Grim Hill: Forest of Secrets

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by Linda DeMeulemeester


  “Jasper,” I gasped. “I think Grim Hill is infested …”

  “With witches,” Jasper’s voice was filled with dread. “I sensed it as soon as my parents pulled into town.” He hung his head. “But I didn’t want to admit it, not even to myself.”

  I realized that everything I’d fought for over the past year had been undone – no, not just undone, made ten times worse! But how?

  There was only one place we could go for help. Even though we were pretty much running on empty, Jasper and I raced to the Greystones. Surely they would know what was happening. Maybe they’d even be able to tell me where Sookie was.

  Again, we ran through silent streets. Yellow fog floated through alleys, stretching its ghostly arms and causing the occasional people we spotted to scurry away to their homes. We stopped in front of the gate with the rusty hinge and the old-fashioned house with the wraparound porch. Somehow, even just seeing this place filled my heart with hope.

  I banged on the brass doorknocker. A shade pulled open and Alice Greystone peeked out the window. She opened the door and invited us in. “Oh my dears,” she said, giving us each a hug.

  “Is it Cat and Jasper?” asked a frail voice from the living room.

  “Yes,” announced Alice Greystone, ushering us into their front parlor.

  Lucinda sat on a camel-back velvet couch, a china tea cup resting on a doily on the dark table beside her. A pale blue quilt covered her lap and her skin looked even more translucent than I remembered. It was as if she were hardly in this world anymore. “Come sit beside me,” she beckoned.

  I sat down carefully, not wanting to give her a jolt. She took my hand in hers and I noticed how papery her skin felt.

  “So you’ve both seen,” Lucinda said.

  Then the dam burst inside me and I blurted out the story of our whole adventure and our curious return. What I left out, Jasper filled in. Alice bustled in and out of the room bringing a plate of biscuits and a jug of lemonade, but nobody touched anything.

  I shook my head in despair. “What happened?”

  Lucinda spent most of her life in a fairy circle, so she was immune to the wicked glamour that fairies used to trick people’s minds. She fastened me with eyes that brimmed with both sorrow and kindness.

  “I fear that your sister opened the door to the Otherworld.” Her tone sounded like Mom’s when she’d told me the bad news of the divorce, so I knew Lucinda was keeping her voice steady for my sake while holding back her own misery.

  “Once the door became unlocked, Fairy slipped through. If only the door hadn’t been opened on the summer solstice,” Lucinda explained. “The Otherworld and our world were just too close.”

  “It’s my fault.” I bit my lip hard, trying not to break down. “I told Sookie to use her magic and summon help.”

  Alice Greystone came over and put her arm around me. “It’s not your fault. You did what you had to do,” she said firmly.

  “We had no choice,” Jasper agreed. “We’d have all been lost for sure.”

  “Sometimes one is forced to make a difficult choice,” Lucinda’s soft voice affirmed. “And it’s not possible to predict the future.”

  But I can, I thought suddenly. I told Jasper and the Greystone sisters about my dream of the wicked carnival and that it was not the first time I had dreamt of the future. It had been a warning.

  Lucinda considered this quietly. “Fairy time is like an elastic band,” Lucinda said slowly. “It can snap backward and forward, which has considerable consequences for mortals.”

  She had that right, considering she’d aged seventy years in seven days.

  “For one thing,” said Lucinda. “You two have only been gone days, but it’s been several weeks since the witch has taken over the town.”

  Witches! I knew it. Jasper let out a slow whistle.

  “Maybe,” Lucinda glanced at me quizzically, “maybe you have a gift, Cat. It seems you can see snippets of this fairy time. There must be a reason for that. We need to research this and help you with it. It might be important.” I hoped so, because as far as special powers go, mine had been useless so far. There was one thing that couldn’t wait. “Sookie,” I said. “Do you know anything about Sookie?” Alice frowned and Lucinda’s expression grew uncomfortable. “Where is she?” I demanded. “Is she hurt?” “No, Cat,” said Lucinda. “Sookie is unharmed.” “Then tell me where she is.” “At the old house by the cemetery,” Lucinda revealed with reluctance.

  Bea and Lea’s old home. How could my Mom or anybody let a little girl live there by herself, unless – “She’s not with Bea, is she?” I said in alarm.

  “As far as I know, she’s on her own,” said Alice. This wasn’t making any sense. Before they could say anything more, I got up and ran out the door. “Stop,” called Alice. “We need to tell you more.” “Cat, wait for me,” cried Jasper. I kept running.

