Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book One)

  “Forgive the improper ritual, my lord,” he whispered. “But regardless, I give you her soul to take.”

  When he finished chanting, he turned his attention back to Kate and pulled out his blood-soaked knife. Some of it had wiped off onto the inside of his pocket. He’d have to burn his clothes later. He turned the knife toward Kate, ready to finish his work so he could dump her body and go back into his phony mind frame again before anyone noticed he was gone.

  Chapter Six

  LUNA TRUDGED DOWN the grass quickly with her backpack slung over her shoulder. Thoughts of the dinner she would be forced to have with Chance stained her mind. She looked up at the road ahead and saw Violet waiting for her. Luna had managed to go an entire evening without saying a bad thing about Chance—out loud, at least—and she felt ready to explode.

  “How are you today?” Luna asked Violet as they began to walk.

  She shrugged. “I’m okay, the same as always. I hope you’re feeling better today than you did yesterday.”

  “I feel the same,” she replied as she remembered her previous emotions.

  “Oh, and why’s that?”

  “I’m officially tired of Chance.” Luna winced as she finished her sentence.

  Violet sighed, anticipation for Luna’s complaint obvious in her narrowed eyes. “Why, what did he do this time? Did he smile at you?”

  “No. Well, yeah…he always does when I get mad, but that’s not the point. It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, he pushed me out of the road yesterday, and I skinned my knees.” She wouldn’t add the part where he had asked her out earlier that day. That secret she would take to her grave. “He came over to my house and told my dad I smoked.”

  “Why would Chance do that?” Violet questioned, sounding skeptical. “He’s popular and could hang with anyone he wants…why would he be purposefully causing you trouble?”

  Luna shrugged. “That’s what I want to know.”

  “I bet David wasn’t happy, was he? I mean, you’re like a straight-A student with no problems.”

  “No, he thought I was so bad that he called my mom.” Luna trailed off and felt her face flush as she remembered her humiliation of the previous evening.

  “Then you’re a dead man walking.” Violet snorted. “If I were you, I’d avoid going home any time after you graduate. Maybe you should move to France or something.”

  “At least I’d be free.” Luna tilted her head to the side. My punishment is far worse than that. If Mom killed me, I’d be out of my misery.”

  Violet raised her golden eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”

  “I have to go out with Chance tonight.” Luna scrunched up her face at the irksome thought of her unavoidable evening. “And then I have to go to the dance with him this weekend.”

  “What’s so bad about that?”

  Luna turned to her. For a moment, she only stared—words failed her. “I hate him. I want nothing to do with him! I don’t want to go on a date with him. I tell you every day how much I want him to leave me alone.”

  “Oh, come on, Luna! I would kill to go on a date with a guy like that! What is your problem?” Violet shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes as she did so.

  “My problem? Try he’s the problem for once!” Luna persisted, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation.

  “There has to be something wrong with you.”

  “If you want to go with him, you can gladly take my place,” Luna offered, enunciating each word as best as she could. “As a matter of fact, I’ll pay you to go for me. That way, we both win.”

  Violet’s face flustered at the mention of going with Chance to Prom; Luna couldn’t think of a better solution, but it wouldn’t work.

  He wanted to take her, not Violet.

  “As much as I’d love to date Chance, I’ll pass. That’s your responsibility, not mine,” Violet said, visibly trying her best to calm her over-fluttering heart. “I’m not gonna do your ‘punishment’ for you.”

  They reached the school, and Violet parted from Luna without a goodbye. Luna frowned after her, feeling as if there had never been a better time for a break from her ‘friend.’ Violet’s obsession with Chance sickened her.

  Was there anyone besides Luna who saw through Chance’s charm, or did they all fall for his trick?

  As Luna walked toward the school, she glanced around for a minute but didn’t spot Chance or any of his annoying friends. Smiling to herself, she sat down at an empty table, set her backpack on the chair beside her, and pulled out a bright green notebook. She heard a creak at the table as somebody sat down and she winced, hoping it wasn’t Chance. Slowly, she looked up and met Amy’s gaze.

