Coldhearted (9781311888433) Read online

  “So I’m not going crazy?”

  Jules shook her head. “When did all of this start?”

  Edie told her about Lockhart Manor, as succinctly as she could, given time restraints.

  Jules slapped her hands to her face, and then lowered them to speak. “There’s some bad juju coming from that place, Edie. GPS tried to investigate it, you know, considering it’s all locked up and abandoned, but every time we got near it, our car would break down, or someone got really sick on the way, and we’d have to turn around, or all of our equipment would fail. Everyone wants to stay clear of it like it’s the Bermuda Triangle of haunts, you know? They’re afraid once we pass the threshold, we won’t be able to come back. I’ve been tempted to go by myself, but always chickened out. But you, you, Edie, went inside! And guess what? When you left, something, nay someone followed you out!”

  Edie’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, please, no.”

  “It’s called an attachment,” Jules said, ignoring Edie’s obvious anguish. “A ghost has attached him or herself to you. It’s here,” she said, twirling a finger in front of Edie’s face.

  Edie took a step back. “It’s in front of me?”

  “Well, not really,” Jules said. “It’s around you, attached to you. I mean, it’s entirely possible that it can detach, and even travel, but it’s still bound to you, don’t you see? I don’t think it can survive too long away from you.”

  “Survive?” Edie furrowed her brow. “It’s a ghost. It’s dead. Right?”

  “Dead and powerful,” Jules confirmed and clarified. “And if you really are a witch, it’s going to keep sticking to you like glue.”

  “I’m not a witch,” Edie assured her.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I feel completely and utterly powerless,” Edie said with conviction.

  “The ghost is making you feel this way. If you acknowledge his or her presence, then you take his or her power away.”

  “How do you know all of this? Are you making all of this up?” Edie asked, sensing Jules’s advice was too good to be true.

  Jules held up her hands in a halt motion. “I’m not intentionally misleading you, but I am theorizing…or hypothesizing, whichever the correct one is before you’ve proven your idea. I should’ve paid more attention in science class,” she commented to herself, then grimaced and lowered her hands when Edie narrowed her eyes at her—and emitted a small growl for dramatic effect. “Sorry, I’ve never dealt with an actual attachment before, but I do know some stuff. Hey, I know what: definitely come this Saturday to Grimsby Sanatorium. We can draw out your ghost and maybe the other ghosts can tell us what’s going on. You know because they’re in the limbo network and all. And if you are a witch that’s even better because we’ll get some real, hard evidence of the supernatural! It’ll be awesome,” she assured Edie.

  Edie blew out an exasperated breath. “It’s not awesome, Jules. I’m being haunted, if that’s indeed what’s going on. I’m not entirely sure my problem is a ghost—or a poltergeist, whatever—after all.”

  Jules seemed offended. “Then how else do you explain what you’ve been going through?”

  “Insanity?” Edie offered.

  Jules waved a dismissive hand. “Edie, we’re all a little bit insane, but that doesn’t mean we should be committed. Insanity is just another word for foolishness, and as teenagers, aren’t we just the most foolish bunch around?” she said with a crooked smile.

  Edie chuckled. “Maybe.”

  “Definitely,” Jules corrected. “Look, I’m not going to pressure you, but if you want answers, I think you should join us this Saturday. GPS has never had the best of luck capturing indisputable supernatural phenomena, but I think with you there, we’ll get tons of activity.”

  “What if something bad happens? What if someone gets hurt?”

  Jules clasped Edie’s hand. “It won’t. Trust me.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Edie said, not making any promises.

  Thankfully, Jules didn’t pressure her, and they said their goodbyes, parting ways.

  Edie went to economics, then to American government, not really paying attention, thinking over and over again, and replaying in my mind, what she and Jules had discussed.

  Can she be right? Is there a ghost attached to me?

  For the most part, it made sense, yet Edie still couldn’t believe it to be true. Why her?

  Why had she been able to enter Lockhart Manor when Jules and her ghost-hunting friends never could?

