Coldhearted (9781311888433) Read online

No one moved, except Edie. From memory of when she’d first entered, she advanced toward the window and threw open the curtains to let in the afternoon light. It was a bad move to make. Cracks started forming in the window, splitting, veering off wildly. It was going to shatter soon.

  “Get down!” Edie yelled, and hoped everyone would follow her orders.

  Seconds later, the window imploded, and sent glass shards across the room. They embedded themselves with a loud thump! into the wall.

  There were shouts from outside, gasps of shock.

  “Is everyone all right?” Edie asked just those in the room, as she stood up.

  Mason, Diana, and Madelyn all nodded, but still looked shaken up. Edie didn’t blame them. She turned toward Ravenna, hiding in the corner. Ravenna looked dead. Edie ran over and checked her pulse. She was alive, just passed out. I’m totally screwed now.

  There’d be no way Ravenna would take back her accusation that Edie was a witch. The proof was her destroyed bedroom.

  Mason advanced toward Edie and wrapped her in his arms, unafraid of her cursed touch. “What in the hell just happened?” he asked, seeking answers.

  Edie welcomed his warmth but she had no answer for him.

  “You’re not really a witch, are you?” Diana asked, shoving her hands into her pockets for warmth.

  Madelyn’s hands were free and she used one to lightly slap her friend’s arm. “Please, don’t be ridiculous.” She turned toward Edie. “Seriously, are you?”

  Again, Edie had no answers. She stayed silent even when she felt a cold presence standing next to her.

  “Edie…how’d you like my little show?” The haunting voice was talking in her ear.

  Edie shivered and pressed tighter against Mason. “Did y’all hear that?” she asked, finding her voice. Scared, her southern accent came out as a drawl.

  “Hear what?” Mason asked.

  “I just hear my own heart in my ears,” Diana said.

  “And I think I peed myself,” Madelyn added, unashamed. “But no, I didn’t hear anything.” She turned her head away from the group. “Well, if you count the frantic running up the stairs...”

  The bedroom door busted open and Mrs. Gallo stood at the threshold, appraising the situation with wide eyes. She gasped and ran to Ravenna, holding her daughter in her arms. “Ravenna? Ravenna?” She turned toward the others, tears in her eyes. “What happened?”

  “It was a ghost,” the haunting voice said in Edie’s ear. “Go ahead. Tell her. It’s all so simple: It. Was. A. Ghost.” The ghost chuckled, deep in its throat. “Are you afraid of the dark, Edie?”

  She was fighting back tears. “I-I’m sorry, I have to go,” she told everyone.

  She pulled away from Mason’s embrace, ran down the stairs, through the crowded restaurant, and then out on the sidewalk, trying to catch her breath. The bystanders turned their faces from the damage toward her, staring with judgmental eyes.

  They know it’s my fault.

  “Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?!” she demanded of the ghost.

  “I’m doing this because it’s fun.” He was speaking in her ear, sending chills throughout her body. “I like to have fun, Edie. You should join me. Let loose.”

  “Edie?!”

  Edie jumped when a warm hand touched her shoulder, so used to the cold. She turned and launched herself into Mason’s loving arms. He held her without question for the longest time. When she was the first to pull away and wiped her tears, she noticed that Mason, Diana, and Madelyn were staring at her. They weren’t being judgmental. Her friends were concerned. They may have thought that she was a witch, but at least they still liked her.

  Edie wasn’t a witch, however. All the weird stuff that’d been happening to her, to others, wasn’t because she was supernatural. It was all the work of a ghost—a “poltergeist,” as Jules had said. Edie had entered Lockhart Manor and a ghost had exited—attached to her. Even though she hadn’t caused the window to explode, and the fish to boil and die, and everything else that’d happened in Ravenna’s room, she still felt responsible, all because she’d gotten lost and wandered into a haunted house.

  Mason reached out and lovingly cupped Edie’s face in his hands. “Edie, what happened back there?”

  She wrapped her fingers around his wrists, holding on for security. His concern and warmth kept her knees from buckling under the cold weight atop her shoulders.

