A Whispered Darkness

by Vanessa Barger

  “You didn’t exactly seem open to the idea of them, considering how you treat Haven. And after you came over and helped us with Grant’s room, how can you deny things aren’t right? This isn’t some haunted house you come to, video tape, and go home to sleep it off. This place will torture you and keep you here, if it can. It wants visitors to come and stay.”

  “Be careful, Claire, your paranoia is showing.”

  Biting my lip, I swallowed the nasty retort I wanted to sling at him. Truth was, they would come, whether I liked it or not. Mom had seen to that. The only decision left to me was whether I planned to stay and do damage control or not. Sadly, my conscience wouldn’t let me contemplate the idea of leaving them to their fates. Bryan and I went back inside, a cool silence stretched between us. Cain and Laura emerged from the kitchen; each gushed their thanks to Mom as they shook her hand and gathered coats and bags from the hall.

  Five minutes later, they left, and Mom turned around, a wide smile on her face. “Really, Claire, you have to stop trying to scare our friends.”

  “You’ve made your stance quite clear. They’ll be here on Halloween. Not much I can do about it.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise and then she squinted at me, her hand touching her chin in a strange movement so unlike her, and yet not unfamiliar to me. A chill needled down my spine.

  “No argument?”

  I held my hands up. “Your house, your rules, right?”

  Her head tilted. “Correct.”

  “Not much to say about it then.” I shrugged. “By the way, unless you have an objection, Grant and I were going to the mall this afternoon with friends.” I left Haven’s name out of it. “Is that all right?”

  Holding my breath, I waited for her to call my bluff. After a few moments of intense scrutiny, she smiled. “Of course. Text me when you are on your way home.”

  “Not picking up any more shifts?” She’d worked nearly straight through the last month or so. I assumed she wouldn’t be home in the evening.

  She waved a hand. “I’m going in for a half-shift. Don’t have to leave until about ten.”

  Slowly, her body relaxed into more normal patterns. With a long sigh, I watched her posture change, and her hand patted her hair. A shallow frown line appeared between her brows.

  The doorbell echoed through the house. I ducked in the living room, nodding to Grant and snagged my purse from the floor. “We’ll be back around eight, unless something happens,” I said. Grant followed with hardly a backward glance at Mom.

  “Have fun!”

  Haven stood on the porch, watching the house with a frown.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  He looked behind me to Grant, and his brow furrowed.

  I shook my head slightly. “Don’t ask. I’ll fill you in when we get there.”

  His car waited in the drive, and we loaded in. Buckling my seat belt, I could feel the tension melt from my shoulders. “Thanks.”

  He headed out onto the road. “No problem.”

  He took the exit to the mall, stopping at the end of the on ramp to wait for a light. In the pause, he turned to me. “Who was there? What is the emergency?”

  I flicked my eyes to my brother, who stared out the window in the back, unusually silent. “Bryan and the Spirit Searchers. And the emergency is…complicated.” He nodded and turned her attention back to the road. A few more minutes and we parked. I motioned Grant inside. Grant gave us a curious look, but didn’t argue.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure how, but somehow the ghosts have gotten hold of Grant. He’s wearing a bracelet on one wrist. My brother never wears jewelry.”

  “Another gift?”

  “I don’t think so.” I resisted the urge to turn and look for Grant. “He knows better. I think Mom put it on him while I was gone, though I’m not sure how she managed it.”

  Haven pressed his lips to mine quickly and then touched his forehead to mine. “Never a dull moment with you, is there?”

  “You’d be disappointed if there were,” I replied.

  He stepped back and spread his arms, motioning me forward. “After you.”

  Sweeping past, I caught a glimpse of Grant through the glass doors and my smile faded. The feeling of impending doom I thought had lifted returned with crushing weight.

  Whatever the spirits had been waiting for, it was obviously here.

  “Let’s find some food. Sound good to you two?”

