~ Present Day Massachusetts July 10th~
It was exactly the type of neighborhood she would have picked, had her parents offered her a choice in the matter. But Emma Swinburne wasn’t as angry with her parents as she wanted to be. She knew that as a seventeen year-old recently uprooted from her entire life’s existence she should be furious, instead she felt only a cool indifference. Only the empty walls of an empty house and the vapor trails of their rental moving truck ever suggested she’d been there at all. Even that had faded when the truck pulled onto the highway, leaving the Midwest behind her and putting the northeast in front of her.
Now as they drove down the street she noted in quiet delight that the row of houses on either side seemed to be old, not in a dilapidated or crumbling way, but rather in an enchanting and charming way. They were Victorian era or perhaps a little later. They were delightful and Emma was surprised she couldn’t wait to see which one was theirs. She smiled as they pulled into the driveway of the second to last house on the street, taking in the beautiful Victorian home, but after a moment her eyes felt inexplicably drawn to the right, at the last house on the street.
It was cold and menacing in its mythical beauty, like a foreboding Mount Olympus long since abandoned by the gods. Despite the warm summer, the chill of the house made her cold and she reached for her jacket involuntarily where it lay unused on the seat beside her. Her parents piled out of the car and headed for the door of their new house, animatedly chatting, while Emma slowly climbed out. Her gaze still caught in the mesmerizing power of the mansion next door. The darkened windows and wild garden in the front yard spoke of years of abandonment. Could a place be both frightening and beautiful at the same time? Emma took a step forward towards this mansion, but a shout from her father called her back to reality. She couldn’t go over there, not right now anyway. Emma sighed and dashed up the steps and into her new home, all dark and mysterious thoughts of the mansion next door gone from her mind…almost.
Emma spent the remainder of the day unpacking and attempting to restore order out of the boxed chaos of her life. The new house was pleasant and surprisingly modern indoors, not that she had been expecting chamber pots or anything. She could hear her parents bustling around downstairs after dinner, but Emma remained in her room, content to lounge on her newly reconstructed bed and stare out the window at the mystery next door. She watched the wind stir its trees and the sun set behind its monstrous form, drinking in the mystery of it all. The hours passed like seconds, mere grains of sand in an endlessly pouring hourglass, but this did not matter. The house was whispering to her…and Emma listened.
Emma was not simply a romantic; she was a complex web of entangled ideas and ideals that were both ancient and modern. It was this complexity that drove away her peers. They couldn’t understand her preference of remaining at home to read while they went out partying, nor could they comprehend that she used her cell phone so little that she frequently forgot where she had put it.
Things that mattered to her peers, popularity, friends, fancy cars, or boyfriends, held no interest for Emma. She preferred books, and watching old black and white movies, and could care less about being popular. She never wore an ounce of makeup nor did anything fancy with her hair, she simply let it hang down just a few inches past her shoulders. Many girls, on first meeting Emma praised her for her natural beauty and luscious sheen of auburn hair and gray-blue eyes, but they soon grew envious and were quick to point out Emma’s lack of attempt to improve her looks. Emma simply saw no point, she liked the way she was, so why change it? And when it came to the house next door, she found out again she was different from others because she was entranced by it. She seemed to understand the house, in all of its crumbling glory, it spoke to her. It was like a wounded, ill-treated animal, ready to lash out in self defense, but with love it could become gentle. With such promising thoughts Emma prepared for bed and fell asleep. While next door, within the seemingly empty house a face was turned in Emma’s direction, guarded, watchful, cautious and glowing.
~*~
The dark palace halls of Emma’s world of dreams were different that night. Where once she walked beneath soft moonlight through gardens to each new dream like the first sunrise of a newly born star over its orbiting planets, now she was running, stumbling away from the dark figure that threatened to devour her. Shadows born of midnight, streaked along the walls like monstrous spider webs, waiting to catch her. The dark figure kept coming; its black spindly claws ached to cleave flesh from bone and drink to Evil upon her soul. Nowhere in her dream world was safe, this evil creature would find her and all would be lost.
