It was just as Warwick had described in class. Huge, gaping holes blew stale air through the halls like a giant had bashed his fists in. The bitter stink of mold and rotten wood lingered in every room. Creepy Halloween decorations were everywhere, skulls and spiders watching our progress.
More than anything the house felt sad, like the emotion had absorbed into the faded flowery wallpaper. The children there must have led terribly unhappy and probably short lives. I realized how tiny most of the rooms were, short ceilings only a few inches above us. In a way, it reminded me of a neglected dollhouse, tucked in the forgotten corner of a basement.
Something moved in the shadows and Henry swung his flashlight that way. Alex, ducking so his head wouldn't hit the low-set ceiling, came forward with Theo close behind.
"What's the hold up?" Alex asked at the same time that Theo said, "Oh my gosh, what happened?"
She took my arm and fussed over it as Henry had. It looked much better to my eyes, scabs already starting to form.
"I just fell, that's all," I said. My clumsiness embarrassed me, and I didn't want to dwell on it. I answered the next question before it was asked. "We're staying. We've gone to too much trouble. This is nothing some Neosporin and bandages won't fix."
"She's being as stubborn as possible," Henry told them, still sounding angry. Then he turned to me. "We got inside the place, so what's our next move?"
"We need to find somewhere to hold the seance. Preferably a table. Or even a good flat expanse of floor. We should split up."
"Um, no, we shouldn't," Alex said nervously, rubbing his hand down his pant leg. "That's always when the bad stuff happens on Scooby Doo."
I rolled my eyes at this wimpy development. "Theo and I can go together..."
"You're going to think this is sexist of me," Henry interjected, "But I think maybe it should be one girl and one guy together. Between your injuries and Theo's phobias"—Theo wrinkled her button nose at him—"Sorry. It might be a good idea."
"Yeah, you need a strong man to protect you," Alex smarmed at Theo.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Theo asked, one notch below yelling. She clenched her fists below her hips. "The one who was just whining about an old cartoon?"
"God, I'm joking! I'm the one who said you could take care of yourself, remember? Lighten up, Morticia."
"Wow, that's a new one," Theo spat, her eyes glowing with anger. Alex seemed taken aback, like no one had ever not laughed at one of his jokes. "Did you use all two of your brain cells to come up with it?"
"Enough, you two. We're wasting time. Your mom said we had to be back around 11:30, right, Theo?"
She nodded, stepping away from Alex and pushing her glasses up.
"Then we need to get moving again," I said. "We're wasting time."
We split up the way that Henry had suggested, despite the tension between our separate pairs. I was on edge and in no mood to argue. After Alex and Theo had departed on their search, Henry and I stood awkwardly across from each other. The sound of their bickering faded away.
"Let's get going," I instructed. "I thought I saw a table back in that room full of cages."
Setting off, Henry and I headed in what we hoped was that general direction. It was so easy to get turned around inside the building, and the paranoid feeling returned that the rooms were rearranging themselves. The orphanage was like a maze, especially with only the light from Henry's flashlight and the small pink one I kept in my purse for emergencies.
Even though I tried to ignore Henry, my eyes kept wandering to him, even in the shadows. There were so many words left unsaid between us. I drove Henry crazy, huh? He drove me crazy every moment I was around him, and even when I wasn't. If I wasn't wanting to kiss him, I was trying to figure him out.
After ten minutes of getting lost in the winding hallways and blocked off areas, we wound up in the right room. I shone my light around the wall of cages. On closer inspection, as dust motes danced through the skinny, silvery bars, it looked like the cages had been purchased at the pet store. A few still had the sticky remnants of price tags wound around them.
"No table," Henry said, sweeping his flashlight around.
Back in the room with the rocking chair and the skeleton closet, we investigated, keeping our distance from each other.
"You would think something as simple as a table wouldn't be hard to find," I grumbled.
Henry had crept over to the closet door, pushing the rocking chair aside with his foot. He smirked in anticipation as he nudged the door open. I got closer and peered over his shoulder. The closet was empty inside.
