A Whispered Darkness

by Vanessa Barger

  “All right, then.”

  The storm outside hadn’t let up, so we sprinted to the car and jumped inside. The sound of the rain on the roof was a dull roar.

  “Geez. I didn’t think we’d moved into monsoon territory.” Grant wiped water from his eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

  Steering the car down the driveway, I chuckled. “Just hope the roof doesn’t leak.”

  It took us nearly double the time it should have to drive into town. Mom had called when we were almost to the restaurant to check on us. Grant delivered directions with an imperious finger while he assured Mom we were fine.

  Finally, the blinking neon lights of Xun King Chinese Restaurant appeared in the gloomy evening. A grocery store and small hardware store were nestled on either side in the small strip shopping center. I pulled into a parking spot in the front, glad we wouldn’t have to run across the parking lot in the rain.

  “Want to stop by the grocery store while we’re out?”

  Grant sighed. “Are you really asking?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then let’s get our order in and then we’ll go to the store.” He rubbed his hands together. “I could use some snacks.”

  “Hey, we’re getting basics. Not enough cheese doodles to kill an army.”

  “Party pooper.”

  We placed an order in the small Chinese restaurant, and then moved to the grocery store with twenty minutes to kill. Grant grabbed a buggy, despite my protest we didn’t need it. Before we left, I knew he’d have snuck in at least two bags of stuff we didn’t need.

  Ten minutes later, as I stood in the magazine aisle flipping through a craft magazine, the world shifted on its axis. I looked up from a description of a Halloween costume made of pantyhose and black pants to see the most gorgeous boy I’d ever laid eyes on.

  He was tall, broad shouldered, with short, messy blond hair and what I could only describe as chiseled features. I struggled to close my mouth and stop drooling, because I knew I had to be.

  “Hey! Claire!”

  I whirled, dropping the magazine in the process.

  Grant loped up the aisle and I bent down to retrieve the magazine. But the mystery guy held it out with a smile.

  “You must be the new kids living out on Cherrystone Lane?”

  I nodded and slid the magazine back into the shelf. Clearing my throat, I smiled. “I’m Claire, and this is my brother Grant.”

  “Haven Elliott. I live next door.” His lips tilted in a half-smile. “Or as close to it as you can get, out where we are.”

  “Hello.” Grant reached out to shake Haven’s hand. “You spoke to us instead of acting like we’re invaders, so you must be all right.”

  A chuckle escaped Haven, but the interest and friendliness on his face dimmed a when an older woman walked past, sniffing and giving us all a visual once-over. “Yes, well, it’s a small town.”

  Grant opened his mouth, and I stomped on his foot. “Sorry. My brother doesn’t have the filter between brain and mouth most people have.”

  “No worries. He isn’t saying anything I haven’t heard before.”

  I glared at Grant. “Don’t encourage him.”

  He glanced down at the random assortment of items in the cart. “Cheese doodles and cool-whip for dinner?”

  “That’s what happens when you leave little brothers unattended with the cart.” I shrugged. “We’re waiting on Chinese and picking up a few things while we’re here.”

  Haven nodded. “Well, it was nice to meet you. I’ll see you when school starts.”

  I nodded and flashed an inane smile. Haven moved past, down the aisle and out of sight. As soon as he did, Grant laughed and smacked my shoulder. “You might want to get some paper towels to wipe your chin, loser.”

  “Bite me.”

  “Nah, I’ll leave that for lover boy.”

  Heat swept in a fresh wave over my face and I grabbed the cart. “I’m going to ignore you. We need lunch meat and bread and then we’re out of here.”

  Grant sighed. “Come on! I can’t help it. You never date, so I have to get my kicks in while I can.”

  “I was talking to a stranger who introduced himself. Not fishing for a date.”

  He grinned again. “Yeah, but you’d have jumped on it if he asked.”

  I glared, but didn’t say anything else. We moved through the rest of the store, grabbing a few more essentials. Then we checked out and took the items to the car.

