After another long beat, she nodded. “Very well.”
I expelled a sigh of relief. Now I just had to get past my fear of ghosts, if this place was indeed haunted. Based on the little bit of research I’d done right before driving here, I’d learned that spirits were invisible and could move soundlessly at incredible speeds. For those reasons, they freaked me out. I hated the idea that they could be standing right in front of you, and you’d never know it. I shook off my distress by convincing myself that Nona and Eloise would handle any apparitions that came our way.
“That’s it,” Nona told Eloise in a calm, support tone. “Visualize. Find your center.”
With her eyelids closed, Eloise no longer gasped for air, and the uncertainty that had gripped her expression mere seconds ago had vanished. It seemed that she’d meditated to refocus. When she finally turned toward me and her slightly chubby face had recaptured its natural glow, she appeared to have regained her composure.
Eloise batted her turquoise eyes, making her smoky eyeshadow seem even more pronounced. “At first, I also thought this place looked harmless.” She tapped a finger against her deep red lips, but in so doing, her entire hand trembled. She removed it and swung it behind her back. “I was wrong.” She averted her eyes to take in the mansion. Her breath evened out as her gaze hardened into one of concentration and determination.
Eloise turned to her mentor. “I should have guarded myself before we entered the mansion.” Then she set her gaze on mine. “You know I’m perceptive to feelings, but what you may not know is that when emotions are running high and there’s more than one other person in the vicinity, it’s tough for me to identify which person or entity they’re coming from. I guess I’m still a work in progress.”
Nona winked at her with a slight grin, but her eyes appeared solemn.
Unnerved by their silent communication, but even more so because Eloise’s expression turned to dread, I now wavered about what awaited us in the house less than ten yards away. Not that it would keep me from joining them in this mission. “So how do we get rid of whatever’s in there?”
“That depends,” Nona said, meeting my gaze.
“On what?”
“How far you’re willing to take things.”
“What type of things?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
Had she not answered and remained vague because the answer would scare or upset me? Or did she simply not know what to expect inside the mansion? Both possibilities were practical. Still, her unwillingness to be specific made me uneasy. It seemed that whatever bad mojo had racked Eloise’s body moments ago had left her and now clutched onto me.
“Hey,” Eloise said, stepping over to me. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I admitted, my stomach gripped by a heaviness that refused to leave.
“Do you want out of the deal?” asked Eloise.
“No way,” I said with newfound certainty. “I need this.” I’d even checked online to learn about ghost detection systems. I figured Nona and Eloise would bring some high-tech gear to detect any spirits, and I wanted to know how to operate their equipment so I could see and hear any specters.
“It’s perfectly fine,” Nona said, “if you’ve reconsidered.” The doubt in her voice made her gaunt, wrinkled face look more worn and withdrawn than mere moments ago. “We’ll understand.”
For someone who looked like a kind grandmother who liked to sew and bake cookies, Nona was, in reality, a sly, calculating woman. It made me realize that, since we’d only had a few run-ins, I knew nothing of her personal life. A wedding ring or band didn’t adorn her left hand, but she wore a tan sweatshirt with giant, messy red letters that spelled out: “Don’t mess with Grandma!” scrawled across it.
“How many grandchildren do you have?” I asked, hoping for a reprieve of dealing with the potential darkness inside the mansion.
“Twenty-three,” she said. Her sparkling eyes were as warm and inviting as hot chocolate.
“All from the same daughter,” Eloise whispered and leaned close to confide in me. “Nine different fathers. It’s a touchy subject. Don’t go there!”
“Eloise,” Nona said, letting the word drag out in a sigh. “I have eight children, and each has at least one child.”
“Wow,” I said, startled to learn that her fragile frame could support one child much less eight. Of course, quite a bit of time had passed since her child-rearing years, but still.”
“Let’s not break our concentration,” said Nona, a subtle frown tucking her lips downward. “We’re here to do a job: rid the house of whatever plagues it. We have plenty of time to discuss…” she turned to Eloise with a sneaky grin that banished her grimace, “your first opportunity to babysit all of my great-grandchildren.”
