She wasn’t exactly making it easy to ignore my feelings. I wanted to hang out with him. All I had to do was to convince myself to take that risk. A couple weeks with Jason were better than none at all.
I shrugged halfheartedly. “You’re right. I’m just facing the inevitable fact he’s only here for a couple months. I don’t see it going anywhere but that doesn’t mean I can’t take it one day at a time for now.”
Otherwise, we talked about less frightening things, such as Marietta and how life would change once I had the house to myself. Living alone in that huge house sounded intimidating but I’d deal with it when that day came. Maybe if Abby stayed in Savannah for college she could move in with me.
Walking out of the café I heard an all too familiar voice to our left.
Sure enough, Anna and Suzie were coming towards us. My stomach sunk in anticipation of what I knew was sure to come.
“They really need to take better care of who they allow in this part of town. We can’t have you two scaring off the tourists.” Suzie greeted in an overly sweet way.
Abby stepped right up and got in Suzie’s face. “Careful, sweetie, you wouldn’t want to make me mad.”
I saw Suzie’s eyes widen in fear. I suspected that they'd put so much effort into spreading the lies about us being witches or Satanists that they almost believed it themselves. Of course, the strange events happening at home didn’t help our cause.
Fully expecting Suzie and Anna to walk away, I watched in shock as Suzie reached up and yanked on Abby’s hair. Abby cried out in surprise.
“Did you really just pull my hair?” She laughed in disbelief but I also heard how ticked off she was. “Just because you got away with this stuff in high school doesn’t mean we won’t stick up for ourselves now.”
Anna snorted. “And you think that’s going to scare us? When are you going to understand you don’t belong anywhere? All you had in school was each other and nothing has changed.”
“Because you two are freaks.” Suzie was still in Abby’s face. “That’s all anyone will ever see when they look at you. Both of you are sad and pathetic little witches.”
“But Quinn is your sister, your family. Does that not compute?”
“She is not family. She’s just someone we got stuck with.”
Abby pushed her away hard and I looked over at Anna, waiting for her to join in. A confrontation like this was four years in the making but it wasn’t something I wanted to happen.
Reluctantly I slipped between Abby and Suzie, who were ready to rip into each other.
“Come on guys, this is stupid.” I frowned at Abby. “And you of all people should realize it is so not worth it.”
I watched as Abby took a deep breath and slowly relaxed. She looked Suzie up and down. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”
We walked away without a second glance. I half expected them to come after us but a block later, I looked back and saw that they hadn’t.
“Quinn, those girls are first class she-cats. You should have let me pummel her.”
“While I agree it would have been satisfying, if only for a few minutes, I would’ve paid for it when I got home.”
“I know. I didn’t stop to think about that. Maybe the day after your birthday, after you’ve given them the papers kicking them out, I’ll let them have what they deserve.”
“Sure,” I laughed. “Or we could take pleasure in knowing that they're homeless.”
She thought about that for awhile. “Okay, you’re right. That’ll be enough for me.”
Later that night, I waited for the twins to bring up the incident with Abby but to my surprise, they didn’t. Anna watched me carefully. It wasn’t a threatening look, more as if she was trying to really figure me out. Maybe my actions today, stopping Abby from going off on her and her sister made her think there was more to me than she thought.
I almost giggled at the thought. Thankfully, I was distracted by a door slamming upstairs. The girls squealed and Marietta stared at me with the same eerie concentration she always did.
That night I knew something was going to happen. It might have been the look from Marietta or the confrontation with Anna and Suzie earlier, but I braced myself for anything. I waited for hours, trying to keep my eyes open.
Eventually, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I woke up to the sound of clomping steps early the next morning.
In a haunted house, you hear footsteps all the time and eventually it becomes just another sound. These were different. They were heels and the steps didn’t sound very graceful.
Curiosity won out over the normal need to stay away from my family and as I walked down the stairs from the attic, I found the source of the noise.
Anna was walking up and down the hardwood floors of the hallway in high heels. I imagined she was practicing for the pageant but I might have sworn someone dropped ants down her pants. She kept one hand on her hip, which twitched back and forth in a very uncomfortable way. It always surprised me how someone tall, blonde and beautiful could be so clumsy. Anna was always tripping over nothing but because she was popular, everyone thought of it as ‘cute.’
I tried to sneak away without her seeing me. Now that I knew who it was, I didn’t want her to catch me but she saw me turning to leave.
“Oh, it’s just you Quinn,” she paused before continuing quietly. “Did you see me walking? Do you think it looks horrible? It feels horrible.”
“Why do you care what I think?” I couldn’t help it. Any time Anna or her sister were nice to me, I got wary.
She must have heard the suspicion in my voice. “I’m only asking because Mom and Suzanna are gone and I have a feeling you’ll tell me the honest truth.”
Well, Anna was right about that. I sighed and walked back down the few stairs to stand in the doorway.
“It woke me up and I thought the house was coming down. I don’t know anything about pageants, but I can’t imagine they’d think you’re beautiful and graceful while you clomp across the stage.”
