Sisters of Misery (28 page)

Minutes later, Sully stepped through the door with his gun drawn. “Alright, everyone stay right where you are. Jesus H. Christ, what the hell is going on in here? Is everyone okay? Someone had better start talking right now.”

Maddie said in loud, panting sobs, “My aunt Rebecca…she…she…You have to help her. She needs an ambulance.”

Maddie looked over at Finn for help, dizzy with confusion. When he stood up, he was covered in blood.

“Finnegan O’Malley, you have the right to remain silent,” Garrett Sullivan barked as he wrenched Finn’s arms behind his back. “I knew I should have listened to Kate Endicott when she told me you were nothin’ but trouble. First, you go after the daughter, now the mother. I shoulda put you away when I had the chance.”

“Sully, no!” Maddie screamed. “He’s trying to help us. He’s saving my aunt. She…she did this to herself. We need to get her to a hospital now!” Sully reluctantly released his grasp on Finn.

Just then, a team of men entered the room: EMTs, firemen, and policemen. After they removed Rebecca from the room, Finn filled the authorities in on the details.

Maddie went to her mother, who was slumped on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She put her arms around her and helped her to her feet.

“My sister…please…I didn’t mean to—don’t let anything happen to her. She’s my sister,” she cried to the EMTs as they placed warm blankets around both her and Maddie’s shoulders.

Emotions surged through Maddie’s body—at one moment, nausea, and the next, crippling sadness. She walked over to the shattered window, gripping the blanket tightly around her, shaking more from the events that had just taken place than the chill of the night. Headlights swirled below her, creating a sense of vertigo. Maddie braced herself against the rotting sill to keep from falling. Then Finn was at her side, his warm hand on the small of her back. His touch felt familiar somehow. Right. He whispered something about the EMTs taking her mother outside to make sure that she was okay. Maddie nodded, finding it difficult to absorb what had just occurred, still focusing on the mosaic of lights below her.

Maddie stayed at the window a few moments more, and behind all of the swarms of activity, the flashing lights, the sirens, the commotion, and the sea of uniforms, she saw movement in the shadows. There in the blue, white, and red flashes of emergency lights, Maddie thought she saw the twirl of a skirt and then a glimpse of long red hair. Perhaps it was the flashing lights reflected off the raindrops, playing tricks on her eyes, but as she watched, she was sure she saw Cordelia and Rebecca, mother and daughter, reunited, dancing. And then just as suddenly as they had appeared, their images disappeared into the shivering trees.

Maddie smiled.

EARTH-POTENTIAL

JUNE

“E
verything comes full circle. Life is lived in a series of cycles,” Tess once told Maddie when she was a little girl, curled up like a cat on Tess’s large quilted bed. Now those words rang loudly in her ears, as Maddie realized that through all of her running around Hawthorne, fighting with her mother, looking into Cordelia’s disappearance, spending time with Reed, Tess had been slipping away from them all. The morning after that horrible night in Ravenswood, Maddie shuffled into the kitchen, still in a fog of sleep, and saw fresh grief streaked across her mother’s face. Though not a word passed between them, Maddie knew that the worst had happened: Tess was finally granted her life’s wish—to leave Hawthorne forever. While Rebecca began her recovery, Tess had passed away.

When the will was read, Tess had left money for Maddie to go away to school. It was her dying wish for Maddie to leave Hawthorne and start a new cycle far from this town. How could she possibly object? Besides, leaving this town and going away to boarding school would give her the time and space to deal with everything she’d been through over the past year. It would give her a chance to heal.

It was a pale, unseasonably cool day in early June that Tess Martin was put into the earth, laid to rest for all eternity.

Maddie stood at the gravesite, welcoming words of support and acknowledging the kindness of people who had come to pay their respects. She tightly clasped her mother’s hand, giving her support and deriving her own comfort from her steady presence.

Maddie tried to be cordial as Kate and the rest of the Sisters of Misery pressed their cool cheeks to hers, all showing the appropriate amount of sorrow.

She accepted their condolences, for what else could one do at a time like this? But in her heart, she was unwilling to forgive them for their part in Cordelia’s final days in Hawthorne. They may not have been directly involved with Cordelia’s disappearance, but in her mind, they were still guilty. Cordelia and Rebecca’s blood was on their hands. What they did to Cordelia may not have ended her life, but it did, in fact, set in motion a chain of events that destroyed the bond between mother and daughter, between sister and sister.

She was my sister.

Kate pressed her lips to Maddie’s cheek and whispered, “If there’s anything…”

Maddie nodded. Kate hesitated for a moment and looked into her eyes, searching for something.

“Maddie,” she said as she leaned in closely, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth like a cat watching a mouse squirm right before it pounced. “Maybe you can’t remember that night because you don’t want to. But I remember.” She looked over her shoulder at the girls. “We all do. So you can run off to boarding school and try to start over, put this all behind you. But deep down, you know that you’re a part of us—a part of Hawthorne and the Sisters of Misery. You always will be. The choice is up to you, Crane. Do what thou wilt.”