"What the hell?" I asked, a chill going through me.
He tilted his head, inspecting the back wall of the closet. He leaned in and tapped the ceiling with his fingers. Shoving his hand through, it revealed two flaps. The obviously plastic skeletons flopped down as he took a step back.
"All parlor tricks," he said softly, reaching out and rubbing my shoulder. My heart leapt into my throat, but I shrugged away from his touch. I hadn't forgotten his hurtful declaration.
We continued deeper into the orphanage, but we were having no luck. He shone his light down another thin hallway. It was pitch black beyond where even the strong beam couldn't penetrate.
"I'm not going any farther that way," Henry said resolutely. "I don't like the looks of that ceiling. It could collapse at any moment." He gestured to the support beams, sagging low and water damaged.
"I'll go, then. It's not going to cave in just because we happen to be here," I said, shuffling around him.
He caught my arm to stop me. His grasp was gentle but insistent, and I knew he was plenty strong enough to hold me back. "It could be dangerous," he pleaded. "Not only the ceiling—I bet there are weak spots in the floor."
I stood before him, acutely aware that our lips were merely inches apart, and that I could feel his breath on my skin. I wondered if I was the only one so attentive, but as his eyes became heavy-lidded and his breathing sped up, I got my answer.
"I can take care of myself, too," I said gently, not taking my eyes off of his full lips. I wanted to take the bottom one in my teeth and run my tongue across it. The thought made my skin go hot.
"I don't want anything to happen to you," he whispered, inching closer to me. "That's all I meant. I care about you."
I could almost feel his lips on mine.
"Heads up!" Alex yelled from behind Henry, blinding me again as he shone his light over us. Henry dropped my arm and we broke away from each other, as if caught in an embarrassing scene. I blinked rapidly, my eyes stinging as blood thundered in my ears.
"You can put your flashlight down now," I complained. "This isn't a police interrogation."
Alex lowered his light. He didn't seem to notice how flustered we were.
Theo was on his heels. "We found the dining room. Should be a good spot. All the original furniture seems to be there, and in pretty good condition. Big table."
Following them back around and up a short set of stairs, we arrived at the remains of a kitchen. The appliances had been ripped out, leaving gutted spaces with bouquets of blackened electrical wiring. The black and white checkered floor tile was cracked and peeling up in spots.
"This way," Theo gestured, and we went through a door falling off of its hinges into the dining room.
It was a narrow room, but had probably once been grand. High-backed chairs sat around an elongated mahogany table. Two silver candelabras, layered with dust, decorated the center of the torn red table runner. I brushed dust off of a chair at the table's head.
The dizziness and the headache had returned, blood throbbing at my temples again. But I was so close. If I gave up now, I would drive myself nuts with maybes. Just like I had over the summer, when I'd locked myself in the house and refreshed Jenna's profile page every five seconds.
I swung my flashlight, taking a better look around. An oversized, gaudy portrait of a man hung above the fireplace
. I had never seen a fireplace so wide, enough to fit a whole tree. A pile of ashes remained in the grate from some long-ago fires, and a stomach-churning smell like burnt fruit wafted out.
Alex was making jokes, as usual. He had picked up a small plastic skull somewhere and was puppeting the mouth, adopting a Cryptkeeper voice.
"Welcome kiddies," he said. "Would you like to dance to death?" He worked the skull's chompers and made it go after Theo's bun. She made a disgusted sound and scurried over to me.
"He's such an idiot," she whispered, her arms crossed tightly.
"After today, we don't ever have to talk to him again," I whispered back. To the boys, I raised my voice and continued, "Everybody take a seat. We're running short on time."
I sat at the head of the table and the others pulled out chairs. The bleeding from my forehead had finally stopped, and I stuffed the red-brown tissues into the side pocket of my purse. I set the purse down, unzipping the main section, and started taking out Corinne's supplies.
"What do you have there?" Henry asked, leaning closer for a better look.
