If only everyone knew what we were really there for.
Chapter Twenty
Our leisurely stroll turned into a march as Delta led with a stride that was hard to match. I lagged behind at times, struggling to keep up with his pace. We passed people going about their daily routine, and two police officers gave us the once over as we hurried by.
The community centre came into view too soon. The trees blustered in a slight breeze and a scattering of leaves fell to the ground. The sun cast its rays on the centre, which appeared pristine and pure in the early morning. Delta led us across the road, onto the roundabout, and around to the front of the centre, where the doors stood open, beckoning us in. As I passed the threshold, a shiver rushed down my spine and the hairs on my arms prickled.
“Oh, good.” Tom clapped his hands. “You’ve come for the big announcement.”
I noticed several people filing back and forth. Summer paced, anxious about the news, and a few others, too. Groups of women and throngs of men chatted, trying to appear nonchalant as they awaited the news.
“Is that happening now?” Luka asked.
“Well, yes,” Tom said. “Sort of.”
“What’s up?” Luka frowned.
“Well, I have my Juliet lined up. Perfect. But I’m afraid to say,” he glanced around, and whispered, “the Romeo’s just weren’t up to scratch. And I can’t see any of them playing alongside her. I’m stumped.”
“You could put off the announcement?” I said.
“I have never done that and never will. If only I had someone perfect to fit the role.” He looked at Vaughn.
“Sorry.” Vaughn shook his head and crossed his arms. “I’m not doing it.”
“Just read a few lines, that’s all I’m asking.”
“You’re asking me to act. I can’t act.”
“You don’t know until you try, dear boy.”
“Come on, Vaughn. Just read the lines.” Delta stepped forward and slapped his huge hand on his son’s shoulder.
They stared each other out for a second.
Vaughn’s face twisted into a grimace, and then he relented. “Fine. But not here.”
Tom grinned like the cat that got the cream. “Of course. This way.”
He motioned and then we were all trooping back towards the big hall again. Vaughn walked with shoulders stooped. He was being forced into this, but Delta was right. If we kept showing up at the community centre, people would begin to wonder why we were really there.
Tom closed the door, and we sat on the front row as Vaughn scanned the room.
“Now, Vaughn. Here are the lines. All you have to do is read.”
Vaughn snatched the paper and gave it a once over. His cheeks burned red. He cleared his throat, glancing up at us before dropping his eyes. He began to read. His voice was smooth and rich. He followed the script without stumble, and without even realising it, he poured himself into the role of Romeo.
I was mesmerised, and by the time he finished, my jaw hung open.
Luka clapped.
Tom jumped to his feet and hurried forward. “You, my boy, are my Romeo.”
“Can I have your attention, please!” Tom clapped, and the small crowd fell silent.
All eyes were on him. I saw a few people twisting their hands together, fingers interlaced. One woman pulled at her hair, and a man scratched his arm.
“It’s time to name all who made the grade. And I have to say, you will be pleasantly surprised. This year, our Juliet will be played by none other than Summer Andrews!”
My stomach clenched as the girl curtseyed, with a huge grin already in place and rosy cheeks. She had the role all along but was managing it well and pretending to be grateful for the opportunity. A light applause went up around the room and soon died off.
“And our Romeo will be played by a newcomer, Mr. Vaughn Mason!”
All eyes flew to Vaughn, and he blushed. He offered a small smile and a quick wave before dropping his head.
“But don’t you worry, ladies and gentlemen, there are other parts to be had. And let me assure you, those lists will go up in less than an hour. Please stick around, visit the café, and come back to find out whether you’re going to be a part of our play this year.”
As Tom turned and strode away, his shoes clapping on the flagged floor, the crowd began to disperse amid grumblings and sighs of frustration, and I wondered how many of those people had been hoping for a part this year. How many wanted nothing more than to play the lead role but had their feet swiped from under them.
Summer bounded across the room. Her dark hair was braided and fell over her left shoulder, bouncing against her chest. She stopped just in front of Vaughn, handbag swinging on the crook of her elbow. She beamed from ear to ear as she reached out to grab his arm.
“Isn’t this brilliant? We’ll be starring together.”
“Yeah, it’s great.” Vaughn nodded, absently scratching at the back of his neck.
“Are you hanging around? I’m sure Tom will put up rehearsals lists soon.”
“Probably.” He nodded again, glancing at his dad, who confirmed.
“Great. I’m going to head out to let Marie know. She’ll have to fit my shifts with the rehearsals. Back soon!” Summer wiggled her fingers before dashing towards the door.
“Well, Vaughn,” Luka grinned, “looks like you’re playing Romeo against the diva Juliet.”
“Why did you make me do this?” Vaughn moaned. He rubbed his forehead, staring at Delta and Luka.
“We need a reason to be here every day, Vaughn,” Delta said. “If we’re just showing up, people will start asking questions.”
“Yeah, but one of you could’ve done it. I’m not an actor.” Vaughn glanced at the stage and shook his head.
“Oh, but you’ll be a perfect Romeo, and Summer will be your Juliet.” Luka laughed.
