Chapter 18 "Before the Fall"
ADRIAN
Adrian knew he should pull away. Should maintain distance. Should remember the mission.
But Ember was right there, close enough that he could smell her shampoo (something floral, maybe lavender), and when she smiled at him, everything his grandmother had told him seemed impossibly distant.
"Tell me something you've never told anyone," Ember said suddenly.
"That's a dangerous question."
"That's why I'm asking it."
Adrian thought for a moment. "I don't want to play professional basketball."
"What? But you're so good"
"I know. And everyone expects it. My grandmother, my coaches, my teammates. But I don't love it. Not the way they think I do." Adrian picked at a loose thread on his jeans. "I want to be a physical therapist. Help people recover from injuries. Maybe work with kids. But if I say that out loud, everyone will think I'm wasting my potential."
"You wouldn't be," Ember said firmly. "You'd be using it differently. There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people."
"See? This is why I like you. You get it." Adrian looked at her. "Your turn. Tell me something you've never told anyone."
Ember was quiet for a long moment. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not real. Like I'm just playing a part in a story someone else is writing. Like the real me is somewhere else, watching, and the person everyone sees is just empty."
"You're not empty," Adrian said softly.
"How do you know?"
"Because I see you. The real you. And you're the most real person I know."
They were very close now. Ember's eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted. Adrian could close the distance in seconds. Could kiss her. Could
His phone buzzed violently in his pocket.
The moment shattered.
Adrian pulled out his phone to find three missed calls from his grandmother and a text: Where are you? We need to talk. Now.
"I have to go," Adrian said reluctantly. "My grandmother family thing."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Probably." He stood, helping Ember up. "But I'll see you tomorrow, right? For our date?"
"Tomorrow," Ember confirmed. "I can't wait."
As they walked back to campus, Adrian tried to ignore the dread building in his chest.
His grandmother knew. Somehow, she knew he was getting too close.
And that meant time was running out.
MARGARET CRANE
Margaret stood could feel Adrian getting too close to the host, too comfortable.
He'd disobeyed her. She'd told him to keep his distance, to gather information but not engage emotionally.
But Adrian was young. Foolish. He didn't understand what was at stake.
Margaret pulled out an old leather journal, running her fingers over the cover. Inside were her great-great-grandmother's notes. The original Lucian Ashcroft's careful documentation of the curse.
And deeper, written in a different hand, older instructions.
The Scarlet Woman must be destroyed before she grows too strong. The host is irrelevant collateral damage in a greater war.
Margaret had memorized these words decades ago. Had prepared her whole life for this moment.
The curse had been a weapon, yes. But it had also been a test. A way to identify when Rosanna returned. And when she did, the Ashcroft women would be ready.
Margaret picked up her phone and called Millicent.
"It's time," she said. "Tomorrow night. After the basketball game. Adrian is bringing her to the party."
"Are you certain he'll cooperate?"
"He doesn't have to cooperate. He just has to bring her where we need her." Margaret's voice was cold. "And once she's at the estate, we'll handle the rest."
"What about the boy? Your grandson?"
"Adrian will understand. Eventually. Family duty comes before personal feelings."
After she hung up, Margaret returned to the window.
One more day. That's all she needed.
One more day, and the Scarlet Woman would be destroyed forever.
DETECTIVE SARAH MONROE
Sarah sat in her office, staring at the evidence board she'd built.
Three victims. All with Ashcroft blood. All killed after being in proximity to Ember Winters.
The security footage was damning. Ember near each victim's location within hours of their death.
But something didn't fit.
Sarah pulled up Ember's student records, her background check, everything she could find.
The girl was completely normal. Dean's list. No criminal record. Quiet. Kept to herself.
She didn't fit the profile of a serial killer at all.
So what was Sarah missing?
Her phone rang. Officer Chen.
"Monroe, we've got something. Margaret Crane's phone records. You're not going to believe who she's been calling."
"Tell me."
"A woman named Millicent Ashcroft. Lives in Boston. And get this she's been flagged before. Ten years ago, there was an investigation into a suspected cult. Charges were dropped, but Millicent Ashcroft's name came up multiple times."
"A cult."
"Yeah. Something about ancient practices, witchcraft. It went nowhere, but"
"But Margaret Crane has been calling a suspected cult leader multiple times a day this week." Sarah stood. "Get me everything you can on Millicent. And put surveillance on Margaret Crane. I want to know everywhere she goes."
After she hung up, Sarah stared at her board again.
Three murders. A curse. A shy college girl. And a family with connections to possible cult activity.
"What the hell is going on in this town?" she muttered.
EMBER
That night, Ember lay in bed, unable to sleep despite her exhaustion.
She kept thinking about the greenhouse. About Adrian's hand in hers. About how close they'd been to kissing.
And about the strange feeling she'd had all day like she was being watched. Like something was waiting.
"Maya?" she whispered. "You awake?"
"Yeah," came Maya's voice from across the room. "Can't sleep?"
"Just thinking."
"About Adrian?"
"Mostly." Ember paused. "Do you think I'm making a mistake? Getting involved with him so fast?"
Maya was quiet for a long moment. "I think, I think you should trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, listen to that. But if it feels right"
"It does. Feel right, I mean."
"Then maybe that's what matters."
But Ember could hear the worry in Maya's voice, even if she didn't understand why it was there.
"Goodnight, Maya."
"Goodnight, Em."
Ember closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
And in her dreams, a woman with dark hair and sad eyes whispered:
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what's coming.