“Come on,” he said, leading her up the overgrown path toward the mansion.
They passed the stone statues, reaching up through the tall, overgrown grass like they were drowning in it, and climbed the winding steps up to the mansion’s front door.
“You really live here?” Kate asked.
“Yeah,” Elijah said, wedging his shoulder against the door. It opened with a creak, spewing out a cloud of dust.
“Maybe you should invest in a cleaner,” Kate said.
He smirked at her joke then stepped in through the gloomy entrance.
Once, Kate would never have dreamed of following a relative stranger into a spooky house, but the accident had changed everything. Of all the crazy things that had happened to her, this one by far made the most sense.
“This way,” Elijah’s disembodied voice came, emerging from inside the mansion like a siren’s call. “Watch the broken floorboards.”
Kate stepped into the house and followed him as he led her up a grand staircase and along a corridor thick with cobwebs. She passed by a room where the door was standing open. Inside was a vast room with no furniture save for a battered red leather couch and a gold gilded mirror.
Kate gasped. It was the room from her dream.
“Are you okay?” Elijah asked, softly.
Kate nodded, too stunned to speak. She paced away from the room quickly. It was freaking her out.
Elijah led her up two more flights of stairs before finally coming to a hatch, which he pulled down. A ladder unraveled and hit against the floorboards at the bottom.
“Your room is in the attic?” Kate asked.
“It’s the last one in the house that’s still relatively watertight,” Elijah replied, as though that were in any way a suitable explanation.
Kate went up the ladder and glanced around the huge attic room. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this.
Elijah had a huge four-poster bed, with thick cream curtains surrounding it. His furniture was dark and old, making the smell of dusty wood permeate the room. There was a fireplace surrounded by a marble hearth. The fire had already been lit, as though in anticipation, and it provided the only light and warmth Kate had experienced since setting foot inside the house.
The whole room seemed old, ancient. But there were still some modern elements to it. A TV, PlayStation, record player; all the types of things you’d expect in a typical teenage boy’s bedroom. But there were also lots of old items, like a battered baseball bat that looked like it had seen its glory days in the twenties, and stacks of old newspapers tied together with string, sitting on one another in a haphazard manner.
“Are you going to explain what’s going on to me now, then?” Kate said boldly.
“In a second,” Elijah said. “First…”
He took something from a wooden box and handed it to Kate. It was a delicate bracelet made from a row of silver hoops.
“What is it?” she asked, her fingers tracing across the delicate, interlocking loops.
“It’s for you,” Elijah said. “It’s a sort of good luck charm.”
No one other than Nicole had ever given Kate jewelry before. She was touched, perhaps more touched than Elijah had intended her to be.
She slipped the bracelet over her wrist, keeping her eyes on Elijah’s face the whole time. Firelight danced across his features, making him look even more beautiful than ever before. She felt her heart flutter.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Elijah nodded, then gestured to the skylight.
“This way,” he said.
“We’re going up there?” Kate asked.
He nodded, opened the hatch, and pulled himself up and out with ease. Kate looked up. It was too high to jump and surely her muscles wouldn’t be strong enough to heft her through.
Elijah appeared at the opening, crouching. He extended a hand down to her. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll help you up.”
She took his pale hand in hers. In an instant he had pulled her up and out through the skylight and set her down gently on the rooftop.
“Now, turn around,” he said, his eyes glinting eagerly.
Kate did. The sight before her took her breath away. The roof of the manor was aligned with the tops of the trees. Stretching out as far as she could see were the treetops, blocking out all the houses and roads of Santa Barbara, leaving nothing but the sliver of ocean. Moonlight glittered off its surface. It didn’t feel like they were in a city anymore at all. It felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. That they were the only two people on Earth.
“Wow,” Kate gasped. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I know,” Elijah said. Then she felt his hand slip into hers. “And so are you.”
Kate’s heart skipped a beat. She looked down at her hand wrapped in his. It seemed to fit perfectly, like it was always meant to be there.
She looked up into Elijah’s eyes. He had an intense expression on his face, one she couldn’t quite read. She couldn’t tell if he wanted to kiss her, or if she was being crazy and arrogant for even thinking he would. All she knew was that she wanted nothing more in the world than to feel his lips against hers. But the moment passed and he slipped his hand from hers.
“You’re here for answers,” Elijah said, sitting down on the cracked roof tiles.
Kate sat beside him, Nicole’s black dress billowing around her.
“Yes,” she said, twisting her hands in her lap. The question was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t quite articulate it. Because if she said it, it made it real; it meant that all her fears about what was really happening to her would be realized. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When she was finally ready to speak, she used a bold tone. “I died, didn’t I?” she said. “When I was hit by the RV?”
Elijah looked at her sadly. “Yes. You did.”
She nodded. She had known as much in her heart. In a way, having it confirmed was a relief. “But I’m here. And you know why.”
“I do,” Elijah replied. “But I can’t tell you.”
“Why?” Kate demanded. “I deserve to know.”
