“Perfect,” he repeated. The way his eyebrows lowered, his flicker of concern, it made my heart jump. “Farra, this new job, is it... is it taking over that house?”
I bobbed my head, loose hair tickling my neck. “Yeah. I'm going to become the caretaker. Though, I mean, I admit I don't know the first thing about taking care of a house, or its tenants.” Setting the fork down, I gave him a brittle smile. “I figure I'll give it a shot, and if it doesn't work, I can just sell the place. Right?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it quickly. “Farra, I don't think selling that house will be so easy.”
“What, why not?” I hadn't even considered that to be an issue.
Pushing back his chair, Dirk gathered up the plates to put in his small sink by the stove. “I think you'll just need to see for yourself. Your grandmother's house is special, to say the least.”
Special. Why does that not sound like a good thing? Unsure how to respond, I went the path of least resistance. “I guess I'll go grab my things, then.”
****
He closed the door behind him, I noted he didn't bother to lock it. Hm, must feel confident no one would dare steal from him.
In the bright day, I had a much better appreciation of the town. It had the comfortable feel of a pair of jeans you never wanted to toss out.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noted Dirk's home (and business) were almost in the center of the village. I had just wanted to gauge the distance of things. Instead, I caught my first glimpse of something shiny on his roof.
“Hey,” I said, slowing my backwards walk. “What's all that up there?”
He followed my eyes, smiling proudly. “Ah, that's something special. Solar panels. Pretty clever aren't they?”
“Do you not have an electric grid here?”
His laugh wasn't rude, but it made me blush anyway. “We do. I just like to be self sufficient where I can. I do things my own way, that's all.”
Nodding thoughtfully, I gave the roof one more curious squint. The sun made the edges sharp, blinding me to the point of spots. Rubbing my face, I focused instead on our trek. Especially when we broke away from the smooth road in the town. Then, the line of trees was quick to welcome us in.
I'd had very few outfits in my backpack. Thinking I'd be meeting with Grault—as well as an unknown number of tenants—I'd picked the nicest thing I had.
Now, stomping along the dirt path between snagging branches that insisted on tearing at my light blue summer dress, I regretted the decision.
“Sorry about this,” Doctor Colton mumbled. He was walking slightly ahead of me, one hand gripping his walking stick while the other kept tugging at the brim of his pork-pie hat. “I should have warned you more about the terrain.”
Tugging a briar from my shoulder, I hurried to keep up with him. “Oh, no. Don't worry. You said the house was far, guess I didn't understand what that meant.”
He paused beside a low hanging oak limb, lifting it partially so I could duck under it. “I should have been more clear. Anyway, we're almost out of the thicket. After this the trail is much easier.”
“How much easier?” I asked, pushing my hair from my eyes. The shadow of the leaves above suddenly broke away. Standing on the path, I had the perfect view of the gentle green hills all around me. It was stunning, the breeze tugging at my dress and taking my startled gasp away into the clouds.
Dirk stepped up next to me, his grin tangible in his voice. “Much easier, I'd say.”
“It's beautiful,” I breathed. “Everything out here looks so peaceful.”
“Always thought that, myself.” He led the way down the slope, the ground hard packed where it cut the way through the fields.
With the warm sun on my shoulders, my backpack, everything felt so light. I couldn't remember being in such a gorgeous chunk of the world. “Now I really wish I had known about my grandmother, I would have killed to visit as a child.”
“Tessa loved it here,” he said. “She spent all of her time in the outdoors when she was young.”
Keeping pace beside him on the wide path, my scuffed flats were grateful for the smooth ground. “Were you close to her?”
He glanced at me under the shadow of his hat. “Tessa was a little older than me, but as kids, we played together some. When I became the resident doctor, I expected her to tease me, actually.” He walked slower, stick tapping the earth. “Tessa was too kind for such things. Always too kind.”
How can someone be too kind? I wondered over it, but my interest was on other things. “Um, so you knew her all this time... does that mean, maybe, you knew my mother too?”
