Mr. Morrows put on a song that he called “Moonlight Serenade.” It was a song my mother would consider old-fashioned. I bet it was a song even a grandmother would think wasn’t cool. A few moments later I totally understood the saying, “Getting off on the wrong foot.”
“Ouch!” Clive complained. “You just stomped on my foot.”
“Well you put it under my foot,” I shot back.
“That’s because I’m supposed to lead, not you.”
“Says who?” I stopped and put my hands on my hips.
“Says tradition,” said Ms. Dreeble, the last person I thought would support guys going first. She got upset when she had told us about all the early women scientists who had to fight men for very little recognition. I thought she wouldn’t quibble over who got to step forward and who was to step back. “The boy leads, Cat.”
Fine. With forced enthusiasm I took a huge step backward, only to tangle my feet into the couple behind us. Mitch shoved me forward and I fell onto Clive, catching him off guard. We both tumbled to the floor.
Everyone laughed including me, but Clive picked himself up and stormed off. Great. Then Ms. Dreeble walked up to me, and I could see detention brewing in her eyes.
“Sorry,” I said meekly. But she simply shook her head. I stood alone in the middle of the gym floor as the rest of the class continued practicing the fox-trot. I noticed that none of the other boys rushed over to be my partner.
*
Later, Jasper waited for me by my locker and we walked home together. All the way home, I went on about the dress at Esmeralda’s shop and how much it cost, but when I asked Jasper if he had any brainstorms for raising money he just ignored me.
Instead he said, “I hate our teachers’ idea of dance lessons – how come you’re into it? Clive said you’re even in charge of decorations.”
“It’s a way to get everyone cooperating. Otherwise, our teachers will pull us from the intramurals,” I protested. “I just thought a dance would be cool if we had to have the lessons anyhow.”
Jasper looked sort of uncomfortable and his face reddened a little when he said, “Do you think we’re supposed to have … dates?”
Dates. My heart thudded … I hadn’t thought of that. At my old school we would all just show up. But that was a year ago, and we were all kids then. Was a date a requirement of being a high-schooler? Maybe. I was really going to need that dress so I could brag about it at lunch, and then maybe I’d find a date. Clearly I hadn’t thought out the details. First things first, I told myself and promptly returned to my original question. “Hey, so what kinds of jobs do you think a thirteen-year-old can get?”
Jasper shrugged his shoulders and suggested, “What about babysitting?”
“No good, Emily and Amarjeet have all the regular babysitting jobs in town.”
“And I’ve got the only paper route,” he said. “Why do you want the most expensive dress in the shop?”
Why? Because it was amazing. I couldn’t explain it, but it was just the right dress – nothing else compared. “I need a job,” I said stubbornly. The shadows along the streets deepened, and the streetlights flickered on. A quiet gloom gathered in the air as the sun set, and I longed for spring and longer days. Jasper and I picked up our pace until I saw a flash of white out of the corner of my eye.
It was the new girl, Lea. She was leaning over her fence and waving to us with a pale white hand. We turned down her road.
“Hi,” she said as she smiled, and a small voice in my head was saying, This girl could be a good friend. “Are you just getting back from school?”
“Dance lessons.” I made a face and Jasper scowled.
“Right,” she nodded sympathetically. “So have you decided what dress you’re going to pick for the dance?”
“I have,” I said.
“She just has to afford it.” Jasper shook his head. “It costs a fortune.”
“Maybe I’ll get some odd jobs,” I mused.
“Someone’s looking for a job?” A voice came from the side of Lea’s yard, and an attractive woman with long blond hair and dressed in a grey gardening smock came up to the fence. Skeeter was crazy. If he’d seen this woman in the window, how could he think she was a scary witch? He had some imagination – she was stunning.
“I need a lot of help digging my garden plot. I’ll hire you. I’ll pay both of you if you’re interested in working here on Saturday.”
“Really? It’s a deal. I’m Cat and …”
The woman waved her gardening gloves. “Sweetie, I’ve already heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” I said, puzzled.
