The Curse of Jenny Greene

by Kimberly Loth

  “I just want my sister.” Leigh Kate grabbed two more rocks. She drew her arm back.

  “Stop,” a voice over our shoulders shouted. Little Sophie stood behind us in the haze. Her face was buried in her hands, sparing Leigh Kate her eyeless visage.

  “What?” Leigh Kate spun around. “Who are you?”

  “That’s Little Sophie. Della, Garner’s grandmother, was her older sister.” I figured Little Sophie wasn’t likely to answer.

  “Oh.” Leigh Kate dropped her arm, but not the rock.

  “You’re angering her.” Sophie wailed through her hands.

  “Good,” said Leigh Kate. “If she took you, why aren’t you mad too?”

  Little Sophie raised her head. Her black eye holes sucked up the light around her, forming a gray barrier around her face. No brightness would ever shine there again. Leigh Kate yelped and jumped back. I grabbed her arm before she could step into the water.

  “Careful,” I said.

  “I’m trying to help you,” Little Sophie howled. She opened her mouth, wider than I thought possible, and let out a wail. Not so much a scream, but a long, high whine.

  Leigh Kate latched onto me. Her nails dug into the skin of my arm. I kept waiting for the fog to float across the pond or sprout from under Sophie’s dress. It never came. Only the three of us, alone at the water’s edge.

  “How are you trying to help us, Sophie?” I asked while wrapping my arm around Leigh Kate. I had to be the strong one here since I’d experienced part of this before and my grief wasn’t as fresh. Poor Leigh Kate had only lost Cassie a few days ago. I couldn’t have faced down any of these ghostly spirits in the first days after Sam was gone.

  “I left you that book.” Sophie pointed to her braids. One of them was missing its yellow ribbon. Exactly like the yellow ribbon I’d found on the journal about Jenny Greene in Foster’s library.

  “I got it. I read it. I know about Jenny,” I said. “I told Leigh Kate too.”

  “Then you realize she can’t be defeated.” Little Sophie tugged on her hair and stomped her foot. “I’ve watched you sit here for no reason. You should go and not come back.”

  “Have . . . have you met my Cassie?” asked Leigh Kate.

  Little Sophie shook her head.

  “No, I don’t meet any of the new ones until after they’ve drowned.”

  Leigh Kate and I shared a stunned glance.

  “Do you know Sam?”

  “No, I just told you.”

  “Yes, you did,” I said. They weren’t dead, not yet. I squeezed Leigh Kate tight, feeling a huge weight lift from my shoulders. We could still save them. I think our combined relief might have made us weak in the knees.

  “Now, I’ve angered her,” Little Sophie giggled. I thought maybe she enjoyed pissing off Greenteeth. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

  The hair on the back of my neck rose, and a shiver ran down my back. I didn’t hear any water, but I knew, without a doubt, something had appeared behind us.

  “Leigh Kate, when I say go, you run for the car,” I whispered low for only her to hear.

  “What?” She tried to turn to look behind us. I tightened my grip on her.

  “Don’t look. Run. Okay?”

  “What about you?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you,” I said, hoping the words would be true.

  Leigh Kate nodded. “You’d better be.”

  I swear I could feel Greenteeth, her breath disturbing the fine hairs on the back of my neck.

  “Ready, go.” I pushed Leigh Kate so hard, practically throwing her out of my arms. She didn’t waste any time running toward the car. As soon as I saw her blow past Little Sophie, I spun around and thrust my arms out.

  Greenteeth. Her hand was raised as if she’d been preparing to run her clawed fingers through Leigh Kate’s hair.

  My hands caught her under the ribs. She was much more solid than I had expected.

  “Don’t touch her,” Little Sophie screamed, but I wasn’t sure which one of us she was talking to.

  I pushed with all my strength, catching Greenteeth off guard, and I watched as she stumbled back into the shallows of her pond.

  Suddenly, now that I knew she had a physical body, I wanted to punch her face in. I balled up my fist and aimed. Greenteeth dodged, barely out of reach, but the force of my missed blow rustled her hair. I was caught off guard and nearly pitched face-first into the pond.

