“You did it first.”
“It was an accident when I did it.”
“How do you know it wasn’t an accident when I did it?”
“Because you told me you were going to do it before you did it.”
“Oh, right.” He let loose a low chuckle. “Well, I’m sorry I grabbed your butt. Wow. There’s a sentence I never thought I would say.” He inhaled deeply as the fresh air hit them in the face. “Actually, you know what? I’m not sorry I grabbed your butt. It was the highlight of our trip.”
Hannah pulled up short, causing Cooper to smack into her back.
“I was just kidding, baby. I’m totally sorry.”
All the oxygen Hannah had been holding inside escaped in a large whoosh. “Abigail, where have you been? I’ve been calling you for twelve straight hours.”
Cooper jerked up his head, immediately sheltering his eyes to get a better look. Sure enough, even though she was faint, Hannah’s late grandmother’s ghost was indeed standing on the hilltop regarding them. “It’s good you came. Hannah has been melting down. We need some information on some books.”
“Books?” Confusion was written all over Abigail’s ethereal face. “I don’t have time to talk about books. We have a bigger problem. I’ve been locked out of Casper Creek.”
Bewildered, Hannah shifted her eyes to Cooper. “I don’t know what that means. Do you know what that means?”
“No.” Cooper was calm. “Maybe it has something to do with the dome, though.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Hannah, things shifting in her head. “It’s not a dome to keep people inside but ghosts out. Wait ... is that a thing?”
Abigail bobbed her head. “It’s most definitely a thing. I’ve been trying to catch your attention — anybody’s attention — for almost two days.”
“Two days?” Hannah shook her head. “That can’t be right. We would’ve noticed if the dome had been up before that.”
“Really?” Abigail was positively apoplectic. “Did you leave Casper Creek before yesterday?”
Hannah searched her memory. “I ... yes.” She jabbed out a finger. “Cooper and I went to dinner the night before last.”
“She’s right,” Cooper offered. “We went to town. We didn’t notice anything.”
“Was it already dark?”
“I ... no.” He shook his head. “We sat outside and watched the sunset.”
“It didn’t come down until the middle of the night,” Abigail provided. “I know because I was in the animal paddock messing with the goats when it happened. I was cast out of Casper Creek like a kite on a windy day. I mean ... I was literally lifted from my feet and thrown out of the town.
“At first I thought it was something you did,” she continued, focusing on Hannah. “I thought maybe you were practicing magic and cast a weird spell. When I saw that there was a dome over the town, though, I knew that couldn’t be it. You’re strong — and you’ll get stronger — but you’re not that strong.”
“What’s the deal with the dome?” Cooper queried, sliding his arm around Hannah’s waist. Even though they were out of the cave, the shadow it cast remained strong enough that a chill was permeating his bones. He wanted to get Hannah back to Casper Creek, but Abigail’s appearance — and problem — wouldn’t allow for that.
“I don’t know.” Abigail looked unnaturally frazzled. She was normally the unflappable sort, but she was completely out of her depth today. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It has to be something you guys caused, though.”
Hannah vehemently shook her head. “No, at least not the way you think. We have been dealing with some stuff, though.”
“I’m going to need more than that.”
“Walk with us,” Cooper instructed. “We’ll tell you on the way down. I want to get away from this cave.”
“Fair enough.” Abigail waited for Cooper and Hannah to start walking. “You have to tell me everything. I don’t like being locked out of my own home.”
“Well, it started after dinner,” Hannah explained. “We were walking and saw a terrible accident.” She laid everything out, not omitting a single thing. By the time she got to the dust storm and Angel’s disappearance, Abigail looked even more worked up.
“I don’t understand any of this.” She focused on Cooper as he landed at the bottom of the hill. “How is any of this possible?”
“You’re asking the wrong person. I can’t figure any of this out. I would’ve chalked it up to a monster of the week but then Hannah’s dreams started taking over. She’s convinced these old witches had something to do with it. I’m basically along for the ride.”
“Hold up.” Abigail raised her hand to quiet him. “What old witches? What are you even talking about?”
“Oh, well, that’s the part of the story I didn’t tell you,” Hannah offered. “I’ve been dreaming about Amelia and Bettina Creed. They were witches who used to live on this land back in the 1700s.”
If it was possible for a ghost to lose color, Abigail managed it. She turned positively ashen. “I know all about them.”
“Well, I’ve been having extremely vivid dreams about them. I can’t help but think the two things are connected.”
“But ... crap.” Abigail shook her head. “How is that possible?”
“We don’t know,” Cooper replied. “We’ve been searching for information on them. We found a book in the apartment. It’s missing some pages, though.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I’m the one who ripped them out.”
Hannah almost tripped she was so surprised. “Why would you do that?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I think you need to tell us.”
“It seems I don’t have much of a choice,” Abigail agreed. “You might as well get comfortable. It’s going to be a long story.”
12
Twelve
“The story in the book didn’t get it entirely right,” Abigail started as Cooper and Hannah got comfortable under a tree. If they were going to be trapped in the elements without
