“He’s a cousin of mine. Some claim him, some do not. Makes no difference. I’m no longer affiliated with my family, but I’m still going to be the one you have to deal with if you want any chance of lifting this spell.”
Harvey’s eyes grew wide. Clementine shook her head but kept her eyes closed as she listened.
“Can I speak to Himora Clarke…or does she refer to herself as Mrs. Holmes?”
With the voice muffled, the paper suddenly flattened against the carpet and went silent. After a few minutes of silence, it slowly burned itself until the last bit of soot puffed into the air. Nobody said anything for a moment, just processed what we all heard.
“Okay so…” Clementine started. “What does this mean? I’m confused. I’m not even sure I know who was talking?”
“What do they mean Hillary’s body is…What are they talking about?” Isis asked. “What does any of this have to do with her?”
“The blood contract that was placed on your friend’s parents is bonded to the dead student named Hillary,” Harvey said bluntly. “Who I’m assuming is buried near the house, if not the backyard itself. There is about to be a rush between the two groups who don’t trust one another to dig her up. Do you all know who this student is?”
“She’s my old roommate,” I said, voice shaking with quiet rage building. I blinked away the tears. “She does not deserve and did not deserve any of this. Her body was never at peace. She’s not at rest and they only…” I inhaled sharply to calm myself down. “This is why Namir asked me about my roommate that day.”
“Wait, when did he ask you? You talk to him like that?” Asha asked.
“Hold on,” Clementine let out. “Just hold on. Am I the only one stuck at the part that the Southern Five is involved in this? Xavier and someone named Ace? Did nobody catch that? Both cousins of the same family.”
“Namir and I spoke…he wanted me to stray Maggie away from the idea of getting in touch with her family to keep her safe, but this all feels like…he knew from the beginning–––”
“Naah,” Asha let out with a slow laugh. “I know you’re not telling me you and Namir went behind Maggie’s back and–––”
“None of that matters at this point,” Harvey cut in. “Are you his girlfriend?” He questioned Asha.
“No but Maggie–––”
“She’s not here. I doubt she needs you to be mad for her. All of y'all are stupid,” he said plainly before adjusting his glasses. “Whether Souxie did that, none of you decided to help Maggie either way. You all failed her as far as I’m concerned, but as I told her, none of you are really friends. You just trauma bonded from the murder that happened last year that ironically is circling back now. So now what? The games are right around the corner. Now what?”
“They're going to pull Hillary’s body out the night of the games,” I blurted out.
“What?” Isis let out.
“Timing is crucial. Distraction is key. They’re going to do this when all eyes are on the games.”
“Solomon gave you this koeori because…” Harvey let out, as if he was waiting for us to figure it out.
“Maybe he wants y'all to get to her first,” Clementine answered softly as if she was saying it to herself.
Clementine pulled out her phone and began to text like a maniac on a mission.
“Well then you’re going to need a distraction on your own to buy you some time to leave the Grounds,” she said.
“If you grab the body too early, you’re going to draw attention to her parents and make it worse,” Harvey said. “If you do it too late, she may not be there and who knows what their intentions are. Her boyfriend has officially shut you out of the plans.”
“She’s my roommate and my responsibility,” I declared. “I will do it. Maggie is my best friend–––”
“Well that’s a bit of a stretch,” Harvey said as I cut my eyes towards him. He raised his hands in a silent shrug but remained quiet.
“There are two other groups going after the same body,” Isis said. “What if the house is being watched?”
“It is. Her brother has access to cameras, crows, ravens…” I said, recalling what Maggie told me. “He has eyes on the house at all times, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve sat for far too long.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Asha jumped with her fist hitting her hand.
“Sometime just before the games, I will display fireworks in the sky,” Clementine said as she continued to text. “Please let that be your cue to leave the Grounds and handle it. I will buy you some time for as long as I can.”
“What about Solomon?” Isis asked. I wanted to give her a sly grin, knowing that the two were secretly in communication with one another. “What about him and Namir?”
