Grim Hill: The Forgotten Secret (Grim Hill Series)

by Linda DeMeulemeester

  Just then, Amanda swooped by with her dance partner, and she broke away and grabbed my arm. She dragged me off the dance floor leaving her partner and Clive standing there. Clive scowled.

  “Are those love charms going to be ready soon?” Amanda asked. “The dance is only a few days away and we’ve got to get the guys on board.”

  “Sure, no problem – they’re good to go. We’ll be, um, activating them at midnight at my sleepover.”

  “Awesome,” said Amanda looking impressed.

  Then Ms. Dreeble and Mr. Morrows dismissed us from the dance lesson. I got caught up in the mad rush and was pushed out the gym. I couldn’t help notice Clive glaring at me. For some reason, it was almost a relief to see him back to his old self.

  Outside, the wind was whipping around quite forcefully as Jasper and I made our way home. “I’ve been working on some poems,” Jasper said. “I’m just not sure if they’re … um … romantic.”

  “What?” I said in a rush as we stood in front of Esmeralda’s dress shop. I stared at my dress. Esmeralda had hung it on the hold rack next to the window and had wrapped it in plastic. It looked like a gorgeous butterfly ready to escape its cocoon. I couldn’t help thinking that wearing that dress might have the same effect on me. And Wednesday, that dress would be mine.

  “Cat,” Jasper said exasperated.

  “Sorry,” I said pulling myself away from the shop window. “It seems to me Lea is a better authority on poetry,” I said in a distracted tone.

  Maybe I hadn’t sounded very interested in Jasper’s poems because he said dismissively, “You’re right, I should ask Lea.” Then he hesitated before he asked, “Has anyone asked you to the dance?”

  “Huh,” I snorted. “Most boys can’t stand being my partner for ten minutes during our dance lessons.” Except for Clive. Wait a minute – even though he did nothing but complain, he always chose me as his dance partner. And exactly what had he been trying to ask me during the lesson? I looked at Jasper in alarm. Did he know something I didn’t?

  “Well,” I said, “if some boy, say, someone such as Clive, thinks for a minute that I’d want to be his dance partner, that’s his mistake.”

  “Just so you know,” Jasper said with a tinge of bitterness, “it wouldn’t exactly be cool asking a girl to a dance and have her turn you down.”

  Jasper was caught in a bad situation. He really wanted to ask Mia to the dance, but he knew she liked Mitch, even though Mitch didn’t seem to be the least bit interested in her. I felt a little guilty helping Mia with a love charm for Mitch. Jasper was a good friend and I should really be helping him with a love charm for Mia, but then I shook it off. I couldn’t help everybody, and it was just for fun anyway.

  *

  Mom was being cool about the sleepover, thank goodness. Ever since we had moved, it almost seemed as if she also wanted me to gain back my popularity. She even splurged and bought me an awesome new set of pj’s

  – red silk shorts and a matching T printed with white hearts. Of course she had to get Sookie a matching nightgown. “They were on sale,” Mom said, happy we liked them.

  I hurried to get ready for my friends. Mom had bought frozen pizza bagels and miniature frozen taco rolls, so after dinner I began heating them in the oven. When they were done I left the oven on warm as I went upstairs to straighten up the attic.

  There was a perfect storm moon that night. Even though black clouds scudded across the darkening sky, the moon peeked through.

  “It’s a gibbous moon,” Sookie said looking out the window. “So that means the moon is waning. I’m worried that your charms won’t be as potent.”

  Why was Sookie taking those stupid charms so seriously? I wished she’d just forget about them and go watch the kid DVDs Mom had rented to keep her out of my hair, but I knew there was as much chance of that as me head-butting a soccer ball across the field and straight into a goal. Actually, I had a much better chance at that. And then her interference got worse.

  Sookie had kept a low-enough profile at the beginning of the sleepover as my friends arrived, and I’d even thought my sister had gone to bed around nine. But after Mom had turned in for the night and the clock struck half past eleven, Sookie burst into the attic, “I’ve got it, Cat! I’ve figured out how we can make the storm moon spell work better.”

