Page 32 of Halloween Haunting
“I-I don’t understand,” Grace murmured, though she was sure that she did, deep down. There was only the insecurity in the back of her mind doubting everything they said, intent on lingering within the despair, within the solitude, within the loneliness.
Caroline squeezed Grace’s hands, laugh lines wrinkling around her eyes. “You fit within us, Grace, because it is always where you were meant to be. We aren’t going anywhere, and neither areyou.”
Elation flooded through Grace, the feeling so strong that she almost mistook it as sadness at first. But there wasn’t an ounce of sadness anywhere she looked. Smiling faces stared back at her, ready to welcome her further into their lives with open arms. She hadn’t ever felt such comfort, such belonging, such assurance that there wasn’t anywhere else she needed to go.
No more running.
No more searching.
No more hiding.
There might’ve been a murder within Holiday Hollow’s borders, a violence deadly enough to drag her into the conflict, but Grace could hardly care. She would take every ounce of the bad times, if it meant that she got to revel in the good ones as much as she wanted. And as far as she was concerned, the good times wereeasilyoutweighing the bad.
Grace lifted her head to the sky. Curls of emerald greens and amethyst purples hovered through the dark evening sky. The strands moved like tendrils over their heads, bouncing and fading and growing and shrinking before bursting into a series of unimaginable colors. Grace was enamoured by the light show instantly, her eyes growing wider by the second.
“Those can’t be the Northern Lights, can they?” she asked.
Caroline raised her head and laughed lightly. “That’s what most people think at first.”
“What are they?”
“Don’t you remember when I told you about the town’s magic? The innate thrum of energy that brought all these supernatural creatures here a very long time ago?”
Grace nodded.
“Thisis that magic,” she explained. “It is the energy that is born through bringing all these people together and celebrating the holidays. It is happiness, in its purest form. You see it in the sky now, but it courses through the entire town. It lets usall survive here,thrivehere.” Caroline beamed as she poked her nail into the center of Grace’s chest, where her heart was beating. “It’s what brought your magic to the surface after being buried deep within you for so long.”
Grace let her eyes drag up to the sky once more. Happiness, in its purest form. She found herself grinning as she stared, stretching a toothy smile across her face. Her arms stretched out, as if to catch the magic and collect it back within her chest.
How could she have been so lucky to have wound up in a place like Holiday Hollow?
16
As they continued down the long row of carnival games, Grace felt the ladies grasping onto her arms, and tugging her forward, urging her to have her own go at one of the games. Caroline tapped her chin as she inspected the booths, searching for the best to spend their last remaining bucks on. Grace found herself laughing like a maniac as they dragged her along, not at all caring where they ended up. She was too overjoyed to pay attention to those around her, to even remember that there happened to be a killer on the loose that Halloween.
Grace spotted one booth near the back of the long line, where the street opened up into town’s square. She lovingly eyed the water fountain that was still a few yards away, remembering how her first night out on the town ended with them barefoot splashing in the water. It also happened to be the first time Grace learned the truth about what sort of town she was living in. Though she had run away from them at that time, Grace only watched the fountain like she was eyeing a long lost love. Everything that made her happy, everything that had made her feel seen, began there.
Caroline hooked an arm around Grace’s shoulders, leading her toward the booth at the end. “Now,” she began in a teasingvoice, “Thisshouldn’t be hard and they have the best stuffed animals in the entire festival.”
“Really? You want the stuffed animals?”
Caroline raised a slender, blonde brow. “And you don’t? They’re gigantic, Grace. You won’t have to ever think about having a man sharing the bed with you ever again.”
Grace laughed as they all dragged her forward, not daring to take no for an answer. “Honestly, girls, I haven’t ever gone to a carnival! I doubt I’ll be your best bet in getting the famed stuffed animals.”
“Well, we’ve all had a turn at a booth,” Anna replied. “It’s only logical that you get one too.”
“Escpeciallyif you’ve never been to a carnival before!” Olivia added. “Honestly, I’m bummed you didn’t mention that sooner! I would’ve given you my cash, Gracie.”
“Never mind that.” Caroline pulled the group in line behind one other party. “Now’s the time for strategizing. Have you ever played with darts, Grace?”
She shook her head.
“Not in a bar?”
Grace lifted one shoulder but still shook her head.
“Never?” Caroline was gobsmacked. “You mean to say that that slimy husband of yours never took the two of you to a bar? Never did dart tournaments – the kind of stuff thatallcouples do?”
