“Exactly. And why else would he bring me to the castle?” I said. “He picked this place for a very special reason. My guess is that he knows my pendant holds great powers, something he obviously wants. When I overheard William talking to Miss Shila, they said something about me being his ‘prized subject.’ Of course, he can’t operate the necklace without me.”
“Mr. Geo knew about The Lady of the Lake and the medallion,” Shantal said. “He planned on hunting for it. How is he involved in all this?”
“Mr. Geo said the spirits couldn’t be freed from the castle without the stone he was searching for. Maybe he wants to help them too. If so, maybe we should recruit him.”
“He wanted to study the stone, and he isn’t sure what it does. He knows he’d need it to help the castle spirits, but he isn’t aware of the powers it holds. That leads me to believe he’s not on Mr. Rowens’s side.”
Shantal rocked on her feet. “Do you think Mr. Geo just got carried away with the legend and was hunting for the stone as a hobby or something? Maybe he wants to sell it.”
“I think he’s working with somebody,” Hunter said. “He said, ‘While your research has been helpful, it’s not conclusive enough.’ Then he asked that person to bring him the medallion.”
“Who was he talking to?” I asked. “The woman who showed up at the ball?”
“Yep. I bet she’s his co-conspirator, helping him steal the stone and sell it.”
Shantal cleared her throat. “Great. This just keeps getting better and better. Now we have three suspects with three completely different motives, one principal and two teachers. Do you think any of them are aware of the others’ plans?”
“I don’t think so,” Pam said, “but I know if we don’t get Operation Possess My Soul shut down, we’re gonna end up dead—or at least in a rubber room, drooling.”
Eric nodded. “Let’s go find Mr. Rowens and tell him everything we know about Miss Shila. It might be our only shot at getting her shut down.”
“He’ll never believe us,” Pam retorted.
“Well, we can’t keep letting ourselves be possessed every night. She doesn’t care about us. Two students have suffered vile consequences, yet she continues.”
“I agree,” I said. “The woman needs to be stopped. I’m not sure how to do that, but going to the principal is a start.”
Shantal took a deep breath. “I’ll leave if he doesn’t stop it. I know I promised to help set the spirits free, but it’s not worth my life. My mom would be lost without me. I’m all she has in the whole wide world.”
“No one can fault you for that,” Pam said, patting her hand. “This isn’t what any of us signed up for.”
“I remember something from one of my dreams,” Eric said. “I was in the east wing.”
“The forbidden one?” Shantal asked.
“Yeah. There’s a locked room all the way in the back.”
“Let’s go check it out,” Hunter said.
Nobody argued, and the next thing I knew, we were in the east wing. Hunter pried the door open with a crowbar. We weren’t supposed to be there, but they were messing with our lives, and we felt we had a right to know what was going on. When the door popped open, we slowly walked in.
It looked like a storage room, full of paintings, sculptures, and notebooks. I was drawn to the computer and the secrets it might hold. Much to my dismay, it was password-protected, and I couldn’t get past the login screen. “A little help here anybody?” I said.
Shantal smiled. “A password, huh? Well, that’s never stopped me before.”
As she played with the computer, I looked around. My gaze drifted to a familiar masterpiece, The Last Supper.
“I remember this from my dreams,” Hunter said.
I knelt down and looked closely at the signature, which read, “Leonardo da Vinci. The next portrait, The Weeping Woman, was signed by Pablo Picasso. Another canvas read, “Diego Velazquez.” I walked to the breathtaking sculpture and read “Michelangelo.” My heart was racing so fast I could hardly breathe. I flipped through oversized notebooks and saw writings by Ernest Hemmingway, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare.
Suddenly, another memory flashed through my mind: I’d seen Miss Shila moving similar things before. At the time, we had assumed she was stealing the artifacts from the castle, but she wasn’t. The new renditions were technically hers.
Hunter looked at me in stunned amazement. “This is proof. She’s summoning spirits to inhabit us to create these masterpieces once again.”
“It’s like something on SyFy,” Pam whispered, horrified. “I don’t think Mr. Rowens knows. He’s too occupied with finding immortality or using one of us as a vessel.”
“I found something,” Shantal said.
“Way to go, hacker,” Eric said.
Her fingers slid over the keyboard. “No passwords can keep me out.”
“What ya got?” Pam asked.
I wrung my hands as I watched her tap away on the keys.
“Well, there are these videos,” she said. “I’m loading one now.”
“Great. All we need is some soda and popcorn,” Pam joked.
Shantal hit the enter key. “Okay. Here we go.”
The video was a clip of me, sitting in the piano room, playing the most incredible music. I stared at the monitor in disbelief.
“That’s not Zoey,” Hunter said. “No offense, babe, but I’ve never heard you play like that.”
“Right. I’m lucky to pick out ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.’ It’s Beethoven, one of the greatest composers to ever live,” I said. “He’s possessing me, recording music for Miss Shila.”
“Picasso, one of the most influential painters and artists of his time, jumped into my body with no invitation,” Shantal said. “I guess I’m not crazy after all. It all really happened. This is so wild, so insane. How do I even believe it?”
My stomach clenched as the music played from the video. “Turn it off. I can’t stand it.”
