You Are Invited by Sarah A. Denzil

Author:Sarah A. Denzil
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ghost Story, Supernatural Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Paranormal Thriller, Ghost Fiction, Ghost Horror
Publisher: Sarah A. Denzil
Published: 2022-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

There was a buzz of excitement going on in the refectory. I’d missed lunch, but Jules had set aside and refrigerated a portion of pasta salad for me. There were two empty bottles of wine on the table and the others were red-faced and grinning despite it being barely five p.m. Irene’s favourite pop music blared out from the portable radio set up in the kitchen.

“We got paid,” Jules said by way of explanation. “We didn’t get all our donations, but it’s over half.”

“That’s great.”

“What’ve you been up to?” Dan asked. “Saving wolves on the mountains?”

I smiled thinly. In truth, I wasn’t sure. I’d become dazed walking back from the tower. I’d wandered around the perimeter of the monastery, and spent some time exploring the infirmary ruins and its crumbling walls. When I’d found my way back to my room, Nathan had gone. I’d hammered the crucifix to the wall above my bed before sleeping for an hour or so. As soon as I woke up, I made a start on a new book all about Maria Popescu. I was convinced that I knew who she was and what’d happened to her here in the monastery. For most of the day I’d been experimenting with her notes in the bible, handwriting out the words as best I could to try and translate them using my phone app. The results had been pretty unsuccessful.

“Writing mostly,” I said. The words made me feel nauseous with shame. I’d been avoiding my usual work ever since the terrible reaction to the latest Akarthis story. There’d been an email waiting for me in my inbox from Alice, my most loyal reader, and I hadn’t had the courage to open it.

Irene wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “We missed you.”

Her syrupy voice paired with that lilting accent set my teeth on edge. She hadn’t missed me, none of them had. But I recognised that I needed her, so I quietly asked if we could speak privately. She agreed, her expression bunched in surprise. As we slipped out of the room, Nathan and Dan were too engrossed in a conversation to notice, but Jules’s eyes followed us.

“What is it?” she asked, as I led us through to the utility room. The washing machine was on, which was good, because it meant the others wouldn’t overhear if they wandered into the kitchen.

“I’m not sure the medication you bought is working.” I balled my sleeves into my fists as I spoke, my body rigid with tension.

“It’s not? How do you know?”

I let out a small sigh. “I just know. I think I might need to see a doctor. Can I travel to Brasov to see one? Or maybe to Butnari?” Even the thought of seeing a different doctor made me anxious, but I knew I couldn’t go on, not with the voice steadily chipping away at my sanity.

“Are you sure?” She leaned over me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m sure.”

“Perhaps I can get a doctor to come here,” she said, as though thinking aloud.

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