Maddie resisted the urge to slap Kate across the face. “
Do
what thou wilt
, Kate? Have you decided to lead the Sisterhood into black magic?”

Kate held Maddie’s gaze for a long time. She reached up and brushed a strand of Maddie’s hair back from her forehead, eyeing the spot where Maddie had been struck by the rock. Maddie knew instantly that Kate was the one who had struck her that night out on Misery Island “Fine, Maddie. Run away, run away from all of us. Just like your…”—she leaned in closely and hissed the last word into Maddie’s ear—“
sister
.”

Maddie’s eyes went wide with shock.
How does she know?

Kate gave a saccharine smile and said smugly, “What can I say, Maddie? Payback’s a witch.”

With that, Kate turned and joined the rest of the girls. Maddie hated that even after everything that had happened, Kate was still able to get under her skin and ultimately, get the last word. Did Kate really know that Maddie and Cordelia were sisters? Or was she referring to Cordelia finally being initiated into the Sisters of Misery? It was just one more piece of the puzzle that Maddie didn’t have the strength or desire to put together.

Looking around at the memorial service, Maddie understood why Abigail hadn’t wanted to get the police involved. Their family saga became the big news of the moment. There were people present at the memorial services who Maddie had never seen before—people more curious about the rumors of the tragedy that had occurred at The Witches’ Castle than concerned about Maddie’s family. It was sure to become part of the local lore: months after a teenager goes missing, the crazy mother of the missing girl slits her wrists in The Witches’ Castle just before the demolition of the asylum. The only witnesses were the sister, the niece, and one of the main suspects in her daughter’s disappearance. Meanwhile, the grandmother dies alone at home.

It had all the makings of one of the many legends of Hawthorne. Was it a crime of passion? Did Rebecca try to kill herself out of guilt? Was she responsible for her daughter’s disappearance? Was Cordelia a runaway or a murder victim? All were good questions—great questions, in fact. Questions that would probably remain unsolved.

Both Reed and Finn attended the service. Maddie stole a glance at them during the service, such a contrast to each other. Blondhaired Reed, with his sexy stubble and broad shoulders, appeared rattled and sleep-deprived. And then there was Finn, dark-haired, handsome, troubled. His hands clasped respectfully in front of his crisp suit, his face unreadable, eyes downcast. She was bonded to both of them by a force greater than she ever could have imagined.

“Maddie,” said Reed as he finally made his way over to her. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Reed,” she said in a clipped tone.

“I don’t—I can’t really think of anything to say, except that I’m sorry. I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss,” he said softly. Despite the moment they’d shared on the boat, Maddie didn’t feel the same warmth and affection she’d felt—or imagined she’d felt—for him a few weeks ago. His feelings for her had never been real—they’d been a favor to the Sisters of Misery.

“I’m sorry for yours as well,” Maddie said coldly.

“I don’t…wait, what are you talking about?” Reed asked hesitantly, the pupils of his deep blue eyes grew slightly wider.

“Your loss. Your baby,” Maddie snapped. “The one you fathered with Cordelia. The one you gave her money to get rid of. Or maybe you just gave her the cash to disappear so she wouldn’t cause you any more embarrassment than she already had. I’m sorry for
that
, Reed. Oh, and I’m sorry that you failed to do your job and keep me occupied so that I wouldn’t find out what happened to my cousin. I’m sorry about so many things, Reed, that I can’t decide which one I’m
most
sorry about.”

“N-No, no, you don’t—you don’t understand…”

“No, Reed,
you
don’t understand,” Maddie continued. “I put my trust in you. Cordelia put her trust in you. I don’t understand how you could take advantage of my cousin like that and then turn around and lie to me about it.”

Reed looked around uncomfortably. “I know how it looks, but I swear, Maddie. I—I’ve made mistakes before, but not like this. It’s not what you think.”

“What I think, Reed, is that you’re pathetic. I’m sorry that my cousin had anything to do with you, and I’m sorry,” Maddie spat, “that I made the same mistake as Cordelia. Luckily, I know how to learn from my mistakes. Unfortunately, Cordelia wasn’t as lucky.”

Maddie didn’t wait for a response. She walked away, ending the conversation on her terms for a change.

Maddie walked down the slope of the hill, away from the burial ground. She had to pass right by the crimson brick monster of Ravenswood on her way back home. It no longer scared her—it seemed to be smiling at her, pleased that its mysteries were finally made known and that it possessed new secrets, secrets about her own family. But Maddie didn’t care anymore. It was all behind her. It was time to move on.

Maddie saw Finn standing in front of the faces in the wall, his hand resting on the fourth face, the one that had an uncanny resemblance to Cordelia.

