by R. M. Walker
“Agreed,” Jake said with a nod.
“And our parents?” Matt asked.
“We’ll need to be more careful,” Nate acknowledge. “I didn’t even realise I talked about her like that. Or watched her.”
“What about tonight?” Josh asked. “Do we go and get her later?”
“I think if she’s sleeping, we shouldn’t disturb her,” Matt said. “I pushed her to sleep ‘cause Mum was there. She should sleep till morning.”
“How did we miss someone in there last night?” Jake asked.
“They weren’t there when we went in,” Matt pointed out. “They may have dodged into the bathroom or one of the other rooms. I hate to think what would have happened to her if she’d gone back in there and they came back.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Nate pushed up his glasses. “That level of destruction? And we didn’t hear a thing? And why go back in there? Why not go and try to find some valuables elsewhere? They could have taken all the tellys downstairs, your dad’s laptop, computer. It doesn’t make sense, and I think the detectives picked up on it but didn’t say anything.”
“You think... What do you think?” Matt asked.
“She asked if they were searching for something.”
“There’s nothing valuable in there, never has been,” Matt pointed out.
“Lily was in there,” Nate replied.
“You think they were after her?” Josh straightened and sent Jake a concerned look.
“It was too cold for the weather outside even with the window open. It was freezing in there,” Nate said.
“What are you thinking?” Josh asked Nate.
“I don’t know. Maybe something picked up on her magic and doesn’t like it.”
“We’ve been here our entire life. If something here didn’t like magic, don’t you think it would have let us know by now?” Matt said.
“We’ve never slept in that room,” Josh pointed out. “Maybe something went down in that room and she picked up on the negative energy. Angry energy can do a lot of damage.”
“She’s on her own again now!”
“She’s in the extension, Jake,” Matt said. “That was added about ten years ago. Nothing bad has happened there that I know about.”
“She’ll be safe in there. We’ll check on her before we go to bed tonight.”
The chorus of agreement was automatic from the others.
“Okay, well, it’s still early. I don’t want to leave Lily here on her own though, so the mill is out,” Nate said and slumped onto the edge of the bed, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes.
“We can watch a film,” Matt suggested.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Josh said, and flicked at Jake’s ear where he was still lying flat out beside him. Jake swatted him away and sat up then rubbed at his face.
“We were going to take her to the caves tomorrow,” Matt said. “Do we go to Jonas first or take her down there then go to him.”
“We could take the Land Rover to Porthaven then go onto his after,” Jake suggested. “Might relax her a bit; she’s been dying to see them.”
“If she reacts in the caves like she did at the treehouse, she can’t deny it.” Nate snorted. “Who am I kidding? Of course, she’ll deny it. We won’t back down though, which means you lot will have to let me push her. Don’t try and stop me.”
The others nodded, and Matt said, “I’d like to see her react like she did at the treehouse.”
“You should have seen her in the circle if you think she looked amazing this morning,” Jake said. “She stood right in the sun, and her hair just...” He lifted his hands away from his head.
“A bit like static when it makes your hair stand on end,” Josh finished for him. “And all these fucking flowers started growing around her.”
“Should she be able to do that?” Matt asked with a frown. “We haven’t been back to Jonas since we went there with her, and he’s not contacted us.”
“Then she must be a Seer,” Nate said with a shrug. “If she wasn’t, he would have got hold of us by now. We need to talk to him as well as her; we need to know about it as much as she does.”
“This morning, she just sort of glowed,” Josh said, his eyes on the carpet. “She’s gorgeous anyway, but when she glowed?”
“It was bit freaky, though,” Matt said. “She started to hug the tree, laughing, and then she seemed to switch off like a light. She was scared when she looked around, as if there was something else there we couldn’t see.”
“Yeah, but try and get her to tell us and it’s like talking to a brick-fucking-wall of solid denial.” Nate grunted and stood up. “C’mon, let’s see what’s on the TV. I’m getting a headache thinking about it.”
“Nate, we need to take it easy on her,” Matt said getting up. “We’ve had years to get it sorted in our heads, she’s had weeks.”
“Yeah, I get that. And by ‘we’, you mean me.” He snorted. “She winds me up when she refuses to even listen.”
“She’s getting to a point where not even she can deny it for much longer,” Jake pointed out.
“Let’s hope so,” Nate grumbled. “She’s giving me grey hairs.”
~*~*~*~
She woke up with a groan as pain shot through her skull. It was pitch black, and it took her a few minutes to remember she was in the manor still and not at home. She groaned again, putting a hand to her forehead. Her eyes closed against the darkness. She had a vague recollection of meeting May and April but nothing after that at all. It must have been a seizure, but she didn’t remember any of it. She struggled to sit up in the dark, her hands blindly fumbling for a lamp or her phone.
“It’s okay, Lily. Go back to sleep,” came a whisper from beside her.
She struggled to place who it was. His voice sounded rough from sleep, but the pain in her head made thinking hard.
“Nate?” she mumbled, scrubbing at her forehead with shaky fingers. A low grumble came from beside her. His arm slung over her waist and pulled her back down onto the bed.
