“Yeah, I agree,” Cat nods. “Let’s make a plan to go there tomorrow. I’d say today, if the damn thing were open on a Sunday. Small town, though…”
“Right.” I nod. “That’s okay. I have homework and stuff.”
“Okay, well, let us know if anything else weird happens,” Cat says. “Or if you see Abigail again.”
“I will. Thanks,” I say. “Have a good rest of the day, you two.”
Hitting the red button, I end the call and set my phone on the nightstand.
On one hand, I feel better about the two of them and glad the air has been cleared a bit. On the other hand…this thing about the Vodník is a bit creepy.
Could that be what I saw at the edge of our pond the other day?
Flitting my eyes to the little door, I let out a puff of air.
I really should do something about the door—cover it up again with my dresser or something, but I just can’t be bothered.
My entire body feels drained and all I want to do is climb into bed and ignore the rest of the world for now. I don’t even get undressed or anything. Instead, I pull back the covers and crawl into bed, pajama bottoms and all, which is something practically unheard of. For a few minutes, I lay there wide awake before I finally roll onto my left side so I can watch the sky get lighter.
After ten minutes staring out the window, watching the trees blowing in the breeze, I feel the inklings of sleep starting to draw me back in. My eyelids feel heavy and I finally start to sink into my bed, letting the comfortable mattress cradle my body.
Just as I start to nod off, a strange scratching sound enters my consciousness. At first, it doesn't register, not really. But the longer it goes on, the more my brain starts trying to work out where the sound is coming from. The next thing I know, I'm wide awake with my eyes slammed shut. For whatever reason, I'm not strong enough to face whatever’s making that sound.
Without a doubt, it's not a natural house sound. Maybe it's gigantic mutant mice…or maybe it's something else. Whatever it is, it's not going to let me go back to sleep.
Gathering the courage to sit up in bed, I continue to keep my eyes shut as I listen for the source of the sound. When I pinpoint the direction, I open my eyes. Swallowing back a scream, I place my fingers over my lips and stare in shock. An eerie, reddish glow emanates from beneath the tiny door, illuminating its edges. I clutch my blankets close to my chest as I try to cram my heart back into my body.
Just when I get brave enough to throw my legs over the side of the bed and have a closer look, a shadow moves on the other side of the door, then disappears.
Chapter 19
Legacies and Curses
Monday classes blur by with a ferocity I’ve never experienced before. My brain is a whirling mess of questions, and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to calm it. After the shadow beneath the hidden door, I don’t know what to do. My bravado to check things out has all but vanished because now I have no idea if it’s even safe to stay in my room. What if the Vodník is camping out in there? Worse yet, could my dad be protecting a creature that captures souls? And if it is the Vodník, what in the hell am I supposed to do about it?
Before I know it, I find myself following Cat and Colt to the county library to do some more digging. Colton leads the way, back down to the older portion of the library.
“I didn’t think you’d ever want to be back here after what happened on Friday,” Cat says, plunking her backpack down on the table we vacated the other day.
“Yeah, it was a bit much,” I say, entering the space and walking to one of the large tables in the center of the room.
Colton’s eyes burn into me and I can’t help but feel self-conscious. I run my hand through my hair, trying to tame some of the flaming flyaways.
Taking a deep breath, I drop into a chair. I flit my gaze from Colton to Cat and back again.
“Look, I don’t know how this is going to sound, but I gotta get it out there because I feel like I’m going crazy,” I begin.
Colton takes a seat at the table, but Cat hovers closer, choosing instead to lean against the table.
“What’s going on?” Colt asks, leaning forward.
“Well,” I begin, getting back up and to pace, “I honestly don’t know where to start.”
“Start at the beginning,” Cat suggests.
“The beginning…” I laugh. “I’m not even sure where the beginning really is.”
“Okay…” she says, throwing an ominous look at Colton.
“It’s been a long time since I was here in Windhaven. Like, a really long time, I was seven. Anyway, when I was last here, I hated it. I hated everything about it. I hated my dad. I hated the manor. Everything. It was stifling and boring…” I say, my voice trailing off as my memories swirl. “This time, things are different. It’s like my original memories of being here don’t make sense. The house is actually kinda cool. My dad’s been nothing but awesome, and it’s been anything but boring.”
Both of them watch me expectantly as I look up to meet their gaze. Neither of them say a word; they just wait for me to continue.
I rest my hands on the back of my chair and lean in.
“One of the first few days I was here, I saw—” I say, shaking my head. “I thought I
