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𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 : 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄

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When Pandora and Ace woke the next morning, I had barely even registered the fact that it was morning since I had camped out into the office with all the new treasures and information I had found. I had connected all the photographs on Cage's computer with the descriptions of each man in the fourth journal, and all I needed to do was print them.

I had stayed up all night by accident, too completely immersed in my mother's writings to even look up or grab something to drink. My throat was dry and raw, my eyes would sting and hurt when I blinked, and I definitely was in need of a nap but the information was too hot, too interesting to be put down for even a second.

So, in between bites of scrambled egg and toast, I showed my two friends the first three journals, keeping the fourth tucked away inside the leather bag. I did, however, show them the photographs of each Morticianer as I told them who they were.

They didn't even seem truly shocked to hear that my mother's past was involved with spells and witchcraft, they weren't even shocked about the magical tools found in the bag for rituals.

They left around noon, Ace taking Pandora to get her car from John's house and to pick up an even greasier breakfast for the hungover girl. I stayed inside, storing the tools inside the box with the candles, wine, and cigarettes. I laid the journals out on the kitchen table, still flipping through pages and reading what I could in between chores and admiring the things I had found.

The leather jacket was warm on my body and I felt a great comfort having it on. It seemed that it might've been Cage's in their earlier days, and even though I still felt resentment towards the man, it did feel good to have something that brought me closer to him.

I sat down in one of the high chairs at the island, opening up the fourth journal as I twirled Spiorad in my free hand. There was something so calming about the blade, the way the hilt seemed to mold to my hand and the way the blade itself twinkled and glittered when the sunlight hit it just right through the windows. It almost had an even weight, the hilt being slightly heavier than the rest, but otherwise, it moved through my fingers and across my palm like it was wielding itself.

I flipped through the fourth journal to where I had left off when breakfast had been made and my friends had woken up. My mother had written most of her darker warnings and tales in between incantations and examples.

The devil and Clandestine

"Who is the devil? And what does he mean to the Morticianers?"

Archer Crow did not create the Morticianers for them to summon the devil. It was his people's doing, their idea that the devil could aid them in their work, to make the killings easier. Eric Conner was the first to bring up the idea of summoning the devil, thinking this would bring out a greater god than the one they all thought Archer was at the time.

Conner believed this would bring not only a greater power to worship, but a way to bring the rest of humanity to its knees. He wanted the Clandestine Church to be feared, to no longer be a secret safe haven for demons and spooks alike. He wanted the ground at his feet to be kissed and he wanted raw, dark power, the type of power Archer and the rest of the Morticianers could no longer give him. He wanted validation from his own false god, so he brought up the idea of finding the devil and finally bringing him 'home.'

Summoning the devil was known to be a legend, a myth. It wasn't achievable through mere hopes and whims. It was strategic and you had to know and have the right connections, the exact right incantation to bring out their fearsome Horned God. That's why, on every full moon, the Morticianers met and tried the summoning, over and over and over again for years. The failed summonings began right around the same time the bodies began popping up through town in '74. Archer explained to your father and me that the bodies had been an essential part to the summoning because the incantation rituals they had found through countless other demonic sources said a body was needed for the summoning as a host. The bodies would last for a month, sometimes two, before the people chosen finally fell victim to the countless attempts and the constant carvings of ritualistic sigils like ones you've already seen in this journal (pentacles, solar crosses, triquetras, the horned god, moons, protection sigils, and every summoning sigil imaginable).

When Cage and I got to town in '93, the summonings were still in full effect but the number of bodies had begun to drop. A new body would appear every five months, and it was your father's job to contact them and all those who had been used as potential hosts and sacrifices and interrogate them for information leading to the devil and if the summoning worked or was close to working. With his help, they were able to perfect their summonings each and every time, and each time they attempted it, their powers grew and weakened like the scales were unbalanced.

Around the time you were born, the summonings were put to a rest. They had been draining them more and more, and the incredible highs they'd feel after started to have less of an effect. Andrew Stone said the high felt like a mix of taking MDMA and LSD with a come down of Ketamine. It was addictive and thrilling and a dangerous game to be involved in. Cage said after a summoning, he would feel sick for a week before his body and health would return to normal. He'd have chills, shakes, fevers over a hundred, no appetite, and be nauseous for days on end with a depressive/anxiety induced episode but on the high, he'd be energetic, motivated, confident, and feel what he said felt like 'a chemically induced happiness.'

Within a month of ending the summoning attempts, their strength returned along with the power that had been leaking out. Some of the Morticianers believe you have the ability to summon without the after effects or the high, because of old rumors about a necromancer who can fulfill the old prophecy. A necromancer who can

The rest of her sentence was scribbled out, beyond recognizable under the deep, dark scratches of her pencil.

