by Rose Pressey
I headed down the hallway to the swinging door that led into the dining room. I poked my head through just a bit and scanned the area. There was no sign of the werewolf. I looked under the table. No, he wasn’t there either, so on to the next room. I checked every room on the bottom floor and there was no sign of him,
Now I had to go all the way back up the steps and check the second and third floors. If he wasn’t in the house, I didn’t know what I would do next. I guessed I would assume it was a ghost, or perhaps it had only been a dream. I wished I’d gotten a good look at his face. If he was real and I didn’t find him in the house tonight, then tomorrow I would track him down for sure. He had a lot of explaining to do. I checked every bedroom on the second floor, but I kept those doors locked. Regardless, I unlocked each door and looked because obviously he was getting in somehow.
This had to be a ghost or some person with magical powers of some kind. There was no sign of anyone on the second floor. So now I had to move up to the third floor, which I didn’t particularly enjoy. If even possible this space was spookier than the other levels. The attic was up there and that was where I had found the Book of Mystics. Plus, rumor had it the walls hid bones of former residents.
I really didn’t believe that one, but with all the ghosts around I never knew what to expect. I made my way up to the third floor. I’d check the bedrooms first and keep the attic for last since that was the spookiest place.
I checked all the rooms until I came to the last one… the attic. I had put it off long enough. I made my way to the tiny little door that opened into the small space. There was a special key that I kept on me that opened the door into this room. I kept it on a chain around my neck for safekeeping. The key for the Book of Mystics was there too. I wore it as jewelry.
Chapter 16
I shoved the key into the lock and turned the handle. But nothing happened. It must have been stuck, so I wiggled the key again. I tried the knob again, but the little door didn’t budge. I pushed the door and it seemed as if something was blocking it. That made me even more nervous. Was someone in the attic blocking the door? That wouldn’t make sense, but creepy things happened around here all the time. So I guessed I wouldn’t be too surprised if something crazy like that happened.
I wiggled the key just a little bit more and turned the knob. This time the latch finally opened. The door opened with ease. I guessed it was my imagination, thinking that someone had been standing there. I pushed the door the rest of the way open. I still wished I had my flashlight. I should’ve stopped in my room and picked it up.
But the moon gave off enough of a glow across the room for me to see what a mess it was. I definitely hadn’t left the room this way. I’d made sure the boxes were neat, orderly and in stacks. Now everything was scattered about the room. I looked to see if anyone was in there, but saw no one. It appeared as if someone had been looking for something. The Book of Mystics, maybe? Had that guy been up here looking for my book?
I bet he’d been looking for it. The rat. Speaking of rats, I hoped I didn’t run into one. The guy would be disappointed to learn that the book wasn’t here. Did he think I was that dumb to leave it? Yeah, I was furious that I would have to clean up all of this mess. How dare he break into my house and do this? If I found him then I would make sure he would never do this again. I still wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t in the house somewhere, hiding and waiting for me. Did he think that I would tell him where the book was? Fat chance of that ever happening. Even if he tortured me I wouldn’t tell.
I stepped into the room, maneuvering around the boxes and books scattered about the room. Clothing that had been hanging on a rack now littered the floor. I really needed to take the stuff away, but there were still some things from my great-aunt Maddie. I wanted to look through them again before giving them away.
I stepped over to the window and peered outside. It overlooked the backyard, with a river in the distance, the cemetery to the left, and then the wooded area on the right with a vast expanse of the back lawn. That was when I spotted him. Why was Daniel in my backyard? He headed toward the wooded area. Had he been in the manor? There was only one way for me to find out. He’d better not lie to me about this either. I was beginning to have my suspicions about him after seeing him at the club. I had a lot of questions to ask. Now was as good a time as any.
I almost fell as I maneuvered around the boxes and clothing on the ground. I knocked a cobweb out of my way and then raced out the door. I rushed out the little door then headed to the landing. Now I had to maneuver down the winding staircase and not fall. This place was like an obstacle course. And I was doing all of this in the dark. Once I finally got to the bottom floor, I raced to the right and headed for the back door in the kitchen.
When I got there at least the door was still closed. I’d almost expected for it to be open again as if a ghost was playing tricks on me.
I stepped out into the backyard and yelled out, “Daniel, stop right there.”
My voice carried across the night air and he immediately stopped, He turned to look at me.
At least he hadn’t tried to act as if he hadn’t heard me or ignore me. I ran toward him. I hit something on the ground and twisted my ankle. I tumbled to the grass and hit the ground with a thud. I released a groan. I swore sometimes it was as if I had two left feet. I couldn’t walk a straight line without stumbling. And now of all times I didn’t need to be lying on the ground like some sort of helpless little deer.
When I looked up, Daniel was standing over me. He reached his hand down toward me.
“Let me help you up,” he said.
