Ghost House

  Just as the band struck up a waltz, a girl on the dance floor stumbled over her own hem, splashing the cherry punch across her white dress like a bloodstain. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. I hurried over to her.

  “Hey, it’s all right,” I said. “The restroom is right down the hall. I’ll get something to clean that up.”

  I steered her through the crush of bodies and ducked into the kitchen in search of something absorbent. The idea that the most anticipated night of the year could be so easily ruined for someone bothered me.

  The kitchen was full of replacement food platters and stacks of glasses, but at that moment, all the servers were tending to refreshments, so I found myself alone.

  “Where’s your dress?” I jumped in alarm and almost hit my head on the side of a cabinet.

  “Alex! What are you doing here?”

  “Just observing,” he replied innocently. “Is that allowed?”

  I pointed a warning finger at him. “Nothing can go wrong tonight,” I said. “It’s very important to my grandmother that this ball goes smoothly.”

  “I’m not in the habit of causing spectacles at social gatherings, Miss Kennedy,” Alex replied. “I simply wanted to see you.” He moved out of the shadows and walked up to me, stopping just short of his nose brushing against mine. “And I wanted to tell you that, even minus a gown, you are still the most captivating woman in that room.”

  I blushed like a schoolgirl. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not used to it.”

  “You must learn to accept compliments graciously when they’re offered,” Alex answered, but his eyes were smiling. “I have a question to ask you.”

  “Yes?” I replied, breathless in spite of myself.

  “Would you care to dance?”

  “What?” I burst out laughing. “How would that work?”

  Alex shrugged. “Same as every other couple here.”

  “Right, I get it.” I rolled my eyes. “You want everyone in there to laugh at the crazy waitress, waltzing with herself?”

  His vivid blue eyes filled with gentle amusement. “Who said anything about in there?”

  “Where, then?” I was intrigued and followed his line of vision out the window to the twinkling garden. “Really?” I asked, feeling a fluttering in my chest. “You think we could?”

  “Why not?” Alex replied. “I know the perfect place. Meet me outside in five minutes.”

  Before I could protest, he was gone. I ducked back into the ballroom and delivered a damp dishcloth to the girl with the spilled drink. Then I told Pamela I needed to use the restroom. She grudgingly agreed to fill in for me for a few minutes, as if highly irritated to discover I had bodily functions. As discreetly as possible I wove my way through the crowd and slipped out into the crisp, clear night.

  As soon as I ran down the front steps, Alex emerged from behind a tree trunk wound with silver lights. He silently motioned for me to follow him down a winding path to the fringe of the forest. It was far enough from the house not to draw attention from any guests who’d wandered out for a breath of fresh air. But the music still floated down to reach us. Alex offered me his arm. Something about the simple gesture filled me with a burning happiness that seemed to course through my veins.

  “May I have the pleasure of this dance?” He gave a formal bow.

  “You may,” I said. In hindsight, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I was too intoxicated by the night to consider consequences. I gave a small curtsey that wasn’t exactly easy to execute in tight pants.

  “Sorry if my attire isn’t appropriate.”

  “On the contrary,” he said. “Your attire is perfect…and practical.”

  “Thank you. As you can see, it took weeks of planning.”

  “And yet looks so effortless.”

  The lighthearted banter put me at ease. It was something we hadn’t had the opportunity to do much of till now, as we were usually preoccupied with matters of survival. But tonight, for the first time, I wasn’t consumed by fear. Isobel’s omnipresent threat seemed to fade away. Alex, too, seemed uncharacteristically carefree. When I took his arm, he became completely solid beneath my touch. Tonight he didn’t feel like he could fade away in an instant. Tonight he felt real. He reached out his hand and with a flick of my wrist I released my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders. We heard the muted strains of the band as they finished their song. A moment later, a slow ballad started up. Alex wound an arm around my waist and drew me closer. I let out a soft gasp as his body pressed against mine. It was cool in a comforting way, like when you scalded your hand and ran it under water. His touch always brought me relief, as though he was soothing my body, which felt like it was on fire right now.

  I realized something then. I’d never learned how to dance. It hadn’t exactly been a priority on the high-school curriculum in California.

  “I’ve never done this before,” I said, in case he had high expectations.

  “Just follow my lead.”

  I shuffled my feet awkwardly, and Alex smirked. But he was a patient teacher, guiding me with his hands while I followed the rhythm of his body. I leaned my head against his shoulder, relishing the fact that I was actually able to do that. Above us was a blanket of glittering stars. I gasped when the first snowflakes began to fall. It felt as if they had been orchestrated for our benefit alone. They were like white petals dropping out of the sky and catching in Alex’s hair.

  The pace of the dance quickened and he lifted me off the ground, spinning me in a graceful arc. What would this look like to an impartial observer? I didn’t know, and right now, I didn’t care. He placed me down just as the song came to an end. I leaned against the tree to catch my breath. I wasn’t tired; I was exhilarated by the experience. Alex joined me, pressing his back against the trunk and turning his head to look at me.