I wish I could explain this all more, to give you the prophecy itself, to give you what we were taught but no one knows it like they used to and we no longer have it. The prophecy might not even be true, just a ruse to give the Morticianers an edge and a reason to come after you, to use you. They want your power for their own, to use to try summoning again, to kill with more purpose than fulfilling a debt or returning what was owed.

Don't let them try to take what's yours.

I didn't get to continue to her next lesson and story as the doorbell rang twice. I pushed my seat back, confused because I wasn't expecting anyone to drop by anytime soon. I was hesitant to look through the peephole and when I saw who it was, I couldn't help the way my frown worsened into a near scowl.

I opened the door, resting one arm against it as I asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Cherry and Blondie stood side by side, Cherry holding a pizza box and Blondie clutching a two-liter of lemonade. They weren't wearing what they usually did at school, which were either cheerleader uniforms or small skirts with immiscible cute tops and blouses. Cherry wore blue jeans and an old Duke shirt, while Blondie wore jean shorts with an oversized Wooden High shirt that looked like it must've been a hand-me-down from her parents. They both looked so...beautifully normal.

"Came to see how you were," Blondie grumbled, giving her friend the side eyes that read 'let's get this over with.'

"Uh-not to sound rude, but-um-why?" I dropped my arm from the door to rest my shoulder against the doorframe. It wasn't like I didn't want the food but I just didn't want them.

"Our parents wanted us too, mostly," Cherry answered before Blondie opened her mouth. The two girls stood awkwardly together, still waiting for their invitation inside as Cherry added quickly, "We didn't get to go to the funeral, neither did Luke but he sends you his regards in-" she dug around in the big purse on her shoulder with one hand and pulled out a bag of brownies with a grin. "-his mother's homemade brownies!"

I smiled, taking the brownies and pizza from her as I stepped out of the doorway, "Well, thanks a lot but I can't eat all this by myself, want to come in and have lunch?"

Blondie gave her a stiff nod before finally coming inside. Once Cherry had stepped in, I closed the front door and followed them into the kitchen. I cleared off the counter once I placed the food down, putting away the journals and back inside the office. I dusted my hands off on my legs as I came back and started grabbing glasses and plates from the cabinet as I said, "Anything I can help you guys with, though? Because it's not like we're exactly 'friends?'"

"Well," Cherry shifted in her seat at the island, nudging Blondie who sighed loudly and said, "I was just wondering if you could back off from John for a little while?"

My mouth fell open and a soft laugh escaped, my brows furrowing as I passed them both plates. "Back off from John? We're not even friends."

"He thinks you are," Cherry said with a grin, opening the pizza box and taking a slice out with mushrooms.

I looked to Blondie, her blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail that made her look stunning. "But I thought you were, kind of, well, with Luke?"

She groaned, dropping her face into her hands as she muttered out in a rush, "I am, sorta. It's just that whatever John does, Luke does too, and I'm afraid if he sees John giving you some extra attention he'll want to do the same."

Her face was red when she looked back up and I gave her a sympathetic smile and nodded. "Trust me when I say this, I want nothing to do with John Walker." Except to somehow kill him and the rest of his little coworkers. "He's a douche and was, honestly, kind of pushy with me at the party last night."

"I saw him all over you and it...made me nervous," Cherry said, looking at her embarrassed friend. The idea of this being what they were coming to me with made me feel excited in a strange sense. It was all so normal! So...high school and I loved it. To be away from the constant doom and gloom, even for some rowdy boy talk with two girls I didn't think could stand to even look at me, was refreshing. "He couldn't keep his eyes off you at the pong table."

"It definitely made him angry to see you leave with Ace, though," Blondie said, leaning forward to grab a slice of pizza and even taking one out for me. She picked up the slice and took a large bite as I poured lemonade into the three glasses, still standing at the island. "I know I gave you shit about him, I'm sorry. I think I just felt threatened because John couldn't stop talking about you that first day and it just..."

"...made you sorta hate me?" I added for her with a light laugh and she nodded, laughing softly and shaking her head, "God, I'm so sorry about that, I must've seemed like such a bitch!"

"Just a little," Cherry nudged her, already reaching for her second slice as I finished half of mine.

Blondie wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Don't get me wrong, I still don't really like you, mostly because when a pretty new girl comes in, John and Luke go insane-"

"Mostly John, though," Cherry laughed.

Blondie nodded, rolling her eyes, "Yeah, mostly John, always. And then Ace started going after you and well, Ace and I had a thing not so long ago which you probably know about, so don't be upset that I don't come rushing to you in the halls or anything like that."

