Return to Seven Sisters

by M. L. Bullock

  “How did she do that?”

  “Because she wants the same thing.” I put my hand on my stomach as I felt a deep, spiritual tug. Yes, this is right. This is what’s happening.

  “What is that?” Joshua asked with genuine curiosity.

  “Justice. They both want justice. He’s trying to use her to get it.”

  “I’m guessing that’s bad. Can he hurt her?”

  I bit my lip before opening the door. I said with genuine sorrow, “He already has. He’s attached himself to her.” With that, we walked inside the room. A blast of freezing air hit me in the face.

  Time to do battle.

  Chapter Nineteen—Carrie Jo

  Ashland’s face paled again, and he nudged his chair closer to mine. Sierra had a determined look on her face as she paced around Lily’s room. Midas held his walkie-talkie and said, “Take your time, Sierra. Don’t get aggressive.” Sierra nodded to the camera but didn’t answer him. She was talking patiently but sternly to Nobel.

  “My name is Sierra, and this is Joshua. We need to talk to you.”

  She put her finger to her ear as if she heard something painful. “He’s kind of being a jerk. He’s screaming at me.” She waited a few seconds and said, “I know who you are, Nobel Delarosa. You’ve tried to trick us, but you have been found out. I think it’s pretty bad, you torturing this child. This is not acceptable, Nobel.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, he doesn’t like that,” she suddenly said. “Whoa! Did you see that?” She jumped back from the bed, which had clearly moved a few inches.

  “Yeah, the dang bed moved.” Joshua’s camera wavered a few seconds, but he zoomed back in on Sierra.

  “I also saw a disk of light. It shot out from under the bed—he was definitely there. I think he’s in the closet now.”

  Jocelyn, who’d been quiet most of the evening, was ready to work now. “Let me go in with her, Midas. I know we’ve got the video, but if we could get some stills of this disk…I’ve got my camera ready.”

  “Yeah, go in, but let Sierra do her thing. I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

  Jocelyn exited the Blue Room and a minute later appeared on the screen with Sierra; she immediately began snapping pictures but did her best to stay out of the way. Sierra was clearly focused on the closet now. She had Nobel cornered and wasn’t backing down. I silently prayed as I watched her continue her confrontation.

  “Nobel Delarosa, you need to talk to me. You cannot harm Lily or anyone else anymore. You don’t need her to get what you want. She’s just a child.”

  Tears filled my eyes, but nothing else happened. Cassidy put her arm around me and said, “It’s going to be okay. Sierra knows what she’s doing.” Sierra’s head was bent down, and Joshua kept his focus on her. Jocelyn sat on the toy box; I could see her legs in the camera. I wanted to scream and just lose it, but I wasn’t going to let my emotions get the better of me. The tension increased by the second. Cassidy turned her attention back to the screen, tapped on the keyboard and looked at Midas.

  “Josh…”

  “What is it?”

  “I am going to open this closet door in a second, so get out of the way. He’s powerful enough to hurt one of us. Like he’s been hurting Lily. He pinches her, scratches her. He’s pretty vicious. He says that he doesn’t want us here. That we don’t have the right to be here. He’s challenging us. I think…I think one of the Stuarts might need to come up here and back me up. He wants me to prove that we have permission to be here or else he’s not going to talk to me anymore.”

  “I’m going up, Ash.”

  “I think I should go, babe. I don’t want to put you in harm’s way, more than you already have been.”

  “Nobel knows me, Ashland. He’s seen me before. He might talk to me, or at least he will recognize me.”

  Midas was the tiebreaker. “She has a point, Ashland. But don’t worry. We’ll watch everything that’s going on.”

  Ashland didn’t like it, but he relented. I squeezed his hand before joining Sierra, Joshua and Jocelyn in Lily’s room. With every step I took, my anxiety ratcheted up higher and higher, but I wasn’t going to run away. My niece needed me—Nobel Delarosa wasn’t going to stay. I wasn’t going to allow it. Walking around the cameras and cords, I headed to the left and put my hand on the doorknob of Lily’s room. I could hear Sierra’s low, husky voice; she was pleading with the Nobel-creature to leave us alone. I couldn’t hear his voice, but I knew from her tone that it wasn’t going so well.

