“I’ll make you forget all the pain of your past, if you’ll do the same for me.”
We were two lost souls, broken and beaten, trying to escape from the pain and hurt.
“Isn’t ironic?” I said, staring down at the trickling water.
“What?”
“We both came here to run away from our problems.”
“Yeah, it’s like I was meant to meet you.”
My heart soared when those words left his lips, because I’d been feeling the exact same way. “Do you believe in fate?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t believe in coincidence.”
“Me neither.”
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Yeah?”
“When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here for you,” he said in the most sincere voice. “Just remember, you can tell me anything, and I’ll make a promise to you right here, right now. I won’t hold anything against you, no matter how bad you think it is.”
I smiled. “Good, and when you feel you’re ready, I’ll be here for you, Hunter.”
A rustling in the leaves caught my attention, and I turned to my right. A doe and its fawn ventured out of the vegetation into the thick, green field of clover. Their fur was brown, gray, and cinnamon, and they had white bellies, with white salted across the baby’s backside. The mother lifted her head with a jerk and sniffed, looking for any signs of danger. Meanwhile, the fawn just stared at me with those big, brown eyes, watching my every move.
“They’re so adorable,” I whispered.
Hunter smiled.
The deer drank cautiously from the stream. The doe stepped gingerly through the clovers and started lapping water like a kitten lapping up milk. Hunter held my hand, and we watched the majestic creatures until they darted back off into the forest.
Hunter looked at me, and my heart melted from his smile. I couldn’t deny what I felt. I was desperately, totally, utterly, completely crushing on him in every way.
“We need to take walks out here every single day,” I said, absorbing all the nature around me.
“Even when the snow hits?” Hunter said.
“Especially when the snows hits. I love the beauty of ice and snow. It’s the best time to get my winter shots with my camera. Everything is so beautiful and majestic. I love taking long walks in the snow.”
He smiled, gazing into my eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re amazing, Zoey Sanders. Most girls I’ve dated would want to run in the house the second they see a flurry.”
“Not me. I love the outdoors. Always have.”
“Me too.”
“It’s nice spending time with you like this,” I said, “just the two of us.”
He grinned widely. “Meeting you has been the best part of coming to school here.”
I smiled back, heat rising in my cheeks. “I feel the same way.”
“You light up my world, Zoey. It might sound corny, but it’s true.”
He looked at me, and I glanced down, smiling. I wasn’t used to all the compliments, and I felt my cheeks growing hotter by the second.
He reached for my hand and held it tightly. We moved farther, twigs scratching at my coat as I pushed through the thick undergrowth. I only realized the sound of birds had stopped when thunder cracked in the distance. I froze, midstride, and lifted my hand, motioning Hunter to stop. “Hear that?”
He turned around. “Yeah. What the heck?”
I peered back, a chill running down my spine. High-pitched neighs carried through the eerie silence. I could have sworn a herd of wild horses was stampeding in our direction. I stood on my toes, trying to see as far as the bushes would allow. The noise seemed to come from all directions. Crap! We’ll be trampled to death if we don’t find a safe place.
“Take cover!” Hunter shouted.
I hid behind a thick tree trunk and peeked through the ferns. “I don’t see anything yet!” I shouted so Hunter would hear me against the rising volume of pounding, thundering hooves. I tried to still my heavy breathing, but my pulse wouldn’t stop racing.
The sound of an army of horses crashing across the ground echoed in the air. Goosebumps rose on my neck. I didn’t see anything, but I sure heard it, as if some invisible army was passing by us. I could feel the wind on my face, and the dirt swirled up in the air. The ground shook beneath the nothingness, trampled by some unseen force.
“What the heck is going on?” I asked, squeezing Hunter’s hand.
“Remember the history books? This is the route intruders used to storm the castle in 1296.”
I squeezed his hand. “That’s right! They came through these exact woods.”
“I don’t believe it. This is completely crazy,” Hunter whispered, staring ahead.
“Me neither, but let’s get the heck out of here!”
