Moonstone by Marilee Brothers

Author:Marilee Brothers
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Published: 2009-10-30T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I grabbed Junior and held on like he was the lone life raft in a storm-tossed sea. His arms tightened around me. "Whoa, Emerson, you're shakin' like a leaf. You see a ghost?"

I managed to gasp, "Heard a noise. Somebody on the stairs and ... and ... thumps in the closet ... and ... and

To Junior's credit, he didn't laugh at my panic-induced hallucination. He stroked my hair and patted my back. "Your heart's bangin' away like crazy. It feels like it's gonna jump right out of your chest. Don't be scared. I won't let anybody hurt you.

Junior gently pulled away from me and stepped back. He cupped my face in his palms and looked into my eyes. "You okay now?

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded.

The corner of his mouth twitched and he winked. "How about we go inside and check out that closet? See if we can find the boogey man and throw his ass out. Whaddaya think?

Embarrassed, I nodded again and avoided his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, girl. This spooky old house would scare anybody. Muy horripilanté!

I trailed behind Junior as he climbed the stairs and checked every room. The fear and panic that sent me screaming from the house vanished, lost in the onset of hysterical laughter. A fit of giggles bubbled up in my chest. I could hardly hold it back. But, we'd been down that road before, the night Junior took me home from the hospital. He'd think I was a real nut case if it happened again. I pinched myself hard to nip it in the bud. "Ouch. Damn, that hurts.

Junior spun around. "What?

"Paper cut." I pointed at my thumb. "English class.

Junior frowned and started back down the stairs. "Miz Kizzy's bedroom on the first floor?

I nodded.

"You're looking for a cedar chest, right?

"I already checked her room. No cedar chest.

"I want to see it anyway," Junior said.

I stepped in front of him to lead the way. A strange phenomenon had occurred with Junior's presence in Kizzy's house. The relief I felt swelled into a helium balloon of euphoria. The dark corners now looked like cozy nooks; the creaking floors were simply the sounds of a tired old house settling in for a good night's sleep. As I opened the door to Kizzy's room, I burst into spontaneous song.

"Do, a deer, a female deer, re, a drop of golden sun. Mi...

"Whaddaya singin', Emerson?

I turned to face Junior. "Have you ever seen The Sound of Music?

Junior frowned. "How the hell can you see a sound?

"No, no, it's a movie. We can watch it later if you want.

Junior remained silent as he gazed around Kizzy's bedroom, taking in the antique, four-poster bed, the massive bureau, the white-lace curtains, the elegant dressing table, the overstuffed thing Kizzy called a "divan" in the corner, her lacy blue shawl draped across one end. He gave an appreciative whistle. "Nice.

I crossed to the divan and picked up Kizzy's shawl. It smelled like lavender, Virginia Slims and the spicy potpourri she loved.

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