Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs as she picked up his now-empty cup. All Jackson would know when he woke from this half trance was that he’d had a long conversation with Scarlett during which he’d learned the truth about his stepsister: her death really had been an accident. As for Gwen, she’d died from a gas leak in her apartment, just like the news reports all said.
It wasn’t justice. He had spent the past two years of his life searching for answers, answers Scarlett had provided, only to wipe them all away. But it was the nearest thing to closure Scarlett could give Jackson, in the end. She hoped that even though the memory was gone, the peace would remain.
She reached down to rest a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’ll be like it never happened,” she whispered.
In another hour, he’d be just fine, if a little groggy. Until then, he’d remain dazed, staring out at the water, daydreaming. Yet when her hand touched him, he reached up, only semiconscious, and twined his fingers through hers.
Jackson looked at her with a quizzical expression. “Hey—Winter, right? Sorority girl?”
“That’s me,” she said with a smile that hurt her all the way to her heart.
Her throat stung with unshed tears. She squeezed his fingers gently. It took every ounce of her willpower to pry her hand from his and walk away.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Vivi
“You ready for this?” Ariana asked, squeezing Vivi’s arm as they walked through the iron gates and onto the tree-lined brick path that led to the main quad. Westerly had generously offered the Kappas a weeklong break from their coursework to grieve their fellow students, and it was Vivi’s first time back on campus.
“I think so. I think it’ll be nice to have something else to focus on, honestly,” Vivi said as she hoisted her heavy Kappa tote bag higher on her shoulder.
Ariana didn’t have any classes today but she’d offered to walk Vivi to campus for moral support. “If you change your mind, Mei’s organizing a group cleansing session in the greenhouse. Nobody would blame you if you decide to cut out of class early.” They stepped onto the quad, which was bustling with busy, cheerful students, most of whom had never experienced anything more traumatic than receiving a B on an exam. “Seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?” Ariana said, apparently thinking the same thing as Vivi. “While we were burying our friend, they were all getting drunk, ordering pizzas at two a.m., and contracting the occasional STD.”
“Living the good life, you mean,” Vivi said with a small smile.
“I’d get chlamydia a million times over if it meant bringing Dahlia back.”
Vivi reached out and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Now, that is the true meaning of sisterhood.”
Ariana laughed and they continued on in silence for a few minutes. The energy of the crowds was both disorienting and a welcome change from the hushed silence that’d blanketed Kappa House the past week. Dahlia’s death had hit everyone hard, especially the upperclassmen who’d known her best.
Vivi still didn’t know how she felt about what they’d decided to do. Lying to the police felt wrong but the Ravens couldn’t risk exposure by telling the truth—not that many people would have believed them. Maybe Vivi just needed to get used to all this. To having a whole part of her life she hid from most of the world.
Ariana walked Vivi to the front of the science building, gave her a hug, and then left to grab pastries and coffee to take back to the house. Her class didn’t start for another fifteen minutes, so Vivi decided to wait on the bench outside rather than in the lecture hall, where she wouldn’t be able to avoid the stares and whispers of her mostly kindhearted but still nosy classmates. By this point, everyone at Westerly knew that the Kappa president and another sister had died suddenly, and rumors were flying.
She was about to sit when a figure striding down the leaf-covered walkway caught her eye. It was a tall, brown-haired boy in a tan trench coat, the plaid-lined collar popped up against the autumn chill that had finally descended on Savannah. Vivi’s heart fluttered as she took a few steps forward, trying to get close enough to call his name without shouting too loudly. “Mason,” she said. He didn’t turn around, so she broke into an awkward jog. “Hey, Mason!”
He spun around, startled, but when his eyes landed on her, his face broke into a grin. “Vivi.” His familiar voice was as warm and rich as the hickory coffee she’d developed a taste for since moving to Savannah, but there were new bags under his eyes. Apparently, he’d had a rough week too. “How are you?”
“Hanging in there. Thanks for your message the other day.” Mason had sent a short, thoughtful text telling her how sorry he was for her loss and letting her know he was there if she needed anything. It was a lovely, classy message, especially considering that the last time he’d seen her, she’d freaked out over their kiss and then sprinted out of the building.
“Of course. I’m glad to see you. Where are you going? Can I walk you somewhere?” Mason said.
“I have a class at ten in the science center, but you’re welcome to walk me the—oh, what do you think?—ten yards if you want.”
“How about we live on the edge and walk around the quad instead?”
“And risk being only five minutes early to class instead of ten? I don’t know . . .” She trailed off with a smile and fell into step next to him.
“How have you been holding up? I still can’t believe all the news. Dahlia and Tiffany . . .”
“It’s pretty shitty, but I’m managing.”
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” He paused for a moment, then said, “I also texted Scarlett. We have such a long history, and I know how much she loved Tiffany.”
“It was the right thing to do,” Vivi said earnestly.
“Okay, good. I’m glad you girls all have each other right now. I’m sure it makes it easier, in a way.”
“Yeah, in some ways. But it also makes their absence so much clearer, you know?” It was strange to gather in the living room without Dahlia’s benevolent, commanding presence. No one seemed to know who was supposed to speak first or what to say. The sorority felt rudderless without its leader. “But at the same time, it has kind of brought the rest of us closer. It put a lot of things into perspective. For me, and for Scarlett too.”
“That’s good . . . right?”
“Really good.”
They stepped in a pile of wet red and gold leaves, and Vivi went momentarily rigid as she remembered the dry leaves blanketing the clearing in the woods. And the candles, and the bones, and the blood. “Are you cold?” Mason asked, then, without waiting for her to answer, he shrugged out of his coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay,” Vivi said, feeling safer and warmer than she had in a very long time.
“Good. I just . . . I don’t want to . . .” He grinned and shook his head. “I’m not normally like this, you know.”
“Like what? Unable to speak English?”
“Not normally, no.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, you should know that Scarlett and I talked and she gave me her blessing. She gave us her blessing.”