Reborn (32 page)

Maggie seemed pleasant enough, until she spoke again. “
I’ve been waiting for you, Brooke
.”

Although her lips hadn’t moved, her sharp words pierced my brain like frigid icicles. Unable to look away, I stared at her, wide eyed, while her teeth grew to razor-edged points and an inky blackness swallowed the pale blue of her irises.

As quickly as the apparition had paralyzed me, it released me. Once again, I looked upon the face of the feeble old woman Sammy had just introduced me to, with the knowledge that her last remark had solely been meant for me to hear.

I grabbed both sides of my head, trying to rub away the sharp, pulsing pains that lingered there.

“Brooke, are you okay?” Sammy asked through clenched teeth, while jabbing her elbow into my arm.

I lowered my hands and cleared away all thoughts of the dreadful image. My mind was playing tricks on me—it had to be. This sweet, ancient-looking woman posed no threat and neither did her inn. I had to get a grip. Soon I’d be working here.

“Brooke?”

Finally able to blink, I lowered my eyes from Maggie’s. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I got up too early today, I guess.” I put on a genuine smile. “Hi, Maggie. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Maybe you should sit down dear,” Maggie said. “You’re a ghastly shade of ecru.”

With her cane, she pointed toward a red velvet settee at one end of the foyer. I sat uncomfortably on its edge, clutching my clammy hands together. Maggie and Sammy seated themselves in chairs opposite me. The piercing pains in my head mellowed slightly.

A pale-skinned girl, who looked to be about twelve or thirteen, appeared from behind the staircase. With her face bent toward the floor, she shuffled across the foyer toward us. Her raven hair, a stark contrast against her pale complexion, had been gathered into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. Despite the layers of clothing she wore and lack of make-up, she was sort of pretty in a peculiar way. She came to a stop beside Maggie’s chair, her hands clasped in front of her. She stared at me oddly with dark, lifeless eyes. The chill melted, and I grew uncomfortably warm from the inside out and lowered my gaze to the timeworn patterns in the area rug.

“Beth dear, will you be so kind and bring us drinks?”

The shy girl obeyed Maggie’s order, disappearing behind the staircase.

Fresh paint over old decay hung in the air. I found it difficult to breathe as Sammy and Maggie conversed about the mundane happenings of the village.

Within minutes, Beth came back carrying a tray with three glasses of sweet tea, complete with lemon slices and a plate of homemade sugar cookies sprinkled with colored sugar. She set the tray on an oak side table and smiled at me before leaving us.

“So, Brooke dear, you must find it a big change moving from the city to our quaint village.” Maggie smiled, pushing back the abundance of wrinkles like an accordion, the new arrangement of deep lines framing her mouth.

“It wasn’t my idea, that’s for sure.” I regretted my sarcasm immediately and changed my tone before I continued, not wanting to sound like an ungrateful brat. “But I’m sure I’ll get used to it. And thanks for giving me a job here.”

Maggie’s pleasantries seemed to mask something more sinister—my imagination again. She made every effort to make me feel comfortable, so why didn’t I? There was something odd about her, and I was sure Sammy didn’t detect it or she would have said something to me.

I kept up the grateful façade throughout our conversation, eating a cookie and drinking the sweet tea. When I just about couldn’t take any more of the creepy old woman and her creepy inn, Beth came back to collect Maggie for a phone call.

With the young girl’s help, Maggie stood. “I’ll look forward to seeing you girls later this week. Goodbye until then.” She turned and hobbled away with Beth at her side.

Once they were out of sight, I stood up so fast I got a head rush. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Geez, Brooke, relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

I bolted toward the open door as fast as I could without running, pushing past a couple of the inn’s patrons. I didn’t stop to wait for Sammy until I was halfway down the walkway, where I allowed myself to stop and breathe in the fresh sea air and wild roses.

“Are you alright? You’re acting weird,” Sammy asked when she caught up.

After some deep breaths, I faced her. “No, I’m not all right. That woman’s a total creep and so is her sidekick.”

Sammy burst into a laugh. “I’m sorry, Brooke, but when did you get so paranoid? You used to be the tough one.”

If she only knew.

“Come on. I’m suddenly hungry,” I said, making any excuse to get out of there.

The lack of street lighting in Deadwich had me reflecting on the light outside my bedroom window as we walked back. It had illuminated my nights and lightened my dreams ever since I could remember. I would miss it most. In approximately nine hours, Deadwich would be in total darkness, and my new bedroom was in the back of Aunt Rachel’s house, gifting me with a million-dollar view of the Ravenwyck’s dormer peaks. How lucky for me.

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