My stomach dropped. The thought of Vaughn and Summer rehearsing together for characters that fell in love made me sick. I couldn’t bear the thought of them working so close. She was throwing herself at him every opportunity she got, and he couldn’t fail to notice that she was pretty and talented, too. I was in way over my head, but of course I couldn’t say anything. I’d ring Becca later to get it off my chest.
“Come on. Let’s beat the crowd and grab a coffee.” Delta started towards the back of the community centre.
“From here?” I asked.
A wave of anxiety rolled over me.
“Yeah. Why not?”
I didn’t have an answer for that other than the community centre gave me the creeps, so I followed him. We strolled around the stage and joined the small queue at the hatch of the kiosk.
The guy in front of us stepped up and greeted the man behind the counter. “Hi, Pete.”
Pete leaned down over the counter to talk to the guy and crossed his pale forearms. They were covered in light hair which showcased the freckles beneath.
“Hi, mate. How’s it going?”
“Could be better. Of course, I didn’t get the part.”
“Tom’s a fool to pass you by.” Pete shook his head, and something flew out of his hair.
I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like dust. I grimaced.
“He picked some kid. Doesn’t even live here.”
Vaughn nudged me, and I grinned.
“Never mind, Rob. There’ll be other plays. What can I get you?”
“Just a coffee.”
With a nod, Pete set to work. He spooned instant coffee into a polystyrene cup and filled it with hot water from a boiler. He handed it over and took the money, then nodded to his friend before he scooted his gaze to us.
“Morning,” Pete greeted us with a wide grin. He clapped his hands. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Delta shook his head. “No. We’re visiting.”
“I knew it. Don’t get many visitors around here, so it’s easy to spot tourists a mile off.”
Pete grinned, displaying a blackened tooth
set amongst yellowed enamel. He had a round face, set off by a double chin that seemed to stretch way beyond its means. He had a few days’ worth of ginger stubble nestled across his jaw, and when he scratched it, the sound grated through me. He wore a nose ring and had several piercings in his ears. His hair was pushed back and slicked with gel. His eyes were too small and dark, and his forehead too expansive.
I knew it was wrong of me to think it, but I didn’t like this guy one bit. Something about him set me on edge.
“What can I get for you? We have specials on this morning. Buy a bacon buttie and get a cuppa free.”
Delta glanced at us.
I shook my head. “Not for me.”
“We just ate not long ago, but thanks,” Delta said. “Could we just have four coffees?”
Delta looked at me, and I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I’d even manage to stomach that.
“Sure thing.” Pete nodded and set four cups together before heaping coffee into them.
The spoon was dirty, and his nails weren’t the cleanest. His filthy apron hadn’t been white in a long time, and I wondered when it had last seen a washing machine. Frowning, I turned away. Best not to look.
One by one, he set the cups on the counter top. “Milk and sugar is on the side.” He pointed to the left of the kiosk, near the plastic seating area.
“Thanks, mate.” Delta handed over a note.
As Pete collected the money, I saw a wart on his finger. I picked up my coffee like everyone else and walked to the table. I watched as everyone else stirred in their milk and sugar.
Vaughn looked at me. “Don’t you want sugar?”
I shook my head. “I’m feeling a bit queasy.”
“Do you need to go and rest?” he asked.
His face was a mask of concern as he placed a free hand on my arm. Even without trying, he made me hot.
“No, I’m okay. I’m just not sure I can drink that.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Tom came over. “Ah, I see you’ve visited our café.”
“Got some coffee.” Luka held his cup up, with a grin.
“How long has Pete been here?” I glanced down at my untouched cup.
“Let me see.” Tom stuck his foot out and pressed a finger to his lips. “I think he’s volunteered for about three months, off and on. But more recently, when other people have pulled out for various reasons, he’s stepped up. He’s been pretty much full time the last few weeks. A godsend, really.”
I glanced at Pete, who smiled as he served a middle-aged woman. He handed her a scone to go with her tea. No way I could’ve eaten that.
“Well, Vaughn. How you feeling?” Tom asked.
“Nervous as hell.”
“Don’t be.” Tom waved his hand. “There’s nothing to it, and we’ll coach you right through. I’m also going to ramp up the speed of production since we can’t be sure how long you’ll be here. And of course I wouldn’t want to lose one of the stars of the show.”
“When do rehearsals start?” Vaughn asked.
“Right after lunch. So have something hearty, my boy. You’ll need it!”
Chapter Twenty-One
We sat in a different small café than earlier after Vaughn’s insistence on avoiding where Summer worked. That made my day a little better.
“We’ll have lunch and then get you back for rehearsals.” Delta took a bite of his sandwich.
“You do remember that I’m a Hunter and not an actor, don’t you?” Vaughn grumbled.
“Listen,” Delta said. “You being there gives us an in. Get in with Tom, and we’ll have the run of the place.”
“And all I have to do is sacrifice my dignity.”
“Get over it. As a Hunter, you have to do what it takes to get the job done.” Delta pulled his TAT from his pocket and loaded up an email. “I’ll update Sheila about our current situation. Tonight I want to spend some time around town after dark to see what we can see.”
