His face softens. “Oh, well, I suppose…But you really should never have come down here by yourself.”
“Miss, I can mend it fer ya if ya leave it with the gate boy. I just need ta get this lass to ’er mum first,” Nora says from the floor, where she’s crouched down.
I release my breath. “Thanks. I’ll have someone bring it down. Tell Ada I hope she feels better.” I focus on Ada. Who are you to me?
“Shall I escort you back above deck, Samantha?” Alexander asks.
I nod and take his offered arm.
“You are just lucky I was the one who found you and not your uncle.”
Merde. My uncle. I hope he doesn’t tell him.
There is a loud knock. “Girls? Breakfast’s ready.” My dad opens the door and pushes it a few inches. “Sleep much longer and the sun’s going to set.”
I sit up and rub my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Eleven.”
“It smells delicious, Mr. M,” Alice says with a scratchy morning voice, propping herself up on one elbow.
“Come on down when you’re ready.”
I slide out of bed, pulling my leg from under Broome, and put my feet in my slippers. My nondream comes rushing back to me, and I almost stumble. “You guys? I…”
Susannah slides out of bed in her green floor-length nightgown. Her wavy auburn hair is messy around her face instead of in its usual neat bun. “You went back?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the third night in a row,” Susannah says.
“I know,” I say with anxiety in my voice. “I don’t understand how…but I saw Ada—you know, that little spirit girl? She recognized me and was so shocked I was there that she fainted. But before she did, she said something about me being in her dreams….”
Alice holds up her hand. “Back up. You’re saying the spirit girl was there last night and she somehow thinks when she visits you here in Salem that you’re in her dreams?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. She was a passenger on the ship, people knew her and were talking to her. How is that possible?”
Mary’s face pales. “Okay, that’s too weird.”
Susannah’s features scrunch together. “And what’s stranger is that in Salem no one can see her except you, but on the Titanic, everyone can see her.”
Alice leans against the bed. “Yeah, but she’s dead. That’s why we can’t see her here.”
“That’s exactly why I think it’s so weird that people there can,” Susannah says.
We all look at Susannah.
“What are you thinking?” I ask. “That everyone in her world is dead and that’s why they can see her?”
“Unless anyone can think of a better explanation?” Susannah says.
We’re all silent for a second.
“Can someone please say Sam’s not going to the bottom of the ocean with a bunch of dead people? I’m really not good with that,” Mary says.
“It’s not the sunken Titanic,” I say. “It’s actually super bright and sparkly.” I frown. “I really don’t know why I just had a knee-jerk reaction to tell you how nice it is. Why would I do that? I don’t like anything about being on that ship.”
Alice eyes me. “I don’t know, but tell us if it happens again. We can’t let your confusion about that ship spill into your waking life.”
I shudder. “Agreed.”
“So if it’s not the wreckage you’re visiting, then maybe Susannah was right. Maybe you’re going to some kind of replica?” Mary says.
“A spell ship?” Susannah says.
I push my hair back from my forehead. “Remember what I told you guys yesterday about the two conflicting sides of my brain? Well, the accepting side definitely won this time. Until I saw Ada, I’d almost entirely stopped being suspicious. It’s like each time I go, I become more and more comfortable in that reality.”
Susannah watches me. “Maybe the spell from the dress never actually broke? Maybe you’re still under it? That could even be why you felt the need to tell us how beautiful the place is.”
“I wanna say no way, and that I would know, but I’m not sure what to trust right now.”
“Was there anything else, anything odd or any suspicious people?” Alice asks.
“No one strange but Ada.” I glance toward the door, which my dad left cracked open. “Let’s go eat before he comes back up here again,” I say, and they follow me toward the stairs.
We head to the dining room, which looks like it’s straight out of Pride and Prejudice. The walls are paneled in dark wood, the table is long enough to comfortably seat ten, and there is a brass chandelier with lights that resemble old candles. Jaxon is already at the table. I stare at him a second longer than I should. We don’t usually eat with the Meriwethers on the weekends. And even with Mrs. Meriwether here, I figured there was no way Jaxon would show up. My hands start to sweat. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe he’s here because he wants to smooth everything out.
Mary walks into the room behind me, gets a look at the table teeming with delicious food, and stops short.
Alice walks into her. “Dude. You gotta warn people if you’re gonna stop like that.” She steps around Mary and pulls out a chair. “Actually, I take that objection back. This is completely impressive. Do you eat like this every day?”
“Most, yeah,” Jaxon says.
I slide into the seat next to Susannah.
Mrs. Meriwether and my dad come through the swinging door between the dining room and the kitchen carrying a pot of coffee, a jug of hot chocolate with marshmallows melting on top, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
“Oh, good! You girls are perfectly in time. The strawberry-rhubarb cobbler just came out of the oven,” Mrs. Meriwether says as she offers everyone drinks.
“This is incredible,” Susannah says, pulling a waffle onto her plate.
Mrs. Meriwether pours me some coffee. “When I heard you girls were staying the night, I told Charlie that there was simply no way we weren’t eating together.”
“True story,” my dad says, smiling at Mrs. Meriwether. “She wouldn’t leave me alone about it.”
