Anna
Come out, come out, wherever you are…
Anna
I’m in goddamn six-inch heels for you
Anna
And I’m stuck in the middle of the woods by this creepy old house
Anna
I know we said this would be romantic, but…
Anna
Now this just kind of sucks.
Anna
I just heard a branch snap
Anna
There you are — I can see your dark hair from behind
Anna
Ooooh you wore the black suit I wanted you to wear 😉
But the man who turned around wasn’t Mark, and when he spoke, his voice was as rich and dark as 90% cocoa…
Mr. Archivolt
Hello Anna. I’ve been waiting for you.
Anna
How do you know my name?
Mr. Archivolt
How could I not?
Mr. Archivolt
Look at you — you’re gorgeous.
Mr. Archivolt
All that red hair, those blood red lips, that porcelain… skin.
Mr. Archivolt
Good, take a few steps closer, Anna.
Mr. Archivolt
Yes, you are. It’s okay.
Mr. Archivolt
It’s okay that you want me.
Mr. Archivolt
That you need me.
Mr. Archivolt
That you thirst… for my lips on yours.
Mr. Archivolt
Very good, Anna. Keep walking.
Mr. Archivolt
Follow me into my home.
Mr. Archivolt
Let’s pretend that it’s a castle, and that you, Anna, are my queen…
On the other side of Savannah, in the Oglethorpe Mall food court, my friends and I were playing a silly game we called Kiara’s Game.
But little did we know, at the heart of our fun was something sinister…
Zoe
What about that guy, with the hat? What’s he gonna order?
Zoe
Then why is he going to McDonald’s?
Kiara
He’s just grabbing napkins.
Maya
Bullshit. You can’t possibly know that. I’m totally winning this round.
Zoe
If you’re so sure, let’s up the stakes. Ten bucks says Ki is right.
Kiara
I’m starting to think that I should get a cut of the ‘Kiara’s Game’ profits.
Maya
We didn’t ask you, Kiara.
Zoe
Wait, Hat Guy is at the counter and he’s…
Zoe
Ki’s right again, and Maya owes me ten dollars.
Maya
You’re such a freak. How the hell did you know that?
Kiara
All you have to do is look.
Kiara
For example, Hat Guy was sitting down with his family and they already had a whole bunch of McDonalds in front of them. Plus…
Kiara
His wife had ketchup on her shirt and she wasn’t wiping it off.
Maya
How did you even know that was Napkin Guy’s family?
Maya
He was nowhere near them when Zoe pointed him out for the game.
Kiara
Easy. Look at their shirts.
Zoe
They’re all wearing Dallas Cowboys jerseys.
Kiara
Exactly. We live in Savannah.
Zoe
Oh, so they’re tourists! Brilliant, Sherlock!
Maya
I still don’t get it. They’re a hundred feet away.
Maya
You’re telling me you caught all that in one glance?
The truth is, there are a dozen other things I could have pointed out…
But I didn’t want to draw any more attention to my freaky abilities.
Kiara
I just notice things like that. I can’t help it.
Maya
Bullshit—but double or nothing. See those two older ladies behind you by the window?
Maya
Aren’t you even gonna turn around and look at them?
Kiara
The ones dressed in all black? I saw them earlier.
Kiara
Pick someone else. Something about those two feels weird to me.
Zoe
I’m with Ki. I have a bad feeling about those two…
Zoe
I mean, who dresses from head to toe in black on a ninety-five degree day?
Kiara
Yeah. Sorry, I’m getting a bad vibe from them.
Maya
A bad vibe? What are you, psychic now?
I’m definitely not psychic. That’s not how I figure stuff out…
But something about those old women gave me the creeps.
Kiara
I don’t know. They’re dressed in all black and scowling.
Kiara
That creeps me out, okay?
Maya
Why don’t you grow a pair?
Maya gave me a deathly glare.
Maya
I bet money on this. You better play.
Kiara
Okay, relax. The ladies in black it is.
Kiara
What’s your question?
Maya
They each have a shopping bag. What’s in them, Kiara?
Zoe
Is that a joke? How is that fair?
Maya
You said ask her anything.
Zoe
Yeah, anything within reason. No one can guess that, not even Ki.
