“I appreciate your honesty, Dad. I am not going anywhere,” I said.
“Okay, now get off the shoulder because you’re making me nervous.”
Chapter 9
I pulled into the driveway and every light in the house seemed to be on. I knew right away what was going on … a party. I tried to pretend I didn’t know, but that was hard to do. I went into the house first to be greeted by everyone shouting, “Happy Birthday!” I smiled and felt the embarrassment of being center of attention grow on my face. I looked around at the attendees. Ephraim with Lyn and their mother, who didn’t look too thrilled to be there. My mom and her reading group friends, as well as my aunt and uncle. It wasn’t a hugely impressive group of people, but I didn’t care. It was the right people at least. I saw a flash of blue hair and knew Kayla was there in the mix as well. Her face came through a group of my mom’s friends and she rolled her eyes at their discussion on cross stitch. I laughed and smiled at her. Nobody noticed.
Ephraim pulled me into a hug. “Love your new car!”
“Me, too! She’s perfect,” I said, beaming. Lynley stuck by her mom’s side like a leech and she waved. I had to pull her away from her mom, it was like the umbilical cord was still attached with those two. My mom had made a cake and dinner. We all sat around, talked, and ate our homemade pizza, one of my favorites. I couldn’t imagine leaving this group of people, heck even my mom’s friends were cool. They were old and silly, but they were funny.
After cake and ice cream, I noticed Lyn had disappeared. Once her mom was gone she was by my side the whole time up until a few minutes later. I looked through the now sparse crowd and didn’t see her.
“I’ll be right back,” I told everyone, but no one was paying attention to me. My dad and Ephraim were watching something on the sports channel, and my mom was talking books with her friends. I looked in the other rooms on this floor and didn’t see her, although I did find Kayla standing with arms folded, leaning against the wall.
“Happy Birthday, I would have brought a present, but I don’t have any money. It’s the whole being dead thing, you know?” Laughing slightly, I nodded.
“You being here was a gift.” It was the truth whether she believed me or not.
“Looking for the skinny girl?” she asked. I frowned at her nickname for Lyn.
“Lynley, I am looking for Lynley. Have you seen her?”
She pointed upstairs, the dark stairs. The ones I avoided at all costs. “Okay. Thanks, Kayla.” Heading up the dark stairwell, I tried to push out the memory of the first time I had seen a ghost in this house. I heard voices once I reached the corner room door, but they didn’t come from there. Instead, they came from the fireplace room. I pushed the door open, not sure what to expect. My jaw fell open in shock. Lyn was sitting on the floor as Evangeline brushed her hair, and they were speaking in quiet tones. “Get away from her!” I said through clenched teeth.
“Brylee, it’s not what you think it is. Please, she is only trying to help me,” Lynley said, sounding more like a small child than a teen girl. I pushed Evangeline off of my friend, her stupid brush falling to the floor. She looked shocked but not angry. She simply stood up and slowly walked to the fireplace. She lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in my face. I had no clue how it was so real, but the smell was nauseating. Just like the time Kayla had smoked in front of me. There was such a reality to it.
“Why are you still here?” I asked with folded arms.
“You are very confused right now. I don’t blame you for standing up and getting angry, but you do not understand what you are talking about. I can’t leave here.” Her voiced sounded silky and smooth with a hint of sarcasm.
“You can’t leave here? That’s interesting, since you’re a liar!” I spat. “You have been talking to Lynley and trying to trick her. I know all about you, Evangeline.” At the sound of her name she dropped the cigarette and it dissipated into the floorboards.
“Who told you that was my name? How is that possible? Do you know my sister?” The three questions she asked threw me for a loop. I wasn’t expecting to see her look so lost. Instead of the bad-ass ghost, she was now sullen. I stepped back as she came toward me, her face twisted in agony. The pale hair on her head changed, it began to fade and fall off. Her skin began to sag and drop from her face. As she reached toward me, her fingers were bony and fragile. She now was a corpse in clothing in front of me. She cocked her head like a zombie would do. My throat constricted, for there were no words for how horrific she looked. Lynley fell to the floor and sobbed. I could hear footsteps behind me and felt air brush past me, but I was frozen and literally could not turn around to see who was there. I knew that Evangeline was still in front of me. Her sunken face stared into my eyes as if she could will me to answer her.
