The White Door

by Christy Sloat

  “I don’t know what we can do for you, Brylee. We’re dead, you do realize that, right?”

  I sighed and explained Hala’s reasoning. With her newfound knowledge, she seemed to understand and before I knew it, I was surrounded by at least ten of the Brown ghosts and Lynley. I smiled at them all as they stood in my room. Yes, it was weird, but also comforting to have them all there, watching over me.

  “Lyn, I’m gonna try to get some sleep,” I said as I pulled the covers over myself.

  “Okay, we’re here.” Lyn patted my shoulder and I felt her sit by my side. Somehow I fell into a deep sleep.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t last too long. A strange thump woke me up. The room was freezing cold and I tried to open my eyes, but they felt frozen shut. I rubbed them hard and they seemed to warm. I looked around and noticed the spirits were huddled together, looking frightened.

  “What was that?” I mumbled.

  Lynley was no longer sitting next to me. She stood, looking out my window, fear on her face.

  “She’s here,” she told me. “I can feel her.”

  I sat up fast and regretted it right away. I felt dizzy with exhaustion. Not sleeping was catching up to me and so was the near constant fear. I stumbled over next to Lyn and peered out of the glass. I saw nothing, just darkness and the moon. I walked closer, but still nothing. Then I heard the thump again.

  “What is that?”

  The spirits shook their heads. They were clueless and apparently frightened of the witch who had made them spend their eternity here. It was time for a pep- talk.

  “Look, I know you’re scared, but she can’t hurt you anymore. She is weak right now. This is the time to stand up to her! The more of you that stand together the harder it will be for her to control any of you. Remember when she came the last time? You all sucked her dry.” I’d never forget the moment I saw the ghosts literally pull Evangeline’s powers from her body and trap it in the corner room.

  Violet stood and came closer to me, her eyes wide with fear.

  “We took her powers from her. She wants revenge for what we did. We aren’t scared for our own sakes, we’re scared for you.” She ran her hands over my messy hair.

  My face drained of feeling as the memories of that night came rushing back to me. They weren’t scared then and they weren’t scared now. They were staying away from me because they knew she meant to kill me and enter the room. I was just a human, standing in Evangeline’s way. She would do whatever she needed to get her powers back.

  “No,” I said, standing taller. “She won’t get what she wants, not from me. I need your protection. If you surround me, she can’t physically hurt me.”

  “We’ll try Brylee, but we can’t promise protection from everything.”

  I didn’t understand what she meant. I could only hope they would be true to their word and stay with me. I had to go outside and see what was going on.

  I tiptoed down the stairs quietly. My mom didn’t need to be awoken now. I found Ephraim balled up on the couch. His covers fell off and he looked cold.

  “Ephraim,” I said as I lightly shook him awake.

  His sleepy eyes opened and once he registered my face, he was up. “What’s wrong?”

  I bit my lip. “I heard something, outside.”

  I continued to the door and he followed. The ghosts were with me, I could feel their chill surrounding me. Being with them made me freezing cold and no matter what I did to stay warm, the chill still dug in deep. I opened the door and felt Ephraim place his hand at my back as if to steady me.

  “Careful,” he said as I took my first step out.

  We were out on the lawn, under a full moon and starry sky. I looked around, hoping that the thump I had heard was nothing. Maybe acorns falling from the trees? Sadly, that was not the case. Another thump followed by many more drew my attention to the rooftop. Sitting perched on my house were turkey buzzards, dozens of them. Their beady, black eyes focused intently on me. I shivered as one of them hopped down from the roof and onto my car. It bent its neck one way and then the next with its red head and hooked beak before it screeched. Their looks were menacing and all but screamed murderous bird.

  I had only ever seen these things eating dead carcasses off of the side of the road, never up close. I took a step back from the large bird, but that proved to be the wrong move. It spread its wings and took to the air, flying right above my head.

  I shrieked and ran toward the house. The others spread their wings and flew in front of the doorway, blocking my entry.

  “Stay here and distract them,” Ephraim shouted.

  Distract them? I couldn’t fathom what he was going to do. So I searched the ground for a stone. Upon finding one, I chucked it at one and hit it dead on. It fell injured to the ground, but got up right away and hissed at me.

  “Did you just hiss? Oh, hell no!”

  I threw another rock and before the evil bird got too close to me, an arrow flew straight through its body. I swiveled around and saw Ephraim, bow in hand, walking toward me. Somehow, in the middle of this crazy nonsense, he managed to look super hot.

  The other buzzards seemed to heed the warning and flew off in a large group. Once they were gone Ephraim put the bow down.

  “I’ll give you one guess as to who was responsible for that,” he told me.

  I didn’t need to answer him. We both knew Evangeline was responsible.

  “She probably hoped they would distract us long enough to enter the house.”

  He nodded agreeing with me. “If she wants to enter then all she has to do is knock,” Ephraim said loudly. No doubt he expected her to be listening. He pulled his bow over his shoulder and ushered me inside where my ghost friends waited for me.

  So much for protection!