  ****

  Just as Edie entered Spanish, the last class of her day, her cell phone buzzed. It was Diana. She’d gotten back to her about Ravenna, who Edie noticed wasn’t seated, and Rochelle was absent, having been expelled. Diana had sent a text that read: meet me @ girls’ room near lobby. Edie avoided the stares of her classmates, told Mrs. Bellamy that she didn’t feel well, and then swept out of the classroom, heading toward the girls’ restroom down the hall.

  “Hello?” she called out, when she entered. “Diana?”

  Diana popped her head out of a stall, and then Madelyn came out of the next one. Diana left the stall and pulled Edie near the tampon dispenser.

  “What’s going on? What’d you find out about Ravenna?” Edie asked.

  “She’s in the hospital but it’s just whiplash,” Madelyn informed. “She’ll be released in a few hours.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Diana added, “Ravenna claimed when she was driving back to school, a man wearing a long, black leather coat and a hood covering his face just ‘appeared out of thin air’ right in front of her car. She swerved to avoid him and went into a ditch. She’s blaming you, of course, saying that because you’re a witch, you conjured him up to kill her.” Diana shook her head in disbelief.

  Madelyn nodded in agreement with her friend. “Ravenna’s just making up the whole ‘a man appeared out of thin air’ bit. She probably wasn’t paying attention, putting on her makeup or something, and ran into a ditch. She’s probably whining to all the doctors, having them run tests, so people can treat her like a queen. She’s so used to playing second fiddle to Rochelle that she’s just lapping up all this attention.”

  “But why would she make up a story like that?” Edie asked. “I mean, doesn’t that make her look crazy? She could’ve just said ‘a man walked out in front of her,’ but no, she said that he ‘appeared out of thin air’.”

  Diana furrowed her brow. “What? Like a ghost?”

  Edie hands flew to her mouth, and then she quickly lowered them.

  “What?” Madelyn asked, looking concerned.

  “N-nothing,” Edie stammered.

  She still didn’t want to tell them what’d been happening to her or what’d been possibly happening to her. Mason knew some things, but not all, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  “I’d like to see Ravenna,” Edie continued. “Do you know where she lives?”

  Diana and Madelyn looked at her as if she really were crazy.

  “Seriously?” Diana said, giving Edie a chance to change her mind.

  Edie nodded, determined.

  “Well, her family owns a restaurant on Main Street called Fabrizio’s,” Madelyn informed. “They live in the apartment above. Are you like really, really sure you want to go there?” she asked, giving Edie another chance to back out like Diana had done.

  Edie had to know what Ravenna had seen even if she had to threaten to turn her into a toad to get the information out of her.

  Edie nodded again. “She doesn’t scare me.”

  “Then we’ll go with you,” Diana said, nudging Madelyn.

  “Uh, yeah, okay,” Madelyn agreed, unsure, but loyal to Diana. “What are friends for? Into the lions’ den!” she cheered.

  “Uh, no, that’s okay, really,” Edie said.

  Diana waved her hand. “It’s done. We’re going with you. We’ll meet you there after school, okay?”

  Edie gave them a false smile. “Sure, okay.
”

  Diana and Madelyn didn’t notice Edie’s deception.

  They said their goodbyes and parted ways, but Edie remained in the restroom, hidden in a stall. She really didn’t want Diana and Madelyn to go with her because she wanted to interrogate Ravenna on her own. She was sure Ravenna hadn’t imagined the man in the coat and hood. And Edie knew that she hadn’t conjured him up to scare Ravenna, making her go off the road.

  Edie may not have liked her, but she didn’t want her dead.

  Although it seemed that someone else did.

  Chapter 12

  Mason arrived and gave Edie a kiss on the cheek.

  He’d learned from Diana about Edie’s plan to see Ravenna after school. She hadn’t tried to hide it from him, but she hadn’t announced it, either.

  And she couldn’t tell him no. He was her boyfriend, after all.

  Mason sniffed. “Man, that food smells good.”

  Edie nodded in agreement, standing with him in front of Fabrizio’s.

  “Maybe after you’re done talking to Rave, we can get a bite to eat.” He smiled, showing off his dimples. “It’ll be our first date.”

  Edie just smiled back. She was sure that Ravenna would ruin her appetite. But Edie had to talk to her, to find out what she’d seen, or who she’d seen.