“I need to take some tablets,” she said, trying to sit up again.
“That bad?” he mumbled, sounding more like Josh or Jake than Nate. Or at least she thought he did, but her head was fuzzy. Her stomach was roiling, and she didn’t care who it was. She just cared about not being sick all over June’s carpet.
She struggled to the edge of the bed and reached out blindly again for the bedside table. Her fingers brushed against something wood, and she sighed in relief. “Have you got any tablets here?” Her fingers found the edge of a lamp.
“It’s not tablets you need. You need to know the truth.”
Okay, so she was wrong; it was Nate behind her. Trust him to choose now to jump on her.
She found the switch and flicked it on, wincing when the bright light made her headache intensify. She turned to peer down at him, her eyes half shut, but the bed was empty. She looked around the room, trying to see where he’d gone, but the room was empty. There was no one in there except her.
No Nate, no Matt, no Josh or Jake. Just her.
What on earth was going on in this place? She hadn’t been dreaming this time, or had she? Her heart picked up, and her stomach dropped. She crossed towards the door intent on putting the main light on.
“Lily, where are you going?”
She stifled a scream, her hand going to her throat as she whirled on the spot, but there was no one there. Maybe Matt was right and this place was haunted. She wrenched the door open and stumbled out into the corridor, glad that someone had left the overhead light on.
“Why are you running?”
The words weren’t behind her; they were in her head.
Her foot caught on something, and she went to her knees, grunting in pain. Every sense heightened as she heard movement behind her. She tried to get to her feet, but her legs gave out under her. She clawed at the carpet, trying to get her body to obey her, bu
t it was like moving through thick glue. Hands rested on her shoulders, and she tried to scream, but all that came out was a high-pitched whine.
“You can’t trust them, Lily. You can’t trust anyone but me.” The words were whispered into her ears. The hands on her shoulders slid down to her elbows, and she was lifted to her feet. She was too scared to try to see who, or what, was holding her. Or worse, to see nothing at all.
“Please, don’t. Please don’t hurt me,” she begged, only able to drag a whisper from her locked throat.
“I won’t hurt you, Lily. I will never hurt you. They will though.” Warm breath ghosted over her ear, soft lips were pressed to the top of her head as she was drawn backwards. She shook her head frantically, trying to gain purchase with her feet on the carpet, but she was effortlessly pulled towards her bedroom door, trying again to scream. No matter how hard she tried all she could manage was a whining noise, not nearly loud enough for anyone to hear her.
She kicked her feet. Pure terror raced through her. She was pulled through the doorway. She grabbed at the frame, digging her nails in, resisting. The feel of the solid wood beneath her fingers gave her hope, and she twisted sideways violently, trying to dislodge the iron grip he had on her shoulders.
“Trust me, Lily. Don’t trust them, trust me!” The words were whispered harshly into her ear.
She struggled harder as desperation clawed at her. Using every last ounce of strength, she twisted sideways again. Her head connected painfully with the doorframe. Utter defeat filled her as her vision misted and went black.
~*~*~*~
“Something’s not right!” Matt shot straight up in bed, straining to hear the whining noise that had sounded so loud in his head. He switched on the bedside lamp and looked about him for the source of the noise.
“What’s up?” Nate’s voice was slurred as he struggled to find his glasses and sit up at the same time. “Is it Lily again?”
“I don’t know,” Matt said, rubbing his face. “I must have been dreaming. I was sure I heard a whining noise.”
The twins were still snoring, undisturbed. Nate checked his watch and sighed. “It’s coming up for two, still in the witching hours. Maybe all that cheese you ate set you off. I need a piss,” he grumbled, and stumbled out of the bed, wavering slightly. “I’ll check on Lily while I’m up.”
“I’ll come with you,” Matt said, sliding out his side.
“I can piss by myself now.”
“To check on Lily, moron. I don’t want to see you pissing!” Matt snorted.
“Who’s pissed themselves? Have you wet the bed?” Josh asked, sitting up sleepily, but awake enough to send Nate a wicked grin.
“Fuck off,” Nate said and kicked his feet as he went to the door. “I need a piss, and then we’re going to check on Lily.”
“Excellent idea.” Jake was wide awake at the mention of Lily. “We can check her while you piss.”
“We can all check on her,” Matt said as he stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “But keep it down! We don’t want my mum seeing the lot of us gathered outside Lily’s room. She’ll definitely think something is up.”
“Reckon the others have gone home yet?” Josh asked. “They were still here when we turned in at midnight.”
“Yeah, they went soon after,” Matt said. “I heard them go.”
“That’s good,” Jake muttered. “Mum can hear us turn over in our beds, let alone get out and walk around.”
“Why do you think we hardly ever crash at yours?” Nate said dryly. “Now be quiet.”
They went out into the dark corridor, and with the ease that came with years of practise, they made their way silently through the halls. Her room was the other side of the manor. They had to creep past Harold and June’s room to get there. Matt had a feeling his mum had done that deliberately, but they were past masters at keeping quiet. They knew this place like the backs of their hands. Every creaky floorboard, every spot to be avoided in a night-time entrance, or exit, was known and memorised.