He nodded, and we cut through the vegetation, trying to find a safer way back toward the castle.
Once we were safely inside, we spent hours discussing what we’d seen and heard, but we still couldn’t make sense of it. Around seven p.m., we said our goodbyes, and I headed back to my room. I read my book until my eyes got droopy, and I finally fell asleep, dreaming of horses and deer fawns and stone guardians and, most of all, Hunter.
Chapter 3
I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. The digital clock read 2:15a.m. I stared at the shadows dancing across my room in the moonlight. Maybe I should do homework or something, I decided, hoping that might bore me to sleep. I turned on the light and slipped into my robe and slippers. Just as I stepped out of bed, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Huh? Who’d be up at this hour…well, besides me?
I opened the door and peeked around the dim hallway but saw nothing stirring, not even a mouse. I shut the door and reached in my drawer for one of my romances. When a floorboard creaked, I sucked in a deep breath. As I listened intently, somebody walked down the hall. I could hear footsteps, as clear as day.
I raced to the door and opened it up. Nothing. When I began to push the door shut, I heard Pam call my name from downstairs. Whew! It musta been her, I thought, but why didn’t she just knock on my door? I walked down the hallway and flicked on the light switch, but it wouldn’t work. “Stupid ancient wiring,” I complained under my breath, then hurried down the forty-foot winding staircase. “Pam?” I whispered when I got to the bottom.
But there was no answer.
Just as I reached for another light switch, something crashed down on me. My stomach lurched, and I flailed around like a fish out of water, trying desperately to get whatever-it-was off of me. It was heavy and awkward, but finally, metal clanked on the ground. I jumped up and turned on the light and realized it was the allegedly empty suit of armor that usually guarded the corner of the room. “Whew,” I said, feeling the tension in my shoulders released. I put the knight back in the corner and shook my head at how stupid I was for getting scared over a decoration I’d knocked over in the dark. “Get a grip, Zoey,” I told myself.
My gaze darted to the walls of the entrance room, covered with swords and coats of arms. Sometimes it felt weird being in that castle, and I was homesick, longing for my modern home without all the medieval décor.
“Pam, I’m in no mood for hide-and-seek?” I said.
A knock on the door startled me, and I clutched my heart.
“I-I’m locked out,” I heard Pam’s muffled voice say.
“Locked out? What the heck are you doing outside in the middle of the night anyway?” I asked, opening the door.
Pam was not there, and my jaw dropped at the unfathomable scene that lay before me instead. A crescendo of screams echoed in my ear as knights fought in a brutal battle. Swords clanked against shields as valiant warriors in heavy, shiny armor brawled in hand-to-hand combat. Showers of arrows fell like rain. Horses neighed, the thunder of their hooves crashing on the ground, sending arcs of dirt into the air behind them. A spear hissed through the air, nearly missing my head by mere inches. I gas
ped and tried to slam the door, but a man fell forward with a grunt and landed on the hard floor. He was covered in dirt and mud, but I could make out his odd clothing, Scottish attire from 1296, the same clothes I’d seen in the history books about the castle. Blood gushed from a wound in his abdomen. As much as I wanted to run inside and hide, I knew I couldn’t let the man die. I feverishly tried to remember all my first aid training. Pressure! I’ve gotta apply pressure on the man’s wound.
“Are you okay?” I asked frantically.
“Oye! They’re coming!” his thick accent heavy with history. “Our knights are fallin’. Please…ya must get Isabella out of the castle while ya still can.”
My heart was racing, and I had no time for logical thought. “Get inside,” I said, helping him in so I could close the door.
He crawled in, and I slammed the door, then locked it. Instinctively, I grabbed a tablecloth off one of the fancy, dark wood tables and applied pressure to the man’s wound. “I’ll go get help and call 911,” I said.
“Pardon, malady?” he said, confused.
“Oh, that’s right! Scotland doesn’t have the 911 system. I’ll get one of the teachers. They’ll know what to do.”
