Then, a new image filled my mind-one of Savannah putting on the ring.
The pretty Amazon sat at the vanity table in her room, staring down at her hand and admiring the Janus ring and the way the gold glinted. I felt Savannah's smug satisfaction that the ring was hers now, that she'd taken what she wanted and that no one was the wiser. Greed. The feeling made me sick to my stomach. So Vivian was right, and Savannah had stolen her ring after all. Some best friend she was.
I'd thought that would be the end of the memories, but the image didn't fade away. Instead, it sharpened, hammering into my head, and Savannah reached over and picked up something on top of the vanity table-a Reaper mask.
Horrified, I watched as Savannah put on the mask, then grabbed a black robe from the floor and draped it over her shoulders. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled, a bit of Reaper red fire flashing in her eyes.
I recognized her then. How could I not?
I was so shocked that the rest of the vision slipped away, splintering into shards that felt like they were stabbing deeper and deeper into my brain. I gasped in pain and opened my eyes. The ring slipped from my trembling fingers and hit the floor again.
"What? What is it?" Daphne said. "Why do you have that weird, sick look on your face?"
"Because Savannah didn't just steal Vivian's ring," I said in a whisper, staring at my best friend. "She's a Reaper, too. And not just any Reaper. She's the Reaper girl, Daphne. Loki's Champion. The one who murdered my mom."
Chapter 20
"Savannah Warren? A Reaper?" Daphne shook her head, making her blond ponytail swish from side to side. "No, I don't believe it. No way."
"But she has the ring," I said.
I looked down at the ring lying on the floor. The sunlight streaming in through the window made the gold gleam, causing another thought to pop into my head. I remembered somewhere else I'd seen a flash of gold recently. I reached for the memory of the Reaper girl sitting in the car outside my Grandma Frost's house and focused in on it, playing the images again in my head. I hadn't paid much attention to it before, but there it was on her right hand, winking at me like an evil eye when she tapped her fingers against her lips.
I stabbed my finger at the ring. "I saw the Reaper girl wearing that in my vision of her attacking my Grandma Frost's house. It's the same ring Vivian says she thinks Savannah stole from her room."
Daphne shook her head again, pink sparks flying off her fingertips. "No, Gwen. You don't understand. There's no way Savannah could be a Reaper."
"Why not?"
Daphne stared at me. "Because Reapers killed her entire family."
"What?"
The Valkyrie sighed. "You know that practically everyone at Mythos has lost somebody to the Reapers, right? Their parents, an aunt, an uncle, a friend, somebody."
I nodded.
"Well, a little over a year ago, just after we started as first-year students, Savannah's family was murdered by Reapers. Her parents, her kid sister, even some cousins. The Reapers broke into her parents' summer house in London and slaughtered them all. Even for the Reapers, it was vicious. The only reason Savannah wasn't killed too was because she was here. She pulled out of school after that and went to stay with her aunt. She didn't come back until after the holidays last year. So I'm telling you there is no way Savannah is a Reaper. It's just not possible."
Daphne looked at the ring on the floor. The Valkyrie might not have my psychometry magic, but she didn't want to pick it up any more than I did. Not if it belonged to a Reaper. "What about Vivian?"
"What about Vivian?"
Daphne gestured at the ring. "It's her ring, right? So maybe the images you saw were her. Maybe your magic got mixed up or something, and she's really the Reaper."
I eyed her. "You really think someone like Vivian Holler could be a Reaper? You saw how scared she was at the coliseum after the attack, and you told me yourself that she sucks with weapons. The Reaper girl, whoever she really is, definitely does not suck with weapons. I had the cuts and bruises to prove it. She's beaten me twice now. Do you think Vivian could do something like that?"
Daphne shrugged. "But it's her ring, so the memories attached to it should all be hers, right?"
"I don't know," I said. "I saw some images of Vivian's mom giving her the ring and Vivian wearing it. But then, the images changed, and it was Savannah wearing the ring, and Savannah putting on a Reaper mask. Not Vivian."
"You didn't see anyone else wearing it?"
I shook my head.
"So it's got to be one of them, right? Maybe the memories are messed up because they've both worn the ring."
I stared down at the gold band. "I don't know. I just don't know. If Vivian's the Reaper, then why would she hire me to find her missing ring? Supposedly, the Reapers know all about my psychometry magic. She'd have to realize that I'd flash on her being a Reaper as soon as I touched it."
"Who knows why Reapers do what they do?" Daphne said, finally bending down and picking up the ring. "They're all about head games. Anyway, we're not going to figure it out standing around here. Let's go before Savannah comes back. I don't think she's a Reaper, but I don't want to take a chance I'm wrong about it, either."
We left Savannah's room, walked down the hall, and went into Daphne's room. I grabbed my messenger bag and pulled out a plastic bag. Using the edge of my hoodie sleeve, I took the ring from Daphne, careful not to touch it with my bare fingers, and slid it inside the plastic. The gold masks gleamed at me, looking bright and sinister at the same time.
"So what are you going to do with it?" Daphne asked.
I shrugged. "I guess I'll give it back to Vivian. What else can I do? It's her ring. Besides, I don't want to tell Metis that I think either Savannah or Vivian is really the Reaper girl and Loki's Champion in disguise. At least, not without proof."
"Well, how do you think we could get some proof?" Daphne asked.
I thought about it. "I'd have to touch them. Savannah and Vivian. Objects can get so many images and feelings attached to them that it can sometimes fuzz up everything else, just like you said. But I don't think there's any way a Reaper could hide what she really was if I touched her. At least, not that I know of. I think it's worth a shot, anyway. Then, I can tell Metis which one of them it is."
"All right, so who do you want to start with?" Daphne asked.
"Vivian," I said. "That'll be easier. I have a reason to see her now that I found her ring. Getting close enough to touch Savannah will be trickier, seeing as how she hates me so much."