The others kept watching as Hunter painted, Pam sculpted, and Eric wrote. Shantal actually wrote and painted, but none of us in real life did the things we were doing in the video. Miss Shila was using us, and she didn’t even care that she had harmed Joseph and Margaret in the process. I glanced around us at all the sculptures, writings, and paintings made by our hands, directed by the greatest and most creative minds of history. It was inconceivable that Miss Shila had figured out a way to let those talented individuals operate through our bodies, all for her own gain.
“I guess William didn’t have that much faith in me after all, since he’s been helping our crazy teacher,” I said. “She promised him a way out of his eternal prison, so he went with Plan B, behind Isabella’s back, and decided to work with Miss Shila and help her get what she wants.”
“She’s lying to him,” Shantal said. “She cannot free them any more than I can.”
Pam nodded. “And he fell for it—hook, line, and sinker.”
“William did a test run with Victoria to see if it could be done,” Eric said. “When that worked, they summoned the other spirits.”
“Well, from what I overheard, it seems he regrets it now,” I said, surprised to find myself defending him for a change.
Pam gripped Eric’s hand. “I think he’s playing both sides. He just wants out of this place, and he’ll help anyone who promises him that. I think his only loyalty is to himself.”
“I can’t believe he’d do that to me,” I said. “He always seems like he wants to be my friend, and he told Miss Shila—”
“It doesn’t matter what he says,” Shantal cut in. “He’s a desperate spirit.”
I looked up at Eric. “Remember that night when we found you sleepwalking?”
“Yeah.”
“I bet Ernest Hemingway was inhabiting you.”
“Yeah,” Shantal said. “That certainly wasn’t you.”
Pam called me over to the computer. “Check this out.”
I looked on as Joseph painted, then su
ddenly collapsed.
In the video, Miss Silva looked to the left and spoke to an unseen entity, likely William. “The energy is too great for his feeble body,” she said. “Take him back and get Hunter instead!”
I gasped. She was so cold, so uncaring, and she had no concern for Joseph, who was lying unconscious on the floor. In the next clip, from about an hour later, Hunter was painting Joseph’s unfinished work.
We debated a little further, then left the room. We made our way back to the living room, where we sat in complete disbelief.
Miss Duball walked in, dressed to the nines. “Zoey, why aren’t you dressed yet?”
“For what?”
“For the fundraising event you signed up for, The Winter Circus Charity Ball. Surely you’re not wearing that,” she said, disapprovingly looking me up and down.
“That’s tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t go,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “That is unacceptable, young lady. Only a few were picked, and you were one of the chosen. You must learn to keep commitments, here and in life.”
I touched my stomach. “I’m not feeling well,” I said, and I wasn’t lying at all.
Regardless, she wasn’t having any of it. “No excuses. Forget the costume. You can help set up.” With that, she gripped my arm and pulled me along.
“We’ll take care of it,” Pam said as I was dragged out. “We’ll tell you how everything turns out,” and I hoped my friends would be okay.
Chapter 30
None of my posse was chosen to help, and I was disappointed that Hunter wasn’t there. For the fundraiser, I worked hard, setting up tables and putting up decorations. I knew it was for a good cause, but it was hard to get into the spirit of it when I had too many spirits on the mind already. I felt like I was in a fog as I worked, and hours later, I just sat mindlessly on the sidelines.
I sipped on a bottle of water. I was hot, and my back was sore from moving heavy tables. I couldn’t wait to talk to my friends to see what had happened. I was sure Miss Shila would be pissed off that we were getting in the way of her plans, backing her into a corner. The more I thought about it, the more I worried. I glanced down at my watch, wondering if I could fake a back injury or nausea well enough to earn an early dismissal.
A short while later, one of the ladies from the event invited me into her colorful tent. She was wearing big hoop earrings and a colorful dress, and there was a red and gold scarf tied around her head. I told her that I was not in the mood for a reading, but she didn’t want to take no for an answer.
“I need to practice before everyone gets here,” she insisted. “Please?”
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to help the woman out and let her try her act out on me. I sat down across from her at a little table topped with a crystal ball. I knew my mother would have loved the tablecloth, because it was just as gaudy as the stuff she wore.
“I’m a big fan of your mother’s,” she said, “but your principal tells me you don’t believe in her abilities.”
“I guess I’m starting to.”
“Your mother is wonderful on television. You look so much like her. You’re just beautiful.”
“Thank you.” As I stared at her, recognition hit. “Hey, I know you. You’re the woman from the ball before, the one in the gold dress, with the gold medallion. You were meeting Mr. Geo.”
“Yes. I’m Gina. You took my necklace. The spirits have spoken to me.”
“Oh. Well, I just—” I stammered, but she cut me off.
“There was no need for petty theft. We were going to give it to you anyway. The stone and medallion must be in your possession, since you are the owner of the necklace. I’ve talked to Isabella, and she’s told me you now have both.”
I didn’t answer, fearing it was some sort of trick to get me to confess.
“You don’t trust me,” she said.
“You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that,” I said.
“You are the talk of the school, you know. It is a big deal to have a celebrity’s daughter here. Perhaps you should read my fortune instead.”
