The Book of Spells (Private 0.50)

“We didn’t bring back Catherine,” Helen said flatly, staring at the lifeless body. “We brought back something else entirely.”

Crime

Eliza could not stop crying. Since the moment Theresa had wrapped her in her strong arms on the floor of her dormitory room, tears had been running down her face without pause. Even now, as she, Helen, and Theresa carried Catherine’s body through the woods for the second time, the flow was continuous. Tears sluiced down her cheeks and dripped onto the bodice of her dress. She hated appearing weak to Theresa and Helen, neither of whom had shed so much as one tear, but she couldn’t stop the flood.

She had no idea how her friends were so unaffected. How could they not be moved by the wretchedness of what had occurred? With every moment that passed, Eliza’s misery mounted—another recollection, another realization. She had thought she’d saved Catherine, but all she’d done was bring some fiend to life on Earth.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Eliza, please stop blubbering,” Theresa said through her teeth as they hobbled past the white rock with Catherine’s sagging form between them. Theresa had been walking backward the entire way, craning her neck to see over her shoulder and keep from tripping. “It’s almost over.”

“No, it’s not,” Eliza replied, her voice thick with tears. Her throat throbbed mercilessly. Angry, purple, finger-shaped bruises had already begun to form on her neck before the girls had even left Crenshaw. But as unsightly and painful as they were, they were meager penance for everything she had done. “It will never be over. Catherine will always be dead.”

“This is not your fault, Eliza,” Helen said, running forward to hold a branch aside so that the girls could duck through. “You could not have known this would happen.”

But it is my fault that she died the first time. Theresa came after me, and Catherine went after her. If not for me, none of this would have happened, Eliza thought, clenching her jaw. If she hadn’t been sneaking around with Harrison behind Theresa’s back, none of this would have happen

ed. That is the crime I will carry with me all my days.

“Be careful. We’re going down,” Theresa said.

She backed down the slope into the ravine, her feet sliding on the dry dirt, loosening a few rocks, which bounced down and splashed into the shallow water. Eliza held her breath and gritted her teeth, struggling to keep hold of Catherine’s ankles. Her fingers were slick with sweat, and every inch of her body itched from the exertion.

“Lay her here. This is where she first fell,” Theresa said.

Carefully, Theresa bent and laid Catherine’s head on the rock which had been her end. The jagged surface was still stained with Catherine’s blood. Eliza placed Catherine’s feet down, then took a few steps back, trying to catch her breath.

“It’s no good,” Helen said, looking down at them from the top of the ravine. “She wouldn’t be lying so straight.”

Eliza gave a sob and turned away. Theresa clucked her tongue in frustration.

“If you want something done right, better to do it yourself,” she muttered.

Eliza could hear the girl’s feet slipping on the stones, splashing around as she rearranged Catherine’s body.

“There. Is that better?” she asked.

Eliza glanced over her shoulder. Theresa had arranged Catherine so that she was on her side, one arm flung behind her, her legs bent as if she was running.

“Yes. That should do it,” Helen said.

Eliza covered her eyes and cried. She said a silent prayer, pleading with God to forgive her for all she had done. Then she felt Theresa’s arm around her waist.

“It will be all right, Eliza,” Theresa whispered in her ear. “Our spell will have broken last night. Today Miss Almay and the instructors will realize Catherine is missing. They’ll send out a search party and when they find her, they’ll think she simply went for a walk alone and fell. Everything is going to be fine.”

Eliza sniffled, swallowed, and nodded, unable to form any words. Unable to understand how Theresa could possibly think anything would be fine ever again. Aside from everything else that had happened, had the girl not heard that thing place a curse on all of them? Eliza knew she was going to live in fear of that curse for the rest of her life, never knowing exactly what it might mean.

“We should go,” Helen said.

Suddenly there was a loud crack, like a tree limb breaking nearby. Eliza gasped, and Theresa dragged her down to the ground, pulling them both into the ravine. Theresa’s breath was ragged with fear, and Eliza clung to her as if she would have drowned if she let go.

“What was that?” Eliza hissed.

“I don’t know,” Theresa replied.

“Who’s there?” Helen shouted, swinging around. “If you’re bold enough to follow us, you should be brave enough to show yourself!”

Eliza clenched her hands into fists, marveling at Helen’s courage. She bit down on her tongue and looked at Theresa, who widened her eyes. The venerable Miss Billings was impressed as well. For a long moment, all three girls were silent and the forest was still.

“It was nothing,” Helen called down to them. “No one’s here.”