  “It’s simple,” Edie said, and then repeated what the cold voice had wanted her to say to Mrs. Gallo earlier: “It was a ghost.”

  Chapter 13

  Although Edie’s uncle had disputed the accusation that she’d totally demolished Ravenna’s room, he’d paid Mrs. Gallo “hush” money in the form of a large-summed check to repair the damages and a bit extra for any “mental suffering.”

  “I’ll pay you back,” Edie said meekly.

  Uncle Landon shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

  They were standing on the sidewalk; all the passersby had gone; Mason, Diana, and Madelyn had gone too. Of course they’d all said, “What?” in unison when she’d told them about the ghost haunting her, but she hadn’t been able to go into further details. Mr. and Mrs. Gallo had been demanding retribution for the damage and mental suffering Edie had apparently caused, according to Ravenna, who’d come out of her short coma and screamed: “WITCH!”

  Edie was grateful that the residents of Grimsby had refrained from starting a pyre and burning her to death, or throwing her into a freezing lake to see if she’d sink or float. She guessed there was still some common sense in the world.

  “Well, let’s go home,” Uncle Landon said.

  “I’ll, uh, see you later,” Edie said. “I promised my friends I’d meet up with them. We need to talk…about a school project,” she lied.

  “Are they the ones who I saw you with when I arrived?”

  Edie nodded.

  “That boy seemed attached to you,” he said, sounding neutral on the matter.

  Edie blushed. “That’s Mason, my boyfriend. He’s nice.” Speaking of Mason reminded Edie of Russell, for some reason. “Uncle Landon? Why did you lie this morning to my principal and say that you were with me and my teacher last night?”

  Uncle Landon sighed, his breath visible in the cold. “I lied because I didn’t want you to get into trouble for seeing your teacher.”

  Edie gasped. “No, uncle! Russ—I mean, Mr. B and I are not together.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he said, looking relieved. “I’m not your dad. I never will be. I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but I don’t want you making foolish choices, either. So what was your teacher doing at my house last night without me knowing? And who tattled on you?” He didn’t seem mad, but he wasn’t thrilled, either.

  Edie bit her lip, and then said, “Well, Russell, I mean, Mr. B was just making sure I was okay, you know, with the death of my parents, and moving to a new town. He was concerned for me.” Edie sighed, watching her own breath escape. “And the tattler was Rochelle Lafayette, who was sneaking around outside the gates. Oh, and she tried to get my teacher into trouble earlier this year by saying he made a pass at her. And she’s also Mason’s ex-girlfriend. So she kind of has it in for me. She got suspended for three days for falsely accusing me and Mr. B of having an inappropriate affair.”

  “They suspended her for merely lying?”

  Edie bit her lip again, and then said, “Well, there was this incident yesterday when she accused me of trying to kill her with a scarf.” Edie gestured at Ravenna’s broken window. “And Ravenna Gallo accused me of trying to kill her too, of being a witch, and conjuring some cloaked and hooded man to appear in front of her car, and make her go off the road.”

  Uncle Landon was silent for the longest time, processing. Finally, he said, “As a writer, this story sounds fascinating, but as your uncle, this sounds sad and horrible. Sorry you’ve been going through this. I know I haven’t been attentive—”

  �
��It’s okay,” she cut him off, waving a dismissive hand. “You’re busy writing.”

  “If you ever need to talk...”

  Edie nodded. “Thanks.”

  She followed her uncle to the driver’s side of his BMW, an older model, black with chrome wheels. He didn’t immediately start the car, instead giving her a concerned look.

  “Don’t stay out too late, okay?”

  “Okay,” she agreed, confused. “Why?”

  He let a smile slip. “Scary things come out at night.”

  She wasn’t smiling. “They come out in the day, too.”

  He nodded. “That’s true but what I meant was animals and such, wolves mainly. I saw one once and the snow perfectly camouflaged his white fur. All I could see was a pair of menacing amber eyes, staring hungrily at me.”

  “Sounds like a good horror story,” she said.

  He smiled. “No, that’s real life.”

  “Real life is a horror story,” she commented, matter-of-fact.

