Book Excerpts discussion

Cassidy knew she wasn’t dead, even if no one else did. As the steady stream of mourners passed by the polished wooden casket, she fought back the intense urge to scream, knowing her cries would do no good. No one believed her, not even Nora. Cassidy glanced at her sister and then turned away, unable to look at the remaining mirror image she had once shared with Jessica. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the coffin any longer, so she looked up at her parents. A few seconds of their anguish-filled faces was more than enough. Besides, she knew that if they faced her, all she would see in their eyes was pain, confusion and pity.
Cassidy shivered despite the room’s stifling warmth. Someone had turned the heat on earlier that morning in anticipation of cool October weather, but the excess of human bodies crammed together easily overrode the outside temperature. The cloying smell of flowers nauseated her and she struggled to keep from gagging. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up as she sensed someone staring at her. Cassidy could feel hatred and rage (you need pain, torment, death) boring into the back of her neck.
Cassidy glanced behind her, catching Nora’s eye. She tried to signal to her sister that something was wrong, a gesture she and Jessica had often shared without thinking. Nora stared back, her dark eyes flashing a message that sent chills down Cassidy’s spine. Nora knew the true identity of the dead (Jessica, not Cassidy, she knows) Chapman girl. Nora had known all along – and Cassidy was next. Victoria Perkins

Intriguing. I would read more to see what is going on.
But it is also confusing.
It took me two readings to figure out that Jessica is Cassidy's sister and the one dead in the coffin.When When you introduce Nora you don't tell us who she is, and at first I thought she was Cassidy's sister.

Nora is Cassidy's sister also. And it's supposed to be a bit confusing because, as we find out in the next chapter, this is Cassidy remembering an event in a dream. :) Thanks for the input! I really appreciate it!