The Curse of Jenny Greene

by Kimberly Loth

  “We had been at the Inquisitor,” I said, taking a long sip of cocoa. Hannah knew that part. “Looking at old copies of the newspaper all the way back to when Blaylock Bay was first founded.”

  Leigh Kate looked as nervous as I felt. Not good.

  “They let you see them?” Hannah asked and leaned forward onto her elbows. “I’ve been trying to get into those archives for years.”

  “This reporter wants to do a story on those of us who’ve lost a sibling,” said Leigh Kate. “We used that to our advantage and made a bargain.”

  Hannah nodded, and I swore I saw the ghost of a smile cross her lips.

  “There were old pictures,” I said.

  “Like, really old,” added Leigh Kate.

  I slurped the cocoa and glanced at Foster. He reclined back in his chair; his eyes glinted with amusement. No doubt he was enjoying this.

  “Yeah, really old.” I turned back to Hannah. “And there were some folks who had a strong family resemblance to you and Foster.”

  “Hannah’s three hundred years old too?” Foster laughed. And at that moment, I think I may have wanted to kick him.

  “Three hundred?” Hannah’s eyes flew open wide.

  Leigh Kate sighed. “That reporter had us worked up.” She had to be feeling as ridiculous as I was. And I felt extremely stupid. Damn Max. Not that he remembered any of it.

  “Give us credit. We were attacked by a ghost witch. What would be impossible after something like that?” Leigh Kate said.

  Foster grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest.

  “I’m solid and alive and well,” he said.

  “So was Greenteeth,” I said, and his eyes flew wide. “Solid, I mean. I pushed her. Though, not very far. And her grip on me wasn’t very ghostly.”

  “Okaaay . . .” he dragged the word out.

  “I’m just saying you can be solid and old.” I shrugged and Foster let go of my hand.

  “Foster and Hannah are family names,” said Hannah. “It’s how we pay homage to what was lost. If Foster’d had a brother, his name would have been Timothy. It was the name of the older brother who went missing at sea.” Hannah sat back and sipped her cocoa like fine wine.

  That made sense. I wasn’t the only Sophie.

  “We shouldn’t have gotten so worked up.” Leigh Kate offered a weak smile. Understatement of the year.

  “Did you call my parents?” I asked.

  “No. I figured a second call to pick up their half-frozen daughter wouldn’t be good for them.” Hannah shook her head then grabbed another marshmallow.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Can I ask you something?” Leigh Kate put on her bright, winning smile.

  “What?” asked Hannah.

  “Since your family believes it’s their job to dispel Greenteeth, how do you propose to do that?”

  Hannah must have been sharing family history with her while Foster and I were busy.

  “We’ve not quite figured that out. One time, we searched the pond for her bones. My grandmother thought that if we could lay Jenny to rest, it would soothe her spirit,” said Hannah.

  “You told me another story about throwing chains in the water,” added Foster. “Some people say ghosts don’t like iron.”

  “Have you talked to anyone from the Abenaki tribe?” I asked. I reached for my phone to check the time then realized I wasn’t wearing my jeans. Panic must have been written all over my face.

  “You left it in the car,” said Leigh Kate, sliding my phone across the table.

  “The Abenaki have denied our requests to talk,” said Hannah.

  I’d missed several texts. Most were from Chi, trying to figure out what had happened. Two from Dad, asking if I’d be home for dinner. And one from Max, asking when we could reschedule.

  “While you were in the shower, I called Chi. We canceled our coffee date, but are still on to meet up later.” Leigh Kate gulped down the rest of her cocoa. She was filling me in on details in the most understated way. What a gift she had for this secret stuff. “Do you need help cleaning up?” she asked Hannah.

  Foster’s aunt waved her off.

  “Before you go,” she said. “I want to warn you. Greenteeth can be dangerous as you’ve seen firsthand. I think you guys should leave this up to me.”

  Leigh Kate, Foster, and I all shared a glance. No way we were backing down now.

  Hannah sighed. “I think you should, but I get your drift. Fine, then at least stay away from the pond. She’s nearly killed you there twice now.”

