Page 24 of The Glittering Edge

But this isn’t about Corey. It’s about Mrs. Emberly—and Penny.

“My family is cursed.”

The words ring out, more sure and confident than Corey expected. There’s a long moment of excruciating silence, and Corey can’t look at her.

“Cursed,” she repeats. “You mean, like… you’re sick?”

Corey shakes his head. “I mean if any of us falls in love with someone, that person is going to die.”

Penny takes one step closer to him, then two. “I’m sorry, but you’re saying my mom is going todiebecause your aunt is in love with her?”

“I know how it sounds. But the curse killed my mom, and my uncle Jason, and my grandmother, and a lot of other people.”

“But your mom, she—she got hit by a train.”

“Dying from the curse always looks like an accident. The dock at Elkie Lake broke while your mom was standing on it, but that wasn’t a coincidence.”

Penny wraps her arms around herself. She starts to pace, and then she stops and turns on him in a sudden rush of motion. “If that’s true—if your family knew, then why didn’t you do anything to stop this? Why didn’t your aunt stay away?”

At first, Corey can’t formulate a response—because it almost sounds like she believes him. He was expecting her to be afraid, to brush him off, maybe even laugh at his expense. But she skipped that part.

Then Penny’s words sink in, and Corey’s brief shock turns to bitterness. He takes a step closer to her. “You seriously think it’s that easy? My auntneverwanted this to happen. None of us did. If you want to blame anyone, blame the De Lucas.”

“The De Lucas? Why?”

“Why do you think?” Corey snaps.

Penny’s eyes narrow. “They’re witches?”

Corey was expecting her to say a lot of things, but not that. “You believe the rumors?”

Penny shakes her head. “N-no, I… I don’t know. But they’re…?”

“True?” Corey crosses his arms. “Completely.”

Penny looks frantic. Words pour from her mouth. “My mom was acting weird this morning. She seemed paranoid, and she kept touching that necklace… it was as if she was being watched. And I thought someone was watching me, too. I could’ve sworn that I saw someone in the woods last night, and then today at the hospital there was some sort of… I don’t know. A figure.” She turns back to Corey, her face drawn with horror. “Was it the De Lucas?”

“What did they look like?”

Penny’s brow furrows. “I couldn’t see them. They were standing in shadow.”

Immediately, Corey flashes back to the car ride with Dylan. The Shadow standing in the middle of the road.

“That wasn’t the De Lucas. That was the curse.”

“The curse? How is that possible?”

“Because it takes human form—or something like human form—right before someone dies. It’s like a fucked-up premonition. Everyone who has lost a loved one to the curse can see it.”

The blood drains from Penny’s face. “Then I wasn’t imagining it.”

“Your mom was right about us, and she was right about the De Lucas,” Corey says. “You should stay far away.”

Penny’s face contorts. She’s holding back tears, and Corey has to look away from her.

“And the necklace?” Penny asks with a shaking voice. “Why should I keep it on her?”

“Because it’s a ward. It will keep her safe from the curse for a while.”

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