Wicked Cries (The Wicked Cries Series Book 1)

by Michelle Areaux

  "Thanks, Mom, but I think any harm this coffee could possibly do couldn't possibly compete with my genes‒I'm already short." I mocked her, but I knew she'd rebut with another unresearched comment from the brilliant mind of her hairdresser.

  "Sadie, I feel like we haven’t had the chance to talk yet," Dad said. "How's school going?" He folded his newspaper and placed it on the table in front of him. He turned to look at me with concerned eyes. His salt and pepper hair had thinned more than I'd noticed before, and he had deep circles framing his maple-brown eyes.

  "School's fine, dad. I mostly spend my time with Lucy and Noah. The kids here are bit different than me." I continued to sip my coffee, waiting for him to respond.

  "Sadie, I know this move was hard on you‒it's been hard on all of us‒but I think you've made a wonderful adjustment. We all knew the transition from California life to…well, Salem, would be difficult, but you've been really brave. You seem almost like a different person, dare I say, even happy?" His eyes seemed to glisten with glee as he made that last statement.

  Feeling embarrassed, I diverted my eyes to my mother who was preparing scrambled eggs in a skillet. She pretended not to be listening, but I knew my mother well enough to know that she was eavesdropping on our conversation, as she'd burned the eggs.

  "Yeah, Dad, I'm happy here. Lucy's turned out to be a great friend. She reminds me so much of Amber and Lia, and Noah is, well…" My voice trailed off, as I was embarrassed to finish the thought in my dad's presence.

  Dad nodded his head to show me he understood what I was too afraid to confess.

  "Well, regardless, I'm glad to see you come to life again." He picked up his newspaper and resumed reading the current events section. I saw that he was smiling over the edge of the paper.

  After breakfast, I collected my school books and car keys and was nearly out the door when my dad handed me an envelope. I opened the small package to find a single airline ticket inside.

  "What is this?" I asked, holding the ticket as if it was poisoned.

  "Your mom and I thought that you might want to take a trip back to California this summer to see Amber and Lia. It'd only be for a couple of days, but we thought you might like to have a visit with your friends."

  I practically jumped into my dad’s arms, I was so excited. In doing so, I threw him off balance and he nearly fell over. Other than when I was a little kid, I couldn’t remember the last time I'd hugged him like that.

  "Thank you so much!" I gushed, shoving the ticket into my purse. I couldn’t wait to get to school and tell Noah and Lucy. The clouds were heavy and threatening, and a slight drizzle began to fall in advance of the storm. I didn’t pay much attention to the dreary weather, as I was too excited over my gift for it to matter.

  When I got to school, Noah was standing next to his car, waiting for me. He walked over to my car, examining every angle and curve of it.

  I got out of the car, holding the ticket out for him to see.

  "Cool. So, I guess this means you've already had enough of me. You don’t have to leave the country to get rid of me, you know." He grabbed the ticket from my hand and inspected the type.

  I laughed and bent over to kiss him. The touch of his lips against mine sent tiny shock waves through my body, and I shivered.

  "No, you jerk!" I laughed and shoved him playfully. "My parents are letting me go visit Amber and Lia back in California for a week this summer."

  "Well, I guess that’s okay, but leaving the country would have been cool, too." He tilted his head back and laughed at his own comment.

  A large smile crept across his face, and tiny wrinkles formed around his eyes. I reached out and smacked him on the arm. "Hey," I said.

  We arrived at my locker to find Lucy there waiting for us. She smiled when she saw us coming toward her, hand in hand. I waved to acknowledge her.

  "Hey, guys. What's so funny?"

  "Sadie’s going on a trip," Noah said. Lucy examined me with inquisitive eyes.

  "My parents bought me a plane ticket so I can go home and visit for a while. Well, it's really an early birthday present, but still, can you believe it?" I showed Lucy the ticket.

  "Wow, Sadie, that's amazing. Wait…you didn’t tell me your birthday was coming up. When is it?" "Calm down, Lucy. My birthday isn’t until December nineteenth, but I guess my parents thought I needed an early gift."

