It can't be. And yet... it is.
The cold-eyed priest from the black church of my nightmares is smiling at me, exactly the way he smiled when I bowed to the watching crowd, before throwing myself onto the burning pyre.
After kissing my hands, he squeezes them, and I shudder, recoiling from his touch. I pull my hands out of his grasp, taking a step back.
"Are you ok Lu?" Gabby asks, her eyes wide with concern.
I shake my head, looking from Gabby to Sister Cora to Sister Evelyn. They are all looking at me with a mix of confusion and bewilderment.
I look again to Father Ashdale, and he's still smiling at me, but his gaze is lower now, fixed on the centre of my chest... where the locket I always wear around my neck is hanging.
"Clever girl, keeping that out of sight," he says, leaning cl
