Page 95 of Death is My BFF

Through the back door!”

Ace freed my hands.

A blast of energy exploded from the table, knocking me backward. My skull banged against the floor, and my consciousness strobed in and out. Ace sat pinned in his seat; his head sat back at an odd angle that left his throat exposed. His body stiffened, mouth working through strangled words, as if he were fighting against something,someone.

Trixie sprinted into the room and froze.

“What’s happening?” she asked Ace in hysterics. “What do I do?”

“Find a sacred . . . potion!” he gasped out.

Trixie snapped into action, rifling through various cabinets, knocking bottles all over the place. Without a second thought, I picked myself up and ran toward the door at the back of the room, which lead down a long hallway to another door. I barreled into the crisp night air. My mind was static. Past a back parking lot into a narrow alleyway lead me back to Main Street’s sidewalk, where I clicked my key fob until I heard a beep.

I flung myself into my car, threw it into Drive, and sped home, fearing I’d opened Pandora’s box.

XVIII

Nighttime closed in as I swung my car into the driveway. When I saw my dad’s truck parked outside the garage, and my mother’s silhouette in the warm glow of the kitchen window, I released the breath I’d been holding. My family was home safe.

I switched off the ignition and rested my forehead against the wheel, forcing myself to breathe in and out slowly. Adrenaline coursed through my veins like an anxious curse that never ended. I remained in the dark car until the heat from the vents ran out.

Gathering my things, I exited the vehicle and jogged to the front door.

“Look who decided to show up,” my father said sternly, as I made my way into the house. He slid off his reading glasses and shut the book in his hands with a thud.

“Hey, Dad.” I bolted the door closed and paused, mentally preparing myself for another web of lies. The overwhelming urge to tell my parents everything, or at least what happened to Thomas, ate away at me more than ever. Worried that my father would notice something was wrong, I headed to my room. “I, um, have a lot of homework.”

“Wait a minute, young lady.” I froze as Dad rose to his feet.

“Where have you been? It’s late.”

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered. “I hit traffic.”

“Why didn’t you call me and let me know? You always call or text when you’re late. I called you three times.”

“Phone died. Forgot my charger.”

Dad analyzed my features with skepticism. “Is something wrong, Faith? You look like you’ve been crying.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Dad,” I said, brightening up. “I’m just tired.”

“Cupcake?”

I whirled around, and my mother stood directly behind me. I yelped, and so did she.

“Jesus on a pogo stick!” Mom exclaimed, putting an oven mitt to her chest. In her other hand, she held a strawberry frosted cupcake with black pumpkin-shaped sprinkles. “You almost gave me a heart attack! What’s got you so jumpy?”

“I-I-I—”

“Where were you tonight?” Dad huffed, now standing on the other side of me. I knew I was just given a one-way ticket to the parental interrogation. “Were you with that boy? David Galaxy, or whatever his name is?”

A sinking feeling gripped my stomach. “No, I was studying, Dad.”

“How is David anyway?” Mom beamed, wiping at the flour on her cheek. “Why didn’t you ask him over? He would have loved these cupcakes! I read the funniest article inCosmopolitanthat said his favorite food is frosting.”

I laughed in a stunted, nervous way. “That’s great, Mom. Thanks for the cupcakes, but I’m not really in the mood for food right now.

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed about this exam coming up. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have to go bury myself in textbooks until dawn. Pray for Faith.”

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