I identified the objects as I set them out. "Four white candles, to represent us; one red candle, to represent whatever or whomever we're contacting; a small mirror, to act as a portal; and different pieces of metal to act as conduits." Finally, I pulled out the seance book.
A picture was bookmarked in between the pages, showing a group of orphans photographed at Dexter. I'd printed it off from the lone website I'd found about Dexter. The photo was faded to gray tones, and since someone had scanned it, there were scratches and cracks. The orphans were standing before the iron gate.
Henry picked up the photo, reading the caption below.
"Orphans at Dexter House, 1926, with John Dexter the third." He nodded toward the ugly portrait above the fireplace. "I'm guessing that's the same guy."
I glanced over at the photocopy, too. Dexter was standing behind the row of somber children, his rough, lined face shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat. All of the kids' hair was chopped short, and they were wearing what looked like tattered nightgowns or potato sacks. For a moment, that style seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember where else I'd seen it.
Henry rubbed the orphans' picture with his thumbs. "Did you laminate this?"
I nodded. Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
"I was worried it might get something on it. Ectoplasm or...s-something," I stuttered, feeling lame.
"Spirit fluids?" Alex asked, causing the three of them to crack up again.
I gazed up at the painting as they collected themselves. The man gave me the shivers, unwanted thoughts worming into my head. It reminded me of an evil painting I'd seen in an old movie, one that cursed anyone who looked upon it. And it made me think of the old fable that a soul could be trapped inside a photograph. The oil painted black eyes never left mine, glaring directly at me.
I decided that Dexter didn't like me in his house.
"Where's the Ouija board?" Alex asked, looking at what I'd set out with confusion.
"I didn't bring one."
"What kind of fake seance is this?" he demanded. I gritted my teeth, which didn't help the pain shooting through my temples.
Rain drummed on the roof and a leak in the ceiling let a few drops in. A storm had erupted outside, volleys of thunder rattling the walls. Funny, it had seemed like a clear night before we came in. In Michigan, a storm could start on one side of the sky while the other half was sunny and clear, but still...
"It was a dark and stormy night," Henry recited.
"Be serious," I said, scowling at him. I was still stung by what he'd said. As I took my seat, I stumbled a bit on the way down.
"Are you okay?" both Henry and Theo asked at the same time. They looked at each other, wordlessly communicating. It reminded me of my parents, and irritated me even more than Alex's relentless bad comedian routine.
"I. Am. Fine," I repeated for the umpteenth time. "Let's just do this. Oh...before I forget."
I rummaged through my purse and pulled out Eleanor's necklace. I had brought it in a plastic sandwich baggie for safekeeping.
"Fancy," Theo observed. "Wouldn't want the ghosts to see you without your fine jewels."
"Are you going to pick on me, too?" I asked wearily, shooting her a glare.
"Sorry." She bit her bottom lip.
I looped the necklace around my neck and attached the clasp. The green stone was already promisingly warm.
"Does anyone have a lighter?" I asked. Alex retrieved one from his khaki pocket and I gestured for him to light the candles. When the flames were flickering, we joined hands around the table. Theo and Henry held mine and Alex held Theo's, much to her trepidation.
"Gross." Theo moaned, cracking one eye.
"What?" I asked.
"His hand is wet," she said, sliding hers out of Alex's and wiping it on her skirt.
"I have a sweating problem, okay?" he said. "And FYI, I'm not holding hands with Henry."
"You don't have to. As long as we form a chain," I said, looking down at the open Modern Seance Methodology. Theo cautiously took Alex's hand back. I breathed in and out deeply, almost meditative, and began chanting the text.
"We gather here to call the spirits that have been left behind," I recited. "He who cannot face death, and so has turned away. We call thee to our gathering."
Henry chuckled quietly. "Thee?"
"Keep it on thee low," Alex said in a flawless old man accent. Both he and Henry laughed, and I squinted at them.
"You're really not funny," I said. Then I glared at Henry. It was like he was trying to irritate me.
