Grim by Anna Waggener Page A

—”
    â€œDon’t. Please, don’t.” The fluorescent refrigerator light made her highlights glow amber.
    â€œI can see things.”
    â€œJust because you do see things doesn’t mean you can , Shawn. Just because you have nightmares doesn’t mean any of them are real.”
    â€œYou do too. You saw him.”
    â€œNo.” Rebecca whirled on him, slamming shut the heavy plastic door. “If you want to be crazy, then go ahead, but don’t make me crazy with you. You had a nightmare and I had a nightmare and that’s all natural. Our mom is dead . Our mom is dead .”
    Shawn got up from his seat. “Calm down, Becca.”
    Her shoulders slumped, as if on command, and she put her hands over her mouth. “It’s just … I saw her,” she said. “I saw her on that table. She was dead. We buried her. She has to be dead. It was just a dream, Shawn. Please say it was a dream?”
    Shawn put his arms around her. “You’re right,” he said. “She’s dead and we buried her. But maybe she’s —” He took a deep breath. “Maybe she’s still around. Somewhere else.”
    â€œDon’t,” Rebecca whispered. “Please don’t. It’s a nightmare and I just want it to be over.”
    â€œOkay,” Shawn said, rocking her a little. “Okay. We won’t talk about it again.”
    Megan crept into the kitchen, her eyes huge and round. “You didn’t come get me,” she said, sounding wounded. “I called and you didn’t come get me. I waited and you didn’t —” Her voice caught.
    Rebecca opened her arms. “It’s okay, Meg,” she said. “We didn’t hear you. We’ve all been having a rough night.”
    Megan ran up and buried her face in Rebecca’s stomach. “He killed her,” she whimpered. “He killed her in the backyard and you didn’t do anything.”
    Rebecca looked up at Shawn. Her hands were pressed against Megan’s back, but Shawn could tell that they were shaking.
    He reached for her. “Becca —”
    â€œWe’re going to church in the morning,” she said in a low voice.
    â€œListen —”
    She held up a hand, cutting him off, and pulled Megan away to look her in the eye. “How about you come have a sleepover, Meg?” she asked. “My bed’s big enough for two.”
    Megan nodded and Rebecca tried to smile. She ran her thumbs over Megan’s cheeks, wiping off the tears. The two of them headed for the stairwell entry.
    â€œYou should get some sleep, Shawn,” Rebecca said over her shoulder.
    Shawn heard them pad up the stairs and across the hall. Their footsteps were punctuated by the hard click of the lock on Rebecca’s bedroom door.
    Â 
    Erika’s whole body felt shrunken and afraid as she walked into the dining room. It was like she was sixteen again and about to face her mother at the kitchen counter, a whole nest of plastic sticks with plus signs buried in the bathroom garbage. Only tonight she was in a ball gown instead of ripped denim, her skin uncomfortably naked even under all the layers of stiff green taffeta. The dress had been chosen to match the gem around Erika’s neck, a small gold and emerald teardrop that she refused to part with.
    A thick white drop cloth covered most of the dining table, which looked long enough to seat thirty on either side. At the far end, the sheet had been peeled back and places set for two, a candelabra tossing its steady flames across the silverware and painted china. Jeremiah sat at the head of the table, as if holding court to a hall of ghosts. He rose and offered her a stiff bow.
    â€œYou look nice,” he said. “The dress suits you.”
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œPlease. Sit.”
    The chair had already been drawn out for her. She took her seat.
    â€œBread?” He passed her a covered wicker