by Deanna Chase
“Are you having a nice time tonight?” I asked with a smile.
She forced a grin. “It’s lovely.”
Maybe she was just the shy type. She really didn’t have a lot to say.
“I love your dress,” I said, trying to make conversation.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
I looked out across the room, unsure of what to say next. I was so ready to get this night over with. Liam and Nicolas finally stopping talking to each other and stepped over to us. Liam wrapped his hand around Kristin’s. I couldn’t help but notice that he was looking at me the whole time. Was there something wrong? Was he trying to send me a secret message? I couldn’t get over the odd feeling I had when I was around Kristin.
“You know, I heard this building is haunted,” Liam said with a devilish smile.
Leave it to Liam to try to spook us all. At least it gave us something to talk about.
Kristin’s eyes widened. “I don’t like ghost stories.”
Her announcement seemed to stop Liam in his tracks.
Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the dance floor. “Did I say haunted? I meant to say I heard this building was old.”
I shook my head. “I doubt she’ll believe that.”
Nicolas guided me back to the dance floor too. “That won’t stop him from trying.”
A chill carried across my shoulders and whispered against my back. It was almost as if someone was directly behind me. When I peeked over my shoulder no one was anywhere near me.
Chapter 2
When the song ended Annabelle and Jon came over. I’d thought she was having fun, but the frown on her face told me otherwise.
She grabbed my hand, and said, “Let’s go to the powder room.”
Before I could answer, she pulled me away from Nicolas. I looked back at him and shrugged as we hurried across the dance floor. He grinned and nodded with understanding. Obviously Annabelle had something important to share. When Annabelle and I reached the hallway, I pulled my arm from her grasp.
“Whoa, what’s the hurry?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Jon seems standoffish, and this whole night feels a little weird.”
“You feel that too?” I asked as I looked over my shoulder.
She pushed on the ladies’ room door and we hurried inside.
“I don’t know what I feel,” she said wrapped around a sigh.
Annabelle swiped the ruby red lipstick across her lips and then studied her reflection in the mirror. “I don’t know, Hallie, I just don’t know if Jon and I are meant to be together.”
I sighed and leaned against the wall. “Well, I guess it’s better that you find out now than being in a long-term relationship.”
She turned to face me. “I just don’t think we have anything in common.”
We stood in silence for a moment, each lost in thought about Annabelle’s current relationship dilemma. Just then the water faucet turned on breaking our reverie.
Annabelle jumped back. “How did that happen?”
Before I answered a loud bang sounded from somewhere in the small room. Was it a door slamming? Something falling? I wasn’t sure, but I was almost positive it had been in the same tiny space with us.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” I said, grabbing Annabelle’s hand. “Maybe Liam was right.”
“Right about what?” she asked.
I yanked open the door. “He said this building is haunted.”
Immediately after the words slipped off my lips I regretted my answer. Now I knew Annabelle would want to leave.
Annabelle’s eyes widened. “You know, I’m trying to deal with the paranormal more, but I don’t think I can handle ghosts.”
“He’s probably just exaggerating,” I said, trying to make her feel better.
She stopped in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
It looked as if she might faint at any second. Annabelle lifted her arm and pointed down the long hallway. I followed her pointing finger. A blonde woman wearing a long blue dress stood at the end of the hallway. There was one major problem with this, we could see right through her.
“She’s looking right at us,” Annabelle whispered.
Footsteps came from somewhere behind us. I whipped around and spotted an older man approaching us. This sent panic through my body since the wall was visible behind him too. The woman was now walking toward us too. They were closing in on us.
“I can’t breathe,” Annabelle said.
I grabbed her hand again. “Don’t worry. If we don’t bother them then they won’t bother us. Let’s go back into the ballroom.”
“How will we get past them?” she asked.
“If we hurry we’ll make it to the ballroom door before they catch us.”
Annabelle trusted me and I practically pulled her down the hallway. Thank goodness we reached the ballroom in time. I yanked open the door and we almost fell to the floor as we rushed through. Lucky for me, no one seemed to notice our odd behavior. We hurried across the room, weaving around people. How many ghosts were in this building? Was that why I felt such a strange vibe, as if someone was watching me? It wasn’t the usual stares from people. This was a feeling of unseen eyes studying my every move.
In the past when I’d cast spells badly I’d accidentally reanimated the dead. Luckily, there was no witchcraft going on tonight, so we wouldn’t have to worry about that. We just needed to get this ceremony over with and then get out of here. That shouldn’t be so difficult, right?
Nicolas was peering in our direction as we rushed across the room. When the frown appeared on his face I knew that he was worried.
He met us halfway. “I was beginning to worry about you.”
Annabelle left us and went back over to Jon. I was worried about her after what she’d confessed to me about Jon, but we had a bit of an issue with the ghosts to work out now. We’d have to talk more about her relationship later.
“Liam was right. The place is haunted,” I said, taking Nicolas’ hand in mine.