Maya
We don’t know that. Work your magic, Kiara.
Maya
Shut up. Just tell us.
Kiara
Fine. In the bag on the right is a necklace with a cross on it. And in the other one is… a… a…
Kiara
No, it’s a very old book. But it’s not like we’ll ever know for sure.
Zoe
What’re you gonna do, ask them?
Maya
No. I’m gonna go look for myself.
Maya
Why? Because I finally stumped you?
Kiara
No, there’s something dangerous about those women.
For starters, though the ladies in black were old and gnarled, their eyes were ALIVE.
But it wasn’t really their eyes that worried me…
It was the fact that they’d been watching us long before Maya noticed them.
Maya
Shut up. You’re not a good liar, Kiara.
Kiara
I’m just saying, they really do look like witch—
Maya
DON’T say that word.
And with a final threatening look, Maya walked away.
Kiara
What the hell was that about?
Zoe
I should have warned you, you can’t use the “W” word in front of Maya.
Kiara
What is the ‘W’ word?
Zoe
It’s kind of this thing we don’t talk about…
Zoe
But there’s a rumor in town that her aunts and mother…
Zoe
That they’re witches.
Kiara
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Zoe
People around here take ghost stories really seriously.
Zoe
And Maya gets a lot of shit about being a witch.
Zoe
She has her entire life.
Kiara
That explains a lot.
Zoe
Yeah, it also explains why we’re her only friends.
Zoe
WOAH—look at Maya over there!
Kiara
She won’t actually look through those crones’ shit, will she?
Zoe
In a heartbeat. She may not be a real witch, but Maya’s fearless.
Kiara
Shit, I really don’t think she should bother them.
She did it. Maya walked up to their table and – without a word – opened their bags.
In the blink of an eye, the old crones in black pulled Maya down by her wrists.
And I could swear I saw a flash of steel in one of their hands—
Zoe
Why is Maya sitting with them?
Kiara
I don’t think it’s by choice, Zo…
Kiara
You see that too? That witch is totally whispering in her ear, and it doesn’t look like she’s saying something nice.
Zoe
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I’m totally freaking out now…
Kiara
Woah, Maya went completely still. I don’t like that.
Kiara
She isn’t even struggling anymore.
Zoe
I know, Ki. Look at her face. She’s not scared anymore, she’s…
Zoe
That’s it. I’m calling security.
Kiara
If anything, it looks like Maya was trying to rob them.
Kiara
Nothing. We don’t do a thing.
Zoe
Shoot, now they’re looking at us.
Zoe
What are they saying to her?
They finally let Maya leave the table…
But their angry stares were affixed on me.
Kiara
Jesus, Maya, are you okay?
Maya
Yeah, but no thanks to you, Kiara.
Kiara
What does that mean?
Maya
You tell me, asshole.
Zoe
Come on, Maya. How could you possibly be mad at Ki?
Zoe
She told you not to go over there.
Maya
Right, because she knew they’d sell her out.
Kiara
What do you mean ‘sell me out?’
Maya
They told me to stay the hell away from you, Kiara.
Maya
They said you’re dangerous and can’t be trusted.
Zoe
Why would they say that?
Kiara
Maya, Zo… I swear to God…
I turned to go confront the ladies in black, but they were gone… vanished.
Maya
I looked in the bags.
Maya
A cross on a necklace and an old book.
Maya
How the hell could she know that unless she knows them?
Kiara
I saw them buying a necklace when we passed them at the jewelry store earlier.
Maya
Really? And you just happened to remember that?
Zoe
They were probably just screwing with you, Maya.
Maya
What? Don’t tell me you believe Kiara over me, Zo.
Zoe
I didn’t say that. But I know that neither of you would lie.
Zoe
But those creepy old women…
Maya
I almost got gutted by them.
Kiara
Yeah, I know. I saw the knife.
Kiara
We were scared shitless.
Maya
And you just sat there doing nothing?!
Maya
Kiara, you and I really aren’t friends, huh?
Kiara
What, exactly, was I supposed to do?
Kiara
You were just sitting there too.
Kiara
I’m just agreeing with you that the knife was scary.
Maya
I don’t want you ‘agreeing with me,’ Kiara.
Maya
And I don’t want to be around you if it puts me in danger.