  Lucy smiled, and said, "Hey, Sadie, have you read any more of the‒"

  "Hey," I shouted, "not so loud!" I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me. Melinda was standing at her locker, making no effort to hide the fact she'd been eavesdropping on our conversation.

  Lucy looked at me with remorse in her eyes. "Sorry Sadie," she said, "I didn’t realize you…" she leaned in closer and continued in a whisper, "hadn’t told Noah about the journal yet."

  I waited for Melinda to leave before I turned back to Lucy.

  "No, I told Noah. It's just that Melinda was standing behind you. I don't like her, and I especially don't want her knowing anything about my business."

  Lucy looked back in time to see Melinda turning the corner on her way to class.

  "Sorry," she muttered, staring at the floor.

  "You know about the journal too?" He asked Lucy in a slight whisper, seeming surprised.

  Lucy nodded. "I've been really preoccupied lately and have hardly touched the journal. I plan to spend a couple of hours reading it tonight." I spoke in a whisper, unsure if anyone around us could hear.

  "So, I guess you know about how Sadie works as

  a‒" I smacked my hand over his mouth and pushed

  him against my locker to stop him from speaking. "Noah, hush," I whispered into his ear. "I haven’t told her that part yet."

  Noah nodded and gave me a thumbs-up sign.

  "Got ya," he said.

  Lucy scanned the area, making sure the coast was clear before she leaned in to speak. "What's he talking about?"

  "Nothing," I said, brushing off the comment. "You know Noah, always joking around." I felt guilty lying to her, but I did intend to tell her soon enough.

  "Sadie, why don't we go to the library check out some of the museums after school today. We can start doing some research on your project. Noah, you can come, too, if you'd like." I appreciated Lucy involving Noah. It was great that my friend approved of my boyfriend. It was a given, seeing they'd been friends since kindergarten.

  "I’m game," Noah responded putting his arm around my shoulders.

  Lucy ran to the coffee cart as it turned the corner into the senior hallway, to grab her morning cappuccino.

  "Grab me a large, hazelnut coffee with extra creamer while you're there?" I called after her.

  She turned, smiled, and then turned again to chase the cart, leaving Noah and me alone to have some time to talk before class.

  I leaned in closer to him, taking in his sweet aroma of aftershave and cologne. Something about the sensational combination reminded me of vanilla treats. I rested my body to rest against his, pretending to move out of the way of a student whose locker was directly underneath mine.

  "So, Noah, are you going to tell me why you left class yesterday?" He'd failed to mention the reason behind his quick departure from class when we'd talked the previous night, leaving me guessing about the mystery all night long.

  He cocked his head back and his curly brown locks flopped with it. Noah gave a short, loud laugh. "Oh, that‒it was nothing, just a misunderstanding."

  I rolled my eyes, pushed my body away from his, jabbed him in the stomach, and leaned back against my locker.

  "Noah, nothing's ever a misunderstanding with you." I wasn't sure whether to smile or scowl.

  "Let’s just say that Mr. Morris had a friendly greeting on his desk yesterday morning." By the uncanny sparkle in his eye, I knew he's done something just this side of criminal.

  "What did you do?" I said, trying to sound frustrated by the runaround he was giving me.

  "All right, don’t
get upset‒I just…left a…frog on his sandwich. Well, that's not entirely correct. I actually left a deceased frog inside of his sandwich." He lowered his head, trying to look penitent and to hide his unmistakable smirk.

  "That's disgusting!" I shouted, pretending to

  gag.

  "Yeah, it would have been a lot worse if I hadn’t

  have been so kind as to warn him."

  I was afraid to ask‒no, terrified‒but I was also intrigued.

  "What did you warn him about?" I asked, closing my eyes.

  "Well, he didn’t see the frog at first. He eats a sandwich for lunch, every afternoon. Yesterday, he left his sandwich sitting on his desk while he ran out to make copies of our Biology test. While he was out, I placed the frog between the two slices of bread. I'd initially planned just to leave the frog sitting on his chair, but I couldn’t resist the temptation. I mean, he left me no other alternative.