  About the Author

  Linda DeMeulemeester has worked in the fields of literacy and education for many years as a teacher and program adviser. She credits her grandmother, a natural storyteller who was born over a hundred years ago, for her love of mystery and suspense. Linda is a graduate of the Clarion West Workshop for writers of science fiction and fantasy, and her short stories have been published in several magazines. The Secret of Grim Hill was her first novel. Fans can connect with Linda at www.grimhill.com.

  CHAPTER 33 - An Uncertain Future

  I PRACTICALLY FLEW to Lea’s old home. I hated that place by the graveyard, with its haunted old house and sinister trees. When I reached the front yard, it became clear it was inhabited again. Half-drawn curtains revealed a guttering candle casting ghastly silhouettes against the window.

  Bundles of strange dried plants hung from the front porch ceiling and I sneezed twice at the cloying odor of dark spice and wilted, dying roses. Wicked plants grew in thorny clusters along the cracked stone sidewalk. The whole house was caught in the chilling shadow of Grim Hill and I hesitated to march up to the front door. I decided to check around back instead.

  The back garden had been restored to all of its creepy glory with monstrous potted plants that looked as if they might make a grab for me if I got too near. On the porch, a tall broom sat beside the backdoor. A very unfriendly black cat lazed in the weak sunlight, but sprang and hissed when I made it to the top of the steps. Something was very wrong with this place. I would have left had I not spotted the tiny troll doll placed on top of the banister.

  Sookie had bought that ugly doll in Sweden.

  I swallowed, then used the front of my sleeve to rub away the dirt caked on a partly opened kitchen window and peered inside. The kitchen shelves and counter were crowded with jars stuffed with cuttings of peculiar plants and strange colored bulbs. A huge black cauldron sat on top of the stove and a foul green liquid threatened to bubble over.

  The broom, the cat, the cauldron, and the herbs – this is where the witch lived. And she had Sookie! A screeching bird startled me. My heart hammered even louder when I noticed a white raven perched on a corner stand in the kitchen. It arched its ivory wings and fastened me with a beady black eye.

  “Caw! Hello!” the bird screeched.

  A tall blond woman wearing a long gray dress that could have been spun from spider silk swept into the kitchen. My heart sank. It was Bea, the wicked banshee who had tried to kill Jasper. That is, I thought it was Bea until she said …

  “Maeb, my sweet bird, who is there? Who dares come lurking at my door?”

  The witch stared directly at me. Her glowing, cat-like eyes looked eerie – the irises were a familiar blue, but the pupils resembled black slits. And on her shoulder sat a hamster – Buddy!

  This was the voice from the mirror that had comforted me in my darkest moments. Deeper, and somehow more powerful, but it was the same voice. I choked out the word that was already dying on my lips.

  “Sookie?”

  “Cat,” the witch said. Warmth flashed across her face, terribly out of place against her
cold beauty.

  “But how …?” Backing away from the porch, I almost tumbled down the steps, but caught my footing and kept moving away. Sookie rushed to the door and flung it open.

  “I’ve been in Fairy a long time,” Sookie said to me. There was no sorrow in her voice when she said, “I’ve changed.”

  “You … you’re grown up. And you’re a … a witch,” I sputtered from the yard.

  “I’m afraid so, Cat.” Sookie smiled ruefully, as if she were sorrier for me, now her sworn enemy, than for herself. “Remember, a sacrifice had to be made.”

  A memory of us sitting on the bus flashed through my mind. I recalled just how angry I had been when I was forced to take care of my sister. All she had wanted was to eat some snacks. “It’s time you learned to sacrifice,” I had told her. I began shivering as if I’d fallen into an icy lake.

  I did the only thing I could do right now – I ran.

  “Don’t worry about me, Cat,” Sookie called after me. “Now I can practice all the magic I want.” Then she laughed wickedly. “It’s truly fun.”

  I ran blindly and was out of breath by the time I’d run halfway up Grim Hill. I collapsed on the leaf-strewn ground. I don’t know how long I sat there in a numbing daze, but it was now darker on the hill and the tree shadows had grown menacing. Strange squawks and groans came from the forest, sounds that no animal I was familiar with could have made.

  Crunching footsteps signaled somebody’s approach. I held my breath. “Cat?”

  “Oh, Jasper,” I cried.

  Jasper burst through a copse of trees and joined me on the ground. “I followed you. I … I saw Sookie.” His voice was filled with sorrow.

  I nodded, huddling on the ground in a heap of misery, pulling my knees to my chest. “What am I going to do?”

