Grim Hill: The Forgotten Secret (Grim Hill Series)

by Linda DeMeulemeester

  Mr. Keating looked thoughtful. “Could you be here an hour earlier every day?”

  I wasn’t exactly a morning person, but I nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely.”

  “Monday through Saturday, an hour each day. I’ll pay you fifty dollars a week.”

  I wasn’t crazy about waking up so early on a Saturday morning, but this job would give me more than one hundred dollars by the time of the dance! “Okay, it’s a deal. Thanks!”

  I helped bring out two more boxes of turnips and onions and wondered if he’d include today’s time in my paycheck. Afterward, I stopped in front of Esmeralda’s window and admired my dress. I adjusted Lea’s pink scarf that I’d tied around my neck and wondered how it would look draped around that dress. I wiggled my toes in my running shoes, reminding myself that I’d used Lea’s nail polish and painted them the same shimmering pink as the dress. I’d left my fingernails plain – no sense flashing the nail polish right under Mom’s nose. I’d ask her when the mood was right.

  I hurried to school, but I was late. I must have sounded sincere when I explained to Ms. Dreeble I’d just started a part-time job and would leave home earlier from now on, because she just nodded and said, “Okay.”

  In science class I couldn’t help staring at Ms. Dreeble as she lectured about plants. She looked so different, and it took me a moment to figure out why. Ms. Dreeble was wearing new ultra-cool glasses and without her thick lenses and old-fashioned frames, she looked a lot different. Then I realized her hair wasn’t pulled back in a ponytail either. Instead she wore it loose and it curled softly around her shoulders.

  “Cat, could you explain to us the difference between a symbiotic and a parasitic relationship?”

  For a second I wondered if she was talking about the way she changed her appearance right after she and Mr. Morrows had danced together – then I realized the question must have had something to do with her lecture. I fiddled with my pen.

  Amanda frantically waved her hand. This didn’t seem right. Clearly she had the answer, so why was Ms. Dreeble picking on me?

  “Fine. Amanda?” Ms. Dreeble said as she gave me a cold stare that wasn’t quite as unsettling as when she used to peer over her old glasses. “What can you tell me about those two relationships?”

  “A symbiotic relationship is mutually beneficial,” droned Amanda. “A parasitic relationship is harmful to the host.”

  “Well done,” said Ms. Dreeble. “Cat, can you give us examples of those relationships from the plant kingdom.”

  My heart thudded in my chest. I thought I’d gotten off the hook. I had no idea. Lea was trying to mouth a word to me, but I was distracted because Amanda was waving her arm around again.

  Ms. Dreeble motioned for Amanda to wait. “Then how about giving us an example of those relationships from the animal kingdom?”

  Again all I could think about was glasses and lenses … no ponytails … teachers who danced together – what was the relationship there? I shook my head.

  Amanda was waving her arm so hard I thought it might dislocate from her shoulder.

  “Cat, I want you to write me a paragraph on those relationships, and use examples from both the plant and animal kingdom. I’d like it on my desk by next Monday.” The bell rang and class was dismissed.

  “What were you trying to say to me?” I asked Lea as she walked with me.

  She flashed a smile and said, “I whispered ‘symbiotic’ – because I think we’re very symbiotic.”

  For a moment I was puzzled, and then I said, “You mean we have a friendship that’s mutually beneficial?”

  “Exactly,” Lea said and smiled, then she hurried to her next class.

  I stood in the darkened hall of Darkmont for a minute. I didn’t think that answer would have gotten me off the hook with Ms. Dreeble, but still, I was flattered.

  At lunch, I vented to Mia and Amarjeet as we stood by my locker. “Seriously, Ms. Dreeble totally has it in for me.”

  “Everyone says their teachers have it in for them when they get caught daydreaming,” said Mia pulling markers out of her locker. I’d talked her into joining the decorating committee with me. We were going to make posters during lunch for the dance.

  “C’mon, Amarjeet, help us out with the posters,” pressured Mia.

