Page 105 of What Happened on Roslyn Street?
She stalks me like prey, moving closer with graceful, fluid motions until I have nowhere to go. I’m backed against a wall.
“You are here for a reason. We had plans for you.” Amelia frowns. “But you ruined everything. That’s the story of your life, isn’t it? You ruined your friendship with Margaux.”
How does she know so much?
“Maybe if you had been a better friend to Poppy,” Amelia says, “she wouldn’t have come running tome.”
“I loved Poppy.” I tremble from head to toe. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Is that what happened? Margaux and I left Poppy alone, and she ran to a vampire for comfort. I shouldn’t listen to Amelia, but I do—and guilt squeezes around me like a vice.
I’m small. I’m weak. I want to disappear.
“Love isn’t enough. You were missing one valuable gift: time.” Amelia traces her nails over my neck. The action is almost affectionate. “It’s something Margaux has in abundance, but you didn’t have enough for Poppy. You weren’t there for her. Neither of you were.”
“I was!” I yell, tears welling in my eyes.
“Youweren’t!” Amelia presses her nails harder against my skin, hard enough to draw blood.
I yelp.
“She told me you weren’t,” Amelia says. “You’re a bad friend—that’s why you skipped dinner with me. I gave you a chance to prove that you’re good, that you didn’t abandon Poppy. You did the opposite. You showed me how worthless you are.”
“Tobey,” Caldwell says. “She’s wrong.”
My eyes shift in his direction, but in a flash, Amelia’s hand is on my face.
“Don’t look at him. Look at me.” She turns my head by force, making me look at her.
I do as she asks, fixing her with a death glare.
“At least you and Poppy will die in the same way,” Amelia purrs. “And no one will ever know.”
Her fangs descend, and, in an instance, Amelia is the monster I’ve always known vampires to be. Her eyes flash red, and she swoops in, her fangs brushing against my neck.
I sob, waiting for the pierce of her pointed teeth.
Amelia underestimated Caldwell. He’s on her before she can take a bite. He thrusts the stake into her back, grunting as he pushes it in.
Amelia’s eyes widen. This time, her fear is genuine.
Her body turns to stone. She falls to the ground. Amelia crumbles into a pile of ash.
My hand flies to my chest in an attempt to calm my breathing. My eyes are glued shut. In an instant, Margaux and Caldwell are around me, soft words and touches from their hands comfort me.
None of it helps. I’m a million miles away. I’m going with Poppy. I can’t breathe. I can’t speak.
All I hear is static. TV static, a sound I haven’t heard since I was young. It’s nostalgic and innocent.
I don’t realize they’re hearing it, too, until their heads turn slowly to the computermonitor on the desk.
A bird mask is on the screen. The head tilts to the side. Their eyes flash red behind the mask.
When they speak, it’s in a low, growling tone: “You killed one, but you cannot kill us all. We are as ancient as they come, and the nonbelievers will fall.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It’s my second funeral, and I’m no more used to it now than I was four months ago.