  Either Fate was being nice, or having a great laugh at my expense, but another guy around my age stood inside the restaurant as we ran back in. Based on previous experience, I’d bet on the latter. He was tall, lanky with sandy hair and a wide smile. When we walked in, he gave us a curious glance, and then stuck out one hand.

  “I’m Bryan Cathers. I might be a little forward, but it’s easy to spot new faces in a town this small.”

  I stared for a moment, then shook my head and shook his hand. “Sorry. I’m being rude. I’m Claire Mallory.”

  I ran a hand over my bedraggled hair and grimaced. Didn’t even want to think about how I looked at the moment. Two guys introducing themselves in one day? Of course I would look like a mess.

  “You guys are the ones moving into the house on Cherrystone, right?” Bryan asked.

  Grant sighed. “Apparently everyone knows our house better than we do.”

  Bryan’s smile brightened. “Well, it is a pretty intense house, don’t you think?”

  He had no idea. I pasted on a smile. “We haven’t really been there long enough to find out.”

  Awkward silence descended between us. Bryan cleared his throat. “Well, if you need help, feel free to come over and grab me. My house is just through the woods a bit. We’re your closest neighbors. Just past the Elliot house.”

  Grant shot me a look and chuckled. “Ah, Haven! Yeah, we just met him.”

  A frown creased Bryan’s brows. “Haven Elliott isn’t really what I’d call a neighbor.”

  I didn’t know what to say. His tone didn’t invite questions. “Well, thanks for the offer. You might regret it before we’re finished.”

  He laughed, though it sounded a little forced. “Well, it will be my own fault, right?”

  There was another moment of silence, and behind the counter, a petite Asian teenager smiled and told us our order was ready.

  Handing Grant the money for dinner, I hung back with Bryan, determined not to be rude, despite the apprehension fluttering in my stomach. I wasn’t attracted to him, though he was cute. I didn’t want to be close to him. He made me feel strangely dirty. I couldn’t really place the feeling or why it appeared.

  “So, are you registered for classes yet?”

  I shook my head. “It’s on the agenda for this week. I’ll probably be stuck in all freshman classes because we’re so late signing up.”

  Bryan patted my arm. “Maybe. But it’s a small school. It won’t be as bad as you think.”

  Nothing can be as bad as the place I left…Forcing a smile, I nodded and mumbled something appropriately non-committal.

  He seemed to sense my thoughts. “I think I owe you an apology.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  Bryan’s face flushed. “I know I come off a little intense. I apologize. I’m an impatient person on a good day, and new people our age in town almost never happens. So I’m sorry if I’m a little too enthusiastic.”

  “No, it’s nice to know someone is interested in being friends.”

  He laughed. “You don’t have to cover it up, I know what I’m like. But thanks for trying anyway.”

  I smiled, a little more genuinely this time. “No problem.”

  Finally, Grant pocketed the change and stepped between us. “Sorry to break this up, but I’m starved. We’ll see you around, Bryan.”

  He shook both our hands.

  “Thanks for the offer of help.” I forced the words out, wiping my hand over the back
of my jeans and hoping he didn’t notice. His touch felt clammy, slightly off despite his friendliness.

  “No problem. Have a good night!”

  For once, I was glad to let Grant be rude and drag me away before our conversation descended into even more awkwardness.

  He clutched dinner to his chest as we jogged to the car.

  “Geez, we haven’t even been here twenty-four hours and you’re picking up boys already?”

  I slid into the driver’s seat with relief. “Oh, yeah, cause he totally wants this hot mess.” I shoved the keys in the ignition and spread my arms, raising an eyebrow at Grant.

  “There’s no accounting for taste.” Grant waited until I pulled out of the parking lot before adding, “He’s a weirdo, Claire. Please go for the blond one.”

  My lips lifted. “I’ll keep that in mind when I’m making up my list of possible dating candidates.”

  “They’re flocking to you like birds.” He dug in the brown paper bag and pulled out an eggroll. Stuffing a large portion in his mouth, he chewed and swallowed. “I’m pretty sure Hitchcock did a movie about that.”

