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I lay back down beside her, comforted more than I expected to be. I can picture it: the curated mess, the peeling wallpaper, the scattered candles.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“It’s not all mine now. I moved to the opposite wing. There’s a pool there. We should go swimming soon.”
“Swimming?” I grimace. “After what happened to me? No thank you.”
She shrugs. “Suit yourself.”
A sudden thought strikes me.”What date is it?”
She glances at the storm outside. “If my calculations are correct, it is September 17, 2010. October is nearly here and Devil’s Bay goes all out for Halloween. Maybe you’ll be well enough by then. There’s a festival and rituals in the cemetery. It’s so much fun!”
Realization dawns on me as she drones on. “I think—”
“Sorry! Let me keep quiet.” Daisy gestures for me to continue.
“I think I was born in March.”
“Really?” Her smile is bright, childlike. Mischief will be afoot by the looks of her.
“This means it’s already past and gone and I don’t remember a thing.” I frowned.
Daisy claps. “Even better! We can celebrate your birthday at the festival. Explore the town. Meet the locals. It’ll be perfect. Make new memories right?”
I manage a polite smile. I have no intention of being here by Halloween.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She pouts. “Of course we’ll go. It will be fun.”
“Daisy,” I say softly, “I’m trying not to be a burden. I just want to find out who I am and how I got here.”
“Nonsense. This place is practically a ruin. We need something to look forward to.”
Our argument is left to die. I allow her enthusiasm to drift into the rising darkness like everything else in this house. But she is right about one thing: this place is a ruin. A cemetery of secrets where every grave is waiting to be unearthed.
NINE
THE JOURNAL
June 2000
A few weeks after I settled in, I found Kane in the greenhouse crushing the petals of a white flower.
“Hey,” I said, approaching him.
In weeks leading up to early June, I’d watched his meticulous routines, from getting up, reading a strange book riddled with hurried handwriting, having coffee, and then laps in the pool. I unpacked boxes, threw everything around my room and never finished because I’d be distracted by something else, whether it be roaming around the kitchen when Anita was cooking, or spying on my parent’s conversations or finding a new place to explore in the house.
Kane turned around, studying me with those ocean eyes, deep yet devoid of life. It drew me in like a tide guided by the moon.
“Sara,” he greeted.
“Do you want to go with me to a party tonight?” I asked him, ripping the bandaid off. Ash and his friends were hosting a midsummer bash by a creek in the forest, and while they were a fun group of people, I always felt on the fringes of their friendship group.
“You’ve been hanging out with Ash?” he posed the question curiously.
“I’ve been—” the words barely left my mouth when he stood and closed the distance between us with a few long strides.
Kane was tall, with broad shoulders that tapered into a muscled abdomen to long, lean legs that carried him like the god he tried so hard to be. “I asked you a question.”