  “Not a chance,” I said. But I was out-voted ten to one by every other girl. Fifteen minutes later I simmered as my sister got all the attention. My sleepover wasn’t exactly going as planned. I’d thought we’d all hang out and talk about girl stuff and laugh. But for one thing, Lea hadn’t shown up. For another, as we huddled in our sleeping bags while the cold wind blew through the cracks of the drafty attic, we got the pleasure of being bossed around by a nine-year-old.

  Sookie perched on a chair, making it seem as if she towered over us beneath the sloped attic roof, as she lectured about how to cast the love spells. I couldn’t shake how weird it felt having my kid sister take charge. I’d tried sending her back downstairs, but every single girl stayed rapt with attention as if Sookie was the most interesting teacher in the world. And Sookie loved every second of it.

  As if Sookie had ordered sound effects, an eerie wail whined outside.

  With dramatic gestures, she waved at the bone-colored moon and said in a spooky voice, “It’s getting close to midnight, so we must gather near the graveyard.”

  Wait a minute, what? “We’re only going to the back garden,” I reminded everyone as I eyed my sister. But they all ignored me, and when Sookie grabbed the box of red conjure bags from under her chair, every girl took one and clutched it in her hand.

  “I’ve decided the wind will whip graveyard dust up into the air, and that will make the spells work even better,” Sookie said, waving her arm as if she was a potent wizard instead of a little girl dressed in a pink nightie printed with tiny hearts.

  “Mom will ground me forever, and besides, that place is beyond creepy,” I said, hoping everyone would listen to reason. But my friends didn’t seem to care about me getting in trouble.

  “Scaredy Cat,” Sookie chuckled, as if she’d said the most hilarious thing in the world. “We don’t have to go into the graveyard – just standing close to it should do.”

  “That should be okay,” said Mia a bit nervously as she shrugged into her hoodie.

  “I’m in,” said Amarjeet. “As long as we don’t have to disturb … the dead … in their sleep.”

  Emily raised her eyebrows. “You throw the most interesting parties, Cat,” she said.

  That sent a shiver through me. The last party I’d had ended in total disaster. But I couldn’t think of a way to get out of this – especially not if I wanted to stay on everyone’s good side.

  My friends lined up to follow my sister who marched toward the stairs like a little general. Working with Sookie was like letting a genie out of a bottle.

  “We’d better be quiet and not wake Mom,” I said to no one in particular as I scooped up my own red conjure bag and scampered after everyone.

  CHAPTER 13 - Spells by Moonlight

  AS WE APPROACHED the cemetery, I sort of thought it was a fitting place to be. After all, Mom would kill me if she found out that I was walking around at midnight with my kid sister and my friends. How did I get myself into this? It was wrong and I knew it. I could tell by how nervous Amarjeet and Emily were acting that they knew this was stupid as well. And I really didn’t like graveyards.

  When Sookie was little we’d visited a cemetery once so Dad could put flowers on our grandmother’s grave. Sookie had stared at all the emerald green grass, the headstones, and the crosses sticking out of the ground and asked, “What’s this place for, Daddy?”

  “It’s a park for dead people,” our dad had said. I knew Dad was trying to find a gentle way to describe the place, and Sookie seemed satisfied by his answer. Maybe that’s why she didn’t seem even a little scared to be standing beside a graveyard right now. Maybe it was too late to back out, but we
sure didn’t have to stay long.

  I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop shivering, and it wasn’t only because I was freezing, wearing just my Valentine’s pj’s under my red wool coat.

  “It’s almost midnight,” Sookie said in a hushed voice. “Gather in a circle and hold your conjure bags to your heart.”

  Amarjeet held up her red conjure bag, sniffed it suspiciously, and made a face. So did Mia. I held the silky material in front of my face and took a cautious sniff. Yuck

  – sure there were lavender scents, but there was also a musty smell that made me think of old bones or ancient mummies. Why? Those dried flowers shouldn’t smell bad.

  “Hurry,” commanded Sookie. My friends crushed the bags to their chests. I also did exactly as my kid sister instructed, only unlike the other girls, I kept peering nervously over my shoulder. Some of the headstones were visible behind the graveyard gate, and it was as if that crumbling stone angel was staring straight at me.

