Chapter Twelve #5
“How do we know we can trust these people? So this man claims to be her uncle? How do you even know? You even said you couldn’t tell he was First Family,” Namir said.
“He’s our mother’s older brother. He is Marvin’s first-born child. He is only helping us because his daughter is at risk too. Yes, we confirmed the body of the student is still there. That’s where we have to go and dig her up.”
“What’s her name again?” Another voice asked.
“Hillary,” Namir responded as my eyes widened. I felt the tightness grow in my chest as I looked at the girls. “Hillary Jenkins…”
The note began to shift into a flat surface on the floor, flattening out the lines and wrinkles as the voices before small pieces began to form around it like men sitting around the table.
“From my understanding,” another voice said. “You said this has happened before with Maggie.”
“I’ll…” Namir’s voice was so loud and clear that it was hard not to miss him.
“I’ll wake up sometimes and she’s gone…she’s outside somewhere.
Sometimes for hours or even minutes and she’s outside of herself.
I can’t explain it. I want to say this is it but the fact that we can’t find her…
No scent, no trace of her scent anywhere? ”
“You think her mother may know something if she remembers her daughter?”
“She has to know, but I’m not sure.”
“Alright so what are they wanting to do?”
“They’re going to dig up the body. They used the dead to create this blood contract, it’s going to have to be the dead to undo it.
It also conceals Maggie’s family away from the watchful eyes of the Underground.
Nobody knows who she is…or else they would have come after her by now.
Marvin has been protecting her identity all this time. ”
“It’s probably because of the grandmother. Not the daughter or even Maggie.”
“So the moment we disturb any part of this family, the veil will be lifted.”
“Exactly.”
I put my hand over my mouth to silence my gasp. Harvey was listening intently while Clementine closed her eyes. Asha silently shot up but when nobody else said anything, she slowly sat back down with a tight mouth, getting angrier by the second.
“We need to do this just before the games,” someone whispered. “Get the parents out of the house and find a way to get to their backyard without being noticed.”
“Are they willing to work with us?”
“Right now, nobody trusts anybody. I don’t trust them; they don’t trust us. I say we do it ourselves. This is my mother. My family.”
“It’s his sister,” another voice said. “His sister and you’re simply the nephew that isn’t known. Maggie should be here for this to happen.”
“Well she’s not here and we don’t have the time to wait because the moment they kill Marvin; they are coming after all of us. She needs to be warned.”
“We don’t even know the damn student and we’re expecting the dead girl to undo a contract? One of the hardest spells to break?”
“Marvin has kept her off the radar for this long. I don’t think he knows about his son’s existence.”
“Say we break the spell. What do we tell her mother about Maggie’s whereabouts?
We just turn up at her house without her daughter or any idea of where she is?
” Namir asked. “I’m not even accustomed to having to speak with the parents and I’m trying to marry this woman, but I lost her?
I lost my mate that I’m trying to marry?
! Do you hear how fucking insane that sounds? !”
“Calm down baby bro,” another voice chilled. “Just calm down. Everyone is searching for the damn moon on your behalf, trust me. We are prepared and ready for whatever this comes to. The mother is going to have to hear the truth.”
“I told you the Wetlands are behind you and trained to go. Souxie knows the girl who died. She needs to be included in this–––”
“No. I don’t want another student involved. After Maggie and her roommate went missing, the last thing we need is to drag the rest of her friends in. What if they’re being targeted?”
“It’s possible…” Another voice responded as the paper began to twitch. No one said anything for a moment, just lost in their own thoughts before the conversation picked up again.
“We don’t even know what we’re dealing with when it comes to her mother.”
“According to my uncle, she is very much like father, like daughter. She’s been in hiding all these years which means her mother knows what she is but since Maggie never showed signs of it, there was no reason to say anything.
So she can’t possibly know the truth about Maggie, or she would have said something years ago. ”
The paper slowly folded into the quiet shape of a man with the head of a wolf before folding back down to a wolf on four legs.
“We need to get to that body before they do. If a war is about to happen, we need everyone up, aware, and ready.”
It was silent for a second before voices and conversations filtered as the note crumbled up into a ball before unfolding once more into a man walking in place.
“This is Ace Martin of the Mortal Affairs Department…”
The room fell quiet before the voice spoke.
“This is…”
The name, muffled and distorted by the crumbling of the paper shifting into a man sitting behind a desk.
“I can’t give you any more information than what we’re willing to share,” Ace said. “We know where the body is. I’m the one that was hired to do the contract.”
“You’re related to Xavier Martin as well?” Another voice asked.
“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.”