“Good plan.” Luka nodded.
“I tell you one thing,” I said, “that guy we spoke to yesterday was right about the community centre.”
“In what way?” Delta asked.
“I just…I don’t know. The whole thing just feels wrong. I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t like it. And I don’t like Pete.”
“I noticed he wasn’t the cleanest guy in the world.” Luka shook his head.
I sighed, relieved I wasn’t the only who’d noticed it. “Yeah, there was that. And I just…I don’t know. I don’t like it. Any of it.”
“Trust your instincts, Ruby,” Delta said. “You don’t like it for a reason. Let’s go with that.”
I nodded.
After finishing lunch, we headed back to the community centre. Vaughn and I lagged behind.
“You hate that place as much as me?” I glanced at him, shielding my eyes from the sun.
“Yeah. But I think for different reasons.” He kicked a stone on the path. “I hate this. I get it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“No, you don’t.” I shook my head. “But it’ll be over before you know it.”
“That’s what I don’t like. This is all rushed. I’m being forced to be in this play, and I have no idea how to act, and now it’s all on me.”
“If it’s any consolation, you do make a good Romeo.”
His gaze flicked to me. “Really?”
I nodded. “Really.”
He smiled. “Well, that’s something, I guess.”
“All you can do is try. There’ll still be plenty of time for Hunting, and this’ll probably work in our favour since Tom loves you so much.”
“I hope it gets us somewhere.”
As soon as we stepped into the community centre, Vaughn was swept away to the big hall in the back of the building, alongside the other cast. Summer strode right beside him, arm swinging dangerously close to his.
I scowled and turned toward Delta and Luka. Now that the cast was gone, we had the place to ourselves.
“Well, that made it a lot quieter around here.” Luka sighed as he sank down into the end of a pew.
Delta nodded. “Yeah. I think we need a plan. While Vaughn is away, we could have another scout around the building, see if we come up with anything.”
“And if not?” I asked.
“We come back tonight.”
It seemed to me that there wasn’t much more to see, but we had to try something. If the Cursed were really drawn to this place, we needed to figure out why.
We started investigating around the front of the community centre, checking the pews, the stage, and even the stained windows. Nothing. We then went around to the back, and from the hall I could hear chatting and laughter. Vaughn was in there with Summer. My stomach clenched. Granted, they weren’t alone, but they were together, and I hated that. We moved past that door, agreeing to check it when rehearsals were finished, and the café kiosk came into view. Pete was leaning on the bench. I could smell bacon cooking, and there was a couple sitting at the plastic chairs, with a pot of tea. I grimaced. They must be local. Probably even know Pete.
“Hi, guys.” He waved. “Back again?”
“Vaughn is starring in the play.” Delta pointed towards the door, where the ruckus continued.
“Ah, yeah. Now I remember. Good kid,” he said as if he knew Vaughn personally. “Can I get you guys anything to eat? I’m rustling up some bacon now. Plenty to go around.”
“No, thanks.” Luka shook his head. “We just ate.”
“No problem.” Pete grinned, flashing his dead tooth. “Another time.”
“Sure,” Luka said.
Two more customers appeared, wearing yellow high-vis jackets. I recognised them as the officers who had strolled past us the day before.
“Hello, officers.” Pete smiled and straightened up. “What can I get you?”
“Two coffees, please,” the male officer said.
The other turned to look at me, with eyes keen. “You guys local?
” She moved closer to us.
I shook my head. “Just visiting.”
“Not a great time to visit, considering everything that’s going on,” she said.
I felt like I was being admonished and struggled to find a comeback.
“We had no idea.” Luka shook his head. “But we’d already paid for the trip.”
“Where are you staying?” she asked.
“The Traveller’s Rest,” Delta said. “Mary-Anne has been great.” He crossed his arms.
I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before now, but I reckoned as Hunters we would often have to explain ourselves in unfamiliar places. I was willing to bet that Delta’d had his fair share of arguments with the long arm of the law.
The female officer nodded.
“Jane.” Her partner nudged her with a cup.
She took it with a faint smile. “Thanks, Ian.”
I glanced past the two fluorescent jackets, trying to ignore their continued assessment of us, and saw Pete glaring at me. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stared. I turned away and started walking. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that place, or Pete for that matter.
“You really don’t like him, do you?” Luka caught up to me.
I shook my head. “He gives me the creeps.”
I glanced back and saw him watching our departure. There was something off about his dark eyes and the way he licked his lips. Almost as if he was sizing me up for the best skillet. It might’ve been stupid to feel that way, but I didn’t like him one bit.
“Wonder what’s behind that door.” Delta pointed to the door nestled in the corner.
It had been closed every time I saw it, and I hadn’t seen anybody come or go from it.
“Seems to me,” Luka craned his neck to look at the arched ceiling, “it could lead to the tower.”
“The clock.” Delta nodded. “That’s right.”
He strode over and grabbed the door handle. It didn’t budge.
I said, “Makes sense that they would keep it locked, I guess.”
“Maybe,” Delta replied. “But I’d like to get up there.”
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