  "Anyway, he walked in and began watching the announcements. He didn’t even look down until the crust of the sandwich was touching his lips. I couldn’t be so mean as to actually let him bite into the thing, so I called out to warn him."

  "What did he do?"

  "He screamed and threw the damn thing across the room. You should have seen it, Sadie, the frog stuck to the wall and slowly slid down‒it was like something out of a movie. It was hilarious, too, until Mr. Morris accused me of orchestrating the prank. I had to admit, he didn’t really have any other suspects to go on."

  "Noah, you are awful. I can’t believe you sometimes." As much as I hated to admit it, his immature pranks were one of his redeeming qualities. He was known around school as the class clown, and I loved every one of his silly quirks.

  The first bell rang, warning us to hurry to class. Noah leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking ahead to his classroom.

  Lucy came back with my coffee and walked with me to Geometry as we planned our after-school outing.

  Chapter Nineteen

  We met at my house that afternoon after school. My parents gave us money, so we could stop and eat at one of those witch-themed restaurants Lucy raved about.

  When Noah and Lucy piled into my car, they scanned its perfect interior.

  "Sadie, I cannot believe this is your car!" Lucy said from the back seat as she examined the white stitching on the leather upholstery. "It looks brand new. I wish I could keep my car this nice." I knew what they were thinking. After watching me live out of boxes in a cluttered bedroom, I am sure they thought I was messy in all aspects of my life. That may have been true, but I did keep my car clean.

  Noah smiled as he caressed the leather and wooden dashboard. He was my shotgun navigator on the trip, instructing me how to get to where we were going as I was still unsure about where everything in town was. The only route I knew for sure was the one I took to school and back.

  I turned into a busy restaurant parking lot. A large sign with the words, The Witches Den, written on it, in a Gothic text, was perched atop the black building.

  Once inside, I took in the Salem-themed restaurant. The walls had been painted a deep gray, beneath a clear, glittery coat, sending tiny, sparkly, prism specks out when the light hit it. Cobwebs-- most likely fake‒hung from the corners, with large, black, life-like spider models peppered throughout.

  The low rumble of eerie music played over the loudspeaker, its lyrics sounding more like shrieks and painful groans than words. Caldrons full of dry ice had been placed at the ends of each table, producing a mystifying fog that spread across the room. The tables had been placed sporadically around the establishment, creating a sort of maze for the frantic waitresses to maneuver as they rushed around balancing large trays holding delicious- smelling items. The kitchen‒a large, square room‒was exposed to the dining room, so the patrons could see the chef as he screamed at his coworkers, demanding his cheeseburger be brought immediately to the window. I laughed as a small man ran over to the steel-plated serving window with an orange heating lamp dangling from it, and placed a white plate holding an enormous cheeseburger on the window sill for the waitress.

  As I checked out the room, Noah went over to the hostess and put our names down on the waiting list. We walked over to the side of the busy entryway in an effort to escape the frantic waitresses. Their witch costumes were stereotypical at best, with the exception of the few who were wearing extremely short skirts.

  Our party was finally seated after fifteen minutes of waiting, and we followed the waitress to a table near a large stained-glass window. I sat next to the window, and Noah sat down next to me. Lucy sat down across from us.

  The waitress was dressed in a short, black, jumpsuit dress with a white, ruffled shirt underneath. She was wearing a black wig that was obviously synthetic, the dark hair flowing down the back of her slender frame. Ankle-length black boots and dark stockings completed the outfit. As she stopped at our table, she smiled with blood red lips, and handed each of us a black menu. I inspected the menu, depicting Bewitching Burgers, Fried Fingers and Love Potion Number Nine’s‒translation: hamburgers, french fries, and cherry cola. I decided on a cheeseburger and fries. Noah and Lucy must've been thinking the same thing as I, because when the waitress returned to take our order, we ordered identical meals.