“Both from Lea and a little cutie named Sookie. Your mother and sister came over earlier to welcome us. Why don’t you come by later tonight, and we’ll work out the details.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said with enthusiasm.
“Isn’t it early for gardening?” asked Jasper. “We still get a lot of frost and maybe some snow at the beginning of February.”
Thanks, Jasper, I thought with a touch of annoyance. But the woman simply said, “My plants are special.”
That seemed odd to say. I had a sudden image of a bumper sticker that said, “My carrots are on the honor roll,” and I couldn’t hide my smile. Jasper couldn’t make it tonight; he had to work at his parents’ restaurant, but he said he’d be there Saturday.
We both said goodbye to Lea, but as I turned to wave I noticed that as Grim Hill’s shadows swallowed the ground, Lea’s rickety house seemed full of dark creepy corners.
It did look haunted.
CHAPTER 4 - A Diabolical Match
AFTER DINNER, I stood on the dilapidated porch of Lea’s old house as the shrill wind rattled the upstairs shutters until they banged back and forth against the window pane. Not even a sliver of light escaped from the heavy dark drapes in the front window. The inky sky somehow seemed blacker above the house because Grim Hill loomed behind. I hesitated before I lifted the old iron doorknocker. I’d learned to trust the icky feeling I sometimes got on the back of my neck.
“What are you waiting for?”
Oh, and I was stuck with my little sister who didn’t seem one bit uneasy. Mom was at the school this evening. The city college held continuing education classes there, and Mom had signed up for one. She wanted to finish her degree and get a better-paying job. So if I wanted to hang out with Lea, I had to bring along Sookie, which was going to put a serious damper on me appearing even a little bit cool.
The peculiar doorknocker was shaped like a dog’s head, and not the cute puppy type. The brass green snarling beast had a ring through his nose that clanged against his pointy fangs and echoed when I knocked, as if the whole house was an empty cavern on the inside. We stood for a while on the porch, and finally we heard the slow footsteps of someone approaching and the sound of a bolt slamming back.
For a fleeting second I had the impulse to grab my sister’s hand and run. You could never be too careful in a town like this, where evil had a way of finding its way out of Grim Hill. Luckily I stayed put because when the door cracked open, yellow light splashed out and we were greeted by Lea’s smile that was just as bright.
“I’m glad you made it.” Lea was dressed in a jade jacket with gold dragonflies embroidered along the sleeves. I’d never seen such an awesome top. She invited us in, and when I took off my red jacket, I brushed the fuzzy flecks off my black turtleneck sweater and tried to straighten a few wrinkles out my jeans.
When I looked up, my mouth dropped open. The inside of Lea’s house was like the inside of an exotic tent. Bead curtains hung from all the doorways, and silk drapes colored the walls and ceiling. Old-fashioned glass lamps were fastened against a wall and they glowed like torches.
“Cool house,” was all I managed to say. I could see I was making a brilliant impression.
Lea smiled again, but her smile faded when someone from behind me said, “Well if it isn’t our new neighbors.” It was my future employer, greeting us.
It made me think about how my mother always said people were too quick to make judgments. I mean, just because Lea and her aunt had to live in a house that needed a lot of work, Skeeter and Sookie had assumed it was a haunted place. That wasn’t fair. Look how nice the house was on the inside! And they were both so welcoming.
“I didn’t introduce you before. This is my aunt Bea,”
Lea said to me, but her voice sounded flat – almost worried.
Lea and her aunt had rhyming names. Was it a family thing? “Hi … um … Ms. – ”
“Just ‘Bea’ is fine,” she said as she took my hand and shook it. Her hand felt cold. I guessed the house was extremely drafty. Come to think of it, I felt a definite chill as I stood in the hall, and my scalp tingled, almost as if someone – or something – was brushing against my hair.
“For my old friend Sookie,” Bea joked, “I have some plants and seedlings for you to take home to your mother. Would you like to come see?”
Sookie nodded eagerly and got a glint in her eye that I hadn’t seen since Jasper and I gave her … the magic kit! I grew uneasy when she disappeared into the back of the house with Bea.
