The Brown House

by Christy Sloat

  My words stuck in my throat like peanut butter. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to get to know him better also. I felt that I had jumped to conclusions and that was wrong to do.

  “I want to get to know you, too. It’s not to get back at your ex then, is it?” I couldn’t believe I had just said it, but there it was. Out there for him to answer. He stopped just before the park bench.

  “No way! I liked you as soon as I first met you. There is something about you that I can’t get out of my head. You’re unlike any of the girls out here. You’re different.” I could tell he meant it sincerely.

  “Oh great,” I said jokingly.

  “No, I mean different in a good way. You’re beautiful, but it’s like you don’t flaunt yourself.” He was stumbling over his words. I knew what he was getting at, he just wasn’t executing the words the way he wanted to.

  “I get what you’re saying. I see the same things in you. You know you’re attractive but you’re not running around acting better than everyone else,” I added.

  “Yeah exactly, well, I don’t know that I am attractive. Thanks.” He blushed and hid his smile from me. I could tell Ephraim was used to being the cute guy. He just didn’t seem to understand why.

  We laughed and started walking the path to the street. I enjoyed his coat and its warmth until we reached his house. I took it off and handed it to him. It really wasn’t the nicest coat but I didn’t want to let it go. I was totally ready to wear it around the house as if I had a piece of him with me.

  “Thanks,” he said as he took it. “Hope it kept you warm enough. If it’s okay with your parents I would like to take you out before the dance. You know, like a date.”

  “Yeah, I would love that. My parents would be okay, you would have to meet them and everything.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Sure. I am totally willing to do that.” He smiled. “I meant what I said, you’re beautiful.”

  My heart seemed to stop in my chest and I looked at his lips. I wanted to kiss him so bad. Without even thinking I leaned in and kissed his cheek instead. I figured that was a nice gesture, he did just call me beautiful. I mean, how many times do you hear that?

  “It’s only because you saw me naked,” I joked as I walked away.

  “No, it’s because you’re truly remarkable Brylee Branson. Sweet dreams,” he called after me. I could hear the click of his camera behind me. I could only imagine what he was taking pictures of.

  Chapter Eleven

  After explaining to my mom where I had been I walked up the stairs to my room. I threw my bag on the floor and myself on the bed. I was high from Ephraim’s words. He made me forget all the haunted stories from Kayla. He made me forget a lot of things. I imagined what going to the dance with him would be like and I closed my eyes. As soon as I did my phone made a short ringing sound. I leaned down and rustled through my bag for it. It showed three missed texts, all from Ethan. I had forgotten to look at them after class today. Guilt swam over me like a cold blanket and I read the first text.

  Hi Brylee. Hope you got to Jersey okay. I am thinking of you.

  I felt terrible. He missed me and I missed him too, but not like before. I continued to read the next two texts.

  Hi again. Going out to a party tonight. I am wearing that shirt you liked me in. Text me back

  Brylee, I’m cold without you. You were my warmth. I miss you.

  I could see it now, his shirt that I liked; dark blue with a collar that he wore down unlike the other California guys. He did look good in it. His last text pulled at my heartstrings. I missed him too but this was more like a friend misses a friend. What would have happened if I stayed in Cali? We probably would have ended up together. I didn’t stay though, and now I was forced to move on. With texts like these it would make it hard for me. It was funny how meeting another guy changes so many things. I thought about my date with Ethan, and what I didn’t finish telling Lyn that day at her house. I had stopped when he gave me a quick surfing lesson. I could remember it like it was yesterday. The feeling of his rough surfer hands on the small of my back as I tried to pretend surf. I had fallen and he laughed and helped me up. We looked into each other’s eyes and an almost urgent need came through me unlike any other. I grabbed him and kissed him and he kissed me back, running his hands through my hair.

