House of Shadows

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  Note to self, don’t ever give up! You can never be sure that the sun won’t come out, tomorrow.

  “What’s the latest on your castle?” Xander asked Miles, between bites of pizza.

  “The security system is almost in place. They had to order more equipment, they underestimated how much they would need.”

  An easy mistake. We each worked away at our pizza slices some more, then Miles spoke again.

  “I got a text today, though. They’ve got the webcams up and running in part of the estate. We could have a look right now,” he wiped his hands with a napkin.

  Jenny reached over to the desk for my laptop, and handed it to Miles as I paused the movie.

  A few clicks later, and we saw the hallway outside of Polly’s bedroom. There were quite a number of cameras, so we scrolled through them slowly. Jenny had seen the castle before, but Xander hadn’t. He was impressed.

  The room gave a collective gasp, and Miles froze with the pointer on the “next view” button.

  On the screen was a black robed figure.

  Miles was the first to speak.

  “Anika dear, please don’t squeeze my arm so tight. I may need to use it again someday.”

  I quickly unlocked my fingers and rubbed Miles’ arm, really hoping I hadn’t bruised him.

  The black robed figure turned and drifted down the hall, and out of sight. What Jenny and Xander didn’t realize, is that it vanished into a wall.

  I winced.

  “Miles dear, please let go of my knee. I’m sure I’ll need it, if I ever have to run from that thing!”

  “Oh, sorry!” Miles said, as he quickly let go. He rubbed my knee apologetically, then put his arm around me, instead. It wasn’t often I’d seen him rattled, but this—was creepy.

  I pointed to where the figure disappeared.

  “This is a wall, guys. This isn’t a doorway. See these panels lining the hall? That thing just walked through one of those.”

  I turned to look at Jenny and Xander. She had a death grip on his bicep, and he was gripping the sides of his head with both hands, as though afraid it would fall off otherwise.

  “What on earth was that?” Jenny’s voice quavered. No one answered. “Was that… the ghost in the story, that people said haunted the mansion? The one you proved innocent last year, Anika?”

  “No,” Miles and I said firmly, at the same time.

  “Guys—” said a very rattled Xander. “This—is the freakiest thing ever. What are you going to do?”

  Miles shook his head slowly.

  “I grew up in that house… I spent a lot of years there. I never knew of any secret passages, but now… that’s what it has to be. A secret passage.”

  “I’ve seen it disappear in that same place before,” I remembered.

  We all stared silently at the screen.

  “So… when you guys get married, you planning on living there?” asked Xander.

  “No!” Miles and I exclaimed, with feeling.

  At that, everyone burst out laughing. We laughed and laughed, until long after it ceased to be funny. That’s what often happens when people have the living daylights scared out of them.

  It was either that, or… cry.

  Christmas break ended, and classes were about to begin again. The security company finished installing the alarm system, but if there was a secret entrance into the castle, it wouldn’t cover that. Motion detectors would alert if there was movement inside, but it wouldn’t tell us if someone was waiting in a secret passage. None of us felt good about spending the day there, or the night.

  Since we no longer spent our weekends at the castle, it meant more time with our friends at the apartment. Sometimes Jenny, Annette, and I cooked dinner for the guys. Or we’d order pizza and have movie night. Whatever we did was fun, because we were such good friends.

  Tonight, we ordered Chinese food from our favorite place. I set bottles of water on the table for our friends, while Jenny set out plates, and Annette added a stack of napkins. Miles answered the door, and soon he, Xander, and John, loaded with bags of food, joined us at the table.

  “You must have connections with someone,” Annette said, as we took boxes and containers out of the bags. “I called just last week, and was told this place doesn’t deliver.”

  “Yeah, Miles knows the owner,” I said, holding back a smile, as I opened a box of noodles and glanced at him.

  “Anika does too. Maybe better than I do,” Miles said.

  I bit into an eggroll to keep from laughing.

  Plates loaded, we returned to the living room. I sat on the couch next to the owner of the restaurant, who also happens to be the cutest guy in the world, my best friend, and my fiancé.

