The Deepest Cut

by J. A. Templeton

  I forced myself not to look at the castle again. I didn’t want to see Laria.

  “Can you give me a ride home?” I asked Megan, who nodded.

  “You’re not heading back to the glen?”

  Johan seemed disappointed I was calling it a night.

  “No, I’m done.”

  “I’ll drop you off so Megan doesn’t have to,” Johan said.

  “Megan already said she’d drop us off, but thanks anyway.” Shane walked up to the gate that happened to open just as we got to it. He hesitated, but to his credit, he kept walking.

  I was getting in the backseat of Megan’s car when Johan grabbed my hand. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime.

  Maybe see a movie one day this week?”

  Just wanting to get out of there, I said,

  “I’ll ask my dad and see what he says, okay?”

  Cassandra walked past us, got into the passenger side of Megan’s car and slammed the door shut. She cranked the car stereo up loud.

  Johan rolled his eyes. “Just so you know—we were never together.”

  I seriously doubted that given Cassandra’s open hostility toward me.

  Shane popped his head out the backseat window. “Come on, let’s bounce.”

  I cleared my throat. “I uh, better go. We’ll talk later, okay?”

  He nodded, still managing to look wounded.

  I got in the car and shut the door behind me. Johan just stood there watching me until Megan got in and we pulled away from the cemetery.

  Megan met my gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled.

  Beside her Cassandra fumed. Her jaw was clenched tight. So tight she might snap teeth if she wasn’t careful. Even though Johan denied any involvement with Cassandra, I wanted to ask her the story behind her relationship with Johan, but I hesitated because

  I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.

  Plus, we didn’t have time because Megan pulled up in front of the inn a minute later.

  Dad’s study light was on, and when the headlights from Megan’s car flashed in the room, I could see him moving inside.

  “Shit,” Shane said under his breath, grabbing a stick of gum from his pocket and popping it in his mouth. He handed me one.

  “We’ll see you later,” Megan said, elbow-ing Cassandra who merely grunted.

  Surprisingly, Dad didn’t say too much as we walked through the front door, though he did glance at the grandfather clock in the parlor which read eleven on the nose. We were in an hour before curfew.

  “Hey, you two, I’m glad you’re home early. I wanted to let you know that I’m heading into Edinburgh tomorrow, most likely for the week.”

  “The week?” I said, not sure if that was good news or bad news with all that was going on.

  “I can’t get out of it, but Miss Akin said she was happy to stay here with you two.”

  The slight smirk of Shane’s lips told me that he was thrilled by the news. He didn’t make eye contact with Dad as he said good-night and bee-lined it up the stairs.

  I followed behind him when Dad asked,

  “Are you doing okay, Riley?”

  If he only knew the truth…

  I smiled to put him at ease. “Yeah.”

  “Are you making friends?”

  “A few.” One being a ghost who has been dead for over two-hundred years.

  He looked so relieved by the news, I almost laughed. “Good night, Dad. Have an awesome trip. Make sure you call and check in every once in a while, okay?”

  “Thanks,” he said, sounding happy I appeared concerned. “I’ll check in every night.”

  I continued upstairs and held my breath in anticipation as I approached my bedroom door. I desperately wanted Ian to be there.

  I opened the door and my heart plummeted to my toes.

  The room was empty.

  Chapter 15

  I had a tough time sleeping. Turning on my bedside lamp, I stared at the welts on my leg from where I’d scratched myself in the mausoleum. Since meeting Ian, I’d thought of little else but him, even cutting…which was a good thing. I just wish the craving to cut would go away completely. I hated the fact it seemed to linger in the back of mind, especially when life wasn’t going my way.

  I reached into my nightstand and pulled out my iPod, put my earbuds on and cranked the volume as high as it would go. The playlist was a compilation of all my favorite songs that I’d downloaded right after I’d learned we were moving to Scotland.

  The music flowed through me, instantly putting me at ease. I wished I could scream the words at the top of my lungs. If it wasn’t the dead of night, I’d head out the back door and run. Run until my legs felt ready to fall

  off. Run until the emotions welling up in me released and I felt like I could breathe again.

  My heart raced, and I glanced over at the dresser where I stashed my razor. I rubbed the tiny scar near the inside of my elbow, remembering how bad the pain had been when I’d cut on my arm before. It had hurt more than anywhere else on my body, which meant the release had been that much greater. It had also bled like crazy. Maybe I should make just a small cut…but not on my arm where everyone could see it. Maybe just on the inside of my calf again… small enough to take away the frustration I was feeling.

  I slid off the bed and walked toward the dresser.

  The song abruptly skipped to another and I glanced down at my iPod.

  Oasis’s Wonderwall blared through the speakers.

  I stopped in my tracks. I don’t remember the song being on my playlist.

  As the chorus repeated, a feeling of comfort and serenity came over me, and Ian appeared. He was so transparent I could see right through him, but I didn’t care. He was here with me when I needed him.

  I took my earbuds out, set the iPod aside.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  He smiled and the hair on my arms stood on end. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I think I know how to end the curse,” I said, rushing on to tell him about the vision, terrified he would disappear before I finished.