  He considered this, and then said, “You’re right.” He’d been smiling but now it faded. “Edie…I’m concerned about this teacher of yours. He comes over to my house, spends all this time with you, alone, and doesn’t even bother to meet me.”

  “I told him that you didn’t want to be bothered.”

  He shook his head. “I guess it’s my fault. We don’t really know each other, despite being family. I should have come down and visited more often, but…anyway, in the future, I want to know if anyone is coming over, yeah? Not to say they have to be approved or anything. I just want to know, okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay. And you don’t have to worry about my teacher. He knew it was a mistake coming over. He told me if I needed to talk, I’d have to come to his classroom, where he could leave the door open…so no suspicions.”

  Uncle Landon reached out and held her gloved hand. “Just be careful, okay Edie? You’re beautiful, just like your mother, and men can drive themselves insane, desiring such a beauty that they can never have.”

  Edie’s mouth fell open. “Uncle, were you in love with my mom?” she asked in disbelief.

  He let go of her and finally started the car. “Stay warm,” he said, instead of answering her question. “You’re not made for the cold.” He frowned. “Neither was your mother.”

  Edie almost had to jump back, as Uncle Landon took off down Main Street, fleeing from her. She stared at the back of his car, the red taillights braking bright when he reached the corner, and then he turned, traveling out of sight.

  She couldn’t believe it. Uncle Landon had loved her mom. And she’d chosen Edie’s dad instead. So that was why he’d never visited. He couldn’t bear to see her mom with his brother. He couldn’t bear to see Edie, the product of the love that he’d been denied. Edie always wondered why he was alone, unmarried, not even seeing someone. He was still attached to her mom, even in death.

  Overwhelmed, she’d forgotten to ask her uncle if he thought she’d purposely destroyed Ravenna’s room. He’d seen the damage. He’d seen Ravenna, cowered in a darkened corner, spitting Edie’s name out like it’d been poison on her tongue. Yet Edie had her answer, as she stood free, and not locked in her room, or a mental asylum. It could be that he didn’t believe she’d done all that damage, which she hadn’t, although she couldn’t help feeling partly responsible. She was the one who’d brought a violent ghost into Ravenna’s room; a ghost who’d been shadowing her every move, stirring up trouble, making Edie out to be delusional and dangerous.

  The poltergeist had yet to make an appearance, and for that, she was grateful. She didn’t know his powers (yes, it was definitely a he), if he could manifest or not, but she knew that he was near her, even though he hadn’t said one word since her uncle had arrived and left. She knew that he was near her because she was cold. Yes, she was cold all the time because Grimsby was equivalent to the ice planet of Hoth in Star Wars, but it was more than just the winter season with all its snow and ice. The cold that she was feeling was Death’s finger accelerating the clock. If midnight had been chosen as the hour of her demise, then she was in the eleventh hour.

  She’d been feeling this coldness, this oppression, and this doom, ever since Lockhart Manor. The ghost, the poltergeist, the menace, who was her constant companion, desired her death, she knew it. And the sad part to all of this? He was winning.

  He was winning because she’d rather die than live one more day knowing that she was responsible for allowing a ghost to haunt the living world.

  She knew next to nothing about ghosts, other than what she’d seen on TV and in movies. What she was experiencing was nothing like what Hollywood could come up with. It was all very real and all very terrifying. To someone like her uncle, a writer, such a story was “fascinating,” as he’d said. Even though he didn’t know everything, the bits that she’d told him were interesting enough. She wondered how he’d feel knowing a ghost was living inside his house. She mentally chuckled. He’d probably want to communicate with it, use it as research for his stories.

  She was a hundred percent certain her ghost wouldn’t tolerate being interviewed, unless it was to boast about his devilish deeds. No, she couldn’t tell her uncle. She couldn’t invite that sort of fascination into his life. Better to leave him in the dark.

  ****

  Twilight had arrived and a light snow was starting to fall. Edie zipped up her coat, slid into the driver’s seat of her car, turned over the engine, and blasted the heat. Once she was warm enough, she dialed Diana’s number.

