Chapter 3Waiting for the Devil to Grow Up

Running into my cousin Sarah was a complete accident.

I was working at a diner in the city. The kitchen sink had backed up, so I carried a heavy plastic tub of murky dishwater out the back door to dump it in the alley.

Sarah happened to be walking past. The dirty water splashed onto her boots, and she immediately started cursing at me.

Hearing that specific, thick mountain drawl made my heart drop. I nearly dropped the plastic tub. We locked eyes, and recognition hit us both like a physical blow.

I spun around to run, but Sarah lunged forward and grabbed me. She threw her arms around my shoulders and burst into agonizing sobs.

"It's Lily! Something happened to Lily!"

"Tell me! What happened? Is she sick?" My throat felt tight, like someone was choking me. I was desperate for it to just be a fever.

"Lily is dead."

When those three words registered, all the weight left my body. The alleyway spun wildly around me, and the sky seemed to crash into the pavement.