When his mother came back in, she gave him a hug. “I know it’s hard, moving to a new place. Especially to a new place as strange as this. But I’d rather you talk to me about your feelings instead of acting out.”
“I didn’t … ,” Lucas started, but how could he tell his mom the truth? He didn’t even know what the truth was yet. “I didn’t want to bother you.”
“You’re not ever going to bother me, Lucas,” she said. “You couldn’t if you tried.” Then she added with a smile, “Although this came close.”
“Thanks, Mom. I feel better now.” And Lucas meant it. “Since we’re talking life in Hounds Hollow, Bess and her friend wanted to come over tonight. Is that okay?”
“Hmm …” His mom was already shaking her head. “Seems a little late for guests to visit, don’t you think?”
“Well, the sun stays out longer here,” Lucas rationalized. “And it would be good for me to make new friends before school starts.”
“That’s true,” said Mom. “Okay, but it can’t be a late night. We moved here for the cleaner air, but that won’t help unless you pace yourself, Lucas. I don’t want to scare you, but the doctors were very honest about your condition.”
“I know,” Lucas said with an awkward smile. He hated thinking of himself like a ticking time bomb, but that’s how the doctors had described him—in kinder words, of course. But he knew what they meant. His lungs weren’t made like normal lungs. One day, he’d most likely just stop breathing. Lucas didn’t like to think about it, so instead he just told his mom what she wanted to hear. “I’ll take it easy. Patient’s honor.”
After leaving the kitchen, Lucas started to sneak up the stairs, determined to find the rolltop desk again, but his mom stopped him. “Hey, Mr. Patient, where do you think you’re going?”
“Umm.” Lucas paused. He’d hoped his mom would stay behind in the kitchen, but she was apparently a little suspicious of him, too. Quickly, Lucas snapped his fingers and pointed back downstairs. “Oh yeah, my room’s that way, isn’t it. Gosh, this house, huh. It really gets me turned around.”
His mom smiled. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but for now, let’s stick to the main areas we already know. Okay?”
“Sure, Mom,” Lucas agreed. “That sounds like a good idea … for now.”
Back in his blue room with the missing picture frames, Lucas tumbled onto the bed face-first. Then he flopped onto his back and pulled out the tiny key that hung around his neck. It was old. The original brass color was almost gone, tarnished into a sea of grimy brown spots. He’d stared at it tons of times in the city and thought it was nothing but a collector’s item. Lucas couldn’t imagine what kind of lock would ever need a key this tiny and old. Now that he was living in Silas’s house, it was clear that this key could potentially fit lots of the locks here. But Lucas was certain it matched the desk.
He tugged the key back and forth along its chain as he stared up at the ceiling and wondered what could be hidden under the rolltop. Gold, jewels, cash, a map of the house, or even treasure … or maybe nothing. Maybe just old paperwork or taxes like the usual stuff people put in desks.
Lost in his imagination, Lucas heard a small scratch at the door. Without looking he said, “It’s open, Lucky, just come in.”
The cat leapt onto his bed and stood on the pillow next to him. Lucky’s fur bristled as the cat tensed his shoulders and crouched angrily.
“What’s your problem now?” Lucas asked, but Lucky remained focused on something opposite the doorway.
Another scratch moved slowly through the room. This one was louder and made Lucas sit up and take notice. If Lucky was on the bed, then what was scratching? He followed his cat’s gaze straight to the full-length mirror that he’d blocked with his dresser. Only now, the dresser was back to its normal place. A large note was folded on top.
Lucas carefully inched off the bed as quietly as possible and picked up the note.
Whoa, crazy design scheme, mister! Don’t worry, I moved the dresser back into place. Now you can use the mirror to actually comb your hair every once in a while. Love, Dad
“Oh no, Dad,” whispered Lucas. “What did you do?”
As soon as he spoke, the scratching started again, this time repeating itself faster and faster. The mirror door rattled. Whatever was behind there wanted out. Lucas stared as the scratching got louder.
Then Lucky let out a low hiss-growl from the bed, snapping Lucas out of his trance. He knew in his heart what was lurking behind that door. It was the beast, come back to finish the job.
