Ella sat on the edge of her bed, an empty pill bottle in one hand, a vial of clear fluid in the other.
She thought back through the plan as Bart had explained it to her. She’d sent the text to Mary and then placed her phone in the drawer where she could easily find it. Hopefully, her friend would get there first or else her dad could figure out she and Bart were up to something.
Mary had a key and knew the code to the alarm system that secured the door. It had been enough to get her into Ella’s room earlier, but it wouldn’t work for her purposes now because it wouldn’t explain what she was doing there to her former employers who would come running once they heard her scream.She gave a soft tap on the door. Her text earlier to Roger would’ve been enough for him to expect her, though he didn’t know what she wanted. He was probably hoping she wanted something more, but he would be disappointed.
It took longer to get a response than Mary had anticipated. By the time she’d screamed twice, and no one had come running, she opened the bedroom door and tried again. “Help! Someone, help! Ella’s dead! She’s dead!”Even that took longer than it should have. It was Henry Caron who reached her first, dressed in pajama pants and nothing more. “What’s going on?” he asked in his thick French accent. Mary might’ve forgotten she was upset that her friend was dead if she had stared at his chiseled chest for too much longe
Bart arrived at the morgue late that afternoon, after the family had come and gone. They’d done all of the things families do at a time like this--picked out a casket, flowers, all of those things. He imagined there had been tears and confessions of regret, but any lamentations Ella’s father was having, he fully deserved.Ella was dressed in a lovely red gown, and her hair was styled as if she were going to an award show. Looking at her lying there on a table in the back of the home, where the embalming was typically done, it was hard to believe she was ac
The service was so lovely, Mary thought she should take pictures to show Ella later, though that seemed ridiculous. “Look, friend. See how lovely you were when you were dead?” She almost started laughing and had to cover her mouth. While she had no idea what the pastor was saying, it wouldn’t be appropriate to laugh in the middle of the service.Bart was standing next to her, and he looked anything but amused. This was it--in a moment, they’d all go say their “final” goodbyes to Ella, and then everyone would leave. Jeff and his team
The sensation started in her toes. Pinpricks that turned into vibrations and then radiating warmth that spread up her calves, to her knees, and higher. Ella was suddenly aware that she was conscious. It wasn’t as if she were waking from sleep; it was as if she’d suddenly returned to her body after hours or days of being away from it.The feeling was unsettling, and as it spread throughout her, she had to remind herself it was a good thing. She wasn’t dead, after all. That had been her fear when she drank the liquid from the vial however many days ago
The tinkling of rocks against his window reminded Rome of three things--when he was younger and Bart wanted his attention, when he’d done the same thing to return his phone not long ago, and when Rome had stood outside of Ella’s window, staring up at her beautiful face.He’d been sleeping so he wasn’t sure how long the rocks had been hitting the glass. Whoever was trying to get his attention was impatient, that was for certain. He sat up and saw his mother dozing on a settee across the way. The rocks hadn’t woken her up, and he hoped he w
By the time they reached LAX airport, Ella felt like herself again--at least on the outside. A nervousness buzzed around on her insides as she thought about what she was about to do. She had forged documents; she was allegedly dead. Yet, she was about to try to get on a plane. She was also extremely worried about Rome.“It’ll be fine,” Bart assured her. “These documents are top of the line. This guy works with all kinds of people who aren’t supposed to be coming in and out of the country, but they do it all the time.”
Ella’s sleep on the plane had been restless and full of unsettling dreams. About an hour before they arrived in Italy, her eyes flew open, and images of Rome’s face slid from her mind. It had taken her a few moments to remember everything that had happened, to recall where she was, just as it had in the crypt. But this was different. She could move right away. Her memories all rushed back to her, and suddenly she was fully energized and ready to go.She needed to find Rome.