She actually pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. “I know. I just can’t do it.”
Unsure what came over me, I said, “Show me again.”
Surprised, Anna gathered herself up and walked towards me. I guess walking was a relative term because it wasn’t what she was doing. I wasn’t sure if it was the heels that made her body take on such an odd angle or what. Her head and shoulders stuck out way ahead of the rest of her.
The floor and the walls vibrated from the impact of her shoes. I fought against laughing. It was reassuring that some people can’t have everything.
When she finished she looked at me expectantly.
“I think you need to keep your shoulders back and your spine straight. You’re ready to launch forward. And try not to walk so heavy.”
She tried it again and I was surprised to see her posture actually looked better. Still, she clomped like a horse.
“Better. You’re still making too much noise so try not putting your foot down so hard.”
Again, she couldn’t master it and stomped her foot in anger childishly.
“I can’t get it. Here,” she bent over and pulled off the heels, “you show me.”
Part of me thought it was a trick but the other part, the part that hungered for family, reached out and took the shoes.
I didn’t have much practice in heels myself so it took me a couple of tries to get the feel of them. Finally, I was able to walk with just a slight click-clack, the sound a high heel normally gives off.
Anna looked impressed and shocked at the same time. “How do you do that?”
“I guess when you try to be invisible you learn to walk softly to draw less attention to yourself.” I shrugged and handed the shoes back to her.
She studied me for a long while and I held my breath, waiting for the apology about the way they'd treated me all these years. Instead, she put the shoes back on and walked quietly down the hall. Looking back at me, she smiled but that was it.
I was halfway back up to my room when I heard a quiet ‘thank you’ follow me up the stairs. It didn’t make me feel happy or satisfied. It made me feel sad. Years of subjection to their abuse, spurred on by their mother, was too much. The reason for their hatred was always right out of my grasp.
Was it because I was so close to Daddy before he died? He’d been their fourth stepfather. Marietta had never given them the opportunity to get close to a father figure. Or was it because of my ability to shrug off caring what people thought? I imagined the upkeep on their perfect, popular lives was exhausting. I had a certain amount of freedom being the outcast. I felt comfortable in my skin regardless of how I closed myself off.
It didn’t matter what their reason was, it would have been nice to have a sister, or two.
Chapter Eighteen
Over the next few days, the only contact I had with Jason remained via text and random phone calls. When I saw his name on the screen of my phone, my heart wanted to leap. It took a lot of work to keep it grounded.
Several times, he asked to see me but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. After admitting to Abby that I would give it a chance, part of me held back. Plus, I was embarrassed by how I reacted to him the other day. I needed to concentrate on staying one step ahead of Marietta and Catherine. Now was not the time to be worrying about boys.
But I couldn’t help it, especially when he asked me again to go with him to the ball. Even thinking of saying yes made me fear for my life. If I defied Marietta in that way, who knew what would happen.
“What’s for dinner?”
Marietta brought me back to reality by coming into the kitchen followed by Anna and Suzie. I snapped out of my thoughts. Suddenly, my hands felt too big and I had to concentrate on not dropping anything.
“I made spaghetti, the way you like it with the meat sauce, and salad and garlic bread. You guys can go ahead and have a seat. I’ll serve you.”
We made it through dinner and I was thankful to escape upstairs with my food. I passed the soldier on the stairs and had a sense of him stepping aside and nodding to me as I passed. He was so different from George because he never made any attempt to communicate with me. I got the feeling he was there for a reason and hoped that one day he’d explain what it was.
The house felt alive tonight. The weight of the entire place was pressing down on me. George was waiting in my room and it was obvious something was bothering him.
“Hey, George.” I sat down and dug into my food. “Something feels different tonight.”
He moved over beside me and I took another look at him. He wasn’t as transparent as usual.
Danger.
The minute I heard the child’s voice, I knew it came from George. It was the first time I had ever heard his voice or had any sense of communication with him. This must be important.
“What danger, George?”
His eyes grew big and I noted how they were rimmed with long black eyelashes.
Danger, you must leave.
I felt the fear and sorrow throbbing off him. A lump lodged in my throat. “I can’t leave. What would happen to the house, to you, if I leave? I can’t turn my back on all of you and my family’s legacy.”
You might die.
I wanted to pull him into my arms and offer some kind of comfort. I knew my life was threatened but I truly believed the outcome was worth the risk. It wasn’t only my life at stake; Marietta’s was, too.
“I understand the risks and am okay with them. Please don’t worry about it.” Talking about the danger scared me more than I would ever admit aloud. The concern coming from this sweet little ghost boy threatened my resolve. Then I thought of something.
“What’s your name? I know it’s not George.”
I don’t remember.
I leaned closer and looked into his beautiful black eyes. “I promise when this is all over, we’ll find out together.”
He didn’t believe me but I knew he wanted to with as much longing as a spirit could possess. From what I’d witnessed, longing seemed to be one of the strongest emotions spirits were left with.
Right as I was about to curl up with a book, my cell rang. It was Jason.