He was trying to be nice, but I had every reason to be suspicious of him. Nevertheless, I took his hand and allowed him to help me to my feet. I brushed off the wetness from the dew that covered the ground.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Well, I can’t get anything by you, can I?” he said.
“Why did you come in my back door and wander around my house? Plus, I know you made that mess in the attic.”
His eyes widened and he looked at me as if I was crazy.
“Oh, sure, the innocent act. I’m not buying it, mister.” I waved my finger in front of his face.
“I’m sorry, Halloween, but I don’t know what you mean.”
“If you weren’t in my house just now then why are you in my backyard?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.
“I heard that wolf howling,” he said. “I came looking for it.”
“How convenient,” I said.
“I’m telling the truth.” He held his hands up in surrender.
“So what was the wolf doing?” I asked.
“I saw him in my backyard and then I followed him over here. Seems like he’s going between the two houses. I guess he’s living right there in the wooded area.” Daniel gestured.
I studied his face for a moment. I still couldn’t determine if he was telling the truth or not. I had assumed he was just playing games with me. Therefore, I didn’t believe him.
“I saw you at the club tonight,” I said.
“The Bubbling Cauldron? Yes, I was there. I will admit to that,” he said.
“So why were you at the Bubbling Cauldron? Are you a witch?” I asked. “Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not a witch.”
“You’re a vampire?” I asked.
“No, not a vampire or werewolf. Look, I just went to the place by mistake. I thought it was a nightclub. I didn’t know that I had to do magic spells in order to get in.”
“That’s the thing, you don’t have to do magic spells in order to get in. It’s a place just to dance and have fun if that’s what you want to do. So why did you sneak out the back door?”
“I didn’t sneak out the back door,” he said. “Why are you following me?”
“Oh, don’t you reverse this on me,” I said. “You’re just trying to make me the one who seems crazy, but in fact
it’s you who’s crazy.”
“Okay, I’m done with this conversation now.” He turned around and headed back toward the wooded area.
How dare he walk away from me like that? I knew he was up to something and I intended on proving it. He could act innocent all he wanted, but I would get to the bottom of this.
I watched him for a moment as he walked to the wooded area and then disappeared behind the tree line. He didn’t look back at me. I supposed I had made him mad, but that was the price I had to pay to get to the bottom of things. I had more questions for him and I’d pay him a visit in the morning. Maybe then he would have a clear mind and be more willing to answer my questions truthfully.
I turned around and marched back toward the house. I wanted to get in as quickly as possible before anything else crazy happened.
Chapter 17
I’d just arrived at my mother’s shop. Bright sunshine shone through the windows of the open space. White walls and white fabric-covered tables made the room like stepping into a cloud. Shelves took up the area on the walls. She had bottles and jars full of lotions, soaps, and other beauty items. What made her stuff different from others was the magic in the products. Each item had a spell included. They were for everything from love to good luck.
Annabelle worked at my mother’s shop now. We’d discovered she had a natural knack for picking out just the right ingredients to add to the spells. Though she insisted that she had no magical abilities. I thought she had hidden talent that she just wasn’t tapping into. Maybe she was pushing it back because she feared the paranormal. One day I would get a chance to have her try it—but first I’d have to talk her into trying it. Baby steps though. We were lucky that she was working with the magic now. My mother loved having help. I’d helped in the past, but now with the Underworld job and the manor to care for I didn’t have the time.
Annabelle was behind the counter helping my mother with a spell. They were so engrossed in what they were mixing up that they hadn’t noticed me walking toward them. I stood in front of the counter for a few seconds watching them.
“I think it needs more lavender, what do you think?” my mother asked.
“I think more lavender is always a good idea,” Annabelle said.
“What are you two up to?” I asked.
My mother tossed the lavender into the air. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why did you scare me like that? How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” I said. “You two were in the zone.”
“It can be hypnotic,” Annabelle said.
She’d no sooner spoken the words than her eyes widened. A scared expression came over her face.
“What’s wrong, Annabelle?” I asked.
She pointed toward the window behind me. When I spun around to see what she was pointing at I saw the mystery man. Maybe it was the glare from the sun, but I couldn’t quite make out his facial features. He was dressed all in black wearing a coat just like last time.
“Who is that?” my mother asked. “He looks like a lunatic.”
For all I knew he was a lunatic. He was acting that way. He stood in front of the window and stared in at us.
“I’m going to ask him what he’s doing,” I said.
“Oh, I don’t think you should do that, Halloween. He looks dangerous,” my mother said.
“Things will be fine,” I said, as I hurried toward the door.
The man had turned and started to walk away. Annabelle ran after me.
“We’ll be right back,” I said.
