They Choose You

 

 

Drake drove through downtown, across a bridge, then out into the dark countryside beyond. I had never seen this side of town before.

 

“Where's this party anyway?”

 

He turned down the radio a bit. “Foster's parents have this cabin down by the lake. They let us use it whenever we want,” he said. “It's completely stocked, too. You'll see.”

 

Drake turned off the main highway onto a deserted dirt road. I couldn't see any lights and for a minute, I wondered if he'd gotten lost. Then, up ahead, a huge orange flame rose up.

 

“A bonfire?”

 

“So cool,” Agnes said.

 

I didn't want to tell him how much fire scared me. Already, I could feel my palms getting sweaty. Great. Just what I needed.

 

At least thirty people were already dancing and drinking around the fire. A stereo system was set up on the huge side porch and the speakers blasted loud music. I wondered if there were any neighbors who might call and complain, then remembered that we were in the middle of nowhere. Plus, these were the rich kids. They probably never got in trouble.

 

The so-called cabin was actually more of a mansion. I figured anything over a thousand square feet lost the right to be labeled a cabin, but what did I know? Geez, what was it with this town and huge houses? This one raised up high into the sky, three stories up.

 

Drake's hand closed around mine and he led me through the party. I looked back to say something to Agnes, but she and Courtney had disappeared into the crowd. Oh well. I'd find them later.

 

Brooke, Allison, and Lark stood on the porch, their faces lit by firelight. They waved me over like we were old friends.

 

“Time for tequila,” Brooke yelled over the music.

 

“Ew, I can't do it,” Lark said. “I had the worst hangover last time. I think we should do a round of lemon drops in remembrance of Tori.”

 

“Hell yeah,” Allison said. “Lemon drops it is. You down, Harper?”

 

Everyone looked to me. What the hell. “Let's do this.”

 

“I seriously need to pee.”

 

Lark grabbed my arm and practically dragged me toward the house. We'd been doing shots and dancing by the fire for the past hour, and to tell the truth, I'd had to pee for the last twenty minutes.

 

Together, we climbed our way through the crowd. Inside, though, both downstairs bathrooms had lines three people deep.

 

“Dammit, I'm going to seriously pee my pants,” she said. She leaned against me and I struggled to hold her upright.

 

“If you pee on me, I swear to God, I'll never forgive you.” I laughed and grabbed her hand. “Come on, let's check upstairs.”

 

The second floor had several bedrooms. In the first room, a couple grunted in the shadows. “Taken,” a guy yelled out. Lark and I giggled and shut the door.

 

A couple other rooms on that floor were locked tight, too.

 

“I think there's a third floor,” I said.

 

Lark groaned. “You aren't seriously going to ask me to walk all the way up there?”

 

“Come on.”

 

The stairs up to the third floor were dark and when I flipped the switch, nothing happened.

 

“Forget it,” Lark said. “I'm going back down to wait.”

 

“Scared of the dark?” I teased.

 

“Yes,” she said. I laughed as she made her way back downstairs.

 

I wasn't scared of the dark. And I really needed to go to the bathroom. I didn't think I could wait for one to free up.

 

I slowly walked up to the third floor. From the second floor lights, I could tell that it was one big giant bedroom up here. A master suite? Sliding doors led out to a balcony with a view out toward the lake and a little bit of moonlight spilled in through the gauzy curtains. There had to be a bathroom up here somewhere.

 

I stumbled over a pillow and cursed, then laughed. Other than a glass of champagne I had sneaked at a party for one of my foster parent's twentieth wedding anniversary, I had never drunk alcohol before. It made my head feel spinney and light.

 

I found the door to the bathroom and turned the knob, silently praying no one was in there. It opened easily and I ran my hand along the wall just inside the room. I flicked the light switch up, but again, nothing happened.

 

You've got to be kidding me.

 

I wasn't about to go back downstairs. I shut the door behind me, shutting out all light, and finally, happily, got rid of the pressure on my bladder. I giggled, thinking that Lark was probably still downstairs waiting in that line. All because she was afraid of a little darkness.

 

I washed my hands and stepped out into the large master suite.

 

A chill slid down my spine like an icy fingertip. Someone was in there with me. I could feel their energy. Their anger.

 

The hairs on my arms stood up and my breath caught in my throat. I felt instantly sober, all giddiness gone.

 

“Hello?” My voice came out a whisper.

