The Haunting Season (10 page)

“They’re evil!
All
of them! Every. Single. One. Ugh!
Why
won’t you believe me?” Allison wailed.

“Because I don’t think every ghost out there
is
evil!” Jess shot back.

Allison stared at her like she had three heads. “Sure, Jess. Whatever.” She got off the bed, shoulders slumped. “I’m going to take a shower. Then I guess we’d better start planning out what we’re going to do.”

“Good idea,” Jess replied, although she wasn’t sure what Allison had in mind as far as plans went. Or for what she was actually going to plan for.

Allison set her clothes on the bed and headed to the bathroom. Jess waited until she heard the shower start before collecting her own set of clean clothes and toiletry bag. Since there were more guest rooms, she thought she’d take advantage of one of their bathrooms and take a shower, as well. That way, they’d be ready for whatever Dr. Brandt had scheduled for the rest of the day—if anything. She hoped to finish and head downstairs to talk to him without Allison. It also gave her the chance to scope out a possible new room for her to stay in. Right or wrong, Allison’s emotional outbursts were exhausting.

A few of the doors were locked, including the room Mrs. Hirsch had caught her in. Eventually, Jess found an available room down the hall from hers and Allison’s. The room faced the back lawn and Jess had a clear view of Gracie and Emma’s gravesite. Jess locked the door behind her and set her clean clothes on the corner of the bed, stripped down and headed for the shower.

The bathroom was smaller than the one she and Allison shared, and although the window shades were closed, Jess peeked outside to make sure the back lawn was void of voyeurs. Not that anyone would be able to see up to the third floor and through a shuttered window, but still…

It felt as though she wasn’t alone. “Hey! Some privacy, please?” she called out in case any ghosts happened to be around.

She turned on the water and stepped into the shower.

Once showered and feeling clean again, she towel-dried her hair. If a ghost had been in the bathroom with her, they’d gone somewhere else.

…
your imagination. Your misplaced imagination…

Allison had mentioned Riley being in all the mirrors. Jess pushed that disturbing little thought from her mind.

She gasped when she stepped into the bedroom. Her clothes lay in a heap on the floor as though someone had snatched them off the bed and thrown them there. Allison. She was clearly still upset.

Jess glanced around the room. Empty. Clutching the towel around her, she checked the door. Still locked.

“Hello?” she tentatively called out, uncertainty beginning to pool in her stomach.

No response.

Harmless. Ghosts were harmless. They couldn’t touch people much less throw things around. It had never happened before. It had to be Mrs. Hirsch. Jess gathered her things from the floor, considered the mirror for a moment, then hurried back to the bathroom to fetch another towel and threw it over the mirror. She dressed quickly, putting on her underwear and bra, then throwing her t-shirt on and sliding the pair of shorts over her hips as quickly as possible. The idea of a ghost in the room didn’t frighten her as much as one seeing her naked. She hadn’t thought about how weird that would be until now. Okay, so maybe she was a little afraid. But that had been Allison’s influence.

After she collected her things, she opened the door and stepped quickly into the hallway, half expecting to find Mrs. Hirsch waiting for her, but it was empty. She padded toward the room she shared with Allison, and entered. No Allison.

“Allison?” she called out. She checked the bathroom. No Allison there, either. She must have already gone downstairs without her. Jess turned and walked back into their room.

“You shouldn’t be here,” said the little girl standing in front of the dresser.

Startled, Jess took an involuntary step back. She thought she’d be used to the way ghosts appeared and disappeared by now, but she wasn’t. Probably would never get used to it. The girl wore a pretty white dress and black shoes. The dress was tied around the middle with a red bow that matched the one in her curly, dark hair.

She’s a ghost. She’s the ghost of either Gracie or Emma Siler
, Jess thought, aware of her quickening heartbeat. Finally! Her first ghost sighting in months! The girl looked young and sweet, so why did she feel so jumpy? Probably because her roommate would have her believe the small girl sporting dimples and curls was Satan in disguise.

Damn you, Allison!

Her face didn’t look anything like Jess would have expected of a child who had been murdered. The girl’s complexion was healthy, with a glow like that of a living ten-year-old. Not one who had been dead for well over a hundred years. But, ghosts were like that—appearing how they wanted you to see them, or so she believed. Or, maybe it was how they saw themselves. Jess had never thought to ask.