“Get away from my friend you dead freak!” I turned around and saw Kayla standing behind me with her hands on her hips; very super-hero.
Evangeline looked to Kayla then back to me. Before she left, she said, “Please … I am not what you think.”
“Go!” Kayla yelled and she did.
I sank to the floor at Lyn’s side. She stopped once she saw me, but the confusion of what had just happened was written all over her face. “What happened?” she asked as she stood.
“You don’t remember any of that?” She shook her head as I led her out of the room. I told her it was nothing and we went downstairs. By the time we reached the living room she had forgotten that anything had even happened. She stood with my mom and began talking about school and Ephraim’s graduation. How she could shut it off like a switch made me a tad bit jealous. I wished I could forget that face I had just seen upstairs. I turned to see Kayla standing by my dad and Ephraim. She had helped me get rid of Evangeline. It was very brave of her, very brave indeed.
Ephraim’s senior graduation was here and I was super proud of my man. He looked stunning in a white dress shirt and tie. He had dressed up for the occasion, even though he swore it wasn’t a big deal to graduate from high school. I begged to differ; going through all we go through for four years is something to celebrate. It was worth getting dressed up for that one moment in our lives. It was your last hoorah.
My parents and I sat with the other guests in the bleachers. It was a beautiful spring day, with a slight threat of a few blood sucking mosquitoes. Otherwise, a perfect Jersey day. When I found Ephraim on the field in his graduation gown and cap, he looked up at me and made eye contact. I smiled at him, big enough for him to see. He smiled shyly back and gave me a lame thumbs up. I did it back and laughed. My mom jabbed me in the ribs and I straightened up. Ephraim’s name wasn’t called right away, so we had to sit through all the people I didn’t care about, including Amber, Ephraim’s ex. Finally the M’s were up and John Mayhew was called. I didn’t clap for him; he didn’t get my praise, not today. Then I heard them call Ephraim’s name. Standing, he gracefully walked up on the stage. He took his diploma as the speaker talked about what Ephraim’s future plans were. “Ephraim William Mayhew plans on attending college for Photography and,” she paused, “marrying his high school sweetheart, Brylee Branson.” Everyone clapped, laughed, and a few whistled. I giggled as he shook the principal’s hand and turned toward me to blow me a huge kiss. I buried my head in my hands, dying of embarrassment.
I heard my dad comment, “What does he mean? Is he serious?”
“Calm down, Paul, I think it’s kind of romantic!” my mom said to him. I raised my head and looked at her with shock and awe. It was romantic and I sat here flushing with humiliation. So instead I stood proud. I had the hottest graduate in Wilson, NJ and he just declared his love for me. I looked around for Ephraim’s mom, wondering what she thought of his little show. I couldn’t find her even after the ceremony ended. I didn’t stop looking for her or Lyn. I ran into Ephraim and he grabbed me, kissing me softly. “Like my surprise?”
“Yes, it was awesome.” I reached up and tossed his wavy hair. “You are one of a kind, Mr. Mayhew. Where
are your mom and sister?” I looked behind him, still searching. He pulled my face to his, taking over my gaze.
“They didn’t come, Brylee.” What? How does a mom not go to her son’s graduation? There is no excuse to cover this mess up.
“What do you mean?” I replied. What I wanted to say was, ‘Is she crazy?’
“I mean, she didn’t come. Lynley was going to come, but my mom told me she shouldn’t because she wasn’t feeling well. She stayed because she said she needs to take care of Lynley.” He looked away from me. “It doesn’t matter to me, because you’re here and so are your parents.”