  I was starving, or felt like I was anyway. Miles and I took the dogs to the dog park earlier, and they wore me out playing ball. Both dogs were sound asleep on the floor now. I focused on eating, while conversation went on around me.

  “Did you see the story on the news about the kid who protected his family when an armed robber broke in?” asked John.

  “Oh, yeah,” said Xander. “He was what, only fifteen? It’s pretty awesome what he did. He probably saved all of their lives.”

  “That took a lot of bravery,” said Annette.

  “He’s not a big guy either, not compared to the intruder,” Miles said. “He didn’t let that stop him, though.”

  “He needs to try out for baseball, considering how well he worked that bat,” Xander declared.

  I was lost in thought and only half listening, as our friends recalled stories of people who went to extreme measures to protect others. I took a huge bite of sweet and sour chicken, and my mouth was full, when Jenny brought up a story I was extremely familiar with. It happened last year, almost exactly a year ago, come to think of it.

  “I have to set this story up, or it won’t make sense. There was a guy, Bill. He gave me a bad feeling and I didn’t like him, but had no idea what he was capable of. So he showed up where a group of us met on Sunday nights for coffee. He wanted me to introduce him to Anika—this is before she knew Miles—and I had no idea what would happen when I did,” Jenny said, and turned to me. “I’m so sorry, I still feel horrible about that.”

  I chewed furiously as I waved away her apology, so Jenny continued with the story.

  “Anika wanted nothing to do with Bill, and avoided him. When she left to go home, she didn’t think he saw her leave, but he did, and he followed her out to the parking lot.”

  Annette’s and Xander’s eyes were huge. John looked concerned, and Miles’ arm tightened around me.

  Note to self, do not bite off more than you can chew quickly enough to participate in a story that’s being told about something that happened to you!

  “He grabbed her, and wouldn’t let her go. Her whole arm was bruised black afterward, it was horrible.”

  If Miles tightened his grip any more, I wouldn’t be able to swallow even if I did get this ridiculous mouthful of oriental food chewed up.

  “She screamed for help, but no one heard her. He dragged her to his van, opened the door, and started to shove her inside.”

  I squirmed under the extreme pressure of Miles’ protective arm.

  The others looked horrified at what they were hearing. It was horrifying, I remembered every terrifying second of it.

  Finally! No longer hampered by sweet and sour chicken! I turned to Miles, and spoke in a whisper.

  “Who’s trying to break ribs now?”

  “Oh, sorry,” he said softly, loosening his grip.

  “Then, she pulled a canister of pepper spray out of her pocket, and let him have it.”

  Annette, John, and Xander, looked at me in surprise, then erupted into applause and cheers.

  “So what happened then?” asked Annette.

  “He started coughing, and she got away,” said Jenny. “Anika wasn’t going to tell anyone what happened, because she knew it would upset everyone. But her Mom bumped into her the next morni
ng, and saw her arm. Her Mom was upset, and called my Mom, who called me, and I knew exactly who the guy was that did this. Now, here’s the part that’s relevant to our topic of conversation.

  “Anika’s Mom called her Dad and Uncle, and they drove down and laid it on the line with Bill. They scared him to death. They said his body wouldn’t be the first they disposed of, and they were experienced crime scene cleaners. If so much as one hair on Anika’s head was ever touched again, they’d come for him. Whether he was the one that did it, or not!”

  The room exploded in laughter and applause, and even Miles cracked a smile.

  “That—is the kind of Dad I want to be some day,” Xander said, and half glanced at Jenny. She blushed.

  Why would he not just ask her out! There’d been no forward motion since the Halloween party.

  Annette looked at me, sort of in awe.

  “That was really brave, standing up to him like that and pulling the pepper spray on him. I’m not sure I’d even remember I had it, if I did have any.”

