Page 26 of Virgin Sacrifice

The Labrador retriever-looking goofball looked up at the two of us with big brown eyes.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to ch—‍”

Autumn clamped her hand on my thigh in a stern warning. “Ignore her.” She squeezed tightly when I started to open my mouth again. “What Luz is trying to say is that, while she appreciates you looking for us, she doesn’t need you to walk her anywhere. I, however, will happily take you up on your offer.”

This is why I couldn’t ditch Aaron, because, for some reason, Autumn seemed to like having him around. If that meant ignoring the occasional weird or smarmy comment from him, I would just have to grin and bear it.

That’s what friends did, right?

An airborne french fry suddenly smacked me in the temple.

“Earth to Luz, are you there?” asked Autumn, another fry already in hand, poised and ready to be launched at me.

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “You know I get lost in my thoughts sometimes.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled at me. “That’s why I am here to bring you back to reality. Did you hear what Aaron was saying?”

I turned to look at Aaron, who was watching us closely, a grim look in his eyes.

“Ainsley wasn’t the only person who’s gone missing lately,” he said solemnly, making me pause. “One of the girls in my Advanced Chem class said her sorority sister vanished before the start of classes, and apparently a couple of kids from town disappeared over the summer. At first the cops thought they ran away, but now they aren’t so sure.”

Food turned to ash on my tongue at his words.

“What do they think happened to them?” Autumn asked in a hushed tone, but a part of me already knew. There was no doubt in my mind that whatever happened to the missing girls it was unpleasant.

Instead of saying so, though, I simply squeezed Autumn’s hand sympathetically while Aaron told us how no one knew what had happened to them, but everyone was starting to assume the worst.

I didn’t eat much more, unable to stop hearing Autumn’s question ringing in my head.

When kids who nobody missed went missing, it wasn’t because they got taken away to a better place. And while Ainsley Phillimore may have mattered enough for someone to report her missing, it didn’t mean she was any safer. The world was full of monsters, and despite the lies most people told themselves and their loved ones, none of us were ever truly safe. I knew that better than most.

The powerlessness that I felt at being unable to do anything brought back memories I would rather forget.

Marigold, oleander, foxglove, lily of the valley . . .

I repeated the names of Mami’s favorite flowers to calm myself down, another ritual I had picked up from her, while Autumn and Aaron quietly continued their conversation.

Walking Autumn and me back to Jackson College House from the dining hall, he took one last opportunity to try and convince me to let him escort me to and from class.

“At least let me walk you back to your dorm from your night classes,” he pleaded, having insisted on seeing us to the elevator.

“I’ll think about it, Aaron,” I lied, wanting to get some space at this point. I offered him a halfhearted smile before making my way into the elevator.

I watched as Autumn awkwardly hugged him goodbye with a promise to text him her schedule before stepping into the elevator, brows pinched at me with worry.

“What?”

Had she noticed something off about my reaction to the missing students?

“Nothing,” Autumn said, chewing nervously away at her lips.

“You’re a terrible liar.” The doors opened, and we stepped out onto our floor.

Her cheeks turned red, and I struggled between feeling bad for upsetting her and feeling irritated that such a simple innocuous truth might have offended her.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I was just surprised that you’re considering Aaron’s offer.”

“Oh, I’m not really.” I shrugged. “I just wanted him to drop the subject.”

---