Emma woke herself with her own screams ripping from her throat. She wiped her sweat covered forehead with the back of her hand and pulled her hair away from her neck to try and cool down. She chanced a glance at the clock; the bright numbers glowing read 2:43 A.M.
“Damn.” Emma cursed as she heard footsteps running towards her door. The door was instantly flung wide as both her parents burst into the room.
“Emma Darling! What’s the matter? Are you alright?” Her father asked wielding an aluminum bat as if he expected a fight.
“I’m fine dad, I just had a nightmare.” She consoled him.
Her father was a tall, good natured man that no one could ever claim to be anything but amiable. He had dark hair and a salt and pepper mustache, giving him a deserved air of distinction. He was a lawyer who just recently switched to a bigger law firm, which was why they had moved a suburb outside of Boston. But Emma preferred the image of her father as the bat-wielding protector more than she did the lawyer, only because the first meant he loved her, and the second, though not bad, was not as important to her.
“Harold, put the bat down.” Emma’s mother said, in slight annoyance.
Emma’s mother was what Emma hoped to be when she got older, a powerful, beautiful, loving and intelligent woman who had little thought for herself, but put hours into helping others. Emma’s mother was a vice president of a large corporate bank, but she managed to also be the finest mother and wife around.
“Bells, I just wanted to make sure she was okay.” Her father said to her mother, using his nickname for her Bells, short for Belinda. Her mother was too busy stroking her daughter’s hair back and checking her pulse.
“Guys I’m fine really. Remember how we talked about hovercraft parents? This is what I’m talking about. Both of you go back to bed alright?” She commanded and both her parents, sensing a lost battle, kissed her on her forehead and went back to bed.
Emma remained awake for awhile longer, staring out the window at the dim outline of the house next door. She knew instinctively that the dream had been connected to the house, but she could not even begin to fathom how or why. Sleep crept in upon her and she did not wake again till midmorning.
The house was quiet; her parents left the remainder of unpacked boxes in a large pile in the parlor of the house and had gone to work to escape more unpacking at least temporarily. Emma wandered around the house in her pajamas for a while enjoying the pleasurable quiet of being alone. After this passed, she showered and dressed deciding to go outside and scout the grounds.
Their own house had an amazing half acre of terraced gardens that were well-kept, and a wall of hedges so high and thick on the right side that no fence between her house and the mystery mansion next door was even needed. Emma felt like the little girl, Mary from the book A Secret Garden as she patrolled the hedge inspecting it for any secret doors. To her disappointment she found none. But as she passed through the hedges one last time, heading back to the house, she moved through a patch of cold air and shuddered violently. The strange presence of cold air gave her pause, something tugged at her memory but she couldn’t quite place the feeling or memory. She could have sworn that the cold meant something, but she couldn’t bring herself to recall it. The odd feeling left her quickly and she went back into her house with other matters pressing on her mind, like dinner and the remainder of the unpacked boxes in her room.
She wasn’t long in the house before the doorbell rang in a beautiful combination of notes that chimed in pleasing unison that was most definitely not from the modern era of electronic chime notes. She went to the front door and she saw a tall figure shadowed through the opaque glass. When she opened the door she was momentarily stunned by the attractive young man standing on her doorstep. He had hazel eyes; lightly tanned skin and unruly golden light brown hair that made him seem as if he just came off the beach.
“Hi.” He said grinning broadly and holding out his hand.
“Uh…hi…” Emma said, suspicious of why a cute boy was talking to her.
“My name’s Jeremy. I live just down the street; I thought I’d introduce myself.” He said and Emma looked him up and down, taking in his polo shirt and cargo shorts and track shoes.
“I’m Emma Swinburne.” She said slowly taking his hand reluctantly, she did not like to share so much with strangers, but this seemed necessary. No sense in insulting the neighbors by being unpleasant, that would hurt her parents. But truthfully, Emma had hoped that the neighborhood wouldn’t have anyone her age in it. Jeremy cleared his throat and Emma remembered that she did have some manners.