  Mason checked the time on his phone. “Where are Di and Maddie?”

  Edie shrugged and looked around. “They were supposed to be here by now—oh, there they are.”

  A modern, turquoise hatchback came to a stop along the curb behind Mason’s truck; he’d parked behind Edie. Diana got out of the driver’s side and Madelyn followed from the passenger’s. They greeted Edie with a smile.

  “Awesome,” Diana said, “you waited.”

  Madelyn observed Mason, his arm around Edie’s waist. “It’s official, then?” she asked Edie with a smile.

  Edie smiled back. “It’s official.”

  “Rochelle’s gonna freak,” Diana said, and then lifted her shoulder into a half shrug. “But it doesn’t take much for her,” she commented dryly.

  Mason kissed Edie’s cheek. “Rochelle can freak all she wants. I don’t know why she even bothers. It’s not like we were in love or anything.”

  Madelyn shrugged. “It’s Ro being Ro. If she acted any different, we’d think her brain had been altered by an alien probe or something.”

  “Do you believe in aliens?” Edie asked, curious.

  Madelyn shrugged again. “Anything’s possible, right?”

  Edie just nodded, and then said, “Well, let’s get going.”

  Mrs. Gallo showed them up to Ravenna’s room. “She’ll be so glad to see her friends,” she said, smiling, oblivious.

  She knocked on Ravenna’s bedroom door with a huge sign that read:

  DO NOT DISTURB: GENIUS AT WORK.

  Yeah, right.

  There was a faint moan, and then Ravenna asked, “Who’s there?” in a weak, but overly fabricated voice.

  “It’s me,” Mrs. Gallo announced, opening her door. “Your friends are here to see you.”

  “Friends?” she repeated, obviously confused by the plural form of the noun.

  Mrs. Gallo stood aside, so they could enter. Ravenna’s bedroom was small, but cozy-looking, decorated in different shades of red, from pale pink to dark burgundy. She was lying in bed with a rose-printed comforter over her and a foam brace around her neck, reading a fashion magazine.

  She glared at the four of them, then Mrs. Gallo, and stated in a strong voice, “Those aren’t my friends. I only have one friend. You know that, mom.”

  Mrs. Gallo advanced and fluffed Ravenna’s pillows. “Well, your classmates, then, and it would do you good to have more friends. They obviously care about you, coming all this way to see you.”

  Ravenna flared her nostrils. “I don’t want to see them.” She narrowed her eyes but only at Edie. “Go away.”

  “Be nice, Ravenna,” Mrs. Gallo admonished, putting her hands on her hips.

  Ravenna pouted, tugging on her brace. “But my neck, mom, they’ll aggravate it.”

  Mason stepped forward and gave Ravenna a sweet smile, dimples exploding with charm. “We came to see you, Rave.” He sat gingerly on her bed. “How are you, huh? Need anything? We miss you.”

  Ravenna didn’t know what to say. Edie took the opportunity to thank Mrs. Gallo, who then promptly left, needed elsewhere. When Edie closed the door, and turned back toward Ravenna, she was looking all dreamy-eyed at Mason.

  Diana advanced and snapped her fingers in front of Ravenna’s face.

  Ravenna blinked, and then said, “Mason can stay, but the rest of you, leave now.”

  Mason stood up. “We’re all staying. Edie wants to talk to you.”

  He left Ravenna, looking wounded, and it had nothing to do with her neck injury. Edie approached Ravenna’s bed, while Mason, Diana, and Madelyn hovered nearby. Ravenna lifted the magazine in front of her face, telling Edie that she was not in the mood to talk. Well, too bad. Edie tugged the magazine from her hand and threw it on her bedside table.

  “Hey!” Ravenna shouted, and then scrutinized her fingers. “You could’ve given me a paper cut.” She stared coldly at Edie. “What? You couldn’t kill me in the street, so you’re trying again?”

  Edie put her hands on her hips, imitating Mrs. Gallo. “First, I didn’t try to kill you. I’m not a witch. Second, what’s your problem with me? I’ve never done anything to you.”

  “Ro says—”

  “Rochelle’s a jealous liar,” Mason cut her off. “If she jumped off a cliff, would you?”