"Wouldn't expect that from you, ever," I laughed, shaking my head as I leaned on my elbows, chewing softly. I swallowed and took another bite before bringing my hand over my mouth as I asked, "Is that the only reason you don't like me?"

Blondie met my eyes, hands in her lap. "You're weird, like in the spooky, freaky 'hot' way. And, even though this might seem totally shallow of me, I don't need someone else in my way this year. I already have Gretchen for that."

Her friend gasped but I could see the hints of a smile on her face that told us this was okay, this was how we always spoke to each other.

"But, that's besides the point!" she exclaimed with a loud sigh, reaching for her glass. "You have this dark vibe, and not in the cool 'oh, I'm edgy and sexy and hang out in cemeteries' kind of way, it's more like 'I actually hang in cemeteries and with psychos because I like cults and scary things.'"

I raised both eyebrows, biting on my lip to keep from both laughing and gasping out because was that really how people saw me or just her? "Wow, thanks for the honesty."

Cherry gave me a sympathetic grimace towards me out of Blondie's eye and I gave her a subtle nod of gratitude that she at least, hopefully, didn't think that way too.

"I don't even know who you are and how you've got both Ace and little Pandora Basks obsessed over you. Your little group is totally inseparable, and not to mention creepy because you three like to disappear and speak in hushed voices like you're plotting some-some-" she bunched one hand into a fist. "-some murder!"

I choked on my lemonade, coughing as I sucked in air and swallowed thickly as I grunted out, "Huh?"

"She thinks you're planning to murder someone," Cherry clarified as if I hadn't probably heard her right and I scowled, shaking my head as I snapped to cover my tracks, "Do you even see me? How could I possibly kill someone, Cassandra? I'm a senior in high school, I have better things to think about than 'murdering someone.' This isn't Pretty Little Liars."

Blondie scoffed, shaking her head as she stood. "I didn't say you were, little miss suspicious!" She brushed the hair from her ponytail off her shoulder as she huffed, "John said you were totally weird at the funeral, that you went off and disappeared for like an hour and then someone else said you were talking with some old guy in the cemetery!"

I couldn't contain my own snarky laugh as I said, "I was gone for fifteen minutes because I was in the bathroom crying? At my mother's funeral? Like, come on, Cass, you can't be that dense. And the guy in the cemetery? He worked at the church and with my father, he was paying his respects." The lies came so fluently, it was hard to stop as I added a quick, "Am I not allowed to grieve? To sneak away to mourn? Or to talk to someone who knew my father, who I might add is also dead?"

Blondie was quiet, her mouth clamped shut and the only sound was Cherry pushing her chair back and muttering, "Blaire, we're sorry, we didn't mean to come in here and start accusing you of..."

"Of being a murderous bitch," Blondie finished for her with a scowl. She grabbed her own bag and even took another piece of pizza as she hissed, "Gretchen, let's go."

Cherry gave me a sad smile and said, "Thanks for letting us come in and eat."

Her sudden and strange kindness felt off but was entirely welcomed. Maybe I could find an unexpected ally in her, if I needed it down the road. She was different outside of school and I liked her this way, carefree and not fully under Blondie's control and demands. Yet, seeing the two girls leave, the way they walked close together and spoke in hushed voices, I could tell they were inseparable, the types of friends who've been friends since birth or even the early years of childhood.

I closed the front door after them, sighing with relief. I turned around, heading to the kitchen to clean up and eat another slice. In the midst of my cleaning, I called Pandora to tell her about my little lunch with both Cherry and Blondie, which sent Pandora into a fit of laughter. Once we both hung up and I realized I didn't actually have anything in the fridge besides a few day old containers of pasta and spoiled fruits and milk, I jotted down a quick grocery list and headed to my car.

I had my new book bag over my shoulder, the one I had found under the floorboards, and I was also wearing the leather jacket. The air outside was cool and the clouds were thick, it seemed like it was going to rain tonight, maybe even storm. It wasn't until I was halfway to the grocery that I realized Spiorad was in the secret pocket inside the jacket, pressed against my side like an extra limb. I hadn't even remembered putting it in there as I was cleaning and organizing my belongings in the kitchen and in the office.

I ignored the pull the blade had on my side, pulling into the parking lot of the store in town. I shopped until I had gotten everything on my list from milk, eggs, bread, chocolate, ice cream, to makeup wipes and tampons.

When I raced back out to my car, pushing my cart with one hand and the other over my eyes to shield myself from the downpour that had begun while I was inside, it took me five minutes to throw everything in the passenger seat of my truck before racing to put the cart back, splashing in the puddles and soaking my shoes and socks, water running down my bare legs.