  Chapter 20

  Laying in my bath, letting the water ripple over me, I tried to forget the day I had. Forgetting the way the birds looked at me was nearly impossible. I sunk my head under the water, washing away the tears the streamed down my face. Sadness didn’t adequately sum up what I was feeling now. I had lost my friends, I was losing my parents, and soon, my sanity would follow.

  The door creaked open and I froze, silently listening to the sounds. I stood up quickly and covered my naked body with a towel. “Hello?” I said tentatively.

  She touched my back gently, but the freezing cold of her skin sent me flying out of the tub.

  “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Violet said as she stood before me.

  “Yeah, well you seem to do that a lot.” I backed up toward the sink and she shielded her eyes so I could dress.

  “I came to apologize, about your friend, Kayla.”

  Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t this.

  “I never meant to hurt her.”

  “Well, you killed her, you didn’t just hurt her. She had a future and you ruined it,” I all but spat out. I had never been able to tell Violet what I really thought about the day she took my friend’s life.

  “She opened a portal and I went through it. I had no choice. I had to find the key,” she said somberly.

  “Yeah, so you could save Pearl. I know this story Violet.”

  I was dressed now and I left the bathroom, but Violet followed.

  “Maybe you can really end this curse Brylee. Maybe you can help us go free.”

  “Maybe, but I do have a witch on my ass. I can handle ghosts. It’s the witch I am having trouble with.”

  Violet laughed. “You seem very comfortable being in the presence of the dead, why is that?”

  I thought for a moment before answering her. “No one living would believe me. Ghosts have no choice but to believe me. You hold out for hope. You hold out for the chance to be free of this curse.” I paused before saying what came next, “It’s all your fault that they are trapped here. Except you know that already, don’t you? You rely on me and my gifts to set your family free.”

  She hung her head in shame. She had no other hope besides me. I had a duty
to release these ghosts, but I also had a duty to destroy Evangeline for good.

  “I don’t know how to help you all cross over, not after what you did to them. But, I do know a certain library ghost who may be able to help me banish a witch once and for all.”

  “Brylee, I have no doubt that you can help us. I just fear that you may end up like Kayla. I don’t want that for you.”

  “Violet, you don’t have to worry about that,” I told her confidently.

  I just wished it was the truth.

  The next day after school I drove to the library. The last time I had seen Angie Harris I had let her down. She had wanted me to help her move on and I told her I couldn’t. Heck, I still couldn’t. I still hadn’t learned how to help her cross over. She was trapped here because this land had once held her home. Her home was burnt down and many years later a library was built and now her spirit was trapped inside. Until I learned to control my gift and help those in need to cross, Angie was stuck here.

  I greeted the librarian upon my arrival. She reached out and grabbed my hand.

  “I am so sorry about Lynley Mayhew’s death. I know she was a good friend of yours,” she told me. “It’s such a shame that she killed herself, and in your house, too. How are you dealing with that?”

  I pulled my hand away from hers.

  “Lynley didn’t kill herself. It was an accidental overdose,” I told the snippy librarian.

  She gave me a look as if to say, Oh, sure honey, whatever you need to say to help you sleep at night.

  “I’ll need the back computer please.”

  She handed me a passcode for the computer and sent me on my way.

  I had expected Angie to be waiting for me at the desk but she wasn’t. Instead, I found a lonely desk with a lonely computer. I sat down and started doing my research, beginning with the Salem witch trials. They did so many things to kill witches back then, but were the women and men they killed truly witches? They had hung them, stoned them and set them on fire. How on earth could I do that to Evangeline? Especially with not knowing exactly who she was at any given moment? It wasn’t like I could get her to stand still and let me kill her.

  Then, before my very eyes, the computer started doing its own thing. The words how to kill witches appeared in the bar on a search engine. I sat back and let it type out the search.

  “You must burn her or cut off her head with an athame.”

  I knew the voice behind me as she read from the site on the screen that the search had sent me to. “Angie.” I turned and saw her before me. She gave me a half smile. “I thought …”

  “What? That I wouldn’t help you?” I nodded embarrassed. “No. Of course not. I am here, stuck here, but it’s not your fault.”

  I smiled at her. I had missed the twang in her voice.

  “So, I have to burn her, huh? And how does one fine and athame?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll start looking for books. You keep searching.” She disappeared into the stacks of books behind me.

  I searched the internet and after finding about a hundred fake athames on eBay, I still felt as clueless as I had when I first came in the door. The only surefire way to kill her was by burning her alive. Or rather burning her in whatever form she was in now.

  Except there was one huge problem with that. How does a teenage girl burn someone at the stake in the 21st century without anyone noticing? How could I cut off her head with an athame, something that didn’t seem to exist, at least not a true one? I only knew of one person who had ever spoke of an athame and that was Everett Brown. He had written in his journals about killing Agnes with one. If I could locate the actual weapon he used, I wouldn’t have to worry about setting fire to anyone.

  The only problem was that I had no idea how to locate the item. I hung my head in defeat. Evangeline was swiftly beating me and I was helpless to stop her.

  I returned home to a mess. My mom was packing several suitcases and I was absolutely speechless upon my arrival. She told me my Grandma wasn’t doing very well adjusting to life after her fall, and she had gotten worse. Now my mom was going to fly home and stay with her until she was able to either care for herself, or they could hire help for her.

