by Jasmine Walt
“She wanted to make this as simple as possible. This is a basic list. I have the formal documents here as well.”
Crazy Aunt Estelle had a house, seventy-five acres, a very large jewelry collection, and an even larger bank account. My mind couldn’t form a coherent thought. I was bewitched by all the zeros that made up the ridiculous sum of money I had inherited.
“How did she have all this?”
James shifted nervously. “Your aunt was, ah, very, wise in her investments.” His eyes pleaded for no further questions. “As you can see, there is enough money for you, your children, and their children to live quite comfortably.” He fumbled in his brief case and slid another paper in front of me. “Stocks,” he said quickly.
That was a subject I knew nothing about. I glanced at the paper anyway. My eyes must have bulged when I saw what was written. It was Aunt Estelle’s handwriting, no doubt, and for the next fifty years it had “predictions” of when and what stock to pull or invest.
“Why me?” Not that I wasn’t grateful, I was, but this didn’t make sense. Certainly Aunt Estelle had someone closer to have left her millions to.
“Your great aunt was very fond of you.” He dove into his brief case again. “In fact, she wrote you this.” He slid an envelope across the table. My name was written in the center in tiny cursive that I recognized at once. I grabbed it and flipped it over. A wax seal kept the envelope closed, and pressed into the wax was the same weird symbol that was on the dagger and the pendants.
I used my nail to break the seal. Carefully, I unfolded the letter.
My dearest Anora,
Unfortunately, if you are reading this, I have gone into the Otherworld. Even more unfortunate is the fact that you are reading this particular letter. This means that I never had the chance to tell you anything and everything. Please don’t be angry with me, my dear. I did it with the best intentions. I wanted a good life for you, and from what I’ve seen, you have had one so far. I should have visited, but again, I thought it would be best to keep some distance. I may be dead, but in time, I will tell you everything.
I’m sure you have already met James. He’s a bit of a coward, but you can trust him. He will assist you with all of the legal doings that neither you nor I know anything about. If you need anything, tell him, and he will gladly do what he can.
Know that I love you and that you have made me proud. You are an amazing and strong young woman. There is nothing you cannot do. Never let anything hold you down.
Love Always,
Estelle
What the hell? I bit my lip and moved my eyes to the top of the letter, needing to read it again. Before I could, James had more papers to carefully push in front of me.
“Your aunt hasn’t lived in the house for over a decade, but I assure you it is in good condition. She has paid special attention that it, uh…be…uh, well preserved. In fact, over the last two years, almost everything has been updated.”
“Is the house old?” I asked.
“Quite. It was built in 1903.”
The bell that signaled the end of fourth period rang. James didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting me go to lunch.
“When is her funeral?” I asked, looking at my name at the top of the letter.
“It was your aunt’s wishes to not have one. Her body was cremated immediately after she died.”
“Oh. When did she die?” I didn’t feel like I was in my body. Was this really happening?
“She had been in bad health for a while now. She slipped into a coma last Friday evening and passed early Saturday morning.”
“Does my mom know?”
James looked at me as if that was a completely irrelevant question.
“It was her aunt,” I clarified.
“Ah, yes. And no, you are the only one I was told to inform.”
Neither of us said anything for a moment. The long silence was awkward. Another bell rang. Lunch had started.
“So where exactly is this house? I know she lived in Indiana, but that’s it,” I said shyly.
James got out a map. Man, he had everything in that briefcase. He unfolded a map of Indiana. Up in the left, top corner was a star.
“Northwest Indiana.” He pointed at the star, as if I couldn’t figure out that was what I was supposed to look. “The mailing address is for Paradise Valley, but the house is out of city limits. It’s a nice town, even has its own university. You’re not too far from Chicago, and you’re even closer to Lake Michigan.”
“Oh,” was all I could think to say.
“Your aunt also had me make arrangements for you to come and see the house. She wanted you to go as soon as possible. I can have a car pick you up tomorrow.”
I started to say, “Okay,” but then I realized that wouldn’t work. “I have school and animals to take care of.”
“I see. Well, how about the weekend then?”
“I really should talk to my parents.”
“Right. Before you go back to class, I have a few things I need you to sign.”
I could have sold my soul to the devil for all I knew. I didn’t read anything, I just signed at the bottom of what seemed like a thousand pages. James went through everything, his formal explanations meaning nothing to me. Aunt Estelle wrote that I could trust him.
But since when did I trust Aunt Estelle?
6
I was rereading the papers the lawyer had given me as I walked into the hospital. Maybe I would finally understand the formal writing after the fourth time I read it. I got in an elevator and pressed the third floor button. My stomach lurched as it always did when I rode in elevators. Please don’t get stuck today.
I diverted my eyes to the letter from Aunt Estelle. She wrote that from what she’d seen, I’d had a good life. Other than sending her a thank you card for the odd gifts, I never had any communication with her. What the hell was she talking about?
I was so distracted with the letter that I didn't even notice Ethan walking down the hall until I ran into him. Literally. I smacked against his firm chest and my nice, neat papers folded on impact.