  It was the first time I had ever kissed a boy like this. I felt dizzy but completely happy. He carried me to our spot and we lay on the blanket, which was now covered in sand but we didn’t care. We continued to kiss and his hands started to roam, going up and down my hips. I felt my top come off and I didn’t care. His warm body lay over me. I didn’t hear the cops pull up but did notice the flashing red and blue of their lights. I hurried to replace my top, now mortified. They basically told us to get lost.

  Ethan and I drove home in perfect silence. It was the last date between us both. Not due to the fact that he didn’t ‘get some’ but because life got in the way. I learned we would be moving the night after my one date with Ethan. After that, I talked to him on the phone and told him I didn’t want to get hurt. He understood and asked if we could still be friends. I will never forget the night I almost lost my virginity to Ethan. If the cops didn’t come it would have happened. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about that or not.

  I closed my eyes and woke up a few hours later from a very vivid dream about Ethan. I sat up and stretched, looking at the clock. It was only ten o’clock p.m. I heard the familiar sound of the TV downstairs. I was insanely thirsty so I went down to the kitchen. I could hear the rocking chair making noise as it hit the hardwood floor. Mom must really be enjoying her rocking chair. I rounded the corner into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. I drank it down, every last drop. I looked into the living room, the TV was still on and the rocking chair was going. I couldn’t see Moms head, or her feet. I walked into the room carefully trying to not scare Mom as she watched TV.

  I came around the chair. There was no one in it, but it rocked back and forth full force. I took a deep breath in and felt a scream building in my chest but nothing came out. I rubbed my eyes and, sure enough, the chair was still rocking. I backed away and ran right into the wall behind me. I stopped and stared at the chair.

  “Stop rocking,” I screamed at it. It seemed to obey, because it stopped. My legs felt like mushy Jell-O. I couldn’t move, I was frozen to the wall. I stood there for what seemed like forever before the fear subsided. Once I felt better I walked out of the room, giving the chair plenty of space. I sat my glass on the counter with a shaky hand and went back to my room. I slammed my door, now mad that these things were happening. I laid back down onto my bed and forced my eyes closed. All I could hear as I tried to go back to sleep was the rocking chair hitting the floor again and the hum of the TV.

  “Brylee you’re gonna make us late, hurry up,” Lyn called as I came around the front of her yard. As Ephraim had pointed out to me yesterday there were no briars up here. Today I was more sluggish and less dressed up. I hadn’t wanted to wake up when my alarm buzzed. I didn’t even care about make-up today, so I just wore a bit of mascara. I was super tired and not looking forward to school one bit. Ephraim came around the truck to grab my bag and he looked a bit tired himself.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah I didn’t sleep well,” I said quietly.

  The rest of the day went slowly and I couldn’t wait to see Ephraim in Art class. The whole time he was in the darkroom, so that was a loss. I left for lunch before he came out. I felt like he was maybe hiding from me. After meeting up with Lyn and listening to her talk about her last class we sat at our table.

  Nobody really stared today, just the Mayhew boys. They were more eyeing me up instead of staring at the freak that lives in the haunted house. I noticed Amber sitting with them and she didn’t look my way. I no longer saw her as a threat. I felt like Ephraim was being honest with me about wanting to get to know be better. Maybe we could be a couple soon. The thought swirled
around in my head for the rest of lunch, until Lyn jabbed me in the ribs.

  “Lynley that hurt!” I yelled, using her full name.

  “Sorry, it’s just you’re in this funk today. You’re not even listening to me, are you?” She looked down at the floor. She was right, I wasn’t listening to her at all. To be honest I couldn’t recall a thing she had said. My mind was elsewhere. My mind was in the corner room. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kayla’s words ‘blood payment’ and ‘curse.’ I wasn’t listening to Lyn because the sound of the rocking chair stole my ears for the whole day.

  “Lyn, I am so sorry. Your brother asked me out and he’s sort of on my brain today,” I lied. Well, it was sort of a half-truth half lie. He was on my mind.