I steal a glance at Jaxon. He’s piling eggs, cobbler, and some of my dad’s hash browns onto his plate and looks completely relaxed.
Alice sips her hot chocolate. “Damn.” She examines her drink in awe.
Mrs. Meriwether beams. Very few people love anything more than Mrs. Meriwether loves feeding people. “I don’t know if Sam told you, but I’ve got an enormous garden. Lots of ingredients for, oh, any sort of thing.” She winks at us.
Oh no, what is she saying right now? I thought she was gonna let me broach this topic myself.
“Mom,” Jaxon scolds.
“Well, I’m just saying that you’re welcome anytime at all,” Mrs. Meriwether says.
Concern creeps into the corners of my dad’s eyes. If he doesn’t like her good-natured mild comment, how will he ever accept the things I need to tell him?
“I’m coming over for sure,” Mary says with a mouth full of cobbler. “I’m in total awe of you.”
“Mom, I’m gonna head out after this. I’m meeting Niki down by the harbor,” Jaxon says, and takes a big sip of orange juice.
The girls look at me and I look at Jaxon. How much time are those two spending together?
“No problem. Just be home by dinner.”
Alice narrows her eyes at him. “You’re hanging out with Niki?”
Jaxon grins like a puppy. “Yeah, we’ve been hanging out a lot lately.”
My dad looks at us all like he’s trying to work out a crossword puzzle.
“Why?” Alice asks, and I try to kick her under the table.
“Ow,” Mary says.
Crap. “Sorry.”
“I like her,” Jaxon says, like this is a normal conversation to be having at the breakfast table with our parents.
“But I thought you liked Sam,” Alice continues without pause. There’s an edge of defensiveness in h
er voice.
“Alice!” I choke on my coffee. “We’re just friends.”
Jaxon looks directly at me. “Sam likes some dead dude,” he says casually. “And Niki’s just a good fit for me.”
I stand up so fast that my chair scrapes against the floor as it slides backward. “What the hell are you saying?” How could he say that in front of my dad after we had that conversation about protecting our parents?
Susannah and Mary look at me sympathetically. Alice seems pissed.
I don’t even know why I’m standing.
Jaxon shrugs. “Nothing. Just answering Alice’s question. It’s not my fault you don’t like what I have to say.”
“That’s it!” My face turns bright red. “I will murder you with this fork.”
“Children,” Mrs. Meriwether says. “Now, that’s fine cutlery, and I’ll have trouble thinking of it the same way if it’s used to murder my only child.”
“Let’s all just settle down for a second.” My dad uses his calming voice, the one he defaults to when my temper flares.
Mrs. Meriwether motions for me to sit. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t want to. But I won’t have you two being unkind to each other. If you insist on continuing, I’ll put you both to work for the rest of the day.” She looks at each of us to make sure we understand she’s serious.
I sink into my seat. Jaxon totally crossed the line. How could he ask me to trust him and then betray me like this? And what’s worse is that he’s showing no signs of wanting to smooth things out. I’m starting to think our relationship may be broken for good.
“Since when is telling the truth unkind?” Jaxon asks.
“Since the invention of bad haircuts. Don’t push your luck, Jax,” Mrs. Meriwether says. “You’re getting awfully close to having to tell Niki you’re not coming.”
“I’ll just excuse myself now, then,” Jaxon says. He picks up his plate and heads for the door.
“Jaxon Meriwether!” Mrs. Meriwether says, but he doesn’t turn around.
I yank on my black boots and stand up from my window seat. I’m still reeling from that crazy breakfast. I head for the spare bedroom, twisting my wet hair over my shoulder.
Just as I reach the door, Susannah opens it. “We should go. Jaxon’s truck just left, and we don’t know how long he’s going to be with Niki.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’ll explain in the car,” Mary says.
Alice tosses me a black jacket, and I follow them down the stairs.
I knock on my dad’s office door and crack it open. “I’m going out with the girls. Be back in a little bit.”
“Keep your phone on and be home for dinner,” my dad says.
“Will do.”
I follow the girls out the front door and get in Mary’s Jeep.
Alice pulls away from my house and glances at me in the rearview mirror. “So what happened with you and Jaxon?”
“Alice, you can’t just go straight at a subject like that,” Susannah says.
Alice shrugs. “I just say what I think. But it’s not like I was trying to cause a blowup at breakfast. You know that, right, Sam? I was trying to figure out…I just need you to tell me what happened.”
“I will,” I say. “But can someone fill me in on what sent us running out of my house just now?”
Susannah turns toward me. “We’re going to Niki’s.”
Did I hear her correctly? “When she’s not home?”
“Faster and more effective,” Mary says.
“Are you saying we’re breaking in? Why?” My voice betrays my disbelief.
“Don’t sound all shocked,” Alice says. “We’re not looting the place. It’s just that if the Titanic you’re going to is a spell, then we have a more serious problem than we originally thought. And with Redd’s warning, I don’t know. I still think it’s unlikely Niki and Blair are involved, but let’s just say that I’m no longer opposed to double-checking. And besides, I know where the spare key is.”
Does that mean they think Redd’s warning might have been directed at me, too? “What about her parents?” I ask.