  Amy smiled at Luna, her eyes lighting up. “Hi.”

  “Hello,” Luna replied.

  Amy turned her attention to her backpack; her waist-long brown hair slid down over her face, hiding her darker brown eyes. Luna had met her when she stopped a bully from teasing Amy a few years back about being too small for her age.

  Like Violet and Luna, Amy was an outcast.

  “So, is it true?” Amy whispered as she looked up from her searching.

  “Is what true?”

  “Are you really going on a date with Chance?” she questioned, and her eyes glittered surprise beneath her raised eyebrows.

  Luna blanched. Amy—a shy and soft-spoken girl—didn’t keep tabs on things like who was dating who. Yet she knew that fact already. Luna frowned; maybe Violet was a big gossip.

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to.” She dropped her gaze down to her notebook. “Long story short…it’s a punishment.”

  “I wouldn’t want to either,” Amy said as she opened her English book on the table.

  Luna smiled to herself—finally, someone who took her side instead of his. The smile vanished almost instantly as once again she wondered how Amy knew about her date. Had Violet told the entire school or had Chance?

  ***

  CHANCE YAWNED AND flexed his fingers around the steering wheel of his Honda Ridgeline. Morning had come once again, and he was on his way to Shawnee High School for another boring day. Another day full of all those people who never truly appreciated him. He growled slightly in his throat at that aggravating thought.

  He yawned again and tried clearing his mind. Thoughts of last night—the memories of Kate’s murder—seemed vague and distant, like it had only been a dream. He knew better than that; it had been real. That fuzzy, distant feeling usually enveloped him when he came back to normalcy after having slipped into that mind for an extended chunk of time. Though fully aware that he had killed Kate, he couldn’t seem to remember what else he had done after. Had he finished his ritual the way he had planned? Had he even gotten rid of the body so it couldn’t be traced back to him?

  He had tried all morning but couldn’t remember what he had done. He knew better than to go back to the crime scene. He had washed all traces of the place from him and going back was dangerous. Too dangerous to risk. He had to forget and move on.

  Like the crime that had gotten him sentenced to juvie.

  Tonight was his dinner with Luna. He would be busy and didn’t need distractions weighing on his mind. He tried to focus on his driving and put his past behind him. A few streets separated him and the school, then he’d need to be all smiles. He’d need to be the oh-so-blithe and popular Chance the whole school expected him to be.

  The school finally came into view. Plenty of kids already milled about, some of them waiting for him. He recognized two figures as he passed them…Violet and Luna. Luna’s face looked red—she was already angry, and so early in the morning too.

  The girls parted ways, and he hurried to park his truck in the parking lot. He had to take care of his unfinished business with Violet. By the time he got out, she had just passed him.

  Perfect.

  He trotted up to her, intent obvious. “Why’d you lie to me?”

  She turned to him, startled at first, then her eyes filled with desire. H
e flinched; the look both disgusted and angered him.

  “I didn’t lie to you,” she stated.

  “Really? Well, I asked out Luna,” he began bitterly, grinding his teeth to keep most of his anger in place.

  “I know, she was upset, she was just tea—”

  “She laughed in my face,” he spat angrily. “There is no way that girl feels anything for me. Why did you set me up?”

  Violet swallowed loudly, shifting her weight away from him. He had her cornered. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, dropping her gaze to the ground. “I’m telling you she’s hard to get is all. You can’t give up just like that.”

  He stopped dead, and she did too. “Don’t think I’m stupid. You’re lying to me, I can tell. I just don’t know why you’re doing it.”

  “I-I—” she stuttered.

  Chance walked away without another word. In his mind, he flashed through last night’s images of Kate—though instead of Kate, he slit Violet’s throat and all her dishonest blood ran free…covering his hands and his body.