Eloise’s eyes grew large and her mouth hung open.
To distract her, I gestured toward her green backpack. “Did you bring some high-tech stuff to get a reading on any spectral activity?”
“Um…” She swallowed, turned away from Nona’s good humor, and met my gaze. “No. It’s just a bunch of stuff to help us over the next couple days, You know, stuff like energy bars, fruit, bottled water, a change of clothing, flashlights, batteries.”
I’d brought similar items, but because I didn’t know what to expect, I also added my Bible, a crucifix, and holy water in my oversized purse, although I hoped I wouldn’t need to use them since that would mean a demonic entity lingered inside the mansion.
Before leaving for this job, I’d left a voicemail for Father Demetrius and stated my intentions before giving him the address of this mansion and asking him to call me after a few hours. His calm voice and unwavering support always gave me a jolt of confidence.
I slung the strap of my large purse higher on my right shoulder and removed my Bible. The moment I clutched it, my spirit felt stronger, more assured of handling whatever awaited us in the mansion.
Upon seeing the cross, Nona’s lively gaze flashed, emphasizing deep brown bags under her eyes, as though her flesh had sagged to pry her stare away from the supernatural horrors she had faced over the past fifty years. “I’m quite proud of you, Jocelyn.” She took in a breath, but before she could muster a word, she cringed and a set a palm to her lips before she let out a shrill cough.
She wheeled around to keep us from seeing her face. Each time she hacked, her back arched and rattled as if each of the bones had separated from her spine and moved of their own accord. Nona withdrew a wrinkled tissue from the front of her black slacks, held it to her mouth, and continued to cough.
Eloise rushed toward her, but even without looking, Nona waved her away with her free hand. Deprived of a way to help the older woman, Eloise fidgeted with her hands, approaching Nona and then backing off, wanting to assist her despite Nona’s warning not to. Conflicted, Eloise met my stare with uncertainty as a worried expression took hold of her. She put a fist to her lips and bit her thumb, but appeared ready to bolt into action in the event that Nona endured even worse spasms.
I’d only worked with them once, but I knew they trusted, respected, and appreciated each other. Based on the attentive manner in which Eloise tended to Nona, she may have regarded her as the equivalent of a grandmother. It was a touching moment, and my faith in them multiplied.
After more than a minute of coughing, Nona returned the tissue to her pocket, straightened, took in a couple of breaths, and turned back toward us. Having been bent over for so long had forced blood to rush into her face and made her eyes water.
Had I spotted a dash of blood on her lower lip?
My immediate thought was to hurry over to her side as Eloise had done in the event we needed to skip this event and drive Nona to the emergency room at the closest hospital. But the moment that thought tumbled through my mind, Nona must have seen me inspecting her for evidence of an illness because she swiped the tissue across her lip.
Had Eloise seen it? If she had, based on the protectiveness she’d just shown Nona,
she would have been even more worried. I’d need to speak with her at some point soon to double-check.
“Eloise,” Nona said, striding past both of us, “let’s try this again.”
I exchanged glances with Eloise, who looked more confident than when I’d first set eyes upon her tonight. She dashed after Nona, who moved quickly for her age. I was in no hurry to enter the house, but if I didn’t move now, I’d have trouble compelling my feet forward. Without looking up at the mansion, but unable to do anything but think how “something dangerous” prowled the estate, I hurried after both Nona and Eloise.
Then I caught sight of the massive, dark oak front door that would allow visitors twice our height to enter without a problem. On either side at the top, three rectangular patterns gave the entryway some old-time charm, above which was a panel of decorative glass in the image of a half-sun peering over the horizon.
I found it odd that the architect would commission such a finely detailed piece of glasswork that visitors might strain to see due to its height. Then I realized the intention might have been to prevent visitors from seeing what lay inside…before they stepped through the doorway.
The same one Nona and Eloise just passed through. The same one that now made me feel like I’d made a horrible mistake coming here.
The Possessed Page 25
