A Whispered Darkness (32 page)

“What about the future?” Julia whispered.

Haven’t brow furrowed. “It’s dark. It tastes like despair and feels like winter.” Releasing a long breath, his eyes snapped open. “That’s it.”

“‘Tastes like despair?’” Bryan snorted. “What a load of crap.”

Haven shrugged. “I can’t always control the way the future comes out. Most of the time, it’s riddles. Like someone puts the words in my mouth.”

“Let’s keep going,” Grant said, breaking the silence. “We need to get this show moving a little faster if we’re going to get anything done before midnight.”

He led the way to his room, mine, Mom’s, and the others. I expected Mom to protest when I pushed open her door, but she said nothing, just shot me an infuriating smile and moved aside so George could get a better look.

Haven leaned over as Grant said something about things he’d heard at night. “This place is getting stronger, isn’t it?”

“What makes you say that?”

He hesitated, and my heart rate sped up.

“I’m having some trouble, Claire. The house is full of visions of the past and future. I’m having some trouble sorting them out. They’re coming whether I want them or not. Its…disconcerting.”

The thought sent chills down my spine, but it explained his behavior. I took his hand again and squeezed. “Keep close then. I’ll make sure you don’t get lost.”

He pecked my cheek. “Thanks. Back at you.”

Grant looked at me, brows raised, and I pointed to the stairs. “Why don’t we head up to the third floor?”

No one argued, so I led the way upstairs. I did my best to ignore the way my stomach dropped and the sweat dampened my palms. The last place I wanted to be was there again, but I had to do this. If I couldn’t get past it, I’d never be able to finish this. Still, it had seemed easier downstairs than it was up here. As we walked down the hall Haven stayed near me, his hand in mine.

“You notice anything strange about this part of the house?” I asked them.

They all looked around, and I thought at first no one would answer. Finally, Cain rattled a nearby door handle. “They all lock from the outside.”

I nodded.

Deon muttered a curse.

With a deep breath, I walked a little farther down, to one on the right side of the hall where the door was open. “This is where they kept me.”

Everything inside looked much the same as everyone crowded in. Haven, Deon, and I stayed in the doorway. I didn’t want to be caught inside again, and Haven’s unfocused stare and heavy breathing were not encouraging.

Shaking it off, I described what happened, leaving out the part where Melanie let me in. I had yet to mention her by name. For some reason, I was reluctant to admit she was the one who had aided me. As I spoke about the mirror breaking, I could see Laura and Bryan seemed unconvinced.

Cain pointed. “Claire, look.”

I turned. The mirror, which had been broken before was now whole, back in the frame. I stepped inside, followed closely by Haven. Cain moved in to examine the mirror, while Laura scribbled furiously on a pad of paper.

I moved to the mattress, still resting against the back wall. Glittering in the fabric, taunting me, was a sliver of mirror. I pulled it out and turned around. “Someone didn’t do a good job of cleaning up after themselves.”

The piece flew from my fingers, slicing through the edge of Cain’s cheek as it fitted itself to a tiny crack in the mirror surface.

“Shit.” Cain scrubbed at the thin line of blood on his cheek. Laura swept in, pulling a tissue from her pocket and dabbing at it.

“He’ll live. The cut’s already closing.” A note of worry crept into her voice. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“You said a spirit kept you company and helped you out.” Bryan’s face was white as a sheet. “Do you know who it was?”

I met his eye.

I didn’t have to answer. Haven’s voice was hoarse. “Melanie. She helped you.”

“Yes.”

Bryan froze in place, and I took a step closer to him.

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

His face crumpled and he fell to his knees. “I didn’t want to believe I’d gotten her stuck here. It was an accident. She was so cool, and I wanted to impress her. Especially since I thought she had the hots for Haven. She kept talking about being psychic and the paranormal. I challenged her on Halloween. Said we should try the Ouija at her house. I never thought it was going to end up like it did.”

He spoke as if the words couldn’t be contained anymore. Sobs racked his body. “I didn’t know what the spirits were like. I figured we’d call one up, talk to it, and she’d be so into me.”

Cain looked like a heavy breath would knock him off his feet. “What did you do?”

