“They’re not sure, but it gets even weirder.”
Weirder? All the things that happened to Natti since she arrived in Setemple flashed through her memory: Seth’s strange and alluring touch; Ky’s unnatural strength; a girl drowning in a pool, all alone at midnight. That last item was probably the most disconcerting.
Natti waved the page in the air. “Something weirder than this?”
“Look at the bottom headline.”
Natti strolled up to her locker, placed down her backpack, and unfolded the newspaper. In smaller bold print below the article on Ashley’s death read:
LOCAL GIRL GONE MISSING
Next to the column was a picture of Mandy Brown gazing up at Natti, making her catch her breath. “Oh my God!” Mandy, Seth’s so-called ‘number one.’ Natti might have not liked her, and maybe she was a little jealous of her, but she would never wish any harm to come to her. And shit, what about Seth? He probably would be a mess over this. Natti knew she would be in his place. “Does Seth know about this?”
“I don’t know.” Wanda shrugged. “It’s really strange, isn’t it? They were best friends ever since I can remember. Now one’s dead, and the other is missing.”
Natti skimmed the article. “They’re claiming that, based on emails and chat room conversations found on her laptop, Mandy’s disappearance might have ties to a cult?” Natti felt her heart hit rock bottom. “A cult? What cult?”
“I know! Freaky, right?” Wanda seemed just a little too excited in her response. “I personally haven’t heard of any cults in the area, but who would have guessed Mandy would be stupid enough to run away and join one?”
“Never underestimate the power of suggestion and the promise of false hope,” Natti mused while she started dialing her combination. She was trying to wrap her brain around the news. Two girls, both friends, both connected to Seth—one dead, one missing—and add in an unknown cult? Things were not adding up. Was Seth involved? No, she told herself. Seth is a jerk, not a killer. Still, it was strange. “And they really don’t suspect that the cases might be connected in some way?”
“How could they be?”
Natti shrugged, pulling a random situation from a hat. “They’re friends. Maybe Ashley had learned Mandy was in trouble and tried to help?”
“And what, Mandy killed Ashley?”
Natti thought on her answer. “I talked to Mandy just last week. And as pushy as she is, I don’t think she would kill anyone, friend or enemy.” She also didn’t seem like the type to run off with a cult, yet here it was in black and white. “What if both girls were the victims of whomever Mandy was meeting?”
“There was no evidence to suggest anything other than an accident.”
Natti looked at the photos of Ashley and Mandy on the front page. “True. But still, it doesn’t feel right to me.”
As if on autopilot, Natti shoved her backpack into her locker and grabbed out a few of her books. Her mind was still crunching on the articles she held in her hand. The heaviness weighing on her chest. There was a connection, there had to be. Her heart knew it. Then again, what if the connection didn’t involve Ashley and Mandy? What if the connection had something to do with the person who did this? Or this ‘cult’ the paper mentioned? Her imagination continued to pile the possibilities. What if it had to do with something else entirely? A thought dawn on her: could these events possibly be linked to the secret she uncovered in the cedar box? If it really was the cause of her grandmother’s death, could her murderer be searching for it, for her? It was scary to think of such a ridiculous possibility, but the gears of uncertainty were turning in her head. She had to know. Slamming her locker closed and following Wanda through the halls, Natti made a mental note to start translating the hieroglyphs as soon as she got home.
“I just hope they find Mandy,” Natti finally said. And some answers.
Wanda snorted. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Natti was taken aback. “Why?”
“Several girls have gone missing from this town over the years. Many of which are declared to be runaways. But I never heard anything about anyone of them being found.”
“Runaways?” Natti froze. “How many girls exactly?”
Wanda shrugged. “I haven’t exactly kept count. Maybe three in the past two years? Well, four if you count Mandy.”
This town was getting creeper by the minute. “And no one has found any of them?”