  “You believe the journal holds the secret to the curse?” His image flickered in and out.

  “I do. Why else would your mom show me those things?

  At the mention of his mom, his brows furrowed.

  “You don’t speak with your family?” I asked.

  “No, they’ve moved on. I have no contact with the other side.”

  Once again I was reminded of how lonely it must have been for him all these years––and how desperately I wanted to help him find peace. “Well, we just need a way into the castle.”

  “I can get you in whenever you’d like.”

  I nodded, ignoring the strange emotions rushing through me. If we found the journal and discovered a way to end the curse, then that meant Ian would move on and I would lose my friend, my confidante and someone I trusted explicitly.

  I would be alone again.

  “We can take as long as you need, Riley.

  There’s no urgency.”

  But there was. At least Laria was making me feel that way. I didn’t know what else she had in store for me or my family, and I was terrified to find out.

  “My dad will be gone all week, so maybe sometime in the next few days we can find a way into the castle.”

  “Yes, anytime. Just say the word.”

  I stared at him for a minute, taking in his features—the brilliant blue eyes, the long dark lashes, high cheekbones, and full lips.

  Kissable lips. My heart squeezed. As the days went by I was becoming more attached to him, not just as a friend, but someone I was attracted to—someone I wanted to be with.

  Someone who made me better than I was.

  Who helped make me whole.

  I dropped my gaze.

  “Stand up, Riley,” he said, taking my hands in his own.

  His hands were big, his fingers long, and I couldn’t ignore the rush of exhilaration that flowed through my body at t
he contact.

  “I want you to close your eyes,” he said, his expression intense. “Close your eyes and keep your mind open.”

  I swallowed hard, closed my eyes, and did my best to clear my thoughts, but it was hard, especially with Ian so near, touching me, staring at me.

  But soon I managed, and I was no longer in my room, but sitting at the dining room table at the castle. The room, lit by candles, had a soft glow about it, and there was laughter as everyone settled into their chairs.

  Servants entered with steaming dishes, and I immediately recognized one servant.

  “Laria,” I said under my breath, and Ian squeezed my hands.

  It took me a minute to realize that I was seeing the room from Ian’s point of view, and from Ian’s time. I looked around the table and recognized his mother from the painting, and then his father, his brother, his sisters, their resemblance to Ian unquestionable.

  Laughter filled the room, and I smiled at the warm sensations rushing through me. I

  was at home, safe, surrounded by the people I loved. I didn’t feel like I had a problem in the world.

  A tall, beautiful blonde entered the room, and I knew this had to be Murray’s daughter, the family friend intended for Ian that Miss Akin had mentioned. My heart—or rather— Ian’s heart skipped a beat, but I didn’t get the sensation of him being head-over-heels in love. More like a crush.

  I reached for the beer, brought it to my lips and drank deeply. I wondered at the strange aftertaste as I set the goblet back down.

  Almost immediately I felt woozy, dizzy, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

  My heart raced against my breastbone and a strange pressure started in my throat and chest…a pressure that grew more intense by the second.

  “Ian, what’s wrong?” Maggie asked, her eyes wide as she looked at Ian’s father with concern.

  “Son, what is it?” his father asked, and the mood at the table abruptly changed.

  Ian’s brother stood, knocking over his chair as he reached for Ian’s goblet and brought it to his nose. “Poison!” he roared, his gaze scanning the room.

  Panic ensued, some of the servants rushing forward to help, others getting out of the way. Murray’s daughter screamed and fled the room in horror.

  A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I fell to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.

  Cries and screams filled my ears as Ian’s mother cradled my head, rocking back and forth, looking down at me with desperation and helplessness.

  “Catch the witch before she flees!” a man’s voice said, the faces above me blurring

  as I coughed up blood, the metallic taste filling my mouth.

  Maggie cried, her lips soft against my forehead. “I love you, my son. I love you,”

  she said over and over again as cold seeped through me, deep to the bone, and I shook uncontrollably as the life left my body.

  And then I stood back watching the scene take place, no longer an active participant. I realized I was now dead, watching helplessly as my family grieved for me. Sadness, panic, and regret washed through me, devastating feelings and emotions that everyone must go through at the moment of death…including my mom.

  The image faded and I came back to myself and slowly opened my eyes. I hadn’t realized that I’d been crying until Ian dropped my hand and wiped away the tears with his fingers.

  I leaned into him, burying my face against his chest, my arms sliding around his

  waist, my fingers fisting the back of his shirt.

  I couldn’t get close enough.

  His arms encircled me, holding me tight.

  The experience had felt so real. All the emotions. All the sensations. Like it had happened to me.

  “You are stronger than you know, Riley,”

  he whispered. “You have a gift, and don’t you forget it.”

  He flickered in and out, and I felt his energy leaving me. “Please don’t go,” I whispered, desperate to keep him with me.

  He kissed my forehead and whispered, “I must, but I’ll return.”

  And then he was gone.

  Chapter 16

  Miss Akin walked into the parlor where I was watching The Notebook with Megan, who had showed up at noon with a peace offering of cupcakes. I had a feeling she wanted to make amends for blabbing to everyone, especially Tom, about my interest in ghosts.