  Diana picked up after one ring. “Edie, you okay?”

  “Yeah, my uncle just left.”

  “Is it okay for you to come over?”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t mind. Has Madelyn and Mason made it to your house yet?”

  “Madelyn just arrived. I’m waiting on Mason. My parents and little brother are here, but they won’t bother us. The whole upstairs is mine, really. My mom might try to feed you, and my dad might want to look under the hood of your car, but other than that, they’re harmless. My little brother is a baby, so he might just drool on you, if you’re lucky.”

  Edie chuckled. “After everything I’ve been through, drool sounds wonderful. Okay, I’ll see you in a bit. So I just take a left at the end of Main, then head to the first light, and take a right on…what was your street again?”

  “Hawthorne,” Diana replied. “I live in a subdivision called Hawthorne City. Every house looks exactly the same, except ours has a bunch of gravestones on the front lawn.”

  Edie was confused. “Why would you have that on your lawn?”

  “Halloween,” Diana said, as if it were obvious. “We’re the only house with the gravestones. Not to say there aren’t any dead people around, but our markers aren’t real. Styrofoam, I think. So are you here yet?”

  “I haven’t even put my car in drive,” Edie said in a slight tone.

  “Oh, you don’t talk while driving?” Diana asked, like everyone did it.

  “No, but I used to.”

  “Why’d you stop?”

  Edie hesitated, emotional, and then replied, “The man who hit my parents, he was on his cell phone, not paying attention. So I guess I just don’t want to hurt someone or myself because I was on the phone when I should’ve been paying attention.”

  “Oh, I am so sorry! Now I’m going to stop and talk. That’s so awful what happened to your parents. I hope that guy got like a gazillion years in prison.”

  “He died too,” Edie informed.

  “Oh…well…oh, Mason’s just arrived.” Edie could tell that Diana was glad to have something lighter to talk about. “He and Maddie are chatting with my dad. And I smell cookies baking. Chocolate chips and snickerdoodle, if you’re curious.”

  Edie smiled even though Diana couldn’t see. “Great, those are my two favorites. I’ll be there in a flash.”

  “No!” Diana shouted into the phone. “Take your time, no rushing. Drive like a turtle if you have to.”

 
Edie kept her smile, glad for Diana’s concern. “Okay, Diana, I’ll be there in an hour,” Edie joked.

  “Then I’ll know something’s wrong and send out Search and Rescue. You know what I mean. Not too fast. Not too slow.”

  “Copy that. See you soon.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Edie ended the call and sighed, happy. Whenever she was around Diana, Madelyn, and Mason, she felt…love. Yes, that was what she felt. Love. She clasped her golden pendant with that same word embedded in rubies. She felt her parents love too. They were still with her even though she couldn’t see or hear them.

  “Eeedee.”

  Edie grunted, despite her fear, knowing that the Ghost of Grimsby wouldn’t leave her alone. To her surprise, he didn’t touch her, but she felt a chill sweep past her neck, and then a tug on her necklace; her pendant was being pulled down. She slapped her hand over it and felt how icy cold it was, as if it’d been lying for millennia in the depths of the Arctic. She wanted to hold on, but the pain was too much, and she let go, rubbing her hands together in front of the vent; the heat felt like Heaven. She was glad that the ghost hadn’t destroyed her car. The only reason she could figure was that he needed transportation too.

  Considering her ghost was male, he used their attachment (as Jules had coined) to his full advantage, intimidating her. His voice was sometimes deep, sometimes tranquil, but tranquil like a stranger trying to lure a child with candy. Creepy. She found herself wondering who he was, when he’d died, and why he was haunting her. Why hadn’t he left her yet? She guessed that he couldn’t break free. Or else he didn’t want to. Great, she had a clingy ghost.

  Her cell phone rang. It was Diana again.

  “I’m fine,” Edie greeted, just as Diana asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Edie?” Mason sounded worried. Diana must have had her cell on speaker.

  “I’m fine. I’m on my way. Save a cookie for me,” Edie added.

  “Too late,” Madelyn said in a muffled voice, her mouth obviously full of sweets.