From our vantage point, we had a view through the doorway into the
dining room. Ruby had turned her chair around to face the staircase. She sat,
her hands folded neatly in her lap, her head tilted to the side a fraction as
though curious to see us. Her long hair seemed to glow in the golden light,
and her eyes seemed bigger and bluer than ever.
The woman stood behind the chair, her long, mottled fingers resting on
Ruby’s shoulders. She leaned forward, almost curling around Ruby, as grey
eyes stared at us from under matted black hair.
Then she was gone.
I TURNED TO Lucky , nearly frantic with excitement and stress. “You saw that!
You saw, didn’t you? Say you saw her!”
His lips parted a fraction. His fingers gripped the bannister, and the
knuckles turned white from the pressure. “Ah—ah—”
I shook his shoulder. “Lucky?”
He looked at me as though he hadn’t realised I was there. His eyes were
wide and filled with terror. Then he staggered away from me, stumbling
down the remainder of the stairs and knocking the awful watercolours askew.
Ruby waited patiently in her chair, watching us, but Lucky didn’t go to
her. He stumbled into the front door, wrenched it open, and vanished outside.
“Lucky!” I hesitated in the foyer, part of me wanting to keep Ruby safe,
part afraid that Lucky would run into the street and be hit by a car. Ruby gave
me a small calm smile, so I followed my cousin outside.
He’d come to a halt at the end of the yard. He bent over, hands braced on
his knees, as he was sick in my bushes. I jogged to catch up to him then
patted his shoulder helplessly.
“It’s all right. You’re all right.”
He gasped in a breath and straightened, leaning against the fence for
support. Perspiration shone over his face. “What part of this is all right , Jo?”
“Ehh…” All I could do was shrug. “I’m really sorry.”
He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. For a moment, he did
nothing but breathe and lean on the pickets, then he turned his head to squint
at me. “Can you tell me this is a joke? Please? Light and mirrors, designed to
frighten old sceptic Lucky? Is that why you wanted the cameras—to catch myreaction?”
His tone wasn’t accusing, but pleading. He was grasping at anything he
could find to keep his footing on his belief—or rather, lack of belief—in the
supernatural.
I exhaled and leaned my back against the fence, careful to avoid the place
where he’d thrown up. “I wish I could. Really. I’m sorry. But I wanted the
cameras because this stuff has been going on for weeks, ever since Ruby
moved in.”
“Okay.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes closed.
“Okay. I’m not going back in there. And you’re not, either. Is that thing…
attached to Ruby?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think it stays with the house.”
“Okay. Then call Ruby. The three of us are getting away from this place.”
“Where?
“Then we’ll stay in a hotel.” He straightened. The panic lingered in his
eyes, and his shoulders shook, but he seemed to be regaining control over
himself. “Somewhere a long way from here.”
I can’t, and Ruby can’t. Not long-term, I
mean. And there’s no point in leaving for one night if we just have to come
back tomorrow.”
Let’s inform about this to Sandeep and Happy.
“Ugh.” He began pacing. “Please stop talking sense, Jo. It’s disorienting.”
I laughed and gave his shoulder another pat. “It’s really all right. Like I
said, this stuff has been happening for a while. Why don’t you crash at another section of the mension tonight? I’ll make you a bed ”
He continued pacing. At the end of every lap, he paused to look at the
house as though it might have an answer for him. I was starting to grow
restless by the time he said, “All right.”
“Okay. Stay here a moment. I’ll go check on Ruby. ”
I left Lucky at the top of the driveway and jogged back to the front door.
Ruby stood just inside the foyer, waiting for me. She spoke before I caught
my breath. “How is he?”