  Steadying myself, I stepped forward and readied all the strength in my hand to do it again. Ice cold water seeped nearer to the soles of my sneakers. I was close enough to the pond that it had reached my shoes. I didn’t care, deciding on getting at least one good punch in on this bitch.

  Swinging wildly, I missed again. Damn. I screamed in frustration and stepped forward once more. Water rushed over the toes of my shoes, and I had a faint sensation of déjà vu. I’d tried to catch her before and nearly froze to death.

  I took another step, deciding I’d stop before the water got over my ankles.

  “Sophie. Don’t!” That time, I heard Leigh Kate loud and clear. When I glanced back over my shoulder, she was running toward me, waving my phone.

  Distracted, I turned away for a moment too long. Greenteeth charged me, but I whirled around in time to notice her black hair brush my cheek. Before I knew what had happened, I was flying.

  The witch had caught me under the ribs, not unlike what I’d done to her. I didn’t just stumble, though, but flew and landed hard. My back hit dry land, and my legs were immersed in the frigid, cold water.

  A clawed hand took hold of my ankle. Greenteeth began dragging me on my back through the weeds. The cold water burned, and I cried out. The fight had sucked every ounce of warmth from my body.

  My hands clawed at the dirt, seeking something to grasp. Greenteeth was going to drag me to my death.

  Leigh Kate dived forward, grabbing my hands.

  “Let go of her,” she shouted.

  I tried to speak, but my teeth only chattered. My fingers were frozen, and I couldn’t force them to wrap around Leigh Kate’s hand. My legs were fully submerged now.

  “Fight, Sophie. Damn it. Fight!” Leigh Kate strained to pull me out of the water, hanging onto my wrists with more strength than I’d thought possible. I’d become a human tug-of-war rope. Frozen from head to toe, I was exhausted, unable to fight much longer. I closed my eyes. If I only had a second to rest . . .

  When I felt another pair of hands grab my arms, I opened my eyes.

  Hannah.

  Chapter 39

  The relentless tug continued pulling me farther into the water. In my mind, I knew I needed to fight back, but I was overwhelmed by a lack of desire.

  Hannah stretched a hand into the water and laid it on my stomach.

  “Pas celui-ci,” Hannah spoke. It was French, I studied French. I didn’t know those words though.

  A shockwave hit the water, and I was free. Hannah and Leigh Kate pulled me out with no resistance.

  Hannah wrapped me in a blanket.

  “I know who you are,” I heard Leigh Kate say to Hannah. Before the other woman could confirm or deny, Foster pulled me into his arms.

  “Damn it,” he cursed.

  “Jenny had her nearly completely under this time,” Hannah told him. “She won’t survive another trip into the pond.”

  “What were you even doing out here?” Foster demanded.

  “She wanted to come see your aunt,” Leigh Kate answered.

  “Bring her up to the house.” Hannah sighed. “I really don’t want to have to call her parents again.”

  Foster picked me up and carried me like a child.

  “Then don’t,” he said. “Take my car to the house. Leigh Kate, are you okay to drive yours?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Good. Follow Hannah,” he instructed like a general.

  I rested my head on Foster’s shoulder and closed my eyes. He was so warm. Always so warm.

  In t
he car, Foster cranked up the heat as Leigh Kate pulled away from the pond.

  “Now tell me, what were you doing out there?”

  “I told you, Sophie wanted to talk to your aunt.” Leigh Kate sounded defensive.

  “What did you find?” His questions sounded more like interrogation techniques.

  “Oh, nothing, except post-civil war era pictures of someone who looked identical to you. And your aunt, too.” Leigh Kate returned the accusatory tone.

  “What?” I imagined he was giving Leigh Kate his worst frown.

  “You tell me. When Sophie saw them, she freaked out. Max seemed to think you were part of Greenteeth’s curse.”

  I probably should have been a part of this conversation, but I couldn’t form words. And at that moment, I was all right with it.

  “That’s ridiculous. I’m sure it’s just a strong family resemblance.”