  Grant smiled, looking more like himself. It was almost enough to make me think I’d imagined it. Yet, as we walked to the food court, I noticed his left hand stray to touch the band on his other wrist, and for a split second his eyes went blank.

  We split up, Grant heading for a Chinese restaurant, while Haven and I headed for Chick-fil-a. As we stood in line, he linked his fingers with mine. “How do you want to handle this?”

  “He’s struggling. Outside the house, they don’t have as easy a hold on him.” I sucked in a deep breath. “When we sit down, I’ll grab his hand and get it off. You need to sit on his other side, in case I need help.”

  A knot formed in my stomach. Haven squeezed my fingers.

  “You’re not doing anything wrong.”

  “I feel like I’m attacking my brother.” I stepped up to place my order, adding, “It’s not a good feeling.”

  Haven bullied his way past me when I would have paid, added in his order, and pulled out his wallet. The cashier giggled and winked at me.

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Oh, good word usage.” Haven teased.

  I resisted a smile. “This isn’t the time for joking.”

  He stepped back to let the next person forward and grabbed the two drinks the cashier handed him. “Our lives seem to be one disaster after another. We can use the humor whenever we find it.”

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later we met at one of the cold metal tables in the most remote corner I could find. No one else sat near us, and potted palms blocked most of the view of our table from the room. I didn’t want anyone thinking we were mugging Grant. Butterflies danced in my stomach. Grant sat first, and I put down my tray and told them I would get some extra napkins. As I walked away, I watched my brother meticulously line up everything he’d bought on the tray. Each utensil sat exactly the same distance apart.

  Turning before I had a chance to chicken out, I took two long steps back, my hand slamming Grant’s right arm down against the chair arm. With my other hand, I slid a finger beneath the loops of black cord and yanked them over his hand. They caught on his fingers, which attempted to clutch at the binding. Haven grabbed his other arm, holding him down.

  Grant struggled, his lips twisted up in a soundless snarl. His eyes, normally brown, flashed green. I squeezed his wrist hard, putting all my weight into pulling on the cord. At last the knot in it slipped and it fell away from his fingers, landing on the tile with a hollow clang.

  I released Grant and swiped it from the floor, dumping it into a napkin. My brother froze. Beside him, Haven kept an arm draped over the back of the chair, casually, in case he decided to leap up or attack one of us.

  Grant stared into space, his breath coming in short pants. With my heart pounding in my chest, I leaned forward. “Grant?”

  “Come on, Grant. Talk to me. I promise, things will be all right.” Please don’t let that be a lie. Hesitantly, I laid a hand over Grant’s. His skin was cool to the touch. “Please, say something.”

  His eyelids fluttered, and he turned to me. “Next time, could you not squeeze so damn hard?”

  A bubble of relieved laughter burst from my throat. “There better not be a next time, butthead.”

  He sagged into the seat, his posture back to his normal slouch. “I hope not. That sucked.”

  “What happened?” Haven asked.

  Grant picked up a fork and stabbed a piece of sweet and sour chicken. “Carlos and Jeremy dropped me
off around three. I collapsed into bed, and when I woke up, that thing was around my wrist. It was crowded in my head. Too full. Someone else was there in my body with me, forcing me out. I fought, but I couldn’t shake it. Once we left the house, it got easier, but it didn’t disappear. There were times when I could see and hear, but I didn’t control myself.”

  “How do you feel now?” Haven asked.

  “Better. Like me.” He paused. “But I’d feel better if someone could tell for sure.”

  He stared at me. I looked away. “Grant, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I can’t even do it most of the time.”

  Haven leaned back. “What do you have to do?”

  “Look inside Grant’s head. A place no one in their right mind wants to go anyway.” My attempt at humor fell flat.

  Grant’s hand stopped mid-way to his mouth. Slowly, he put the fork down. “Do it.”

  “What?”

