by Ellen Oh
Harper snorted in disbelief, earning her a chastising glance from her grandmother.
“Sometimes it’s easier to pretend everything is all right rather than face your fears and your mistakes,” she said. “Especially if you’ve spent your entire life making fun of your younger sister for believing in something that you are now not so sure about.”
Harper shrugged. She wasn’t really interested in psychoanalyzing her sister. Kelly was just Kelly.
They were quiet for several minutes, when Harper asked her grandmother about something that had been troubling her.
“That soul-eater demon,” she said, suppressing a shudder. “You said a demon was not the same as a spirit, because a spirit was once a human and a demon was not.”
Grandma Lee nodded.
“Then what is a demon? What is that soul-eater thing?”
Grandma Lee gazed at the altar. “It is an evil creature as old as time itself,” she said. “I only know a little bit about them. They were once treated as gods and given numerous human sacrifices until a great shaman banished them into the spirit realm. Nowadays, a soul eater might slip into our world from time to time. But no one knows where they come from or how they get here.”
The image of the pale no-eyed soul eater appeared in Harper’s mind, raising goose bumps all over her arms. She’d seen a lot of scary ghosts in her short life, but the soul eater was by far the scariest thing she’d ever seen. She hoped she’d never see another ever again.
They finished polishing the armor when her grandmother froze, her head cocked to the side as if listening to something.
“What is it, Grandma? Who’s talking to you?”
Her grandmother didn’t answer. Her eyes had turned inward, and she looked as if she were in another world. Harper sat quietly, waiting until her grandmother returned to herself.
Several long moments later, her grandmother moved again. Immediately, her hands began to rub her prayer beads between them.
“Who was that?” Harper asked.
“Mrs. Devereux,” her grandmother whispered.
“Is she coming now?” Harper asked, as she looked around the room. She liked Mrs. Devereux but found her quite intimidating. She was a very old and extremely powerful spirit originally from New Orleans. She was once a witch and a psychic, who could read a person’s thoughts and curse them in the same moment.
“I’d asked her to go and check Razu Island out, to find out if it is safe for my grandchildren. But she tells me that she can’t access it, that she’s scared to do so without a medium.”
“What does that mean?”
“A medium is anyone with the ability to channel spiritual energy directly, like you and me,” her grandmother said. “In this case, she doesn’t want to venture into an area without that protected channel, because she fears she might not come back.”
Harper’s mind immediately turned to Rose and the soul eater. “She’s afraid of something that is down there.”
“Furthermore, she can’t call any spirits there to talk to. She calls it a spiritual wasteland,” Grandma said. “I wish there was a way to cancel this trip.”
Harper shook her head hard. “No way—Mom would freak out big time if you even try to mention it to her. She’s been looking forward to this trip for months! It’s Uncle Justin and Aunt Caroline’s big celebration weekend for their jobs.”
Grandma sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I want to go with you, but I need to go to New York for your aunt Youjin’s baby. This will be a difficult birth, and she is going to need my help.” Regret and fear tinged her voice.
Harper was worried. If her grandmother was troubled, then she was, too. It meant that something was not right there spiritually.
“When you arrive, you must call in Madame Devereux so she can investigate the island safely,” her grandmother said.
Harper nodded. Her grandmother had taught her the safe and correct way to call a spiritual adviser, using her shaman bowls.
Mrs. Devereux was the coolest and most dangerous spirit Harper knew. If there was something that even she was wary of, then Harper was downright scared to death.
MURDER IN PARADISE
Friday, October 27
Harper had to admit that it was refreshing to breathe in the salty sea air after a three-hour delay and a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Miami International Airport. The ferry they were on was filled with happy, excited families eager to start their vacations. Harper and Dayo were holding Michael up between them as he oohed and aahed over swimming dolphins and the waves that splashed up high. Her parents were off to the side, talking with Uncle Justin, who had met them at the airport.
The sound of her brother’s laughter caught her attention. He was waving his hands over the railing, letting the sea spray hit them.
