“Do you think they’re all trapped here?” Eric asked.
“I do,” Shantal said. “Maybe some of them don’t want to leave, so they’re trying to scare us out of helping them.”
Pam shrugged. “We really have no idea, and it’s not like we can just cross over and ask them—at least not without a Ouija board.”
“Yeah, I’m all fresh out of those,” I said. “I heard those things open some kind of spiritual doors, though, and the last thing we need to do is invite more spirits in. This castle is already too crowded.”
Eric pondered it all for a moment. “Do you think the faculty knows about it, about the ghosts?”
“They must,” Hunter said. “Surely they hear the piano at night and see the paintings, poems, and sculptures lying around.”
I let out a long sigh. “William is working for them, leading the spirits when they inhabit our bodies in our sleep.”
Shantal shook her head. “Fine, but how do the teachers communicate with William?”
“I think the question is more…why? Why would a trapped ghost even want to cooperate in the first place?” Eric asked.
My gaze shot to a squawking peacock walking past us. “That, my friends, is the question of the century.”
“It is,” Hunter said, “but even more importantly, who’s he working for?”
Chapter 7
The next day, I spotted an unfamiliar woman. Driven by curiosity, I followed her to the principal’s office. When Mr. Rowens invited her in and shut the door, I pressed my ear up against the door. They chitchatted for a while, about nothing in particular, so I decided to just wait in the lobby, where she would have to walk past me.
They both finally came out, and she followed him to his room. The woman had a bag slung over her shoulder. I wondered if she was his girlfriend. A while later, she came back downstairs and went to the kitchen.
“Can I get you something?” I asked, following her.
“Oh, no. I’m just getting Mr. Rowens a drink.” She then threw something in the trash, shot me one last smile, and left.
I went to the trash and saw an empty IV bag with “Cisplatin Intravenous” on the label. I grabbed a notepad and copied the words down, then hurried up to my room and logged on to my laptop. I was surprised to find out what it was and texted Pam to come right over.
“Well? What’d you find?” she asked when she walked in a few minutes later.
“It’s a drug.”
“So our principal’s a junkie?”
I wanted to laugh, but it didn’t seem appropriate. “Actually, it’s medication for lung cancer, and I’m sure that was his nurse.”
“Mr. Rowens is dying? Really?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but he has been missing lots of events and school functions.”
“Yeah, I wondered why he was missing in action.”
“I feel so bad for him.”
“Me too.”
“I’m no doctor, but he should take a leave of absence. Running a school is too stressful, and he needs to rest.”
We told the others, and they were all very sad to hear the news; as frightening as things were, we didn’t want to see anyone die.
I spent the next few hours doing homework and studying, then spent a little time with Hunter. Before I knew it, it was bedtime once again, and I quickly gave in to the comforting sleep that beckoned me.
***
A short while later, I woke up to go to the bathroom. When I got back in bed, the door to my room slowly opened. “Hunter?” I asked.
There was no answer.
“Pam? Shantal?”
It was dead quiet.
I threw the covers off and walked hesitantly to the open door, assuming I’d forgotten to close it. With a deep breath, I quickly shut the door and hopped back into bed.
Seconds later, the door creaked open again.
My heart began to pound furiously, and I hoped the girls were just playing some kind of trick on me. If they were, it wasn’t funny, but that would still be better than the otherworldly alternative.
Once again, I got up and slowly walked to the door. I stepped out into the hallway and peered into the dimly lit corridor. I still had my hand on the doorknob, and I shook it to see if it was broken, but it seemed to be fine.
I moved back inside and shut the door again, making sure to lock it this time. We weren’t supposed to lock our doors unless we were changing, but I wasn’t worried about the school rules at that moment. I jumped back in bed and heard a scratching noise.
“Stupid mice!” I said in a whisper. “How am I supposed to get any sleep around here with the mice and the creaky door?”
Just as I closed my eyes, the door creaked open again.
No flippin’ way!
I clutched my chest, hardly able to breathe. My hands began to tremble. With my eyes wide and my heart racing, I walked over to the door. There was no way the door could’ve opened, as I’d locked it myself.
Suddenly hundreds of mice squeaked past me, running over my feet.
I screamed.
They raced past me, thousands of them. Their beady, black eyes and long tails freaked me out. This wasn’t even normal. And I was terrified. Talk about a rodent nightmare!
I hurried past the devilish door and swarming mice. I knocked on Shantal’s.
“Yeah?” she asked groggily.
“It’s me. Can I come in?”
“Zoey?”
“Yes.”
“It’s three in the morning.”
My hands shook. “I know! Can I come in? There’s mice! Tons of them.”
“Sure.”
I stepped inside and made sure to close the door behind me.
“What’s up?” she asked, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “Tell me Casper isn’t paying you a visit.”
“Can I spend the night in here? Mice are scratching around in my room, and I can’t sleep.”
She sat up and looked at me. “Seriously? You’re freaked out about mice?”
“There’s more,” I said. “I really think the mice are demonic entities.”
