Natalie rubbed the bare skin where the spider ring once was. I guess I don’t have much use for it anymore. That thought didn’t bring her the comfort she wanted it to. A part of her knew that it wasn’t over, she thought it was finally over when Tom and Hazel died. It hurt so much to hear that Hazel died in that car crash along with Tom, but… if it meant she could be away from him then that was a price she would gladly pay. But even though she was there when they lowered Tom’s body into the ground, she had a feeling he would be back.

Why did I give them that scroll? Natalie rubbed her temples. She hadn’t even thought about that scroll until she saw those girls checking out that box filled with Hazel’s old books. She knew she should have taken it out, or maybe even refused the girl’s offer to buy that box. But, she felt as if her body was moving without her consent. Of course, that should have been impossible. No, that was her decision. It had to be. She remembered being there, she remembered giving them that box, the scroll. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have remembered it, and it wouldn’t have been her.

There couldn’t be any way Tom was back. Natalie swallowed, and leaned back in her chair as she watched the sun beginning to drift down. She’d seen that girl earlier. The angry blonde one, the one who stole that ring from her. She can keep it for all I care, Natalie thought bitterly, I’m done with all this nonsense.

She wished she found that ring much earlier. She had finally worked up the courage to shift through some of Tom’s belongings a week after the yard sale and found that ring along with a few notes from Tom and Ian about what that ring does. Oh, life would have been so much easier if she had it when she was younger, before she met Tom, before any of this nightmare started. Then maybe she’d actually be happy. Maybe Hazel might still be alive.

Natalie stood up, feeling sick. Those girls mentioned something about someone else having the powers of the scroll. Ian must have also kept something from their trips together and Natalie couldn’t help but worry what else Ian must have had …