  “Did you know the only person from your family who was taken was also named Foster?”

  I appreciated Leigh Kate arguing for me. I knew she was more comfortable with the easy explanation of family resemblance, but she kept pushing him.

  “I did know that. It’s a family name. So is Hannah.” Foster sighed. “I promise you I’m only eighteen. I can tell you where I was born, my mother’s name, where I went to preschool, and any other ridiculous details if you’d like.”

  Leigh Kate parked, and Foster jumped out of the car. I heard Hannah pull up behind us.

  “She still hasn’t said anything, and her eyes are closed,” said Foster.

  “Take her upstairs and put her in the shower. Water hot. Clothes on,” said Hannah.

  I felt the jostle of Foster jogging upstairs. Was he really going to put me in the shower? Was he going to get in there with me? That alone should have warmed me up enough to open my eyes.

  “In there,” said Foster.

  A door opened.

  “I’ll get the water started.” Leigh Kate had come too. Her being there made it less exciting.

  The water was running, but I didn’t feel anything. That worried me. I snuggled closer to Foster, feeling his body heat. This time, it wasn’t penetrating beyond the surface of my skin.

  “It’s hot now,” said Leigh Kate.

  Oh, she must have been running the cold water in the tub before they put me in. That made me feel a little better.

  “Turn the shower on,” he said as a phone buzzed. “Wait, get my phone. It’s in my back pocket.”

  I didn’t love the thought of Leigh Kate getting a feel of Foster’s backside. Then again, I was the one sheltered in his arms. I giggled. I think.

  “It’s Garner.”

  “Turn the shower on and then tell him what’s happened,” Foster ordered Leigh Kate around like a general. If he’d been giving me those directives, I’d have told him to shove it.

  When we were deluged with steamy hot water, it seemed as though a thousand little knives were cutting my frozen skin. The water hit my back and surged over my arms, soaking both of us. I was still so cold. I screamed, but no actual sound came from me. I momentarily wondered if Gram was locked within herself this way, stuck in her coma.

  “Come on, Sophie,” Foster said. “Can you stand?” He lowered my legs until my feet were touching the bottom of the tub. His hands remained wrapped around my waist, holding me closely. The hot water poured over my hair, down my neck, and under my shirt.

  He spun me around so my back was pressed against his chest. Water streamed down my face and arms to my legs.

  I could swear my eyelids weighed a thousand pounds each. I lifted my hands and rubbed my eyes.

  “That’s it. Fight the cold, Sophie.” Foster raised the hem of my T-shirt. Water flowed over my bare stomach. His hands grazed my skin, and the electric shock of it forced my eyes open.

  “Oh.” I breathed out, actual sound coming from my mouth.

  Foster turned me around to face him, more tenderly this time. Foster’s face was pale, and his eyes a dark blue. His blond hair was flat and plastered to his head in the stream of shower water. When he stared into my eyes, his muscles finally relaxed.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” he said. “Again.”

  I smiled. I think.

  He pulled me close, and I buried my face in his wet shirt. I reached up to touch his neck. The shower had given him the opportunity to feel my bare skin. I wanted the same sensation, so I curled my hand around his neck and undid the top two buttons on his shirt. His breath caught as I eased my hand over his collarbone.

  “And to think, a few minutes ago, your sweet friend asked me if I was more than three hundred years old.” The breathlessness in his voice warmed me deep inside where I hadn’t felt any warmth since Sam had disappeared.

  I kissed the edge of his jaw, emboldened by the situation. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away from him.

  “Seriously, Sophie, you need to say something.” Foster shook my shoulders, not enough to hurt. “I need to hear your voice.”

  I blinked up at him. My voice? He hadn’t heard me? Hadn’t I said anything?

  “Well, it really did look like you in those pictures,” I said. My voice sounded harsh to my ears. Foster crushed me against him, and his lips were on mine. He slipped his hands into my wet hair.

  I sighed against his mouth. Finally, he got the hint I wanted a kiss. I unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, all the way down to where it was tucked into his jeans. Both of my hands grazed his chest, his waist. One of his hands yanked the back of my shirt up, and he spread his palm flat against the small of my back.