“Mom! Dad!” Lucas screamed, but his voice sounded muffled, as if he were underwater in the deep blue room. The scratching grew louder and faster at the sound of his voice, but Lucas wasn’t going to stick around to find out what was going on.
He grabbed Lucky, who had his claws dug deep into the pillow, and started to run from the room, when the scratching stopped. That’s when Lucas heard a new sound.
A small whimper came from behind the mirror door. Lucas was transported to a memory of the city, listening to people walking their puppies as he sat outside his building. They whimpered the same way when they passed him, pulling away from their owners as they tried excitedly to reach Lucas. The puppies would always burrow happily into his hands before the owners apologized and continued on their way.
The whimper behind the mirror held the same kind of excitement. But this time, it was Lucas who turned around and walked toward the whimper. He held Lucky in front of him, and Lucky still wielded the pillow in his claws like a shield. As he stepped in front of the mirror door, he felt where the sharp-edged needles from the maze had scratched his arms earlier. He wondered if this was how it felt to be a ghost walking through a wall, like the act was both natural and unnatural all at once.
Aside from the whimper, everything in the house had gone quiet. The chorus of saws, hammers, and distant creaks from walking workers was gone. Even the cicada buzz was gone. Lucas clicked the door with his free hand.
The mirror swung open and revealed a small puppy sitting still and staring at Lucas. When their eyes met, the dog’s tail waved back and forth with excitement. It was a fluffy white mutt with a funny nose and matted ears sprouting out of its peanut-shaped head.
Lucky scratched over Lucas’s shoulder and escaped the room completely.
The puppy tilted its head curiously at the cat as it ran. Then it took a few steps toward Lucas.
“You are not what I expected.” Lucas bent down and the puppy squirmed up against him, twirling in circles and letting out babyish yips and barks that sounded like nervous coughs. Its whole body was shaking. Lucas tried to give the puppy his hand to smell, but the dog merely nuzzled against it with instant warmth and happiness.
“Are you lost, little guy?” asked Lucas as he sat on his knees. The dog stopped, as if considering Lucas’s question. Then it dove onto his lap, spinning with a dizzy kind of joy.
Lucas rubbed the small dog and looked past it, down the hidden hall that led to the dark barn. He could feel the puppy’s backbone and ribs with every pat. When he was sure the coast was clear, Lucas frisked the pup. “No dog collar, eh? Hmm, and no yellow mustard paws, either. That’s good. And you’re certainly no beast. Did you sneak through the gap in the barn door?”
The mutt snorted as if to say yes and then crawled into Lucas’s arms, pawed at his shirt, and tried to lick his face. Warmth radiated through Lucas as he picked up the pup.
“Mom is not going to like this,” he warned the dog. “At least tell me you’re potty trained.”
The dog turned its head, giving Lucas a quizzical look. The mysteries of Hounds Hollow melted away for a brief moment and Lucas actually smiled.
“Okay, okay, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said with a laugh as the dog yipped. Its voice was very quiet and hoarse. “Well, then, if you know how to go to the bathroom outside, this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Just one question, though: What do you think about the beast?”
&
nbsp; Yap-yap-yap-yap-yap! The question ruffled Lucas’s new friend as the pooch broke into a barking fit and reared back with surprising strength. Flipping out of his arms, the dog landed gracefully and stood at attention.
“Whoa, boy! I get it. You’re not scared of anything, are you?” Lucas stood up and patted the dog’s back. The brave mutt almost broke into a smile. “That’s good, ’cause I’ve got a mystery to solve before either the beast or Bess do something stupid.”
Lucas had never had a dog before. At first his parents said they weren’t allowed to have pets in the apartment, but then they took in Lucky. Apparently, cats were allowed, but dogs were forbidden. He later found out that one of his doctors had been concerned that having a dog might be too energetic for Lucas. It might bring on an incident, she had said. That’s what the doctors called it when he couldn’t breathe. An incident.