  ***

  When we got home, lights shone from the second floor windows, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach. There was no escaping it—I’d have to go upstairs tonight.

  The Chinese food didn’t smell quite so appetizing anymore. Grant called out for Mom as we entered. Her response drifted down the stairwell, beckoning us upstairs like a whiff of perfume.

  Grant slid the Chinese food on the counter with a mournful look and we made our way down the hall to the staircase. Dark wooden banisters boasted finely carved leafy swirls and complicated patterns. If I hadn’t been dreading whatever lay up there, it would have been pretty.

  Grant bounded up, and I followed slowly, each step an act of will. He gave me a strange look as he stood at the top of the stairs. “Move it, sis. I’m starving, and you know she won’t come down until we see whatever it is she’s found.”

  I nodded and forced myself to take the stairs two at a time until I stood at the top, panting. Sweat beaded on my upper lip and I wiped it away, my eyes darting around. The presence in the house was stronger here, but different.

  There’s more than one presence here? Shit.

  “Come in here and see this, sweetie. It’s fantastic!” Mom waved at me from a lit room at the other end of the landing.

  I almost ran to Mom and Grant, sliding into the doorway and suppressing a shiver. The room was huge, with its own spiral staircase that led upward into the turret of the tower. Mom pointed at the stairs. The darkness there was thick and far too dense to see through.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “I don’t know what it was used for originally. I think the house might have been a hospital or asylum maybe. I’ve found two old cot frames, and this amazing wheelchair.” She motioned to the side, and my gaze turned to a wheelchair made around the turn of the century. The wood was cracked in places, and blanketed with a thick coating of dust.

  Every hair on my body stood on end and I took a step back. “Amazing isn’t quite the word I’d use for it.” I muttered. Luckily, Mom was already off on another tangent about the shape of the room.

  Grant and I exchanged a glance and moved away from the chair. Mom gestured wildly, so I slapped on a smile.

  “This will be a fantastic library when I get the old wallpaper down and shelving up. Can you see it?”

  Mom’s enthusiasm was tangible, and my expression turned more genuine. “Sure, Mom. But right now, can we see the inside of the take-out bag?”

  Mom laughed and threw her arms around our shoulders, and squeezed. “Sure, let’s go eat.” We walked to the door, where we stopped. She turned around, her eyes on the room, a slightly fanatical light there. Her hands ran down our arms and squeezed our hands. “This is a good place. With a little effort and elbow grease, you’ll love it. I promise.”

  Grant and I nodded and headed downstairs. As we clomped down the steps, I swore someone chuckled from the landing above. But when I tipped my head back and looked, nothing was there but shadows thrown by the lamp left in the soon-to-be-library.

  “Stop it.” I paused in the middle of the steps.

  I waited, expecting some sort of response, but nothing happened. With a shrug, I took the last few stairs quickly, glad to get away from the second floor. I dreaded the day Mom insisted we claim a bedroom up there. Somehow, I thought the entities in the house would enjoy it far more than me.

  Chapter Five

  “So, are you ready to start school?” Mom asked. She tried to keep her tone casual and failed miserably.

  I sighed, sinking farther into the passenger seat. “I’m fine. Quit worrying. This is a new place. No one here knows anything about what happened before. I’ll be all right.”

  “I want this to be perfect for you. It’s your senior year. You only get one of them.”

  Grant snorted in the back seat. “Unless you flunk English or something.”

  Mom glared into the rear view mirror. “Not funny, Grant.”

  I pressed my forehead to the window glass, wishing this was already over. Mom made it more of an ordeal than she needed to. All I could hope for was her continued silence. If she said anything about what happened before—and the days of medication and psychiatrists—this would be the longest year ever. Teenagers weren’t known for their compassion. I learned that the hard way.

