Back inside the safety of the truck, Jace and Lilah drove in silence for a long time, each of them consumed by their own unsettling thoughts as they passed by endless frost-kissed forest. Jace was still trying to piece together what exactly had happened, while Lilah was revisiting Mike’s untimely death in her head over and over again, trying to figure out why the moth had come back to life but he hadn’t. After a half hour of ruminating in vain, she blew out a frustrated sigh, wiping angry tears from her eyes as she did.
“Are you alright?” Jace asked, casting her a quick sideways glance. She was sitting cross-legged in her seat, slumped over her knees with her head in her hands.
“No,” came the muffled response.
Jace glanced down at the dashboard. The fuel gauge was back to full after he had made the world’s fastest stop at the run-down gas station beside the highway onramp, but the tachometer was still creeping farther and farther to the right, teetering on the red zone. He eased his foot off the gas, letting the needle settle back to a reasonable seventy miles per hour.
He let out a deep breath. “Yeah… Me neither. I feel horrible about leaving him. I keep thinking that we should have called 9-1-1 but every time I imagine doing that, it always ends up with us being thrown into prison. Or an insane asylum.”
Lilah let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a sob and a snort.
With the snow lightly falling again, Jace tried to keep his eyes on the road. “I still don’t understand… What happened to him? And why didn’t he come back?”
“The ‘what happened’ part is easy – I bent time inside the house,” she replied, her face still resting in her palms. “Everything except you and me was cast backwards – even the logs that made up his cabin. And it just so happens that at that particular moment in time, one of those logs was a living pine tree that just happened to be growing in the exact same spot that Mike had been standing. He wouldn’t have even had the chance to move.” She crossed her arms over her head, forcing back another sob. “So, it really is my fault that he’s dead.”
The lump in Jace’s throat felt like a tennis ball. He knew he needed to say something, but what on earth could he possibly say? No, Lilah, you didn’t kill him – the tree did?
“As for the ‘why,’” she murmured, lifting her head to stare at something in the distance, “I have no idea why he didn’t come back to life. He should have. But he didn’t.”
A long moment of silence stretched between them. Finally, Jace cleared his throat. “What does the notebook say?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid to read it.”
“Just open it to the last page – maybe there’s something in there. About you. About your family. About your, um… gift.”
With a heavy sigh, Lilah reached around the back of her seat to pull the spiral notebook out of her bag. As she did, something small and gray fell from between the pages. “What’s this?” she asked, examining the cassette tape in her hands. A piece of clear tape dangled from the label, which read “Supplementary Notes – Mayweather.”
“Hey, finally some good luck!” Jace said, trying to keep his voice cheerful. “It just so happens that this truck is ancient – there’s a cassette player right here in the console. Go ahead and pop it in.”
Lilah did as she was told, then held down the rewind button for the count of twenty. When she let go, the familiar sound of Mike’s voice filled the cabin of the truck.
“—over a dozen missed calls from Celeste. Something about an urgent situation at her house. I don’t normally do phone consults, but since the book signing is finished for the day, I’ll make the rare exception and give her a call. After all, she’s purchased quite a lot of products over the last few months… not to mention the pleasant company she’s provided – services for which I sadly am unable to bill.” For whatever reason, that comment was followed by a conspiratorial chuckle.
As the garbled sound of ringing floated out from the truck speakers, Lilah sucked a shaky gasp between her teeth.
Hello? came a woman’s breathless voice.
Celeste? This is Shaman—
Mike! she screeched. Thank God you’ve called! Thank God! I didn’t know who else to turn to!
What’s wrong? Is it Willow again? Has she stopped using her valerian liniment?
It’s not that – It’s so much worse than you could ever know, Celeste sobbed.
Well, best start from the beginning. Tell me everything.
You have to swear you won’t call the police. Please, Shaman Mike, after everything Willow’s already been through—
You have my word, Mike replied, his tone placid. Nothing you could ever tell me would ever warrant—
Celeste began to wail. It killed the cat!
A long pause. Finally, Mike spoke. What killed the cat?
The baby – the damned baby did it.
Lilah lunged forward to hit the pause button, her chest heaving. She clamped a hand over her mouth, feeling as though she might vomit. By then, Jace was already slowing down to pull off the highway. As the truck slowed to a stop, he turned to look at her, his expression filled with shock and pity. And perhaps a touch of fear.
“I can’t listen to this,” she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. “I can’t. What kind of monster child kills a cat?”
Jace turned off the ignition, resting his hands back on the steering wheel as the engine halted. His knuckles were white. After a long moment, he took a deep breath, then clasped Lilah’s trembling hand in his. “I don’t know what else we’re going to hear on that tape. But I’m with you,” he said. “And I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“Why?” she asked, wiping her tears on her jacket sleeve. “Why would you say that?”