  A huge smile formed on her lips and her pale face was now pink. She was happy, truly happy. I could tell she wanted Ephraim to get over Amber and to start being himself again. For some odd reason I thought I was the key to his happiness. Even though we had just met, I felt like he was my key too.

  “That is so cool. Where are you going, any ideas yet?”

  “No, we haven’t really made plans for our pre-dance date yet.” I picked up a soggy french-fry and put it in my mouth.

  “Pre-dance date?” she asked. I realized then that she didn’t have a date for the fall formal. I had to find her a date.

  “Yeah, well we’re going to the Fall Formal. We are going to go on double dates. You, Miles, Ephraim and I.”

  She laughed a nervous typical Lyn laugh. I wasn’t kidding I stood up and scanned the cafeteria looking for Miles. I had only seen him once when Lyn pointed him out to me yesterday. I saw his curly black hair right away. I pulled Lyn up to stand and practically dragged her over to him. He sat hunched over a book and I tapped his shoulder. Lyn started coughing with nerves and I yanked her closer to me. Things like this were no big deal to me. I wasn’t afraid to talk to boys, or anyone really. I was pretty outgoing or so I have been told.

  “Hey, you’re Miles right? I’m Brylee and this is Lyn.” He gulped and glanced at Lyn. He knew her and he liked her, it was written all over his pale face. He was perfect for Lyn. His curly black hair was tight to his head but not messy. He was a little on the thin side but it didn’t hinder his sense of style; complete prepster. He, like Lyn, was very neatly dressed in pressed clothes that I imagined he ironed every morning. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect suitor for my friend. This boy was it for her.

  “Yeah, I’m Miles. I know Lynley. Hi.” He peered around me at her and waved.

  “Okay, good. Now that that’s out of the way I have a question for you? Do you have a date for the formal?” Lyn started coughing again. It must be something she does when she’s nervous. “Because I am going with Ephraim Mayhew and Lynley here needs a date. I said to her ‘Lyn you should go with Miles.’ ” I bent the truth, but it made for a better story.

  His brown eyes widened at the sound of Ephraim’s name. I realized the whole school would now know about this very soon. Oh well! So what, let them talk. I certainly didn’t care. I wasn’t ashamed of going with Ephraim, even though he was pretty much an outcast now. I wouldn’t mind being an outcast myself, maybe they would all stop staring at me.

  “I would like… um… I would love to go with Lynley.” He was starting to have trouble speaking. I pulled Lyn closer to Miles and made them talk it out. She sat next to him and wrote her phone number on a napkin. I left them alone and went back for my bag. I pulled it over my shoulder and started to walk out of the cafeteria when I saw the shocking blue hair of Kayla walk by the doors. It had to be her; no one here had hair that color. If they did I hadn’t noticed. But the same cut and the same color, very rare. I speed walked out of the room and went out the door into the hallway. I didn’t see her. I walked out of the school doors and looked out there. Then I checked around the building and saw a short burst of smoke flow from the back of the building. Someone was smoking. I walked around the building and saw her standing with her back against the wall smoking.

  “Well if it isn’t Brylee Branson, Cali girl.” She smirked.

  “What are you doing? You don’t go to school here.” I raised an eyebrow at her.

  “I came to visit you. You got some time?” I didn’t have time. My next class was starting in about five minutes but I wanted to know why she was here. I wasn’t sure if the doors I exited would even let me back into the school. But if Kayla came here to talk to me it had to be important.

  “Sure, real quick,” I answered leaning against the wall now myself.

  “I promise I will be as fast as I can. I just want to know if you took what I said seriously.” She inhaled the cigarette and blew it into my face. I coughed and waved the smoke away. I hated cigarettes. Some of my friends back home smoked. I think they did it because they thought it was cool, they were so totally wrong.

  “I heard you out; I am just still trying to process it all. It’s a lot to hear, ya know?” She nodded her head. She knew I believed her but it was something that was hard to swallow. She threw her cigarette down and put it out with her shoe.

