“Don’t take no notice of that crap.” He spit again as if news itself offended him. “How many has she taken?”
“Two. The second child went missing two days ago.”
Mr. Jennings turned his back to us and hobbled around the lighthouse. Foster and I followed him without a word. He wasn’t getting rid of us that easy.
But apparently, he wasn’t trying to. The old man was waiting for us on a bench in the shadow of the lighthouse, a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. The waves crashed below, and I felt dizzy. Foster noticed and put a hand on my elbow to steady me.
“I didn’t ever have no kids or grandkids,” Mr. Jennings growled. “I hate that one of Callie’s got taken. She should have never come back here.”
“She said she had to because she made a bargain with Greenteeth.” I sat beside Mr. Jennings.
“Nonsense. Her coming back is what awakened old Greenteeth.” Sadness cloaked the man’s expression. “I thought she was free.”
Tears flooded my eyes, but I brushed them away with my hand, though not before Foster saw. He spun away as if seeing me crying bothered him that much. He took measured steps to the very edge of the cliff.
Mr. Jennings sat in silence, watching him.
“Do you know anything about this bargain?” I asked.
“Bargain?” he snorted. “Callie wouldn’t tell me. All I know is at the time, my time, only four kids were taken instead of six.”
“You know about them?” I practically shouted and grabbed his arm. He reared back as if I were attacking him. “I spoke to Della Hanes, but she has huge holes in her memory. Gram said Greenteeth had a spell on the town that affected memory.”
“I thought you said she was in a coma.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Um . . .” I had to come up with something quick. “She left me clues. Photo albums of newspaper clippings and notes.”
That seemed to appease him.
“I went to school with that one’s . . . grandfather, I guess it was.” He nodded at Foster, who still had his back to us. “Smooth talker that one.”
“Oh.” The quick change in topic confused me. “Yeah, Foster tends to get what he wants too.”
“Foster?” Mr. Jennings scratched his head. “They have the same name. Stuck up families always name the next generation after the last.”
I smiled, but my brain was trying to think of a way to get this guy back on track. A study of Foster’s family was bound to be interesting, but not the point of our visit.
“You feel heavy?” Mr. Jennings asked, suddenly turning his old gaze on me.
“Heavy?”
“Like someone’s watching you. All the time.” Mr. Jennings squinted even more as though trying to see into my soul.
“I have felt that way all day,” I said truthfully. Foster’s fault, though.
“Callie used to feel that way. After . . .” he paused and squinted at me. “The pond out on Grimm Road, have you been in it?”
My cheeks grew hot. “Yeah, I have. It was . . . an accident.”
Foster tilted his head. He might have been trying to make us think he was ignoring us, but he was listening.
“Hmmm.” Jennings ran his withered fingers over the back of mine and up my wrist. “Any chance you’ve been in the ocean across the street from that cursed pond?”
He was starting to freak me out. I tugged on my hand, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Callie did that once, you know.” Jennings splayed my fingers out. “She’d been in both the ocean and the pond. She caught the attention of something. Greenteeth, of course, but there was something else too.”
The old man seemed to study an object over my shoulder, past me. I glanced but saw nothing. He must have been deep in thought, staring into space.
“The water from the pond on Grimm Road, Greenteeth’s pond, it’s tainted.” Mr. Jennings continued with his semi-conscious stare.
“So?” I prompted.
That heavy feeling was back, but this time, it was a tangible rock in the pit of my stomach, not just the weight of a hundred kids’ stares.
Foster sauntered over to us and stood in front of the bench as if waiting for something.
“Anyway, whatever’s in the ocean doesn’t like Greenteeth at all.” Mr. Jennings swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bounced up and down. His words were no more than a whisper. “But you know all about that, right?” His head jerked, and he stared directly behind me. On instinct, I turned to look. There, not two feet away, was a shadow. A dark mass sucking up all the light nearby . . . how I imagined a black hole would look. The image was as tall as a man. Taller than me, for sure.
I didn’t move, but the thing was already closer to me. Close enough where I could feel the chill emanating from it. Not pond cold but a gentle coolness. The shadow advanced until I was completely swallowed by its darkness.
Chapter 19
What the crap? I opened my mouth to scream, but there was no sound. Where had Foster and Jennings gone? I felt warm water lap against my skin. Fear sliced through my gut. Had I fallen? Hit my head? Was this Jenny?
I am old. My name is old.
Whatever it was spoke directly into my consciousness. The words gently caressed my skin like a wave, warm and calm like the water I appeared to be floating in, though I couldn’t see it. I struggled. Or tried to, but my arms and legs didn’t work.
No fear.
Instead of speaking, I responded in kind with only a thought. What are you?
I have been watching over you. Your sadness called to me.
I didn’t call you. No way had I contacted anything from the depths of the ocean. Though I had been spending time at my pebble beach. The ocean had been a source of comfort for me.
Yes. Anyone who seeks shelter in my waves, or anyone who wishes to take back from Jenny Greene . . . is my ally.
I was unsure if I was standing or floating or even which way was up. Jenny Greene. Greenteeth? She has my brother. I thought.