The dog barked again and Lucas put his finger to his lips. “Shh, now, keep quiet and let me do all the talking to Mom and Dad when the time is right. Oh, and one more thing. Do you like cats? Never mind, even if you hate cats, this house is so big, I’m sure there’s room enough for you and Lucky. So follow my lead. Deal?”
As if it understood every word, the dog nodded, or seemed to nod. Lucas held his hand out and was met with a soft, warm paw.
“Wow, you can shake hands, huh?” Lucas smiled. “You must have a home somewhere. We’ll find where you belong. But first, you’re going to meet my new friends.”
The sun was setting when a chorus of chimes announced the visitors. The melody was so loud that it shook the entire house. Each note made Lucas feel like he was inside a church with bells ringing out for the entire countryside to hear. The white dog in Lucas’s room howled along woefully.
“Quiet!” Lucas covered the pup’s mouth, but the mutt still wailed along with the music. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the song was over, replaced by silence.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s official,” said Mom from the front hallway. “We have the doorbell to end all doorbells.”
The front door creaked open and Lucas could hear his mother talking to someone, then she called out, “Lucas, you have company.”
“Be right there,” he answered.
The dog followed him to the door, but Lucas knelt down to block the entry. “No, no.” As he said it, Lucas’s necklace fell out from his shirt. The small key dangled over the dog, and the dog sat at full attention as if Lucas were offering it a treat. Clutching the key, he gave the dog a smile.
It wasn’t the right time to tell his parents that he’d found a stray dog. Or that there was a mysterious beast haunting the area. Or that his newest friends in Hounds Hollow who’d just popped over for a visit wanted his help to kill that same mysterious beast. Or that the key he inherited might be the key to stopping the beast. These things took expert timing and attention to detail to explain to parents.
Looking at the dog, Lucas tucked the key back under his collar and then pushed both hands through the air. “You … stay … here. I’ll … be … back … okay?”
Surprisingly, the dog didn’t move. Instead, it lay down right in the middle of the room and kept its eyes on Lucas.
“Good dog,” he said as he scrambled out and closed the door behind him.
Lucas could see Bess already casing the front hallway while Lens was talking to Mrs. Trainer.
“Lucas, you didn’t tell me that Lens’s mother owns the bookstore and runs the local newspaper,” Mom said cheerfully. “A media mogul in our house, huh?”
Lens held up his camera and pretended to take a picture of Mrs. Trainer, who smiled and struck a pose.
“Well, that’s news to me,” Lucas said.
The others groaned at the horrible joke.
“Don’t worry, I’ve heard it all before,” said Lens. “I’ll bring you to the printing press sometime, Lucas. You’d love it. Maybe we can do a story on the new kid in town?”
A low laugh escaped Bess as she walked around the hallway, casually peering into rooms. “It’s a hand-crank printing press, Lens.”
Lens nodded sincerely. “It’s historic. That press has been printing issues for Hounds Hollow since … I don’t know. Since Hounds Hollow started, I guess.”
“Well, I think that sounds cool, Lens,” said Mom, which made Lucas wince. It wasn’t her fault, but his mom had a way of making something cool sound so uncool.
Seeing her son’s reaction, Mrs. Trainer clapped her hands and began backing out of the hallway. “Okay, I’ll let you guys do your thing. Call if you need me, Lucas.”
Lucas nodded. As soon she left, Bess dropped her casual snoopy routine and broke into a full-fledged spy-a-thon. She even started knocking on the walls.
“What are you doing?” asked Lens.
Bess moved from one side of the hall to the other, gently rapping every surface with the back of her hand. “Looking for a secret room. If Silas has all those cameras set up around the house, then he’s got to have a surveillance room, right? We find that, then I bet we’ll find real footage of the beast. And that footage might tell us what he’s after. Have you seen a room like that, Lucas?”
“A room like what? Filled with TVs and computer stuff? I haven’t seen anything like that here.”
“No,” said Bess. “We’re looking for a room that doesn’t make sense.”
With the crystal chandelier above them, a larger-than-life staircase behind them, and ornate velvet chairs beside them, Bess’s question seemed crazy. None of the rooms in Sweetwater Manor made sense. Lucas didn’t know where to start.