  “But, Dad’s there. Can’t he help her?” I asked selfishly. I knew that my dad alone couldn’t care for her. He was working and there was probably no one there to help her when he was away. It was selfish and foolish of me to want my mom to stay here.

  She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Brylee, you’re going to be just fine. I talked with Detective Stockard and he promised to keep an eye on the house while I’m gone. I also made Ephraim promise to take care of you.”

  I could see a strength in my mom that I never had before. One that was allowing her to let her only daughter stay alone in a house that was not only haunted, but hated by the town. She had faith in Ephraim to take care of me. I looked at him from across the room and he smiled reassuringly.

  Lyn sat at the foot of the stairs and I could see she was upset. She, unlike Ephraim, felt the fear I did. She was the only one who understood what her mother was capable of. Ephraim knew, but didn’t know first-hand. Plus, he was a guy. He thought nothing could touch him. But he was forgetting that this evil woman had killed her own daughter. She would stop at nothing to do the same to me.

  “Mom, just hurry back.” I hugged her tightly. I didn’t know when I would see her again.

  We packed up my car and I drove her to the airport. She insisted on curbside drop-off and that we just say goodbye fast. Goodbyes for my mom were supposed to be like taking off a band aid, fast and painless. I hugged her once more before she entered the airport and left me alone in New Jersey.

  Chapter 21

  I had one more reading to do for Hala and that was it for the winter. I needed to focus on school before I failed all my classes. I had worked my butt off to make the A’s I had and I wasn’t going to ruin it now. Sure, my life was full, but school was important. College was just around the corner, I had to prepare. My letter from Hopewell University came the week after my mom left. I was so excited to be accepted into the school of my choice. I called my mom and dad to tell them the news. They were so happy, and I could hear my mom choking up. It wasn’t the same as celebrating in person, but I knew they were proud of me.

  Ephraim said he wasn’t surprised. He knew I would make it in, even though I wasn’t sure. Lyn smiled from ear to ear when she heard and I knew she was happy for me. I hadn’t yet told Hala, but I planned to tell her that night at the reading. She had informed me that this reading would be unique, something I had yet to encounter so, of course, I was nervous all day at school, but once I got home I felt better.

  It was like Hala said, the house was protecting me. It was almost like being in a bubble, as long as I remained in the bubble I was safe, but I couldn’t stay in there forever.

  As I dropped my bag on the table, Ephraim pulled up. He was now on the same schedule as me. The internship was going great, but it wasn’t all day. He came into the house and scooped me up into his arms without saying anything. He carried me upstairs and into my room. I plopped down on the bed, giggling.

  “Tell me all about your day as I kiss every inch of you,” he demanded. I laughed as he started at my toes.

  “It’s high school Ephraim. You know how it went. I want to know about your day instead.”

  He sighed and came face to face with me before he laid down. “It was amazing. I’m learning so much. I do have class all day tomorrow though, so I won’t be home until ten. You gonna be okay?”

  I nodded and kissed him. “You worry way too much. It’s been days and we haven’t heard anything from the angry mob, or Evangeline. Maybe she left for good.”

  It was wishful thinking on my part, but one could hope. He covered my mouth with his and kissed me fervently. I felt heat surge from my toes up to my head as he continued. He was killing me! I wanted to stay, but I had to get to Hala’s before dark.

  I pulled away with regret.
“I have to go, but I’ll be back early. Hala knows I have homework,” I told him as I sat up.

  “I’ll have dinner waiting,” he grabbed my arm before I left. “Be careful.”

  I kissed his nose and said, “Always careful is never fun.”

  “Oh, you want some fun, huh?” He grabbed me and tried to pull me back to the bed. I struggled but got free. I hated to leave him, especially now, but I had to. A promise was a promise. One last kiss before I left and he walked me out to my car. I pulled away as he waved, looking sad.

  I knocked on Hala’s door and she answered with a smile, as always. She led me into the kitchen where she got me a glass. She poured cold water into it and then set it down for me.

  “So, I told you this one would be different and I wasn’t lying,” she said as she pulled a cake from her fridge. She began cutting it and I sat down at her table. “This customer is unique and she doesn’t want to know what most do.”

  I would never get used to them being her customers. Essentially, they were, to her. To me, I wasn’t sure what they were. “Can you tell me anything else without being so cryptic?” I asked teasingly. She set a piece of cake in front of me and sat down.

  “No. If I tell you too much then I could ruin it for you. I want you to know that it’s not like the others, that’s all. There is nothing more I can tell you about her.”

  I sighed and dug into the cake. It was moist and decadent. She always made me something sweet when I came over. I had gotten used to her treating me like I was someone special, like I was someone who she needed to baby. Maybe I was.

  “So, when do we start?” I asked, licking the fork.

  “We will go to her. But I wanted to talk to you here first, before we left. Not about her, about Evangeline.” Her face changed from her normal happy face, to an expression filled with concern.

  “She hasn’t shown herself in weeks,” I told her, sounding hopeful. Even though I tried to calm myself, she could probably sense the fear in my voice. Hala was good at that.