He nodded. “I graduated seven years ago.”
“Any advice on getting out of here alive?”
Mr. Blythe sighed. “Well, as an educator, I’m supposed to deliver uplifting messages to my students like ‘ignore the bullies and they’ll go away, because ignoring them takes away their power!’. But, to be bluntly honest, they don’t stop and they don’t go away no matter what you do. Most of them grow up to be even bigger bullies.”
“Great. Something to look forward to,” I muttered.
“Sorry.” Mr. Blythe shook his head and cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s fine.” I shrugged weakly. “I’m actually grateful for the honesty.”
“What I meant to say is… all you can really do is try your best to tough it out. It’s just one year, and then you’ll never have to see any of these people again. Unless you want to.”
“That’s true,” I said, brows furrowing. “Why did you decide to come back?”
“I was lucky enough to never become a target of anyone’s wrath while I was a student here. So I actually enjoyed my high school experience for the most part.” Mr. Blythe gave me a tight smile and patted my shoulder as we stepped into the nurse’s station. “Anyway, let’s tell Mrs. Kelly what happened. She’ll know a lot more than me about the possible side effects of eating ashes.”
His words made me clutch my stomach and hurl again, but fortunately, there was a bucket to catch it this time. The school nurse arrived a moment later. She handed me a wet wipe to clean my face, and then she sat next to me and took down the details of the incident.
The next few minutes were a rollercoaster of despair and gut-wrenching terror. I’d once read an article that mentioned how consuming dead humans caused prion diseases—like Mad Cow Disease—and as soon as I recalled that, I started to hyperventilate. That spiraled into a full-on panic attack.
When I finally regained my ability to breathe again, the nurse explained that the medical implications of eating ashes were different from the things I’d read about. I couldn’t catch any sort of brain diseases from cremains, and apart from some mild stomach discomfort, I’d be completely fine in the end.
Realistically, the worst part of it all was the mental state the incident had left me in. The knowledge that I’d consumed my own father’s ashes made me want to curl up in a ball and die. It was so sick. So cruel. Soevil.
I knew exactly who was behind it.
Cerina.
She must’ve been lurking outside the kitchen a few weeks ago when I was telling Maeve about my father’s ashes. Maeve brought up the subject by mentioning how much she loved the beautiful Willow-patterned urn the ashes were kept in, so anyone within hearing range would know exactly what to look for in my bedroom if they wanted to steal the urn.
I remembered bumping into Cerina after that conversation as clear as day. At the time, I didn’t think it was a big deal, because it didn’t occur to me that she might’ve been standing outside listening for a while before she entered the kitchen. Now it seemed obvious that she’d eavesdropped and stored the information away in a dark corner of her evil, scheming brain, just in case she ever wanted to use it against me.
“I’ll write you a note to give you the rest of the day off.” The nurse patted my arm and stood. “I think you deserve it.”
I smiled weakly and nodded. Once I’d signed out of school at the admin office, I trudged down to the main gate, mind still spinning with the grim reality of what I’d done. I felt like I’d never be able to wash the chalky texture and overpowering taste of those cookies out of my mouth.
“Hey!” Erin’s car pulled up alongside me, and she stuck her head out the window. “Hop in!”
I went around to the passenger side and climbed into her car. “Thank god you showed up,” I said, offering her a weak smile. “I was about to walk home, and it looks like it’s going to rain soon.”
She reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “I saw the Dirt post and came as soon as I could,” she said, eyes filled with pity. “I’m so sorry.”
I swallowed hard. “It’s not your fault,” I murmured.
“I still feel really shitty that I wasn’t here. I can’t believe those fuckers stole my phone and slashed my tires to stop me from coming in.” She shook her head and turned onto the main road. “At least the mechanic finally showed up, I guess. Got here just in time.”
I glanced back at the school. “Are you sure you don’t need to go in?”
“Do you really think I’m going to go to any of my classes after all this shit?” Erin snorted and shook her head. “Hell no. I’m spending the rest of the day with you.”
“Thanks.” I flashed her another weak smile, trying to ignore the horrible curdling sensation in my stomach.
When we got home, I headed straight to the kitchen. Erin trailed behind me. “Do you really want to eat after what just happened?” she asked in a tentative tone as I opened the fridge.
“Not really.” I grimaced. “But I need to get that cookie taste out of my mouth. Even the extra-strength mouthwash the nurse gave me didn’t help. I feel like my tongue is still coated in all that…” I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence.
“Got it.” Erin nodded. “I’ll check the pantry while you raid the fridge. The stronger-tasting the stuff, the better.”