  Fear danced in his eyes. “I want to know for sure. I don’t want to worry about that thing hiding in me. Do it, right now.”

  With a deep breath I nodded, then closed my eyes. I opened my mind, blocking out everyone but Grant. The green flicker of his soul burned bright, a brighter white spot marking across it like a scar. I touched it and realized that’s what it was: the mark left after we released him from the hold of the spirit.

  I returned to myself and opened my eyes, found my hands clutched the table in a white-knuckle grip. Grant looked worried.

  “Cheer up. You’re all you.”

  Relief made his whole body relax. “One last question. How do we make sure Mom doesn’t notice it’s gone?”

  “He has a point.” Haven held out his hand. “Can I see it?”

  I handed him the bracelet, crumpled in the napkin. He opened it, careful not to touch it. The black cord had held a small metal pendant, a silver circle with a blue stone. Haven flipped it over, and initials were carved into the back—an “E” and an “L.”

  “We can find a charm like this. We’ll take it to my house and I’ll engrave the initials in. We’ll put the fake on him, and put this one somewhere.”

  “Can’t we destroy it?” Grant leaned away from it.

  Haven shook his head. “If the spirits are connected enough to use it to possess you, they’ll know if it’s destroyed. I’ll hide it at my house. Let’s hope we can fool them until…”

  My head jerked up to look at him. Guilt flashed in his eyes.

  “What have you seen, Haven?”

  He shrugged, but wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Don’t make me beat it out of you.”

  A smile tugged one corner of his lips, but he squashed it. “Nothing is clear. Whatever is going to happen is going to be soon. Others are present. I think it’s the Spirit Searchers, Bryan, us. But that’s it.”

  “Well, let’s cancel the whole thing!” Grant said. “I’ll throw a fit. Make a good reason for Mom to have to cancel.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think it will do any good. You’ll just get in trouble, and draw even more attention to yourself and the fact that you’re not possessed.”

  Grant stabbed at his food. “It’s still worth a try.”

  Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Haven sighed. “That’s why I don’t say anything about what I see. It always changes something.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Two hours later, we thought we’d never be able to find the right size and shape of silver disc to replace the one Haven now carried, still wrapped in a napkin in his pocket. We’d covered the two cheap jewelry stores in the mall, and now moved on to the department stores. Once we’d come close, but the charm was far too small, and even though I hadn’t seen the original very long, I noticed the difference.

  Worry gnawed at my thoughts. If we went back to the house without something, Mom and whatever dwelt inside her would know instantly. It was a long shot. A faux bracelet wouldn’t fool them for long, but I wasn’t looking for a long term solution. Just long enough.

  “Hey, guys.” Grant held up a small silver chain with a round charm dangling off one end. “What about this one?”

  The salesperson peered our way, then continued to file her nails and talk to her co-worker.

  Haven pulled the crumpled napkin from his pocket. Inside, the old charm gleamed dull in the light. Grant held the necklace up next to it.

  They weren’t a perfect match, but there was only a millimeter or two difference in the size. It was blank, and un-weathered, but those were things Haven assured us could be changed with the right tools.

  “How much is it?” I asked.

  Haven took the necklace and flipped over the tag dangling from the clasp. “Thirty bucks.”

  I pulled out my wallet. “Not as bad as it could be.”

  “I’ll buy it,” Grant offered.

  I waved him off and took the necklace to the counter. “You can buy me lunch next time.”

  The girl rang up our purchase, boredom written in every slouching line of her body. Despite the makeup caked on her face, she wasn’t much older than us. I had a sudden longing for problems like how long my shift was and what shirt to wear.

  “Now what?”

  Grant shoved his hands in his pockets. “I want to say we should go browse the video games or something, but I suppose we ought to go to Haven’s house and get this done.”

  Haven shook his head. “We’ve only been gone about two hours. While I know this had a point, there’s no reason we can’t hit a few places on the way out.” He smiled and slid his hand around mine. “Let’s go to the movie store, we’ll find a film and then buy it to watch while I mess with this. We’ll order pizza later.”