His bloody hand reached for my shirt. “Help me Isabella first.”
“The princess?” I asked.
“Aye? Her Highness desperately needs yer help.”
I jumped when a woman touched my shoulder.
“We 'ave ta go!” Her eyes were wide with fear, and her voice wavered.
“We’ve gotta help this man,” I said.
“Tis too late for that,” she said grimly. “He’s already dead.”
When I looked down, his face was pale and lifeless. I felt for a pulse and found no signs of life. I swallowed hard, then screamed for Mrs. Duball or anyone else to come downstairs and help me out of that nightmare. My legs felt heavy, and I couldn’t move. People in ancient clothing scrambled everywhere in a complete panic, and I had no idea where they came from or who they were. A woman crashed into me as she bolted down the corridor, and then the door burst into splintering wood as knights fought their way in. I’d never felt such terror. This…it can’t be real, I said, shaking my head. I must be dreaming. If I could only wake myself up.
“We have tae hide, miss, or they’ll slay us all!” a woman screamed.
“There’s nae place tae hide,” a man shouted. “We’re doomed. May God 'ave mercy on our souls.”
I spun around, and my jaw dropped even farther.
A woman in a plain brown frock was gripping a young girl’s hand. “These brutes shall take no prisoners!” she said, clutching my arm with such emotion. “Please do not let them kill me little girl. She’s only a babe!”
I glanced down. “What’s your name?” I asked the child.
“Elizabeth.” The girl looked up with wide, teary eyes, clearly shaken by the chaos and shouting.
Tear welled up in my eyes as I looked down at the frightened little one. She had long brown hair and big brown eyes. She was dressed in a brown cloak. I couldn’t believe anyone could kill someone so innocent, so precious.
“I donno wan’ ta die,” she cried.
My heart went out to her, and I leaned down and gave her a smile. “Everything’s going to be okay, Elizabeth,” I said, my voice carrying over the increasing cries. “I’m going to get help.”
“How dare you give tha’ child false 'ope?” scolded a man running down the stairs. He gripped my shoulders. “Save yerself!” He then turned toward the woman and grabbed her hand. “Lit us go!”
“Yes, Daddy,” the girl whimpered.
“Rin fur ye life!” a tall man with a bushy beard and wild hair yelled as he ran past me.
I could hear the axes breaking through the wooden door. I was sure Mrs. Duball would know what to do, but I couldn’t even move one step; I was frozen, as if some invisible force was gluing my feet to the floor. I tried with every ounce of strength I had but couldn’t move a muscle of my legs. What the heck?
My breath quickened when a knight with piercing green eyes came straight at me swinging a sword. Paralyzed, all I could do was scream and close my eyes, desperately hoping to wake up from the dream. The trouble was, it wasn’t a nightmare at all; somehow, it was all too real, and I was wide awake.
Mrs. Duball’s voice pierced my ears. “Zoey, what’s wrong?”
My eyes fluttered opened, and I gasped for breath. Beads of sweat were running down my face—or maybe they were tears—and I realized, with great relief, that it was all gone. There was no knight, no noise, and no terrified little girl.
“Zoey?” she said.
“The castle was…we were under attack. I almost…I just…” I said, my voice trailing off.
She let out a long sigh. “It was just a bad dream,” she said, hugging me.
“But I had blood all over me. This wounded man grabbed my shirt, and there was this little girl, and then I saw—”
She looked me over. “Zoey, there’s no blood on you. It was all a dream. You must’ve been sleep-walking.”
“No!” I yelled, wiping sweat off my brow. “I was wide awake. I’m sure of it.” I glanced at the tablecloth on the ground and examined it; even though I was sure it had been drenched in the Scottish man’s blood, there wasn’t a drop of any on it.
“Zoey? Are you okay?”
I heard Pam’s voice as she hugged me.
“I heard somebody screaming down here. What’s going on?”
Others students gathered around and began staring at me like I was some kind of freak. I could feel the heat of embarrassment burning in my cheeks, and I wished I could melt into the floor in a mortified puddle of ooze.
