Homework didn’t hold any interest for me, so I crawled into bed and lay there with the pillow over my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Little Sophie and heard that terrible laughter. Della would be devastated to know her sister was still in Greenteeth’s grasp. Saving Sam and Leigh Kate’s sister was no longer enough. I needed to find a way to set those trapped souls free too. The thought of Greenteeth owning them forever was too much to take in. They needed me. No one else remembered them.
Somehow, as I was trying to remember how supernatural villains were usually defeated in scary movies, I fell asleep.
When I awoke, I felt a presence. Something, or someone, was in the room with me. I snapped my eyes open and stared up into Gram’s face. Sitting up and pushing the hair out of my face, I caught a quick glance at the clock. Three o’clock.
“Greenteeth. Sophie, you are getting too close to her.” Gram’s eyes were large, afraid. “I have to tell you something.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re not going to like this, but maybe it will get you to leave her alone,” she said.
“What is it?”
“I owe Jenny. When I pass, my soul will join the others out at the pond. I don’t want you there too.”
Shock rattled my nerves. I swallowed. No, I gulped, and it hurt my dry throat.
“How do you owe her?”
“Years ago, I made her a promise. A deal with the devil per se.”
“What?” I demanded.
Gram threw up her hands and shook her head violently. “That’s between Jenny and me. I lived my life, and when it became clear it was coming to an end, I came back to honor my promise.”
“What promise?” I asked again.
“That’s my burden, Sophie, and I won’t lay it on you.”
“Then tell me how I can find out more about Jenny?” I asked. “If I knew where she came from, her origins, then maybe I could find a way to get rid of her.”
“Get rid of?” Gram laughed. “How dangerous you sound,”
“I’m serious, Gram.”
“You can’t defeat her. She’s not a monster in a movie or a story. She has something you love, and in the end, you’ll do anything she says in the hope she’ll release Sam. But she won’t. She never will. I know.”
“Is that what she did to you? She had someone you loved? I can’t just give up on Sam.” Tears streaked down my cheeks as the pieces came together in my mind. Gram wiped them away with a tissue she pulled from the sleeve of her nightgown.
“You have to mourn him. Your mom and dad are. Then you can all move away and get on with your lives. I’ll be with him. I can comfort him. He won’t be tormented.”
“How can you say that? For us to move on. When you’re still lying here in a coma and Sam is still missing.” I said between hiccups and tears.
“No, honey.” Gram was crying now too. She turned toward me and took my face in her hands. “I didn’t stay alive for Sam. I’m here for you. I knew it would be hard for you to let him go. No way am I going anywhere until I know you’re safe.”
“I don’t understand how you can just write him off.” I stood and began pacing around the room, hands gripping my head.
“I know how she works. No child has ever been returned. If we couldn’t save Sam that first night, couldn’t prevent him from going to her, then there’s nothing we can do now. I’m devastated Greenteeth got him, but I’m not letting her have you too.” Gram’s voice held steel that hadn’t been there a second ago.
“I won’t give up.” I spun around to face her. “I won’t.”
“You have to, Sophia Calla Howell. Think of Connor, if not yourself. Your parents would be crushed to stay here and see Sam around every corner. Connor must grow up away from this tragedy.” Her words were soft, calm, reassuring. “When I pass, you have to be the strong one to gather the family and leave here. Go somewhere warm, and never come back.”
“I won’t do it.” I folded my arms over my chest and thrust my chin out the way I used to when I was younger and wanted a piece of candy.
Gram met my gaze and held it for several seconds. “I can promise you nothing but heartache if you keep trying.”
“But at least I’ll have tried.”
“Go see Bryan Jennings,” she said. The comment came across as an order and was spoken so fast I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.
“Who?”
“He lives out at Preston Point.”
Preston Point was the very tip of Blaylock Bay. Gram had once told me it was the end of the earth because, other than an old lighthouse, there was only ocean beyond.
“He lives in the lighthouse,” said Gram, reading my mind. “He lost a brother at the same time Della lost her sister.” Her smile had turned sweet, her voice soothing. “I might have married him if not for the tragedy of losing Dylan. I made your mom take me out to see him when we first got back.”
“And . . .” I prompted after it was clear she wasn’t going to say more.
“Grief had poisoned him. Take Della’s grandson with you,” she said.
Or Foster.
She shrugged. “He’d be all right too. Though I think he’s a little too pretty. His grandfather was like that too.”
I shook my head. Gram had to get out of my thoughts.
She smiled and stood. “Go back to sleep. You’re going to need your rest.”
I climbed back under the blankets and watched her toddle over to the door.
“Remember, Sophie, don’t lose yourself. We’ll talk again before I go.”
I stared at the spot on the floor where she had been standing long after she’d closed the door.
Chapter 15
“Change of plans,” I said as I climbed into Foster’s Mercedes the next morning.
“Good morning.” He handed me a mocha from the coffee shop next door to the Blue Wing Museum. “What are we changing?”
“Instead of going to the Inquisitor after school, we’re going out to the Point.” I sipped the coffee and grimaced. It was sickly sweet.