  She disgusted him; he couldn’t believe he thought someone like her would help. She was unpopular, sure, but it didn’t change the fact she acted exactly the same as the rest of the girls in the school.

  ***

  VIOLET STARED AFTER him—her expression frozen as her eyes glazed over. Of course he was upset, she had lied to him. She hadn’t thought she’d have gotten caught. And of course Luna would do what she did—Luna was lunar crazy.

  If a guy like Chance had asked her out, she would’ve felt her heart stop. Why couldn’t Luna make anything easy? Violet had finally gotten Chance to talk to her…but now he was angry at her because of Luna.

  It reminded her of the time her family had gone camping, when she had been younger and her brother still a toddler. She had tricked him into pulling a skunk’s tail and getting sprayed as a result. He had been sore at her and so had her parents for the rest of the trip. She had gone through the remainder of that experience feeling hollow and sad.

  That was how she felt now, and she hated it.

  Luna had been her closest friend, and she had jeopardized that for Chance. Maybe he wasn’t worth it. She frowned and resolved to fix things with Luna before she lost her best friend forever.

  Chapter Seven

  “COME ON, WE should go find that freak,” Susan muttered unhappily to Sarah and Maddie.

  She felt determined to help Chance despite herself. She had held the hope Chance would decide to take her to the dance. It would’ve made her evening pure magic. Instead, he was taking some loner loser. She hated Luna with a jealous passion, but she had been up half the night trying to convince herself it could be fun. She hadn’t been successful. She found herself tired and dreading the day more than ever.

  “Are you really gonna do it?” Maddie asked.

  “Yeah, Chance is expecting it,” Susan said. He might not be taking her to the dance this time, but he depended on her to help him. She meant something to him, and she hoped if she stayed on his good side, then he would take her to the next one.

  Maddie shrugged. “All right, if you’re sure.”

  Together, they walked in their triangular form—pointing-death-arrow form, Chance always called it—down the hall.

  “Kate is so lucky she got herself out of this,” Maddie commented absentmindedly.

  Sarah raised her eyebrows in silent agreement.

  “Speaking of which…have either of you tried talking to her today?” Susan pondered. “I tried calling her this morning, but I got no answer. That’s not like her.”

  “She wasn’t in first hour either,” Maddie added.

  “That’s odd.”

  “Maybe this thing actually made the bitch ill.” Maddie scoffed.

  Susan shrugged. “I don’t blame her. I’ll have to stop by her house later and see what’s up.”

  “But first, we have work to do,” Sarah reminded her, pointing down the hall.

  Susan looked where her sister gestured and noticed Luna shifting books about in her locker. Thoughts of Kate vanished like cobwebs in the rain as that jealous anger burned her up inside.

  ***

  LUNA SET HER textbook into the locker before pulling out her history book. It was halfway through lunch, and since she hadn’t been hungry, she had ducked out to get some extra study time. She closed the locker door and turned toward the empty hall. She gasped in surprise as she almost turned right into a girl with waist-length brown hair, which was tied into a ponytail with a white ribbon. The girl’s glittering green eyes gleamed at her.

  “Hi, Luna.”

  Luna let out a breath of air and took a step back. Susan Cross. A girl that didn’t like her, and she didn’t like Susan…so why was she talking to her?

  “Um…hi?” Luna replied as she looked at the two girls standing behind her. Susan’s backups—there to enforce whatever message Susan had to deliver. One had dusty blonde hair and dark eyes and the other was a brunette with piercing blue eyes. She didn’t recognize either of them but guessed they were probably cheerleaders as well. The one with dusty blonde hair snapped loudly on her gum while the other one looked at the floor as if she were as disinterested in the scene as Luna herself.

  “Chance told me you two are going to the dance, and he wants me to take you dress shopping,” Susan stated.

  “No, that’s okay,” Luna declined, pushing past her. Chance. It’s always because of Chance.

  Susan caught Luna’s arm in her hand, and she looked at it, noting Susan’s distinctive heart-shaped birth mark on her pale skin. “No, honey, I insist. Me and the girls are gonna cut the rest of the day to go look for dresses, and Chance wants me to bring you. So, come on. You really don’t have a choice.”