“Oh, yes,” he said, his smile spreading at some fond memory. “Gina. She was an interesting child, nothing at all like Tessa. Scared of everything, often sick. Yes,” he said, turning towards me as if he'd just remembered I was there. “I knew your mother.”
I felt like there was so much in front of me. I'd opened a box looking for answers, and inside, found so much more. “What do you mean, she was scared?”
We rounded a large hill, the sun vanishing in its wake. “Gina didn't like it out here, that was always clear. I'm sure that's why she left when she was so young.”
“She ran away?”
“Indeed,” he sighed. “Tessa was wrecked by it. The idea that her only daughter wanted nothing to do with her, with her house... well. It was hard. Tessa wouldn't call on me often in her later years, but I checked up on her just to—to be sure.” His words were grim.
Losing a child, being abandoned... poor Tessa. “I don't get it, though,” I whispered. “What did my mother hate about this place so much? It's wonderful out here, and Barrow Village is cute enough. What was she running from?”
Dirk rounded the last of the hill, his shoulders tight as rocks. I could sense the tension in him, even before I saw what was ahead of us. He didn't answer me about my mother, I don't think he really needed to.
We were at my grandmother's house. And, in seeing it, I related to how my mother must have felt. I didn't grasp it entirely. How could I have? But seeing that place, knowing she'd grown up there...
I understood.
The building was angled in a way no foundation should allow. It tilted to the right, hunkered down like a crouching beast. The windows were dark, the glass thick and green. With pale stones and faded, painted wood, the only real color was on the roof. There, clinging to every inch, was a thick layer of emerald moss.
Matching vines clung to the sides, choking the chimney, dangling from the top all the way to the earth. It was three stories, I thought. The angle, the foliage, it made it hard to tell.
“Here we are,” Dirk mumbled, like speaking too loudly would bring down doom on us both. “This is Tessa's house.” Pausing, he turned to stare at me. I wondered how pale I was. “No, I guess it's your house now, Farra.”
Yes, I thought numbly, gazing at the giant, twisted thing covered in leaves and debris. This is all mine.
Chapter Five.
“How can anyone live here?” I gasped, my eyes whipping from the building, to the doctor, then back again. “I—there can't be tenants here. Impossible. No one could deal with this!”
His eyes were stuck on the front door. “It didn't always look like this. I'm pretty shocked it got this bad so quickly.”
So quickly. “Wait,” I said, holding my head as if it might fly off. “Wait wait wait. So quickly? When did this happen, then? This looks like years of neglect!”
Dirk flicked his eyes at me, the rest of him still as the surface of a pond. “I saw it around two weeks ago, maybe less.”
My temples squeezed, pressed under my tense fingers. “You saw Tessa before she died.”
“That's right,” he said softly.
“And—and this place looked different then?”
His nod was so very small. “It did.”
When I let go of my skull, I felt blood returning to the skin I had squeezed. It pulsed, distracting. “I don't get it. I don't... how is tha
t possible?” Staring sideways at the building, I gawked up at the hulking shape again. “How am I supposed to do anything with this? Dirk, what do I do now?” My voice sounded so tiny to me.
I jumped when he grabbed my shoulder; a firm, comforting touch. “Farra, you don't have to go in there. This was Tessa's responsibility, not yours.”
Tessa... my grandmother. A woman I never even knew. Recalling her letter, I gripped my backpack tightly. Why did she ask me to do this?
“Farra, just think about it. We can go back to the village, you can catch a train out, you can leave this behind. It isn't your burden.”
Through the front window, I caught a flicker of movement. A hard face, pale as cream with eyes darker than sin. Grault is here! How did he beat me? “Dirk,” I said, reaching out to grip his fingers. “If this is too much for me, I'll come see you. I'll go back to Barrow Village and say goodbye before I run.” Like my mother.
