by Rose Pressey
Chapter Twenty-Five
The power wasn’t pulling me to my room though. It was drawing me toward the attic. I moved up the rest of the stairs and found myself at the attic door. Was the magic messing up now? The book was in my room. Why did I feel compelled to go into the attic?
I hoped Isabeau didn’t hear me in the attic. I’d hate to have to kick her out. Her insistent talking was getting on my last nerve. Maybe if I just kept her with an endless supply of cupcakes she’d leave me alone. Why had she wanted the book anyway? It seemed everyone wanted the book. Did she want to be the leader of the Underworld too?
I eased the door open and poked my head in as if I was expecting someone to be in there waiting for me. And to think I’d been worried about finding bones in the attic. That was the least of my worries now.
No one was in the room. That was unless I had another ghost I didn’t know about. There was a strange vibe in the room though, pulsating around me. It lured me toward the middle of the room. I stepped inside and stood right in the middle of the room, as if saying, Here I am, now what? I scanned the space, but nothing looked out of place or different from when I’d been in there just a few days ago. Had it only been a few days? It seemed like months.
A odd tug was coming from the corner of the room. I stepped into the shadowy corner and instinctively reached behind another beam behind a hidden cranny. Something was back there. I wrapped my hand around the object and pulled it out. It was a piece of paper that had been rolled up and tied with a ribbon.
This was like some kind of weird magical scavenger hunt. I blew the dust off the paper and turned it over in my hands. I contemplated shoving it back where I’d found it. I’d forget about it, tell Isabeau to leave, get rid of Liam and Nicolas and try to forget any of this had ever happened. I knew that was fantasy though. There was no way I would do any of that. My curiosity would get the better of me and I’d have to know what the paper said, what any of this meant. It was crazy, but I had to know. I’d never been one to live dangerously, but suddenly I felt like I was living on the edge.
Finally, with shaky hands, I untied the ribbon around the scroll. My breathing came in short gasps as I unrolled it. It was a small map of the house. My aunt Maddy really was a strange woman. She had a tendency to forget things though, so it was understandable why she’d sketched a map of her little treasures. The attic had two spots marked, the location where I’d found the book and another spot in the middle of the room.
I walked over to the area where I’d found the book and stuck my hand behind the beam. The space was empty. I had to make sure there wasn’t something else there. I studied the map again. It had a spot marked right in the middle of the room. What could be there?
Walking over to the marked spot, I looked down. Nothing was there. I knelt down and ran my hand across the floor. It was smooth except for the imperfections in the wood. When I ran my hand across it again though, I noticed the board moved ever so slightly. I ran my fingernail under the edge, but couldn’t get it to come up. I needed something to pry the board up with.
I scanned around the room, then spotted a box in the corner marked dishes. I rooted through the box and found a few random utensils. A butter knife was one of the items. I was thankful that my aunt was so eccentric now. I never knew what I’d find in her stuff.
I rushed back to the spot in the floor and used the knife to pry up the loose board. It was hard to see if there was anything under there. I didn’t really want to stick my hand down there where I couldn’t see any possible rodents. I poked the knife down there and hit the subfloor. When I moved the knife back and forth, it didn’t catch on anything. Just when I thought I wouldn’t find anything, the knife hit something and a small clang sound rang out. Something was down there, but now I had to decide if I was sticking my hand down there to retrieve the item.
It didn’t look as I had any other options, so I closed my eyes and inched my arm down there. As if closing my eyes would protect me from something. I moved my hand around and reached, but still couldn’t find the source of the noise. Stretching into the far corners of the space, I finally felt it. It was a small, cold object.
I pulled my hand out of the space to see what I’d found. It was a key. I sit on the floor and stared at it. It was a long brass skeleton key. What was it for and why was it hidden? I flipped it around in my hand. There was nothing written on it, just a wispy swirl pattern on both sides.
The map was on the floor where I’d dropped it. I reached over and grabbed it. There were two more spots marked around the house. What was in those locations? There were two problems though. One location was in Nicolas’ room and the other was in Liam’s room. That could get tricky. And what was hidden there? Did it have anything to do with the key that I’d just found?
There was only one way to find out. I had to look quickly before they returned and I was caught. If they wanted the book, did that mean they’d want whatever else was hidden in the house? This just kept getting more complicated. What was Aunt Maddy’s involvement in the Underworld? There had to be a connection. I’d run out of options and knew that I had to break down and tell my mother about this, as much as I didn’t want to. She was my only connection to Aunt Maddy. She’d be the only one who could answer questions about her.
Pushing the board back into its spot, I grabbed the map and the key, then slipped out of the attic. I paused for a moment and listened. Isabeau wasn’t making noise, which was probably a bad thing. At least she was on the second floor and wouldn’t see me slip into Liam or Nicolas’ room, although I’d have to walk lightly or she might hear my footsteps.