  She picked up Leigh Kate’s mug and the empty kettle and stalked over to the sink.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” said Foster.

  I wanted to argue, but they were right. For now. I wasn’t strong enough to beat Greenteeth physically and hadn’t found the chink in her armor. Not yet.

  Chapter 41

  Leigh Kate drove me back into town. I didn’t get the chance to talk with Hannah alone. I think that was okay though after what had happened at the pond. I didn’t doubt her witchiness anymore.

  This time as we passed the pond, she sped up.

  “I don’t even want to look at it,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I put you in danger.”

  “You didn’t.” I tried to give her a reassuring smile. I didn’t think it worked, though. “I knew we were getting too close to the water. She might not have lashed out if we had both run.”

  “You were blue.” Leigh Kate tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “Your lips, your eyelids, your fingers. Blue. Really blue.”

  I held up my fingers. “All pink now,” I said.

  “I don’t think I truly believed the story until I saw her cut you at the knees and drag you down.”

  Foster had insisted I take a windbreaker with me, and I was thankful I had. I pulled it tight around me and tried not to think about how the cold had filled me, how I had given up.

  I sent Dad a text saying I would be home for dinner. Then I called Chi.

  “Are you okay?” she demanded in lieu of saying hello.

  “I am.” I put her on speaker. “Leigh Kate is here with me. We’re driving back into town.”

  “You scared me. Garner called and said that Foster had to leave to get to you. And then Leigh Kate told us what happened at the pond.” She sounded angry.

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” I said.

  “We had to defrost her,” Leigh Kate added. I was certain I heard Chi’s breath catch.

  “But I’m fine now,” I said quickly.

  “LK, is she?” Chi demanded.

  “Yeah. She is,” Leigh Kate answered. I rolled my eyes. Chi was being a tad overdramatic.

  “Did you get to talk to your grandpa?” I asked.

  “I did. He wasn’t enthused about my questions.” Chi snorted. Her grandpa was as stubborn and brash as she was. “But I told him I was interested in the tribe, so he gave me some information but said that the old fur traders started the stories of the tribes having magic. It was only because they knew about plants and natural healing.”

  Leigh Kate laughed. “No magic, huh? It had to come from somewhere.”

  “I thought you said it was silly,” I said, even though I fully believed it was magic or witchcraft or whatever too.

  “I spent some quality time with Hannah while you were making out in the shower.” Leigh Kate glanced at me.

  “What?” hollered Chi.

  “Long story,” I mumbled.

  “Anyway, there’s a timeless feeling about her. She’s definitely an old soul.”

  “What are you two talking about?”

  I gave Chi a quick rundown of our visit to the newspaper office. She was weirdly quiet after that.

  Leigh Kate pulled into my driveway and leaned back on the headrest. Her eyes closed.

  “And now I get to spend the night with Lucy and her mini-me, Lila.”

  “That does not sound fun,” Chi snipped, and Leigh Kate smiled.

  “Lila can be okay,�
� she said.

  “Sure, I’ll text you both later,” I said. I figured Foster and I would catch up with Chi and Garner before we went to our scheduled lookout points.

  “’Kay.” She hung up.

  “Good luck with Lucy and Lila.” I hated that Leigh Kate had to spend her night there. I opened the car door.

  “Listen, I’m serious about my talk with Hannah.” Leigh Kate grabbed my arm. “She’s different. She knows things. Different things.”

  “What did she say to you?” I frowned. Leigh Kate was acting increasingly strange.

  “I think she might be a witch. But, like, a good one. You know, like Glinda in the Wizard of Oz.” She chewed on her lip. I knew exactly what she meant. I thought Hannah was a witch too. “I want you to think about something. What if Hannah Grimm is Hannah Greene Grimm? Jenny’s sister.”

  “I . . . I don’t know,” I said slowly.

  “Just think on it.” Leigh Kate let go of me.

  “How would we find out?” I asked. I had a thought of where she was going with this.

  “If Hannah Greene Grimm was buried, we could check.”