“Oh sorry, please come in.” She said holding the door wide and moving far away from him, as he entered. His eyes roved the inside of her house before falling on her again.
“Nice place you have here.” He said awkwardly and Emma, suddenly struck with an idea, made herself much more amiable.
“Yeah, it’s great; I really like it here even though I only moved in yesterday.” She said and he smiled. Then she took a chance.
“Say, you wouldn’t know who lives next door do you?” She gestured with a thumb in the direction of the mysterious mansion. His eyes narrowed and he shoved his hands in his pockets.
“No one’s lived there for a very long time.” He said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.
“How long?” She asked.
“Since October 31st 1882.” He said and Emma’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wow, that’s a really specific time.” Emma said.
“It’s hard to forget a date like that when the last person in the house was murdered.” Jeremy added and Emma shivered.
“Murdered?”
“Yeah, the guy was stabbed on Halloween and people say he still haunts the house.”
“You mean there’s a ghost?” Emma was not skeptical in the least, but rather fascinated.
“Most people say they don’t believe it, but no one’s lived there since.” Jeremy said matter-of-factly.
“How fascinating…” Emma said truthfully.
“Yes…well…I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime? I could show you the town?” Jeremy prompted hopefully but Emma was already pushing him out the door with a polite coolness in her manner.
“Yes, perhaps some other time. It was nice to meet you Jeremy.” She said shoving him out onto the porch and shutting the door as gently as she could manage before dashing up the stairs to her window. She didn’t see Jeremy as he glared in disappointment at her front door and then skulked back up the street to his own house, while she stared wistfully in the direction of the haunted house.
~*~
Luckily Emma didn’t have a plan for the first day of school, so she wasn’t worried about how the day might play out. She was nervous of course, as anyone would be by being thrust into a lively and active social system that probably had no place for her. She would have been completely content to sit by herself at lunch and speak only to her teachers, but she knew that wouldn’t be allowed. When her mother dropped her off at school she cringed at the sight of the crowd of people moving into the tan multilayer building.
“I’ll be here at three o’clock Emma!” Her mother called as she drove off.
Emma sighed and shouldered her backpack and straightened her t-shirt before turning to face the school again. Her heart thudded heavily and slowly in her chest, which was extremely uncomfortable. She entered the building surprised at people noticing her; she had rather hoped that she would fly under the radar and not be the focus of anyone’s attention. She dropped her eyes to the floor and picked a direction that looked promising for her English class.
The room was already full except for one seat in the back which Emma noted with chagrin was located next to that Jeremy boy from up the street. Emma glanced at the teacher, a pleasant matronly woman, who gestured for her to take the last empty seat. Emma made the long walk to the seat, feeling the heavy stares of her peers as she passed. She slid into the seat and tried to ignore Jeremy’s open smile in her direction. The class passed without incident until the bell rang and Jeremy leaned over to talk to her.
“So Emma, you, me, dinner, how about it?” He asked, his playful smile oozing with unnecessary charm. A small flicker of guilt registered in Emma’s head somewhere, which somehow managed to suppress her desire to hit him.
‘I’m really sorry, but I’ve still got a lot of unpacking to do.” She said in what she hoped was a diplomatic tone, but apparently he didn’t seem to think so if his darkened face was any evidence.
“Oh.” He said and gathered his books up and left the class room sulkily.
Emma was rather stunned that she could anger him by a simple refusal. She sighed and gathered her books and made to go to her next class when she realized she wasn’t alone. A girl was waiting at the door, nervously watching her. Emma made eye contact as she drew closer and the girl smiled shyly.
“You’re Emma right? I’m Cassandra Banks, but you can call me Cassie.” The girl said and Emma returned her friendly smile. Cassie was slightly shorter than her, with a pleasant oval face framed by dark wavy hair that made Emma think of the Regency era portraits of graceful women. Cassie seemed unaware of Emma’s scrutiny as she started to talk again.
“I hope you don’t mind my being frank with you.” She said glancing at Emma as they walked down the hall to the next class.
