He hadn’t really spoken to me about my future plans as of yet, so when he handed me my letter of recommendation I was surprised. I tucked the folder away and read the letter.
“You have a rare talent for art. It shows more prominently in your human sketches than anything else. But I think with a bit more practice, your watercolor and painting can benefit.” I stood still for a moment while I let his words sink in.
“You know, I have applied to three colleges already. Not for art though,” I told him. I was almost scared of his response. Here he went out of his way to give me this letter and I didn’t know what my major was.
“Branson, I know which schools you applied to. You told me. I want you to use that letter to get into the art program at Hopewell.” Hopewell was the local university that I had been hoping to get into. While they not only had a beautiful campus close to home, they also had a prestigious art program.
“It’s not too late to send it in, Branson.”
“Thank you.”
I took the letter and placed it in my bag. Nothing could ruin this moment for me, not even the Mayhew’s, who cat-called me while I left the campus. As I slid into the car Ephraim’s face burned red. No doubt because of his ruthless cousins, who continued to blow me kisses from across the parking lot.
“They’re immature still, I see,” he spat.
“Did you think they would change over the summer?” I asked with a laugh.
“No. But one can only hope.” He leaned across and took me in his arms, kissing me passionately in front of the whole school.
“Well, that was unnecessary.”
“I missed you. Did you think I did that for them?” he asked, seeming hurt. I instantly felt bad.
“I sort of did.”
“Brylee, you have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
I shook my head. “No. What do I do?”
He leaned closer until his lips were close to my ear, his breath tickling it as he spoke.
“You drive me crazy. I want you right now, right here. All day and all night.”
I shivered. He wanted me and I wanted him just as badly. My love for him went deeper than anything I had ever felt. He kissed my neck and whispered, “This is just for you.” He handed me a box. I looked at him and then down at the box.
“Don’t make me wait, open it.” I forgot our anniversary. I was such an ass!
“I … I forgot,” I admitted.
He smiled at me and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter that you forgot. I remembered for the both of us. What matters is that you love me, which I know you do. Now open the box,” he said.
I think he was more excited than I was. I tore open the paper and found a wooden jewelry box nestled inside. I swallowed hard and opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet with charms. I lifted it from the box and looked at each one carefully.
The first was in the shape of California, and the next was New Jersey. I laughed at how similar they looked. Then there was a heart, which he explained was because I stole his heart the moment he met me.
“Then this one is a rose, for Lynley,” he pointed. “This one was harder to find.” He pointed to a little blue bird. “It’s the only thing I could find that would represent Kayla.”
I smiled, thinking about him going through all the trouble to find something that would make me so happy. The last charm was a pencil, for my love of drawing. It was perfect!
“Ephraim, I don’t know what to say. It’s the best present I have ever received. I don’t have anything for you,” I said with regret.
“You give me something every single day just being with me.” He slipped the bracelet on my wrist.
Chapter 13
Ephraim and I sat on a blanket that was spread out on the only dry spot of grass. We came to our favorite spot at the lake but due to the high level of the water, we settled on the field instead. The lake was where we first spoke, where I saw him for the first time as a person and not just a classmate. This was where he took his first picture of me. Now they paper the room he stays in and my room, too.
This time his camera lay still and unused on the grass. It was just us talking, no photographs today.
“It was like she was enamored with it.” I had told him about Sophie and how strange she had reacted after seeing the key. I placed my fingers around it out of habit, to make sure it was still in place.
“I wonder why she wanted to touch it so badly,” Ephraim said. “I don’t like her. She gives me a weird vibe.”
I agreed. I decided to steer clear of her from now on. I didn’t want to deal with her weird behavior. “Now, tell me about your day.”
He smiled like he had a secret. “Not much to tell. Just went to that interview and then back to the house to clean up. Your parents come home tomorrow.”
I didn’t need reminding about their return. I had sort of enjoyed their absence. I liked it being just me and Ephraim. We were playing house and I didn’t want it to end. Besides, I was angry at them for leaving me when they did.
“He got the job,” Lynley said as she appeared by my side. I smiled. He didn’t have a clue she was there with him.
“So, about the job. Anything you want to tell me?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Lynley!”
I laughed and he tickled me.
“You little spies! I should punish you for making my sister sneak around for you.”
“I swear it was her idea.” He tickled me ruthlessly until I begged for mercy. Lyn watched us and laughed as well.
“Come on, Ephraim tell her!”
“Lyn says to tell me.”
“Fine,” he said, throwing his hands up. “I got an internship, not a paying job, yet. I have to prove myself for three months while they show me the ropes. I’m hoping to land the job and if I do, it pays great. I can afford this little house by the lake that I have had my eye on for a while.”
He seemed so excited he could barely breathe. “It has three bedrooms and an office that looks right out onto the dock. The backyard is huge and has great potential. They’re only asking a hundred and seventy thousand for it. “
“One hundred and seventy thousand dollars? Oh, that’s chump change. No big deal,” I giggled.