“Harper, look at the dolphins!” He lurched forward, almost falling out of their arms and into the water.
Dayo and Harper gasped in horror. They pulled him back and placed him safely on the deck.
“That’s it for you, little buddy! We can’t have you falling in before we even get to the island,” Harper said.
“Why? I can swim!” he said indignantly.
“Yes, but I don’t want to,” Harper retorted. “Neither does Dayo. And we all know there’s no way Kelly’s jumping in after you.”
They all glanced over to where Kelly was animatedly flirting with a cute boy.
“Kelly talks too much.” Michael grinned. “I know, let’s push her over by accident!”
“You can’t do that,” Harper said. “She’d pull us all in with her.”
“Then I’d get to swim!” Michael grinned.
Harper laughed and leaned over to pick him up and give him a big squeeze as he pointed in glee at the dolphin pod swimming alongside the boat. She noticed Dayo gazing wistfully at them.
“What’s the matter?” she asked over Michael’s head.
Dayo shrugged. “Sometimes I wish I had a little brother or sister, too.”
Michael reached over to Dayo and climbed into her arms. “It’s okay, Dayo, I can be your little brother also,” he said. “You can share me.”
“Thank you, little brother,” Dayo said.
“Look!” Michael shouted. “It’s the island!”
“You’re supposed to say ‘Land ho!’” Harper teased.
“Land ho!” Michael shouted, loud enough to cause the people around them to turn and smile.
In the distance, Harper could see the marina filled with bright sails and the outline of the island behind it. A cold wind whipped through her hair, sending a shiver down her spine. Despite the colorful tropical paradise ahead, Harper could feel goose bumps appearing all over her arms.
With Rose’s absence, Harper had been depressed. Worse, she couldn’t shake the uneasy sense she’d gotten ever since talking to her grandmother. Something about this trip had spooked Grandma Lee.
Harper had done a little bit of internet research into Razu and wasn’t surprised to find that the island had a violent past. It had been a deserted island until Montgomery Bennington, the hotel mogul, had discovered it in 1912 as a young man. But it took eight years to open the first Grande Bennington Hotel Resort and Beach Club. There was some shady business involved during the construction of the resort, and allegations of murder trailed Bennington. But he had become too rich and powerful for anyone to confront him. When he died in his eighties in 1970, the hotel chain passed on to his eldest son, Samuel Bennington, who was fifty at the time but had no children of his own. At his death, twenty years later, the hotel chain passed to the only remaining Bennington heir, Sam’s much younger half sister’s son, Todd Bennington, who was only twenty at the time. It was during Todd’s ownership that the real tragedy occurred. Sixteen people were murdered in a horrible manner, including a very young child. The murders tainted the hotel’s reputation, and people stopped coming. The hotel fell into disrepair, and even other Bennington hotels began to suffer globally. Strange things would happen. One woul
d burn down, and another would have some scandal. It was as if the Bennington name had been cursed and the family plagued with both personal and business disasters. And then suddenly Todd Bennington deserted his pregnant wife and vanished. Rumor had it that he stole his wife’s jewelry and the last of the family cash.
But fourteen years later, the Bennington name was gold again and the company a financial powerhouse. Todd’s wife, Clarissa Bennington, had taken over control of the company and brought it back from financial ruin. She even reinvested in the Grande Hotel, ordering a major remodeling that took several years to complete. This grand opening was supposed to be the most lavish celebration, meant to make people forget all about the grisly murders that happened years ago. But for Harper, the murders weighed heavily on her mind.
The sun was beginning its descent as they joined the throng of tourists leaving the boat. Dayo and Harper held Michael’s hands tightly as Uncle Justin herded them down the ramp and out onto the pier. They followed him to a hotel shuttle bus. The driver was already loading their suitcases into the back.
“Okay guys, we’ll go straight to the hotel so you can hit the beach or pool while it’s still light,” Uncle Justin said. “Leo will be happy to see you all.”