  Grant looked thrilled, and though I wanted to get it finished, I appreciated the attempt to make us feel more like teenagers.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked him.

  We headed out into the mall. He shrugged. “All right. Worn out, but much lighter. I’ll be okay. Honest.”

  “All right then,” I said. “Let’s go pick out a movie and get out of here.” I waved a finger at Grant. “Not a horror flick either. I know you.”

  He held up his hands. “No danger of that this time. I think I’m done with those for a while.”

  I let Grant move several feet ahead, tugging on Haven’s hand to slow his steps. When he was out of earshot, I glanced at Haven and said, “Do me a favor, will you?”

  “What?”

  “I’ll disappear into a store or something for a little bit. Talk to Grant. He’ll tell you things he won’t tell me. Please make sure he’s really okay.”

  Haven released my hand and put an arm around my shoulders. I slid mine around his waist and we continued walking. “Sure thing.”

  “You really are pretty awesome.” I paused and kissed his cheek. “But don’t let it go to your head.”

  He smiled and warmth flickered in my belly. “I’ll do my best.”

  I stopped at two places, trying to get Grant to go with Haven, but he followed me in, despite whining about clothes shopping with a girl. In a last-ditch effort to get him to hang out with Haven alone, I headed into a lingerie store. Grant took two steps in and then turned bright red.

  “I’ll just wait out here with Haven. Don’t take forever!”

  I nodded and then headed to the back, pretending to look through racks of bras, checking my phone periodically. After fifteen minutes, I could feel the sales clerk starting to watch me, and decided they’d had enough time.

  Haven nodded over Grant’s head at me when I came out. Neither of them looked upset, and my stomach unknotted a little. We headed a few doorways down into the movie store and browsed through the titles, giving the horror section a wide berth.

  We settled on an adventure movie—mindless entertainment we could all enjoy. The closer we got to leaving, the quieter everyone grew. It felt like we had our own little black rain cloud forming overhead.

  Grant lifted a brow when we headed out of the m
all. Haven moved ahead, giving us some privacy. “You need to chill out, Sis. Next time, you don’t have to hide in the bras to get me to talk to Haven. I’m not three years old. I’d have talked to him later anyway.” He wagged a finger at me. “Just for trying to pretend like I’m that stupid, I expect a giant bag of cheese balls as an apology.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. And where am I going to get these cheese balls?”

  “On the way to get the pizza. Haven and I also decided what dinner was while you were pretending to shop.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I checked the screen. Bryan’s name flashed across the screen. I opened the text message and uneasiness returned like a fist to the gut.

  You aren’t going to screw this up, Claire. I can’t let you.

  “Who is it?” Haven asked.

  For a split second, I paused, and then shoved the cell back in my jeans and climbed in the car. “Nothing. Just Mom giving me a hard time. Make sure we stop at the grocery store on the way. I’ll get Grant his stupid cheese balls.”

  He glanced sideways, suspicion in his gaze, but didn’t say anything else. Why I’d lied, I wasn’t sure. The interactions between Bryan and I were strange. Every time I thought I understood him, he did something like this. It worried me. The house was connected to so many people in so many ways, I supposed it was possible. I relaxed into the seat and listened to Haven and Grant debate pizza toppings. I’d deal with Bryan’s temper tantrum later.

  ***

  Grant had opened the front door to Haven’s before we even had all the bags out of the car. His eyes went straight to the frozen pizza like a dog senses a treat.

  “I’m starved. Give me that thing, and let’s get this in the oven.”

  “We just ate less than two hours ago,” I said, handing him the pizza. “You really are insatiable, aren’t you?”

  “Being possessed will do that to you.”

  I smacked him with one of the bags of groceries. “Not funny, doofus.”

  He shrugged. “Truth hurts. Now where are my cheese balls?”