Jace turned to stare out the front windshield, a tight smile tugging at his cheeks. “Do you remember the day you brought in that homemade volcano for Science Day? You poured an entire liter of Strawberry Fanta down the hole after packing it with Mentos… The whole thing just erupted – I mean it covered the entire front half the class, along with the teacher. Mrs. Sinclair was so furious, do you remember?”
Wide-eyed, Lilah nodded.
“And there you were, the shyest girl in the class, frozen like a deer in headlights as pink soda dripped from the ceiling and our teacher looked like she was going to have a coronary… I think we all expected you to burst into tears at that point. I mean, I would’ve in your shoes. But then – I’ll never forget this – you burst out laughing. You couldn’t stop, even though that yellow dress you were wearing was soaked in soda… And pretty soon the whole class was hysterical. Even Sinclair cracked a smile.”
Color filled Lilah’s cheeks. “How do you remember all of that? We were in third grade,” she sputtered.
He shrugged one shoulder, then flashed her a crooked smile. “That was the first moment I realized that I liked you. I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long to tell you.”
Jace McKinnon… likes me? She looked down at her hand, which was tightly clutching his. Somehow, despite everything, she felt a laugh slip between her lips. “I was so nervous that it wouldn’t work. So that morning I added baking soda to the volcano and mixed vinegar into the Fanta. My dad warned me that it would make a mess but…” she could feel fresh guilt chipping away at the joy that was warming her stomach. “…well, I have a bad habit of not listening to him.” She cleared her throat, then looked up at Jace shyly. “Anyway, just so you know, I like you too. I have for a long time.”
“No kidding?” He grinned at her – a wide, eye-crinkling smile that made her stomach do a happy backflip.
Lilah couldn’t help but smile in return. “I still have the Indian Head penny you gave me in fourth grade. Do you remember that?”
“Of course, I do,” Jace’s jaw fluttered slightly. “I can’t believe you kept it.”
“It was the first time I realized I had feelings for you,” she admitted. Her hand shaking slightly, she leaned forward to unzip a side pocket of her backpack, where she retrieved the rusted coin. Jace’s eyes widened as she placed it in his hand. “I’ve kept it with me ever since.”
“I wish I had known,” Jace murmured, gently turning the keepsake over in his palm before returning it to hers.
“I wish I had told you.”
As they both took in this new revelation, Lilah was filled with a sense of disbelief. All this time of pining, worrying, wondering…only to find out that Jace McKinnon felt the same way about her. It was crazy. It didn’t make sense.
Then again, nothing made sense. Nothing at all. But maybe things soon would, if only she had the courage to keep going. And maybe, just maybe, she would find a way to go back and fix everything – including Mike.
“Well… here goes nothing.” With a heavy sigh, she leaned forward, finger hovering above the Play button. Jace squeezed her fingers reassuringly.
Click.
Celeste – you need to take a deep breath. What baby? And how could a—
Willow recently gave birth to an infant. We didn’t tell a soul, out of fear that it would destroy her reputation. And mine. That’s why we moved to Montana. To hide the child and start fresh. But there’s something… terribly wrong with it.
When?
When what?
When was the child born? Mike pressed. I need the time and date.
She came just after the clock struck twelve, on the 13th.
“Huh,” Lilah muttered. “We’ve been celebrating it on the wrong day for all these years.”
Jace arched an eyebrow.
A Sagittarius, Mike whispered, intrigue dripping from his tongue. Born on the unluckiest of numbers, under the Saturnalian house of death during the retrograde.
Yes – and ever since it was born, terrible things have been happening. Terrible, terrible things. At first, I didn’t believe what my daughter was telling me. I thought she was just struggling with the transition, or perhaps punishing me for the life I made her leave behind. But just last night, the baby began to cry in the sink and the skin on my hand melted off. Melted! Off! Food rots in its presence. Flowers wilt. Decay surrounds it! So much decay! And this morning, it killed the family cat! For no reason! The poor thing was only twenty!
Tell me more about the child. What happens directly before these episodes? What about right after? Does she have teeth? Are any of them pointed? Are there any deceased relatives who might be using the child as a way to get retribution for previous disagreements?
Willow, there you are! Come here! Celeste shouted.
A girl’s voice sounded. Yes, Mama?
Lilah let out a gasp. “That’s her!” she cried. “That’s my mother!”
Jace nodded grimly as Celeste’s voice continued through the speakers.
Willow, I want you to tell Mike everything you can about… it.
Um, well, she usually scrunches her face right before… you know… and then she gets all glassy-eyed—
But her teeth – what about the teeth, the shaman pressed.
W-Well, she doesn’t have any teeth. She’s just a baby.
And the cat? What was she doing to the cat?
Sh-she has these… these fits… I think she might be sick—
Celeste’s stern, muffled voice sounded from the background.
