The sky was painted in deep orange swirls and a red line down the horizon where the sun was slowly rising.
The girls lay awake as they had for most of the night, talking about the many ways that life could go now that they knew what they did.
It wasn't a gamble anymore of ifs or buts but reality kicked them down three pegs and they had debated all night if maybe they should stay down.
Life was scary enough as it was but they had made some good things for themselves. School, friendship, a town that was safe in the daylight when the truth was kept locked behind a door.
It seemed that even if they tried to forget and move on, reality would not let them go completely.
Even if they returned to school, sat behind a bench, or attended a lecture and one day got a job in the quaint old town, there would still be werewolves, vampires, and witches roaming amongst them. They would always be outnumbered and overpowered, nothing they had or did could measure to supernatural strength.
The fog was lifting from the streets outside the house and the streetlights were casting dim light that barely reached through the fog.
Lola had brought her dress, the one she meant to wear tonight to the Winter Whimsy, and Melissa had laid hers out last night before they had dinner.
The smell of frost and wet leaves breezed in through the crack in the window. They had hoped the fresh air would help lull them to sleep but it only made them think of all the winters that had come before and how this one was different in every way.
Birds sang a quiet song that only grew more scarce the deeper into winter they came.
As the cold spread over town, the Christmas spirit rose to an all-time high. The Blackwoods had done well in marketing the fest and word had spread to other towns about the extravagant event and the family behind it.
Lola read article after article about Lavina Sandow being referenced as an honorary Blackwood by Mrs. Blackwood herself.
Each line written was a slam to the gut, especially when she saw Lavina's name paired with Jax's and the golden hue that shadowed each sentence.
Lola closed her eyes, the sound of car engines roaring to life as people drove to work and school slowly cradling her.
Just as her eyes rolled back into her head and her mind began to go dark, Melissa's phone dinged and she patted her hand around the comforter to find it.
When she pressed on the screen she sat up, her hair a frizzy mess on her head and her eyes bloodshot red from sleep deprivation but Lola had never seen them wider.
"It's Ed. Ed texted me!" She called.
Lola turned around and leaned on her elbow to hear what he had written.
"Hi, Mell. I know that 'sorry' won't begin to fix what I ruined by leaving but I swear I had my reasons. My mom got sick, I had to take care of her and I know we hadn't talked about what we were before I left so I was worried it would be too much for you with me being hours away, with no telling of when I'd be back. But I'm coming for the dance, or at least I will try to. I miss you Melissa and I can't wait to see you again- I write this hoping you'll want to see me when I arrive. Yours, Ed."
Melissa slowly lowered the phone with her eyes glistening from unshed tears.
"He's coming back," she whispered.
"How do you feel about that?"
Melissa shrugged and put the phone on her chest as she laid back down.
"It'll be good to see him again and I guess I'll wait and see what he has to say," she said, her tone was grave and low, the message from Ed relaxed her and slowly the sleepy daze was taking over her eyes and pressing her body into the mattress.
Lola closed her eyes, dug her fingers into Melissa's hair, and massaged her scalp while both of them fell into a light sleep.
"Just be careful, don't let him piece your heart together only to break it again," Lola said.
***
The door to the room burst open and Mrs. Clifton barged in with her hand covering her mouth, choking back a sob.
The girls rolled around and leaned up. Hair covered their faces and they were in limbo between the waken state and sleeping bliss so Mrs. Clifton's words were like code that needed to be deciphered before they could understand.
"Girls! Wake up!"
They rubbed their eyes and turned around when the light in the ceiling was turned on.
"Please," she choked.
"What's wrong?" Melissa sat up and looked at her mom. She stood on sleepy legs and tried to walk a few steps without falling asleep on the floor.
"They-the cops, they found a body...it's the same as with Clarissa." She cried.
The hairs on Lola's arms stood straight and she felt every muscle grow stale in her body.
"Where? Who?" Lola asked.
"They don't know. The body was to...to...they couldn't ID it, that's all we know. They've sent for DNA testing," the sobs came in waves and her words fell short each time but they heard her.
"Where was the body found?" Lola asked. She pulled her knees under her body and swallowed the lump of anxiety that grew in her throat.
"They found it in the town square, by the roundabout. Max down at the police station said that it looked almost staged, like the killer was mocking them with the positioning of the body,"
Melissa walked up and hugged her mom, they embraced in a tight long hug and Lola looked around the bedding for her phone.
Once she found it and the screen lit up she saw the many missed calls and texts from both Jax and Ash. They'd heard about the body and were ordering her to come home right away.
Jax's texts gradually went from cold and short to heated and angsty.
Ash had jumped straight to the passionate anger and rule setting; saying she wasn't allowed to attend the Winter Whimsy.
She bit down, grounding her teeth to dust, and clenched the phone in her fist.
"I have to go," she seethed and got up.
She knew it was only a matter of time before they came to the house looking for her and she knew that the Cliftons didn't need the extra headache that always accompanied the Blackwood boys.
"I'll call you later," Lola said, patting Melissa's arm and giving Mrs. Clifton a tight hug.
"You be careful, Lola. I'm serious. If there's anything you need you call me," Mrs. Clifton instructed. Lola smiled and grabbed her things before leaving the room.
She got out into her car before she dialed Jax's number while starting the engine.
The cloudy sky was sending a dark hue over the town and on the hill, where the mansion stood, looked to be covered in a thick mist.
"Hello?" Jax said as he answered.
"You called... a lot."
"Where are you?"
"Heading back now," she said.
"Good. Come to my office straight away and don't take any detours."
Lola clenched her jaw and her knuckles turned white from the pressure of squeezing the wheel.
She wanted to slam her fist on the wheel, to break something, or put her arm through the windshield but her already drowsy mind was in no state to lose focus on the road.
"Yes sir." She said in a monotone voice.
He was quiet for a while before speaking again. "You get ten minutes and then I'm coming for you."
"I'll need fifteen," she said, driving slower than usual.
"You get ten." The phone hung up, the line went silent and Lola slammed her head back against the seat.