Jenny is a thief and stole my brother as well. Long before your time. I miss him.
The sadness radiated throughout my body. I had stopped struggling against the pull of the water. The being, or whatever this was, longed for its brother the same way I did for mine. I miss Sam too.
I understand. I will help.
What is your old name? Afraid of the answer, the simple thought gave me chills.
You may call me Titan.
Titan. Like Clash of the Titans? Surely, I wasn’t speaking with a being that ancient. Then again, I was chatting with a mystic something who lived in the ocean. But how old was Greenteeth?
That matters not. The unsolicited answer came with a hint of amusement. You are brave. I will try to save your loved one.
Oh, that was good. I could use all the help I could get. How?
I shall always be with you. No fear. Never fear. I will answer your call. I will protect you. I am your protector.
The darkness surrounding me began to lighten, reminding me of dawn on a summer morning. I opened my eyes and found myself in Foster’s arms.
My head rested in Foster’s lap; his hands clutched my shoulders.
“What did you do to her?” Foster demanded.
“I didn’t do anything. She’s the one who done it,” Mr. Jennings answered.
“Foster,” I said, but he wasn’t listening.
“You were setting her up for something,” he shouted at Jennings.
“Listen, you spoiled brat—”
“Foster,” I pushed up and sat beside him. The sunlight beat down on us. I blinked several times. “I’m fine.”
He stared hard at me.
“I’m fine,” I repeated, “I think I just . . .” Uh, how to explain this one? “I fainted.”
He frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“I’ll try to explain on the way home.” I struggled to stand. My arms and legs had become rubbery and weak. Had I been swimming against a strong current for hours?
“You understa
nd now?” Mr. Jennings asked.
“Not really,” I said. Titan’s explanations had been about as clear as mud.
“Callie didn’t either. You awakened some sort of spirit. An enemy of Jenny. Whatever that spirit is, he followed Callie around until she made that bargain with her.”
“And that bargain was?”
“To make Greenteeth leave our kids alone,” Jennings shook his head, apparently thinking I was a special kind of idiot. “She was close with my little brother, Dylan. My parents didn’t even have to ask her to babysit him, and he tagged along with us everywhere. We were both devastated when he was taken.”
“But what did she have to give up in return?” I asked, the hesitation quivering in my voice. Foster fidgeted behind me. This conversation had made me tired and nervous, and I was sure it wasn’t any better for him.
“She never told me,” said Jennings. He shifted his attention back to the ocean, and I knew for certain he was lying. He knew it, all right. He just wasn’t going to tell me.
“Never?” I pushed.
“No. Said it was her burden.” He glared directly at me once again. Those words. Her burden. Gram had said the very same thing to me. I sighed. Whatever Gram’s price, Jennings wasn’t spilling.
“Thank you for helping me understand,” I said, eager to be on our way. I had the distinct sense that without Mr. Jennings, I would have never known about my shadow. “Have you ever actually seen it?”
He shook his head. “Callie told me all about him. She never saw his form, but with his help, we almost saved Dylan.”
Almost. That must be the heartache Gram had mentioned.
“Before you go, how’s your mom?” Mr. Jennings glanced at the ground. Another touchy subject.
“She’s having a hard time. Her mother is dying, and her son is missing,” I answered.
“I visited Callie once. In Pennsylvania,” he said, switching topics once again. “She was the love of my life.”
“You’ve never come to see her since we’ve been here,” I said.
He shook his head. “No. That life has been over for many years. Now, I just work the lighthouse and wait for my death.”
“Damn,” Foster whispered. I completely agreed. This man was so broken, making it hard to look at him. But if I could give him the slightest bit of peace, I would.
“Gram would like you to come see her,” I said and bent to kiss his cheek. “Please. We live on Wently Lane.”
He didn’t say anything. Mr. Jennings wouldn’t look at me anymore either, but I saw the tracks of tears rolling down his cheek.
Chapter 20
In the car, I came clean with Foster about everything. He didn’t give me much choice. As soon as both our doors were closed, he told me to spill—and he didn’t mean the cup of cold coffee leftover from this morning.
I explained to him about my dream visits with Gram and the mental conversation with Titan. I did leave out my upcoming secret meeting with the reporter, though. He’d want to go with me to that, but I believed I’d get more out of Max if I went on my own.
Foster took it all in stride. Though, I may have gone from interesting to needs to be institutionalized in his mind. His class schedule might be miraculously different again tomorrow.
My car was parked in the driveway when we pulled up. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to see Sheldon with a new headlight even if his paint job was more cracked than before.
“Thank you.” I smiled at Foster.
“I could still come get you tomorrow if you’d like.” He gave me a one-shoulder shrug saying it was no big deal either way, but I thought maybe it was a big deal to him.
Now that I knew the heavy sensations had been Titan’s presence and not the stares of all our classmates, it might not be so bad having Foster close at hand.
“Sure,” I said. Foster relaxed his shoulders and grinned. “As long as you don’t think I’m crazy and you’re not only hanging out with me to make sure I don’t hurt myself.”