  "What do you think of this place, Sadie?" Lucy leaned over the table, so I'd be able to hear her over the din around us.

  I smiled and looked around. "It’s…nice. Pretty much what I expected."

  Laughing, Lucy and Noah looked at each other and shook their heads in amusement. I rarely became excited or giddy over anything, and they should have known better than to expect a grand gesture of appreciation.

  We spent our time waiting for our dishes talking about my first few weeks in Salem, my life back in California, and even Amber and Lia. They laughed hysterically when I told them about my little "mishap" at Electric.

  Noah smiled and reached for my hand. "I know you miss your friends back home, but I'm really glad you're here now. Things just seem more interesting with you here." He had a way of surprising me‒just when I thought I had him pegged, he'd say something that surprised me, and I had to stop and smile.

  Our conversation quickly turned back to Elizabeth’s journal.

  "Sadie, have you uncovered any more answers from the journal?" Lucy sipped her Coke as she waited for my response.

  "Well, the other night I was reading the journal and Elizabeth noted she'd gone into a wooded area near my house where she saw her sisters at this creepy cottage with an old woman. She feared the woman might be a witch but wasn’t sure. I've tried to imagine what wooded area she might be talking about, but over the last couple of hundred years, I'm sure they've demolished a lot of the wooded areas around here."

  They listened intently as I described the scenes from the journal.

  "Hey, isn’t there a wooded area a few blocks from your house, near the park?" Noah sipped his Coke, his eyes darting back and forth as if following his train of thought.

  "Yeah, it's been marked as a historical landmark. It is one of the wooded areas that's prohibited from being demolished." Lucy leaned forward when she made the statement.

  I thought about what they'd said. I had a great idea, but I wasn’t sure if it was doable.

  "Hey," I leaned forward, almost whispering, "What if we went into those woods to look for the house Elizabeth saw the night, she found her sisters with the witch?"

  Both of their expressions changed drastically: Lucy looked nervous, almost fearful, but Noah looked intrigued.

  "I don’t know, Sadie. If we got caught, we could get into a lot of trouble, and I mean, I don’t necessarily believe in all the stories about angry ghost witches, but I really don’t want to find out if they're true or not." Her voice was shaky, her face had grown pale, and a forced smile appeared on her face.

  Noah waved his hand, as if he were trying to get rid of a pesky fly and leaned in closer to the table. "No, it's not like security guards patrol the area. Come o
n, Lucy, it could be fun. Sadie can get some more information about this journal thing, and we could have a little adventure." He flashed his boyish grin at me, probably because he knew Lucy wouldn’t fall for so quickly for his schemes.

  I thought for a moment, chewing on my bottom lip. I held tightly to my drink, trying to keep my unstable hands occupied.

  "Sure, why not? I could use a little adventure." The idea did sound interesting and besides, I didn’t actually believe in haunted houses, just dead, persecuted women who came to me in my dreams. I smiled and looked at Lucy and then at Noah. Lucy looked unsure but decided to come along with us in the end.

  Obviously, Noah was ecstatic. He grabbed one of my hands and kissed my palm.

  I noticed a slight rumble coming from Lucy’s purse on the edge of the table. "Hey Lucy, I think your phone's vibrating," I said, pointing to her purse which was glowing with the screen of her phone.

  She reached in, pulled out her thin, black cellular phone, held it over the table, and began texting. I stared in awe as her tiny fingers rapidly bounced from one key to the next.

  "Hey, Lucy, what's the rush?" I leaned over the table, trying to see who she was texting.

  She slammed the phone onto the table, screen down, and returned her attention to the table. "Oh, um…it was no one‒just my mom."

  I didn’t press the issue, but I definitely didn’t believe she'd been texting her mom. Her reaction to my question sparked a curiosity in me, and I wanted to know why she was being so secretive, but I already had a mystery to worry about at the moment, so Lucy’s would just have to wait.

  Once our food arrived, we discussed a time and place for our next adventure. We decided the following Saturday night would be best. Friday was Halloween and we didn’t want to risk being seen parading about town.