  In what seemed the span of a heartbeat, I’d gone from freezing to death to melting into this boy. I didn’t care if he was eighteen or three hundred. I only knew I didn’t want him to stop kissing me.

  “I assume she’s warm,” said Hannah, a hint of irritation in her voice. Foster tore his lips away.

  “Yes, I think so,” he said and pressed his forehead to mine.

  “Then get her some dry clothes and come downstairs. I made cocoa.” With those words, Hannah left.

  “Talk to me,” said Foster. He didn’t show any signs of moving.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Anything. What made you think to stop at the pond? What were you doing out there?”

  “Leigh Kate stopped when she saw the pond.” I rested my cheek on his bare chest. Yup. Felt as good as I thought it would. “She wanted to throw rocks at Greenteeth. The situation went downhill from there.”

  “And you were on Grimm Road because?” The water was starting to run cool, so Foster turned it off. We must have run all of the hot water out of the tank. I smiled and blushed. Hopefully, he would think my pink cheeks were from the heat.

  “Why, Sophie?” Foster shook his head, and droplets of water shot at me and splattered the glass doors.

  “I wanted to talk to Hannah,” I said.

  “Were you going to waltz in and ask her if I was centuries old?”

  “Sounds silly when you say it.” That hadn’t quite been my plan, but I did need to ask about that too.

  He stepped out of the bathtub and helped me out near a closet filled with fluffy towels, across from the sink. Foster grabbed two and wrapped one around me before rubbing his head with the other.

  “Sounds silly no matter who says it,” he said. “Where was your dragon?”

  I shrugged. Titan had been notably absent from the whole event. I hadn’t sensed his presence since the incident at the school. Was he mad at me for letting Greenteeth get close to Foster?

  “Pesky dragon.” Foster shook his head. “Wait here.”

  I used my towel to wring out the water from my hair. Now that I was out of the shower and Foster had taken his hands and mouth off me, I was starting to get cold again. My wet clothes clung to me, and my fingertips remained numb.

  During our fight, I hadn’t cared in the slightest that Greenteeth was about to drown me. Maybe that’s how she’d lured her first victims, the ones she drowned while she was still alive.
She probably used her tribal magic to sap the will out of them.

  “Here.” Foster was back. He tossed me a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeve T-shirt. “It’ll be big on you, but it’s better than freezing up again in wet clothes.” Déjà vu.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “I’m gonna change too. I’ll be in the hall when you’re done.”

  I set the dry clothes on the edge of the sink and peeled out of my wet ones, stripping all the way down and drying off with the towel. Then I wrapped it around my hair like a turban and put on the sweats. They were too big, but at least the pants had a tie I could pull tight. Were they Foster’s? My skin warmed just thinking about wearing another item of his. I pulled the shirt on and was thankful it was too big. It hid the fact I didn’t have underwear on.

  Foster was waiting outside the bathroom just like he’d said. Apparently, I’d been in the hall bathroom. He threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me in for a quick kiss.

  “My clothes look better on you than they ever did on me,” he said. I doubted that. He was making his own jeans and sweater look pretty dang smoldering.

  Chapter 40

  Hannah and Leigh Kate were waiting in the kitchen.

  “That took long enough,” said Hannah as I pulled out a chair to sit opposite her at the table. She filled a mug with steaming cocoa from a kettle and popped a large marshmallow in it. I liked the way she made cocoa.

  After she’d served Foster a cup too, she sat back and glared at me.

  “What happened? I want the truth. All of it.” She narrowed her eyes. She didn’t mention having been at the Inquisitor office.

  “I told her it was my fault,” Leigh Kate interjected, but one hot glare from Hannah and she clamped her mouth shut.

  “We were driving out here, and we stopped at the pond.” I glanced at Leigh Kate. It seemed so stupid now that we had been worried about those newspaper pictures. A brush with hypothermia and drowning put that into perspective. Now, I just had to figure out a way to tell Hannah what we were doing without irritating her and hope she would help.