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I he shoe was so incongruous that for an instant Thea thought her eyestricks on her It was the at room with all its macabre booths If she looked away and then looked back

It was still there

I should wait, I should call so terrible There are human authorities; I should at least wait for Eric

Thea found herself e of the oilcloth between finger and thumb and lifted it just an inch or so

There was a leg attached to the shoe

A blue-jeaned leg Not part of a dummy And another shoe

Horror and adrenaline washed over Thea And, strangely, that helped Her first thought was It’s a person and shea wall between herself and her fear

Hang on, are you okay, just let me see

She pulled the rest of the oilcloth off, tugging to get it free She saw legs, a body, curled fingers clutching the sleeve of a black-dressed witch dummy

Then she saw the head and she reeled backward, both hands pressed over her limpse, but the picture was burned into her ray face, hideously swollen Grotesquely bulging eyes Tongue like a sausage protruding froave out

She’d seen the dead before She’d been to leave-taking ceremonies where the mortal remains of witches were returned to the earth But those had been natural deaths, and the corpses had been peaceful While this

I think it was a boy It had short hair and a flat chest But there was no way to recognize the face It was so distorted-didn’t even look human

He died violently May his spirit be released; not held here by the need for revenge Oh, Sekhypt; Mistress of Death, Opener of Ways, Sekhmet Who Reduceth to Silence

Her disjointed thoughts were interrupted as sunlight fanned into the room At the door, Eric shouted, "I’s wanted to cave again She opened her mouth, but what ca toward her "What’s wrong? Thea?"

"It’s somebody dead"

She saw his eyes widen in absolute disbelief-and then he looked past her He took a step toward the thing on the floor, stopped, crouched, and stared for a second Then he whirled back and grabbed her as if he could somehow protect her from what he’d seen "Don’t look at it; don’t look over there," he gasped "Oh, God, it’s bad" "I know I saw it" "It’s bad; it’s so bad"

They were both holding on to each other It was the only safety in this nightuy is dead," Eric said It was obvious, but Thea understood the need to babble "There’s nothing we can do for him Oh, God, Thea, I think it’s Kevin Imamura"

"Kevin?" Black dots danced in front of Thea’s eyes "No, it can’t be-"

"I’ve seen hi that shirt before And the hair And he’s on the co up that dummy" Thea’s mind showed her a terrible picture A crusted dark line on that bloated face-like the woundrazor And the soft black hair Yes, it could have been Kevin And that , his voice dazed and quenched "We’ve got to tell the office"

Nuuide her Her mind was in another place

Blaise Did Blaise know could Blaise have

She didn’t want to forht even to herself, but she couldn’t help itfinally gone all the way? Not just spilled blood, but taken a life?

It was forbidden to witches But the Harmans were part lamia, and vaone that far into the darkness?

After they got to the office, things happened fast, but Thea couldn’t really take it in Activity whirled around her The secretaries The principal The police She was grateful for Eric, who kept telling the story over and over so she didn’t have to

I need to find Blaise

They were back at the gy with yellow tape A throng of students and teachers atching Thea’s eyes skimmed the crowd, but she didn’t see Blaise anywhere

Voices rose around her

"I heard it was Kevin Iuy froot him"

"Eric! Eric, did you really see him?"

Then one voice outshouted the others "Hey, Mrs Cheng, what about the Halloween party? Is the gyonna be open by then?"

The principal, who had been huddled with a couple of police officers, turned around Black hair riffling over her forehead in the breeze, she addressed the entire crowd

"I don’t knohat is going to happen with the gy to be an investigation We’ll just have to wait and see what coo back to their classes Teachers, please take your students back to your classrooo back," Thea whispered She and Eric were standing at a little distance frootten about them

"I’ll take you home," Eric said immediately

"No-I need to find Blaise I have sos to ask her" She tried to make her stupefied brain work "Eric, I should have told you this before You’ve got to be careful"

"Of what?"

"Of Blaise"

He looked incredulous "Thea" He glanced at the old gy to do hat happened to Kevin"

"I don’t know She could have had somebody do it-or made hiht into Eric’s face, willing him to believe her "Eric, I know you don’t understand, but it’s like I told you before She’s like Aphrodite Or Medea She laughs when she destroys things Especially when she gets mad and she’s mad at you"

"Why?"

"Because you picked s That doesn’t matter The point is that she lanced at the bobbing yellow tape surrounding the old gym-"she may try to hurt you So will you just be careful if you see her? Will you promise me that?"

Eric looked windblown and bewildered, but he nodded slowly "I promise"

"Then I’ll see you later We still have things to talk about-but I have to find Blaise first"

She walked toward the crowd, leaving Eric standing there in the wind She kneatching her

A waving hand caught Thea’s eye It was Dani, her face full of syht?"

"Sort of" Thea gave a laugh she didn’t recognize "Have you seen Blaise around?"

Dani’s soft little hand crept into hers "She and Vivienne went hoo back with you, if you want You shouldn’t be alone"

Thea squeezed her hand "Thanks I’d appreciate it" She was grateful-and relieved that Dani didn’t hate her "Dani-about the way I acted earlier"

"Forget it I don’t knohat I said, but I didn’t ently, "Thea, are you really okay? Really? Because I don’t want to upset you more"

"Why?" And then: "What, Dani?"

"Your grandma’s sick That’s why Blaise and Vivienne went hoed her She’s a healer-Vivienne’s randma to her house"

Thea was disturbed Gran hadn’t ht People did Lamia and made vampires came because so many of the humans here were transients-the kind that wouldn’t be missed if they disappeared Other witches came because of the power vortexes in the desert But Gran had cos had been bad since she was a kid Please don’t let it be serious, Thea kept thinking as Dani drove her home She felt as if her skin had been rubbed too thin all over her body

When they got to the shop, Gran was already gone Tobias and Vivienne were downstairs "Is she okay?" Thea asked "Is it soetting dizzy today, and then she had a coughing fit and couldn’t stop She finally decidedit out So she called Ms Morrigan"

Oh, great-chanting Just what Gran loved But she must have been really sick to ask to have it done "Can I call her?"

"I wouldn’t," Vivienne put in Her green eyes were kind, her voice reassuring "I’ on her by now, and when she does a singing, it takes all night You shouldn’t disturb theood"

"Yes-it’s not that I’m worried about" Thea looked around distractedly, finally co back to Vivienne’s face "Did you hear about what happened at school?"

"No" Vivienne looked mildly curious "What happened?"