by Tara Brown
“Wh-what?” She didn't appear gentle at all.
“Send them back. Make the party stop.”
“I don't know how. Who are you?” I was losing it.
“This is gonna hurt.” The dark-eyed guy smiled and reached for us.
The room flashed and everything went dark and swirly for a second.
My knees buckled and I fell in my fluffy dress.
Jake grabbed at my arm, holding me and shouting at the guy, “What the hell?”
“I did try warning you. Let's not forget that part.” The dark-eyed guy sighed. “The sick feeling passes in a second or two.”
I gagged and shuddered.
“Who are you?” Jake shouted, losing control over the amazing hold he had seemed to have on himself before that moment. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’m a friend, I promise. My name’s Sam. We’re at the home of a woman named Lydia. She’s like you, Ophelia. She can help you.”
“What?” I gaped around. “I don't understand—where are we? Why is it so rainy now?” I shivered, hating the feel of the rain on my bare shoulders. I wanted to close my eyes and for all of this to end. I wanted to be back in my bed. I wanted to have Jake with his arms around me and my family safe at home.
“It’s Portland.”
“No.” Jake shook his head. “I’ve been to Portland, dude. You’re lying.”
“Oregon,” Sam said softly. “We’re in Portland, Oregon.”
“What?” we asked in unison.
My stomach sank. How was that possible?
How was any of it possible?
Sam strode toward the huge house, pointing at it. “Come on. We have some serious explaining to do.”
“Where are my parents? Where’s my sister? Why am I in a prom dress?” my voice cracked. “How did we get to Oregon?”
He glanced back and winced. “Please just come in the house.”
“No.” I started to cry. “I’m not going anywhere until someone explains this to me. Why am I wearing my prom dress? This isn’t even the dress I bought. I bought a red one. Why’s he in a tux? We were in my living room and then we were dancing. What is happening to us?”
“She’s right. None of this is making sense.” Jake pointed at him. “We were in swim gear and a wolf tried to eat us. What the hell is this?” Jake snapped.
Sam exhaled loudly. “I can’t be the one who explains this to you. Lorri, the redhead you just met, she’s back in your town cleaning up the kids. She has to get a witch to put them all back to bed and pretend none of this ever happened. So she’s going to be a minute. Which means I need you two to chill out and wait for a proper explanation. I don't have time to be the one who gives it. Just come inside.”
“You found her.” We all turned to see some guy on the porch of the big creepy mansion on the old oak-lined street.
“Dorian!” Sam laughed as though relieved. “Nick of time, dude. Come and help before one of us ends up with some injuries. I think she might be close to exploding, and she’s going to take out the block if she does.”
“I did try getting her to come with me, Sam. The guards on her house were ridiculous.” The guy chuckled and sauntered from the house, his dark eyes darting to mine. “You’re your mother in every way. Except the scent maybe.” His wicked lips curled up into his evil grin.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Shit, Dorian. She doesn’t know any of this.”
He shrugged. “She will.”
The memory of his face popped back into my head as he got closer. “Is that the FedEx guy? Why are you here? Did you take my sister? Her name’s Abbey and she’s missing. I’ll do whatever you want but please just let her go.”
“No.” Jake stepped in front of me. “I’ll do whatever you want. Leave Ophelia out of this.”
The FedEx guy scowled. “Really? You would do whatever I want, to spare her?”
Jake clenched his jaw. “Let her go and her sister too.” He wrapped his arms around his back to pull me to him. “And I’ll do whatever you want.”
The FedEx guy pointed at Jake and raised his eyebrows. “Who is this handsome young man?”
Sam sighed. “This is Ophelia and her boyfriend, I don't know his name. Ophelia just used glamour on her entire town. And Lydia’s helping Lorri clean up the mess. Can you just explain who she is and take over? I need to go to Greece—I don’t have time for this shit. Take them inside and make her stop crying.”
“Fine.” The FedEx guy smiled at Jake. “But only because I am intrigued by how far this young man will go for this girl.”