His smile slipped. “What?”
“I’ve got a lot going on, and some of it’s weird. Titan. That freaks even me out.”
“I’m not weirded out by anything you say or are going through. When, or if, it gets too much for me, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Deal.” I laughed and opened the car door.
Foster reached across and grabbed my hand. “Wait. I don’t think you have this.”
He pulled a pen from the console and scribbled his phone number on the back of my hand.
“In case you get bored and wanna text later.”
I looked from the hand holding mine to his face. Something was happening here, between us. I couldn’t put a name to it. Were we crushing on each other? It seemed more than this mystery we were working on together.
“Thanks,” I said and pulled free.
The night passed by so slowly that by the time eleven o’clock rolled around, I was an antsy basket case. Dad had dozed off on the sofa, so Mom went to bed early and took Connor with her.
I jotted down a quick note for them and left it on my desk.
Hey, couldn’t sleep and went for a walk.
The idea of them waking to find me gone—and the panic it would bring—made me queasy. I know most kids didn’t leave notes when they snuck out, but I wasn’t most kids.
The grass was already heavy with dew when I crawled out my window. My sneakers were wet by the time I got to the driveway. I pulled my coat tighter. Nothing like wet shoes to make you shiver.
Titan’s heavy presence fell over me like a blanket. Knowing he was there was such a strange sensation. If he was as helpful as he claimed to be, he would be useful to have around, but still, the feeling his presence gave me was foreign.
I jogged down the road and turned on Prince Street. The gas station was at the far corner near the crossing with Montague, which led to the downtown square.
Titan, I sure hope you’re able to protect me from humans too. I wasn’t scared of Max during the day. The night though, now that could be terrifying, and even Max was a bit menacing then.
The reporter was sitting outside and slugging back a Styrofoam cup of coffee when I approached.
“Hey, kid.” He scooted over and patted the seat next to him on the cold, metal bench. Inside the store, Henry Myers reclined in an office chair behind the counter. His feet were propped up on a shelf in front of the flickering TV.
I sat, unsure what to say.
“Glad you could make it.” Max took another swig of coffee.
“Yeah,” I said.
“How’s your folks? Has this other kid, Cassie, going missing freaked them out?” He snorted and ran a hand over his nearly bald head.
“They’re so numb I don’t think they’ve noticed.” He didn’t need to know what was going on in my home.
Max nodded. “How’s it been for you?”
“I’m sad for Leigh Kate,” I said.
“As sad as you are for yourself?” he asked.
That was a stupid question. I rolled my eyes.
“Okay.” He laughed. “I get it. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
I did, but I wasn’t about to tell him that a witch’s ghost was stealing children and that I had contacted a spirit of the ocean to help me get the kids back. He’d print that, and I’d be on my way to an asylum within hours.
“I don’t. I just hope it doesn’t happen again,” I said.
“Well, I was hoping you’d let me do a piece on you.” He shifted on the bench like he was nervous I’d say no. “Maybe you could get Leigh Kate to do it also. Kinda like an exposé on the ones left behind.”
Was that what I was? Left behind? Maybe that was why people gawked at me and my family so strangely.
“I don’t think my parents would like that,” I said. They’d hate it, and so would I, but I needed access to his archives.
“Sweet talk them into it. I bet you can get them to let you do whatever you want.”
Max might be
harmless, or not, but he was seriously creeping me out. Titan didn’t like him either. I felt the weight of his shadow increase as if he were sitting on me, daring this guy to touch me.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I need a favor.”
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I was hoping to get a peek at the newspaper archives. The old stuff. The oldest stuff.”
“That’s all online. You don’t need me,” he said.
“No, I’m talking about the first editions of the Inquisitor. Maybe a hundred years back or more,” I explained. I wasn’t sure how far back Greenteeth’s history went. I figured if I could find out when the first kids went missing, I might be able to solve why she was doing it.
“What are you looking for?”
I had practiced this part on the way to meet him. I needed to keep this lie simple.
“I’m thinking of doing an essay on local legends for a school project and want to see if there was ever anything written about a witch called Greenteeth, or Jenny Greenteeth.”
“Greenteeth?” Max scrunched his face up. “I’ve never heard of her. The Inquisitor was only established in the early thirties. Before that, there were two papers in town: the Bay Crier and the Ellisburg County Gazette. We have a storage unit housing all that’s left of those papers.”
“Could I get in there to do some research?” I asked, possibly coming across too eager.
“I don’t see why not.” Max shrugged. “If you’ll talk to Leigh Kate.”
I nodded. I would. She wouldn’t agree, I had no doubt, but I’d at least ask.
A car roared into the parking lot before Max could speak again. The headlights blinded us.
Chapter 21
“You have got to be kidding me.” Chi popped out of the passenger side. “What are you doing out here with this weirdo?” Her hair was mussed all over her head, and her clothes appeared as if she’d thrown them on while walking. She and Garner must have been having quite the make-out session.
“I’m having a chat,” I said.
The Curse of Jenny Greene Page 10