“You don’t like it?” he frowned.
“Too sweet.” I smiled. “I prefer black.”
“Here.” He held out his cup. “I like it straight too, but the mocha won’t kill me.”
“It won’t kill me either.” I laughed but switched cups with him anyway.
“What’s out at the Point?” Since the coffee situation was all settled, he threw the car in drive and drove down the street at a respectable speed that my dad (who I’m sure was watching) would approve of.
“I, um, found one of my Gram’s old boyfriends.” I figured he didn’t need to know about my special nighttime visits with her. Missing ghost children was probably enough for him to take in for now.
“Jennings? He was?” Foster scowled. “Not a nice fella. Hates my dad.”
“Did you spend all last year with him in Switzerland?” I turned in my seat so I could watch his reaction.
He tossed his head back and laughed.
“I think the Swiss princess is my favorite rumor ever.” His eyes sparkled with amusement when he winked at me, “They don’t even have a princess.”
“Then, where were you?”
“Baltimore. A lot less glamorous.” He grinned. “People think because Dad’s in shipping, he must be some continent-hopping tycoon.”
“And he’s not?”
“No. We do go to different countries, but it’s not nearly as much fun as a millionaire playboy should be having.”
I smiled. It was nice to have a normal conversation with Foster. One not involving me trying to kill myself or this town’s cryptic history.
“So, tell me, Popsicle, how’d you sleep last night?”
Ah, well, it was nice while it had lasted.
“I pretty much went down like a tranquilized wildebeest,” I said.
He laughed again. He was adorable when he laughed. His cheeks turned pink, and his eyes brightened.
Stop that. I mentally shook mysel
f. I was not going to fall for his charms.
“No nightmares?”
“Nope. I think my poor brain was too shocked to try to process everything. It needed a hard reset.”
He nodded. “I didn’t sleep much. Hence . . .” He raised his cup in a coffee salute.
“Nightmares?”
“More like worried you’d find a new way to endanger yourself before I’d get the chance to see you again.”
We pulled up in the school parking lot. A lot of kids were already there, and I could see Chi waiting for me by the main entrance. I felt heavy. The air was charged, and my skin crawled. I expected to see every eye in that parking lot trained on us.
“Maybe you should circle the block and drop me off at the end of the street.” I kept my gaze on the dashboard.
“Are you ashamed to be seen with me?” His tone was lighthearted, but I detected a hint of genuine disappointment.
“No. I just . . . I’m already the source of plenty of fodder for the rumor mill,” I said.
He pulled into a parking space in the back corner of the lot.
“Do we separate for the day and meet secretly back here twenty minutes after the bell?” He gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t like being the subject of rumors any more than you.” He grabbed his backpack and stepped out. The car door slammed shut.
I felt like a first-class ass and hurried after him. Being the star of the rumor mill wasn’t fun no matter the circumstance.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” I caught up with him three rows from where we’d parked. He should join the track team.
Foster spun around. “Look, I’m not some mythical lover who makes all the girls fall over themselves to get to me. Girls do that on their own because they think I’m a sure ticket out of this town.”
“I know,” I said. It sounded so lame. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
“I know you’re okay, but with Sam, there are already so many whispers about me. It makes me nervous. Not that it is an excuse for being an ass.”
“I get it.” He turned toward the school, and I fell into step beside him. “This town can be brutal. Everyone’s either fishing or bored.”
I snorted. That was the truth put quite succinctly.
“How come you’re not in any of my classes?” I asked, realizing I wouldn’t see him ’til the end of the day. Except for lunch, which I planned on skipping.
“Do you want me to be?” He grinned.
I rolled my eyes.
“Hey, Foster,” Luke Pennington hollered and waved from a grassy spot under the single tree growing by the school entrance.
“That’s me,” Foster said.
Chi had spotted me and was barreling through the crowd, her eyes pinned on Foster.
“And there’s me,” I said with a nod her direction. “See ya.”
He winked.
“What are you doing?” Chi grabbed my arm and dragged me away. “Did he bring you to school?”
“Yeah, my car’s . . .” I sighed. “I hit a dog.”
“What? Where? And you didn’t think to call me?”
Uh-oh. How to explain what had happened last night? If I told her I was out by the pond, she’d think I was fixated. Which was true.
“I was out on Grimm Road.” I decided to tell as much truth as possible. “And a dog darted across the street in front of the car.”
“You know,” she held up her hand for me to stop, “I don’t care what happened. But when you realized you needed a ride, you should have called me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
She spun on her heel and stomped off. Ugh, I hated the possessive, ugly side of her even though it was rarely directed at me. I’d seen her do it to every boyfriend she’d had.
“Chi,” I called after her. She didn’t stop; the entrance door banged as it slammed shut behind her. Well, great.
Only then did I notice I was being watched. Most kids were trying to do so discreetly. They were failing. Heads swiveled from me to Foster, who didn’t seem to notice. He was laughing it up with Luke and Tyler Phillips.
