I stayed by the computer while Lucky left. The foyer and front porch’s
cameras pinged as he passed them, then there was another ping from the
upstairs hallway. I exhaled a groan. Maybe the cameras really were faulty,and it was just coincidence that the house was also haunted.
A soft note floated from the piano room. I twisted towards it, holding my
breath, then stood as another note followed. The warped, miserable melody
built, one note tumbling onto another, escalating, reeling me in like an
invisible hook. I moved towards the room. The door was nearly closed; only
a sliver of light came through the crack. If I moved to get the angle just right,
I could swear I saw motion inside the room. Slate-blue dress. Black hair. Pale
skin moving rhythmically as she plucked at the piano keys.
I pressed the door open. The apparition was gone. The song’s final,
mournful notes hung in the air like whispers.
“Shreya?” I hesitated in the doorway, not sure what to do or what to say,
only that I wanted to communicate with the spirit. “Shreya, I’m sorry for
interrupting your song—”
A cold wind ghosted over the back of my neck. I pressed my hand to it
and turned. The room seemed unusually quiet. I rotated in a circle, scanning
the long drapes, paintings, and mirrors hung about the space.
A soft click , click , click made me swivel. It sounded like women’s shoes
on a hardwood floor. I felt eyes on me. My skin rose into goose bumps, and
my heart missed a beat. A large gold-framed mirror hung on the wall behind
me. Shreya stared at me through the age-fogged glass.
My mouth was too dry to make any sort of noise. I stared at the wraith,
and she stared back, her eyes cold and angry behind the matt of black hair.
Her cracked lips parted to mouth a word: Leave .
Then the front door slammed, and the vision was gone. I gasped in a
shaking breath.
Lucky’s heavy shoes stomped through the foyer and into the dining room.
“Jo?”
“She was here.” I backed out of the music room, my eyes still fixed on
the mirror, and pointed through the open door. “Shreya was here. Playing the
piano.”
Lucky rested against the table’s edge. I could see the internal war in his
eyes. The rational part of his mind wanted to dismiss my story, but the
practical side was trying to be accepting. “Okay.” He spoke slowly. “Do you
recognise the song?”
“No, only that it’s a sad one. Somewhere between a lullaby and a dirge.
It’s the song I heard in the dream.” I wrapped my arms around my shivering
torso. “Then when I entered the room, she appeared in the mirror. She said,‘Leave.’”
“Why would she want you to leave?”
We both turned at Ruby’s voice. She stood at base of the stairs, her hand
resting on the bannister, her blue eyes wide. “Did you do something to upset
her?”
“No! I mean, I don’t think so…”
Ruby chewed on her lip. No one spoke for a moment, then Lucky broke
the silence with, “I brought lunch. How about we eat it outside?”
The backyard, despite the dead plants and the still-fresh mound of dirt in
the back corner, was a welcome break from the house’s stuffy interior. Lucky
had brought salads, sandwiches, hot chips, and fresh fruit. He laid it out
across the back step, and we helped ourselves. To my surprise, Ruby and
Lucky struck up a conversation. He wanted to know more about her
experiences in the house, and she seemed happy to recount them. I didn’t
mind. I was happy to let my mind wander.
My finger ached. I picked at the corner of the plaster. Taking it off would
only make the pain worse, but I hated not seeing what it looked like. What if
the splinter was still in there ?
“Jo?” Lucky broke through my thoughts by prodding my shoulder. “Jo,
did you hear that?”
“Sorry, what?”
“Ruby and I are thinking about calling a spirit medium.”
I stared at him. The idea that Sceptical Luke wanted to call a ghost hunter
was almost laughable, and I half-wondered if he was joking. But Ruby sat on
his other side, nodding and smiling, apparently no longer frightened of my
tall, caustic cousin.
“That sounds like a plan.” I dusted my hands. “Got any contacts?”
He laughed. “As if. But I’ll see if I can find someone local. Maybe they’ll
be able to tell us a bit more about what we’re dealing with.”
I nodded slowly. It made sense. Maybe someone with experience could
remove—or at least pacify—Shreya Marwick.