Me: Did Aunt Estelle practice witchcraft?
I set the phone down, not expecting Mom to answer right away, and take the Book of Shadows with me onto the bed. I sit crossed-legged, slowly flipping through the pages before Mom texts me back.
Mom: Not that I’m aware of. She was Methodist and went to church with Grandma.
I didn’t mean it in the form of a religion, but there’s no point in trying to explain to Mom the difference between a Wiccan and someone with powers.
Mom: Why do you ask?
Me: I found a spell book at the house and was just curious.
I move the book to the nightstand and get up, taking a photo of the room to send to Mom. She wants more photos, so I record a video tour for her. About twenty minutes later, I grab the keys to the old Caddy and give it a whirl. The engine fires right up, and there’s a full tank of gas. I’m on the border between both Paradise Valley and Thorne Hill and want to check them both out. Since I’m going to Thorne Hill tomorrow to settle everything at the bank, I decide on Paradise Valley for today.
It takes a lot longer than expected to get into town from the house. There’s a Walmart here, and I make a quick run in to get some groceries and other necessities to get me through the weekend. I get takeout on the way back to the house. It’s early in the evening when I arrive back, and I put the few cold items in the fridge and then take my food onto the porch, trying to figure out what exactly is so familiar about this little white table.
A red pickup truck drives down the road, and I watch it until it turns into the driveway of my nearest neighbor, who’s about a quarter-mile away. The fact that there are a few others on this street, though far away, does bring me a little comfort. I take a bite of my taco and look at the yard, trying not to think too hard about how not creeped out I feel here.
I don’t want to jinx it.
Honestly, I was worried about coming and being in this house alone and having free time like this can make me anxious, which is silly, I know, because I love having free time. But when I’m not doing something mindless like watching Netflix for hours, or distracted with the hustle of work, my mind tends to get away from me.
And if there are any spirits nearby, well, their emotions become mine. I have to work to keep the mental shields up the rest of the day. It’s tiring, and I’ll be the first to admit I can get snappy when I’m exhausted from trying to tune out the dead all day.
But here…I don’t get any bad feelings at all. I don’t sense any spirits or anything else for that matter. I can’t explain it since I can’t remember ever being here, but it feels like I’m finally home.
Chapter Ten
I pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders and sit up, fluffing the pillow behind me. It’s nearing midnight and I’m up in bed reading through the Book of Shadows. The house still doesn’t feel creepy or haunted, but I’m now very much aware that I’m a single woman in a house in a rather isolated area. I triple checked that the doors were locked and took a set of throwing knives from the box in the closet, just in case I need to defend myself.
Though—let’s be honest—my ninja skills are nonexistent, and I’ll probably end up slicing my hand open in the process. Still, it makes me feel better. I’m tired but don’t want to attempt to sleep until I can hardly keep my eyes open.
I flip to a page about tea-leaf reading. There are notes written in the margin, and I recognize the handwriting as Aunt Estelle’s right away. I have good vision, but the tiny handwriting is hard even for me to read. I lean in, narrowing my eyes, and try to discern what she’s written on the page. It doesn’t help that the ink is smeared.
My phone chimes, startling me a bit, and I blink rapidly as I turn to grab it from the nightstand. Ethan sent me a text, and I stare at the screen for a few seconds, smiling, before I open his message and see a photo of a couple sitting at a table at what looks like a small-town diner.
Ethan: She ordered a muffin but hasn’t touched it. She’s probably a vampire, right?
I laugh and look at the photo again.
Me: And there’s only one cup of coffee. Definitely a vampire. Better order some garlic breadsticks or something.
Ethan: Way ahead of you. I’ll order the garlic mashed potatoes as well just to be safe. Are you in Indiana yet?