  I went inside the room and closed the door quietly behind me. All of Lily’s pink and purple decorations reminded me of how much love we’d poured into this room. How many hours Detra Ann and I had spent painting and moving furniture around. I’d wanted so desperately for Seven Sisters to be a real home for Lily, a place where she could forget that she’d been abandoned by her parents. That’s what home should be—the one place where you could truly be yourself and nobody would judge you for it or fear you. Or hate you. We had so many hopes for her, and now to have Nobel Delarosa attack her, after all Lily had been through already. My fear and anxiety simmered into anger.

  I stepped into the room and quickly assessed the situation. Sierra held her ground and waved me to her. “She’s here, Nobel. This is Carrie Jo, the owner of this house. It’s not yours anymore. Oh, crap!” The door shook on its hinges as if someone were on the other side giving it a good shake. Sierra snatched back her hand and stepped away.

  “Nobel, you know who I am. I am Carrie Jo Stuart. You can’t stay here.” The door stopped shaking. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, but you can’t visit your revenge on Lily. I won’t allow it!”

  “He’s rather nasty,” Sierra whispered. “Keep going, Carrie Jo. It’s time to evict this guy.”

  “What are you doing here? Why are you picking on a little girl? Would you like it if someone picked on your daughter?” The room got very still; there wasn’t a sound except for the clicking of Jocelyn’s camera.

  “Shoot, he’s trying to leave. Oh, he’s so angry and he’s making my head hurt.”

  “You don’t have permission to torment Lily! Stop it, Nobel. You have to stop it!”

  Suddenly a large boom shook the house, and I grabbed Sierra’s hand to steady myself—and her. Lily’s unicorn pictures bounced on the walls but didn’t fall, thankfully. Every piece of furniture in the room rattled, but then there was nothing.

  “Dang. He’s gone, CJ.”

  “That’s good, right?” I asked hopefully.

  “Unfortunately, no. He’s not gone for good; he’s only gone to power up.”

  I stared at her dumbfounded. “Gone to another dimension?”

  “No. He’s gone back to his power source. He’s looking for Lily. He hasn’t quite figured out where she is, but he’s looking for her. He doesn’t like that you took her away from him.”

  “I’ve got to go call…” I said in a panic.

  “CJ, don’t say another word. Let’s talk outside. Don’t give him any information. He’s gone, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hear us.”

  Sierra took my hand, and we walked out of the room with Jocelyn and Joshua in tow. We walked down the stairs, and the rest of the team met us in the foyer. Sierra opened the front door, and we gathered outside about a hundred feet from the house.

  “We should be okay now. He can’t hear us at this distance. His power is limited out here. But in the future, don’t discuss anything about Lily in the house. He’s fixated on her, to the point that she’s in danger. I hate to have to say that, but it’s true.”

  “Ashland…”

  “I’m calling now.” Ashland walked away from us, and I could hear him talking in low tones to Rachel. Lily wasn’t going to like this at all, but if anyone could protect her, it would be Jan and Rach.

  “So, what do we do now? Some sort of ritual to make him come out?”

  Midas said, “Unfortunately, we just have to wait. We’ll keep the cameras rolling, monitor all the equipm
ent, but the good news is that the rest of the house is clear. Right, Sierra?”

  “That’s right. There are layers of residual, but you can cleanse that away. He’s the most disturbing threat now. But…”

  “But?” I asked, not quite sure I wanted to hear what else she had to say.

  “Everyone living in that house is a sensitive. If you want to live there, that’s your business, but you will have to be vigilant for the remainder of the time you’re here. This house has a lot of echoes, a lot of memory. And, as strange as this sounds, Seven Sisters is awake. I mean that in addition to the four sensitives living in the house, the house is also attracting the dead.”

  My heart sank in my chest as Ashland returned. “They are checking on Lily, but everything looks okay. Jan is on top of things. She says she is praying for us all.”