His arm pulled me in, hugging me roughly, like he'd known me my whole life. “Alright,” he muttered, stepping back before I could return his embrace. “The way back is easy, you come as soon as—if you—ever feel the need.” His brows furrowed deeply. “I helped Tessa how I could. I'll help you too, anytime you need it, Farra. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, my smile growing helplessly. I didn't remember the last time someone had hugged me like that. “And thanks for the help so far.”
“Anytime,” he said, hoisting his walking stick high. “I mean that. Anytime, Farra.” He waited a moment longer, eyeing the house warily. Then, with a flimsy grin, he waved while striding away.
I stared after him, fingers waggling until he vanished around the hill.
Now, it was just me and the house.
The walkway below was cracked, a long line of stones that bloomed with weeds. I couldn't see around the house, the hedges and trees circled it heavily enough to hide anything there.
It had been eerie before, but now, alone as I was, it was straight up scary. Just go inside. It's only an old house. That's it. Plus, Grault is inside, so it isn't like you'll be by yourself!
Pumping myself up, I strolled my way to the dented front door. Holding my breath, I gripped the knob. I would have knocked first, except the idea made me feel silly. And of course, feeling silly is the last thing I want right now, right? I thought to myself sardonically.
Twisting the handle, I nudged the door inwards. The hinges were loud, the yawning of a lion. “H—hello? I, uh, it's me. Farra Blooms?”
Inside the main room, dim light filtered through the tinted windows. I spotted lamps hanging around, but none were lit.
Across from the door, amazingly clean looking in shiny dark wood, was a tall desk one would find in a hotel. A wide rug the color of spilled wine muffled my steps towards it. “Hello?” I called out again, glancing sideways at the open archways. Beyond them, it was hard to see anything. “Is anyone—ah!”
Grault walked from the left hallway, his skin looking greenish in the odd lighting. If he was relieved to see me, his face didn't give any hint. “Miss Blooms, you're finally here. Thank goodness.” For a second, he hunched forward. I thought he was planning to bow. I was relieved when he didn't.
“Grault, you scared me.” Breathing out loudly, I tried to mull my own joy. It was good to see someone familiar, especially in such a brooding house. “I—wait, finally? I came as fast as I could!”
“You should have come last night.”
“In the dark? Really?” Arching an eyebrow, I gripped my hips. “When did you get here?”
He didn't have the courtesy to blink. “Last night.”
“Uh huh. How did you manage that?”
Again, he was deadpan. “I flew.”
“Mmhm, mmhm. Of course you did. I bet you landed the plane on the roof, too, and...” A flicker of movement on the edge of my vision stopped me. I inspected the shadows of the hallway to my right. “I—did you see that just now?”
Before I could investigate further, I heard the sound of rustling papers. Glancing back, I could see Grault was dusting off the large book on the desk. “It's just some of the guests, Miss Blooms.”
“The guests?”
“I expected they'd want to see you eventually,” he mused, sparing me a look from under his leveled brows. “That it would be so soon surprises me.”
“Oh, I see.” Smoothing my dress, aware of the specks of dirt clinging to it, I aimed a nervous smile at the doorway. “Ahem. Ah, hello! I'm—well, I'm Farra Blooms.”
No sound came, no movement.
My tall companion chuckled. “Miss Blooms, you must forgive them. They're used to Tessa.”
A twinge of discomfort moved up my spine. I'd never known people to be so shy that they wouldn't even come introduce themselves. It didn't feel right. Nothing here feels quite right, actually. I think I've realized that for a bit.
He motioned at me, the impatience I'd sensed the first time I'd met him coming through. With another wary glance at the hall, I went to stand beside him. “Now, Miss Blooms, I'd like to go over the paperwork with you.”
I winced at the word. “Wait, hold on. I want to see this place before I start signing things.”
“Miss Blooms, this is very important.”
“You said coming here was important,” I muttered, giving him my best serious squint. “Well, I'm here. You also said when I got here, that you'd answer my questions.”
“That's hardly the issue at the moment—”
Lifting my hand, I cut him off with a sharp wag of a finger. “No no. You woke me up at an ungodly hour, threw me on a train alone, and assured me when I came here that you'd tell me what I wanted. I've got questions, which I think is entirely fair!”
