if you really want to know stuff, you are better off acting like you already have all the information. I stared out the window and didnât say anything else in hopes she would fill in the blanks.
âDoes it freak you out at all?â
I shrugged.
âI hope youâre not ticked that I asked. Itâs not like I believethat stuff. People around here just like to run their mouths. Theyâre jealous. Besides, if there was any proof that it was murder, then Nathaniel or his dad would have been arrested.â
Murder?! Holy shit. Did my mom know people on the island thought her new husband did in his first wife and daughter? I made a noncommittal noise.
âI donât think it would be a big deal at all except for the other stuff.â
There was other stuff? Murder seemed like more than enough to me.
âWhat with the original Mrs. Wickham being kept locked in the attic way back when. And those kids that went missing? People figure thereâs too much smoke not to have any fire.â Nicole swung into our long driveway with a spray of gravel. âThen thereâs another fatal accident in the family, so of course people assume there must be some kind of foul play, but itâs not like things are connected, you know?â
I could feel myself starting to sweat. People locked in the attic? Missing kids? Had we moved into Hell House? âPeople love to talk,â I murmured.
âExactly.â The gravel crunched under the car tires as we rounded the last bend. Nicole stopped the car. She pulled her hair back and looked up at the house. âI will admit if there was going to be a house on the island thatâs haunted, this would definitely be it. If a building could hold on to negative energy, this place would have more than its fairshare. Not that I buy into what everyone says.â
âPeople think the house is haunted,â I said in a flat voice. I could feel the memory of the girl I saw by the window pushing to the front of my mind, and it took all the energy I had to shove it back down. I didnât want to go there. You start thinking there are ghosts, then voices speaking to you, and before you know it, youâre bouncing around a rubber room wearing a tinfoil hat.
âDo you believe in ghosts?â Nicole asked.
âNo.â I hoped my voice sounded more confident than I felt. I looked over at Nicole. She was still staring up at the house. âDo you?â
She turned to look at me, and I leaned back quickly. Her eyes looked hungry and her teeth seemed not just shiny but also sharp. âOf course I believe,â she said, her voice low.
âI should go.â My hand fumbled for the door handle. I felt my chest release when it clicked open, and I spilled outside the Jeep. Every muscle in my body was screaming to run.
âWeâre still on for lunch tomorrow?â Nicole asked.
I looked back at her. Sheâd reverted to looking like your typical blond cheerleader. Her face was flushed from the wind, and I noticed for the first time that she had a sprinkle of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. Whatever I had seen a moment ago must have been just a trick of the light. Or of the mind. I took a deep breath. I just had a wee freak-out, which was understandable. There was all this new information, and the talk of ghosts on top of that was enough to give anyone a panicattack. It didnât mean there was anything wrong with me.
âLunch tomorrow would be great,â I said. I hefted my backpack and turned to go into the house. âThanks for the ride.â
âKeep your eyes open, Isobel,â Nicole called out as she popped her Jeep in reverse to turn around. âRemember, ghosts donât care if you believe in them. They can still believe in you.â
Chapter 11
â M om!â I called out as soon as I opened the door. I stood in the doorway, my voice echoing in the marble foyer. I could hear the tall grandfather clock
Thomas M. Reid
David Stuckler Sanjay Basu
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Ben H. Winters
Jenni James
Olsen J. Nelson
Aiden James, Patrick Burdine
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