I chuckled. “No, I don’t do that.”
“I’m not sure why. The energy you possess is very strong, the strongest I’ve ever felt.”
I cocked my head, wondering if she used that same line on everyone. I wasn’t sure if she was feeding me some psychic babble, just buttering me up, or if she could actually feel the energy from my pendant.
Gina reached for my hand and went through her routine. When her eyes fluttered shut, I was sure it was part of the act, but it went on for longer than it should have, and I began to get concerned.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Her whole body suddenly shook, and I feared she was having a seizure. I was about to get up and get help when it seemed she returned to normal. The trembling stopped, and she opened her eyes. “You’ve had visions,” she said.
My jaw dropped. “Um, yes.”
She closed her eyes tightly and said, “A murder, a young man. Harper? No. Hunter. Yes. Hunter.”
“Huh? There’s no way you could know about that,” I whispered, completely shocked. “Did he tell you? Do you know him?”
“No,” she said. “Give me a moment. Maybe I can offer you more proof.” She rubbed her temples, as if she had a migraine, then said, “I see him clutching his heart, and you are…weeping.”
“I’d never told anyone that, except Hunter. Yes, Hunter was clutching his heart as he fell. Can I stop this murder?” I asked, desperate.
“I-I don’t…” she said, then trailed off.
“Just tell me!”
Gina opened her eyes and stared at me, then closed them again. “The future is never written in stone,” she answered. “Wait. I’m getting something. There is…danger. The spirits are trying to warn you. I see…a woman with red eyes.”
“Yes! Her name is Miss Shila. That’s why I need to go back to the castle,” I said, my hands still shaking. The thought of anything happening to Hunter terrified me, and I was worried that Miss Shila might have something to do with it.
“I know she has opened a portal into our realm and into Isabella’s,” the gypsy said. “Very dangerous demons are entering and wish to conquer the territory.”
I tried to let go of her hand, but she only squeezed tighter.
“She opened the portal the morning you arrived at school. Oh yes. I see it. The demons swept right in. You saw a black shadow in the kitchen on the very first day.”
Stunned disbelief washed over me. I was amazed by the things she knew, secrets that no stranger could have guessed. In that moment, the reality of my mother’s gifts hit me, and I knew I carried the same rare abilities within me. I had always had little faith in my mother; I had thought her a liar and a fake, but now I knew how wrong I was. She was out there helping people with her gifts, and it wasn’t just about money.
“The haunting has escalated,” the fortune teller said.
I nodded. “Yes, it’s gotten worse.”
She peered at me. “Where there are demons, there is chaos.”
“So how do we fix it?” I asked.
“The portal must be closed. Only you can do that. You have learned much about this on your own, have you not?”
“I have,” I said, “but I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to do.”
“You’ve learned about your past, about Isabella, about the castle spirits and their curse. You know your teacher opened a portal for her own selfish reasons, and you know that is the source of these hauntings. Now, you must simply shut the portal.”
“But how?”
Gina gripped my hand tight. “Go to the woods, near the waterfall. Your necklace only needs to touch the red ruby, which will feed it the power. Your necklace contains great power that will shut down the open doorway.”
“That’s easy enough,” I said. “My friends and I can—”
She shook h
er head. “No. It is not that easy, and your friends have nothing to do with it. You must be…on the other side.”
“You mean…dead?”
“You must go to the other side, where the portal resides, but the necklace will protect you from death in that realm. You’ve been there before, no?”
“Yes, I have,” I said, recalling my field trip with Isabella.
“There’s a portal in Isabella’s room to get to her realm. Seek the arched window. It will sense the power of your necklace and open immediately, just as if you were dead. I’ll alert her that you are coming. Just go to her room, and she’ll lead you through her world.”
“But it can’t be that easy,” I argued. “If it was, Isabella would have guided me to close it long ago. I’ve been told that even the necklace will not protect me from death if I try.”
She smiled, reached for my hand, and put something in it. “That’s why you’ll need this.”
Raising a brow, I looked down at a gold ring set with a glittering emerald. “Is this the ring of protection?” I asked.
She smiled. “Yes, my dear.”
“Where did you find it?”
“Deep in the jungle, in an ancient temple. Where else?”
I cocked a brow in confusion.
“I am a bit of a…collector.”
“Why are you helping me? I don’t even know you.”
“Yours are not the only ancestors who reside in the castle. Many are working together to free our kinfolk and give them the rest they so deserve in the afterlife.”
“Do you come from Isabella’s bloodline?” I asked.
“Yes. But I’m not the chosen one. I never received the necklace like you. But I want to free my ancestors. Mr. Geo comes from a cook who died in that castle during the massacre. Mr. Geo took the job as a teacher so we could get closer to try and help the spirits.” She pondered. “I can sense the excitement of the spirits who long to be free. Your presence has created quite a stir in the spirit realm.”
“I have so many more questions,” I said.
“There’s little time. The demons are targeting you because they are attracted to the massive energy the necklace produces. They want it for themselves, but they can’t hurt you while you are wearing it.”
Enchanted Dreams - Book 3 (The Enchanted Castle Series) Page 19