“Want to check out my room?” asked Lea.
“Sure, in a second. I just want to make sure Sookie doesn’t, um, drive your aunt crazy. My sister can be a little intense …” That was my excuse as I followed my sister and Lea’s aunt and watched as they began an animated conversation over the potted plants on the back porch.
“What kind of plant is this?” Sookie asked eagerly.
“Ragwort,” said Lea’s aunt. “In the old days they said witches used it for transporting souls.” Then Bea laughed, but it wasn’t a dismissive chuckle. It was a deep belly laugh – as if she thought what she’d said was hilarious. “It’s poisonous, so no touching it or pulling off the leaves. I keep it locked behind a gate so cats and curious children keep away. But I like it because it grows easily in any soil – like a weed.”
“Ooh, it has such a pretty flower.” Sookie’s eyes flashed with interest. “What plant is this?”
“Yew,” said Bea. “In times past, it was grown in graveyards. The roots were supposed to keep the dead from wandering the world.”
“That’s gruesome,” Sookie said with utter enthusiasm.
That seemed like a pretty weird collection of plants, and I didn’t exactly like the twinkle in Sookie’s eyes as she hovered over them. Then Lea grabbed a branch and handed it to Sookie.
“Forget about those nasty weeds,” Lea said. “Here’s a nicer plant – yarrow. If you cut the stem and place it under your pillow before you go to sleep, in the morning you will see the initials of your true love.”
“Yuck,” said Sookie, finally horrified.
“Are there any other plants to help in the love department?” I asked, thinking about the Valentine’s dance and how Jasper wanted to ask Mia, but she only cared about Mitch.
Lea shrugged her shoulders. “Lavender, I think.” She pointed to the stick-like grass in a yellow pot.
Sookie rolled her eyes. Bea whispered something about “twitch grass” to Sookie, and my sister laughed as goose bumps walked up and down my arms. I was relieved when everyone stopped talking about the plants.
“Sookie, would you like some hot chocolate?” suggested Lea.
“Sure,” my sister said and we went back into the kitchen. Bea started heating some milk.
“I’ll make you two some as well,” Bea offered. She sounded so nice my nerves settled back down as Sookie studied a tray, deciding which cup would hold the most hot chocolate.
“Can we go check out your room now?” I said to Lea.
We climbed the massive oak staircase to the second floor. I couldn’t believe it. Lea had a canopied bed – something I’d always wanted! She also had a big fireplace in her own bedroom and there was a fire crackling inside it. As if my mother would ever let me have an unattended fire in my room! Along the wall was a big bookcase filled with books. Imagine not having to go to the library every time you wanted something to read. You could take as long as you wanted with a book and never have to worry about overdue fines.
As I admired the titles I said, “Wow, you sure have a great collection – Jasper would be totally envious.” Although as I glanced around, I had to admit he wouldn’t be the only one.
“There’s no reason to envy me,” Lea said. “When you change schools all the time, books are your only close friends.” Lea flipped a strand of red hair behind her ear, revealing a long dangling earring of sparkling green stones. Dangling earrings – this girl was so sophisticated, as if she was sixteen. “My aunt and I move around a lot.”
“I know how that feels.” I was remembering my first day at Darkmont back in September. Changing schools was hard. As Sookie so perfectly explained it, my first day had been ghastly. “It’s like when you move to a new place, you have to prove yourself all over again.”
“And no one really understands you.” Lea hung her head.
“Exactly,” I sympathized. “I never feel like people get who I really am.”
Lea brightened and said, “Seems like we have a lot in common.”
“It’s true,” I said, although I wasn’t as sure. I swept an admiring glance at her closet filled with clothes, and at her desk, which held a basket of silver bangle bracelets, and an entire row of nail polish bottles.
“Would you like to borrow some nail polish?” Lea asked, noticing my lingering glaze.
“No, that’s okay.” I didn’t want Lea thinking I just liked her for her stuff. Besides, my mother wouldn’t let me wear nail polish anyway.
“No seriously, try this shade. It doesn’t really work for me because of my hair color.”
