Patricia

　　Startled, I stumble backward, dropping my mother's severed head with my eyes bulging out of their sockets. Shudders are running up my spine, and the brisk wind does nothing to calm my nerves. I watch the head drop and land in the grass, and then I stare at it until an icy hand is placed on my shoulder.

　　My first bone-deep instinct is to prepare for a fight, but Alice's concerned eyes make me relax. Even with Tiffany back in town, I consider Alice to be ...