  “Well get some, sister, and get used to unlocking it and pulling it out in a hurry. If you ever need it, you can’t count on having the time to stop and think about it, you have to react,” I said firmly. “This guy was way bigger than me, and I had no chance of fighting him off, if I didn’t get that pepper spray in my hand and out of my pocket before it was too late.”

  My voice was starting to shake, and I felt pale. Everyone else was quiet. Miles gently rubbed my shoulder.

  “I was laughing just a second ago,” I said, blinking away the tears that were threatening to spill.

  Miles hugged me hard. I knew he wished he had been there… so did I. He could have annihilated Bill with a wave of his hand.

  “Cedar Oaks is a small town. After I talked to the Sheriff, word spread, and several other girls came forward. Girls who weren’t as prepared as I was, and couldn’t defend themselves.”

  Everyone looked as sick as I felt about that. I was so glad Mom, Dad, Miles, and Uncle Mark, forced me to talk to the Sheriff instead of hiding from what happened. How many other girls were spared from an attack by Bill the jerk, we’d never know, but they were, and I could be glad about that.

  I leaned against Miles as he kept his arms around me, thankful for how safe he made me feel.

  “When the other girls came forward, this guy was charged,” Miles said quietly. “He pled guilty. He received a plea bargain which wasn’t ideal, but Anika and the other girls not having to testify, was.”

  “Is he in prison?” asked Annette, and Jenny nodded.

  “He received several years, due to the number of victims that came forward.”

  This party sure took an abrupt nosedive.

  I wiped my eyes with a tissue Jenny handed me.

  “I’m fine now,” I said. “And it was funny what my Dad and Uncle Mark did. Jenny and I have nearly laughed ourselves silly over it, before. It just—hit me again tonight, being in that moment of terror, and knowing what would have happened if I hadn’t been prepared, and able to get my hand in my pocket where I had that pepper spray. I’m so thankful he didn’t grab my right arm.”

  I felt pale, and had to take a deep breath again before I could go on.

  “Always listen to your gut instinct. If you’re afraid, there’s a reason. Don’t worry about looking silly, or embarrassing yourself, by getting away from someone who’s giving you a bad feeling. Follow those instincts, flee the danger your instinct knows is there. Carry pepper spray, and if you need them—call on my Dad and Uncle Mark, for disposal and clean up.”

  Everyone laughed, although sympathetically.

  “Jenny, you baked cookies today that were just superb,” I said. “Does anyone want dessert?”

  The mood was lifted by chocolaty morsels of goodness encased in a cookie shell, and normal conversation began again.

  Miles and I sat glued to the monitor on the desk in his apartment. We wanted a larger screen than either of our laptops had to offer.

  Xander was in spy mode. He was tricked-out with a sophisticated webcam so we could instantly see what he was observing, and he had a tiny ear piece so Miles could communicate with him in case we needed to.

  Xander walked into the Student Services office and wandered over to a rack of brochures advertising the university’s various programs and majors. As he pretended to browse it, he turned from side to side so we could get a view of the entire room, and everyone in it.

  “I’d like a closer look at the woman sitting behind the counter,” Miles spoke quietly into his phone.

  The camera slowly moved in, as Xander came up with a question to justify standing there in front of the counter.

  Miles and I looked intently at the woman, as she answered Xander.

  “That’s not Blondie,” I said.

  “No, she’s way too young, she must be a student aide,” Miles said slowly, then spoke into the phone. “It’s not her, Xander. Keep looking.”

  Xander finished his conversation, then turned to look around the office again.

  A woman came through the entrance and headed toward a door to an office behind the counter.

  “We need a closer look at that woman,” Miles said quickly.

  Something about her… and she was carrying a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.

  Xander either tripped accidentally, or it was all he could think to do. His backpack flew out of his hands, and between it and him, the woman was very effectively stopped in her tracks. It was either that, fall on top of him, or attempt to leap over him.

  Xander jumped up, feeling to make sure the web cam pen was still clipped to his pocket.

