Daughters of Silence Page 8

  Jenna held herself very still. “Uh … no.”

  “Don’t you like it?” Simon asked.

  “I do like it,” Jenna protested. “It’s lovely. Really.”

  Angelica handed Jenna a cup of tea. Jenna felt her hand tremble as she grasped the saucer. She heard the teacup rattle loudly and she quickly rested the cup and saucer on her knee. She gazed over at Angelica to see if she had noticed.

  Angelica’s green eyes glittered with a cold, hard edge.

  “My feelings might be hurt if I thought you didn’t like Julia’s bracelet,” she confided to Jenna in a soft voice.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Jenna replied. “The bracelet felt very loose. I was afraid of losing it,” she lied.

  Angelica and Simon exchanged a look. Smoldering brown eyes stared into green ones, and Jenna got the creepy feeling that they’d passed some sort of message to each other.

  “Don’t you want to hear about the accident?” Jenna asked, desperate to change the subject.

  Angelica’s gaze snapped back to her. “By all means, dear,” she answered.

  Jenna quickly described the terrible accident. She almost found herself describing the dark cloud that she’d seen moving over the barn just before it started to fall. Then she caught herself. She wasn’t quite sure why. But she didn’t want the Fears to know she’d noticed the strange, ominous shadow.

  Angelica and Simon stared at her intently as she spoke. “Was anyone killed?” Angelica asked quietly.

  Jenna felt chilled by her question. It wasn’t the words, but the look on Angelica’s face when she asked it. Almost as if she relished the thought of someone dying. Simon leaned closer to hear her answer. Jenna noticed the same look of suppressed excitement on his face.

  “One person died,” Jenna reluctantly told them.

  “How exactly?” Simon inquired.

  Jenna’s stomach twisted and churned. “W-what do you mean?”

  “Well, you’ve described the scene so vividly for us up until now, dear,” Angelica cut in. “Tell us a little more about this poor, unfortunate soul. Was it a fall? A broken neck, perhaps?”

  “No, it wasn’t his neck,” Jenna shook her head. “Uh, he … he …” She closed her eyes to shut out the sight of the two people staring so avidly at her. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, if you don’t mind.”

  “Look at me, Jenna,” Simon ordered.

  His voice was soft, even friendly. But it pierced Jenna like a frigid blast of winter wind. Opening her eyes, she looked straight into Simon’s depthless black pupils. She felt trapped.

  “Now, tell us,” he asked again. “How did the man die?”

  Jenna fought to refuse. But it seemed as though her voice had taken on a life of its own. And it wanted to obey Simon Fear.

  “A board went through him,” she whispered.

  “Where?” Angelica asked.

  “It … it went through his chest.”

  “There must have been a great deal of blood,” Angelica murmured.

  Jenna felt sick, remembering how that red pool had crept toward her. Yes. A great deal of blood. Her hand shook, and her spoon rattled loudly against the saucer.

  Simon gazed at his wife. Their expressions didn’t change, but Jenna could feel a change in the air. Tension filled the room, a nerve-tingling sense of anticipation.

  Maybe it’s the storm approaching, she thought.

  Then again, maybe not.

  You’ve got to get out of here, Jenna urged herself. You’ve got to see Rob and tell him about Hallie. Jenna set her cup aside and pushed up from the sofa.

  “You can’t go yet,” Simon objected sharply.

  One part of her wanted to obey, to sit back down and await whatever he had in mind. But then she thought about Hallie. She had to save Hallie.

  She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she forced herself to remain standing. She made herself look at him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said politely. “I told the Sheridans I’d be back in an hour, and I’m late now. I have to go. I don’t want them to worry.”

  Simon’s eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything, however, Angelica cleared her throat.

  “Simon, dear, we shouldn’t keep our pretty young guest a moment longer,” she said.

  “You’re right,” he said, rising. “I’m sorry we couldn’t talk longer, Jenna,” he added, gazing grimly down at her. “We’ll spend more time together on your next visit. I promise you,” he added solemnly.