“Jesus.” Sam grimaced. “Fine! I’ll take you guys inside because I don’t even want to know where this conversation is headed. But trust me, kid, you don't want to do anything he wants you to.” Sam grabbed me by the hand and dragged me and Jake up the stairs and through the doorway.
“She’s bad juju, Mister Sam. I don’t want her in my house,” a voice with a strong Southern accent muttered from down the dark hall. I couldn't see who she was, just hear her. And maybe feel her. When she spoke, the air went cold.
Sam soothed. “She’s okay, Annabelle.”
A ghostly girl appeared in the hall, crossing her arms. “She’s stronger than me. That’s never okay.”
Sam laughed. “Annabelle, this is Ophelia and her boyfriend—what’s your name, dude?”
Jake stood, completely stunned by the talking ghost, his fingers tightening on mine and shaking my entire arm.
Sam snapped a finger in front of his eyes, making Jake look up. “Huh, what?”
“Name?”
“Jake. Is she—ah—uhm—a ghost?”
“Yeah,” Sam replied. “She’s a witch like your girlfriend here.”
Jake nodded. “I can see the door handle behind her.” And with that, he was gone. He fell to the floor, taking me with him.
His fainting was exactly the response I should have had. But I just sat, staring at the ghost and holding Jake’s head.
Nothing made sense.
And I doubted it was going to start to any time soon.
Chapter 5
You’re a witch
The furniture was old. It suited the creepy house perfectly, reminding me of a gothic set for a Dracula movie.
Oddly enough, I felt safer than I had in days.
I sat silently. Jake lay on the huge sofa with me, his head in my lap. I stroked his dark hair and marveled at his beautiful face.
He was still completely out of it.
“We have to send him back.” The ghostly maid stood or floated in the doorway. She made my heart quicken.
“Back? Why?” I almost said where, but I knew. He would get to go home and I would be held here.
“He’ll die around here real fast.” She floated across the room and sniffed, mocking me. “Surprised you never killed him yet.”
“Why do you all keep saying these things about me. I’m no witch. I’m a regular girl. I want to go home. I'm being haunted by a poltergeist. I want my mom and dad and my sister. Do you know where they’re keeping her?”
“I don't know nothing,” the ghost snapped.
“Ophelia, my dear girl. Welcome. I’m Lydia. It’s so nice to meet you finally,” an older woman interrupted us as she strolled into the room. Something about her calmed me. I didn't even flinch when she took my hands from Jake’s hair and squeezed them. “Please relax and make yourself at home. You’ve had an odd day, I would imagine. That was some prom you manifested.”
Trust her, Ophelia. She’s like us. The ghost voices spoke for the first time in a while.
I tried to ignore them, but the older lady narrowed her gaze, seeming to sense them there.
“It's been more like a terrible week. First, I destroyed a classroom and I could hear people talking but they weren’t moving their lips, and he froze. Then they chased me, then the wolf, my sister, and prom, and now here.” I wasn’t making sense, but I felt lost in it all. “A terrible week.” I shivered from something, exhaustion maybe.
; Lydia laughed bitterly. “Nothing I haven’t heard before, my love. Have some tea. It will relax you. Now, how much do you know?”
“About what?” I almost laughed in her face. “My mental illness? My hallucinations?”
“Oh dear.” Lydia glimpsed over at the ghost who shrugged. “I guess we’ll start at the beginning. Your parents are very powerful people. When you were born—”
“My parents?”
“Oh, not your adopted parents, Vic and Helen. Your real parents are very powerful people. Your father, who is not the nicest man, wanted a son for a very long time. Purposefully, your mother only ever gave birth to girls. They were, well—”
“Slaughtered, Miss Ophelia.” The ghost lady tilted her head, leaning forward and looking scary, just plain scary. “Your sisters were slaughtered at birth and every time he takes another one, my sisters and I felt it. The light leaves the Earth for a day when the magic is taken into the dark. Don’t be sugarcoating none of this, Miss Lydia. None of it. This girl needs to know what she’s up against.”