Bryan rocked back and forth, his arms wrapped around his body. “She had this board. We used it. Opened it to anyone who wanted to speak. Except that’s not all they wanted. They wanted our souls. I thought we’d contacted the Devil himself.”

“Close enough,” I muttered under my breath.

“They crawled around inside my head. It got crowded. Sometimes they still grope around in my mind.” His words were shaky, and his eyes wild. “They changed me. At night, sometimes they still talk to me.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Melanie shimmering into view, watching Bryan with an expression I couldn’t pinpoint. Haven put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. His eyes kept straying to the side, and he squinted.

“Is that who I think?” he whispered. “You can see her too, right? She’s in the present?”

I nodded.

Bryan continued. I don’t think we could have stopped him even if we’d wanted to. It was like a wound being opened, and he bled with words. “Whatever it was said some other things. About revenge and dying and payment. I was so freaking scared I don’t even remember what really. She freaked too, and we knocked the board over, tried to run. I got out and the door slammed shut. I heard her screaming, and then it was like someone just cut her off. I ran until I was back to the party. I drank, tried to drown the voices. I almost succeeded. And when the cops came I pointed them to Haven.”

Bryan looked up at his cousin, his expression torn between rage and a sadness and guilt which made my stomach twist. “I was so angry with you. You knew what would happen, but you didn’t tell me anything. You tried to tell her, and it didn’t help. I hate you for that.”

Haven shook his head, his voice soft. “I only knew something bad would happen. Not what or with who.”

“I came back later, when I realized how cowardly I’d been.” He swallowed, his body shuddering. He stared at the floor, his mind seeing something it had tried hard to forget. “By then it was too late. She was lying on the floor, dead. The memory still gives me nightmares. She was beautiful and terrifying. I thought she was asleep at first. Then I pulled the hair away from her face, and her eyes were too wide, her mouth open in a scream. I think I hear her scream sometimes, even though it isn’t possible. I panicked. Then things get fuzzy. I think I even tried to resuscitate her.”

“Bryan,” I asked softly. “They found her body outside. How did she get there?”

There was silence, just his panting sobs for a moment. He didn’t look up at me. “I moved her, I think. At first, I thought I could take her to the hospital. Then I knew if I did, they’d accuse me of doing it. So I took her out and left her where they’d find her. But the memories are hard…I’m not sure if they’re mine or someone else’s. It’s like walking in fog to remember them.”

Laura took a step back, sympathy and disgust warring on her face. There was no sense of vindication for me. No triumph in bringing Bryan to his knees, sobbing like a baby. There was only a hollow ache in my chest for him. No wonder the house loved him—they’d been torturing him for years. Feeding on him, enjoying his madness and pain, having created it in the first place.

Melanie, on the other hand, felt differently. Her form focused, and I heard a gasp as she allowed herself to be fully visible. She walked forward, part of her arm passing through Haven, who jumped like he’d been scorched.

“I told you I’d bring you to your knees.”

Bryan glanced up, and stark terror turned to relief. It was the strangest look I’d ever seen. I could almost see the fissures in his mind deepen. The spirits hovered, just outside of us, watching him. They’d been waiting for this a long time.

“I’m so sorry, Melanie. So sorry.”

He reached out a hand, but it went through her leg.

“You know, I wanted to whine and groan and make you feel miserable.” She crouched in front of him, nose to nose. “But I’ve discovered it won’t help me. So I forgive you. We were both stupid, but it was honest stupidity. Just be sure you help make all this right, and we’ll call it even. Oh, and get some help, Bryan. You’re going to need it.”

He nodded, his tears receding. “I will, I swear it on my life.”

She got up. I could feel a thin thread connecting them begin to fray, then snap apart. “You don’t need to be dramatic. If you fail, you’ll all be dead anyway.”

She started to fade and turned away from him to wink at me. “No pressure.”

Haven stood next to me, his eyes riveted on her. So were everyone else’s. “By the way, Haven?”

He nodded.

Melanie looked at the floor, then back. “Thanks for trying. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Watch out for this one. She’s not half bad.”

He swallowed hard, his arm around me tightening. “I know.”

