Evangelina Green

by Susan Firtik

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Where to start? They had pages and pages of clippings, old photos, eyewitness reports, and in the latter years some investigative reporters adding to the fable, as most called it. It seems that shortly after the mansion had been built, strange things began happening in town and the surrounding areas.

  Most of it was centered on the mansion and since it was remote, Lina had to take a lot of the reports with a grain of salt. Why would people be out here spying? And if they were spying they had to return with a good ghost story didn’t they?

  One report however, caught her eye as she scanned the documents. A passerby on his way to New Orleans got lost and ended up on the mansion road. It was getting dark and he needed to find a place to stay the night, when he saw the home. Before he could get half way down the drive he felt a bitter cold wind blowing into his face—as if to drive him back—away from the house. Being a stubborn sort, or later folks would ask if he wasn’t just stupid, he continued forward and went up the front steps.

  Lina stopped and thought of Keaton and their first meeting on those very steps. An ache formed in her chest, around her heart. She pulled a deep breath and continued reading.

  The wandering stranger claimed to see colored lights in the window of the parlor, the living room of today. Curiosity getting the better of his good sense, he peered through the window, sure he would be shot if caught peeping in others windows. He saw a man holding his arms out in front of him, pointing or stretching toward a mirror. The mirror was ringed with colored lights. Later he said it was gems that radiated light, in blue, red, green, and yellow colors. He explained the light as coming from the man’s hands and not the gems. He could only recall the four colors, although he described it as a rainbow of light. Lina thought, maybe they looked like modern day lasers?

  So her dreams of the green light in the attic might have some basis in reality? She made a decision to check it out in the morning. It was too dark now and she was not an idiot...usually. Again, she thought of Keaton and how quickly she had become attached to him.

  Morning came way too early for Lina’s taste. Always did. However, she knew she had things to do and not much time to do them. Construction would resume on the mansion today. It had been delayed when Tashi had been kidnapped.

  They’d reported the incident, most of it, to the authorities, knowing they could do very little to help. Keaton had left two days ago with the intention of hunting down some people who might hold information on the mansion and possibly Tashi and Victor. He’d said he hoped to return by the weekend. Five days. Lina hated to admit she missed him, because that just made her feel vulnerable. She did miss him though. She thought of him often during the day but especially at night, when she’d hear an owl hoot or a wolf howl.

  The silver wolf had been spotted a couple of times lately—but never close to the house or grounds. Folks in town had seen it from great distances, but all thought it was just a large dog.

  "We are safe and for now unharmed. I will contact you tomorrow at this time.”

  Lina sat straight up from slumping over the newspaper documents.

  "Victor?"

  She felt sure it was him but how and what? She had a thousand questions but he made it clear with the abruptness of the message that the one-sided conversation was concluded.

  "Netta? Are you up? Come quick!”

  Even though Netta was ill, she seemed to be in better spirits lately and she actually ran to Lina when she heard the call.

  "What is it Lina? Are you okay?" Although she sounded frantic, she looked calm and serene. Lina felt something was up but now was not the time.

  "I believe I just heard from Victor, in my mind! He spoke in my mind! And as cool as that is...it’s what he said that has me excited! They’re safe! Tashi is alive! He said they are unharmed and he would contact me tomorrow at the same time. Oh Netta! She’s okay! We can find her and bring her home!”

  They were both crying by that time, but it was tears of relief and love for each other. The two of them danced a happy dance, ate breakfast and settled down into a routine they’d established. Netta had to rest often so her schedule was flexible, but she was responsible for the kitchen, including dishes. Lina washed them today—needing the mindless work to think through things. She finished quickly and started for the attic.

  No need to put it off any longer, so she climbed the stairs to the locked door near her room. She checked on Netta and told her she would be in the attic if anything came up. The door had always been locked as a rule, and Lina now wondered why? She knew Grams had always said it was just full of junk, and keeping the door locked kept the mice out. Lina shook her head now at that lame excuse, thinking there had to be another reason and she was determined to find out. She was also a little frightened to find out. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the huge, heavy oak door with the one and only key.

  "Need to have a couple more made. If we lose this one, we’ll have to chop the door down to get in…or out.” She mentally made another list of things to do. That was for later, she admonished herself. "For now, I have to know what’s up here. I just have to know."

  The long narrow stairs were lit by one bare bulb and naturally it cast a shadowy light. Why did everything lately have to remind her of slasher movies? She climbed with tentative steps, eyes wild and looking for anything that might harm her. She felt relatively safe when at the top, as she saw windows lighting the rest of the space and several other bare bulbs helping to chase away the other shadows. There really was a lot of junk up here but it seemed there were treasures also. She found picture albums she intended to take downstairs to go through with Netta and Tashi when—not if—but when she came home.

  Far in the back there was a stockpile of children’s furniture, bedding, clothing, and toys. Some of them had to be antique and surprisingly in really good shape. Lina immediately thought of the shop in town and added to her to-do list. She’d have Netta go through them later to see if they even wanted to sell them in the first place, because it would be a family decision.