“I wish you would.” Emma said; honesty was always a strong point for her.
“I eavesdropped just now on Jeremy Craven’s attempt to ask you out. I knew I had to introduce myself to any girl that could refuse him so easily. He’s the schools very own Brad Pitt.” Cassie said apparently proud of Emma’s action.
“Uh Thanks.” Emma said not sure if that had been a compliment.
“So you’re the new girl, and on your first day you refuse the Supreme Hotness Jeremy. You’re exactly the type of person I’d love to be friends with.” She said and Emma looked surprised. Friends? She hadn’t considered it possible so early into the school year. Her usual mistrust of her peers put aside, she thought perhaps she could take a chance on Cassie. She was obviously someone that did not go along (at least willingly) with the mindless obsessions and activities of the people their age.
As it turned out she and Cassie had all the same classes, and sadly Jeremy did too, but he did a perfect job of pretending she didn’t exist for the rest of the day. Emma noted with pleasure that Cassie’s desire for friendship prevented Emma from being labeled a loner and therefore she was not cast to the wayside. But she still kept her solitary moments even as she listened to Cassie prattle on about the inner politics of the various school cliques, at a table in the back of the lunch room.
Now that she had survived her first day, she was less of a topic of interest to her peers. By the time the last bell had rung she and Cassie headed toward the front of the school. Cassie drove herself to school every day in a red and black Mini-Cooper that Emma thought was very cool. Emma was saving up for her own car, so she was extremely impressed to learn that Cassie had worked two years at summer jobs to buy her car.
“You want a ride home?” Cassie asked and Emma considered it. She whipped out her cell phone and left her mother a voice mail explaining that she didn’t need a ride and piled into the car. Cassie asked for her address and nearly whooped with excitement when she found out that Emma lived down the street.
“I live next door to Jeremy, Ugh; talk about obnoxious, especially when he throws his Halloween party every year. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called the cops and left an anonymous tip about underage drinking. I just hate that his dad’s always kept him from getting thrown in jail.” Cassie’s bright brown eyes glittered with devious delight as she voiced the last thought. Emma laughed, she definitely liked this Cassie girl.
“So Jeremy throws a Halloween party every year?” Emma asked, she couldn’t help wanting to know more, not about Jeremy though.
Emma drove her parents nuts every year by pulling out the decorations on October first and refusing to put them away until well into the second week of November. Emma always dressed up too; there was nothing so pleasant in the world then donning a costume, becoming someone else, if only just for one night. It’s not that she didn’t like who she was, but this was one night she had the freedom to publicly shock those around her by transforming.
“His party is the event of the season at school, pretty much everyone is invited since he can afford to invite all five hundred of us. It’s a whole big deal, with a costume contest and everything. I went my freshman year, but didn’t go last year. I had more fun calling the cops.” Cassie said with smug satisfaction, as her Mini-Cooper pulled into Emma’s driveway.
“Do you want to come inside?” Emma offered to Cassie and Cassie nodded eagerly. Cassie had just climbed out of her car when they heard tires squealing on pavement further up the street. Jeremy had just arrived at his house, his black Viper’s engine purring loudly.
“Man I hate that guy.” Cassie grumbled as she and Emma headed inside. Emma had to agree, there was something beyond the basic distrust of Jeremy that worried Emma, and she just couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Once they entered Emma’s room Cassie oohed and ahhed over the beautiful furnishings and trinkets and books that decorated Emma’s newly built shelves and walls.
“I love your room. You have the best collection of antique books I’ve ever seen! Can I look at this Jane Eyre?” She asked and Emma assented. Cassie held the late 19th century book delicately as she perused the pages examining the engravings and relishing the age worn gilded cover.
“It’s beautiful…” She said appreciatively and shelved the book with care.
“Thanks, it’s sort of my passion, collecting them.” Emma added.
“Very cool.” Cassie added replacing the book back on the shelf and she glanced out Emma’s window.
“Whoa.” Cassie breathed and Emma looked at her confused.