  “Do you really think this is a good idea?” I almost heard it say.

  Behind the gate, bare tree branches twitched as if long witch fingers were saying, “Come just a little closer.” Behind the graveyard, Grim Hill loomed like a hulking giant. Quickly I looked away and faced Lea’s house, but it seemed as if all the clouds collected over that creepy place, and I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched.

  I thought about the soft eerie wailing I could hear from behind those thorny hedges. I could see them from where I was standing, and for a second I stared in amazement at how much the hedge had grown since the last time I was in Lea’s backyard. Around her aunt’s private garden, the vines were now at least seven feet tall and hung over the fence thick as snakes and dripped with huge nasty thorns.

  “Now call out the name of your one true love,”

  Sookie said with relish. Unlike me, she loved every moment of this.

  So that I’d feel less jumpy, I imagined myself in that new dress with my shimmering scarf flowing behind me as I danced. I closed my eyes and pictured the boy I’d like to dance with. I’ll admit it – even though I refused to be interested in a boy who couldn’t care less about me – if wishes really came true, I’d like to go with a certain guy with blond hair, blue eyes, and a cute smile.

  “Rabinder,” Amarjeet whispered shyly.

  “Louder,” instructed Sookie.

  Amarjeet swallowed and repeated, “Rabinder,” in a ringing voice.

  “Mitch!” Mia shouted enthusiastically.

  Again, I checked over my shoulder wishing this was all over and acknowledging that maybe it hadn’t been the smartest idea I’d ever had. Next it was Amanda’s turn.

  “Zach,” she called out.

  Huh?

  Then it was Jennifer’s turn. “Zach,” she said glaring at Amanda.

  “Me too,” said Ashley. “I want to go to the dance with Zach.”

  The next girl also said, “Zach.”

  “Seriously!” Emily said in an irritated voice. “You all know I’m going with Zach.”

  So why did she have her own conjure bag, I thought, more than a little irritated myself. And all those other girls knew I’d probably be wishing for Zach too.

  Sookie turned to me shaking her head. “Well, Cat, this is a conundrum.”

  It never occurred to me that a bunch of girls would call out the same boy’s name – the boy who I’d wanted to take me to the dance. That’s what I got for wishing for the most popular boy. By the time it came around to my turn, a total of five girls had wished for Zach to ask them to the dance. Emily and I were the last ones to call out a name, but she’d stomped off in a huff and stood up the street waiting for us. It seemed that having so many girls interested in Zach had made her a lot more interested in him herself.

  As I decided there was little point in me saying anything, a horrible wail ripped through the air. We all screamed and jumped a foot off the ground before making a dash back to my house. I grabbed Sookie’s hand, and as I ran, the cold wind whipped through my coat and slapped against my bare legs. Shivering, I urged my sister between chattering teeth, “Faster … hurry …”

  We made it back to the yard, and when the last girl leaped inside the kitchen door, I heard someone call my name. Quickly I turned around and saw Lea standing in my yard. The moon was buried behind the clouds, and my friend looked like a silhouette against all the shadows.

  “Lea?” I said in surprise. “Are you coming to the sleepover now?”

  Lea hung her head. “Oh Cat,” she said in a terribly mournful voice. “What have all of you done?”

  “Mom’s awake!” Sookie called to me in a panic. Torn between Lea’s mysterious reply and Mom catching us, I stood rooted to the ground. But then Lea stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

  “Cat!” Sookie urged.

  I ran and hurdled over one of Sookie’s potted plants, brushing my bare legs against the feathery leaves as I hurried into the kitchen – and straight into Mom.

  “Yes, Cat, exactly what on Earth are all of you girls up to?” Mom finished tying up her chenille housecoat tightly and put her hands on her hips.

  Everyone began filing out of the kitchen and up to the attic, except for me and Sookie. “We were, um …” I squirmed under Mom’s withering stare.

  “What were you doing that would require your coats and shoes?” asked Mom – her voice rising in a seriously angry way. “I’m the responsible adult, and I trusted you. Now I find you girls roaming outdoors at midnight?” She stared coldly at my friends as they hurried up to the attic.