“Anora,” he exclaimed, putting his hands on my shoulders to help me regain my balance.
“Ethan,” I breathed. “Hi.” I looked up, blushing slightly. My eyes locked with his. An attractive older man who was standing next to Ethan cleared his throat. His face was scraped up, and his right arm in a sling. I looked back to Ethan. He had a bruise under his left eye. I was curious as to what happened but didn’t feel it was my place to ask. “How are you?” I asked, remembering my manners.
“Been better,” Ethan said with a smile. “What are you doing here?” He looked down at my breeches and boots. “I’d guess you were in a horseback riding accident, but you look fine.”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m here to see my mom.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Is she sick?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Actually, she’s a doctor. I have to give her these.” I waved the papers in the air but didn’t explain what they were.
“Oh. I see,” Ethan said. “This is my dad.” He turned towards the man. “Dad, this is Anora.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled again. “You work at the University with my dad then. He’s an anatomy professor. Ethan told me you taught history.”
“Yeah, I do.” He gave me a forced smile and shifted his weight. “Nice meeting you,” he said to me before turning to Ethan. “I’ll be in the car.”
He limped down the hall, leaving me alone with Ethan, who was wearing the same black leather jacket he had worn Saturday night. His t-shirt was splattered with blood, and his brown hair was a messy. His black biker boots were comfortably worn in and dirty. He could easily play the rugged, sexy, bad boy in a movie.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, moving my gaze from the blood on this shirt to his eyes.
“Yeah,” he said quickly and smiled. “We were hiking and went off the path. I’m not used to the steep hills and drop off around here. Chicago
is pretty flat.”
“Oh,” I said, not sure if I should believe him.
“You have horses?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, two.” I nervously shuffled the papers around.
“That’s awesome. Do you ride a lot?”
“Every day if I can. I’m surprised you knew these were breeches.” I motioned to my pants. They weren’t the traditional tan; instead they were black with a blue stripe going down the outside seams of each leg. “Most people think I’m some weirdo wearing colored leggings with knee patches and boots.” I smiled. “I think it’s kinda funny when they do, though.”
Ethan smiled back and said, “Well, I like the pants. You look good in them.”
I could feel my cheeks flush. I looked back at the papers, feeling Ethan’s gaze on me.
“Hey, I know you just broke up with a douche bag,“ he started. I winced at the memory of Mike. I’d been so wrapped up in everything, I’d nearly forgotten about him. His betrayal didn’t sting any more. “But do you want to go out sometime?” he asked. I gaped at him for a second.
“Yes,” I finally said, though I wasn’t sure if he even heard me. “Yeah,” I said, voice firm. “I’d love to.” He took a small step closer.
“Great. What are you doing Friday night?”
I opened my mouth to say nothing when I remembered that I might be on a plane to Indiana Friday night. “I…can’t. My great aunt died. That’s actually why I’m here to talk to my mom. I might have to go to Indiana this weekend.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about your aunt.”
“Thanks, and it’s okay. I feel bad saying this, but we weren’t close. I barely knew her. You can’t miss what you didn’t know, right?”
Ethan shrugged in agreement. “I suppose so.”
“What about the next weekend?” I cautiously asked.
“Or before?” he suggested almost shyly.
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’d like that.”
“What are you doing Thursday?”
“Nothing really,” I said. “Just school and then going to the barn. You could meet me there,” I joked.
“I could,” he said seriously. “If you want me to.”
“I do,” I blurted and took another step closer to Ethan. Something about him was drawing me in, something I couldn’t explain, something I wanted more of.
He smiled and my heart fluttered. “I’ll call you on Thursday for directions,” he said, and I gave him my number. “I’m glad you ran into me.”
“Yeah, me too.”
We both stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds. The noise of the busy hospital seemed to fade away.
“Well,” he started. “I should go find my dad. See you Thursday.”
“Bye.”
Dazed, I stood rooted in my spot and watched Ethan leave. I shook myself back to reality and continued down the hall to Mom’s office. She, of course, wasn’t in there. I sat down on one of the two red, padded armchairs that were angled to face her desk. This was where people sat when she told them that they or a loved one had a brain tumor. Echoes of sadness radiated throughout the room. I closed my eyes and forced up my mental shields.
I set the papers on her desk and scrolled through my Facebook feed on my phone, wasting time until Mom came in. I knew she was seeing patients today; I figured she’d be in and out of her office frequently. But fifteen minutes later, I was ready to leave.
I put my hands on the arms of the chair, ready to push myself up to go, when the door opened.
“Anora!” Mom said. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Her eyes widened, and she hurried into the room.
I sank back into the chair. “Everything is fine, well kinda. Didn’t that lady tell you I called?”
“What lady? What do you mean by kinda?” she asked.
“Aunt Estelle died.”
Mom’s face relaxed. Then she shook her head. “Well, she was very old. How do you know?”