She raised a brow. “What?”
“Demons are messing with me! The door keeps opening, even when I lock it. And then a million rodents rushed past me.”
“Ghosts?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably.”
She chuckled.
“It’s not funny. I’m totally freaked out. I’ll even sleep on the floor if you’ll come with me to get some covers off my bed.”
“Zoey, I’m not gonna make you sleep on the floor. Climb in here with me. I promise I don’t bite.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Not a problem.”
I closed my eyes and fell asleep but was quickly awakened by voices, as if several people were having a lively conversation all around the bed. “Shantal,” I said, shaking her, “did you hear that?”
“Talk to Hunter later, will ya?”
“Huh? I wasn’t talking to anybody.”
She bolted up in bed. “Wait. You weren’t just talking to Hunter on your cell?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Oh my gosh! Did they follow you in here?” she asked.
“Who?”
“The spirits?”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I sure hope not.”
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.
“What was that?” I asked.
Shantal’s eyes widened. “I don’t know. It sounds like something fell, maybe one of those suits of armor or a painting or something.”
“Should we check it out?”
“Seriously?”
“I don’t hear anyone else out there. Surely other people heard it too. It was so loud. We have to check it out.”
“No way.”
“Why not? There are two of us.”
“You know very well that something’s trying to get our attention, and I don’t wanna see whatever it is. I’ve got a feeling it’s n
ot Elizabeth, that little girl.”
“Well, whether you come with me or not, I need to go.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like… I’ve gotta confront it.”
Another noise came, like the sound of something huge sliding across the floor downstairs.
“It sounds like somebody’s moving furniture,” she said.
“At this time of night? I don’t think so. We need to check it out.”
“If we go down there, will you shut up and go back to sleep?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“Fine. Then let’s go, Columbo.” She rolled her eyes at me, put her robe on, and grabbed a bat.
“What’s that for?” I asked. “You can’t exactly smack a ghost with it.”
“We don’t know it’s a ghost. Maybe it’s just an intruder, and we have to be prepared. This was your idea, though, so you go first,” she said.
“But you have the bat.”
“So? You said it’s a ghost.”
I sighed and took the lead.
We crept down the corridor, my bare feet feeling the chill as I walked. We walked to the grand staircase and peered down when I flicked the lights on.
“See anything?” she whispered, gripping her bat tightly.
I glanced around. “Nothing.”
I tried to control my racing heart as I slowly made my way down the stairs. I couldn’t get to the light switch fast enough. I flicked it on, bathing the room in light. Glancing around the room, I spun in a slow circle.
“Nothing seems out of place,” she said.
I searched the floor for skid marks, some proof that the furniture had moved, but there was no evidence of that.
Shantal grabbed my arm. “Somebody’s coming.”
I glanced down the corridor and saw a figure walking toward us. Panic flooded me, and I feared it was the ghost who had been making all the racket. When Shantal gasped deeply and turned to bolt, I pulled her back.
“Let’s go!” she said.
“It’s fine. It’s just Eric,” I said as he came closer.
She squinted. “Eric? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. He must be sleepwalking, because there’s no way he’d explore this castle by himself in the middle of the night.”
As he approached, I called his name, but he didn’t stop. He acted like I wasn’t even there.
“Eric!” Shantal said.
Ignoring us, he walked right by.
I looked at Shantal. “Let’s make sure he gets to his room okay.”
“If we get caught in the guys’ wing with Eric, it’s not gonna look good.”
“So we won’t wake up any teachers.”
She hurried to Eric. “Hey, you’re goin’ the wrong way.”
He looked at her. “You are beautiful, milady.”
“Uh…thanks, but it’s a good thing Pam’s not with us. Or she’d smack you. Save your complements for her.”
I chuckled.
Eric then looked at me. “You are exquisite, my dear, but answer me one question. Why have you garbed such a womanly figure in men’s attire?”
“What? These are just my pajama bottoms,” I said.
“It’s not becoming of such a fine lady.”
Shantal looked at me and shrugged.
“Let’s just get him to bed,” I said. “He’s obviously still dreaming.”
“I am not Eric,” he said.
Shantal nervously laughed, then slugged him playfully in the shoulder. “Stop, Eric. This isn’t funny, not one bit.”
He blinked and ran a hand through his hair. “Zoey? Shantal? What time is it?”
“I’m not sure. Probably close to four a.m.,” I said.
“Why am I down here in my pajamas?” he asked.
“You were sleepwalking,” I explained.
“Huh? I don’t sleepwalk,” he protested groggily. “I’m sure my parents or brothers woulda told me if I did. Anyway, what are you two doing up?”
I met his gaze. “I heard a crash and came down to investigate.”
“It was probably me wandering around in the dark,” he said.
“But nothing is out of place.”
“I probably bumped into something.” He blew out a breath. “This is too weird. I’m going back to bed. Sorry to wake you up.”
We wished him goodnight, and he went back to his room.