  She spent another hour or so digging through dust and cobwebs from the last 100 years and came up with quite a few items she thought might help solve the mystery of the mansion.

  Netta was up and around when Lina came downstairs with her treasures. She stopped dead in her tracks, gawked at Lina with a frightened look, eyes wide, then immediately started laughing out loud.

  "What?” Lina asked indignantly until she turned to look in the small mirror at the bottom of the stairs.

  “OMG I look like a ghoul!”

  She started laughing herself—at the cobwebs in her hair the dust on her face. Some of it was streaked across her eyes, as it had mixed with her sweat. Her hair stood on end in places, from her wiping her face with her arm. She looked a fright! No wonder Netta looked afraid at first. She was almost unrecognizable with all that dust and dirt covering her! They both exploded into giggles and had to sit on the floor to keep from falling down with exhaustion. The laughter in the mansion lately had an almost nervous quality to it, but it helped, a lot.

  "So? What did you find oh grimy one?" Netta prodded.

  "Quite a bit actually. There are huge, heavy furniture pieces up there that could very well be antiques and clothing—I’m sure it’s vintage. Tons of papers I’ll have to go through and pictures! Look at these Netta. I’m sure that’s Grams as a girl! Can’t wait to see what else is in there!”

  Apparently the excitement was contagious as Netta scurried over for a closer look and squealed with delight when she found a picture of Tashi and Lina as teens, sitting on the steps out front.

  "I’d almost forgotten about this picture! Tashi took it with her new camera that had the timer thingy on it. She loved that camera. That was the summer you had that awful fat camp trip, remember, Netta? I'll bet Tashi still has that camera. That was the day Grams..." She swallowed hard and stopped. "I miss Grams."

  The two sisters spent the rest of the day looking through the ph
oto albums, finding treasure after treasure. These were worth more than any money, gold, or jewels. This was a connection, to each other and to their shared past. None of the sisters knew their fathers. With the pictures they were beginning to see an odd sort of pattern and after a couple of hours, Lina sat up to ease her aching muscles and looked at Netta. She saw similarities that their mothers didn’t have. It dawned on her but she shook her head—doubting the thoughts she was having.

  "Netta? Do you think we have the same dad?”

  Netta glanced her way and almost whispered.

  "I was wondering the same thing." They closed the albums and rose together.

  "Tea... definitely tea time and I’m starving! How about you, Lina?”

  There were tears in her eyes, she was trying to be cheerful and upbeat. The knowledge that they might actually be real sisters...not just adopted summer sisters was just too much to handle right now.

  One article that caught their eye was about Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Boxx, being awarded the mansion in a drawing. They were given free use of the house and grounds for as long as they lived and as long as they maintained the property. The mansion had been a bed and breakfast up to that point. Boxx was Gramps & Gram’s last name. They’d known as kids that they weren’t really their grandparents but at least they now knew how they came to live at the mansion.

  The Boxx’s closed the B&B and were quoted in the news article as saying they would be starting a school for young ladies. Now, the question was why were only these three girls, Lina, Netta and Tashi, the only ones there every summer? How did their separate mothers know to send them here? This was just another mystery to add to the ever-growing list of unknowns.

  “Time for a break.” Lina just took Netta’s hand in hers as they walked to the kitchen.

  "What is it with us and tea?" They both just shrugged their shoulders, smiled at each other and walked on. They just liked tea.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  That evening was cool and comfortable as the two sisters sat on the porch. The workmen had really done a good job restoring the porch and railings. It looked new, in an antique sort of way.

  Lina was lost in thought as Netta looked over the porch and lawns. She was content. She was almost happy. There was just the nagging at the back of Lina’s mind that something was missing. Just out of reach. Just out of sight.

  Victor had reported in that morning as promised and had no news. He and Tashi were alive and as of yet, unharmed but his voice held some concern. There was nothing to do just yet. They couldn’t find a vampire and their sister being held by a witch. Not without help and while Keaton was trying to obtain just that, they waited and the level of tension grew.

  They kept busy with the things from the attic. Lina was the list maker so she was in charge of inventory and cataloging. Netta examined the pieces and determined their selling value. Some things could not be priced, as they were history and the sisters wanted to keep those.

  They would enlist some of the workmen later to haul some of the heavier pieces down to the first floor. It was keeping them occupied but their minds were always touching on Tashi. She might be safe and unharmed but she could not be happy! They knew Tashi well enough to know she would be fuming at being held against her will and surely driving her captors nuts! She was a sweetheart most of the time but get on her bad side… Look out! Netta suddenly went very still. Lina swiveled her chair to see why and was death-still herself. In front of them, like a projection, was a cave or dungeon scene and they could see Tashi!

  She was ghostlike. They could see through her and in the background they saw Victor! The vision wavered, but not before Lina and Netta both cried out Tashi's name. Their sister turned to them in shock and then smiled.

  "We’re fine. I love you. Come find us, please?"