“I don’t get it. I don’t have sisters who are dead. Just Abbey. My parents are boring people. You have the wrong person.”
“No, sweetie. The people who’ve raised you were not your real parents. They too believed you were theirs, but you were put there. Given to them to protect.”
“You’re lying.” The words stung. My brain contemplated the truth in them, but I pushed it away. I shook my head as if to stop the words from sinking in. “No, no, no, no.”
She tells the truth, Sister. We are here. The ghost voices came back.
Six balls of light flashed into the room and separated to fill the space with light. They became the ghostly figures from before. Each was identical to me but with blue lights instead of eyes.
“How?” Lydia gasped, her eyes scanning about the room.
I couldn’t help but be thankful someone besides me could see the ghostly women.
“Have they been with you long?” Lydia sounded worried.
“No,” I watched the six mirror images. “They came the other day.”
“What’s special about this week? Hmmm, it’s only May. Your birthday won’t be until July.” Lydia seemed lost.
“No.” I frowned. “My birthday is September 21.”
“No, we know you were born in July.” Lydia counted the six floating balls. “July 7, if I’m not mistaken.” Her eyes grew frightened for a second as she jerked her head in the direction of the ghostly maid.
“Lord, she’s the seventh daughter born on the seventh day of the seven month? That’s great. Just great. Just dandy,” the ghost maid ranted and vanished.
“Why does she hate me?” As if I needed to add something else to the pile of things going horribly wrong, the ghost maid hated me.
Lydia laughed. “She doesn’t, sweetie. She just fears what’s next. You are the prophecy, I’m afraid.”
“This day is just getting better by the second. What prophecy? You people have me confused with someone else. I'm telling you. I'm not the girl.”
Lydia peered up as a redhead, the one from the school, stepped into the room with a very tall young man and a pretty blonde girl. A blonde girl I recognized, from somewhere.
“The prophecy of the end of days. You've heard of Armageddon?” the redhead spoke with a bite in her tone.
“You people speak in riddles. Just answer a question.”
The blonde laughed bitterly. “It gets so much worse. I still don’t get straight answers and I’ve been here for years. I’m Aimee and while this seems like some kind of odd dinner theatre production, it isn’t.” She put a hand out and forced a smile across her lips. It didn't register in her gray stare. Her name picked at me as did her face, but I couldn't think of from where.
I took the girl’s hand and attempted a smile. “Ophelia. It does seem like a play or a movie.”
“This is Lorri and Lucas.”
I cringed and tried not to point out that they were standing amongst my ghost sisters. They didn’t seem to see the girls spookily hovering there.
“Do you ever have dreams that seem as though they’re trying to tell you something?” Lorri asked.
“No,” I lied.
The ghost maid poofed back into the room. “Do some peoples act like they don’t see you?”
I blushed and glanced back down at Jake. “Sometimes. My aunt swore up and down she couldn’t see me.”
The ghost maid threw her arms into the air. “The witches who saved this girl put a curse on her. Baby girl, you are trouble. You Roses is biting off too much this time.” She was gone again before I could ask her any questions.
I eyed the people staring down on me and scowled. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s really going on? I want to know where my sister is.”
“Dear girl, we are telling you the truth. You’re more special than you know.” Lydia smiled as if she were my grandmother and about to offer me a cookie. “How did you find her?” She glanced at Lorri.
“I didn't.” Lorri turned to the attractive guy standing next to her. “He did.”
“How?” Lydia asked the Lucas guy.
“It’s a long story.” He seemed annoyed.
“Perfect, just what we need.” Lydia sounded excited as the other two ladies left us alone. “You can show us and I can demonstrate to Ophelia how one of her gifts works.” She continued to smile softly at me. “Have you ever touched someone and had their thoughts filter into your mind?”
“I guess.” I gulped and my eyes focused down at Jake.
“Come to me, both of you.” Lydia put her hands out to Lucas and me.