  “And you say you’ve never danced before.”

  “I must be a quick learner.”

  “The light in your eyes is back,” he observed softly.

  “Isn’t it always there?”

  “No. Usually you look haunted.”

  “I am haunted.” I smiled. “But I’m learning to live with that.”

  Alex tilted his head up to the sky. “I meant haunted by your own past, by memories, by grief. All that weighs a person down. But right now, in this moment, you are free of it all. That freedom may be short-lived, but it’s beautiful to watch.”

  I couldn’t help it now. I had to find a way to kiss him. The anticipation had been building for too long. When were we going to have a setting more perfect than this one? I checked quickly that no one was in sight before impulsively taking his face in my hands. Without thinking about it, I brought my lips up to meet his. He’d never felt more alive to me than at that moment. His energy flowed into me like cold, sweet bubbles. As I kissed him, I saw flashes from the happiest moments of his life. I saw him as a boy, reading at the base of a weeping willow. I saw him laughing and riding bareback in the rain. I saw him swimming in the lake with his dog and lying in a hammock with his sketchbook. The kiss was exactly as I’d dreamed it would be. It took my breath away. But most amazingly of all, I felt like I was shifting through different dimensions. I opened my eyes and saw the lights of Grange Hall, but behind Alex was an even more dazzling white light. Shadowy figures passed in and out of it. Was I looking at the past? If I was, I felt like I was part of it and floating as if I weighed nothing at all. I was utterly lost in him.

  Alex pulled away first. I had to lean against the tree to steady myself. Kissing him had almost given me an out-of-body experience.

  “Are you happy right now?” he whispered.

  “Do you really have to ask?” I closed my eyes to savor the moment and to sear it into my memory.
br />   We stood wrapped in a cocoon of silence until a piercing scream shattered the perfect stillness of the night.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  I saw the lights in the ballroom flicker and then go out, leaving only a few candles burning weakly. A gale started up, strong enough to shatter the glass in the French doors.

  “No way,” I whispered, aghast at what we might have unleashed. “She wouldn’t dare. Not tonight.” I started to run back toward the house, but Alex grabbed ahold of me.

  “Chloe, you can’t go in there. We don’t know what’s happening.”

  “Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s my fault!”

  “I can’t let you put yourself in harm’s way.”

  “I don’t have a choice, Alex,” I said. “I can’t just stand here and watch.”

  “Wait here. I’ll go. What do you think you can do?”

  I struggled to free myself from his grasp. “I don’t know, but please let me go!”

  His hands were already starting to fade, until he couldn’t hold me anymore. I slipped easily away and sprinted toward the house. There was nothing Alex could do but follow, calling out after me.

  “Chloe! Stop! Please listen to me!”

  But I wasn’t listening. I refused to let those kids get hurt because of me. This was supposed to be their night. Besides, my little brother was in there, and Grandma Fee.

  At the entrance to the ballroom, we both froze. In front of us lay a scene of utter disarray. Glasses and cutlery hurtled around the room in a sight as surreal as a special-effects movie. Students panicked. Those whose common sense hadn’t completely abandoned them ducked frantically for cover. I watched a knife cartwheel past a girl, leaving a long gash across her cheek. She paled as her blood dripped onto her white dress. Plates flew through the air like artillery, smashing against walls. A silver candlestick spinning out of control slammed into the back of a boy’s head. He dropped like a stone, out cold. Mrs. Rochester stood speechless on a platform where the band was now cowering, their instruments abandoned. Her perfect hair had collapsed and her face was as white as a sheet as she tried to process what was happening around her.

  “What should we do?” I shouted at Alex over the clamor.

  His eyes were full of both anger and helplessness. I could see he wanted to step in and help out but what could he do? I noticed Miss Grimes peeking in from another entrance, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Shielding my head with my arms, I inched my way around the edge of the room.

  “Chloe, where are you going?” I heard Alex’s voice behind me, but I didn’t stop until I reached Miss Grimes.

  “This is your fault.” I was taken aback, hearing her voice for the first time. It was higher in pitch than I’d expected and hoarse as if it hadn’t been used in a hundred years. “You made her angry, didn’t you?”

  I gaped at her for a moment, unsure what to say. “We didn’t mean to!”

  “We?” she hissed. “You and the dead are one and the same, are you?”

  “That’s not true! I just…”

  Miss Grimes shook her head. “Whatever happens here is on your hands.”

  “Just tell me what to do!” I cried. She looked dumfounded by my question.

  “Do? What is there to do? No one can stop her.” She glowered at me before retreating to the safety of the kitchen.

  I ducked just in time to miss a crystal vase that flew through Alex’s chest and shattered against the wall behind us.

  “I’ll find Isobel,” he said. “I’ll stop her.”

  He was gone before I could answer. I watched as an onslaught of flying silverware knocked over a candelabra in its path. The lit candles that toppled set the linen tablecloths alight. I needed to get these kids out of here before things spiraled further out of control. I spotted Joe shielding Amelia with his body as he guided her to safety under a table.

