Chapter 24
A PINK FLUSH RISES IN ELODIE’S ROUND CHEEKS WHEN Aidan introduces her.
With her lips stretched into a victorious smile, she lifts her chin in my direction.
One of her brows arches in a smug expression.
The meek and kind girl I saw today is overshadowed by this sinister version, carrying herself with a confidence she didn’t have when she was being ordered around by Zelda and Sophia.
“What happened, Mabby?” Elodie pronounces my nickname with a hint of mockery and then furrows her lips in a fake pout of disappointment. “Are you surprised about my reveal?”
Surprised is an understatement.
While Aidan’s reveal caught me off guard, Elodie is the one I can’t believe.
I never once saw a flicker of a backbone in that girl before.
I constantly wondered what she was doing in a place like Kappa, where she would go unnoticed half of the time.
Nice enough to blend in, but not charismatic enough to stand out.
But it seemed to be all an act, because there’s nothing meek or shy about her now as she keeps her axe at Danny’s side.
A boulder drops in my stomach when I realize that as well as being the one I fought in the kitchen, she was the one who killed Seth.
How did they trick us?
“You died,” I point out, confused.
I saw her gruesome death, the way Cupid stabbed her—Aidan, I correct myself—Aidan stabbed her multiple times.
I remember the way the blood projectiled out of her mouth as her body spasmed, meeting death.
Danny mentioned seeing her corpse right after she died.
So she must’ve laid there in a pool of .
. . fake blood? Until Aidan gave her the green light to switch into her killer costume.
Elodie throws her head back and snorts.
“Come on,” she singsongs. “As someone who spent a lot of time asking for my help to test the perfect recipe for fake blood, you should know how easy it is to fake a death.”
The memory flashes in my brain.
I was a sophomore when Elodie became my appointed younger sister in Kappa, but that year was also the beginning of my self-produced horror shorts.
I spent a lot of time researching low-budget effects and resources, like Hollywood’s recipes for fake blood, and Elodie was more than willing to help me with it all.
At least until she made friends of her own.
“Corn syrup, water, non-dairy creamer, red food coloring, and a hint of blue to bring out the perfect shade,” I recite from memory.
Elodie’s smile widens as she dips her chin into a nod of affirmation.
“So you do remember.”
Vaguely, if I’m truthful.
The memory is barely a blip in the timeline of everything I did when I was in Westbrook. Insignificant after meeting Aidan’s father and learning better practical effects from Aaron Ledger himself.
“Aidan and I thought of different scenarios for my big reveal,” Elodie comments with enthusiasm. “Originally, I was going to be a part of your group, but it meant he would get all the fun.”
Aidan chuckles, his mischievous undertone sending goosebumps along my skin, spreading a tremor down my spine.
“Elodie had the brilliant idea to fake her death. If everyone, especially you, thought she was dead, it would be easier to move around the house and get rid of the enemies.”
The enemies.
“What enemies?”
“Everyone who has done you wrong, like that Bethan bitch,” he grunts and unwraps his arm from my body, taking a step forwards to point at her body.
“What about Shane?” I mumble.
He doesn’t fit the victim profile. I never interacted with him prior to the Smash or Pass event, and he wasn’t a part of the original plan. Hell, no one even knew why he was at the house. Unlike Ray and Jaden, who were brought in by Zelda and Sophia, without knowing they would meet their deaths.
Aidan’s expression darkens as he snaps his jaw shut, grinding his molars.
“He shouldn’t have approached you tonight,” he mutters, rage coating his words. “I saw how uncomfortable he made you.”
“You killed him because it looked like he made me uncomfortable at the party?”
Aidan blinks like it makes perfect sense for him.
“Mabel, you don’t get it, you looked beyond uncomfortable. You were freaked out by whatever he told you. I wasn’t going to allow that.” He shakes his head with discontent. “Besides, I was right about him needing to go. He almost killed you tonight, sweetie.”
My vocal cords become knotted, preventing me from pronouncing even the smallest of sounds.
“That was a risky last-minute move,” Elodie supplies, sounding almost annoyed.
“But it all worked out at the end, didn’t it?” Aidan chirps back. “And we even have our perfect cover-up,” he points at Danny with the tip of his knife.
Elodie moves the axe onto Danny’s shoulder, walking around him to press it against his neck.
Danny struggles to keep his back straight, his breathing coming out in heavy puffs of air.