  “But . . .” I stared at her, truly freaked out by what I think she was suggesting. Digging up a grave. I don’t think either one of us was that tough.

  “Do you . . .” I started to ask her, but she held up a hand.

  “Maybe we should go see. Think on it,” she said. “I gotta go.”

  While watching her drive off, I shivered. What the heck had Hannah told her?

  The outside light came on. It spilled out into the yard as Dad opened the door.

  “Come on, kid. Macaroni’s getting cold,” he called. His shadow grew a second head. Connor, safely shielded in Dad’s arms, waved at me.

  “I’m glad to be home.” I kissed Dad’s cheek and let Connor catch my finger.

  “Long day of skipping school.” Dad kicked the door shut behind us with his heel. My shoulders slumped. I should have expected the school to call him.

  “Dad, I’m sorry.” I shrugged out of Foster’s jacket and took Connor from him.

  Dad headed into the kitchen. “Principal Schwarz and Mr. Harvey called. They told me what those kids said. I get it. I’d have left too. From now on, let me know where you are so I don’t have to worry.”

  “I’m sorry.” I was. I had to stop putting him and Mom through this. They had enough stress in their lives.

  He smiled, but it disappeared when he noticed what I was wearing.

  “Who just dropped you off?” he asked as I tossed the bag filled with my wet clothes and shoes into the laundry room.

  “Leigh Kate,” I said. “I took a shower at her place after school.”

  He narrowed his eyes but let the matter drop.

  Our small kitchen table was set for three, and that included one highchair.

  “Where’s Mom?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning.

  Dad sat and dished up some mac and cheese with hot dogs for Connor, who clapped. It was his favorite meal.

  “Mom is having a hard time.” He slopped a scoop of the gooey pasta onto my plate.

  “She had been doing okay,” I said, pouring us some fruit punch from the bottle on the table.

  “She was. Until the other two kids went missing. Now, I’m afraid she’s spiraling on me.” Dad rubbed his tired, creased face.

  “Can I help?”

  “Soph, you’re trying to deal with it too. Plus, you knew these kids or their older siblings.” Dad shook his head.

  We picked at the rest of our dinner. Once Connor had destroyed all his mac and cheese and squeezed the hot dogs out of their skins, Dad took him for a bath. I put the dishes into the dishwasher and wandered down the hall to see Mom.

  I pushed open the master bedroom door. It was dark except for a small table light. Mom was curled on her side, her back to the door.

  “Hey, Mom.” I sat down where she could see me. Her eyes were closed and puffy. If she’d been hooked to machines, I would have sworn I was sitting with Gram, not Mom.

  I covered her hand with mine. At least she was warm. Dad must have given her something to help her sleep. I kissed her forehead and headed down the hall to Gram’s room.

  Here, I was much more comfortable. I grabbed The Hobbit and started to read out loud. I stayed there, comforted, listening to the sounds of Dad putting Connor to sleep.

  Sometime later, Dad stopped by Gram’s bedroom.

  “Go to bed,” he said with a smile. “I know you’ve been sleeping in here, but I want you to get some good rest.”

  “I will, Dad,” I said but didn’t put my book down. “Let me finish this chapter.”

  He nodded. “Good night, sugar.”

  “Night, Dad.”

  Maybe he’d get some good rest too. Carrying this family, or what was left of it, couldn’t be easy, even for a strong man like him.

  I stayed with Gram until ten. When Nurse Lisa arrived, she ran me off.

  When I checked on Connor, he was sound asleep. Finally, I went to my own room, opened the door . . . and had to bite my lip to hold back a scream.

  Chapter 42

  Foster Grimm was lying on my bed, relaxed, his ankles crossed.

  “You scared me half to death,” I whispered and shut the door.

  “Not fun, is it?” He grinned at me.

  I ignored his jibe. “What are you doing here?”

  The plan was for me to meet him at the end of the street just after midnight before mission Save the Kids began. Not for him to climb in through my window and take a nap.

  He shrugged. An incredibly bad answer.

  “I won’t say that I don’t trust you to not run off and do something stupid, but, well . . .” He winked at me.