  “Did you hear what Sierra said?” I asked as I brushed a tear away with my knuckle.

  “Yes, I did.” He slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

  Midas said, “We aren’t really surprised by any of this, though, are we? You can’t be. You’ve known all along that there was a question whether you should stay at Seven Sisters. That’s a decision you’ll have to make, but for now, let’s stay focused. Lily is the primary target. Sierra, can you move him on?”

  “I wish I could say for sure, but I don’t know. People who get stuck are usually just confused, lost, but Nobel isn’t either one of those things. He’s insistent that this happen. He wants justice for his son, and since he can’t get it from Jacinta, he’s going after the child. She sees him, knows he’s there. As I’ve said before, he’s been in contact with her already. He’s not going anywhere easily.”

  “What is our next move?” I asked, feeling hopeless.

  “We have to wait. We can’t flush him out if he’s hiding.”

  There was a little more discussion about what to do, but none of it would work without Nobel’s participation. After a few more minutes, we headed back inside and hung around the Blue Room until about two. Midas and the team decided the activity had ended, and he wasn’t happy about it.

  “I wish I had better results for you, but we will work on this for as long as it takes. I promise you, Ashland. Carrie Jo, don’t give up hope.”

  “Oh, I will never do that, Midas. Thanks so much. We’ll see y’all tomorrow evening. About the same time?”

  The Gulf Coast Paranormal team left, and Sierra hugged my neck as she said goodbye. “Keep your eyes and ears open. We’ll find a way.”

  As the taillights of the vehicles vanished down the driveway, Ashland and I went back inside.

  We didn’t talk much as we secured the house and turned off the lights. But as we walked upstairs together, the germ of an idea sprang to mind.

  It was strange how sometimes it seemed like Ashland could read my mind. Maybe it was really because we had spent so much time together; he knew me, and I knew him. And maybe it was more of a paranormal connection. I couldn’t say, but I did know we weren’t going to give up our house. And we wouldn’t allow our niece to be hurt one more day.

  “You want to take a walk with me?” I asked as we went to our room and closed the door behind us.

  “Yes. I would. You lead the way, babe.”

  We lay in the bed together and I held Ashland’s hand. I waited a few minutes. It took that long to control my breathing and calm my mind and spirit.

  When I was ready, Ashland and I held one another.

  I closed my eyes, and soon I saw a door.

  Chapter Twenty—Jacinta

  “You are dead. You are not here,” I said to the air that shimmered beside me. Jonatan had been here. I had been dreaming of my son, but then I was awake and he remained. He too hated me. My kind, loving boy was a monster now. A horrible monster with angry eyes and a silver knife in his hand—a monster that wanted to kill me too. Just as he’d killed his own poor wife when he was quite out of his head. He was talking to me, but I could not hear a word he said. He threatened me, that I was sure of, but then he shimmered away. His angry eyes were the last of his face to disappear.

  I sat up and reached for a match to strike. With shaking fingers, I lit the candle. I wasn’t in my room; I hadn’t been back to my room since I came face to face with the creature under my bed. And that creature had been my husband. As if that was not enough to rip my heart into pieces, Nobel was now dispatching Jonatan to do his hateful bidding. Nobel had not come to me in this downstairs room, but Jonatan had been here night after night. Lady Rose spent a few nights with me. She slipped into my room after Lafonda left me and without so much as a “May I?” sat in the rocking chair with a blanket wrapped around her. And in the morning she was gone, slipping out before the sun rose. I was grateful for her presence, but it could not last forever.

  I must face my demons.

  With the candle in hand, I exited the servants’ quarters and walked slowly to the staircase, shielding the flame with my hand to prevent it from being extinguished. The last thing I wanted to do was wander in the dark with ghosts about. In my room would be everything I needed. I stifled a sob as I put my foot on the bottom stair.

  No turning back now, Jacinta. You are a coward. You have always been a coward, hiding from the ghosts of your past. But no longer would I hide. I would face the music, if that was my destiny, but in my own way.