  “What’s the point? Do you think I’ll ever get Rabinder to notice me?” They both started complaining about how they didn’t think either of the boys they liked would actually go with them to the dance.

  My soccer friends didn’t seem to care about how Ms. Dreeble was always on my case. Impatiently, I said to Amarjeet, “The bell will ring in twenty minutes and we need to get these posters done and then check out the art room for supplies. Are you coming or not?”

  “Wow, Cat, just because you sit at the table with all your new friends, doesn’t give you the right to get bossy with us.” Amarjeet said as she stormed away.

  Whoa, where did that come from? Besides, I’d only sat at that table for about fifteen minutes as I gulped down my lunch and brainstormed decorations for the dance.

  “Good one, now it’s only us.” Mia shook her head as we walked to the art room. I still wasn’t sure what I had done.

  As we walked along Darkmont’s dingy corridor, Lea caught up to us. “Can I come?” she said breathlessly.

  “For sure,” I said, and Mia nodded enthusiastically.

  Darkmont’s art room had a huge storage area at the back that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned out or dusted in about a hundred years. I started sneezing as soon as we opened the door of the storage area and stared at the long shelves disappearing into the dim light.

  “Poster paper is on the shelf back there,” Mia pointed, trying to stifle her own sneeze.

  Lea raced to the back of the room and grabbed the paper when I spotted a huge box marked “Valentine’s.” “Look at this. There’s got to be some stuff in here we can use.” This would be great, because between the dance lessons after school and my part-time jobs, I didn’t have a lot of time to get decorations ready for the dance. Funny, although Emily and everyone agreed I’d be perfect for the committee, nobody rose to the occasion with me – except for Mia and Lea, that is.

  “Hey, there are two more boxes besides that one.” Mia started hauling down the first box and Lea grabbed the smaller one. Once we got the boxes out of the storage room and onto the table, I began sneezing again.

  Mia brushed a thick layer of dust off the first box. “I think it’s been awhile since Darkmont’s had a Valentine’s dance.” She opened the box and pulled out large crimson foil hearts, and then she unpacked rolls of red and white crepe paper.

  Opening the second box, I said with delight, “These will look great hanging from the ceiling.” I held up beautiful red Japanese silk lanterns – these were just what we needed to transform Darkmont’s gym into a more enchanting place.

  “What’s this?” I picked up the discarded newspaper that had been used to wrap up the hearts. “I think this paper is from a really long time ago. The boy and girl in the picture are dressed in very old-fashioned clothes.”

  “So what?” Mia shrugged. “The decorations are still in perfect condition.” Then as an afterthought she laughed, “Bet that’s the last time Darkmont sponsored a school dance.”

  “Maybe,” I agreed, only half-listening as I smoothed the paper out on the table and studied the grainy photograph on the front page. A boy and a girl stood side by side with a few other kids in front of our school. Most of the headline and all of the date had faded away, but it was something about “boy found … still missing.” The headline was a bit of a puzzle with half of it invisible. I felt heat on the back of my neck, and I turned to see Lea staring intently at the photo. It wasn’t that interesting …

  “Gross,” said Mia. “These decorations smell nasty.”

  “I guess they’re musty. That’s typical. There’s never money to replace anything that could be fun at this school, so this box has probably sat on the shelf
for decades.” I began pulling all the decorations out of the box. “We better put them all out on a table and let them air out. I still think they look okay – what do you think, Lea?”

  Lea shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s not as if Valentine’s has changed much over the years.” And then she didn’t say anything else.

  I guessed that meant they were okay.

  All afternoon I couldn’t concentrate as I tried to picture the gym and where to hang the red lanterns for the dance, causing Mr. Morrows to ask if I even knew which class I was in. This gave Clive no end of amusement. On the way home from school I walked by Lea’s house. I’d hoped I’d run into her hanging out by the gate, but she wasn’t outside. It looked like Lea’s aunt had already begun to dig her garden, so I opened the gate and walked to the side of the yard to check it out.