Harper snorted and Michael grinned at her. She seriously doubted that.
“You think he’s going to pull a prank on us?” Dayo whispered.
“Not if he knows what’s good for him,” Harper whispered back.
Her mother poked her lightly in the side. “Now, Harper, you be nice,” she said with a warning gaze.
Harper suppressed a sigh. It wasn’t like she could do anything really scary to Leo anymore. Not without Rose.
A pain shot through her at the thought of her oldest friend. Almost every day Harper wanted to share something with Rose, only to be reminded that she was gone. It made her heart hurt.
She sat in the very back of the bus with Dayo and Michael, behind the rest of her family.
“So, did you hear about the murders that happened here?” Kelly asked.
Dayo’s eyes grew wide. “No—what happened?”
“They say it was a satanic cult, because the thirteen bodies were found in a circle around the trees, and their insides had been pulled out of their bodies.”
“I thought there were sixteen victims,” Harper interjected.
“Yeah, that’s right, but three were outside of the circle, as if they just happened upon the murderer and then they were killed, too.”
“Kelly, enough with the rumors,” their father said in a warning voice.
“Sorry,” Kelly said. “Hey, Uncle Justin, will we get to see the place they disappeared from?”
Harper noticed how tight Uncle Justin’s jaw got. Before he could respond, the shuttle driver spoke up.
“You talking about Gorgon Grove, missy? That’s one scary place,” he said. “We’ll be driving past it. You can see the back part of the grove right from the road.”
“Cool!” Kelly said. “I hear that it’s the most haunted place in the world. They say you can still hear the cries for help from the trees.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” their mother said. “It’s just some silly superstitions. Don’t go scaring your brother like that.”
“Don’t worry about him. Nothing scares him, right, Mikey?” Kelly asked.
“I ain’t scared of nothin’! But don’t call me Mikey!”
Harper hid her smirk. Kelly was always trying to give them cute pet names that they both resented—although Kelly’s nickname for Harper was not so cute. The last time Kelly had called her Harpy, she’d put baby powder in Kelly’s hair dryer.
Kelly was looking at her map of the island. She pointed at a section marked Gorgon Grove. “Here it is,” she said. “Looks like it’s going to be on our left side.”
Harper repressed a shudder, because she knew from experience that most of the time the spirits of victims would haunt their last resting places. If something bad had happened, then the spiritual energy would be strong here, especially for those who were sensitive to it.
Dayo shivered and whispered into Harper’s ear, “Are there going to be ghosts there?”
“Probably,” Harper said. She looked down at Michael. He was still so little. She worried about what he might see.
“Hey, Michael, you want to play your Nintendo again?” Harper asked. Michael nodded excitedly, turning on his Super Mario Kart race game.
Harper sat back with a sigh of relief. Hopefully, her brother would be too absorbed in the game to notice anything. The shuttle bus began to drive along a narrow coastal road before cutting up into the heart of the island. Here, the jungle canopy was heavy, shading them from the sun. But the air was thick and muggy. There was a sense of isolation within the trees. A feeling that they’d entered into another world and another time.
“Creepy,” Kelly said.
Harper nodded. She noted a negative aura, which was getting stronger.
Michael’s hand suddenly grasped hers tightly. She looked down and saw his frightened expression.
“It’s okay, just play your game. Close your mind up. Remember what I taught you?” she whispered. He nodded solemnly, his eyes never wavering from her face. “Focus on the game and close off all the other senses until it’s safe, okay?”
He turned back to the game in earnest, his little fingers pressing the keys to make the race car go.
Harper looked up and noted Dayo’s wide eyes. “Do you sense something, too?” she asked her.
“I’m not sure,” Dayo said. “But something feels really creepy.”