"I'm sorry, but I warned you," he said, smiling apologetically with his eyebrows tilting up. He laced his fingers through mine, instead of just grasping my hand.
I tried to focus back on the book, but I was more aware of how he was running his thumb back and forth across my hand. He didn't seem to notice he was doing it. My heart beat rapidly, sending my pulse rocketing. All was forgiven.
The amulet grew almost uncomfortably hot against my skin. I resisted the urge to yank it off by convincing myself I only had to keep it on for a short time. I expected the stone to emit a glow or something, but outwardly, it appeared the same.
"We gather here to extinguish the flame that keeps you from finding the dark," I recited, hearing Henry chuckle under his breath. The candles were giving me tunnel vision and I blinked, mentally envisioning the bottle of Tylenol at home. "Appear to us, so that we may send you on your final journey. Appear! Appear!"
A great gust of air blew out the flickering candles. A second later, a lightning bolt shot down from the ceiling through the center of the table. The accompanying boom deafened me, and I went blind.
We are starving. He won't feed us. We are locked in the room all day long. I haven't seen the sun in weeks. I don't remember what it feels like.
A little girls, cuts on her arms.
This is what happens when you disobey me.
A little boy, emaciated from hunger. In a box beneath the ground.
This is what happens when you try to destroy me.
I am on fire. My skin burns, the pain like nothing I've ever known before.
Jenna stands with her face in the corner of the room. Weeping.
CHAPTER 16
I WOKE UP looking at a sky full of stars. I hadn't rested so well in months. At first, due to my disorientation, I thought I was in my backyard. Like when Hugh used to pitch a tent and we'd pretend to camp behind the house, me in my sleeping bag, him making shadow puppets.
Then I heard sobbing.
My eyes darted around, trying to focus. I was lying on the orphanage's front lawn by the gate, which threw a shadow over me. The source of the crying was Theo, who was sitting back on her haunches. Tears streamed down her small, pretty face beneath the frames of her glasses.
Alex was pacing back and forth on the hard ground. "We're going to get caught," he sa
id, sounding close to hysterical. "This is trespassing. And I knew it, and I came along anyway, because hey, I have no life. I don't even like you guys and I'm going down for you. No, I'm not."
"Shut up, Alex," Henry warned, glaring at him.
"Let's just chuck her in the jeep and go," Alex pleaded, still fidgeting. "We can take her to a hospital—"
"And explain what exactly?" Henry was sitting stone still beside me. None of them showed awareness that I had woken up."That we were trespassing, holding some idiotic seance like a bunch of ten-year-olds, and then Ariel started having a fit?"
"I didn't throw a fit," I mumbled, sitting up from the rain-soaked ground. The back of my clothes felt damp, and I could tell my hair was tangled.
"Oh, god," Theo sobbed, taking her hands from her face. "You're okay!"
"Don't celebrate yet," Henry said sternly. His tone seemed very harsh, not what I expected from him. "She had a seizure."
"What are you talking about? No, I didn't."
"That's what it looked like," he argued, his nostrils flaring. "One minute you were chanting from that goddamn book and the next minute you were on the floor, twitching."
His cheeks were flushed bright crimson and his eyes were on fire. The birch trees in the distance framed him like bright posts. I could tell that he was shaking, and I wondered why he suddenly seemed to care so deeply about my safety.
"I'm sure it was nothing," I said brightly. I stretched my arms and energy flowed through my limbs. I felt an intoxicating rush of power. The lawn looked beautiful in the light from the stars, every grass blade glowing with ethereal fairy light. I wondered if Alex had slipped me drugs. "I feel fantastic, like I just took a week's worth of vitamins. What's the big deal?"
Three faces showed nothing but doubt, like I was lying to make them feel better.
"Don't you remember?" Theo asked, quiet as a church mouse.
"I don't really remember anything after...I was chanting and then I thought I saw lightning..." Whatever it was, it didn't seem important. My hand flew to my neck, seeking the pendant. The space between my collarbones felt burnt, but my neck was bare.
"What happened to my necklace?"