“Her lawyer came and told me at school. He pulled me out of class and everything.” I smoothed out the papers that wrinkled when I smashed against Ethan. “Aunt Estelle left me all her stuff.” Mom took the papers out of my hand. It felt like an hour passed as she read them over and over.
“I heard rumors,” she said. I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or to herself; I didn’t say anything. “I heard rumors that she had a lot of money. I had no idea it was this much.”
We went over details, and I told the story about James Pearson. Mom said she had only met Aunt Estelle a few times as a child; Estelle kept to herself. I asked her about going to Indiana over the weekend, and she said she’d have to talk to Dad about it.
Finally, I left for home. The extra effort it took to keep my mental shields up were draining, and my head was spinning. I was scared to go to Indiana alone, but something inside of me told me I had to go. It made no sense, and it made me want to go even more. What did Aunt Estelle have waiting for me?
7
“Why is everyone staring at me?” I asked Laney while we walked in to photography class that next day.
“I don’t think they are.” She looked around the room. “Okay, maybe a few of them are, like that guy over there.” She nodded towards a red-headed boy.
“Told you. Is there anything on my face or something?” I subconsciously reached up and ran a hand over my hair.
Laney looked me up and down. “You look fine, I promise.”
We sat down next to each other at a large wooden table. Almost everyone was looking at me, and a few were whispering.
“Now this is weird,” Laney said.
I nodded in agreement. But before we could discuss the cause further, Mr. Jancovich began talking about our photo projects for the rest of the year. We would be graded on our creativity and, of course, the quality of the photos.
My next class was full of whispers and stares too. I was starting to feel like a circus freak. I knew I was different than everyone else, but at least I looked somewhat normal. Why was everyone staring? I worked hard to make sure no one knew about the ghosts. I kept my head down, acting more interested in taking notes that I really was. When the bell rang, I rushed to my locker.
“They know,” Harrison said, running up behind me. I put my books inside and turned to face him.
“Who knows?” I asked.
“Everyone.”
“Now who sounds like the crazy one?” I asked with a smile.
“I’m serious, Annie. Everyone in the whole school knows about you inheriting all that money.”
My mouth fell open. I looked at Laney and saw that she looked as shocked.
“Who did you tell?” he questioned.
“Just you guys, Marie, Leslie, and Mom and Dad, of course.” We all exchanged looked and said, “Marie,” in unison.
“No way,” Laney said. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“Unless she told her new boy-toy,” I suggested. “Marie does have a bad habit of trusting everyone she dates.”
“Well, I doubt she did it purposely to hurt you,” Laney suggested.
“Why are you defending her?” Harrison asked. “She obviously can’t keep a secret.”
“Guys,” I said. “Let’s go talk to her, okay? And it’s really not that big of a deal. So what? The cat’s out of the money-bag. It was only a matter of time anyway.”
Later, at the barn, I brushed Neptune with lightning speed. I wished I hadn’t wasted so much time arguing with Mom after school about going to Indiana on my own. Now I had to rush to get everything done in time so I could go home and get cleaned up for dinner. Even though I had no reason to want to impress Harrison’s new girlfriend, I wanted to at least make a good impression.
I put my brushes away and walked outside, braving the rain, to look for Bob. He still wasn’t standing under his tree. I closed my eyes and let the shields drop. There were no traces of the spirit. I opened my eyes and stared at his spot. I kind of missed him. I turned around, hurrying in and out of the rain. Had he fin
ally passed on? I wanted to believe he had, but something inside told me otherwise.
I jumped in the shower as soon as I was home. I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair when something crashed to the floor inside my room. I rolled my eyes and turned the water off, not looking forward to cleaning up the mess Romeo had made.
With only a towel wrapped around my body, I opened the bathroom door and peered into my room. Romeo was curled up at the foot of my bed, and Hunter was downstairs. Water streamed down my hair and puddles formed around my feet.
“Sleeping already?” I asked my ferret. It was possible. I stepped back into the bathroom but left the door open so I could keep an eye on my troublemaker. I quickly got dressed and dried my hair. I grabbed my brush and exited the bathroom, looking around to see what Romeo had knocked over.
Usually, he went for whatever was on my desk. But the chair was pushed out, making it impossible for him to climb onto the surface and knock stuff down. I sat on my bed, convinced I imagined the whole thing, when I noticed that my closet door wasn’t closed. I pushed off the mattress and walked over, slowly opening the door.
A cardboard box of jewelry that Aunt Estelle had given me over the years lay haphazardly on its side. The contents had spilled out. I bent down, scooping the necklaces and gaudy bracelets back into the box. A golden glimmer caught my attention. I sorted through tangled chains until I pulled the Tiger’s Eye necklace out of the box. The stone was smooth and shaped like a teardrop. I ran my finger over it a few times before putting it on and tucking the stone inside my shirt.
I felt a little dizzy when I stood. Must have been from standing too fast or not eating since lunch. I put my hand on the wall and took a breath, feeling better after a few seconds.
I refilled Romeo and Hunter’s water bowls and made it down to the table minutes before Harrison and Jenny walked in.