Disgusted with them all, I went inside and straight to my locker. I kept my head down. Chi was standing by Garner’s. She didn’t say a word to me. Garner flashed a sympathetic smile my way and led Chi away.
I made it to first period without pissing off anyone else even though everyone’s eyes were on me. People likely wanted to know how I ended up capturing Foster’s attention. They knew, though, that after Sam’s disappearance, I wasn’t much of a talker.
When I opened my English book, all I could do was stare at a page, never registering the words. A heavy backpack hit the floor, and someone flopped down in the chair in front of mine. I looked up into Foster’s blue eyes.
“You asked. I fixed,” he said with a satisfied smile. I assumed he was referring to my innocent question about why we didn’t have any classes together. That was not, however, a request that he join one of mine.
I stared back at the page in my book. The first bell had already rung, and I sincerely hoped he would keep to himself until the second.
I wasn’t so lucky.
He turned in his seat and leaned back, checking out my book.
“You’re reading a page of limericks quite intently. Thinking of becoming a comedian?”
If he were doing this because I’d ticked him off this morning, he’d better be prepared to get even more pissed.
A sudden hush fell over the class. Leigh Kate Watson stood in the doorway. Her skin was pale. Her clothes were too big. She looked as though she’d lost all her weight in two days, and a dry skeleton was all that was left. Her red eyes and mussed hair said she’d had a rough couple of nights. I was surprised that she was here. I hadn’t come back to school for two weeks after Sam had disappeared. I hadn’t even been able to get out of bed for days afterword. Then again, I’d had mild hypothermia.
Jackie Newman jumped up and embraced Leigh Kate. For the first time all morning, I didn’t feel the weight of everyone’s stares. Jackie whispered something, but Leigh Kate shook her head.
“I had to come,” she said loud enough for the whole room to hear. “I couldn’t sit at home and wonder.”
Her gaze came to rest on me. I gave her an understanding nod. I think she needed that.
“All right, class,” Mrs. Shapiro said while entering the classroom. Her eyes widened when she saw Leigh Kate, but she didn’t miss a beat. “To your seats, please.”
Leigh Kate let Jackie take her elbow and guide her to her desk.
“And I see we have a last-minute addition to the roster.” Mrs. Shapiro glared at Foster. He smiled and sat up straight. “I hope you’re not a distraction.”
“No, ma’am.” I bet some girls in the class immediately melted into puddles. Mrs. Shapiro did. Her entire frame loosened as she grinned.
I rolled my eyes. Foster might think he was just a victim of circumstance when it came to girls, but that was a load of hooey. One glance of those baby blues, and he’d have whatever he wanted. I had no doubt that’s how he got his schedule changed. For someone who didn’t want to be adored and gossiped about, he sure knew how to get his way. And those girls throwing themselves at him, I bet he never said no.
The rest of the period passed without incident. Mrs. Shapiro lectured on some short story I hadn’t read. I kept glancing over to Leigh Kate. Had I appeared that wasted when I returned to school? Probably.
When the bell rang, Foster jumped up from his desk and waited for me. I, however, wanted to stick around and talk to Leigh Kate.
“Gonna be late for your next class,” said Foster.
I scowled at him. He was not winning brownie points.
“Go on. I’ll see you after school.”
He waited for a second then shrugged and stalked off.
I took my time, gathering books and papers. When I finally got out of the chair, Leigh Kate was waiting by Mrs. Shapiro’s desk. Jackie must have gotten the brush-off too.
“Hi,” I sai
d, approaching her with caution.
“It seems silly, but I wanted to say something to you,” she said with a distinct sniffle. “I . . . I’m sorry if I ever said anything about you or your brother.”
“Oh?”
I hadn’t ever heard her say anything, but I’d stopped listening a long time ago.
“I guess you’re the only one who knows how it feels.” She tossed back her brown hair. That didn’t make it look any less messy.
“Probably.” Boy, was this awkward. “What happened?”
“We just woke up, and she was gone.” Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over her lashes.
“Any sign of forced entry or someone in the house?” I asked. I knew there wasn’t, but talking about it might make her feel better.
“You sound like the police.” Her chuckle had a bitter edge. “No. It’s a thin air kinda thing.”
I nodded. I knew what she meant. Poof. Gone. Disappeared into thin air.
“What was her name?”
“Cassie,” she said. “Look, we don’t have to be BFFs over this. I only wanted to acknowledge that I’d laughed at your inability to function, but now I get it.”
What was I supposed to say to that?
I nodded. She gathered her books and left me standing there when the first bell for second period rang.
Chapter 16
When I got to my next class, I wished I had been late. Or skipped it altogether. Foster was waiting for me behind my usual seat.
His buddy, Luke, sat next to him with a frown.
I could have screamed. If he showed up in every one of my classes, I was going to strangle him.
I sat, intent on ignoring him. But Foster didn’t like being ignored.
“Hey,” he said, poking me in the back with a pen.
“Yeah,” I answered over my shoulder.
“What’d you talk about with Leigh Kate?”
The Curse of Jenny Greene Page 8