The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
By: Katie Alender
“Sisters and brothers, as well,” Eliza said.
“And every little girl gets her own warm bed,” I said. “And a soft blanket made just for her.”
Maria clutched her mother’s hand and nestled happily against her long, black skirt. Penitence reached out her other hand and took hold of mine. And I reached for Eliza’s.
Eliza turned around, looking for someone.
“Florence,” she called.
Florence, whose glow was subtler than ours, stood off to the side, studying her own hands in amazement. She looked up at Eliza, her cheeks streaked with tears.
“Come on, then,” Eliza said. “Don’t just stand there like a statue.”
Florence came over and hovered just outside the circle for a moment, until Eliza grabbed her and pulled her in among us.
“But I’ve been so terrible,” Florence said softly.
“Be that as it may,” Eliza said. “It’s done now, so you might as well be here with us. No need to leave anyone out.”
The whole world seemed to be made of softly lustrous white light.
“What now?” Maria asked.
“Now we are here, together,” said Penitence in a hushed voice. “We are all together.”
The warm white light grew and expanded around us.
Maybe there was a kind of happily ever after, after all.
A feeling of exquisite contentment filled my heart and quieted the questions in my soul.
Peace, I thought, turning my face toward the sky. Rest in peace.
With heaps and heaps of gratitude, I would like to acknowledge the existence and assistance of the following folks: Christopher, my sweetest girl, G, Matthew Elblonk, Ashley Collom, Adam Shear, and everyone at DeFiore and Co., Aimee Friedman, David Levithan, Jennifer Ung, Emily Cullings, Yaffa Jaskoll, Charisse Meloto, Stephanie Smith, Jeremy West, Bess Braswell, Emily Morrow, Larry Decker, and the rest of the brilliant Scholastic team. Marisol, Mom, Helen, Dad, Ann, Jeff, Vicky, Juli, Kevin, Jillian, Rebekah, Zack, Robert, George, Duygu, Onur, Ali, Micah, Bethany, Terry, frousins, fraunts, fruncles, and other less neatly categorizable family members, long-suffering and oft-neglected friends, Soapboxies, H Club, lads, buns, my awesome UPS man, author buddies, bookseller buddies, librarian buddies, teacher buddies, amazing readers, their parents, and everyone who cares about the written word and acts on that impulse …
You are all seriously super great.
Katie Alender is the acclaimed author of several novels for young adults, including Bad Girls Don’t Die; From Bad to Cursed; As Dead as It Gets; Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer; and Famous Last Words. A graduate of the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, Katie now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dogs. She enjoys reading, sewing, gardening, and preparing and eating delicious high-calorie foods. To find out more about Katie, visit katiealender.com.