Lea chose a metallic pink nail polish, the exact shade of the dress I was hoping for. She handed me the bottle. I tried to give it back – I knew I should give it back – but the color was so perfect.
“Look,” Lea said reaching into a drawer. “I have a scarf the same color. Again, it’s a shade I shouldn’t really wear.”
The scarf was as crinkly and airy as tissue and the light shone right through making the soft pinks shimmer. Lea held the scarf against me. “It looks amazing against your dark hair.” She gently shoved me toward a mirror. “Also, it tones down your, um, green highlights.”
She was right. With the scarf tied around my neck, the green streaks in my hair that I was stuck with since my first fairy encounter didn’t look half bad. “Wow. Thanks,” I said, realizing that a friendship can’t be all one way. As I wondered what I could do for Lea in return, her aunt called up for us to join them in the kitchen.
Downstairs, Sookie was slurping her hot chocolate. “This is really good,” she said to me. “What’s in this?”
“I’ve grated in some peppermint from my herb garden,” said Bea. She handed me a mug. “Here, I made peppermint mochas for you and Lea.”
Mocha. My mother was very stingy about doling out any coffee. As a matter of fact, I’d only had one latte in my entire life. I took a sip of Bea’s homemade mocha.
“Thank you, this is delicious.”
“Sure. Okay, so let’s see … about Saturday, the digging is going to be a big job,” said Bea. “So you might want to bring another person besides that young man I met earlier.”
I looked at Lea feeling a bit selfish. Bea had asked me to find extra helpers, but Lea might want to ask Emily or Amanda. I wasn’t ready to lose my new friend to the most popular girls in school.
“What about Clive?” I suggested. It occurred to me that he was so annoying, I doubt he’d win anyone away from me.
Lea’s face darkened, and I worried I was doing something that made her unhappy. But then she said, “Sure.”
Before I could figure out what I’d said, Sookie, not wanting to be left out asked, “Can I help? Can I bring a friend?”
My little sister never seemed to get the fact that we weren’t equals – that I’d had to earn my privileges. She always expected the exact same tre
atment.
“That would be lovely,” said Lea’s aunt with a smile.
Sookie seemed oblivious to my glare. After finishing my mocha, I helped my sister gather the plants that Bea was sending to my mother. Of course, Sookie managed to talk Lea’s aunt into providing a couple of plants for herself as well. It was probably for the best. My mother didn’t exactly have a green thumb, although if these plants could resist the cold, maybe my mother wouldn’t kill them too quickly.
“See you Saturday,” I told Lea, her nail polish and scarf tucked into my pocket. “Thank you,” I mouthed. She nodded and managed a smile. Maybe I’d misread her before. She no longer looked upset.
I wondered if working part-time and becoming friends with Lea would make my mom finally see that I was getting older and should be able to have some of the privileges that Lea had. I could be trusted to be more responsible.
As my sister and I stepped into the yard, wind chimes out back made a whispering sound. I swear they were saying, “Beware.”
CHAPTER 5 - Shadows from the Past
ON MY WAY to school the next morning, I stopped at Mr. Keating’s Emporium and asked him if I could put a flyer in the window. It read:
No job too big – no job too small.
If there’s a garage to clean,
Or a yard to preen,
Give Cat Peters a call.
I thought it was pretty catchy. Sookie had helped me with the word to rhyme with clean. She assured me it fit. I’d also cut and pasted a border with garden shears, brooms, dust mops, and shovels – all in color. Soon I’d be earning enough money for the dress. Mr. Keating was dragging out his apple barrel. I ran over and gave him a hand.
“I’m quite behind this morning, Cat. I don’t suppose you could help me carry a couple of other vegetable boxes out as well.”
“Sure thing,” I said.
In a flash I carried a box of potatoes and two boxes filled with carrots, and placed them on the bench at the front of the store. “Anything else?” I asked. Before he could answer, I added, “You know, I come by here every morning. If you were looking for a part-time worker who could set up the vegetables under your awning and stock some shelves, I could do it.”
Grim Hill: The Forgotten Secret (Grim Hill Series) Page 3