  Mom looked really mad, really …

  “Cat, I’m demanding to know what you were doing,” Mom almost shouted. She never shouted. “I’m afraid there might not be a dance for you.”

  No – this couldn’t be happening. I only needed one more paycheck and that dress was mine. And even if I wasn’t able to cast a spell on Zach, surely some boy would dance with me. Now I wasn’t even going to get a chance to find out.

  “We were casting spells,” Sookie smoothly said.

  “Pardon?” asked Mom.

  “We were just on the porch,” Sookie said as I looked at her in surprise. That was a straight-out lie. Well, I guess we were on the porch when Mom caught us.

  “If you stand under the moon and wish for your one true love,” Sookie said in her usual over-dramatic way, “you can win that boy’s heart.”

  Mom’s face softened and then she laughed. “Next time you stand out on the porch and wish on the stars, please give me advanced notice.” She shook her head and mumbled to herself, “At least you all put on coats. I don’t want calls from angry parents that everyone’s catching colds.” Before she went upstairs, Mom did a double-take of the small jungle in our backyard. It was as if she hadn’t gotten around to noticing all the thriving plants. She shook her head in puzzlement before going back upstairs. I remembered that living next to a fairy hill tended to make adults not always notice the magic that seeped into our town.

  “Sookie,” I said. “You stretched the truth – that’s the same as a lie.”

  My sister didn’t seem to care. She beamed as she said, “Your friends like you a lot now, Cat. I heard them say this party was awesome.”

  They did? Well, that was good and we’d dodged trouble from Mom. I felt such relief when I crawled back into my sleeping bag and snuggled into its warmth; I started getting super drowsy. Just as I was about to drop off to sleep, my eyes flew open as I recalled what had happened before my run-in with Mom …

  Why was Lea so upset?

  CHAPTER 14 - A Dark Obsession

  IT WAS TUESDAY afternoon by the time my friends left. Sookie and I headed to Lea’s because I wanted to find out what had upset her the night before. Sookie came with me, but as she leaped up the steps, I dragged my feet. As stupid as it sounded, I was uneasy. If there was such a thing as haunted, it would be this house.

  Ignoring the prickling sensation over my arms and scalp, I climbed the stairs to Lea’s place.
I clanged their creepy mad-dog doorknocker – but nobody was home.

  “C’mon, Cat, I have things to do,” complained Sookie.

  “What do you have to do? You’re only nine,” I complained. “And besides, I thought you liked coming here.”

  “I’m very busy, you know,” was all Sookie would say.

  I hoped the fact that Lea and her aunt were out meant Lea was feeling better. I pulled a piece of paper out of my backpack, scribbled a note inviting Lea to come over later, and stuffed it in the mailbox.

  As I came down the steps, I could hear creaks and groans from the backyard, and I wondered if maybe they were there. We walked around back, and I saw how Bea’s garden had grown in a wild jungle-like way, just like Sookie’s potted plants. Actually Bea’s plants had taken over the whole backyard!

  A loud creak and bang made me spin around. I got the feeling we were being watched. In the corner of my eye I thought I saw a white blur in the downstairs window. I couldn’t exactly register what the blur looked like, but it made my heart thump. “Did you see that?” I asked Sookie.

  Sookie had been bending over examining the petals of a strange purple plant when she slowly turned and said, “See what?”

  I forced myself to check again. Nothing was there – except a desperate nagging inside me to get away.

  Maybe I was overly paranoid, but this place was totally freaky. I dragged Sookie away and we headed home. That evening when Lea didn’t show, I couldn’t bring myself to go back to her place on my own and in the dark. I’d wait until school to talk to her.

  *

  Wednesday morning at breakfast Sookie seemed so hyper she was bouncing in her chair. She could barely eat her frosty oats and she quickly slurped back her orange juice. “Cat, can you take me to school this morning?”

  This wasn’t like my sister – she was not a morning person. “But I have to leave now to be at Mr. Keating’s by

  7:45. Wouldn’t you rather wait and go with Mom later?”