  A lump of sheer terror rose in Jenna’s throat. She didn’t intend to return here. Ever. But Simon Fear sounded so sure.

  As if he could make her come no matter what she wanted.

  She hurriedly thanked them for tea, then started to leave. To her relief, Simon didn’t accompany her. Angelica followed her, chatting on about the weather as they walked to the door.

  “It was so good to see you again, Jenna,” Angelica cooed, holding the front door open for her guest. “Next time, be sure to bring your friend Hallie with you.”

  Jenna scurried down the stone steps as quickly as she could without running. If Angelica hadn’t been watching, she would have raced pell-mell for the road.

  “Come again soon, Julia!” Angelica called.

  That brought Jenna to a stop. Slowly, she turned toward Angelica. She suddenly felt cold, as if someone had replaced her blood with ice water.

  “You mean Jenna, don’t you, Mrs. Fear?” she asked.

  “That’s what I said, dear,” Angelica replied.

  Jenna studied her for a moment. Then she turned and started walking again. Faster this time. She couldn’t wait to get away from here. Angelica might have thought she’d said Jenna. But she hadn’t. She’d said Julia.

  She’d mistaken Jenna for Julia Fear.

  Her dead daughter.

  Chapter

  14

  Jenna’s mind raced wildly. Angelica had called her Julia.

  No reason to panic, she calmed herself. Maybe the Fears are just strange. Maybe their minds have been twisted by grief after losing their daughters.

  But that didn’t explain the necklace.

  And it didn’t explain the bracelet.

  Or poor Hallie.

  Jenna strode quickly down the Fears’ long drive. Tears blurred her vision. She dashed them away with the back of her hand. She couldn’t fall apart now. She wouldn’t let herself.

  But what should she do? If she tried to confide in the Sheridans, they’d probably pack her up and send her home on the next train out of Shadyside.

  She’d be safe from the Fears.

  But what about Hallie?

  What about Rob?

  She had to speak with Rob. Even if he couldn’t help her, she could at least warn him about the Fears.

  Angry-looking clouds filled the sky, making it look nearly as dark as nightfall. Jenna heard thunder off in the distance. She lifted her skirt and ran along the edge of the woods.

  The first drops of rain splashed loudly among the leaves. Jenna felt the rain on her face and hair. Soaking through her clothes.

  A bolt of lightning stabbed across the sky. Jenna flinched. She’d never liked storms. The wind tossed the branches, and the rain started falling so hard she could only see a few feet ahead of her. Her feet splashed into a puddle so deep that water poured in the tops of her ankle-high boots.

  “Oh, no,” she muttered, shaking first one foot, then the other.

  Lightning flared again. In the brief, searing glare, she spotted a dark, blocky shape just ahead. A building!

  “Please let it be Rob’s cottage,” she said aloud.

  Lifting her skirts with both hands, she scurried through the wet grass. As she neared the structure, she saw that it was more a hut than a cottage. A huge old oak tree shaded it.

  “Rob?” she called, knocking at the door. “Rob, are you in there? It’s Jenna.”

  The door swung open. Inside, the single room was shrouded in shadows. She could see t
he shape of a table and the pale rectangles of curtained windows.

  A foul odor wrapped around her. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand. Ugh, how awful! she thought. A horrid, rotten smell filled her nose and she covered her face with her hands.

  “Got to have some light,” she gasped with her hands pressed over her nose and mouth.

  She stepped forward, toward the barely seen shape of the table in the center of the room. She groped along the tabletop, searching for a lamp or candle. Feeling the smooth column of a candlestick, she pulled it toward her. Again by touch, she found a box of matches.

  She struck a match and lit the candle. The flickering light spread as the flame leaped and sputtered.

  Jenna looked up.

  Then she screamed.

  A face hovered in the shadow-shrouded corner of the room.

  Jenna gasped and jumped backward. With a shock, she realized the horrible, staring thing wasn’t a face at all.

  It was a skull. A human skull.

