the gate, she was waiting for me. She wore sunglasses, tight black jeans, and a tank top with one word printed on it: NOT .
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“Why didn’t you call me?” I unlocked the gate and beckoned her inside.
“Cell phones can be traced. Or bugged.” She wheeled her bicycle up the driveway.
We sat in the moon garden. Even though the sky was growing dark, Autumn kept on her sunglasses. The air stayed hot and humid. It didn’t bother me, but Autumn wiped her forehead with her hand from time to time. “I hate Florida,” she said.
“Weren’t you born here?”
“Yes,” she said, “and I’m counting the minutes until I leave. So, what did you do to Mysty?”
I hadn’t expected that question. When I tried to hear what she was thinking, all I heard was a static-like buzz. Who are you? I thought.
I heard, in response, a soft, high-pitched whining sound. It came from Autumn—not from her mouth, but from somewhere inside her.
Then Dashay was there, her back to me, bending toward Autumn.
“Somebody call me?” she said softly. She took off Autumn’s sunglasses, and Autumn didn’t move.
I craned my neck and had a brief glimpse of Autumn’s eyes—wide open, with light moving across her left iris.
Dashay moved to block my view.
“Yes, my pretty pretty,” she said. “You’re the one calling me. I hear you now. I can’t hear you! I hear you loud and clear. You’re not there! I don’t hear anything.”
She went on, crooning nonsense (“I see you, I can’t see a thing. I can feel you, you’re no place at all”). I wondered if Dashay was mad—if Bennett’s disappearance had disconnected her sanity. Discomfort, hot and prickling, climbed up my spine.
But I didn’t leave. I closed my eyes, and my eyelids turned colors, twists of violet. After a minute or so, I heard the whining sound again, and then a sudden popping noise.
I opened my eyes. Dashay turned away from Autumn, her face triumphant.
“Want to see?” she said to me, She held out her right hand, clenched tight.
Part of me did, but I shook my head. “It’s Autumn’s demon, isn’t it.”
“She had a sasa in her, yes. I heard it. Sometimes they sing at night. Sure you don’t want to see? ’Cause I need to drown it quick.”
I took a quick glance. Something small, dark, and slimy looking quivered in her palm. Then she closed her hand and walked off toward the river.
Autumn hadn’t moved while we’d talked. She sat, her eyes open, breathing normally, her palms flat against her knees. She blinked and stirred. “So what do you think happened to Mysty?” Her voice was matter-of-fact, as if nothing had happened.
I told her I didn’t know. She nodded, but she was thinking, She knows more than she’s saying. I could hear her thoughts, now that the sasa was gone.
I wondered what she’d done to acquire a sasa.
“Jesse took a lie detector test yesterday.” She said it so casually. “Today they told him he failed and he has to take two more.”
“Poor Jesse.” I hoped that being hypnotized hadn’t affected his performance.
“My brother is no liar,” she said. “He says she stood him up that night.” But she was wondering, Did he kill her?
“I don’t think he did it,” I said. “He doesn’t have that kind of temper. Besides, why do you think she’s dead?”
“It’s been four days.” Autumn hunched her narrow shoulders. “They’re usually dead by now.”
“You don’t seem very upset,” I said.
“Well, it’s not like she meant that much to me.” Autumn stood up to leave. “It’s not like I even knew her very well.”
But she was lying. Mysty was the only friend she’d ever had.
I walked her down to the gate. “Aren’t you scared to be out alone at night?”
She draped one leg over her bike and mounted it. “I’d like to see somebody try to come after me,” she said.
Chapter Seven
O nce upon a time, my mother thought that place names with the letter S in them
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“Why didn’t you call me?” I unlocked the gate and beckoned her inside.
“Cell phones can be traced. Or bugged.” She wheeled her bicycle up the driveway.
We sat in the moon garden. Even though the sky was growing dark, Autumn kept on her sunglasses. The air stayed hot and humid. It didn’t bother me, but Autumn wiped her forehead with her hand from time to time. “I hate Florida,” she said.
“Weren’t you born here?”
“Yes,” she said, “and I’m counting the minutes until I leave. So, what did you do to Mysty?”
I hadn’t expected that question. When I tried to hear what she was thinking, all I heard was a static-like buzz. Who are you? I thought.
I heard, in response, a soft, high-pitched whining sound. It came from Autumn—not from her mouth, but from somewhere inside her.
Then Dashay was there, her back to me, bending toward Autumn.
“Somebody call me?” she said softly. She took off Autumn’s sunglasses, and Autumn didn’t move.
I craned my neck and had a brief glimpse of Autumn’s eyes—wide open, with light moving across her left iris.
Dashay moved to block my view.
“Yes, my pretty pretty,” she said. “You’re the one calling me. I hear you now. I can’t hear you! I hear you loud and clear. You’re not there! I don’t hear anything.”
She went on, crooning nonsense (“I see you, I can’t see a thing. I can feel you, you’re no place at all”). I wondered if Dashay was mad—if Bennett’s disappearance had disconnected her sanity. Discomfort, hot and prickling, climbed up my spine.
But I didn’t leave. I closed my eyes, and my eyelids turned colors, twists of violet. After a minute or so, I heard the whining sound again, and then a sudden popping noise.
I opened my eyes. Dashay turned away from Autumn, her face triumphant.
“Want to see?” she said to me, She held out her right hand, clenched tight.
Part of me did, but I shook my head. “It’s Autumn’s demon, isn’t it.”
“She had a sasa in her, yes. I heard it. Sometimes they sing at night. Sure you don’t want to see? ’Cause I need to drown it quick.”
I took a quick glance. Something small, dark, and slimy looking quivered in her palm. Then she closed her hand and walked off toward the river.
Autumn hadn’t moved while we’d talked. She sat, her eyes open, breathing normally, her palms flat against her knees. She blinked and stirred. “So what do you think happened to Mysty?” Her voice was matter-of-fact, as if nothing had happened.
I told her I didn’t know. She nodded, but she was thinking, She knows more than she’s saying. I could hear her thoughts, now that the sasa was gone.
I wondered what she’d done to acquire a sasa.
“Jesse took a lie detector test yesterday.” She said it so casually. “Today they told him he failed and he has to take two more.”
“Poor Jesse.” I hoped that being hypnotized hadn’t affected his performance.
“My brother is no liar,” she said. “He says she stood him up that night.” But she was wondering, Did he kill her?
“I don’t think he did it,” I said. “He doesn’t have that kind of temper. Besides, why do you think she’s dead?”
“It’s been four days.” Autumn hunched her narrow shoulders. “They’re usually dead by now.”
“You don’t seem very upset,” I said.
“Well, it’s not like she meant that much to me.” Autumn stood up to leave. “It’s not like I even knew her very well.”
But she was lying. Mysty was the only friend she’d ever had.
I walked her down to the gate. “Aren’t you scared to be out alone at night?”
She draped one leg over her bike and mounted it. “I’d like to see somebody try to come after me,” she said.
Chapter Seven
O nce upon a time, my mother thought that place names with the letter S in them
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