AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A crow cawed nearby, and the memory of it hit me in the chest so hard I stumbled to a stop. There was no way to know if it was the same crow I saw as a young man. How in the hell would I know?
But something about those beady red eyes was unforgettable.
I waited, listening to his caw grow closer until it landed on the road several yards in front of me. Staring. Judging. Looking. Because that was how she watched. Through that stupid crow.
Dropping to my knees, I dug out the slingshot from the side pocket that I kept for good measure and grabbed a rock.
The bird didn’t flinch.
Aiming, I waited until it flew upward to shoot.
My stone nipped his wing, making him call out in pain.
Let that be a silent warning to Deidamia. I was coming for Josie. I was coming to avenge my family. I was coming to strip this woman down to the person she was under all those demonic powers.
I wanted to see Deidamia bleed. I wanted to see her die for everything she’d done to me.
I just had to find her first.
Chapter Six
Josie
Two Days Before…
Seeing an email from my soon-to-be boss sent nerves through me. This elementary school had been on my list of places to apply since Freshman year. I loved the idea of being an educational psychologist and helping children, especially ones who didn’t realize they needed help.
I typed out my response about attending upcoming meetings.
My cell phone vibrated on the desk beside me and my mother’s name popped up on the screen. I opened the text asking me to come help her in the garden.
I smiled. It was nice of her to spend quality time with me, especially since I didn’t plan to stay long.
The morning sunlight beamed through the curtains of my window, hitting my eyesight. I blinked and walked over to drag them open and push the windows outward.
A gust of humid Louisiana air slapped me in the face. Louisiana was relentless with her weather choices and didn’t care if you couldn’t breathe from May to September.
My mother was already bent over in the garden, pulling out weeds and planting some flowers I didn’t pretend to know or care about.
I slipped into my rubber boots that were shoved way into the closet. My cut-off blue jeans were snugger than I remembered from the summer before, but I slid them on anyway.
I tied the side of my ragged LSU shirt and jogged downstairs.
Miranda had homemade blueberry muffins on the table from breakfast. My stomach growled loudly at me when I took a bite. I’d only eaten half of my supper the night before.
It was unlike me not to eat because it was my favorite pastime. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of someone following me. At first, I imagined it was stress from Jacob, but it felt closer to home.
That stupid necklace showing up on my bed had rubbed me the wrong way, along with the drafty chill in every room. I decided to ask my mother about it today.
The orange juice I’d bought from the grocery store was in the fridge, so I grabbed it and stepped out onto the back porch. The in-ground pool my father put in my eighth grade year glistened in the sunlight.
I planned to relax by the pool that afternoon and enjoy what little time I had left before adulthood took over.
“Josie!” Mom shouted from the distance. “Are you ready?”
I began to walk over while finishing my breakfast, washing it down with my OJ. Mother sat back on her knees and took off her big floppy hat. “Whew, good morning, Louisiana. It’s a scorcher out here today.”
I sat down beside her and offered her a drink.