  “You bet she would,” Diana said, arms folded over her chest. “She’s a total sheep.”

  “I am not a sheep,” Ravenna countered.

  “Sheep,” Madelyn echoed, and then belted out, “Baaah!”

  Ravenna cursed and Edie held up her hands to prevent an all-out brawl. “Enough,” she warned everyone, and then turned toward Ravenna. “I want to know what happened about this man you saw who appeared out of thin air.”

  “You should know,” Ravenna said. “You conjured him, witch.”

  “Yeah, you know what? I am a witch, but I didn’t try to have you killed. I’m trying to find out who did conjure that man in the street.”

  Ravenna bit her lip, and then asked, “Like another witch?”

  “Possibly,” Edie threw out, hoping that she’d take the bait.

  Ravenna closed her eyes. “I was driving”—she opened her eyes—“and not speeding by the way”—she closed her eyes again—“and suddenly, like magic or something, a man just whooshed.”

  Edie furrowed her brow. “Whooshed?” she repeated.

  Ravenna opened her eyes, and then rolled them. “Yes, whooshed like magic.” She gave Edie a lazy wave. “You should know. You’re a witch. Anyway, he wasn’t there one second, and then he suddenly appeared, wearing this long, black leather coat like something you’d see in olden days, and a black leather hood was covering his head and face, but….”

  Edie sat on the bed, but maintained a sizable distance. Shockingly, Ravenna didn’t try to push her off. “But what?” Edie repeated, literally on the edge of her seat.

  Ravenna shivered and pulled a pink-hearted blanket up to her chin. “Even though I couldn’t see his face, I saw something.” She paused, gathering her strength it seemed, and then continued, “his face was dark, and I don’t mean like he was a different race or anything; it was like a shadow, or some sort of mask was over his face, hiding him, but I could see his eyes; they had this glow about them like a white light, two white orbs, even; it was bright, you know, when the sun is in your face and you can barely see the road in the mornings. Scary. I swerved to avoid hitting him, slid on the icy road, and the car went out of control. I barely managed to avoid crashing headfirst into tree and skidded into a ditch instead.” She gently felt her neck. “I guess it could’ve been worse.”

  “I’m glad you’re all right,” Edie said sincerely.

  Rave
nna blew out a breath of disbelief. “Yeah, right.”

  “No, seriously.” Edie laid her hand over Ravenna’s, who immediately jerked it back.

  “Can you even act normal for once?” Madelyn said, disgusted with Ravenna’s behavior.

  “No, that’s not it,” Edie said, noticing the scratches on Ravenna’s hand.

  “You are a witch!” Ravenna accused, cradling her wounded hand. “You came here to kill me!”

  Edie leapt off the bed and backed away, scared. Mason, Diana, and Madelyn were all looking at her, as if she were actually a witch. Ravenna scrambled out of bed and ran toward the door, seeking to flee. As soon as she got it open, it jerked out of her grasp, slamming shut, on its own. She stood there, speechless, but then found her voice, letting out a shriek, as she looked down at her hand. She flipped it over to reveal her discolored palm, lightly burnt from the mysteriously-heated doorknob that looked deceptively like cool brass. Despite the central heat being on, the bedroom was freezing. Edie could see her own breath.

  “What’s going on?” Diana asked, breath visibly escaping her mouth too.

  Diana was shivering. Madelyn came by her friend’s side and held her, but despite their combined warmth, they were both trembling.

  “Edie?” Madelyn said, needing some guidance.

  Edie shrugged and held out her hands, helpless. “I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what to do.”

  Mason went for the door, but Edie pushed him away. “No, you’ll get hurt.”

  “She’s a witch,” Ravenna accused again, now hiding in a corner, as she cradled her wounded hand against her chest. “She’ll kill you all!”

  Edie protested her innocence just as the walls started to shake. Ravenna’s flowerily pink wallpaper started rolling down the wall, exposing the ugly green paint job underneath. The water in her fish tank started to heat up, boil, and within seconds, her fish were cooked. The lights started flickering, until they exploded, sending sparks flying, and then they were veiled in darkness.