“Most likely at the yacht club,” Alice says. “I’ve lived next to them my whole life, and they’re almost never home on the weekends.” We pull to a stop, and she gestures toward an enormous redbrick house with black shutters. “See, empty driveway.”
Mary turns around from the passenger seat and looks at me. “When we get out of the car, make sure you act like everything’s normal. Don’t speed-walk or look around suspiciously, and no one will question what we’re doing.”
The girls and I jump out of the Jeep, my heart beating so loudly I’m sure the neighbors can hear it.
Susannah nods in the direction of the brick house and I follow. Every piece of gravel under my boots is amplified.
Alice sticks her fingers through a thin opening in a tall white wooden fence and jiggles a metal latch. The gate swings open into the backyard. Rows of white flowers and bushes, all trimmed and uniform, line the house and fence.
Alice grabs a fake frog and flips it over, revealing a hiding place for a key. “They never change it.” She slips the key into the back door, and just like that we’re in Niki’s house.
For a few awful seconds we stand in silence. I hold my breath.
Alice taps on the door from the inside. “Anyone home?” she yells.
I cringe and so does Mary. Silence.
Alice nods. “Told you they weren’t here.”
Mary scowls. “Jeez, you could give us a little warning before you start yelling.”
“Doesn’t mean they won’t come home,” Susannah says, and all at once we’re moving full speed through the hallways and up the stairs.
Niki’s bedroom door is open, and the inside matches the rest of the house, pastel blues and white.
“Whatever you touch, keep track of where it was. Judging by the neatness, she would notice immediately,” Susannah says.
Alice and I head for her desk, Mary to her closet, and Susannah to her bookshelf. I leaf through a pile of books and papers, but everything mentioning the Titanic is just Wardwell’s homework assignments. We’re all super quiet and focused.
The first desk drawer is filled with pictures of Niki and Blair and a few other girls over the summer. Below the pictures are birthday cards, notes scribbled in big loopy cursive, and a wooden box. I lift the box lid. Inside is an envelope with Niki’s name on it. Wait, I recognize that handwriting.
I set down the stack of cards and pictures and pick up the envelope. I’ll just put it back in the box and forget I ever saw it.
Nope. I open the back flap and pull a card out.
Niki,
Hoping you’ll accept this bracelet as my invitation to the Spring Fling next week.
Jaxon
P.S. I’ll pick you up at 7:30 tonight.
I rub my thumb over the part of the card where the bracelet left an indent. What, it took him a whole twenty-four hours after our fight to do this? I get why he didn’t tell me, but I’m also getting nervous that I’m losing my best friend to Niki, of all people.
“Sam,” Alice says, looking down at the card.
I forcefully shove it back into the envelope. “It’s nothing.”
“Then why are you abusing that envelope?” Alice takes it out of my hands and puts it back in the box. “Dude, trust me on this one—if he likes Niki, then he’s definitely not the person you thought he was.”
Mary watches us. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “Jaxon gave Niki one of those Titanic dance bracelets.” Everyone’s quiet, as if they’re waiting for me to go on, so I do. “It’s not that I want to date Jaxon. It’s that I feel like he just dropped me, like suddenly I don’t matter to him anymore.”
Mary frowns.
“I found something, too,” Susannah says, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the topic change. “Niki’s log of the Spring Fling committee.”
&
nbsp; We all lean over the small notebook Susannah holds. She runs her finger down the pages. “Supposedly, they finalized the dance theme options in November, and there was no Titanic theme. But at the beginning of the semester, Blair and Niki got Wardwell and the history department on board, and the committee made an exception to add it.”
Alice grunts, like she’s deep in thought.
“So the Titanic was more than just the theme they supported. They’re the ones who actually brought it to the committee and fought for it to be admitted?” I say.
“Looks that way,” Mary says.
There is the faint sound of tires on gravel.
Mary runs to the window. “Jaxon’s truck. I thought he said they’d be at the harbor!”
My heart jumps into my throat. Susannah slams the notebook shut and slides it onto the shelf. We scramble to put everything back in place. And we run. Out of the room, down the stairs, and into the hallway.
The front door clicks open. Jaxon’s and Niki’s voices spill into the house. There are still two hallways left before the door.
“We’ll never make it,” Susannah whispers.
The white walls feel claustrophobic.
Alice pulls us to a stop. “Hello! Hello?” she yells.
Jaxon and Niki go quiet. Has Alice lost her mind?
“Hello?” Niki responds hesitantly, entering the hallway we’re standing in. “Alice?”
I’m sweating.
“Your back door was wide open, banging against your house in the wind,” Alice says. “But I guess since you’re home, then you knew that.”
“No,” Niki says, like she has a bad taste in her mouth. “I didn’t. And all four of you came to check on my back door for me?”
Jaxon’s and Niki’s hands are interlocked. He’s wearing a blue cord with a silver anchor wrapped around his wrist, and she’s wearing a brown cord with a ship’s wheel—the dance bracelets.
Susannah tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We weren’t going to let Alice check on a probably empty and possibly burgled house by herself.”
Niki raises an eyebrow.
Haunting the Deep Page 14