“Really?” Nicolas quirked an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”
“We just saw a couple of ghosts in the hallway, a man and a woman.” I gestured with a tilt of my head.
“How do you know they were ghosts?” he asked.
“We could see right through them.” I knew my voice was animated. “Plus, there were strange things going on in the ladies’ room. Bangs and the water turning on by itself.” I rushed my words.
“Good thing you can’t do any magic,” he said with a little smile.
I placed my hands on my hips. “Very funny.”
Liam caught our attention and motioned for us to come over. I wouldn’t mention the ghosts in front of his date.
When we reached Liam, he said, “Kristin wants to take a picture of us.”
Liam gestured for Nicolas to move closer.
“I’d like a picture of the brothers before one of them receives the award.” Kristin held up her phone.
“Right here in the middle of the dance floor?” Nicholas asked.
“I’d like to get all of the background of this beautiful room in the picture too,” Kristin said with a smile.
The men stood together with their arms around each other and smiled for the photo. Of course both were photogenic with their good looks. That strange feeling swirled around us again. My anxiety increased and nerves had settled in even stronger. Did anyone else feel it?
The wind had definitely picked up. Something told me to look up. When peered up at the ceiling, the giant crystal chandelier was swinging back and forth. I knew that it was about to fall right on top of Nicholas and Liam. Call it a sixth sense, I suppose. There was no way I could push them out of the way. I’d have to think of something else. There was only one thing for me to do if I wanted to save them. I had to cast a spell. Sure I felt bad about using magic, but this was an emergency. After all, I was the leader, and I had to
make an executive decision in a split second.
My heart raced and sweat trickled on my forehead. I worried that the spell wouldn’t work. There was no time for self-doubt now though. Calling to the elements, I recited the words and lifted my arms, casting the energy from my fingers onto the falling chandelier. My hands vibrated from the power. Streaks of colorful lights flew toward the ceiling in a dazzling light show. Everyone gasped as the chandelier fell to the ground. It landed behind Nicholas and Liam, just missing them, and shattering into pieces. Sharp pieces littered the floor that would have caused serious injury or worse.
A breathed a sigh of relief as I ran over to them. “Are you guys okay?”
The music had stopped and everyone in the room stared at us. Nicolas and Liam looked a bit dazed, but otherwise fine.
“What happened?” Kristin asked.
I thought it was pretty obvious what had happened, but that was neither here nor there. My question was how it had happened.
Chapter 3
Everyone was now chattering away. No doubt they were discussing my use of magic in the prohibited area. The board members had gathered around too. They were staring at me along with everyone else in the room. Soon they would want an explanation.
“I had no choice but use the magic,” I said to Nicolas after I hugged him.
“You saved our lives,” he said, wrapping me in his strong arms.
When we broke from the embrace, Liam was there to hug me too. As he held onto me, I looked over his shoulder and spotted Kristin glaring at me. Avoiding her attention, I cast my gaze over at the board members. Liam finally released me and I stepped back.
“How do you think it fell?” I asked, peering up.
“It must have come loose or there was a faulty installation,” Liam said, running his hand through his hair.
“Ms. LaVeau?” the male voice called out.
One of the board members had called out to me. Too bad I wouldn’t be able to ignore him.
Reluctantly, I stepped over to where he stood.
The man hovered over me with his six foot five frame. “Ms. LaVeau, there’s no way we can continue with the ceremony after this mess.”
I glanced back at the broken chandelier. “We’ll just have to get everyone to stay off the dance floor.”
I was sure that the hotel would understand about the broken chandelier. After all, it wasn’t our fault that the thing was about to fall. They should be grateful that I’d saved Nicolas and Liam from injury or worse.
Mr. Larsen scowled and then said, “You’re right. We should get on with the show. Can you have everyone leave the dance floor now?”
I motioned for the crowd to leave the area. Some people had already gone back to their tables, but most everyone else still stood around staring. Finally, we were all headed back to the tables when another board member stopped me. Mr. Jenkins whispered in my ear.
I looked at him, and said, “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yes, we’re positive.”
“What’s wrong?” Nicolas asked.
“They can’t find Christian Andrews. He was supposed to present the award for coven leader.”
“Can’t you just do it without him?” Annabelle asked.
Mr. Jenkins leaned down and whispered in my ear again.
I looked at Annabelle, and said, “Apparently Christian is the only one who has the info for the winner.”
“They have to know who they voted for,” Annabelle said.
“The ballots will have to be counted again. They can find out, but it will take a little bit longer,” I said.
“Well, let’s look around and see if we can find him,” Liam said.
I nodded. “He has to be around here somewhere.”
We all agreed to go in different areas to find the man. I had a bad feeling about this though.
Just as we were turning to leave, Liam said, “Wait, where’s Kristin?”
“I haven’t seen her,” I said.
Nicolas shook his head. “Me neither.”
