Page 26 of Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

I nodded, not divulging any information.

“That makes it trickier. It’s not like you can prevent a nightmare.” Walking deeper into my room, she kneeled in front of me and pulled my small suitcase from beneath my bed. The purple flower print had faded in places, and a metal keyring with the wording “A dream within a dream” dangled from the zipper. I loved the simple quote from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Evelyn had purchased it for us in a gift shop many years back.

Evelyn talked non-stop while rooting through my wardrobe, wrinkling her nose at the abysmal choices. I didn’t do pretty clothes like she did.

“This won’t do,” she muttered, turning back around. “Put on your shoes and grab your coat. We’re going shopping.”

After inspecting my arm and wrapping it with a bandage, I let her drag me out of there.

My father snored on the porch, with his mouth wide open, the swing chair creaking in the icy breeze. Flurries of snow sailed through the air, dusting the grass with a thin layer of white like sugar on a cake.

It would soon melt.

After getting into the car, Evelyn blew on her cold fingers and turned the heating on full blast.

By the time we were on the main road, it blew hot air at my reddened cheeks.

“You can always talk to me,” she said carefully, checking her mirrors. “About anything.”

The wipers swished across the window every few seconds. “I know, thanks.”

“I mean it. I worry about you.”

Green fir trees provided the only splash of color amongst the skinny birches, with long, twisted branches lining the roadside. Jagged cracks ran through the weathered asphalt, the yellow road markings worn away in places. An air freshener, shaped like a Christmas tree, hung from the rearview mirror, the scent long since gone.

“I’m okay,” I reassured her, though we both knew it was a lie. My stinging arm reminded me of what Evelyn had walked in on.

Her wandering gaze burned a hole in the side of my face as I stared out the side window. “I don’t believe you.”

PART TWO

CHAPTER

TEN

SKYLER

The red two-story wooden house, with flaking paint and ceramic planters out front filled with dead, shriveled plants, looked like something straight out of a horror movie. I tilted my head to the side, but it still didn’t look any brighter. Tufts of tall grass lined the porch, where an old swing chair creaked in the icy fall breeze. At least it had stopped snowing.

The others buzzed with excitement, hauling their overnight bags up the front steps that threatened to give way, but I couldn’t understand why someone as rich as Harper would rent a derelict house like this. The roof looked like it would cave in any minute. Tiles had slid off in places and shattered on impact. Now hidden in the tall grass, they sunk into the soft, damp ground as I walked up to the cloudy window to peer inside. I rubbed my hand over the dirty glass to clear it, but it was too dim to see much of the inside. I could make out the shape of an old armchair and a couch covered in white sheeting to keep the dust off.

Movement in my periphery made me stiffen, and I stepped away from the window just as Lily called out, “Are you coming?”

I scanned the tall, skinny trees surrounding the property and the steep cliffs to the left. The sea was calm, the dying light glittering on the soft waves. Behind me, a tall oak tree with gnarly branches caught my eye. It had shed its leaves, and now it had an eerie air about it that sent a splash of shivers down my spine.

I walked toward a frowning Lily, who held up her phone, searching for a signal.

“By the looks of it, we’ll spend the weekend unplugged. It’s like we’re back in dinosaur times.” Lily looked at me then, and her lips spread into a wide, carefree smile. “But who the fuck cares when we have enough alcohol to sink a ship of sailors.” She gestured to the shithole of a house. “The others have already gone inside.”

I stepped in behind her, my tote bag weighing me down. Harper was laughing and giggling with Alice in the small kitchen as I walked past, heading for the living room. As I entered, Max pulled the sheet off the couch before doing the same to the fabric chair while Lewis crouched in front of the box TV.

“It’s never gonna switch on,” Evelyn pointed out, flipping her long hair off her shoulder and sweeping her blue eyes over the room. She was far from impressed, but when Harper entered the room in a flurry of expensive perfume, Evelyn plastered on a wide smile.

“Isn’t it perfect?” Harper asked, clapping her hands together excitedly. “It’s exactly what we need to celebrate Halloween—a spooky house, costumes, fake blood, and lots of alcohol.

“Sounds like the recipe for a slasher movie,” I muttered, my gaze snagging on the upside-down cross nailed to the peeling wallpaper above the door. “Well, that’s reassuring.”

Beside me, Lily sniggered. “It fell.”

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