 

A match struck and caught fire, lighting up a small area in the center of the room. Agnes sat on the carpet, holding a bright red candle. A pentagram was drawn around her with black sand.

 

“Agnes? What are you doing up here?” A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

 

She didn't say a word. She sat the candle on the floor in front of her, and I stepped forward, thinking it would fall over on the carpet. Instead, the candle stayed upright. I wasn't even sure it was actually touching the floor at all.

 

I glanced toward the stairs, my legs tensing in case I needed to make a run for it.

 

“Congelo.” Agnes' voice was commanding and deep. Not at all like her usual girly tone.

 

My legs felt suddenly stiff. I tried to step toward the stairs, but I couldn't move.

 

“You're not going anywhere,” she said. The corners of her mouth raised up in a sinister smile that made my heart stop.

 

“What's going on?”

 

She threw back her head and laughed. “I'm making sure there's an extra opening on the cheerleading squad.”

 

I felt sick.

 

“What have you done, Agnes?”

 

“I think you already know,” she said, standing.

 

“It was you,” I whispered. The image of Tori's half-burned body on the ground flashed through my memory. Oh, dear God, I was going to be sick. I begged my legs to work, but I was frozen to the spot.

 

“I had the perfect plan,” she said. “Get rid of one of the cheerleaders, then slip into her spot on the team. I knew they would hold auditions. Mrs. King isn't the type to miss out on an entire year of competitions and without a full team, the Demons would be disqualified.”

 

“Why Tori?” “Because I knew that when the police went searching for her killer, they would find several people who might want to get rid of her.”

 

My mind struggled to understand what was going on. Agnes had killed Tori! And she had framed me for it. My hand went up to my sapphire pendant and Agnes laughed.

 

“Believe it or not, I picked Tori before you even moved to Peachville. Let's just say she had a secret relationship that provided a pretty clear motive for murder if the police needed someone to take the fall.”

 

“Coach King,” I whispered.

 

She raised one eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “Wow, you knew about that too? Maybe you're smarter than I thought you were. Too bad that won't help you now.” I swallowed but my mouth had gone dry.

 

“Anyway, that was a tricky one because if Mrs. King ever found out I set her husband up, she might never let me on the squad.” Agnes looked at me and smiled. “Then you moved in and gave me another idea.”

 

“How could you do it?” “What? Frame you? Or kill that blonde bitch who was never nice to anyone? It wasn't hard.” Her hands rested by her side, and my eyes were drawn to them. Short crackles of light were coming from her fingertips like tiny sparks of electricity. “All I had to do was set you up to piss her off once or twice.”

 

I remembered my first day of school when I had tripped and splattered ketchup all over Tori's shirt. I'd thought I tripped over a backpack or something, but when I had looked, there was nothing there. “You tripped me,” I said.

 

“Very good,” she said with a laugh. “Once everyone had seen you arguing with Tori, I just needed one more thing to seal your fate.” She pointed toward my throat. “I saw that drawing you did of your mother. She was wearing the same necklace, so I knew it was important to you. Important enough that you would report it missing.”

 

“All this just to be on the cheerleading squad? Are you crazy?”

 

Agnes drew in an angry breath. She lifted a finger toward me. Her hands were covered with a bright light of electric current. “You and I both know it's more than just a cheerleading squad. You don't even appreciate it half as much as I will,” she said. Her voice was high and wild. “I don't understand why they picked you. After all the work I've done to learn how to control my power. I thought they would recognize my talents and reward me, but you...” She raised both of her hands into the air. They were balls of light now, crackling with energy. I recognized that energy. For me, it manifested itself differently. I had no real control over the way objects moved when I got angry. Agnes, though, had learned to use and control her power.

 

“You are nothing,” she said. Her feet rose off the ground and I gasped.

 

Outside, the music thumped. It was too loud. Even if I screamed, I knew no one would hear me.

 

“Being a Demons cheerleader is not just about competitions and dance routines and stupid football games,” she said. “It's about being recruited. It's about being special enough that they are willing to hand you the keys that will help you unlock all of the magic inside. And instead of choosing me, the one with obvious power and potential, they choose you. An insignificant girl who has no idea how to cast a single spell.”

 

Sparks shot out from her body in quick bursts. The Sheriff had said Tori was burned, as if she'd been cooked from the inside. She had looked to me because of my history with fire, but it wasn't fire that killed Tori. It was lightning.