  The school was as small as the town, which was a tight-knit community. Just what I needed. The moment we walked in the door, the guidance counselors, already looking glassy-eyed and stressed behind their piles of paperwork, seemed to go into overdrive. They smiled and welcomed us, but I wondered if they secretly groaned at the sight of us.

  Mom filled out the paperwork, and Grant and I tried to pick a schedule we’d be happy with. I also received the information about all the senior activities and deadlines. As I filled in the last slot on the scheduling form, a familiar voice called my name. I handed the paperwork to the counselor and turned.

  Bryan stood in the doorway, looking genuinely surprised to see us. Beside me, Grant muttered, “Great. The weirdo is back.”

  I elbowed him into silence.

  “Bryan!” The counselor, Mrs. Boyd, smiled brightly. “Why don’t you give Grant and Claire a tour of the building while we finish up the other paperwork with Mrs. Mallory.”

  “Sure, if they don’t mind.” He looked at me, waiting to see what I’d say. I noted he didn’t even glance at my brother. The action, or lack of it, rankled.

  “Ready, Grant?” I asked.

  He handed over the paper with a muffled groan.

  “After you, Bryan.”

  He led the way from the office, a wide smile on his face. He really did seem pleased to lead us around. Grant leaned over as we left and whispered, “He’s easily amused, don’t you think?”

  I pressed a finger to my lips and glared. Outside the office, Bryan spread his hands wide. “What do you want to see first?”

  “We’ll follow you,” I said.

  Bryan’s chest seemed to swell. “Great. Well, this is obviously the guidance office—”

  “Obviously,” Grant said.

  Our guide’s smile dimmed a bit. “And right here is the main office.” He took a few steps down the hall to the glass-walled office. Cutting a glance at Grant, he said, “I’m sure neither of you have ever spent time in one of those.”

  I forced a chuckle. He led us around the building, pointing out the library, the nurse’s office, and the different subject wings. The school was small, so the tour didn’t take much time. At the end, we were back at the guidance office.

  “The building is a giant circle.” I smiled at him. “Thanks for the tour. I feel a lot better about not getting lost my first day.”

  Grant made a noise behind me and I stepped back onto his toes. “We both really appreciate it.”

  Bryan nodded. “No problem.” Befo
re he could say anything else, Mom appeared behind us.

  “Thanks, Bryan, for showing them around. Are we ready?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.” Grant stepped away, following Mom to the door. I patted Bryan’s arm. “Thanks again.”

  He nodded. “Sure.” For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to say something else, but resisted, just nodding again and turning back toward the guidance office.

  I fled down the hall, my stomach in knots. Bryan confused me. He hadn’t done anything really odd. He seemed overly friendly, maybe, but this was a small town. Strangers were a novelty. I paused on the steps outside the school, half-turning. I could make friends here. Turn over a new leaf and be a normal teenager.

  Until they found out about what happened before. The thought made my heart sputter. The memories of the torture I’d put myself through the last time haunted me.

  I stepped back, turned away from the door, and hurried to catch up with Mom and Grant. I couldn’t afford to get too close to anyone. Just in case something happened again. Better to be on the outside of high school society.

  Mom unlocked the car and we climbed in. As she turned the key and started the engine, she turned to me with a grin. “Well?”

  “Well, what?” I buckled my seat belt and willed my cheeks to stay cool. It didn’t help. Heat traveled from my nape to my forehead.

  “Come on, you have to tell me. You’ve only been here a few days and already you’ve got a crush?”

  “Only on his end, Mom.” Unbidden, the image of the blond from the grocery store rose in my mind. My flush only got hotter.

  “You don’t lie very well, sweetie. But I won’t pester you.” She chuckled and backed out of the parking space. “But I am glad for you.”

  It sort of disturbed me Mom would be so thrilled at a boy paying attention to me. She’d been so supportive about the whole psychic thing; I’d never considered she might want me to be normal. Guilt swamped me. I could try harder. I should try harder.

  Being normal was hard when you were so far off the mark to begin with. I relaxed into the seat as Mom drove out to the huge home improvement store on the other side of town.