Annabelle and I hurried down the sidewalk after the man. He hadn’t turned around, but something told me he knew we were following him and I thought that he probably didn’t care. This could be the person who’d sent me the message and wanted me to meet them at the Bubbling Cauldron. Speaking of the Bubbling Cauldron, we were getting close to it now. Was he going back there now? The place wasn’t even open yet. Maybe he had wanted me to follow. Why else would he be staring in the window at us like that? I wasn’t afraid though. I had to figure out what he wanted.
“Where’s he going?” Annabelle asked.
“I think he’s going right to the Bubbling Cauldron,” I said.
“He must really like that place,” Annabelle said.
He passed the doors for the club. We were getting closer to him. He turned the corner that led into the parking lot. This was the exact place we’d seen him that night. I didn’t think that was a coincidence. When we turned the corner, I spotted him as he walked across to the other side. There was a street back there so I didn’t want him to head out that way. I wanted to confront him right here and now. Thank goodness we’d been able to catch up with him.
When I called out for him to stop he ignored me. He didn’t pause or even look over his shoulder.
“This guy is creepier than I thought,” Annabelle said. “Maybe we should just let him go.”
She might be right about just letting him go. I wasn’t willing to follow him much farther. He reached the edge of the parking lot. This was the spot where we’d first seen him. He stopped and turned around. Annabelle and I froze. He was looking right at us.
The man looked angry and like he might come after us at any moment. I thought about doing a spell right now before he even thought of doing something to us. Before I had a chance to even think of which spell to use, the man disappeared right in front of our eyes.
Annabelle gasped. “What just happened?”
“He disappeared,” I said, still in shock.
“How did he do that?”
“I don’t know for sure. He obviously used some kind of magic.”
I started walking over to the area where he’d been standing. Annabelle came with me. I was cautious just in case he was hiding over there somewhere and waiting to attack. When we reached the area where he’d been I eased around the side of the car. Thank goodness he wasn’t hiding back there. I wasn’t sure what the purpose of being at my mother’s shop had been though. Maybe he was just some creep who liked staring at people. Either way it was unsettling.
“Are you sure he’s not around here?” Annabelle asked.
“He’s not here and I don’t think he’ll be back,” I said.
The sound of voices caught my attention. When I looked to the right I spotted a couple sitting in a car.
“I wonder if they saw the man?” I asked.
“We should ask them,” Annabelle said.
We walked over to the car and I motioned for them to put the window down. The guy frowned but finally lowered the window.
“Hey, did you spot a man in a black coat just a second ago?”
The guy looked in the direction of my pointing finger.
“We didn’t see anyone,” the man said in a slightly irritated tone to his voice.
Annabelle and I walked away without saying thank you. If he was going to be rude then I didn’t have time to be polite in return.
“How do we find out who that was?” Annabelle asked.
“We don’t. I guess there’s nothing we can do but leave.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
“Yeah, I guess he’s gone for now.” Annabelle sighed.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last that I saw of this guy. I was worried about my mother too. What if he showed up at her shop again? I wanted to know who he was and what he wanted.
Annabelle and I headed down the sidewalk toward the shop. I knew that she was shaken up by this. I didn’t blame her for feeling that way.
“I can’t believe he just vanished like that,” she said with a wave of her hand. “What if he’s still looking for you?”
I squeezed her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I can handle him. Plus, we don’t know for sure he was even looking for me. He’s not scary.”
Actually, he was scary-looking. I just didn’t want her to worry. I wasn’t sure if she was buying my act though. She’d known me a long time and could usually see through my acts.
Soon we reached my mother’s shop. She was
standing at the front door with a distressed look. “Thank goodness you’re back. What happened?”
“We lost him,” I said, tossing my hands up.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell her the part about him disappearing right before our eyes.
“You don’t know who this man is?” my mother asked.
“He can’t keep a secret from me forever.” I headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” My mother’s voice rose with concern.
“I have some work to do.” I waved. “I’ll call you soon.”
“Be careful,” she called out.
When I glanced back Annabelle and my mother had worried expressions. I understood why they felt that way. Unfortunately, this was just part of being the leader.
I pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the manor. I sat there for a moment before getting out. It was a beautiful day and I was enjoying the breeze that drifted through the open window. I leaned back on the seat and inhaled the scent of the nearby rose bushes. They were fully blooming with bright red flowers.
Movement caught my attention. When I looked in the rearview mirror I thought for sure I saw something black streak across the yard and around the side of the manor. Was it the man in the black coat? Or it could have been one of the werewolves. Though I thought it was too tall. It was more like someone walking. How would the man have found out where I lived?
Now I had to get out and check this out. I had to pretend like I was brave. If I did that enough maybe it would be real. I stepped out of the car and pushed myself to move forward. I’d take a quick look around the outside of the house and see if I spotted anyone. It seemed as if I was always chasing someone or something. I reminded myself that it was probably nothing. Just a trick of the eyes.