What was I worried about anyway? I had a right to be on the third floor. It was my place. I could do whatever I wanted. She could just mind her own business. If she happened to see me I’d tell her I was cleaning the rooms, which technically I needed to do. But I’d have to look for the secret hiding spots before I did any bed-making or dusting.
I tiptoed down the hall, trying to avoid the spots in the floor that I knew squeaked. I eased into Liam’s room first because it was the first room on the right. He’d made his bed and everything looked relatively tidy. Discarded clothing lay across the chair in the corner of the room. Was it creepy that I wanted to pick up his shirt and give it a whiff? He just smelled so darn good that I couldn’t help myself.
I unrolled the map again and looked down. Apparently, something was hidden in the closet. Or had been hidden there at one time. Whether or not it was still there was the big question. I glanced over my shoulder. Liam and Nicolas were both still out, so what was I worried about? Sucking in a deep breath, I made my way over to the closet. When I opened the door, I peered in the dark space. Liam had a few pieces of clothing hanging up, but other than that the closet was empty. I reached up and felt along the shelf, but couldn’t see because I was too short. When I didn’t feel anything, I gave up.
The only other place to look was in the floor again. Why hadn’t I brought that knife with me? I knelt down and waved my hand across the floor. If Liam walked in and caught me, he’d think I was crazy. Just when I thought I was wasting my time, I felt another loose board at the very back of the closet. I pushed on it and tried to use my fingers, but it was no use. The thing wasn’t coming up.
I needed to hurry up. I still had to check Nicolas’ room. I jumped up and looked around the room. Did Liam have anything that I could use? I prayed I didn’t find a knife in his room. That would make my overactive imagination go into overdrive with visions of him as a serial killer. I mean, I’d found out he was a witch and Nicolas was a vampire. I just didn’t know if they really were being sincere or if they wanted to harm me just to get to the book.
Liam claimed this Mara woman wanted the book. He’d wanted me to give him the book. Maybe that was just a ploy to get the book from me. I stepped over to the dresser and spotted his bag. I hated doing this, but I had a good reason, right? I’d take just a peek.
The only thing in Liam’s bag w
as boxers and socks. I guessed that answered my question of boxers or briefs. If Liam caught me looking at his underwear, well, I’d never get over the embarrassment. There was no way to explain that one away. I’d be forced to tell him the truth. Even then, I doubted he’d believe me.
Just then I remembered that there was a letter opener in the desk drawer. I hurried over and yanked the drawer open. Thank goodness it was still there. I grabbed it and hurried back to the loose board. I poked the letter opener beside the board and pried it up. Most of my body was now in the closet. I reached my hand in. Again it was dark, even darker in that closet than in the attic. Seeing a thing was almost impossible, but I felt something right away this time. It was metal and quite large. It had a handle too, so it was easy to lift it out of the space.
I pulled it out into the light. It was a box and right there on the front was a hole for a key. Bingo. I pulled the key from my pocket and slipped in right into the hole. I should have taken the box to my room, but I just had to know what was in it first. My heart rate increased as I turned the key. When it clicked, I let out a deep breath. I lifted the lid on the box, not knowing what to expect. Inside the velvet-lined box was another book. Another spell book? What would this one do if the other reanimated the dead?
My hands wrapped around the book and I pulled it out. It looked just like the spell book that I’d found in the attic. Apprehension coursed through me as I studied the intricate cover and the leather binding. I was almost afraid to open the cover. What would I find this time? I inhaled and blew the air out of my lungs slowly, then flipped the leather cover. Staring back at me were words that I understood. This time the pages were filled with English and I knew every word.
I scanned the first page. I hadn’t been prepared for what I read though. According to this book, the witch who unlocked the power of the Book of Mystic Magic would be the leader of the Underworld. It was just as Liam had said. The witch was destined to oversee the laws and rules set forth. My head was spinning. Was I the witch who had unlocked the powers of the book? No, it couldn’t be.
I flipped through more pages. The text went on to list my duties as the leader. Basically, I would be the one everyone turned to for answers. That was a joke. They surely didn’t want my advice. Movement sounded from downstairs so I shoved the book back into the box, grabbed the key and bolted from the room.
I hurried down the flight of stairs toward my bedroom before I was caught so that I could to hide this book with the other one. I wasn’t sure if the footsteps coming up the stairs belonged to Liam or Nicolas, but either way I didn’t want them to see the book.
Forget making fantastic cupcakes. I just wanted things back the way they were. I enjoyed my substandard spells. I’d always wanted to be better at magic, now I was regretting that wish. Be careful what you wish for… or was it be careful what you witch for?