  Jenna suddenly felt faint. The room began to spin and her sight grew blurry. She felt her legs give way under her and she grabbed the back of a chair.

  She had to get out of here. She pressed her hand to her forehead.

  Jenna took a breath, gagging on the rank, putrid-smelling air. She lifted her head and looked up.

  The skull stared back at her through vacant eyes.

  Long, white teeth glistened in its fleshless jaw. Moving slowly, numbly, like a person in a dream, Jenna lifted the candle from the table and stumbled toward the door.

  The flickering circle of light spread, bringing more of the room into sight. Shelves lined the walls, and every shelf held bones. Arm bones and leg bones, skeletal hands lying stark and white against the wood.

  She turned in one direction, then another. The candle spat wax onto her hand, but she didn’t notice. She didn’t feel anything but fear.

  Bones. Bones. Bones everywhere.

  The story! The story Hallie had told in the graveyard that first night. Julia and Hannah Fear, their bodies buried without bones. Their skeletons walking …

  “No!” Jenna gasped.

  Whirling, she ran from the cabin. The candle sputtered and died in the rain. She flung it from her. All she wanted was to get away from that horrible place. Because now there could be no doubts, no sensible explanations. Now, she knew the truth.

  The Fears were evil.

  Pure evil.

  She had to get to Rob. For his help, yes. But also to warn him. He might be in danger, too.

  She dashed along the line of trees. Rain pelted into her face. Please let me find him, she thought frantically. Please!

  Finally, she caught sight of a faint glow in the trees ahead. A light!

  The flickering yellow glow gave her the strength to stagger forward. Gasping with effort, she stumbled toward it. Soon she spotted another building tucked beneath the rain-heavy branches of the trees. The yellow glow spilled from the single window.

  She approached slowly, ready to run at any moment. Holding her breath, she peeked in the window. Then she saw Rob. He sat up in bed, his back propped up against a nest of pillows. A white bandage was wrapped around his chest. His face looked a little pale and drawn, but other than that, he seemed fine.

  “At last,” she breathed.

  She rushed around to the front door. Finding it locked, she rapped sharply with her fist.

  “Who is it?” Rob called.

  “Jenna,” she replied. “Hurry, Rob. Let me in!”

  It felt like forever before he opened the door. The moment it swung open, she rushed inside. Slamming the door behind her, she quickly latched it. “Close the curtain,” she ordered.

  “What’s the matter, Jenna?” he asked.

  “Please, just do as I say.”

  He did what she asked. Now that she was safe, she started to shake. To her embarrassment, her teeth started to chatter. The noise seemed loud in the quiet room.

  “Come sit down,” he ordered, leading her over to the table.

  She sat heavily in the chair he pulled out for her. Her legs felt rubbery and sore. Rob brought her a cup of water. She held the cup with both hands and sipped gratefully. After a few minutes, she felt her breathing and pounding heart slow down.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “It’s going to sound incredible,” she burst out. “But I swear every word is true.”

  She told him the story about the Fear girls’ deaths. She told him about Hannah Fear’s necklace and the way Hallie had been acting since she started wearing it. She told him about the bruise, and the ominous shadow that had enveloped the barn.

  “There’s a cabin right here on the estate,” she continued breathlessly. “And it’s full of bones.”

  “Bones?” He frowned. “But I’ve been in every building on this estate, and I’ve never seen any bones.”

  Jenna took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m scared. I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.”

  “You saved my life today. Do you think I’m going to let anything bad happen to you?”

  “But—”

  “I promise,” he told her. “I will protect you. Jenna, if the Fears are truly evil, then they have to be stopped. First thing in the morning, I’ll look around. The Fears hardly notice I’m around anymore. I’ll find out what’s going on,” he assured her. “Everything will be …”

  His voice trailed off. For a moment, his eyes went completely blank. Frighteningly blank. Rob’s eyes closed and his face went pale.

  “Rob? Are you all right?” Jenna asked him. Maybe he’d been hurt worse then he’d told her.