“Don’t you know that it’s bad luck to touch them?” Maddie said, smiling at him.

He shrugged. “It’d be pretty hard not to touch them when I’m carving them out.”

“You? You’re the one who’s been carving the faces in the wall for all of these years?” Maddie said, unbelieving.

“How old do you think I am, Maddie? Two hundred? These faces have been here a long time, my dear. And I’m not that old.”

“So then…? I mean…why?” she asked.

“I took over doing this for my dad. And he took over for his dad, and so on and so on. You see, my great, great, great grandmother’s maiden name was Pickering.” He paused, waiting for the look of surprise to cross her face. “Yes,
that
Pickering. So, you see, I’m a descendent of the Pickering sisters, the so-called witches of Misery Island.

“My ancestors have been taking care of the town properties since the town was settled, so we’ve had access to all parts of Hawthorne. That’s how we’ve been able to carve their faces without being caught for all of these years. We didn’t do it for a curse or any of that garbage going around town. It was just a way to honor them. To make people in this town remember how badly they were treated. And it was my decision to add Cordelia’s face because I think she was treated the same way that the Pickering sisters were treated. And well, I guess partly because I was hoping that one day, she would have become a part of my family. A part of my own history.”

Stepping closer to Finn, Maddie gently kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Cordelia was very lucky to have someone care about her the way that you did.”

“The way I still do.” He corrected her and then looked away, not wanting her to see his eyes fill up with tears. “You don’t stop loving someone after they’re gone.”

Maddie thought of Tess and of Cordelia and nodded her head. “You’re right. You never stop.”

“So, Stanton Prep, huh?” Finn said with a wink. “You really going away to school, or is this just an excuse to look for Cordelia?”

Maddie laughed. “Maybe I can do both.”

She turned back to the faces because she knew that it would be a long time before she’d see them again. Hopefully, the next time she’d be looking at them would be with Cordelia at her side. “So it looks like you can stop feeling guilty about not walking Cordelia home. Turns out she got home safe and sound. There’s nothing you could have done any differently. You can finally move on…without the guilt.”

“Maybe,” he said tentatively. “But I’m still responsible. I’m the one who gave her that money.”

“You gave her the money?” Maddie was in shock. Maybe Reed
was
telling the truth after all, she thought suddenly, painfully.

“All I knew was that she needed the money, and I gave it to her. It was her decision. I told her I’d support her no matter what she wanted to do. But if I really was a father, I would have heard from her by now, don’t you think? Maybe she was just playing me to get some cash to get out of town. Who knows? With that cousin of yours, everything’s a mystery,” he said, eyes brimming with tears. “I really did—still do—love her. And I don’t think she’s gone for good. I think she’s going to come back. One of these days.”

Maddie nodded solemnly. It seemed that with every answer, there were many more questions raised.

Finn put his arm around her and walked them down the path away from the hospital.

“Take care of her for me,” Maddie said then about the carving of Cordelia.

“I will,” he said. “Take care of yourself. It’s a dangerous world out there.”

“Not as dangerous as it is in a small town like this,” she replied.

A wide grin spread across Finn’s face. “I guess you’re right about that. Oh, and don’t tell anyone about the carvings—or the money, for that matter. I figured I’d let you in on some of my secrets since I know so many of yours. Are we even?”

“I’ll take ’em to my grave.”

Finn shook his head sadly. “There’s no reason anyone needs to know about these things. It won’t do anyone any good. Not anymore.”

“Well,” she said, “I don’t think I’m going to be coming back to Hawthorne any time soon, so I guess this is good-bye.”

“Good-bye, Madeline.”

“And, thank you for everything, Finn,” Maddie said. “For watching out for Cordelia and, I guess, for me, too.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Madeline. I always liked watching out for you girls. Even if it was only for a midnight swim,” he said with a wink.

Maddie’s eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face.
He
was their mysterious midnight watcher. He was always there…watching, protecting. “What about the rumors of avenging your ancestors? Is there any truth to
that
legend?”

Finn smiled and seemed to roll the idea around in his mind for a moment. “
In war, personal revenge maintains silence
,” he said, smiling, and then added, “Nietzsche.”

She laughed, realizing how much he knew about her and Cordelia and the games they played. “Ah, very impressive, Mr. O’Malley.” He took a mock bow. “But you know Mr. Shakespeare once said, ‘Kindness, ever nobler than revenge.’”

“Yes, but Shakespeare never had the pleasure of meeting Kate Endicott,” Finn deadpanned.

Maddie laughed again, then Finn nodded, signaling good-bye. Without another word, he turned and continued down the path.

She watched Finn until he turned the corner and then said under her breath, partly to herself, partly to Tess, and partly to Cordelia, wherever she was, “And as Hamlet said in his final speech, ‘The rest is silence.’”