Chapter 58

Ruby

Somehow, I do manage to finish my paper on Macbeth and hand it in to Alice the next morning at the beginning of our lesson. She doesn’t even look at it! She throws it into the fire right in front of me, which angers me greatly after I spent so much time on it, but I decide not to say anything.

We spend the entire lesson reading Macbeth once again. By the end of the lesson I’ve already finished the play. Alice takes the book from me and absentmindedly waves me away, dismissing me without a word.

Alice’s dismissive attitude would normally bother me, but it seems that she’s acting this way because she’s distracted; this is perfect for me because it means that I’ll be able to sneak away and find Marisa Elder.

I run back to my room and change into warmer clothes to brave the cold weather, then bound down the stairs and out the back door before anyone notices. The new snow falling should cover my tracks, allowing me to make it to Nancy’s house without anyone being able to find me.

“Nancy!” I call out as I knock on the door. She comes to the door looking both confused and worried, still in her robe. Even though it’s the middle of the week, I assume that school has been canceled due to the snow.

“Are you okay?” she says, pulling me inside out of the snow.

“I need you to come with me,” I say hastily. “I don’t have much time to explain because I can’t be missing from the castle for too long.”

“What for?” Nancy asks. She peers out the window. “It’s snowing outside. There could be Bears out there.”

“I know,” I answer, grabbing her shoulders and steering her toward the stairs to her bedroom. “But I think I may have found a way to lift the curse.”

Nancy stops on the stairs and turns to look at me. “Wait, really?” she says excitedly. “Does this mean that you won’t have to run away?”

“Maybe,” I say. “Just go get dressed in something warm. And do me a favor and look up the name ‘Marisa Elder’ on your phone. I… broke mine.”

Without another word, Nancy skips up the stairs and disappears into her room. Ten minutes later, she reemerges dressed in a snowsuit. This one is different from the one she was wearing the last time I was here: it’s white, with a fur lined hood. How many of those things does she have?

“I figure that all white would help us blend into the snow,” she says, twirling around to show me her outfit. “Plus, it’s new. Isn’t it cute?”

“Very cute,” I answer absentmindedly as I open the door and step out into the snow. “Did you find anything on Marisa Elder?”

“Mhm,” Nancy responds, pulling her phone out to show it to me. “She lives just outside Greenwood. Her shop should be open now.”

“Her shop?” I say, looking at the phone.

“Yeah, she’s a fortune teller,” Nancy says. “Honestly, I’m surprised that you would want to go there. Aren’t all fortune tellers phonies?”

I shake my head. “Not this one.”

“Well,” Nancy replies, “it’s a bit of a hike. Since you’re on a time crunch, and my parents are away on business as usual, I have an idea.”

Nancy runs around the side of the house. I follow to see her uncovering something. It’s a snowmobile. She hops on and starts the engine.

“Hop on!” she says, patting the back of the seat.

Having never ridden one of these before, I warily climb onto the back and wrap my arms tightly around Nancy’s waist. Then, we take off into the woods.

I’m frightened at first, but soon that fear turns into excitement as we race through the woods, weaving around trees and boulders.

“Isn’t this fun?!” Nancy shouts over her shoulder. She lets out a wild yell of excitement. I can’t help but to do the same, with a grin plastered across my cold face.

Within half an hour, we arrive at Marisa’s “shop”. It’s more of a hut really, located just off a winding road and tucked into a grove of pines. It’s got a tall, pointed roof that curls slightly at the tip, and the siding is made of dark wooden shingles. There’s a light glowing in the window, which means that Marisa is here.

Nancy parks the snowmobile and we hop off. As we approach the door, I can see a little wooden sign that reads “Fortunes, Fates, & Familiars”.

The door is cracked open slightly. The smell of teakwood and patchouli emanates from inside, and I can hear what sounds like birds chirping wildly and a kettle whistling.

As we enter, a little bell on the door tinkles pleasantly. The house is warm and inviting.

“Hello?” I call out. “M-Miss Elder?”

There’s no answer. Nancy and I look at each other, then push through a beaded curtain that leads to a little parlor with a round table in the center. On the table is a crystal ball, which sits on a golden stand. The walls are covered in tapestries, eclectic paintings, and collectable plates. At the back of the room, there’s a small shrine with a water fountain.

I look around, but don’t see Marisa.

Suddenly, Nancy screams from behind me. I rush to her side. She’s looking down at the sofa and pointing.

I follow her finger to see what she’s looking at. From behind the couch, two feet in velvet slippers stick out. I look around the couch to see a woman laying on the floor wearing loose robes and a scarf around her head. The scarf has slipped back to show curly black hair, and her eyes stare lifelessly up at the ceiling. Her mouth hangs open in a twisted expression of fear.

There’s a knife sticking out of her chest.

Nancy clings to me, burying her face in my shoulder so she can’t see.

“Oh my god,” she whimpers, “someone murdered her!”

I’m too shocked to say anything.

Why would someone kill Marisa? And why now? Why would they just leave her body here to be found like this?

A million more questions swirl around my head, but the most important thing right now is for me to get us the hell out of here before the same thing happens to us.

I grab Nancy’s hand and run from the house. We jump on the snowmobile and take off into the woods. Instead of excitement, fear courses through our veins as we rush back to Nancy’s house.

When we arrive at Nancy’s house, we run inside and lock the door behind us, heaving.

“I have to get back to the castle,” I say between ragged breaths. Nancy seems to be stunned as she sits on the steps staring blankly at the wall.

“I’ve never seen death before,” she suddenly blurts out.

Although I should run back to the castle and tell Atwood about what happened, I can’t leave my friend here like this. I go to her and sit with her on the steps. For a long while we just sit there, holding each other and rocking back and forth.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. It causes us both to freeze and look at each other, our eyes wide.

Putting a finger to my lips, I quietly stand and tiptoe to the door. I stand up on my toes to look through the peephole.

Atwood is standing outside. He knocks again.

I open the door.

“Ruby Jones,” he growls, storming into the house. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

I back away from him, stammering to come up with a response.

Just then, Nancy stands and speaks.

“It was my idea, sir,” she says timidly. “I-I asked Ruby to come see me. My… My boyfriend broke up with me.”

Atwood unclenches his fists and looks to Nancy, then to me. “Is this true?” he asks.

I nod, more grateful for Nancy right now than I could ever be. “Yes,” I answer. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I assumed that you wouldn’t let me come and see her.”

Something in me senses that Atwood doesn’t believe us, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Alright,” he says, letting out a sigh. “I’m just glad you’re alright. When Edith told me that she saw you running off, I…” He pauses, looking at the floor. “I thought that you had run away again.”

I don’t know what to say. His face looks so pained at the thought of me running away that it causes my heart to ache.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s go home. Nancy, where are your parents?”

“They’re away on business,” she replies. “They won’t be back for a couple of weeks.”

“And they’ve left you here alone during a snowstorm?”

Nancy nods.

“Go pack a bag,” Atwood says gently. “You’re staying with us until they return. It’s not safe for a young girl like you to be all by yourself.”

Nancy’s face lights up and she runs upstairs to pack her things. When she’s gone, Atwood turns toward me. His face looks angry, but relieved at the same time.

“I know that she lied for you,” he whispers. “But I won’t ask what really happened. I’m just glad you’re safe. Go get in the car.”

I walk toward the door and out into the snow, where the car is parked and running.

“Ruby,” Atwood says, causing me to turn back around. “You have a good friend here.”

I can’t help but smile at his words. As I get in the car, however, the image of Marisa’s dead body laying on the floor flashes in my mind.

What will I do now?