  I opened the door to my room and was immediately struck by the cold air. I glanced at the fireplace, but I did not have the desire or strength to build a fire. It really wouldn’t be necessary. I closed the door behind me and lit the lamp with the candle. I lit a second lamp on my writing desk. This would not take long. I would write what I needed to write, say what I had to say, but I was not going to drag this thing out any longer. I would do what I must do.

  I set the candle on the desk and rubbed my arms against the cold. My robe was in the armoire, but as I reached for the brass handle of the wooden closet, I felt a surge of fear.

  He’s in there! Nobel is hiding in there, and he is waiting for me.

  “Not yet, Nobel. Not yet.” Leaving the room without my candle, I hurried back downstairs and felt my way to the staircase. Was there no moon out tonight? I felt the railing beneath my hand, navigated the stairs carefully and went in search of the things I needed. There would be paper and pens in the study. I had to do this, but why? It made no sense, for I had no intention of sharing this with Lafonda. But it couldn’t be avoided, could it? I had to do this. I felt compelled to do it. This room was warmer, but I still felt a chill. Would I have the strength to do this? I heard footsteps outside my door but not the footsteps of a living person. I knew that by the sound they made.

  Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. Those children were back.

  Yes, I would have to do this quickly. I remembered where Nobel kept the matches, in the little silver box on the desk, and lit the lamp. It illuminated the spacious room in yellow light. It was almost a warm sight. Almost.

  Would it be warm where I was going? Did the dead feel the cold?

  Do not dwell on what must be done, Jacinta. Do what you must do now.

  Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

  I pulled a piece of paper from the desk and dipped the pen in the inkwell. I did not address the letter to anyone, for I had no idea to whom I penned this proclamation. Certainly not Lafonda, although I had no idea how I would avoid her seeing it. But then again, I would be gone…would it matter?

  The pen practically scrawled across the paper by itself. Strangely enough, I found the whole process rather easy. It was only a few lines, but this was really all I had to say. I sprinkled the powder on the paper to dry the ink and then discarded it by shaking the paper over the desk. I folded the paper and held it in my hand.

  There was no question as to where I would leave it. I slid the leather chair back and knelt down to open the safe. I knew where Lafonda kept the key, the same place Nobel stored it. I never told her that I knew all about the generous treasure her father left us—left her
. Nobel did not care that I would suffer after his death. He hated me now as he had then. Oh, but he had played it all so perfectly, and now he would get what he wanted.

  I sighed as I closed the safe after depositing the letter inside. I left the lamp burning on the desk and went back to my room. The footsteps raced around me, and I could hear giggling now. A sharp pain struck my leg, and I glanced down to see my nightgown stained with blood. It cut me! The ghost cut me! I smothered a scream and hurried upstairs to escape my invisible tormentor. The devilish child did not follow me.

  But Nobel was waiting for me. I could see his silhouette in the doorway briefly before he slid away. And the door was open, but I had not left it open. Clearly, he knew what I intended to do, and he approved.

  I closed the door behind me and slung the quilt off the bed. Nobel stood in the corner. He was just a shadow, but he was there. If I stared hard, I would see the details of his face, but I refused to look at him. I would keep my focus on the task at hand.

  I snatched the sheet off the bed, but where to tie it?

  Tears streamed down my face, and a small part of me cried out against my intention.

  I went to the armoire now and opened it without fear that Nobel would attack me. He was already here, watching my every move.

  I knotted the two sheets together and tied one end to the bedpost, but I couldn’t do it. I just could not do this. I held on to the bedpost with both hands and wracked my brain for the right prayers.

  And to think I had believed I could do this without thought or fear or tears. I was so weak, as I always had been. I continued to weep, even when the door handle began to jiggle.

  “Mama? Let me in,” Lafonda’s voice called to me from the doorway.

  “Lafonda?” I whispered hopefully, but I could not move. Fear seized me, paralyzed me. Nobel, or the creature that once was Nobel, slid toward me, and the sight filled me with hopelessness. “Lafonda…” I tried to whisper, but there was a hand around my throat. No, not a hand.