The Curse of Tenth Grave

“Oh, right. They actually allow some hearing children to go. Mostly siblings of their Deaf students or children of teachers there.”

“So, they’re letting girlfriends go now? That’s very forward thinking of them.”

“Not exactly. Because Amber has become so active at the school, they’ve agreed to make a special exception. Apparently she’s made quite an impression. Everyone loves her. The teachers. The students. The staff. That man in the cafeteria has fallen head over heels. He keeps sending homemade salsa home with her.”

“Oh yeah,” I said dreamily. “He’s kind of fantastic.”

“Right?”

“But, as awesome as that sounds, you don’t want her to go?”

“It’s not that I wouldn’t love for her to go. I mean, what an experience, right? To be immersed in the culture so fully? But she wants to get everything out of it she can. The full Monty.”

“I don’t think that’s what that means.”

“She wants to live in the cottages with the other students. During the week like they do.”

“Oh.” I could see where Cookie would be distressed over something like that. “She would stay in one of the girls’ dorms during the week? A dorm that would be right next to the boys’ dorm?”

Cookie only nodded, her expression the epitome of worry.

“Yeah. I think I’m with you.”

“They would practically be living together,” she said. “Amber really wants to go, and this is a great opportunity. But I’m just not sure I’m ready. She’s so young. They both are.”

“I gotta agree with you on this one. I know they are in love,” I said, adding air quotes, “but this is huge, Cook. This is bigger than her boobs, even.”

“She doesn’t have big boobs,” Cook said. “They’re actually kind of—”

“No, I mean, when she got boobs. It was kind of a big deal. That whole bra thing traumatized her. And now this? Maybe I can talk to her.”

“Would you?” she asked, her face filled with hope.

“Of course. I mean, she could take the Rail Runner and go to day school there. She doesn’t have to live in the dorms, right?”

“Right. Maybe, if she really likes it, we can talk about it again this summer.”

I patted her back. “Sounds like a plan.”

“So,” Cookie said, satisfied I would be able to convince Amber to take her foot off the gas pedal, just for now, and rev it down a notch, “since we’re baring our souls, what’s up with you?”

“What?” I scoffed. “Nothing.”

“Charley, I know something’s bothering you. You can’t hide anything from me either, remember?”

“Seriously. I’m good. Everything is good. The sun is semi-out. The skies are almost blue with only a strong hint of gray, which, as you know, is my favorite. What could be wrong?”

“You can tell me anything. Surely you know that by now.”

“Yeah. I kind of forget how awesome you are sometimes. There’s just been so much going on lately. A lot happened in New York.”

“I know. I was there, remember?”

I laughed softly. “I know, but there’s a lot I didn’t tell you.”

She leaned forward. “Yeah? Like what?”

“It just seems like, ever since we got back, Reyes has been pulling away from me.”

“What? Oh, honey, you are wrong.”

“No, it’s true. He hasn’t touched me in a week. I knew I should have taken up vaginal weight lifting when that homeless guy gave me a fifteen percent off coupon.” I did the face-palm thing and crumpled onto Cookie’s desk.

“Charley, I don’t think vaginal weight lifting is the answer to … well, anything.”

“But there’s more.” I peeled my face off her desk. “Remember that night that Kuur tried to kill me?”

Kuur had been an emissary sent from Lucifer to kill me. Or, more accurately, trap me in the god glass. Thanks to his arrogance and my father’s sacrifice, I’d trapped him instead.

“Oh yes, you told me that part,” she said with a negating wave of her hand. She wasn’t keen on hearing the story again.

“Right, but what I didn’t tell you was that my father crossed that night. That’s how I was able to remember everything again.”

“Wait, he crossed in the hopes that it would give you your memory back?”

I nodded.

“And it worked?”

’Nother nod. “And when he crossed, I saw the loveliest things, Cook. Things I never knew he felt. He loved me. Despite his poor spousal choices, he really loved me.”

“Of course he did, Charley. Did you really doubt that?”

“I don’t know. I guess not. But it was nice to see, anyway.”

“But he crossed,” Cookie said, her voice soft. Knowing. “He’s really gone now.”

“He’s really gone.” I fought a tightening in my throat. “But I learned so much that night. He showed me so many things. Things that I’m not sure how to tell Reyes.”

“Like what?” She glanced around, checking for the aforementioned entity. “What more could there possibly be? You are so incredible. A supernatural being beyond anything any of us ever expected. There can’t be anything left.”

I let a sad smile lift one corner of my mouth. “You might be surprised.”

She folded her arms at her chest. “No. Not possible. Nothing would surprise me. I’m sure of it. I am unsurprisable at this moment in time.”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

She grew wary. She knew full well not to assume such a thing. I had to razz her a little, though.

I reached into my pocket after a furtive glance around myself, just to make sure there were no gods close by, and brought out the pendant. To her, it would simply look like a necklace. Like a beautiful, aged pendant from an era long past, but a pendant nonetheless.

To me, however, it was like a galaxy inside another galaxy wrapped in an opal. It sparkled and shimmered and lured me closer every time I looked at it.

Cookie gasped. “That’s beautiful. Did your father give that to you somehow?”

I shook my head. “No. This was a gift from Kuur.”