She could still see ghosts, which meant there was hope—hope of seeing Grams again and her father, too! Jess’s unease began to fade.

The girl waited patiently for her to do or say something.

“Hello,” Jess said softly.

“Hi,” the girl replied.

“I’m Jess. Are you Emma or Gracie?”

The girl smiled. “I know who
you
are. I’m Gracie.”

Jess tried to keep the remaining nervousness from her voice. “Thanks for letting me see you, Gracie. I like ghosts.”

Gracie’s smile faltered. “You’re still a little scared. I can tell. Are you here to hurt us? To make us go away?”

Ghost or not, Gracie’s words melted Jess. Hurt her? Never. Jess knelt down in front of Gracie. She reached out for Gracie’s arm, realizing she couldn’t actually touch the child—the gesture was simply automatic. Gracie stepped back, her arms still at her sides.

She thinks I’m going to hurt her,
Jess thought. “No, Gracie. I’d never hurt you. In fact, I’m here to help you.”

“You’re very kind,” Gracie said, looking down at her shoes.

“I try to be,” Jess replied.

Gracie’s head jerked toward the mirror, then back to Jess, her eyes wide. “I have to go now. You should go, too.”

“Is someone there, Gracie?”

She nodded.

“Who’s there? Is it Emma?” Somehow, she didn’t think it was Emma at all.

Gracie frowned. “It’s Riley. He says I can’t talk anymore right now.”

Jess stood and looked in the mirror. Once again, she saw nothing but her reflection and oddly, Gracie’s, in the old mirror. Unease seeped back into Jess’s skin.

“I’ll help you Gracie. You and Emma. I promise,” Jess said, although she had no idea how to do that yet. She turned back to the child, but Gracie was gone.

Slowly, as if a child were writing it from the other side of the mirror, the word
hurry
appeared. And underneath,
we need you
.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I believe you,” Bryan said, looking up at her from the sofa. “Do you want me to take a look, or do you think we should tell Dr. Brandt first?”

Jess looked around the Great Room. Neither Gage nor Dr. Brandt was around. Fleetingly, she wondered where Gage was. What did it matter, anyway?

Bryan grinned. “I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about, Jess.”

She frowned. “You mean about the mirror? The ghosts? Yeah, I tried telling Allison—”

Bryan laughed. “No, I mean about Allison and Gage.”

“I wasn’t worried—”

“Look, I’m not blind. I see the way you look at him.”

Jess eyed Bryan, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t meant to be so obvious. But Bryan was mistaken. There wasn’t anything between them. “It’s not like that. Honest.”

Bryan let out a small laugh. “Yeah, model perfect dude is sort of a jerk, so I can understand if you’d prefer someone like me.”

“
What?
”

“I’m kidding. Sort of. I’m not that much younger than you. What? A few months?”

Jess stared blankly. This was awkward.

Bryan sighed and slowly shook his head. “Look, he’s been checking you out too, if that makes you feel any better.”

Butterflies somersaulted in her stomach. This wasn’t the conversation she’d come down here for. She’d hoped to find everyone here, together. But truth be told, she
had
been disappointed not to see Gage.

Bryan got up from the couch. “So, back to your ghost spotting. Like I said, I believe you. What do you want to do about it? Dr. Brandt is walking through the house, somewhere. He’s been wandering around the past couple of hours. It’s like he’s doing some home inventory thing. That, or he’s just really into the place.”

“Really?” Jess said, recalling what Allison had told her about Dr. Brandt’s weird obsession with the house.

He shrugged. “I think he’s somewhere here on the first floor in one of the locked rooms.”

“Okay,” Jess said. “Dr. Brandt really should see this.”

“
I’ll
tell him,” Mrs. Hirsch said as she came into view. Keys in one hand, she fumbled with some pendant around her neck. Jess couldn’t make out what the object was—just that it looked like it was made of dark metal. “I don’t need the other of you two sneaking off someplace.”

Other of you two?

“We’ll be in Allison and Jess’s room,” Bryan said. He grabbed Jess by the wrist and headed to the stairway.

Mrs. Hirsch frowned, but Jess didn’t wait to hear her reply. She allowed Bryan to tug her up the stairs, trying not to think about Allison and Gage taking off together.