His mouth crinkled like he'd bit into a lemon. Then, with a dramatic sigh, he slumped in front of me. “I'd hoped to ease you in gently to all of this, Miss Blooms. It was clear you knew nothing about Tessa when we first met. That you had little concept of what she did, or why, or anything of it.”
I remembered his words to me when I'd left the train station. “You told me she was a... a witch.” Just saying the word felt odd. Must be the environment, this place is spooky. “But clearly you meant that in some sort of historical sense, or something else, right?” His quiet, evaluating stare set my blood pumping too fast to my heart. “You can't mean, well, the magical broom sort of person.”
“She never rode a broom,” he said, considering my words too seriously.
I didn't like that.
“Grault, stop. I admit this place is weird, this situation is strange, but what you're trying to convince me of is... it's just ridiculous.”
Standing tall, he cracked his neck loudly. The crunching pops made me flinch. “It's time you saw. Come, Miss Blooms.”
I had the oddest thought that he expected me to take his hand. He, instead, began wandering down the dim hall to our right. “Where are we going?”
“You wanted to see the house.”
“I—I wanted to understand what you meant when you said Tessa was a witch.”
He nodded, leading us through a long, high hall. “You want facts. This will explain both things.”
As we walked, I gazed upwards at the ceiling. It was good to be in such a big place (he and I could walk side by side) but I was left wondering, again, why it was so dark. “Why are there no lights on in here?”
“It was Tessa's job to do that.”
“You can't turn on a light?” I scoffed, folding my arms into a tight knot. “It doesn't take much.”
Grault slowed, and in the shadows, I almost bumped into him. We were close enough to touch, his charcoal eyes fixed down on me like I'd said something entirely stupid. “Normally, you'd be correct. However, that isn't the case here.”
Squirming under his cold gaze, I hugged myself tighter. “Why is that?”
He tilted his head, returning to guiding us towards the end of the hall. It felt like we'd walked for some time, when I thought about it. “The house only ever listened to Tessa
. Without her, there's been no way to get the lights back on.”
I saw him getting further away, realized I'd stopped walking entirely. He noticed, too, pausing to eye me with clear exasperation.
But I didn't care.
“I'm sorry,” I said, my lips dry no matter how I licked them. “Did you just say the house listened?”
“I did, yes.”
“The house?”
Grault shut his eyes, white lashes almost vanishing on his pallid cheeks. “The house. Miss Blooms, if I have to keep stopping to explain every little thing it will be quite draining.”
“How am I supposed to react when 'every little thing' sounds completely insane!” I blurted, wincing at how my voice echoed around us.
He moved his arms, gesturing around himself towards the exit. Beyond him, I could vaguely see greenish light. “I'm doing my best to explain things to you. Come along so you can grasp it better.”
Is he mocking me? I couldn't tell, he was always so flat. Or angry. Around me, I had the oddest sensation that the halls were shifting. It was easy to blame on my fear of small spaces, though the feeling that the walls were somehow breathing in and out was not. Tensing my jaw, I scurried forward as calmly as possible. When Grault and I exited the hallway, my nerves reluctantly settled.
We stood in a wide room, stairs extending upwards from all directions around us. It reminded me of being in the center of a compass. “What is all of this?”
“This is the main room,” he said, waving over his head. “The tenants stay in rooms above here, up these stairs.”
“Are we going to meet them now?”
Grault peered down at me, seeming to consider the option. “Not yet. I want you to see something else first.”
There was another hallway across from the last one. I followed him down it, amazed by how people could choose to stay in a place so dark and quiet. Musty, too. It smells like dirt, I hope there isn't deadly mold hiding around here.
We didn't go far before Grault stopped. To our left was a door, basic in every sense. I thought he was getting his bearings, until he reached out to touch the brass knob. Grunting, he gave it a hard twist.
Protected by Stone (A Paranormal Romance Novel) Page 4