Shantal and I then turned off all the lights and headed back up to her room.
“I can’t believe it was Eric,” Shantal said. “He’s lucky I didn’t play batter-up with his head.”
“Yeah, but I’m glad. At least he’s harmless. I guess I have ghosts on the mind. Still, I just don’t see how Eric could have made all that noise. Something huge was being slid across the floor, and that crash was so loud.”
“This castle is a spooky place to live. Back home, I have no qualms about getting a drink in the middle of the night. Here, I’ll die of thirst before I’ll head into the kitchen at three a.m.”
“I know what you mean.” I shook my head. “My door didn’t open by accident.”
“Let’s not think about it,” Shantal said. “Let’s just go to sleep.”
“You’re right.”
Chapter 8
One of my classmates, Margaret, stared out the window. I’d seen her there an hour ago, so I decided to stop by and see if something was wrong. “Hi, Margaret,” I said.
She didn’t answer and just kept staring off into space, refusing to make eye contact with me.
Worried, I shook her.
She didn’t move and just stared, like a zombie.
I went and got Miss Duball, who couldn’t get a response out of her either. The teacher called for a medical team, and she was rushed out of the castle and to the hospital.
My hands were shaking as Hunter put an arm around me. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
“The EMT said something about a stroke.”
“What!?” I swallowed hard. “She’s too young for that.”
“Apparently not,” he said.
As the day went on, we kept calling the hospital to check on her condition, but they wouldn’t tell us anything. When nighttime came, I had a hard time falling asleep and prayed she would be okay.
***
The maintenance man couldn’t find any sign of mice. I should’ve figured that much. These weren’t mice, but demons tormenting me. I was sure of it. I went through the day and couldn’t wait for bedtime. I was so tired. I drifted off to sleep in no time.
When I opened my eyes, I was running through the woods. The freezing wind pelted my face, and a cold chill washed over me. Shadows flitted back and forth across the night sky.
I abruptly stopped in my tracks and spun in a slow circle. “What the heck?” I whispered, certain that I was dreaming yet again.
Hisses and moans echoed all around me, and within seconds, I was surrounded by dozens and dozens of horrific figures with empty eye sockets. As they slowly inched toward me, I screamed and tried to force myself awake from the nightmare that seemed far too real. “Leave me alone!” I shouted.
“Get away from her!” someone demanded.
I spun to meet her gaze. “Isabella?” I said. “What’s going on?”
“It is quite difficult to explain.”
“Please try.”
“You were…possessed, by a new kind of evil.”
I gasped. I didn’t like knowing that something could take over my body, and I worried that I might seriously hurt myself or someone else.
“Zoey,” she said, “you can keep them out. You must, for we are being harassed by the foul ones as well.”
I raised a brow.
She continued, “I am a castle spirit, and we occupy another realm. If you kick them out, they won’t be able to cross over into your realm or mine. We must keep them out of the castle.”
“But how?” I desperately asked.
Suddenly, a black shape, like that of a black dragon, swooped down and picke
d her up.
“Isabella!” I screamed.
***
When I awoke in my bed, I blinked. “Just a dream,” I said, but none of it made sense.
I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was four a.m. I still had time to go back to sleep, but I had to go to the bathroom. When I swung my feet to the floor, I noticed something odd: They were covered in mud. My stomach dropped. Glancing down at the floor, I was horrified to see a long trail of muddy footsteps that I was sure were mine.
Was I really walking in the forest? Was I really…possessed?
Suddenly nauseous, I ran into the corridor and found a muddy trail there as well, leading straight to my room. I knew I would get in trouble if I was caught going outside at night, and the worst part was that I couldn’t explain my moonlight stroll, because I didn’t even understand it myself.
I rushed to the bathroom and washed my feet with soap and water, then dried them with a fluffy towel. With my hands still shaking, I walked down the dark corridor and lightly tapped on Pam’s door.
There was no answer.
I knocked again. “Wake up,” I whispered. “Pam, it’s Zoey.”
Still, no one answered, and that was odd since Pam was usually a light sleeper.
I slowly opened her door and whispered for her again.
There was still no answer.
I hurried to the bed and tapped on her back. “Please wake up,” I said. “I’m kinda freaking out.”
She rolled over, revealing a bloody, slashed face.
“Oh my gosh!” I screamed.
“Zoey!” she suddenly snapped, her eyes opening wide.
I blinked, and her face somehow returned to normal. “Pam?” I whispered.
“Why are you in my room, screaming in my face? You scared me half to death.”
“Pam…” I said.
“Oh my gosh. You’re shaking.”
“I had another dream, a whole lot creepier than playing piano. I-I was outside, and then I woke up, back in my bed.”
“Well, you’re okay then. It was just a bad dream, right?” she said, gripping my trembling hands. “We should be used to those by now.”
“No, it was something else. I swear, this place is a paranormal investigator’s dream. I hate all these creepy occurrences.”
Enchanted Dreams - Book 3 (The Enchanted Castle Series) Page 5
