth began to shake.

"No!" I heard from the ground. "Cal, stop her!"

It was Ichabod. He sounded panicked and desperate, but I couldn't see him through the lightning. I could suddenly feel every deceased creature buried in this graveyard, and those undead as well. I could feel the power of their empty shells writhing, trying to break free from Ichabod's unorthodox hold. I called out to them, beckoning them to come to me.

" Meus es tu... " I said it softly, my voice strong and echoing around the graveyard. I chanted the words over and over again. "You are mine," I told them.

I could hear Ichabod shouting louder now. He screamed, "No, no, no!" over and over again, until his voice was drowned out by the moans and gurgles of my corpses—the ones he'd raised from their eternal sleep. The bodies he'd desecrated began to turn on him.

That invisible force carried me forward, floating inches above the ground. Ichabod was staring right at me, mouth agape. The blackness I'd seen in his eyes before was gone completely, replaced with a frightened, watery brown. I saw the corpses come to a standstill in my peripheral vision, no longer fighting my guys. My eyes flickered briefly to where Jason stood with his boot on Payton's mother's chest, eyes triumphant as he held her down, before Cal laid a hand on his shoulder to take over guard duty.

Maddie was heading over with Baen and Roger trailing behind her, and once again, a small Jessica perched on his shoulder. Blackness was receding from Michael's arms, and he was holding Freddy by the shoulders to keep the werewolf from running over to me. Norman grabbed his other arm, keeping a hold on his twin. They all watched me as I pulled the corpses closer, beckoning them to come to their master.

My lips were still moving, those words rolling out effortlessly. I had an inkling of what I was saying.

" Meus es tu! " I shouted, my voice carrying over to the front gates. I was telling the corpses to do my bidding, to submit to me, and to turn on the one who'd ripped them from their rest.

They staggered forward, and Ichabod scrambled back on his heels, feet kicking up dirt, chanting, " Tuus ego sum. EGO teneo et tibi dominantur! " He screamed the words over and over again, but the zombies didn't even flinch.

They converged on Ichabod and bypassed Cal, who was standing close by in a protective stance as he formed an invisible wall around Payton and her mother to trap them together in case they woke up.

I felt something then—a gentle breeze against my neck that sent a sense of comfort and warmth rushing through me. It was a familiar sort of warmth, and immediately I knew exactly what it was. Tears sprung to my eyes as I felt my parents' spirits wrap around me, fueling me with the strength I needed. Invisible fingers laced through mine.

"We are so proud of you, darling girl. We're always here," they whispered in my ear as my eyes closed to absorb the sound of their voices one last time.

" Tolle eum ," I said softly, knowing my undead servants would listen. "Take him."

My guys were now surrounding me for support, watching Ichabod cower. The corpses ignored everyone I loved. The guys watched as they converged, and Ichabod screamed as hands groped him, jaws clashing and nails scratching at his skin.

I smiled down at the man that I realized was responsible for the deaths of my parents. It really was him all along. I know that now. I didn't know how I'd missed it before. He was the top-hat-wearing man in the street that night who'd made our car fly off the road. The one with the power to disappear like magic. The one who set all this in motion.

"Take him," I'd said to them. Not kill him. No, I didn't want this vile, worthless warlock dead just yet. I had plans for him.

Roger

I felt taller than tall, over the moon, and on top of the world. I rode the beast on its back through a bona fide battle and lived to tell the tale. My strings were cut loose from my master, and I was a free marionette.

No more cold, lonely nights on the job being told what to do. I was my own fella, destined to set the rules, until I needed a new master. But who would treat this detective with the respect I deserved?

I rubbed my smooth, porcelain jaw and moved my head around three hundred and sixty degrees, gazing at the broads and guys in the room. I stopped at the tall, raven-haired gal and felt a keen respect for her. She looked sad, yet tough enough to survive on the streets. But we could only roam alone for so long before it got tiring.

I wondered… Maybe she wouldn't mind a dummy for a companion? She and I could keep this town safe and keep the riff-raff out.

‘Detective Roger and his assistant, Miss Mad's, on the case' had a nice ring to it.