“You only graduate once! There is no reason a mother should miss this sort of event.” My voice was small. I was afraid to offend his mother, but this had to be said. He had to know this was wrong on so many levels.
“Brylee, it’s no secret that my mom doesn’t care about me. Think about it, do you ever see her asking me how my day was? For God’s sake, I spend almost every night in your room and she never notices or cares. I could move out and she wouldn’t notice. She loves Lynley and that’s fine, but she has been like this since my dad died.” The hurt in his voice was evident. I wanted to do whatever I could to fix this situation, but I knew nothing I said would work. I had to show him that I was here and not leaving.
“Well, I have a surprise for you,” I said trying desperately to forget about everything. I led him to where my parents were waiting.
My mom stepped forward and kissed his cheek. “Congratulations, Ephraim.” My dad shook his hand, but said nothing about the marriage mention. “We wanted you and Brylee to have fun tonight, so we got you a little something.” My mom handed him an envelope, which he opened and thanked them over and over. The tickets inside were for a concert tonight. His favorite band, Wilkes, was playing for one night in New Jersey. It was my idea of course, because my parents were at a loss as to what to get him. He looked shocked as he grabbed them both in a huge hug. “This means so much to me, thank you.”
“You better get going, the concert starts in a few hours,” my dad replied.
“Yes, sir.”
We left the school and headed toward the concert. It just so happened that I liked the indie rock group just as much as he did, so it was a win-win. On the drive we said nothing about his mom; instead we talked about our plans after I got back from my vacation.
We found our seats and the band started playing their soulful music. I tried not to think about my trip the whole night, but even as we danced and sang to the music, I did. I couldn’t help the thought of telling my parents I wasn’t going to go. I didn’t want to be back home. I was afraid once I was there we wouldn’t leave, especially with my dad’s new job offer on the table. Would he tell me I had to stay?
Our favorite song came on as I was thinking this and Ephraim pulled me closer to him. I stood inside his arms, like he was a cocoon around me keeping me warm in the cool night air. I definitely had not dressed for a concert. He sang the words to the song in my ear. It was sort of our song in a way. We didn’t ever say it was, but if there was a song to choose this would be the one.
“Your touch will save me from impending doom. You will save me from the fears that circle me. Baby, you are my savior,” he sang in my ear. It gave me chills to think how close this song came to the life we were living right now. I tried not to cry as the band played the song, but the tears fell anyway. Luckily, Ephraim couldn’t see them from behind me, I didn’t want to ruin this moment. Instead I closed my eyes and tried to capture this moment for what it was; one of the best nights of my life.
We left the concert drunk on music and high from the love we shared for each other. We made it to his truck and he kissed me like he never had before. It was raw and passionate, something he had never expressed before. You see, here’s the thing: Ephraim is hot and all, but he is shy. He and I have had sex several times, but it was always sweet and careful. He never wanted to hurt me or make me scared. Instead he took his time and was romantic about it. But this kiss we shared was not romantic—not that that was a bad thing—it was lust. I kissed him back with just as much fervor. “Get a room,” someone called out. We broke apart, realizing that maybe we had gotten a little too carried away with ourselves.
“Hey, you have something to say?” Suddenly Ephraim went from loving to angry in the blink of an eye. I had never seen him like that before. Sure from time to time he would get pissed, but this was a level of anger that I didn’t recognize. I pulled his arm back to keep him from annihilating the other guy.
“Ephraim!” The darkness and anger left his eyes. He snapped out of his state and looked at me. It seemed like he didn’t even know what he had done wrong. Worry was all over my face, I just knew it was. I tried to hide it, but this was a sign of the curse.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he opened the door for me. I hated that he felt like he had to be ‘careful’ with me. I wasn’t this fragile doll that would break, and I certainly wasn’t an innocent girl he needed to take care of. I surely didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight with him over some jerk.
“You shouldn’t apologize for that back there,” I told him as we were on the freeway. “We are in love and that’s okay to kiss me like that. It’s also okay to kiss in a public place, you know, it’s not like we got naked in the parking lot.”