“See? An absolute weirdo,” I heard someone whisper.
“Did she forget her meds or something?” another asked.
“She just had a nightmare,” said Mrs. Duball. “The show’s over, ladies and gentlemen. Please go back to bed.” When they didn’t move, her voice became more forceful. “Now!”
Shuffles creaked across the floor as they reluctantly obeyed, still whispering amongst themselves.
“It felt so real,” I said, hugging Pam.
She squeezed me tight. “What happened?”
“I thought I heard you call my name, and when I came down here, someone was banging on the door, saying she was locked out. I was sure it was you.”
She looked at me and swallowed hard. “Zoey, it wasn’t me.”
“Yeah, I know that now,” I said, my voice trembling. I briefly explained the story to Mrs. Duball and Pam, and they both looked at me like I was crazy.
The teacher put her arms around me and tried to convince me it was all a dream. I was tired of arguing and just went along with what she said, but I knew the truth.
“I’ll walk you girls to your room,” Mrs. Duball said.
I crawled back into my bed and snuggled into my covers, trying to sort it all out in my head but having little luck, and every time I closed my eyes to try to sleep, I saw that little girl looking helplessly back at me with those pleading eyes of hers.
* * *
Morning came quicker than I anticipated. My eyes felt puffy, and when I looked into the mirror, I about died; I was a complete and utter mess. Crap! I’m supposed to meet Hunter in thirty minutes. We’d decided a walk before school would be just what I needed to calm myself down and get back to normal.
I jumped in the shower, then brushed my teeth, put my hair into a long ponytail, and threw on some makeup. There was no point in glamming myself up too much, since we were just going to be in school, so I put on a fuzzy pink sweater and black pants with some fashionable black boots.
As I came out of the castle, I bumped into my neighbor from the next room. She had dark skin and was thin and pretty, with long black braids.
Her dark eyes widened. “I swear I’m hearing voices.”
“Voices?”
“You must think I’m crazy, wandering out here in my robe.”
“Not
one tiny bit.” I zipped up my coat and smiled. If the castle had a crazy person, it was me, so I had no right to judge after what I’d seen during the night.
“Do you think this place is haunted?” she asked in a whisper.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I know it sounds insane, but I swear I keep hearing this little girl giggling. Every time I get close to finding her, she just disappears into thin air.”
“I definitely think this place is haunted, and as far as your giggling little girl, I might have seen her last night.”
“Really? Tell me more.”
I smiled. “I’ll tell you the long, drawn-out version when I get back.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Where are you going this early in the morning, all dressed and everything?”
“I’m on my way to meet Hunter. I’m hoping to spend a little time with him before class.”
“Pssh. Wish we could all snag a hot guy the first week.”
She gave me a fist bump, and we both grinned.
My phone dinged with a text from Hunter: “Leaving now, beautiful.”
I smiled, then glanced up. “That was Hunter. I’ve gotta go. We’ll swap stories later.”
“I’d love that. I’m Shantel, by the way.”
“Zoey. Nice to meet you.” I held out my hand, and she shook it.
“See you later, Zoey.”
I waved goodbye to my new friend, then walked down the winding staircase to go meet my man, if I could call him that—and boy, did I want to!
Chapter 4
As I walked away from the castle, I could have sworn someone called my name, like a whisper in the wind. I spun around and saw no one, and I wondered if I had imagined it. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt as if I was being watched. I glanced up at the gargoyle statues, the legendary guardians, leering down at me from the towers, and laughed inwardly. Surely it wasn’t them. I thought about the land I’d been walking on. The place was steeped in history, both victorious and tragic. Many people had died there, from soldiers defending the castle to clergy who were slaughtered mercilessly, to the innocent people inside. The very spot I stood on had been walked by many, and the blood of innocents had soaked the ancient ground. No wonder I’m getting some kind of freaky vibe, I thought with a shudder.
My Haunted Fairytale - Book 2 (The Enchanted Castle Series) Page 4