  Luna stared back at her, feeling her cheeks flush. Her hands clenched into fists, and she had to bite back the urge to make a snide remark. She didn’t know why Susan thought she could control her, but she definitely didn’t like it. Luna turned her attention to the two girls behind her, wondering if they had anything to add. They remained silent which turned Luna to her next question—why in the world were they so determined to help Chance?

  Luna sighed. “Okay.”

  Susan smiled and let go of Luna’s arm, leaving a few deep marks from her nails.

  Luna followed her down the hallway. Behind her, the two girls formed a barrier. She hadn’t been kidding when she had said Luna didn’t have a choice. Idly, Luna wondered what happened to her. She had been a straight-A student, but she was skipping school to go dress shopping with girls she hated to go on a date with her worst enemy.

  Shawnee High School students would absolutely love to hear about this.

  ***

  “MY CAR’S RIGHT here,” Susan said, pointing to a pink convertible.

  Luna snorted quietly. Susan’s car looked like Barbie’s.

  Susan pulled open the driver’s side door and undid all the locks. The two girls climbed into the back seat, and Luna reluctantly sat in the passenger seat beside Susan. She turned on the engine and shifted into gear.

  “I know the perfect place to look for dresses,” Susan chattered, pulling the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.

  “You said that before, but the last place was horrid.” Luna turned her head and looked in back at the girl with the dark eyes who had spoken.

  “Oh, come on, Maddie, it wasn’t that bad,” Susan argued.

  “Sure,” Maddie replied, rolling her eyes.

  “Well, I promise this time will be different.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Luna interrupted, not at all caring for their chit-chat.

  “Doing what?” Susan questioned, poking her cheek out with her tongue.

  Luna sighed in annoyance. These girls didn’t have terribly high IQs, but she didn’t think they were that dull either. Kidnapping wasn’t part of their daily routine, but she acted as if it were perfectly normal. “Why are you taking me with you?”

  “Chance told
me to,” Susan replied, shrugging. “He said he wanted you to look nice for the dance, and fixing people up is a specialty of mine.”

  “Do you do everything he asks?”

  She looked thoughtful. “Well, we’re good friends…what can I say? And I absolutely love fashion! It’s no trouble to help you dress shop.” Her voice sounded hollow as she gripped tighter on the steering wheel, so much so that her knuckles turned white.

  Luna sighed again; she didn’t fit in with these girls at all. Curiosity struck and she tilted her head to see Susan’s face more clearly. “Do you want to go with Chance?”

  Susan’s eyes widened as she glanced at Luna for a minute before bringing her attention back to the road. “Yeah, I’d love that honestly.”

  “Then take my place. Tell him I got sick and can’t make it,” Luna said, nearly pleading. She tried to sit up when the seatbelt pulled her back in place.

  Susan laughed. “Are you kidding me? You’d really give up a date with him?”

  Luna nodded, knowing there had never been an easier question in her life. “Yeah, I would. So, what do you say?”

  “I would love to go with Chance, he’s so amazing,” she gushed. “But…he wants to go with you.”

  Luna frowned—not the answer she had been hoping for. “I’m sure he’s just trying to make someone jealous.”

  “That doesn’t seem like him.”

  Luna snorted and looked out the window. How did everyone else see Chance? The boy Susan described sounded nothing like the Chance she knew.

  “Okay, we’re here.” Susan’s announcement tore her from her thoughts.

  Luna looked up at the building and realized they had parked outside of the mall. She hadn’t been there in a long time. She had been a young child wearing dresses when her mother had last taken her there. She hadn’t come back since and for good reason—too many people in such a limited place only served to fuel her anxiety. Susan turned off the engine while Maddie and Sarah climbed out of the back seat.

  “The store is a family-owned business that just opened up. You girls will love it,” Susan said as they headed inside.