VANISHED (#1 in the VANISHED series) #NaNoWriMo2019 ✔

e i g h t ✔

The moment of truth—would Stella admit to her conversation with her mom? Of how she talked about Arielle while she slept?

"Uh... fine. Fine-ish. My... my stomach pain kind of came back and I... had a hard time sleeping, but I'm okay now. Okay-ish." She twirled her platinum locks into a tight bun and smiled. "Hungry? I figured no bagels, just in case." She motioned at the box of muffins. "But you're in charge of finding food tomorrow, deal?"

Heart sinking at Stella's omission—though she herself had chosen not to divulge the details of her nightmares—Arielle ambled to her bag to find her clothes for the day. "Yeah... sure. Deal." She sucked her lips between her teeth as she bent down and rummaged through for jeans and a t-shirt. "How d'you get the belly ache to go away?"

Stella's brief hesitation revealed it all, and Arielle didn't need to see her face to comprehend it.

When she pivoted, she found Stella peering at her crimson nails, as if disinterested. "I, uh... texted my mom. She sent me this tea recipe, and it... it worked." A half-truth; Arielle would have to accept that for now. "What was your nightmare this time? Jade again?"

The gore of her awful dreams prompted shivers to scatter down her spine as she collected her things and headed to the bathroom. "Yeah... she was flashing in and out, like... ah, anyway, I'm fine. Give me a minute." She hurried into the still steamy room and shut the door, taking deep breaths, begging herself not to cry, not to break down, not to lose her cool.

She lies, I lie... wow, great friends, we are.

***

Once in the car—Stella insisted on driving, claiming she felt bad about yesterday—an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Stella was usually so vivacious, so loud and full of tales and ideas and gossip. But today... she was groggy, moody, elsewhere.

"So, uh... you ready for this?" Arielle peeked left and right at the cars they parked between, eager to get out and inhale some fresh air. The rain had stopped, but the mugginess remained as gray clouds clogged the skies like giant cotton balls saturating with water, waiting for the appropriate moment to rip open and unleash a deluge.

The Hollywood Cemetery offered all sorts of options for visits. By car, on foot, even by Segway—Stella spent several minutes mocking this—but they chose to walk.

"Yeah, so, about that." Stella drew a thin-lipped smile and swerved to look at Arielle. "I did something else, earlier this morning, before I grabbed breakfast." She gripped the steering wheel to help her turn to the door and exit the car.

The brisk air smacked against Arielle's cheeks once she alighted. "Okay... what's going on?"

Was this it? Was Stella about to come clean?

Wincing, Stella opened the back-seat door and plucked out a plastic shopping bag. "I... went on a quick errand and bought something. And... it will shock you because it shocked me and... well... please don't make fun of me."

Arielle walked around the car and joined her, crossing her arms. Did she pick up one of those energy drinks they all hated? A witch's hat? A magic trick kit? "I won't. So... spill!"

"So, my mom," Stella pulled out a velvet satchel from within the bag, "also said, in our texts last night that I... we... needed to be more careful. What we saw in the Penitentiary... she said it was ominous. We have to watch ourselves. And I groaned and grumbled about it, but... maybe she's right and we should be more cautious. So..." She slid her fingers into the pouch then tipped it, pouring a few colored rocks onto her palm.

"What are those?" Several gems sparkled in the faint luminosity slicing through the curtain of clouds. One was lavender, one looked like onyx, another was a bright sapphire, and she caught a fire and smoke one, its surface polished.