  “Oh, sorry, ma’am!” he said to the woman. “I’m getting over an inner ear infection. Terrible stuff, messes with the balance. You should see me on my skate board, can’t stay on it for anything. Pretty dangerous really, probably shouldn’t be skating in my condition…”

  The woman stared at him like he was unbalanced, and I don’t mean on his skateboard. She edged around him, which gave us a good look at her, then she escaped behind the counter and into the back office.

  “That’s the woman that talked to me after I got that phone call,” I said.

  “Find out what her name is,” Miles said into his phone.

  Xander approached the student aide again, and leaned on the counter with one elbow.

  “Say, so… what’s her name, anyway?”

  She gave him a “you gotta be kidding me” look, over the top of her reading glasses. Finally, she answered.

  “Her name’s Bea Hodges. And you’ve got more wrong with you than an inner ear infection, if you’re interested in her. Better get your eyes checked. She’s like, old, and a real grump, too.”

  Miles muted the phone as we both burst out laughing.

  “Unless of course, you’re Gina, and talking about some guy named Miles and his girlfriend,” she rolled her eyes.

  I wouldn’t have believed it was possible to stop laughing immediately, but it is.

  Miles unmuted the phone, but waited to speak.

  “Really? That sounds kind of weird,” Xander said dubiously.

  “Yeah, it is,” the student said, as she took off her glasses and glanced over her shoulder at the closed door.

  Xander lounged against the counter, and lowered his voice.

  “So what’s the deal with that?”

  “I don’t know,” the girl said. She leaned closer, and spoke quietly. “It’s messed up. That Gina girl has a major crush on the guy. Fine, whatever. But Bea encourages it.”

  “No way,” said Xander, as Miles and I remained glued to the screen. “What’s up with that?”

  “I have no idea!” the girl said, obviously glad to have someone to listen, as she aired her grievances against her fellow employees. “You’d think she liked the guy herself, the way she pumps Gina for information. And she absolutely hates the girlfriend.”

  Miles and I looked at each other in confusion.

  “Any idea why?
” asked Xander.

  “Jealousy, I think,” said the girl. “That’s reading between a lot of lines, but according to her, the girl’s never had a problem in her life, and has had everything handed to her.”

  Clearly this woman knows nothing about my life! It’s great now, but I went through fire to get here.

  “Does she know this guy’s girlfriend?” asked Xander.

  “I don’t think so…” the girl thought. “She sure encourages Gina to try and steal that Miles guy out from under her, though. Not so much anymore, the guy told Gina off.”

  The girl looked over her shoulder again, then lowered her voice even more.

  “Bea said of course the guy told her off, his girlfriend was right there. What did she expect. She’s encouraging Gina to keep trying. She says he’ll come around, if she does.”

  “What is going on?” Miles said under his breath, as he rubbed my shoulder.

  “This is nuts,” Xander exclaimed quietly. “What’s the deal, she hates his girlfriend so much, she wants to ruin her relationship with this guy?”

  “Maybe, she sure hates the girlfriend. She asks a lot of questions, too. She’s real chummy with Gina if she’s got anything to say about what they’re doing, where they’re going, things like that. I don’t get it, the whole thing is weird,” she declared.

  “Sounds like it,” agreed Xander.

  The door behind the counter opened.

  “Alright then, thanks, I’ll look into—” Xander looked at the pamphlet in his hand. “Home Economics as a major. Awesome.”

  With a wave, he left the building.

  “You get all that?” asked Xander quietly, as he walked across campus, toward the parking lot.

  “Thanks Xander, we got it,” Miles said. “I owe you one.”

  “No problem,” said Xander. “See you in a while.”

  Miles ended their call, and Xander switched off the webcam.

  Miles and I looked at each other, still stunned by what we learned.

  “I don’t understand,” I said, completely at a loss.

  Miles shook his head.

  “This has certainly taken a turn we weren’t expecting.”

  “This is the woman that talked to me after I got called out of class for that phone call, but other than that, I have no idea who she is,” I said, scrolling back through the video we recorded. I stopped at a clear image of this Bea Hodges. “Why on earth does she hate me so much?”