  Jasper wasn’t paying attention. He was looking over my shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise. “How … how long has she been here?”

  “A while,” came the gentle voice. My heart skipped a beat when my friend Lea emerged from the shadows. There was a time when I thought all I wanted was to see her once more. How cruel fate was.

  Fight the fates, a faint voice whispered in my ear.

  “You know what happened?” I asked.

  “Yes, Cat,” Lea’s red-rimmed eyes shed a tear. “Your mirror magic drew my attention back to Grim Hill. But I discovered what happened to your sister too late.” The fairy girl seemed genuinely sad for me, which was unusual for her kind – to feel anything for mortals. But Lea had always been different.

  “You know how Fairy works,” I said suddenly. “There must be something I can do to fix this mess.”

  Lea’s gentle features grew pinched and she tossed her red hair as she stared up the hill.

  Determination burned inside me. This wasn’t how things could end. I wouldn’t let this happen. “Lea,” I persisted. “What can I do to save my sister and take away the enchantment?”

  “Maybe there is one way,” Lea shook her head slowly.

  “It’s perilous. You’re not going to like it, Cat.”

  I’d broken down when the secret door closed, trapping Sookie inside. Then I had collapsed in sorrow unable to do anything about it. I refused to go to that dark place again. This wasn’t going to be our fate!

  “I don’t care,” I said, and Jasper nodded in agreement.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Discover the entire award-winning

  “Grim Hill” Series

  Grim Hill, Book 1

  The Secret of Grim Hill

  978-0-09920923-0-6

  Uncover the secret that started it all! This suspenseful tale pits Cat Peters and her friends against diabolical fairies and their powerful spells in a Halloween sho

  Grim Hill, Book 2

  The Secret Deepens

  978-0-9920923-1-3

  Sookie’s dabbling in magic unleashes a brutal winter and a strange sickness, and forces Cat to return to the last place she wants to go – Grim Hill!

  Grim Hill, Book 3

  The Forgotten Secret

  978-0-9920923-2-0

  Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so it seems only natural that Cat’s friends, her sister, and even her soccer coaches have all been captivated by romance. But even romance has a sinister side in a town with Grim Hill at its center.

  Grim Hill, Book 4

  The Family Secret

  978-0-9920923-3-7

  When Cat and her friends take part in a student exchange to Sweden, Cat uncovers an old family secret about fairy fighters and an ancient battle with Scandinavian fairy folk.

  Coming Soon, Grim Hill Book 6

  Carnival of Secrets

  978-0-9920923-5-1

  Cat has lost the things she holds dear. A sinister carnival holds her town in a thrall, and her sister has gone over to dark magic. Cat will do whatever it takes to set things right even if that means setting out on the most dangerous adventure of all.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  reviews

  title

  rights

  dedication

  CHAPTER 1 – Uneasy Beginnings

  CHAPTER 2 - A Haunting Past

  CHAPTER 3 - A Bad Omen

  CHAPTER 4 - A Dire Departure

  CHAPTER 5 - A Wicked Illusion

  CHAPTER 6 - A Perilous Ride

  CHAPTER 7 - A Narrow Escape

  CHAPTER 8 - Forest of Darkness

  CHAPTER 9 - A Dicey Decision

  CHAPTER 10 - Deadly Encounters

  CHAPTER 11 - Dangerous Magic

  CHAPTER 12 - A Diabolical Plot

  CHAPTER 13 - A Treacherous Choice

  CHAPTER 14 - Dead Lost

  CHAPTER 15 - A Sinister Turn

  CHAPTER 16 - A Foreboding Discovery

  CHAPTER 17 - The Nightmare Begins

  CHAPTER 18 - Night Terrors

  CHAPTER 19 - A Menacing Fiend

  CHAPTER 20 - Disturbing Visions

  CHAPTER 21 - A Dark Despair

  CHAPTER 22 - Sookie’s Mistake

  CHAPTER 23 - A Grave Plan

  CHAPTER 24 - Mirror Madness

  CHAPTER 25 - A Fiendish Bargain

  CHAPTER 26 - A Secret Door

  CHAPTER 27 - A Ghastly Sacrifice

  CHAPTER 28 - Dark Whispers

  CHAPTER 29 - Mirror Magic

  CHAPTER 30 - A Dreadful Homecoming

  CHAPTER 31 - An Unsettling Mystery

  CHAPTER 32 - Carnival of Horrors

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 33 - An Uncertain Future

  Discover the entire award-winning “Grim Hill” Series

 

 

 


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