“I swear I had a perfectly good excuse for calling but I forgot.” I heard voices and shouts behind him so I knew he was on the set, taking time out of a movie to call me, of all people. “How’ve you been?”
“Good. It’s been a pretty quiet day, actually.” Considering that I was almost buried alive yesterday, I added silently. “Sounds busy there.”
“It is. Tonight I get to test out my fighting skills and get tossed around with superhuman strength all while wearing a wire harness that’ll help me move like a vampire. Did I mention the harness is very dangerous and uncomfortable to places I am desperate to keep? Did I also mention I kind of miss you?”
The mixture of warmth and irritation that hit me was confusing.
Jason cleared his throat. “I want to see you again. Is it okay to say that?”
“Don’t say it any louder in case your adoring fans hear it.” I sighed. “I don’t know. There’s so much going on right now. But I’m sure I’ll have some time in the next day or two.” The words surprised me because I hadn’t meant to say them.
“Good, we’ll figure something out. I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow night. And I’ll watch for you in case you change your mind about coming.”
I didn’t even realize I was smiling until after I’d ended the call. Jason had a way of sneaking up on me, of getting under my skin before I had a chance to stop it. He was so darn persistent. With him, I could live in the fantasy world that Mama always talked about. I could believe in her happy endings. Except I needed to make sure I remembered which was the reality and which was the fantasy.
My head was full of dreams when I fell asleep.
Hours later, an unknown sensation woke me up. I opened my eyes and knew instantly something wasn’t right. It was too dark.
I sat up in bed cautiously and surveyed the area.
By the time my investigation made it to the right side of my bed, I’d almost convinced myself that I was imagining things.
Until I came face to face with Marietta.
I barely made out her figure in the darkness. She stood two feet from the side of the bed, her intense stare locked on me. I scooted as far away from her as I could and switched on my bedside lamp.
Shadows played across her face, painting her with pure evil. The shadow I had started thinking of as Catherine was there as well but it bounced and flowed like a normal shadow.
Marietta remained there, still as a stone, for a long time. The lack of any life in her body scared me almost more than the look in her eyes. They were boring into my very soul.
“Marietta,” I squeaked out her name quietly, hoping it didn’t anger her.
Nothing.
The longer it went on, the more I felt my body react. I started shaking and couldn’t stop. It pulled me into that zone where you couldn’t make a rational thought. As crazy as it sounded, I thought her stare would be what killed me.
Her eyes were full of hate but beyond that she was empty, nothing. Marietta was gone. Only her body remained. She was an empty shell.
All of the other times I'd had interactions with her and Catherine it had been a physical thing. This was different. This was an assault on my soul.
And it was working.
I lay in the bed curled up in as small a ball as possible. Even with my eyes closed, I felt the weight of her stare. I honestly felt as if I was going to lose my mind.
Then, I sensed her move. I opened my eyes and watched as she turned and walked away. The vacant stare never left her face, even as she walked out of the room.
I could breathe again but wasn’t able to uncurl from the protective ball. I stayed that way all night, my mind focused on one thing, whether or not she would return.
I would not allow myself to fall asleep again.
Chapter Nineteen
Marietta and the twins spent the entire day getting ready for the ball. I mostly tried to stay out of their way.
I kept thinking about what Jason said the other day about being scared. I knew there was some truth in it. I’d spent so much time keeping my head down I was uncertain how to reach out and grab something I really wanted. I couldn’t even stand up for myself without fearing some kind of fallout. That had to change.
It tempted me more than I ever thought it would, to defy everything and meet him at the ball. Screw the consequences, whatever happened would at least have happened because I took a chance. But even with my pep talk, I couldn’t make myself get up and actually do it. If all else, at least I’d have a quiet night in the house to do research.
My lack of motivation didn’t stop me from longing to be one of those girls primping all day, vibrating with the anticipation of what the night would bring. Since meeting Jason, I saw so many possibilities and so many things I’d missed. I wanted a life.
I was sitting in the kitchen eating when they came down. I knew they were supposed to be dressed as Southern belles but it was hard to tell with the layers and layers of lace and satin. The materials were beautiful and I truly thought if they had merely gone with the ‘less is more’ mindset, they would have shined.
Marietta’s dress was a melon orange color, complimenting her pale blond hair and accenting the lack of color in her cheeks. I hadn’t noticed until then how pale and drawn she looked. She was starting to look more and more affected by the entity holed up inside her. As far as the presence attached to her, it felt excited, almost bubbling with energy.
One more thing to convince me it was female.
Suzie and Anna wore similar styles of dress with laughingly full hoop skirts. Suzie’s was a light blue and Anna’s a soft yellow.
“Don’t wait up,” Suzie sneered cruelly.
As they gathered up their stuff, the doorbell rang.
“Quinn, get that,” Marietta bit out.
I moved past them and opened the door, even though Anna stood only a couple feet away.
The man wore a normal tux, not the kind of thing I would have pictured someone going to this ball to wear. I didn’t recognize him and assumed he was someone escorting my family to the event. Over his shoulder I saw a long black limousine parked at the curb.
Happily Never After Page 10