“Brylee, I want to own a house, with you. I want to give you this house and I want us to start a life. It’s close to the college as well as the main shopping areas, because I know how much you love to shop.”
He was dead serious. He was house hunting for us!
“Ephraim, I’m not even out of school yet. You haven’t finished college and you’re talking about settling down?” I wasn’t ready to house hunt yet.
He looked away from me. His expression went from excited to hurt.
“Ephraim, don’t get me wrong, please. I want a future with you. But, I need to finish school and see if I get into a college first. Having a career is important to me too.”
“I know that,” he said sharply. “I just wanted to give us a head start. Without having to use my family’s money. Once that comes in it can be a nice cushion for us. Don’t you want to be with me?”
I had hurt him so bad he thought I doubted the seriousness of our relationship. “More than anything! I just want to see where my future is headed before I think about buying a house.”
He stood up and brushed off his pants. “I don’t see a future for me unless you’re in it.”
We left the lake without saying another word to each other. This was our first fight and we had it on our anniversary no less.
I hated the feeling that overtook my stomach afterwards. He dropped me off at home, got into his truck and left. Lynley stood by my side as I watched him haul ass out of the driveway. I had never seen this side of Ephraim before. Not only was he pissed, but he was hurt, by me.
“Give him time. He gets like this sometimes,” Lyn explained. “He has always had an idea of what his future will be like. I think he just wanted you to want that, too.”
“I do want that. I swear I do, I’m just
…”
“Scared.”
“Yeah.” I don’t know why I was scared. I wanted nothing more than to be with him. Why was I so terrified to move in with him? It wasn’t like we were doing it overnight. I still had time to prepare.
“Brylee, you just have to focus on school now. You’re so freaked out because you have seen how short life can be. Ephraim will understand, give him time.”
She was right. Life was short and I had scared away my best chance at a perfect life because of my fear.
At 11:30 I gave up on waiting for him to come back. So, I crawled into my bed. I had eaten dinner alone and done all my homework. My mom called to assure me their arrival would be early in the morning. She asked how everything was and I filled her in on the damage.
Although I wanted to tell her that if she was so worried, she should have stayed. I decided fighting with one person at a time was enough for me.
My bed felt cold without Ephraim in it. I hated this feeling. I was worried sick about where he could be and even though Lyn promised me he would be okay, I wasn’t sure. I fell asleep alone.
Chapter 14
The cold room woke me up instantly. I wiped tears from my eyes from earlier that still hadn’t dried. I pulled the blanket up to my neck, bringing my legs up to my body for warmth. As I did, I felt something around my ankle. At first, I let it go without a second thought. When it tightened and pulled me from the bed, I screamed.
It all happened so fast. One minute I was in the bed, the next I was being drug across my room and down the hallway. I fought to grab hold of something as I flew. My fingers were too weak to get a real grip. They slid down the sides of the walls.
It didn’t help that I couldn’t see what was pulling me. I prayed that I wouldn’t be pulled up or down the stairs. But, before I knew it, I was going up the stairs toward my parent’s floor of the house. My head bounced off each and every step on the way up. My screams died in my throat. The pain was immense.
“Please … stop,” I begged.
Finally, I was thrown toward the wall on the upper landing, hitting the wall with a thud.
It took everything in me to not blackout. I could make out a shape, but that was all. I struggled with the blackness that clouded my vision and I tried to stand, but the pain was too much.
When I finally came to, I was alone. I sat up and screamed, “Ephraim!” I had dealt with some scary stuff in this house but nothing like this, ever. This was awful. I had never been physically injured by a spirit.
I stood up on wobbly legs and realized the sun was just coming up. How long had I been laying there?
I felt my head for blood and, sure enough, my hand was wet and sticky. The blood was a dark red and starting to scab over. I added this head injury to the one from the window, wondering how much more I could take.
Instead of going back to my room, I crawled into my parents’ bed. Sleep wouldn’t come. Before I knew it, I heard my alarm going off downstairs. I had to get ready for school.
I sat up and somehow got myself down the stairs. As I opened my bedroom door, I hoped my ordeal was over for now. I found a pair of jeans and a hoodie and grabbed them. Then took off down to the first floor and looked for Ephraim. His bed was empty and cold. He didn’t stay here overnight.
Where was he?
“Lynley?” I called out. “Come on Lyn. I’m scared, where are you?”
“I’m here.” She embraced me in a warm hug and I felt so much safer.
“Where’s Ephraim? He didn’t come home last night. What if something bad happened to him?” I asked her while tears flowed down my cheeks. I didn’t care if I was hurt. If he was hurt, that would kill me.
“He didn’t? I’m sure he’s fine, Brylee. Come on, I’ll walk you upstairs. You have blood in your hair.”
While she waited for me outside the shower, I told her about my ordeal. She stayed silent, not saying a thing.