  Even though it wasn’t yet evening, the side yard was darker in the shadow of the hill. Old crumbling pots, a broken bench, and tangles of dead vines added to the gloom. Each freshly dug garden plot was marked by a flat stone, eerily resembling the graveyard next door.

  The east wind rose up again and branches rustled and creaked as they brushed by the tin roof of the garden shed. The wind was making a shrill wailing noise. As I crossed the yard and stood at the back of the house, it seemed to me this place would be a perfect setting for a horror movie. I shivered.

  A shutter on the second floor banged open. I jumped and when I turned to look I thought I saw a face in the window – an ugly melting face as hideous as a rotting apple. A sharp yelp escaped me and then the image was gone. It must have just been some weird reflection in the window, but the hair on my neck still stood on end and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

  I ran back to the side of the yard and headed for the gate. Coincidence, coincidence, I chanted to myself as I hurried home. Before I went into my house I walked over to my own backyard that sat at the foot of Grim Hill. Shaking my fist, I shouted to the hill. “I want a happy life. No fairies, no trouble,” I yelled. “Stay away!”

  The hill stayed silent – no strange whispers, no weird lights – and I got the sense that Grim Hill truly was quiet.

  Except even as I let out a sigh of relief, I could still hear the wailing, and this time I wasn’t so sure it was the wind.

  CHAPTER 6 - A Garden of Secrets

  AS THE NIGHT settled in and dark gathered around our house, I decided that I’d just felt jittery, that’s all. A knot untied in my stomach and I went downstairs for dinner. Mom was rushing out the door for her business class.

  “Please go ahead and heat up leftovers for you and your sister. Oh, and Cat …” Mom opened the hall closet and pulled out two bolts of fabric. “I bought this black material for your skirt. So depending on your blouse, it could be quite fancy for a dance and …” Mom smiled as she unfolded a bolt of red satin dotted with tiny green leaves. “How’s this? Won’t it make a perfect blouse for a Valentine’s dance?”

  “Great,” I said smiling enthusiastically all the while thinking that between the red and green blouse and the green stripes in my hair, I’d look like I was going to a Christmas party instead. “Um … Mom …” But I couldn’t bring myself to say I didn’t like the outfit and that I really wanted the dress in the store. Instead I said, “I’ve got a part-time job at the Emporium, just for an hour in the mornings, and I’m going to do some yard work for our new neighbor.”

  Mom quietly folded the material back in the bag. “That’s fine, Cat.” Her voice lost some of its enthusiasm and I guiltily noticed she didn’t mention the outfit again.

  “As long as it doesn’t cut into schoolwork.” Then she said,

  “I realize you’ve been short on spending money.”

  I mumbled “thanks” and went to heat up dinner.

  “Can we go over to Aunt Bea’s tonight?” Sookie asked later when we sat down to eat.

  “She’s not your aunt,” I snapped harshly, although I had no idea why.

  “Bea told me I could call her that – and Mom doesn’t care,” Sookie said before chomping into her chicken drumstick. Because Mom had left for school, Sookie’s hamster, Buddy, perched on her shoulder while she offered him her carrots. Buddy wasn’t exactly welcome at our dinner table, but I didn’t feel like more arguing. Besides, with his tiny mouth and delicate nibbles, he somehow seemed more polite than my sister.

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” I said automatically.

  “You’re not the boss,” Sookie said intentionally with a mouthful of food.

  I sighed. That was the second time today somebody called me bossy. As if being in charge of Sookie was loads of fun. And I still didn’t get what Amarjeet was upset about.

  “So can we go to Aunt Bea’s? I’ve got lots of questions about those plants she gave me. I’m keeping my plants in pots,” Sookie said with authority. “That way the roots stay warmer. And I’ve put rocks at the bottom for good drainage.”

  “Whatever …” I said. “Just don’t get too focused on your new gardening hobby.” Sookie could get obsessive over stuff, and it usually didn’t turn out well.

  “Please can we go tonight?” Sookie never gave up.

  “Homework,” I said.

  “Tomorrow?”