  “Sorry to bother you two, but I was hoping you could help me out,” Miss Akin said, flashlight in hand. “I keep losing power in the kitchen, and I need to check the fuse box.”

  “Where’s the fuse box?” I asked.

  “In the basement.”

  I thought all basements were eerie, but given the age of the inn, I could only imagine how creepy this basement would be.

  “I can check the fuse box while you flip the stove on,” she suggested.

  Having seen how antiquated the stove was, I decided I didn’t want to take the

  chance of touching the wrong thing and blowing us all sky high.

  “We’ll check the fuse box.”

  Megan’s eyes widened. “Oh, no way.”

  “Come on, Megan. I don’t want to go down there alone.” I wanted to tell her if she could brave a cemetery in the dark, then a musty old basement would be no problem, but I wouldn’t in front of Miss Akin. If Miss A knew what had happened at the mausoleum, she’d probably lock me in my room…or personally visit every parent of each kid that had been involved.

  Just like my mom would have done.

  The light to the basement was on, for all the good it did. It was a dark, cold, musty area with lots of places to hide behind, and I wondered if my dad had ever been down here. The steps weren’t solid, and I envisioned someone standing behind those stairs, just ready to stick a hand out and trip me up.

  “Gross,” Megan said with a shudder, brushing at her arms. “Eew, there are cob-webs everywhere.”

  I laughed under my breath, clicking the flashlight on and off beneath my chin. “Wah-hah-hah.”

  Megan swatted me. “Stop it, Riley. Not all of us are brave like you, you know.”

  I’d never considered myself to be brave, but apparently an hour in the mausoleum had changed that.

  “The old caretaker said the fuse box is by the water heater,” Miss Akin said from the top of the stairs. “Give me a minute to get to the kitchen. When I’m there, I’ll call out, and if you could, Megan, tell me when Riley has flipped the switch.”

  “Will do, Miss A!” I yelled, listening to her progress by way of the floorboards creak-ing overhead.

  Megan hovered near the stairs. “I’m staying right here so Miss A can hear me.”

  “Rrrright…”

  “Hurry up,” Megan said, looking jumpy.

  “This place gives me the creeps.”

  “Doesn’t everyone in town live in an old house?”

  “Yeah, but not this old…and not this big.”

  She gave a shudder. “I wish your brother was here.”

  I snickered. “I bet you do.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I instantly caught the defensive tone of her voice. Despite the fact she and Milo had been together for six months now, I could tell she liked Shane. She got all giggly and red-faced around him.

  “Nothing,” I said, walking toward the massive water heater. Sure enough the fuse box was nearby, and talk about antiquated.

  The box was large, white and rusty, and let out a loud squeak when I opened it. I found the tag that read ‘kitchen’ and reached for the right switch. “Ask Miss A if she’s ready.”

  Megan yelled up the stairs to Miss Akin, who said she was ready.

  I flipped the switch.

  “Nothin’,” came the reply a second later, from what sounded like the kitchen. “Flip the main switch, but be sure you have your torch on,” Miss Akin called, her voice somewhat muffled. “We’ll lose all the lights.”

  I flipped the switch and at the same time I felt hands slip around my neck.

&n
bsp; “Very funny, Megan,” I said as I reached up to pull her hands away.

  “What did you say?” Megan asked, her voice coming from farther away, by the stairs…which meant it was someone else.

  “The stove is on, girls!” Miss A yelled tri-umphantly from upstairs. “Well done!”

  The ice cold hands at my neck tightened, and I tried to pull away, but they held me firm, squeezing tighter by the second. Panic ensued. I dropped the flashlight and clawed at the hands around my neck. The more I

  struggled, the tighter the hands at my throat.

  I stepped backward, and felt a person behind me, and whoever they were, they were stronger than me.

  “Riley, what’s wrong?” I heard Megan, her voice full of fear.

  I tried to respond, but I couldn’t breathe and was getting dizzy.

  “Forget him,” an eerie voice said in my ear. “Forget him…or die.”

  “Riley, what’s going on?” Megan said, her footsteps coming closer.

  The hands abruptly released me and I gasped for breath. I had come close to nearly passing out.

  “Are you alright, Riley?” Megan asked, her voice anxious.

  I held up a finger, signaling I needed a second.

  “What happened?”

  “I felt a shock,” I said, feeling bad for lying, but I couldn’t very well tell her I’d been attacked by a ghost.

  “Oh my God, Riley. I’m so sorry. I thought for a minute there you were messing with me. You’re lucky you didn’t get electrocuted.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I’m fine now. I just need to catch my breath.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Megan said, grabbing the flashlight, taking me by the hand, and leading me upstairs.

  I scanned the basement as we ascended the stairs, and I didn’t see anyone—until I glanced down and nearly screamed when I saw Laria standing beneath the stairs, watching us with a malevolent smile on her face that chilled me to the bone.

  “Come on, Riley,” Megan said, and I watched Laria as I continued up the steps. I refused to run…even though I wanted to.

  Miss Akin met us at the top of the stairs, a huge smile on her lips that faded the second she saw me. “What’s wrong? You’re as white as paste…and what on earth is around your neck?”