The Night Sister

As Piper looked at Jason, she remembered when they were kids, how he’d always been on the outside. It was time to let him in.

“I know it seems crazy, I really do,” Piper said. “But it’s all true. Let’s sit—I want to tell you everything.”

And she told him everything. She began with finding the suitcase that summer and worked her way forward, leaving nothing out. She told him about the room in the tower, the skeleton, how Rose killed Fenton and Sylvie, and Lou killed her family. She explained about mares, how they appeared human but could turn into something else, how this ability or curse or whatever you wanted to call it ran in Amy’s family. She told him about trying to help Lou, how she felt like that’s what Amy would have wanted, but Lou had chosen to stay with her grandmother, to go on being a mare. When Piper was finished, Jason stared at her, glassy-eyed.

“Piper, I just can’t…I’m just not able to believe all that.”

“I don’t expect you to believe me. A part of me even wonders if I’m actually insane, if this is all part of a complicated paranoid delusion.” She laughed weakly. “But I know it’s the truth, and I know it was time to tell you. No more secrets. Okay?” She reached out and took his hand, gave it a squeeze.

He nodded, but he looked completely overwhelmed and baffled. Piper was fairly certain he thought she was crazy, and just didn’t have the energy to argue.

“No more secrets,” he said after a moment. “Now, come on. I want to introduce you to your niece.”

—

Piper held the swaddled baby in her arms—little Ella. Ten perfect fingers, ten perfect toes. Grayish-blue mermaid eyes, in a funny little wrinkled face.

Margot was propped up in the hospital bed, looking exhausted but blissful, as she watched Piper cooing at Ella. The nurse had just come in to check vitals, to peek at the dressing on Margot’s belly, and to ask about her pain.

“Doing well, Mom,” the nurse said with a quick smile. Jason was on the other side of the bed, holding Margot’s hand. He gave it a squeeze. The nurse bustled out.

“Mom,” Jason said, kissing Margot’s cheek.

Ella started pecking at Piper’s collarbone. “I think she’s hungry.”

Piper brought the baby over to Margot and settled her into Margot’s arms.

“I can’t get over how beautiful she is,” Piper said, standing right beside Jason now, her arm around his waist as they both gazed down at the baby, one little starfish hand peeking out from beneath the blanket, her tiny perfect mouth opening wide, looking for nourishment.

Margot caught Piper’s eye, and shot her a look—What did you say to him? What happened? Piper smiled and shook her head ever so slightly—Everything’s okay. We’ll talk later.

Margot nodded, looking down at Ella as she nursed. “Perfect,” she said. “She’s just perfect.”





Jason


Jason called the station the next morning, while Margot and the baby were sleeping, to see if there was an update on the whereabouts of Lou. McLellan told him, “No sign of the girl yet, but we’ve got half the state out looking. Now it seems her grandmother, Rose Slater, has disappeared from Foxcroft Health and Rehab—last time anyone saw her was at evening bed check.”

“Weird,” Jason said, biting his lip, remembering what Margot and Piper had told him—how that big dog had been Rose Slater.

“Yeah, but you haven’t heard the craziest part of it all,” McLellan went on. “Call just came in. The Tower Motel is burning. The whole damn thing is up in flames. I’m on my way there now.”

Jason hung up and filled Piper in.

“You should go to the motel,” she said. “See if they need you there. I’ll stay with Margot and the baby.”

—