“What?” Emma asked.
“That’s one heck of a view of the old Wellington place.” She said.
“The Wellington place?”
“Yeah, that old abandoned house next door. From here you can just see into the expansive gardens. Wow, those roses are out of control.” Cassie added as she leaned on the window ledge to get a better look at the old mansion.
“But I guess you wouldn’t know the story would you?” Cassie said thoughtfully.
“When Jeremy came over in July he mentioned it. He said there was a murder or something.” Emma clarified.
“Yeah that’s the basic gist of the story. A man was murdered there in the mid 1880s and no one knows who did it. The property rests in the hands of the dead man’s younger sister’s surviving descendants but they’ve never touched it.” Cassie explained.
“Wow Cassie, you know quite a lot about the house.” Emma said impressed. Cassie laughed; it was a light pleasing laugh that made Emma smile.
“Trust me, if you are a girl in this neighborhood and you don’t mope over Jeremy there is little else to occupy your day dreams beside the haunted Wellington house.”
“Wait…do believe it’s actually haunted?” Emma asked as her mind strayed to her earlier conversation with Jeremy regarding a ghost.
“Honestly, I’m still on the fence over the whole ‘do ghosts exist’ issue, but there is something seriously creepy about that house. Creepy and unnatural.”
“So you’ve seen the ghost?” Emma asked intrigued now.
“Oh god no! But I’ve seen strange things there, lights at night moving through the window panes and curtains moving. You know…ghost stuff, pretty spooky if you ask me.” Cassie said; she looked sheepishly embarrassed by this admission.
“You don’t think the wind moved the curtains or anything?” Emma prompted.
“Emma they weren’t billowing in a breeze, they were being pushed apart at the middle as if hands were pushing them apart.” Cassie’s face was pale with simply remembering the spectral act.
Emma felt a creeping, gnawing sensation in her stomach, a nervousness that made her full of dread. The dream she had the first night she moved here came flooding back. The shadow that had threatened to devour her…was she dreaming of the ghost?
“Emma, are you okay? You’re pale as death!” Cassie said; her voice was laced with genuine concern. Emma fell back to sit on the edge of her bed.
“I’m alright…I just feel well…funny. Have you ever had the feeling like something bad was going to happen? And I don’t mean like you know your parents are going to ground you, but like really bad.” Emma said her voice soft and her gaze fixed on the Wellington house in the distance. Cassie shuddered at Emma’s question.
“Yeah, I’ve felt that way before…the day I found out my dad had colon cancer.” Cassie said sitting down next to Emma. Emma felt it impolite to ask about Cassie’s father, though she knew he had died a few years ago.
“Do you know what’s causing this feeling?” Cassie spoke again.
“I’m not sure, but it has something to do with that house. I’m sure of it.” The two girls sat silently for a moment longer, unable to tear their eyes away from the eerie abandoned house. The sun was low in sky falling just behind the top of the house and the dark silhouette of the building was unsettling.
“So now that we’re thoroughly disturbed by a haunted house…I should get going…homework and all. See you tomorrow?” Cassie headed for the door.
“Cool, sounds great!” Emma grinned.
After Cassie left, Emma remained on her bed, still staring fixedly at the house next door. A part of her inside willed the ghost to show himself, to come forward and reveal the mystery of the house, but she received no answer, no flickering light no moving curtains.
The moment her back was turned on the house, a shadow detached itself from the hedgerows of the Wellington Mansion. The shadow spread its spindly claws outward over the green grass of the unkempt law, wilting the emerald blades as it blocked out the sunlight. Evil stirred within that darkened form that oozed towards Emma’s open window, eager, waiting, to taste her innocence, and take her life. The Wellington Mansion shivered as the shadow’s edge touched the ledge of Emma’s window. The shadow shrunk back in fear, the Wellington ghost had been asleep for so many decades that the shadow believed him long gone. A low rumbling of an angry spirit sent waves of violent energy through the air, ripping the shadow away from Emma’s window…but it would come back, it would possess her, drown her in its darkness.