Page 17 of Dig Your Grave

He shrugged, stepping closer.His presence radiated warmth in the chilly cottage.“I don’t know.I can’t change everything about Edenvane or my family.But I can show you this and hopefully keep you safe in the process.”

An unspoken question flickered in the air between us,Why do you care?

The tension in his posture and the raw concern in his eyes reminded me that maybe Anubis saw me as more than just a random scholarship girl he once teased.And maybe I saw him as more than a one-dimensional villain.

I cleared my throat.“Give me a minute,” I said, gesturing to the ledger.My new found journalistic instincts flared to life, urging me to start combing these documents for any mention that might connect to Toccara’s death.

He stepped back, letting me sink into an old, overstuffed chair near a lamp.I flipped open the ledger, scanning the first few pages of spidery handwriting.The text was archaic, peppered with references to old Edenvane traditions.I spotted mention of elaborate dinners, punishments for betrayal, coded language.I kept flipping forward.

My pulse spiked when I saw a subheading on page twenty:“Unrest in Crestwood.”Crestwood, my hometown.The text described how the Edenvane influence bled into local politics and singled out certain families.That sent a jolt of realization through me.The Edenvanes had shaped my hometown’s entire fate, probably controlling everything from the job market to property values.No wonder that gothic mansion on the hill overshadowed everything.

I turned another page.There, a scribbled notation read:“Lottery Program Proposal.”A pit formed in my stomach as I hunched closer.The script was difficult to decipher, but it pointed to an older version of the so-called “lottery” used to grant scholarships to underprivileged youth from Edenvane’s founder town.The rationale was couched in philanthropic terms, but certain lines suggested a more personal, exploitative motive.

“By welcoming them, we secure unwavering loyalty, or break them if they fail.The chosen either ascend as valuable assets or prove themselves unworthy, fueling beneficial illusions of goodwill.”

My breath caught.Ascend or break.The words that echoed what Anubis had claimed the other night hammered in my mind.

Even as I wrestled with the shock, a quiet memory flickered, me receiving the acceptance letter and that full scholarship.I recalled how surreal it felt.How I’d wept with a mingled sense of triumph and dread.Maybe I’d been naïve, thinking I simply got lucky.According to the ledger, luck had little to do with it.

I must’ve made some noise because Anubis kneeled beside me, resting a hand on the armchair.“Suede?”

“They picked me,” I said, voice hollow.“They set everything up so carefully, generation after generation, for these ‘lottery’ kids.You want me to believe that’s all just a philanthropic show?Actually some kind of twisted recruiting pipeline?”

He didn’t answer immediately.His silence told me everything.

I forced a laugh, but it came out shaky.“I guess I fit the perfect mold, high enough GPA and just enough misfortune to be…tempting.Or test-worthy.”My voice cracked.“My father walked out on us when I was a baby.My mother hopped from boyfriend to boyfriend.We lived in a shoebox.I was a prime target for these ‘Bone Trials’?Is that it?”

Anubis’ features looked pained.“I wanted you gone before it escalated.I truly did.That’s why I tried to sabotage you.Yet somehow, that never worked.You kept bouncing back.And here we are.”

A storm of emotion raged inside me, anger, hurt, betrayal, and beneath it all, an unsettling spark of pride that I had bounced back, that I’d proven them wrong every time they tried to send me packing.“Toccara was also from a non-traditional background,” I murmured.“She funded herself with her influencer deals.She wasn’t old money.She was a perfect candidate for them, too.So…did that lead to?”

My eyes stung.

Anubis sighed, his hand slipping down to gently encircle my wrist.“I don’t have definitive proof.But I suspect she stumbled onto something more dangerous than she realized, or she was manipulated in ways that broke her.If we dig deep enough in here, we might find some clues.”

I blinked away hot tears.“Then let’s dig.”

We spent hours in that hidden cottage.Or it felt like hours.I lost track of time.The night outside grew colder, and I could sense the hush of midnight slipping into early morning.We shuffled through yellowed documents, leafed through volumes of old rosters, and snapped photos on my phone, though Anubis insisted I keep them encrypted, not just on the phone’s default camera roll.

He showed me how.And suddenly, the jock bad guy didn’t seem so one dimensional.

At some point, he made a pot of coffee using an old kettle on the dusty stove.The coffee was bitter and thick as sludge, but I downed two cups.Each page we uncovered was a puzzle piece in the tapestry of the Skulls, how they manipulated politics, real estate, even the arts scene to maintain generational influence.

By the time I looked up from the final binder, my eyes burned with exhaustion.“This is enough to blow the roof off Edenvane,” I muttered.“If we published even half of it…”

“People have tried,” Anubis cut in gently.“They always fail.Or disappear.”

A chill zipped down my spine.“So, what’s the point of showing me all this if it just leads to a dead end or a dead me?Are you trying to get me killed?”

He set down the binder he was thumbing through.Then he rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncharacteristically weary.“Because I need you to believe me.I think you can be an ally.If you know how to play the game, maybe you can open a door that no one else has.That’s why the Howler’s interest in the Skulls is so dangerous, but also…maybe it’s time.”

I stared at him, confusion swirling with curiosity.“Time for what?”

“Time for someone to break the cycle.”His expression turned resolute.“The society was formed with certain rigid beliefs that no longer fit this century, like testing the poor or using scholarships as leverage.In my heart, I believe Edenvane could be something more than a stepping stone for the ultra-privileged.”

He hesitated, as if unsure how much to admit.But I leaned forward, silently urging him to continue.

He sighed.“Look, I know you see me as the bad guy.And maybe I am in some ways.But I want to inherit a version of this power structure that doesn’t revolve around cruelty and secrecy.Even if that means turning the Skulls inside out.”

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