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“You can make it up to me later,” Layla whispered before she turned forward.
I didn’t know how to make it up to her, but I’d definitely pay her back for whatever she did to get these rare passes.
“Before I start class, Father Thomas wanted me to talk to you guys about staying safe this Halloween. I know it’s Friday and many of you have plans to celebrate the devil’s holiday.” She shook her head, her lips thinning. “You shouldn’t be celebrating such a wicked day, but I can’t stop you. Just remember, the Lord knows everything. When you get to the pearly gates in Heaven and have to explain why you celebrated the devil, don’t be surprised when you are thrown out of Heaven and into the pits of Hell.
“Please use your heads and do not get into any trouble.” She scowled at Justin, who was the bad boy of Sacred Heart Catholic School. “Don’t let your passions overcome you, and don’t listen to the devil when he whispers in your ear to fall into bed with your boyfriend or girlfriend, whom you should not be dating in the first place.” She looked at me this time, then turned to Brad, who was known as a man-whore. I couldn’t count how many times he’d been sent to Father Thomas’s office to confess his sins.
Even though no one made a sound, I could hear the eye rolls and silent promises that we wouldn’t listen to Sister Theresa. At least the majority of us. There was Alison, who was the brown-nosed girl who followed the rules to the t.
Even though the Bible said to forgo premarital sex, most of the class didn’t prescribe to that belief. I know I didn’t, though I would feel immense guilt and worry about displeasing God. That night while I lay in bed, I would pray for forgiveness for falling into the desires of my flesh.
“And I don’t mean to dampen the mood,” Sister Theresa continued. “But ladies, please be safe. There are recent cases of girls around your age being kidnapped and killed, and I don’t want to come back on Monday and find out one of you is missing.”
The once easygoing atmosphere became tense and full of foreboding doom.
We were aware of the murders—at least, those of us who were paying attention were. The public knew a few details, but for the most part, the authorities kept us in the dark.
One of the girls was around my age, and her body was found near the town’s river, with an upside-down cross engraved on her forehead. She had burn marks on her wrists that could have been from a rope digging into her skin. Her throat had been slit, and she’d been bled dry. They didn’t find a drop of blood in her body.
Another girl was found in the woods by the highway, with the same engraving on her forehead and all the blood drained from her.
It was the scariest thing and made me hesitate to attend tonight’s concert now that Sister Theresa had to remind us about it.
Sister Theresa smiled with satisfaction, as if she had achieved her goal. “Anyway, let’s begin class.”
2
GRACE
“The Summoning” by Sleep Token played softly through my Bluetooth speakers as I prepared for the evening.
Layla lay on her stomach on my bed, watching me. Her hands cupped her cheeks and her feet kicked back and forth as I fixed the collar of my white dress, hiding my black bra strap beneath it. I planned to wear warm stockings and pair them with Sebastian’s leather jacket that I had borrowed and never returned. It would be colder tonight since it was October, and winter was drawing closer.
“Do you think the members of Satan’s Priest are hot beneath all the makeup they paint on their faces?” Layla asked, still kicking her feet in the air behind her. “Oh! Oh! Do you think they’re going to wear their masks? Oh fuck, I hope they do. Something about wearing masks and keeping their identities a secret turns me on.”
I snorted a laugh and applied more mascara to my eyelashes. “I don’t know.”
There were a couple of pictures of the band lying around somewhere. They always wore face paint or their masks. Most of the time it was their masks, and Layla was correct. They looked hotter with their faces covered, giving them an air of mystery.
Glancing at Layla, I gave her a little smile. I smoothed the wrinkles of my dress over my stomach and turned around to look at my backside in the large mirror attached to the back of my closet door. “I don’t know,” I said softly again, not paying much attention to Layla.
The dress hugged my curves, and the black webbed stockings made my thick thighs appear softer and my legs longer. When I wore them, my skin looked more tan and could easily knock any man off his feet at first sight. Not that I wanted anyone else, since I was happy with my relationship with Sebastian.
Had he known about my interest in the band’s look, Sebastian would have been okay with it. Okay, he might have gotten a little jealous, but definitely not angry. I couldn’t recall a time he yelled or got violent with me, especially in outrage over another man.
Layla rolled onto her back and extended her arms behind her head, pushing her ample breasts into the air as she stretched like a lioness after a nap.
“Mmm.” She sighed, flopped her arms on the bed behind her head, and giggled. “I’m so excited for tonight. We’re meeting the band!”
“Mmhmm.” I gave her a little smile that she didn’t see and pulled on Sebastian’s leather jacket. It smelled like him still, even if the scents of leather, soap, and cologne had faded over time.
Layla spun around so she was back on her stomach and narrowed her eyes. “You don’t even sound excited.” She huffed like a toddler.
I turned back to her, frowning. “I so am!”
She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts higher in her crimson midriff shirt. “No, I don’t think you are. You’ve been giving me noncommittal responses like ‘yep’ or ‘mmhmm.’ If you don’t want to go, just say the word.”
I knew she didn’t want me to flake out. Which I wasn’t. My mind was elsewhere, and I was nervous about seeing my favorite band.