  “You don’t trust me?” I was incredulous. I’d only done a couple of stupid things.

  “Plus, it’s just easier if I’m already here. Maybe I can talk to Dream Gram.”

  If he were being a flippant jackass, I’d have hit him. I crossed my arms and glared, hoping he realized how irritated I was.

  He didn’t. With a wicked smile playing at the corner of his lips, he patted the bed, my bed, asking me to lie down beside him.

  “Come on. This way you can sleep fifteen extra minutes, and since we’re only gonna get a couple of hours of sleep tonight, that’s like a forty percent gain.”

  It wasn’t. He’d have never gotten into my calculus class without that killer grin.

  “I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” he said.

  I gave in with a sigh.

  “If my dad catches you . . .” I let the threat hang but sat on the bed, which seemed a lot smaller with Foster in it. I kicked off my borrowed sneakers, but that was all.

  “It’s only for a short while, and he wouldn’t have as big a fit as if he found you gone,” he said.

  I lay on one side, turned away from him. He laughed and rolled so his chest was pressed against my back. Memories of our shower shot through me like lightning. I had been so eager to kiss him, to touch him. Of course, I’d also been half-frozen to death.

  Now, though, here in my room, I was beyond bashful.

  He rested his arm across my hip.

  “Get some sleep,” he said, his breath moving my hair. “I’ve got my phone set to wake us up.”

  Sleep couldn’t possibly come. Not when I was this close to Foster. But to my surprise, I was out as soon as I relaxed enough to close my eyes.

  Thankfully, Dream Gram stayed away. I imagined she saw Foster, rolled her eyes, and left.

  Foster’s phone buzzed at twelve-thirty. Exactly fifteen minutes after I was supposed to have met him. While we’d slept, he had rolled onto his back, and I had cuddled up to his side, my head on his chest. His arm was hanging loose over my back.

  He grabbed his phone from the bedside table without jostling me at all. Even though we weren’t covered with blankets, I was perfectly warm. From him. Foster Grimm was my own personal space heater.

  “That was not
nearly long enough,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.

  “No,” I said.

  Neither one of us moved . . . both too comfortable. He ran his hand up my back to my shoulder, and I shivered from his touch.

  “We should get up,” I said.

  “We will, in just a minute.” His hand slid across my shoulder and down my arm. I was still wearing his long sleeve tee, but he might as well have been caressing my bare skin. “Yeah, we should get up.” Somehow, his voice had gotten huskier.

  I smiled. I loved that I wasn’t the only one affected by our closeness. I leaned up on one elbow and stared. He was smiling, but his eyes were still closed. When his hand dropped down to my hip, I gasped and poked him in the chest. “Wake up,” I said.

  “I am.” He still didn’t open his eyes.

  I tried to sit up, but his hand tightened on my hip, and he pulled me back down onto the bed, closer than ever.

  “Not yet.” He shook his head. His golden hair was messy, spiking up in random directions. It was adorable. I chuckled under my breath.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’ve just never seen you so un-put together.” I laughed out loud now.

  He cracked his eyes open. “You don’t look so hot either.”

  I threw a hand up to my hair, and he smirked.

  “Kidding. You’re perfect.” He pulled my hand away and ran his fingers through the strands of my hair hanging down over us. “Yeah, we should get up,” he said. “Before I kiss you.”

  I did something I never would have thought I’d do. I brushed my lips over his before I chickened out. He cradled my head and kissed me deeper. Oh my, did he kiss me? I should have waited until we were on our feet before teasing him.

  Next thing I knew, he was on top of me, pressing me into the blankets. He jerked up the hem of my shirt, and his fingertips glided over my bare skin.

  I mirrored him, pulling his shirt up. I’d just wanted to touch him, but he pulled the tee over his head. As I wrapped my arms around him, he kissed my jaw and ran small, tingling kisses down my neck.

  Foster growled low in his throat when I raked my fingers through his hair. He slid his hand along my leg. Grabbing behind my knee, he hitched my leg up over his hip. I may have been wearing sweats that were too big, but it sure didn’t hide the fact that our bodies fit together perfectly.