“Where did she come from?” Jess asked.

“Kitchen. Basement. Somewhere from that direction,” Bryan said, still holding onto Jess. “I don’t know, but it’s like she’s always going through the house. I don’t think she trusts us.”

“I guess,” Jess replied.

“Don’t sweat it. Allison isn’t his type. She just said she needed to show him something.”

They’d reached the third floor landing when Bryan finally released her.

“Right,” Jess replied.

“I’m serious,” he said as they walked down the hall. “She had her phone with her. I think she took it from Dr. Brandt’s room. At least, that’s the direction she came from—our rooms.”

Bryan paused when they reached Jess’s room.

“Why Gage?” Jess asked. “She seemed pretty pissed at him when he didn’t believe her earlier.”

“I think she wanted to prove him wrong. Allison is a bit touchy, or I would have asked to see it, too. But I know Gage will fill me in later. And Jess?”

She looked up at him.

“This thing you’ve got for Gage? I’m serious. The dude’s got it for you, too.”

Jess laughed. “You’re telling me to go for it?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I guess I am. Only if you wanted to, of course.”

Jess felt herself blush. “Well, let’s go back to the ghost for now, okay?”

Bryan nodded toward the room. “Want me to go in first? Check the mirror out?”

She shook her head. “I’m not afraid, but sure, go ahead.”

He opened the door slowly and took a look around. Jess followed him into the room. They stood side by side in front of the mirror.

“Where did you see the message?” he asked.

“Right here.” Jess leaned forward and breathed on the mirror. It fogged up, but revealed nothing.

“I swear, it was right there!” She stepped back, blinking. “It was
right
here!” The floorboard creaked outside the room.

“What is it? What happened?” Allison asked, entering with Gage.

“Writing,” Jess said, trying not to look at either Bryan or Gage. She didn’t need to see Bryan’s expression to tell he was probably smirking.

“Like the other night?” Allison asked.

Jess nodded. “Except one of the girls wrote it. Gracie was here. We talked for a few minutes and then she said Riley wouldn’t let her stay anymore. Next thing I knew, she was gone and the writing appeared on the mirror, like she was writing it from the other side.”

“How about using some of that fancy equipment?” Gage suggested. “Like an EMF reader or whatever. Maybe it’ll pick up on something.” He gave Jess a gorgeous half-smile.

Was Gage saying he believed her, or that he didn’t? It sounded as though he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. At this point, she didn’t think he actually doubted her, anyway. If he’d been a jerk before, it was probably just because he was trying to establish some weird power play, testosterone thing. Guys sometimes did that. She tried not to think about what Bryan had told her about Gage. She tried not to think about what his lips would feel like against hers. “Yeah, the equipment. Good idea.”

“I like it,” Bryan said. “This looks like the perfect opportunity to get my geek on.”

Dr. Brandt sat a box on the Great Room’s coffee table. He took out three devices, handing one to Jess and the other to Gage, keeping one for himself. “One per team. Sorry, you’ll need to share. These are EMF meters, also known as electromagnetic field detectors. Not only will they give us readings, but they also have alarms.”

“So, if there’s a particular threshold and we’re, say…in the dark, it’ll let us know?” Bryan asked.

“Exactly,” Dr. Brandt replied. “Better, the display is backlit so even if you are in the dark, you can see what the reading is.”

He pulled a few more devices from the box. “For each of you, there’s a flashlight, a digital thermometer and voice recorder. And we also have a full spectrum video camcorder which allows us to film in the dark.”

“Cool,” Gage said, hand extended. “Do you mind?”

Dr. Brandt handed the device to him. “Pass it around.”

The guys spent a few minutes going over the equipment before handing it to Jess. She had no real idea what she was looking at, aside from the camcorder itself, which seemed like any other handheld video camera. “You mean this works in the dark?”

Dr. Brandt nodded. “Yes. It does. Well, we could’ve added an IR booster, but this should suffice for our purposes. And, it still gives us some light to see by.”

“What else have you got?” Gage wanted to know.

Until now, Jess hadn’t noticed how quiet Allison had been. She was staring at the box on the table. “No,” Allison said. “You shouldn’t have brought that here.”