Keeper(29)

My cheeks flamed. “Maggie!”

“What?” Maggie looked at me for a second, then trained her eyes back on Ty. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“Just walking. It’s a beautiful night.” Ty gestured to the sky. The full moon was a silver orb shining brightly against the velvet backdrop of the night sky.

“Uh-huh,” Maggie said. “Well, if you’re here, you might as well help.” She tossed him one of the flashlights and gave me an obvious wink. “Come on.”

Ty grabbed the flashlight out of the air. “And what exactly are we doing?”

“We’re—”

“We’re doing research,” I blurted out. “For a history project.” There was no way I was about to admit the real reason behind our visit to the graveyard.

Maggie snorted but didn’t contradict me. She just rolled her eyes and gave me a look that said, “Really, Styles?”

I pushed past her and walked through the front gate. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain Maggie’s bag of supplies or keep Ty from thinking we were both complete nut jobs, but I was determined to try.

I moved through the headstones, reading off the names in my head as I passed.

Lainey.

I jumped, a cool shiver cascading down my spine.

The voice whispered again in my ear. Lainey.

I twisted my head back and forth a few times before I saw her. Josephine was standing under a tall tree, waving her arms. Her eyes were wide and her lips were moving, but no sound came out. The look on her face set an alarm bell off in my head.

“You okay?” Ty was at my shoulder, silhouetted by the moonlight.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said, as Josephine blinked back into the shadows. “I . . . thought I saw something.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Well, we are in a graveyard,” Ty said with a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe it was a ghost.”

I swallowed. “Yeah, maybe.” You have no idea how right you are. I waited for a few seconds, but Josephine didn’t reappear. I headed toward Maggie, a feeling gnawing at my mind: something was wrong.

Lainey!

This time, her voice was as light as the wind, barely above a whisper, but with a resonating undercurrent that made my entire body tense.

“Josephine?” I whispered into the darkness. I was trying not to panic, but the look I’d seen on her face was disconcerting. A layer of goose bumps popped up, coating my skin. The air itself seemed suspended . . . as if it was waiting for something.

“Mags—” I broke off. A strange pressure wrapped around me and I couldn’t breathe. My heart thumped in my chest, and every nerve cell in my body prickled.

“What’s wrong?” Maggie appeared at my side.

It took all my effort to respond; the pressure squeezed me like a vice. “I don’t know,” I managed to whisper. “But I saw her.”

“Josephine’s here?” Maggie’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s great!”

The pressure lessened, but uneasiness still coursed through me. “No, something’s wrong. It was like she was trying to talk to me but couldn’t. I don’t know, Mags . . . the look on her face was . . . something’s not right.”

“You guys okay?” Ty appeared beside us, and we both jumped.

“Holy crapkittens,” Maggie squealed, smacking Ty with her hand. “Don’t you know not to creep up on someone in the middle of a cemetery?”

“Sorry. Wasn’t trying to scare you.”

I tried to laugh, but it came out breathy and high-pitched. Cringing, I gave a little shrug and started walking toward another section of the cemetery. Maybe if I’m alone, she’ll come back. Glancing behind me to make sure I was out of earshot, I whispered, “Josephine? Are you there?”

Though the moon was high in the sky, the trees in this part of the cemetery were dense and looming, not letting in much light. Another shiver darted down my back, and with shaky hands I reached in my back pocket for the flashlight I’d shoved there.

I clicked on the power. The beam of light was solid for a few seconds before flickering and going out.

“What the hell?” I tapped the flashlight against the palm of my hand and clicked the button a few more times. Nothing. It was completely dead.

I turned around, but it had become so dark I could hardly see two feet in front of me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my breathing seemed to echo back at me across the eerily quiet grove of trees. Though I could hear their voices, farther away than I thought, I couldn’t see Maggie or Ty from where I was standing.

Too far, Styles. A little too far. I shook my head and turned back the way I’d come. I’m going to get back to Maggie and we’re going to get the hell out of here. We’re going to—

The breath caught in my throat, and I stared at the ground—my eyes refusing to accept the sight: a long, thick vine was creeping toward me, slithering like a snake across the grass.

You’re seeing things, the ever-faithful voice of reason whispered, but I shook my head. No, this was real.

The realization barely registered when the vine jerked toward me, snapping and twisting as it wrapped around my ankle and yanked me forward. I landed hard on my backside, all the wind knocked out of me. Another thick vine wrapped around my arm and encircled my hand and wrist. I shrieked and kicked at the vine, but it was too fast and too strong.