“Why don’t we start with the barn?” Lens suggested.
As Lucas opened the door to his bedroom, he warned the others. “Oh, just FYI, I had a stray dog sneak in today. My parents don’t know about him yet, so if you could … you know.”
“Relax, Lucas,” said Bess as she pushed past him into his own room. “Your puppy secret’s safe with us.”
Lens patted Lucas on the back. “Sorry about her. She’s kind of … well, let’s just say she doesn’t always realize she’s being blunt.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that,” said Lucas.
Inside the room, Bess made her way over to the bed and grabbed the mask from Lucas’s CPAP machine. “What the heck is this thing?”
Lucas blushed. It had been a long time since he’d had to explain his equipment to new friends. Usually his friends’ parents had that conversation with them before they came over to his house.
Bess went to place the mask over her mouth, and Lucas lunged forward.
“Please don’t,” he said, louder than even he expected. “That’s my CPAP machine. I use it at night to help me breathe.”
“Sorry,” Bess said, setting the mask down on the bedside table. “So why are we in here if we’re going to the barn?”
“Look behind the mirror.” Lucas pointed to the secret door. Then he did a quick scan of the room, looking for the small white dog. It was nowhere to be seen.
“Did you lose something?” asked Lens.
“The dog,” said Lucas. “He’s … gone. Did you see him when you came in, Bess?”
She ignored his question and walked straight for the mirror. Instinctually, she clicked it open and smiled. “See, now, this is what I mean when I ask about a room that doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe the dog is in there?” suggested Lens.
Bess turned on the first light in the dark passageway. “Only one way to find out.”
Lucas followed her, calling out to the missing dog. “Here, boy! Here, boy!”
“You know, I’ve never seen a stray dog in Hounds Hollow,” admitted Lens as they walked. “Then again, I’ve never seen a secret mirror door, either.” He raised his camera and took a picture as they reached the main barn. The flash burst, shedding light over the black, wrought-iron gates and weathered wood that filled the room. The whine of the instant photo rang out in the heavy silence.
Lucas flipped the gas lamps on and the warm light spread
over them with a hiss. The chained door had a small gap at the bottom where the dog must have squeezed through. “Oh man, I think he’s gone.”
Bess grabbed hold of the bars and tugged at them like a prisoner testing how strong the cell was. They didn’t buckle at all. She let go and the bars let out a low-toned brung like a solid, metal harp. “Sorry about the pup,” she said as she kept exploring. When she reached the end of the barn, Bess announced, “This isn’t the room we’re looking for. Next.”
Lucas watched as she left the odd, hidden barn behind as carelessly as leaving a bathroom. “But wait, the dog …”
“We don’t have time for that, Lucas,” Bess’s voice echoed from the passageway. “We’re looking for what the beast is after, remember? Not some silly, lost mutt.”
Lens clicked another photo and jogged over to Lucas. “She’s kinda right, dude.”
Lucas bent down and peeked under the barn doors, but there was no sign of the dog. He sat back on his knees and sighed. “Why us? Why do we need to find out what’s going on? Why can’t the police handle this?”
“Yeah, um, do you want to be the one to call the cops and tell them there’s a ghostly beast wandering the woods of Hounds Hollow?” asked Lens. He reached down and helped Lucas up. “Now come on. There’s got to be another room around here that’s as off-putting as this barn.”
Dusting the dirt off his pants, Lucas realized that he knew just the spot.
Quietly, they walked upstairs and down the hall with the large mirror at the end. The lights stayed on this time and Lucas watched his own reflection carefully, making sure it wasn’t the ghost boy.
“Where are we going?” Bess huffed. “We passed like fifteen doors already without looking in the rooms.”
“Shhh,” Lucas whispered. “Please keep it down. If my parents hear us up here, we’re toast.”
Bess opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and nodded. The action was so un-Bess that Lucas was slightly shocked.
Lens waved his hand in front of Lucas’s face to bring him back. “Lead the way.”
The Haunting of Hounds Hollow Page 13