  “Yeah I know. It was that way for me too when I first heard it all. I didn’t really get to finish what I was telling you yesterday. So I figured I would come here. I know you have to get back to class though.” She looked around the school and I noticed she looked a little sad.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. Kayla didn’t seem like the sensitive type, I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries by getting personal.

  “I used to go here a long time ago. It’s sort of sad, I miss it.” She pulled out another cigarette and lit it. So she was a chain smoker, great!

  “Why didn’t you tell me you used to go here?”

  “I don’t know. My life is really complicated. I don’t open up to people anymore. But there is something about you that I like.” She inhaled the smoke and blew it in my face again. I had thought she was home schooled but here she was an alumni of my new high school.

  “Anyway, so back to the story,” she changed the subject. “Violet signed the curse agreement even though she knew Homer would die eventually. She saved Pearl and that’s all that mattered to her in the end. The next day the sisters were gone. They moved away and Violet had her daughter back. Over the next few weeks she was able to keep Pearl’s rising from the grave a secret. But eventually the other children found out. Violet made them promise to keep her a secret and she locked her in the bedroom when her husband was home.” The way Kayla spoke about this story sort of set my teeth on edge. She spoke with such persuasion and truth, almost like she lived it all herself.

  “That’s terrible,” I added. I heard the bell for the beginning of fourth period and my stomach clenched. I was scared to be skipping class. I was a good student, not a ditcher.

  “Yeah, it is pretty terrible. Violet was desperate though. She knew her children would be more accepting but not her husband. He would flip out if he knew she wasn’t dead. So during the weeks he was gone she could come out of her room. Eventually, the staff found out and was sworn to secrecy. Violet never told them how she came back; they just knew she was back. They were all too afraid to say anything. It was all a nice, quiet secret until Mr. Brown came home early one day. The kids were all playing in the living room and he came home. Violet couldn’t hide the secret now. She had to tell him what she had done, which in turn broke the promise she had made to the Barclay sisters.” She inhaled the smoke and this time blew it in front of her instead of in my face.

  “He pulled out his rifle and stormed over to the sister’s home. Of course no one was there anymore. He was determined to kill them for what they had done, but with them gone, he never did. William Brown started locking Pearl in her room and never let her out. He installed a special lock on her door that only took a distinct kind of key. And he would be the only one to see the child, never letting her out to play or see her mother. He said she was a demon that has now cursed the whole family.” A special lock on the door, no wonder no one could
unlock the door. If it only took a certain type of key then the door might not ever be opened.

  “Wait, he locked her in the room because she was brought back from the dead? It wasn’t her fault!” I was now mad at her father. I hated the man and I didn’t even know him. So far there wasn’t anyone in this family that I liked. They all proved to be selfish and cruel.

  “She used to scream and scream at all hours of the night, but he never let her out. Violet started feeling the effects of the curse the sisters had warned her about. Once she knew the curse was happening she wanted to see her child and say goodbye. William grew tired of all the screams and craziness so he took a job out of town for the week, hiding the key near the stream that runs behind the house.” She paused and stared off into the distance of the school. Her eyes went blank and lifeless.

  “I didn’t know there’s a stream back there.” I recalled the first night in the house hearing water from the backyard. I hadn’t really investigated to see where it came from. Now I knew what it was. Kayla nodded and went on with her story.

  “William didn’t know Violet was following him. He had hidden the key there before and she hadn’t followed him. But this time she needed that key, she was desperate.”

  “Miss Branson!” I heard the voice behind me and I gulped. Whoever it was didn’t see Kayla, she was behind the building while I was more beside it. Kayla threw her cigarette but it was too late, the smoke blew my way. I turned and faced the woman behind me. I had never seen her before but she knew who I was apparently.

  “Yes?” I answered.

  “Don’t yes me young lady, you are tardy. And I find you out here smoking.” She flipped her orange hair behind her.

  “I wasn’t smoking, she was…” I pointed toward Kayla. I had never skipped a class before. The lady walked around me and looked to where Kayla was standing.