  Then he blinked. He opened his eyes and his color seemed to return. He looked like the same Rob she’d come to know.

  Still, something cold and frightened lurked in her mind. And she’d never felt so alone.

  “... As good as new,” he finished, as if there hadn’t been any break at all.

  Jenna got to her feet. “I have to go home now,” she told him. “The Sheridans will be frantic with worry.”

  He started to get up with her. Then his face twisted with pain, and he sank back into his chair. Weariness clouded his eyes. “You can find your way home all right?”

  “Of course,” she assured him.

  She left the cottage, closing the door behind her. Her mind spun with questions as she made her way into the woods.

  Wind gusted through the branches overhead. And then she heard the sound that had haunted the edges of her dreams. The sound she’d once thought a figment of her imagination, the sound she dreaded more than anything in the world.

  The sound of wings.

  Jenna looked up, terrified at what she might see.

  Chapter

  15

  Jenna shrank back against the nearest tree trunk. She squinted into the darkness. She felt the rain on her face and heard her own ragged breathing.

  And then, something else. The wings. Beating. Beating. Beating. Coming closer with each beat of her pounding heart.

  Not an owl this time.

  The trees loomed threateningly overhead. Even the dripping sky seemed to hang lower. Mist curled up from the ground, touching her skin with its clammy touch.

  And still the wings came. Closer. Closer.

  “No,” she gasped. “No!”

  Hurling herself forward, she raced headlong through the trees. Every crashing step shook her to her bones. Every breath felt like fire in her lungs. Still, she heard the sound up above. Somewhere in the dark sky. Swooping toward her. Right overhead.

  Jenna ran on and on, not daring to glance up or even over her shoulder. Her wet skirts clung to her legs, their weight dragging at her. Sobbing with terror, she struggled forward. She had no idea which way she was going. Away. That was the important thing.

  Spotting a light ahead, she turned in that direction. Maybe she’d come to a house. Maybe she had run right to the Sheridans’ without realizing it.

  Wings flapped above h
er head.

  With a strangled cry, she flung herself forward. She crashed through the bushes and rolled out into a clearing. It had her now. Jenna squeezed her eyes closed. She sensed an immense dark shadow moving her. She heard the beating sound of huge wings.

  So close now, she could feel the air stirred by their motion.

  She curled her body into a small, tight ball of terror as she prepared herself for the worst.

  Then the sound stopped.

  Jenna lay still for a moment. She took a deep breath. She suddenly realized she remained unharmed.

  Untouched.

  But it had been right on her! It could have gotten her at any time. Had it simply flown past? Slowly, hesitantly, she opened her eyes.

  And then she knew why she’d been spared.

  She didn’t lie in a clearing. She hadn’t reached the Sheridans’ house. Or any other.

  She’d ended up in the cemetery.

  In front of the Fear crypt.

  She hadn’t run to safety. She’d run straight into danger. No, she thought as despair chilled her heart, she’d been led there.

  The seconds ticked by with incredible slowness. Finally, she dared to move. Slowly, hesitantly, she rose to her feet.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the cemetery gate. Maybe she could make it before …

  Creak!

  Her heart clenched. That noise! It sounded like stone grinding against stone. Terror swept over her, darker and stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. She shrank back against the nearest tree. Pressing her cheek against the rough, wet bark.

  Creak!

  She tried not to look at the stone angel perched above the crypt. But her gaze felt irresistibly drawn to it.

  Droplets hung from the stone angel’s wings. Each one shone like a blue-white diamond in the unearthly glow.

  Jenna pressed closer to the sheltering trunk. Then she felt a change in the bark beneath her hand. It was more than wet. It was slimy. Pulling away, she started to wipe her hands. That was when she saw the red stain all over her palms. Then, right before her horrified gaze, more slick, warm liquid oozed out from the cracks in the bark.

  She glanced down, and saw a hundred tiny red stains on her gown. Automatically, she looked up. More drops fell. They ran into her mouth, and tasted coppery and awful.