“I know you do,” Elijah said, passionately. “But if I tell you…” He gazed out across the treetops. “There are some secrets that cannot be told. And some very powerful, dangerous people who will stop at nothing to make sure they’re not.”
Kate faltered. “Are you in danger, Elijah?” she asked.
He fell silent.
Kate felt a knot of anguish in her stomach. She desperately needed to know what had happened to her, but she didn’t want to put Elijah in harm’s way in doing so.
“Can you tell me why everything is so loud and hot at the very least?” she asked.
“Your body is changing,” Elijah said. “It will get worse before it gets better.”
“A comforting thought,” she said, wryly.
Elijah seemed to be aware that his vagueness was frustrating her.
“I wish I could answer all your questions,” he said. “But there are people who will cause me great harm if I do.”
He fell silent again, as if he’d said too much.
Kate felt a pit of concern open up in her stomach. The thought of anything happening to Elijah filled her with terror.
“You mean they want to kill you?” she asked, gently.
Elijah stared painfully into the distance. A faraway look had come over him. “Death would be welcome,” he said. “What they want to do to me is far, far worse. They want to imprison me. Bind me to a life I no longer want to live.” He looked at Kate as though desperate to reveal his secret to her but terrified of giving away too much. “I’m supposed to be married,” he said. “It was arranged for me, by my c—my family,” he corrected himself. “I don’t love the girl. I don’t want to be with her.”
“They’re forcing you to marry someone you don’t love?” Kate gasped. Elijah’s family made hers seem like a bunch of teddy bears by comparison.
He leaped up
suddenly, agitated. Kate couldn’t be certain but it seemed as though the night sky had become even darker, as though the light from the moon was fading.
“Please, Elijah,” she said, standing too and taking his arm. It was so dark she could hardly see her hands on him. “I want to help you. Just tell me how.”
A look of agony swept across Elijah’s face, as he shook his head. “You can’t help,” he replied, his voice gruff. He pulled his arm away from her and paced away. The darkness swallowed him up. “I’ve broken my oath to my family,” he said, his voice floating from the blackness beyond. “Either I return to the girl, or I stay here and see out my final days of freedom.”
Ice washed over Kate’s body.
“What do you mean ‘final days’?” she asked, her voice trembling. She searched for Elijah through the blackness but she couldn’t see even a hint of him. Even the roof tiles beneath her feet seemed to have disappeared. “Elijah? Elijah?”
The darkness was crowding in on her, pressing down, and she was overwhelmed by the sensation of her feet no longer being on solid ground.
“I wished I’d never dragged you into this, Kate.” She heard Elijah’s voice whispering in her ear. “You don’t deserve any of this.”
Then the blackness consumed everything.
CHAPTER TEN
Kate woke screaming. She looked all around, startled to find herself in her bed. Harsh sunlight was streaming through the window, illuminating her bedroom in its rays.
She shook her head, refusing to believe that the whole thing had been a dream.
Her heart was racing and her back was slick with sweat. She patted herself as though making sure she was really there, then checked her phone. There were about ten texts from her friends demanding to know where she was, giving her a hard time for running off from the party. Some were desperate and frantic, some angry and threatening. The final one from Amy read:
Max saves the day again. Called ur house phone. He said u were sleeping. Thanks for letting me know u hadn’t been murdered. *Sarcasm intended.*
Kate sighed and put her cell back down. She felt like everything was becoming a mess, like she was letting everyone down. She didn’t know what to do.
She got up. She was still wearing Nicole’s black dress. As she moved, something glinted in the sunlight. There was a bracelet round her wrist made of delicate silver hoops. The bracelet from Elijah.
So it hadn’t been a dream. It really had happened—the motorbike, the rooftop, the abandoned mansion.
But how did I get back here? Kate wondered.
She touched the delicate bracelet and her heart filled with the same exciting emotion she’d felt last night when Elijah had given it to her. He said it was a sort of good luck charm. She wondered what that meant.
She desperately wanted to see Elijah. He had been so cryptic last night and she couldn’t help but worry that he was in danger. Could he really have such evil parents that they would force him to marry a girl he didn’t love? It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that should happened in this day and age, though Kate knew arranged marriages still happened in different cultures and other parts of the world.
She wished there was some way to reach out to Elijah. If she’d taken his number or email or something then maybe they could have carried on speaking. He could have revealed more to her about what he knew.
Suddenly, hunger gnawed in Kate’s stomach, demanding all her attention. She realized with shock that she hadn’t eaten a single thing the whole of yesterday. Despite her hunger, nothing had seemed appetizing at all. She felt as though her body were craving something else entirely, but she couldn’t work out what it was. Maybe she’d be able to stomach a plain yogurt this morning. She needed some kind of sustenance. She was surprised she hadn’t fainted already.
But despite her hunger, Kate was dreading going downstairs for breakfast. She just didn’t want to come face to face with her family. She couldn’t bear the thought of Madison’s glares after what had happened last night with Kate pushing over Clara.