Blood drips from his fingers, creating a small crimson pool next to his shoes.
He squeezes his eyes shut, groaning in a barely audible tone.
Worry grows between my ribs.
His wound doesn’t look good. The golden tone of his skin has lost its hue, replaced by an ashy, sickly pallor. Beads of sweat roll down his temples, wetting his hairline one drop at a time.
And if we take into consideration what Aidan said, only five of us will survive. He said he was amendable to keeping Carmen and Cerys alive, but he never said anything about Danny.
“Your cover-up?” I ask, arching my brows.
“Well, someone has to be the killer,” he reminds me. “If we don’t want to end up being the suspects, someone else has to carry that responsibility. Precious golden boy here will do just fine.”
I can’t help it, I laugh.
“Who would believe that?”
The answer is no one.
Danny Singh has a stellar reputation in Westbrook. He graduated with an almost perfect GPA, was a great baseball player, and the president of Delta. His legacy and records are impeccable, getting him into one of the top law school programs in the country.
What possible reason could he have to snap and choose to murder a group of his former acquaintances?
None.
Aidan cocks his head.
“Everyone will,” he says, sounding sure about it like there’s no space for doubt in his logic. “When we tell them how Danny used to be a close friend of Brian Manders.”
“What?” Danny croaks out.
“Shut the fuck up,” Elodie spits out, applying more pressure to Danny’s neck.
“After finding out who killed his innocent best friend, Danny decided to get rid of every person who was involved in Brian’s tragic downfall.
But, most importantly, he chose to get revenge on his friend’s murderer.
” Aidan spins on his heel, clasping his hands together, keeping the knife between them as he stares at me. “You, Mabel.”
Everyone’s head turns to me, shocked and bewildered by the accusation.
My throat dries.
What is he even talking about?
I didn’t have anything to do with Brian Manders’s death, no matter how much I wanted to get rid of the guy.
It would’ve been foolish of me to murder him when Cerys hadn’t gotten her justice yet.
His death only made her look guilty, and people hated her even more, which made her drop out of college.
Why would I ruin her future like that? No matter how much I hated him, I wouldn’t do that.
Silence lingers around the attic, waiting for my reaction.
But I don’t know what to say.
You got the wrong person, sorry? It’s not like they will believe me either way when Aidan has been putting forward a compelling case against me.
“I didn’t kill him,” I say, frowning.
If they think I was the one who murdered Brian, it means neither of the cupids were responsible for Brian’s death.
It leaves Cerys still unable to clear her name against people’s accusations and stigma.
Cupid and Brian’s killer have always been different people.
Of course, now it’s much clearer to see.
Cupid’s identity and motive spin around me, while Brian’s killer defended Cerys’ accusation.
Aidan clicks his tongue and pouts his lips as he approaches me.
“Oh, sweetie,” he croons. “It’s okay. You don’t have to lie anymore. You’re safe to confess the truth here.”
“What truth?” I snap. “I. Didn’t. Kill. Brian.” I enunciate every word clearly, pausing between them like they will make any difference.
“Sweetie,” he repeats the pet name in a tone that’s meant to be endearing but only makes me want to spit in his face. “I know you better than anyone else in the world. You trusted me with your secret.”
My heart jumps a handful of beats, almost leaping out of my chest when he says those words. Alarms blast in my brain, making me see red. Shivers vibrate in my body, and I shoot a glance to Cerys, who seems almost as shocked as me.
“What secret?”
It’s not possible that he’s referring to what I think he’s referring to.
There’s only one person in the world who knows that secret, and it’s Cerys.
She never would’ve ratted on me to anyone, let alone Aidan.
Even when her world crumbled around her, she still kept my secret.
Even when it could’ve helped her, she chose not to betray my trust.
Aidan touches my hair, twirling a strand around his gloved finger.
“That Brian hurt you too,” he reveals in a gentle voice. “He raped you months before he touched Cerys, and you didn’t tell a soul.”
Shame drops in me like a heavy rock, crushing me under its weight.
I lower my gaze to the floor, my sight blurring with unshed tears.
I feel naked in front of everyone, exposed and vulnerable.
I try not to cry, but my chin trembles, warning me that the dam is about to break.
A sob rips out of me, echoing around the walls of the attic.
“H-how do you know that?” I question through my tears.
I’ve never told anyone that before, only Cerys when she told me about Brian.