Harper noticed that the oppressive feeling was stronger than ever. It almost felt like it was right on top of her. And then she saw it. Gorgon Grove. Twisted, deranged, and unnatural. It was the trees that gave off the sense of menace and danger, nearly pulsating with it. There was no doubting that this was the place, but there were no ghosts haunting it. No sign of spiritual residue. Harper was relieved and yet confused. This made no sense. How could a site with such a negative aura be ghost free? She wished her grandmother were with her—she would know what to do.
Glancing down at her brother, she noticed that he was focusing hard on the game and was paying no attention to their whereabouts. But both Dayo and Kelly were staring in horrified fascination at the trees. Kelly pulled out her camera and began taking pictures.
“Wow, they are so freaky!” Kelly said, still clicking her camera as they drove away. “I hope we don’t ever see them again.”
“Which is why you took a hundred pictures of them,” Harper said.
“That’s different! I want to show everyone the pictures of where the murders occurred, but I don’t want to experience it again. It felt oppressive,” Kelly said. She shuddered, making Harper realize that maybe her older sister had some spiritual powers that she was not even aware of.
“Kelly, do you ever see ghosts?” Harper asked.
Her sister gazed at her in disbelief. “What? Are you for real?” she asked. “Seriously, Harper. It’s one thing for Michael to talk about ghosts, but you’re nearly thirteen. Stop being a baby.”
“Kelly, what about this past summer? What about Michael? What do you think happened to him?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Kelly said with an angry glare.
And just like that, her feeling of kinship with Kelly faded. Harper sighed. It was going to be a long vacation.
Dayo gave Harper a sympathetic smile and whispered, “I have to admit, I’m real glad I wasn’t touching you, Harper. I wouldn’t have wanted to see any ghosts in there.” She shuddered. “I was so scared just looking at the trees.”
Dayo could only see ghosts if she was touching Harper. Grandma Lee said Harper’s abilities were so great she could channel the spirit realm for energy to move things around without ever touching them. But Harper still hadn’t been able to do it. Grandma Lee promised that it would come with time and practice. Harper couldn’t wait.
Harper frowned.
“That’s the funny thing. There were no ghosts there.”
“Where’d they go?”
Staring out the window, Harper couldn’t help but think about what Grandma Lee had said. “I don’t know,” Harper responded.
They’d arrived at the resort, driving past a gigantic sign proclaiming that it was a Bennington hotel. The shuttle bus entered through a palm tree–lined driveway that circled the front of a Spanish-style mansion with a red-tile roof and a large archway supported by Grecian columns. They alighted on a brick walkway framed by a dazzling display of hibiscus, hanging orchids, pink powder puffs, and cloud-like purplish-pink ornamental grass that grew in large clumps. Michael jumped out of the bus and began chasing the small yellow geckos that covered the ground.
It was picture-postcard beautiful, and yet the closer Harper got to the entranceway, the colder she felt. She noticed that all the little geckos her brother was chasing fled away from the building, even circling around to avoid coming too close. A sudden chill overcame her. The geckos had the right idea. There was a negative aura about the building that spoke of tragedy and fear. She had to will her feet to move her forward. At the doorway, Michael clutched Harper’s hand tightly.
“I don’t think I like this place,” he whispered. “I’m afraid.”
Harper nodded and grasped his hand, wishing she’d been able to pull out her backpack that held her shaman bells. On her other side, Dayo had a vise grip on Harper’s arm.
“What is it?” Dayo asked. “Are there ghosts here?”
Harper closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and channeled her sixth sense. It sprang to life and prodded at her. She opened her eyes again and saw the lobby anew, ready to see beyond the physical plane. Scanning the room, she was surprised to find nothing out of the ordinary. Bellboys in bright flower-print shirts pushed carts filled with bags as uniformed staff directed their guests. On the other side of the room were sofas and oversized armchairs, all filled with people sitting and drinking.
“Do you see anything special?” Harper asked her little brother. He shook his head. Strange, she thought. There were no ghosts in the vicinity, and yet she could feel the echoes of their emotions—fear, anguish, anger, rage. It was troubling, to say the least. Looking down at her brother, she noticed that his face was pale and his eyes were large.