“And you”—she tilted her head and grinned—“You take a while to get around to things, but thanks. I think I can go now.” With a mock salute to me, she then turned and gave the rest a dramatic bow before dissolving into nothing.

“Is she gone?” Deon asked.

I paused, reaching out to see her. There was a blazing path of light where she had been, and a feeling of peace. “She’s moved on. She wasn’t tied like the others.”

Julia cut through the silence. “And none of us had a camera.”

“That’s the least of our worries right now,” I said.

“Why? Why could she move on when the others can’t?”

“She was a mistake,” I said. “The house didn’t want her. It was after him. After someone they thought had powers. Melanie wasn’t enough energy for the spirits to keep. They’ve been feeding on Bryan instead.”

Mom laughed. Her voice sounded strange. Deeper, and less like herself than ever before. “You think you have it all figured out.” She circled behind me, while everyone else froze. “But you don’t know even half of it. Matter of fact, this could all be seen as your fault.”

“Bullshit. You possess anyone who lives here, drive them to unspeakable things.”

“Not everyone.” Her lips curled, and her eyes darkened. “We couldn’t possess the last occupants. Melanie’s parents didn’t believe, and she only believed out of spite. And that is what we worked with.”

Her foreign gaze turned to Bryan, who whimpered like a whipped dog. “It took Bryan to accomplish the deed.”

I wondered at the admiration in her gaze.

“No!” Bryan shook his head. “I left. I didn’t kill Melanie.”

“Why did you drag her outside? Explain it again. In detail.”

His eyes were round with panic and fear. The peace Melanie had given him was broken. “I don’t know. I just remember leaving and coming back. Then I was at the edge of the woods. I-I did it because someone would think I killed her. I can’t remember more!”

Mom wagged a finger. “You don’t remember the details, because
you
were with
us
, then. You are one of us, in the flesh.”

“I did kill her?” Bryan moaned, buried his face in his hands. He rocked, shaking his head, mumbling over and over, “It’s not true. I would know. I didn’t. I didn’t.”

Mom turned back to me, and I crossed my arms. “Why should we believe you?”

Her features seemed to twist and stretch as I stared, and I struggled to swallow past the bile that burned my throat. This was not my mother. This was something else. Something dark.

“You blame me for this? Oh no.” Her laugh was deep and mocking. “Why do you think I so easily possessed your mother? Belief is everything. Without you and your freakish little psychic break last year, she wouldn’t believe. Without you, she’d be safe.”

Haven squeezed my shoulders. “Don’t listen to it, Claire. They want in your head.”

Cain nodded. “He’s right. I think it’s time we moved on.”

But the words couldn’t be unsaid, and they bounced around in my skull like angry bees, loud and accusing.

My fault.

Your fault.

She’d be fine if not for you.

You did this. You and your problems.

Your fault.

The words grew louder, and I couldn’t seem to get back my focus. Somewhere, inside, I knew they were putting the words there. The accusations cut like knives into my heart, and tears wet my cheeks. Haven’s hands took mine, his warmth more like a flame now.

“Claire!” Haven’s voice seemed to come from a long way off, nearly drowned out in the echoes plaguing me. “Push them out. You’ve done it before.”

I whimpered. He was right. I could see them, pushing at me from all sides. They were strong, so strong. This was their night and they had the home-field advantage. Gathering myself, I pushed at them, forcing the dark, violet light of the spirits away from me, severing the ties they had sunk into my mind.

Finally the words left, and I was alone in my own head. I blinked, aware of Haven’s hands gripping mine. Grant stood next to me, worry on his features. Mom watched, her lips in a frustrated pout as I stood. My knees throbbed. I hadn’t been aware of falling.

“Are you all right?” Laura asked.

“I think so. It was a weak moment.” I looked at Mom and caught her gaze. “It won’t happen again.”

She sneered.

“We’ve got to get him downstairs before we do anything else,” George said, nodding toward Bryan, who still sat on the floor, sniffling. Julia crouched next to him, talking softly.

Cain ran a hand over his hair. “All right. Deon, George, you two help Julia get him downstairs. Grant, you are in charge of your mother…or whoever is in there with her. Don’t let her out of your sight, and don’t listen to what she says. We all need to go down and regroup a little before we start out again.”