  Gran appeared in the doorway. Poor Gran. My heart sank, seeing the devastation on her face as she watched Wistings’s charity event of the year fall apart before her eyes. Her standing in the community rested on this. I knew she’d put every ounce of energy into making this night a success. She didn’t deserve this. The photographers, there to make sure the event made it into the society pages of the local press, were now snapping photos of the wreckage that would surely end up online and splashed across the front page.

  Isobel was out of control. Going after me was one thing, but this was a random act of violence against innocent people who didn’t deserve her wrath. So much effort had gone into this night and seeing it trashed like this was too much to stand. At that moment I was filled with so much rage I could have punched the nearest wall. I could feel a resolution stirring in me, one of those moments of total clarity. I couldn’t run from Isobel anymore. I had to face her and one way or another put an end to this.

  I saw Joe dodging his way across the room like he was running through a minefield. He took hold of my elbow and shouted into my ear, “Help me get everyone out of here!”

  It helped to have a specific task. I ran into the fray, grabbing people and trying to make myself heard over the tears and the shouting. No one was paying any attention. I took hold of the girl closest to me and pushed her toward the exit.

  “Go!” I told her. “You need to get outside as fast as you can.” She looked at me, terror stricken, too paralyzed to move.

  “You’ll be safer outside,” I said and watched as comprehension dawned. She clutched the sleeve of her date and tugged him toward the doors.

  “Come on!” I rounded up as many as I could, herding them as you might sheep. They started spilling out into the cold night, where they stood shivering in huddles. The ballroom was emptying, but not fast enough. Anything could happen.

  That was when I heard it.

  From above my head came a deep, shuddering groan that sounded as if it was coming from the very bowels of the house.

  I looked up to see fragments of plaster rain down on my face as the colossal chandelier was rapidly dislodged from the ceiling. Voices urged me to move, to run. But all I could do was stand and stare at the mass of rattling crystal rushing toward me.

  Something heavy thudded into my side, shoving me out of the way. I skidded across the polished boards and landed on my back. Seconds later, glass and metal exploded onto the floor, shards flying everywhere. The remaining guests dropped to the floor, covering their faces.

  Winded, I stared up at the balloons bobbing on the ceiling. I moved my arms and legs tentatively. Nothing felt broken. I was confused, but I wasn’t hurt. How was that possible? What had just happened? People began to gravitate toward the damage. It reminded me of passing a nasty car wreck—nobody could resist slowing down to inspect the damage.

  Why weren’t they running? I wondered through the fog in my head. They were all standing around the wreckage, girls covering their mouths, hushed and horrified whispers flying around the room. Still flat on my back, I tried to look through the press of bodies, but I couldn’t see much. I struggled to my feet and stood unsteadily before making my way over to see what was holding everyone’s attention.

  I realized someone was trapped under the pile of twisted metal and broken glass, one leg bent at an odd angle. The massive lead crystal chandelier must have been at least five feet in diameter and had pinned the boy’s body to the floor. One of its bronze arms had punctured his neck, and blood was spurting from the wound so profusely, I thought an artery must have been severed. A sick feeling spread through me like a poison as I recognized the thatch of dark hair and the carved ring on the middle finger. Joe had thrown me out of the way, risking his life to spare mine.

  Mrs. Rochester was shaking and looked ready to pass out. She closed her eyes tightly, as if praying that when she opened them again, there would be no destruction and no students bleeding in front of her.

&nb
sp; I pushed my way over to where Joe was lying, a crumpled heap on the floor. Close-up, the chunk of metal wedged in his neck looked much worse. His face was a mess of cuts and bruises. I wanted to do something but I was too scared to even touch him. I knelt down, sweeping away the glass around his head. What had Isobel done?

  “Joe?” I cried, hot tears muffling my words. “Can you hear me? Oh God, somebody call 911!”

  I panicked for a moment, realizing nobody here knew what that meant. What was the emergency number in England? I didn’t know! But I felt my chest loosen a little when I saw that people had already started dialing.

  Alex reappeared at my side. His gaze traveled over Joe’s broken body, taking in the situation. “Help him,” I whimpered.

  “You have to help him, Chloe,” Alex said.

  “This is my fault,” I choked. “If I hadn’t kissed you in the garden, I never would have made her angry.”

  The onlookers glanced uncertainly at one another, probably wondering who the hell I was talking to. But I didn’t care. They could throw me in the loony bin if they wanted. At least then nobody else would get hurt.

  “Chloe?”

  “How could I have been so thoughtless?”

  “Don’t do this now,” Alex commanded. “Right now your friend needs you. You have to be strong for him.”

  “What can I do?” I asked helplessly.

  “First you have to be calm. Are you calm?”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “Okay, yes.”

  “Don’t attempt to remove the metal,” Alex instructed. “Just try to control the blood flow.”

  “How?” I looked down at Joe, painfully aware that his life was hanging in the balance. I’d never seen so much blood before. It was pooling around him like a rich mantle. How long did it take for a person to bleed out?