“What are you going to tell Tim?” he asked.

“Just that we are coming over to spend time with her, so he needs to get the kids out of the house.” And out of harm’s way, I silently added.

Mark stood up and walked over to me, perching on the coffee table across from me. He leaned forward and grabbed my hands. His eyes were wide, full of concern.

“Please be careful, no matter what happens,” he said.

“We will. I promise,” I said.

He leaned forward and hugged me, tight. He kissed the top of my head before he swiveled around and sat down on the couch next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

Even though I felt a weight had been lifted off my body by confessing, a tinge of frustration still remained. Of course he wasn’t going to buy into the story. But his unwillingness to see reality cemented my determination.

Moms were the ones who had to fix problems. From small things like a skinned knee to bigger ones like supernatural forces trying to take over our families. It was up to us to save the neighborhood. And I knew that was how it had always been and how it would always be.

It was time to fight, and moms were the ones on the front lines.

Mavis, we’re coming for you.

CHAPTER
38

Come over at 9pm tomorrow.

I looked down at the text from Tim, and my hands began to shake. I placed my phone on the kitchen island, but not before I typed out a message to my friends.

It’s on. 9pm.

I’d texted Tim earlier that morning under the guise of organizing an “intervention” with Liz. I told him that I knew she was going through something, a “midlife crisis,” and wanted to talk to her. I said I thought it was best if she didn’t know we were coming so we could surprise her.

If I stopped long enough to think about what we were about to do, what we hoped to accomplish, my insides grew cold and every fiber of my being told me to run away. I knew, in my gut, that it would only work if we were all there, but that didn’t stop me from feeling a deep sense of doom and responsibility for whatever might happen.

After searching high and low, I finally found the bracelet that Liz had given me. It was tucked in a drawer of my desk, behind a stack of bills. It was dusty when I pulled it out. I rubbed my index finger along the letters. Stronger with You. I slipped it on my wrist, pulling the drawstring tight.