“Not yet,” he said with a wink. I shook my head at him; he didn’t get it.
“I just don’t want you to think that I only want you for sex. It’s not like that at all, I truly do adore you and love you.”
“I know you do. How could you not? I am a total package with an added bonus.”
“Oh yeah, what’s the added bonus?”
“I can talk to ghosts.” We laughed. I had to try to diffuse the tension somehow. I decided that I would not bring up the attitude he displayed.
He took a different exit off the freeway this time. We had been driving for a few minutes when it occurred to me we were not going the right way.
“Lost?” I joked.
“Nope, I know where I am headed.” We drove for a bit longer until I saw a dirt road that loomed in front of us. He pulled on to it and we drove onward. Finally we stopped in an open field—something you never really saw out here—and he parked. He got out, so I did as well.
“Look up,” he said. I did and noticed that the stars were so bright. It had been so long since I had seen them. The light pollution here made it practically impossible to see anything in the sky. Out here it was different, almost like being somewhere else. He walked me to a little grassy patch and put out a blanket. We lay on it, watching the stars for a while, until he broke the silence. “I have been hearing some of the ghosts again. I don’t really know what to say to them.” My throat ran dry, like a desert, and I swallowed hard.
“What do they say?”
“Sometimes they want me to surrender myself to the house and get it over with. Other times they tell me they want me to kill myself somewhere else. They don’t want our spirits mixing with theirs.”
I remembered that they didn’t want the Mayhews with them in their afterlife. Regardless if the family feud had been over for years, they didn’t want them there period. Nor did I.
“Ephraim, how often is it?” I dared to ask.
“Not too much. Lately I have had more aggression. I try to take it out on my punching bag, but I get mad at stupid stuff,” he paused, “like earlier. I know it’s all so strange, but it comes and goes. My only theory is that it’s trying to decide who to take first, me or Lynley.” I felt the same way. Looking at him now I would say the curse wanted him. He was the same Ephraim, but in his eyes he looked lost. His gaze was distant and empty. Grabbing his hand, I rested my head on his chest.
“I have the book from Hala in my purse, we can read from it now if you want,” I suggested. I couldn’t read it in my home, so why not here? He shrugged. I pulled it out, its red cover looked deadly in the moonlight. The book from her great grandmother, Aliah, was going to hel
p me. I knew it and felt it in the pages. That didn’t mean the pages were legible. The first page stated the facts; who she was as a person and why she was writing a diary. She hoped to help others in the future to either practice the arts or destroy the Barclay sisters. I was shocked at reading this. She wanted them dead, and here I thought she admired them. Aliah went on and on about how they used their craft to hurt others. Ephraim listened as I read about certain ways to banish a witch from your home, but nothing on banishing them once they were dead.
I dropped the book on the blanket, giving up for the night. Laying back down, I looked up at the stars. Maybe going back to the library to see my new friend Angie would help me uncover some more truth. It wouldn’t hurt.
Ephraim kissed me in an attempt to distract me, and for a moment it worked. I got lost in his arms as he held me gently. The kiss deepened a bit more, and then I opened my eyes. That’s when things went all wrong. I saw a misty cloud coming toward us. At first I thought it had to be low lying fog, until I started to see the eyes forming in the mist. I pulled myself away from Ephraim and he turned around to see what I was seeing. There was no way he would be able to see it, because he didn’t see the dead. However, they say those who are close to death can see death. It must be completely true, because he saw them. At first he was frozen as they walked closer to us. Then he got up and backed away, scared. He wasn’t used to seeing them like I was. Scratch that! I was never going to get used to this, but I had to try if this was my life now. I went toward the mist as the dead started to surround me, locking me inside a circle of their bodies. Their eyes were glassy and their faces veiny and gruesome. They didn’t look like their former selves, unless they were zombies in their life. A woman put her hand on my arm. I froze as her clammy palm rested on my skin. It felt cold at first, and then wet.
The Crimson Key Page 8