Nate crept to her door first and inched it open quietly. The bedside lamp was on, and she was lying on her back, with her legs at an odd angle and her arms flung above her head.
“She’s still dressed,” Josh whispered. “That can’t be comfortable.”
“But she’s asleep. Let’s leave her,” Nate said and eased the door shut again. “Go back to bed, I’ll be right behind you.”
They went back silently while Nate made his way to the bathroom. When he came out of the bathroom, he half expected one, if not all of them, to be outside waiting for him, but the hallway was empty. He went to Matt’s room. A sudden low buzzing noise set the hairs on the back of his neck rising. He pushed the door open to the room and caught their attention quickly, his fingers on his lips to keep them quiet.
“What’s up?” Matt demanded.
“Shh!”
The buzzing noise started up again, and they joined him out in the hallway.
“What the fuck is that? You got bees we don’t know about?” Josh whispered, looking up and down the corridor.
“No! Where the hell is it coming from?” Matt asked, cocking his head trying to work it out.
A high-pitched shrieking noise had all of them starting in fright. Josh and Jake clutched at each other’s arms as a slamming noise was heard then the sound of feet pounding on the floor. Matt’s dad came into view, and he jumped when he saw them.
“Did you set it off?” he demanded then shook his head and hurried down the stairs. The shrieking stopped abruptly.
“It’s the house alarm,” Matt said needlessly, his heart still beating overtime in his chest. He followed his father downstairs with Nate right behind him. The twins stayed back by the bedroom door, arms around each other’s shoulders.
“Why were you up?” his father asked, as he reset the alarm control box.
“I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I could hear a buzzing noise. I called them just before the alarm went off,” Nate said, neglecting to mention their visit to check on Lily.
“It might have been the electrical system before it tripped. Check the windows on the second level anyway, just in case,” he told them. “I think it’s a glitch as none of the doors or windows are open down here, and the system isn’t reporting a break in. Nothing got in or out.”
“Jesus, I hope that doesn’t happen every night,” Matt said with a snort. “Took ten years off my life.”
“I’ll be having them out to check it in the morning,” his father said in a disgruntled voice. “Check the windows anyway. I’m going to check the third floor.”
June was standing at the top of the stairs when they came back up, Lily beside her. The twins hovered near Lily, not touching, but as close as they could get. Her face was whiter than usual with dark smudges under her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Lily asked.
“Dad thinks it’s a glitch in the alarm system,” Matt said, moving to slip his arm around her. She was still dressed, but her clothes looked rumpled.
“We’ll check the windows,” Josh said, and gripping Jake by the arm, they moved off.
“I’m so sorry, Lily. We aren’t nearly this exciting usually,” June said with a sigh. “Let the twins check, and then you can go back to sleep. At least it’s Saturday. You can sleep in. I won’t let them disturb you till you’re ready to get up.”
“I thought it was him still,” Lily mumbled, rubbing her eyes and leaning into Matt.
“Who?” Nate asked her, watching her.
“The man in my room,” she said, through a yawn. “I thought he was trying to take me away again.”
“You’re in with us again,” Matt said and turned to his mother. “She can sleep in the bed, and we’ll camp on the floor. But she’s not on her own again.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. There’s not enough room.” June frowned at him.
“There’s plenty of room.” Nate backed Matt
up. “She needs to feel safe.”
“She’ll come to no harm with all of them in there, June. She may even sleep better, knowing she’s not on her own,” Harold said, and Matt sent him a grateful look.
“All right.” June sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Matt didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He swept Lily along to his room with Nate right behind him.
“You can’t sleep in that,” Nate said about her rumpled top and jeans. “Matt, get her stuff.”
“We’ve already got it.” Josh came in with her bags. “We figured she was going to be in here.”
“Especially as the lights aren’t working in there again,” Jake said from behind him. “Guess the alarm system blew them or something.”
“We’ll wait outside while you change for bed, okay?” Nate said, already moving to the door. She nodded her head in thanks, digging out her sleep shorts and tank top as they left the room.
“Nothing’s tried to get into or out of the house,” Matt said, leaning against the wall.
“What about that buzzing noise we heard?” Jake asked.
“Dad said it could’ve been the electrical system before it tripped,” Matt replied.
“You told him we were already up?” Josh asked with a frown.
“He asked. Nate said he’d nipped to the loo, heard it on the way back and woke us up. I don’t like this though,” Matt said. “Two nights in a row? And she said there was a man trying to take her away.”
“She probably got that from last night and the police,” Jake said. “But it’s odd all the same.”
“Tomorrow night she’s in with us,” Nate said. “If your mum objects, then we’ll crash at Lily’s or Jonas’s place.”
“Do you really think Lily will go for staying at Jonas’s?” Josh snorted, shaking his head.
“She’ll have to,” Nate said. “Aunt June will probably let it go if Lily says she feels safer with us anyway.”
“Do you think—” Jake stopped and shook his head.