“Lyn, you still in here?” I asked, hoping she hadn’t left me alone.
“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I’m still here.”
“Why are you so quiet? You’re scaring me.” I finished with my hair and swung the curtain open. Lyn sat on the sink, crying into her hands. I pulled the towel around me quickly.
“Is it Ephraim? Is he alright?”
She nodded. “He’s fine. I’m sure of it. It has nothing to do with him.”
“The reason you’re crying you mean?”
She nodded again.
“Is it because of what happened to me?” Another nod.
“Do you know what happened? Do you know who did it?”
“Yes. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. It’s as if she’s under a trance again,” she cried.
“Who are you talking about, Lyn?”
She pulled her hands away from her face and said, "Agnes Barclay.”
Agnes was Evangeline Barclay’s sister. She was a witch as well, but she was killed by Everett Brown in my house. She had once befriended me. Why she had pulled me out of my bed like she did was beyond me.
“A trance? What do you mean?”
Lynley shivered. “She is being controlled by my mom. She’s back, Brylee.” The fear I felt now was nothing to what I felt last night. This fear, knowing she was back, was much worse.
“No. She can’t be back.” Even after I said it I had remembered Agnes’ warning. She told me she would come back for the power in the corner room. The very power that I had trapped in there after she killed her only daughter, Lynley. I knew she would return, but if Agnes was in a trance to do her bidding, how did she do it? I had her power. That had to mean that somehow, she had gained power again. I hurried, got dressed and called Hala.
During first period I couldn’t think of anything besides what Hala had said earlier this morning, about how it was possible for Evangeline to gain control over her dead sister.
“She must have killed someone. It’s the only explanation. When a witch sacrifices a human life, she gains a bit of power, dark power, but power nonetheless.” I couldn’t believe what Hala was saying.
“So, she killed someone and regained her power?” I had asked.
“No, not all of her power. Enough to make her hungry for all the power in that room though. Brylee, you must be careful. If Agnes is under her spell and she is trying to hurt you, then you must leave the house! This is dark magic.”
“No! I will not leave my house! I will not let that witch take that power and hurt anyone else.” When I had said it, I had a bit of courage, but as I sat in school thinking it over, my best option was to run. Who was I to fight a witch?
I fingered the key around my neck. My blood was what Evangeline needed to get into that room. My blood and the key. Together they would open it and she would gain her control over her power once more.
“So,” I said to Hala before I had hung up with her. “I need to be on the lookout for an old wrinkled witch?”
“Not entirely. She may have killed someone and taken over their body in order to blend in.”
I was baffled. As I sat in class, I thought about who she could have killed. She could have been anyone in my town. She could have been anyone in my school, heck even in this room. I looked at Sophie Parsons, the new girl. The girl from Paris. Hadn’t Evangeline run away to Paris to hide once before? Holy shit! Sophie Parsons was not a girl from Paris that just moved here due to her father’s new job. She was Evangeline!
While I was only speculating, I had to be sure. I watched her for the rest of the class and once the bell rang, I followed her to second period. As my head pounded from this morning’s beating, I thought of all the puzzle pieces that made up Sophie. I had her in every class. She had taken a liking to me immediately, which was something most girls never did. She was never seen with her father. I had seen her at the store before the storm, and she had been alone. She was also very calm and cool with the storm that had been brewing. Too calm for a teenage girl.
She must have sensed me thinking about her as
she turned to look at me. I tried to seem casual as I smiled back. She waved a bit.
She had also asked about my necklace, and had a very unhealthy obsession with it.
My mind was made up. She was Evangeline. Who else would be that intent on getting their hands on the key?
The final bell sounded at the end of the day. I jumped out of my seat too fast and felt pain surge through my skull again. I looked at my cell, hoping for a sign from Ephraim. I had been too caught up in my search for Evangeline that I had forgotten all about our argument and the fact he hadn’t come home last night.
I dialed his number only for it to go straight to voicemail. “Ephraim, it’s me. I’m worried about you. Please call me.”
“Boyfriend trouble?” Sophie stood in front of me, catching me off guard.
“No, why would you ask that?” I spat.
“I could tell. I have a knack for it.” Her smile was wicked. I wanted to punch her in the face and tell her that I had a knack for it. But I held off and fake smiled at the bitch.
“No trouble. We are happy. Actually, we are planning to buy a house soon,” I lied. Okay, so I bent the truth a little! I had to see her reaction and sure enough her nose wrinkled like she smelled something awful.
“So … soon? Aren’t you a little young?” she asked.
“I’ll be eighteen soon enough. Besides, what does that matter? You sound like my mother,” I tested.
“Oh, well, I don’t care. I only mean, school should come first, no?”
Smug bitch. I had to keep my cool.
“Sophie, I have to ask you something.”
She seemed irritated at my not answering her question.
“Sure.”
“How did you know my boyfriend’s name the other day?”
She fidgeted. “You told me, silly.”
The White Door Page 7