I know, Mama, but – I don’t think she attacked the cat. Not on purpose, at least. I th-think she makes things age faster. I’m not exactly sure… but the cat was standing in her crib when it happened and… and… Her voice broke off as she started crying.
Celeste’s voice cut in. And then one second later the poor thing became a pile of bones!
My God, Mike whispered. It’s worse than I thought. You must get rid of the child – at once!
Get rid of it? Celeste asked, her voice suddenly timid. How would we—
By any means necessary. Make a mash of green potato stems and cassava root and mix it into the child’s milk—
Mama, please— Willow’s voice cut in.
Be quiet! her mother snapped.
…If that doesn’t work or if the child refuses due to the bitterness of the stems, raw elderberry seeds will do. Grind them up for extra potency.
Celeste softened her tone slightly. But, Shaman, it’s just a baby. Don’t you think—
You are not dealing with an ordinary child, Celeste! You are dealing with forces far beyond your wildest imagination. Negative energy that you could not even begin to fathom. You want proof? Ted Bundy, Pablo Escobar, Joseph Stalin! All Sagittarii! And none of them were born under the house of Saturn! The child – if it really is a human child – could be harboring a malevolent demon inside of it. Do you hear me? Unless you are willing to meet the same fate as that cat, you must dispose of it. If not, terrible things will happen to you and your child. Mark my words—
This time, it was Jace who leaned forward to punch the Stop button.
“I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m suddenly feeling slightly better about what happened to that monster.”
He turned to Lilah, half-expecting her to utter some sort of assent, but instead she opened the truck door and abruptly vomited onto the highway shoulder.
“Oh God, are you okay?” he asked, leaning over the console. No one deserved to hear their grandmother speak of killing them. Not even Ted Bundy himself. What the hell was wrong with these so-called adults?
Lilah slid back into her seat, nodding feebly as she wiped her mouth with her jacket sleeve. “Yeah. Keep playing. I need to hear this.”
“Fine, but I’m fast-forwarding through this part,” he muttered. He held her hand over the console as he hit the fast-forward button, then waited for her to nod before hitting Play.
“Go ahead,” she sighed, bracing herself for the worst.
Click.
…beyond even me, to be quite honest. Clearly, the woman and her daughter are dealing with forces that are darker than dark. It is fascinating, however; if we are dealing with some sort of demonic possession, the expression of its powers is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s as though the child is affecting time itself, though the only temporal entity I’m familiar with is Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and time. Though the killing of the cat falls in line with that theory, Celeste mentioned nothing about the child having four arms and blue skin. Furthermore, as I’ve been ruminating in the hour since my conversation with Celeste, I can say with eighty percent certainty that the child does not appear to be a Tiyanak – she would have retractable fangs, at the very least. But as I gather more and more troubling details about the situation, particularly the innocent animal she killed—”
“Can I say something?” Jace asked, leaning forward to pause the cassette tape. “First and foremost, this guy is clearly a nut. And this whole ‘dead cat’ thing is ridiculous – Celeste herself said that the cat was twenty years old, right? Isn’t that like a hundred in cat years? What if the thing just died of natural causes?”
Lilah was rubbing her temples. “Even if that is true, what about Mike?”
“Maybe something else happened. Maybe he was sick. Maybe he had a heart attack.”
“I think we can safely say it was the unfortunately-placed tree trunk that killed him, not a heart attack.”
“But he was completely uninjured when the cabin returned!” Jace challenged. “You said yourself that you accidentally killed a moth this morning, but then it came back! What if something else was going on with Mike? Something that had nothing to do with you?”
Lilah shook her head so hard, her hair whipped around her face. “It was me, okay? I killed him. I killed that cat. For all I know, I killed my adoptive mother all those years ago as well. I’m a danger to everyone around me… including you.” Her eyes widened. “Which means – I have to go.”
She bent down to gather her things.
“Go?” Jace’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you talking about? Go where? We’re twenty-five miles from town! It’s snowing outside! And there isn’t anything around but forest!”
“I have to go,” she repeated, yanking off her seatbelt. As she shoved the spiral notebook in her backpack, she let her hair fall across her face to hide the fresh tears that were sliding down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I never should have dragged you into this.”
“Lilah, please, let me take you home—” he protested as she opened the door. But she hopped out of the truck and immediately started trekking through the grass and snow, not stopping to turn around until she was halfway between the truck and the forest.
“I really am sorry,” she called. Her voice sounded far away – much farther than it should have sounded. As she pulled her gaze away from Jace’s stunned expression, she could feel her right eye begin to twitch. “But it’s for the best.”
With that, she turned on her heels and walked into the forest, cradling her backpack in her arms like a child. Jace fumbled with his seatbelt, then leapt out of the car. “Lilah, wait!” he called, flinging the door shut behind him. But as he tore around the other side of the truck, she was already gone.