When I didn't move, and neither did he, she said it again with less sweetness, “Come and sit by me, now! We don't have time to waste. We’ve spent years searching for you.”
I jumped, sliding out from under Jake, putting a pillow down so he was comfortable, and moved to sit next to Lydia. Lucas wasn’t noticeably excited either as he slumped onto the couch and reached over one of his massive hands.
Lydia took it and placed mine in it.
I flinched. Touching the warm hand of some random guy was awkward.
The only saving grace was that he appeared less into it than I was.
“Clear your thoughts, Ophelia. Just let your brain relax and accept his story. I want you to think of it as breathing, sucking in. I’ll start us off and you can carry us.”
“I don't know what you mean.” I needed sleep and drugs and therapy. Was this even happening?
“You will.” She smiled, closing her eyes.
Lucas winced and closed his eyes.
After a moment, I closed mine too.
It took a second but as I cleared my mind, letting the exhaustion take me, images flooded my brain.
Lucas sat on the couch, the one Jake was asleep on, and stared at the wall across from him in the largest of sitting rooms. He sat alone. Sadness smothered him, like a blanket over his head. His aching heart was so obvious but I didn't know why he was so sad.
“Hey, man.” Sam, the guy who brought me here, entered the room, smiling at him.
Lucas didn’t even flinch as he spoke without tearing his gaze from its spot, “Hey. What’s up?”
“Oh, not much.” Sam slumped into the chair across from Lucas whose eyes never faltered to meet his gaze.
“You waiting for them to get back?”
Sam sighed and grinned. “Did Ari go too?”
Lucas nodded.
“Why didn’t you go?”
Anger crept across Lucas’ face. “Not allowed. Lorri said no retaliation on this one. Not till we know what’s going on.”
Sam added, “Yeah, I got the whole ‘No, because you’ll want to defend Hanna.’”
Lucas’ lip lifted ever so slightly, almost into a grin. “Everyone wants to help Hanna.”
Sam threw a pillow at him. “Whatever. Asshole. Speaking of which, how’s Dorian?”
Lucas continued, “Worse, I think. He actually went to some vampire
hideout in Brazil and killed everyone.” His sad eyes blinked away from the wall and stared at Sam. “Innocents and all.”
Sam whistled. “Wow. Daniel and the morons have no idea how pissed off they have made him. Wanna go hunt his dad?”
“Aleks’?” Lucas scowled.
Sam nodded. “Lorri said no to Alaska, but not to Viking werewolf death.”
“Yeah. I’ll go. Any clue on where to start?”
Sam shook his head. “No, but I know where Aleks last lost the trail. It was in Virginia. Jonesville, Virginia.”
Lucas stood and put his hand out. “Take us to Jonesville.”
Sam Googled Jonesville on his cell. When the street view picture on the map came up, he flashed them to a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Tumbleweeds rolled across the dusty road as a wind picked up, making waves in the hayfield next to them.
Lucas peered around. “Where the hell are we?”
Sam checked his phone. “I’d say in Hell. I don’t have any bars.”
Lucas growled, “Is that a bison farm?”
“Dude, focus. We’re in hillbilly country. Someone’s going to shoot your hairy ass if you chase livestock.”
“It’s hard to resist.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Okay, well, maybe we can stop for a bison burger somewhere. I’m not eating it raw on the side of the road.”
Lucas stripped his pants and shirt off, passing them to Sam. He turned into a wolf and I jerked back.
The story was insane, and it didn't make an ounce of sense. I didn't know who the other people in the story were, at all. But the wolf was it for me.
I pulled my hands from theirs, my heart getting trapped in my lungs, clogging my ability to scream as I jumped up.
“He’s not the wolf who chased you,” Lydia said softly. “He was hunting him. The Viking werewolf is the one who came to your house. It’s okay.”
“No. He’s just like him.” I twitched.
“He isn’t though. Different colors.”
Lucas cocked an eyebrow. “She thinks I’m Aleks’ dad? I might become a wolf but I don't kill innocent people or attack women.” He sounded insulted.