  There was no sound but they could read her lips and understood. They could see Victor trying to cover her nudity and protect her by causing her image to be fuzzy like they show faces of those people on TV who don’t want to be identified. It helped soothe their nerves and made them feel a little more comfortable, knowing Victor was taking care of Tashi. Suddenly the chills running up their spines became downright cold when they saw someone moving toward them from the very back of the vision.

  It was Martiss the witch! She looked like death-warmed-over and she was not happy. Victor said something and moved his hands in a pattern in front of his face and the vision disappeared. Lina and Netta just gaped at each other in silence. Comfort. Fear. Anger. Anxiety. All these emotions were swirling in their hearts with just one short vision.

  Where was the cave? How could they find it? What in the world did the witch want with Tashi? Lina felt panic rising and had to take several deep breaths, in an attempt to calm herself. She had to be strong for the both of them. They both sat still for several minutes until Netta broke the silence.

  "Let’s keep working. We know we have to wait, we have to have a plan and we know she’s still alive and...” her voice cracked in sorrow. Lina hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head.

  "We’ll get through this, we’ll get her back." Hoping all the time she wasn’t lying to her sister just to make herself feel better.

  They worked the rest of the afternoon and had several large pieces moved to the dining room area. Lina wasn’t sure what the room would be after construction and remodeling was done. For now it served as a staging area for the to-be-dealt-with-later things.

  The new kitchen cabinets had arrived and sat in boxes near the front window. Several old rugs from surrounding rooms were rolled up, stacked against the wall and covered with a sheet to keep dirt and dust from settling on them. Now, the antiques from the attic were lined up against the only remaining wall. It was crowded but they could still walk through easily on their way to the kitchen.

  They washed up a bit, started a chicken in the old oven and began preparing vegetables for a salad. Seemed neither had much of an appetite but common sense kicked in. Lina needed to eat to keep up her strength and she was actually trying to gain some of her weight back. She knew Keaton saw her as skinny and she wanted to be what...to be less skinny? Maybe try to be beautiful for him? Could she be beautiful? Would he care? Should she care? Maybe, yeah.

  In the meantime Netta, although looking better, needed nourishment to keep her alive, and Lina saw that as her main responsibility. Sweetened iced tea, a southern staple, was refreshing as they sat down some time later and in a comfortable silence ate their tasty meal.

  Netta couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched and now decided she’d better say something to someone. She hated how people in the movies never told others of things troubling them. Waiting until it was either completely too late or the information at that point would be moot.

  "Lina, I don’t want to sound paranoid, but I have this unshakable feeling of being watched. Especially now.”

  Lina choked on a mouthful of salad, started coughing and turning red. Netta was behind her in seconds, patting her on the back making sure she could breathe.

  "I’m fine,” she said through coughs, “fine now, but I was just contemplating how to bring up the subject...because I feel the hairs on my neck standing on end, right this minute. Can you feel where it’s coming from?" Netta looked at her sister as if she’d grown another head.

  "Why would I be able to feel that?” She really didn’t know how much power she held inside.

  Netta didn’t want to tell Lina about the man she met in her dreams. That was personal and none of her business. But he was there in every dream, the same man, every time.

  "I’ve been having dreams lately about a man, but this doesn’t feel like him. He’s warm and kind to me and he only comes around when I’m sleeping." Lina gasped at this bit of news.

  "You’ve been keeping this from me? We never keep secrets from one another and this might be something we could use to find Tashi? And what if...you hadn't told me and something happened and you could...”

  Lina broke off as her voice cr
acked and her eyes swam in tears. She was blinking quickly, trying to stem the flow. Netta was mortified and felt guilty but just then felt a brush of cool air against her cheek, a bit of courage, a signal that she was not alone in this.

  "I didn’t tell you because it’s a dream, Lina and it’s, well...it’s personal and I didn’t think you’d want to hear the details." She drew quote marks in the air. Obviously, Lina understood and blushed.

  "I’m sorry Netta. Have you discussed Tashi with your dream...guy?” Netta shook her head, still blushing, feeling warmth as if she were being hugged. She gasped when she realized “he” was hugging her.

  "Uh Lina? I think he’s here right now…he’s...hugging me...making me feel all warm and fuzzy. Can you feel him? Can you get a vision of him?"

  Lina had been watching out the window for signs of Keaton to no avail. When she turned around she dropped her tea glass and yelped! For just a flash she saw a dark man, dressed in a suit, bending over his sister with his arms folded around her! She was shaking as she sat down.

  "Netta, is your man a ghost?” Netta shrugged, too afraid to speak, after seeing Lina’s reaction.

  "I don’t knoooow!" Netta whined. "C’mon, Lina, he meets me in my dreams. I don’t know anything about this mumbo-jumbo stuff you deal with!"

  She sounded screechy, but she was scared and frustrated, so figured screechy was just about right.

  “I think I’ve seen him around the house, but I never dreamed he might be a ghost!”

  Lina was almost sure it was the dark haired man she’d seen with the crew. That wasn’t completely true. He’d been near the crew but they didn’t interact with him. Now as she looked back, she realized they didn’t seem to notice him at all.