  “More homework.” I didn’t want Sookie getting too carried away with her stupid plants. I took my plate and wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge for later. “Don’t forget, Mom said to be in bed by eight.”

  “You never enforce that,” complained Sookie.

  “Well it’s about time you realize you’re not old enough for all the things you think you’re entitled to, and that includes doing everything I do and staying up late.” I slammed the fridge door and went to the study to get an early start on my paragraphs for Ms. Dreeble.

  “You’re kidding … right, Cat?” Sookie sounded truly puzzled.

  When I banged the door shut to the study she finally got the hint and left me alone. I switched to Google Scholar so the child security lock – thanks for the trust, Mom – on the internet would allow me to visit websites on symbiotic relationships. Then I began reading how it was just like Amanda had been explaining in science class

  – that symbiotic was when two living organisms from different biological species have a relationship from which they both benefit. Parasitic was when two biological species have a relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed or even killed.

  Okay, so now I was getting an idea about those two terms, but I still needed to find examples for my homework. As I was trying to decide which search engine the computer lock would let me ask my question, there was a soft knock on the front door.

  I got up from the study and took a quick look through the window in the front door and saw Lea standing on our porch. Smiling, I yanked open the door and invited her in.

  “Hi. I was wondering if you felt like hanging out.” She said it a little hopefully.

  “Sure,” I said, forgetting all about my homework assignment. Besides, there was still the absolute injustice that I was the only student who had to do it. Remembering the mocha we’d had at her place, I asked, “Would you like some coffee?”

  Lea nodded enthusiastically, so we went into the kitchen as I tried to figure out how to work the coffee maker – without much success. There were a lot of buttons.

  “Maybe if you make instant coffee it will be easier,” suggested Lea.

  I checked out the cupboard and found a jar of instant coffee and quickly scooped a heaping tablespoon each of the granules into two coffee mugs and set the kettle to boil. When the kettle whistled, I whisked it off the stove. No point alerting Sookie that I had company. The coffee frothed in the cup when I stirred it, and then I placed cream and sugar on the table.

  I almost gagged on my first slurp. I sputtered and had to run to the sink. “Watch out, it’s a little hot,” I said. Then I went back to the table and poured a ton of cream and sugar into my mug. “And it might be a little strong.”

 
“The coffee’s fine,” said Lea, and she swallowed a big gulp, not minding the burning liquid at all. “I wish I could go to the dance and just chill like a regular kid.” Lea couldn’t hide the longing in her voice.

  My mouth dropped in surprise – that was exactly what I wanted. Except I wasn’t sure what she meant by “regular.” “Why can’t you go?”

  With a mournful sigh, Lea’s mouth turned down as she said, “I guess you could call it a family rule.” The way she sat rigid in the chair – tense, as if she might jump up and run – prevented me from asking her what she meant. Bea certainly didn’t look strict, and Lea had seemed way ahead of me on privileges. Still we clearly had things in common, so I decided to share some of my troubles.

  I told her about my friends at school, and it was as if a dam burst inside me. I mentioned again the dress I desired, about wishing to have more fun at school, about how my friends didn’t seem to care when I complained about unfair teachers – not to mention a pesky sister who caused me a lot of trouble. Sure, I left out the bit about how I jumped at every shadow and loud noise and worried if magic might be creeping into our town, but I didn’t exactly want to send Lea fleeing into the night to get away from me, the crazy girl.

  Lea complained about how she and her aunt never stayed around more than a month or two before they moved on to the next place, and how without any sisters or brothers and no close friends, she lived a solitary life.

  I told her she wasn’t missing much being constantly pestered by a younger sibling. And my other friends could testify to that. Amarjeet came quickly to mind. Her brother was always spying on her and blackmailing her. But Lea seemed unconvinced.

  “I’m bringing another friend on Saturday,” I reminded her, although I kept forgetting to ask Clive.

  “And Sookie’s coming, and she’s bringing her pesky friend Skeeter.” Although secretly I was now happy he was coming – he’d entertain her so I wouldn’t have to keep as sharp an eye on her.