Page 4 of Midnight Waters

“She has her signals. You’ve just got to look for them.”

“Well, if she has them, I haven’t seen them.” Dad shuddered. “I still don’t understand why you wanted a tarantula.”

“Spiders are gorgeous.”

“Your mum had a fascination with bugs, too.” Dad shook his head. “I could never understand why. Anyway, Flora is interesting to look at, I suppose. I took her out of your room and put her in my study in case she got lonely.”

“Aw, thanks, Dad.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.

Nobody in the Arrowood family understood Flora, but it warmed my heart to know that Dad cared for her. Even if she freaked him out.

I crumpled up my empty potato chip packet in one hand and felt for my phone with the other. When I pulled it out of my pocket, my face fell.

Kira and Allison still hadn’t answered my texts. I slipped my phone back in my pocket.

Another tear collected in the corner of my eye. A part of me had always known I might need to write final messages to my loved ones. I had only hoped that I could have made it to my thirties before needing to.

The double doors across the waiting room burst open. Ray ran in, tears streaming down his cheeks and into his beard.

I shot to my feet along with the rest of the family.

“It’s a boy!” Ray cried, his hand over his heart.

Before I could even crack a smile, Ray’s expression went slack, and he tumbled to the floor.

“Cardiac arrest.” Sandra had her head bowed as she walked into the waiting room two hours later.

I clenched my hands together, fingers intertwined, as I leaned my elbows on my knees.

The method of the family deaths never changed; the heart of whoever was destined to die simply stopped. As magical curses went, it wasn’t a bad way to go, but the fact Ray had died at all filled me with rage.

He had only shared in a handful of brief moments with the grandson he would have loved with all his heart. If the rest of the Arrowood deaths were anything to go by, not even his ghost would remain to watch over his family.

Still, at least the new baby had both his parents to care for it. Most Arrowoods, since the curse began, couldn’t say the same.

Dad plastered his palm over his mouth and bowed his head. He and Ray had a brotherly bond since long before Ray officially joined the family by marrying Wendy.

Every Friday they went out together for poker night with friends, and more than one of Dad’s birthday presents from Ray were hand-whittled.

I wrapped an arm around Dad’s shoulders, but he remained stiff.

Sandra looked around the empty waiting room. Me, Dad, and Isadora were the only ones to stay after Ray’s body had been taken away.

Part of me resented them taking off the moment they knew they were safe, but deep down I knew they needed to begin to recover from the events of the day.

The golden rays of dying sunlight slipped between the blinds and spilled over the walls.

“How’s Wendy?” I asked.

Sandra shook her head. “Inconsolable. I’ll stay here with them, and the rest of you should go home and get some rest.”

“No, Sandy.” Dad looked up, his eyes shining. “You shouldn’t have to do this all by yourself.”

“You’ll be doing me a favour by taking Izzy home.” Sandra patted Isadora’s head, which roused her daughter from a bleary sleep.

“But—”

“No buts. Go home, and I’ll bring them all back when they’re ready,” Sandra said.

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