When I got into the car, I sat in my seat for a moment before turning the car on, feeling water drip down my face and neck. When the air conditioning came rumbling on, it drove cold air onto my wet skin, sending a rush of chills down my body and I sighed, switching gears and backing out of my parking spot.

The rain was coming down heavy now, my windshield wipers shaking out thick sheets of water as I drove out onto the main road, stopping slowly at a stoplight. I could already feel my car hydroplaning as I slowed and my wheels skidded just for a second or two. The sky was dark with clouds and although it was only the early evening, it seemed as if the sky was in the beginning stages of night.

When I hit my second red light, I frowned, recognizing the car stopped across from me on the opposite side of the road. I only recognized it because it had been parked outside my house only a few, awkward, hours ago.

Through the rain, I could see the two girls sitting in the front seat, illuminated by a shock of lightning. Thunder boomed seconds later and the light still hadn't changed but through the haze and through the rain, I saw the driver's door open and Cherry got out of her car and in an instant, the rain was soaking her.

I turned my radio off, hearing the muffled shouting of Blondie and then, as if she had recognized me too, Cherry turned her head and looked at me. She stared for a few seconds, unblinking, lifting a hand to point at me before she dropped her arm to her side, her facial expressions blank and unmoving. It wasn't even a second later before she stepped into the oncoming traffic and I was letting out a breathless scream as she was hit and the screaming didn't stop until the semi came to a halt and there was blood smeared through the rain and I was getting out of my car.

There were mangled parts scattered through the wet, looking like mush and so human it made my stomach churn in sickening circles. One leg was bent backwards, one arm twisted underneath her and the other was laid out, her palm flat and open as if it was reaching towards the sky like an offering. I blinked and saw gray, seeing not one but two shadows of people seeping from her body, clawing and gasping and screaming. I blinked a second time and the gray was gone and I tore my eyes from the mess, my mouth open and wheezing as I turned towards my original target.

Slipping in a puddle as I ran through the intersection as all traffic came to a halt, people were blaring their horns and screaming. The driver of the semi got out of his car and I overheard him calling nine-one-one, along with a dozen other people who had stopped and gotten out of their cars. I shielded my eyes with my hand and ducked my head down, running to meet Blondie at the car, the driver's door still hanging open as her friend stood gripping the hood and the door as she let out harrowing wails.

My heart was in my throat and Blondie was shaking but I couldn't leave her standing here when the driver of her car was stretched out across the road like an animal. When I reached out for the other girl, I noticed how badly my hands were shaking as I said over the rain, "Cass, Cass! Don't look, okay? Just look over at me and tell me what the hell just happened?!"

Blondie turned her head, lips quivering and her whole body in a fit of shakes as she said through tremors, "I-I don't know. One second we were-" she swallowed thickly. "-we were singing along to-to the radio and then...and then she just stopped and opened the door and-and-and she stepped out into traffic!" She covered her face with her hands, racked with another round of sobs as she forced out, "She waited until the semi came, she waited to get hit!"

I reached out to her and brought her into me, holding onto her as the rain and wind hit us in every direction, whipping out hair into our faces. She clung to me, her mouth open in sobs and tears, and I don't know how long we stood there, both of our cars sitting and still running in the road.

I don't know how long it took until the cops were there and the broken and bloodied body of Gretchen Cork was removed from the street and placed into an ambulance that didn't turn it's siren or lights back on. I don't know how long it took for the police to take our statements and Blondie's mother to come and pick her up as we sat on the curb in the pouring rain, holding each other like we had suddenly been best friends forever.

And I don't know how long it took for me to get back to my own car, my clothes and hair soaked through, and I caught the watchful eyes of Detective Ronaldo on the scene, watching the blood wash away from the street before he gave me a solemn nod.

When I blinked and looked away from the red that was moving through the road like it was being swept away by a current, I was met with a pair of narrowed black eyes and the shining glint of a knife in my mirror and Jeb Reed smiled.

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ahhhhh I'm pumping out chapters so much this week but I still haven't even figured out a schedule yet because i just want to finish and write and upload so fast!! i feel like this chapter was rushed and i'm sorry, i'm trying to keep the story similar to the way i wrote it the first time back in 2014, so some of the plots might feel rushed but i'm trying to work on that and incorporate it more gradually :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!! (kinda sad i had to kill cherry right after she seemed like a decent person outside of school :// but im tryna stick to the og plotline)

but her death will hopefully ;) bring more answers in the next few, esp w the ending I just gave yall 

xxxxx day