“Maybe she went to the ladies’ room,” Annabelle said. “I’ll go check.”
Annabelle recruited Jon to go with her. There was no way she wanted to go back to that ladies’ room alone after what we’d seen. Winston Smith, one of the other coven members, approached me. He was also up for the coven leader award. His tuxedo didn’t quite fit him well. With his tall stature, the sleeves on his jacket and legs of his pants were a bit too short. Gray sprinkled the temples of his dark hair.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“We have a bit of a situation, but we’re getting it under control.” I tried to sound calm.
He frowned and mumbled something under his breath. The other coven member up for the award approached and asked the same question. I explained to Austin McGuire what had happened, but he didn’t seem too concerned.
Austin shrugged. “Well, we can just do it some other time.”
Winston laughed at that suggestion. “I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
“I’m sure it will be straightened out soon,” I said.
“You aren’t supposed to use magic anyway,” Winston said.
I glared at him. “I had no choice.”
Nicolas stepped closer to us and Liam joined him, as if they were going to say something to Winston about his comment. Before they had a chance utter a word, screams rang out throughout the room. People were running around as if there was a fire, except there was no alarm and no sprinklers going off. I had no idea what was going on this time. Chaos had a way of finding me everywhere I went.
Thank goodness Winston had walked away when the madness started. Peering out across the bedlam, there was not one clue as to what had happened to make everyone panic. That was until I spotted the woman in the corner of the room. She was the one Annabelle and I had seen in the hallway. She wore the same blue dress, except for now she wasn’t see-through, but completely solid. I turned my attention to the right side of the room and spotted the man we’d seen. He was solid too. What was going on?
Mr. Jenkins approached and asked that same question I’d just asked myself.
“I don’t know. Where did all these extra people come from?” I asked.
His brow furrowed. “Apparently they were dead. They were haunting the building and now they’ve been brought back to life. You know anything about that, Halloween LaVeau?”
His voice held pure disdain. I never should’ve come to this ceremony.
Mr. Jenkins crossed his arms in front of this chest. “We all know what you can do with your magic, and that you’ve brought back the dead before.”
“What are you accusing her of?” Nicolas asked.
Fighting right here before he received an award would probably be frowned upon. Furthermore, as the leader, I couldn’t let him do it. Plus, that would take the award away from him for sure. Liam stood next to Nicolas and glared at Mr. Jenkins too.
Mr. Jenkins moved back a couple steps. “I’m just saying that it can’t be a coincidence the ghosts have been brought back to life just when Ms. LaVeau cast a spell.”
I tossed my hands up. “Whose idea was it to have the ceremony in a building full of ghosts anyway? You should know you can’t trust me around spirits.”
I appreciated that Liam and Nicolas were sticking up for me, but I knew that Mr. Jenkins had a point. Reanimation had happened in the past, and obviously it had happened again. I had to take care of this quickly. First, I would have to talk to the ghosts. Second…well, I didn’t have a second just yet. Honestly, I had no idea how I would fix this problem. The ghosts were wondering around as if they were a bit lost. I walked over to where the woman stood.
“Excuse me,” I said, waving my arms to get the woman’s attention.
She stared straight ahead as if she didn’t see me. Ignoring me wouldn’t make me go away.
Chapter 4
As I stood directly in front of her, the former ghost finally acknowledged me. She stared at me with her a b
ig brown eyes. This was an awkward question but, I had to ask.
“Didn’t I just see you in the hallway?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.”
“But you were a ghost,” I said.
I hated to be the one to bring it up, but if she wasn’t going to mention it then I had to do it. She avoided my stare and looked out over the crowd, which by the way was still chaotic.
“Well, I’m not now,” she said with a sly smile.
Oh, great. This conversation was getting me nowhere.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Rhianna,” she said, and then casually strolled away.
The woman moved around me and walked through the bands of people. I had no idea where she was headed, but right now I had to figure out how to deal with everything else. The air around me was thick with energy, as if syrup had been poured on top of me and now I had to breathe through it. A ballroom full of witches were now casting spells in a panic, thinking that the ghosts were going to attack them. Sparks of red, blue, white, and orange zinged by as the magic traveled from one witch to the other. Obviously they wanted to put up invisible barriers around them in order to repel the ghosts. As leader it was kind of my duty to calm everyone, but I didn’t have time right now.
Someone grabbed my arm and I spun around to find Annabelle.
“We just saw Kristin in the hallway.” Annabelle pointed.
“She was talking to Christian Andrews,” Jon said.
“Did you stop them? Did you tell him that it’s time to present the award?” I asked.
Although I had no idea how we would get everyone settled down enough to pay attention to the award ceremony any longer even if he did return. It looked like we would just have to call the whole thing off.
Jon ran his hand through his hair. “There was no time.”
Mr. Jenkins rushed over to me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
The panicked look on his face was all I needed to see to prompt my question.
His eyes were wide and he rushed his words. “The other coven members are missing.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
He glared at me.