So she changed slowly, swapping Nicole’s slinky dress for her usual jeans and T-shirt combo. But once her Converses were laced up, her mascara was on, and her hair was brushed, there was no more delaying the inevitable. She had no choice but to head downstairs.
There were no smells of bacon or maple syrup coming from the kitchen. She couldn’t even hear the buzz of the coffee machine, though her hearing was just as sensitive as it had been yesterday, if not more so.
She went into the kitchen and found only Madison and Max there, eating toast, sitting side by side.
“Where’s Mom and Dad?” Kate asked.
Max’s bottom lip started to tremble. He seemed upset. Madison put her arm around him.
“Dad didn’t come home last night,” she said. “Mom’s in bed crying.”
The words hit Kate like a punch in the stomach. Her dad’s drinking was bad, but it had never gotten to the extent where he didn’t come home at night. She prayed nothing awful had happened to him. Despite his misgivings, he was still her dad. Despite the lack of love he showed her, she still cared for him.
Forgetting herself, Kate walked in and sat at the kitchen table with her siblings. She squeezed Max’s hand.
“It will be okay,” she said. “He’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Max nodded.
Kate looked up across the table at Madison. She was expecting to see her sister glowering, angry about the party last night. Instead, she was looking on her softly. Kate couldn’t recall a time when she’d seen such an expression on Madison’s face.
“About last night…” Kate began, feeling awkward.
“Don’t,” Madison replied. “I’d had no idea about Clara threatening you. If I’d known I wouldn’t have shouted at you like that. I thought you’d just lashed out at her for no reason. I’m really sorry.”
Sorry? Madison?
“That’s okay,” Kate said, a little stunned.
“Look, Kate,” Madison added, her voice hushed as though worried her mom might overhear, “I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Like, this whole thing about you missing college because of me is so dumb. I don’t know what Mom’s thinking. I know how much college matters to you and it’s, like, totally unfair if you miss out.”
She paused. It was clearly difficult for her to articulate her thoughts and emotions. Usually her mom was hovering around prompting every conversation. Kate realized then that being Mom’s favorite wasn’t all good, especially when it meant losing your autonomy.
“So, I’ve decided I’m not going to go,” Madison said, all in one big exhalation, as though she needed to get it out quickly before she changed her mind. “To college. I’ve decided. I don’t want to go if it means you have to miss out.”
Kate sat there, stunned. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. At long last her sister was on her side. They were finally united like they should have been their whole lives.
She wanted to express her heartfelt gratitude to Madison, to tell her she’d always looked up to her and loved her, that she didn’t blame her for the wedge their mom had driven between them. But she didn’t get the chance to say anything because, suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound from outside. The three Roswell kids flinched and looked at each other, eyes wide.
“What was that?” Madison cried.
They all stood and ran to the door. Kate pulled it open. There, in the drive, steam coming from the hood, was their dad’s car. He’d rammed right into the garage so hard the door was dented and wrapped around the front of the car.
Kate ran forward and pulled the driver’s door open. Their dad tumbled out onto the ground. They could smell the alcohol on him.
“Robert!” came their mother’s voice from the door. She’d been roused by the noise. She rushed out, dressed in her lacy night dress, and grabbed him. “Get up. What will the neighbors think?”
Kate could see the curtains twitching as their nosy neighbors looked out to see what t
he noise was all about.
“Kate,” their mom snapped, “help me get him inside.”
Kate launched forward but Madison elbowed her out of the way. “I’m stronger,” she explained, taking their dad’s legs.
Together they hustled him into the house and slumped him onto the couch. He was only half conscious.
“Get coffee, Kate,” their mom said.
“I can do it,” Madison replied.
Kate felt a sense of confidence knowing that her sister was sticking up for her.
Their mom turned to their dad, whose head was lolling. “What the hell happened?” she cried.
“I told them to stuff their stupid job,” Robert slurred. “I said no one fires me! So I quit!”
“Oh God,” their mom stammered. “You were fired? Please tell me you weren’t fired.”
Kate could see the terror on her face at the thought of losing the nice house in the good neighborhood that meant so much to her.
“I wasn’t fired!” their dad roared. “I quit first!”
As if that makes a difference, Kate thought, bitterly.
“I hated that job,” Robert continued. “I only did it for you and the goddamn kids. But did you appreciate it? Did any of you appreciate it?” He addressed Kate and Max now, yelling at them both. “Do any of you care that it’s grinding me down to the ground? No. So I quit.”
Just then Madison appeared at the door, holding a cup of steaming coffee. She crouched down by her dad.
“Here,” she said, offering the drink to him. “This will sober you up.”
“I’m fine,” he shouted in her face. “I don’t need your frickin’ coffee.”
He flung his arm out, catching the underside of the cup. The hot, steaming liquid went up into the air then started cascading back down toward Madison.
Quick fast, Kate grabbed her sister and shoved her out of the way. Boiling coffee rained down on Kate. She screamed as her skin sizzled.