House of Shadows Read online

  Miles took our bags out of the backseat and let the dogs out. They tore off across the grounds, thankful to have a chance to run and stretch their legs. Apartment living didn’t allow for much of that.

  Miles and I walked up the steps of the castle, and after putting our bags in our rooms, we went searching for Grandma Polly.

  We found her in one of the sitting rooms, her chin in one hand, and a look of concentration on her face. Her expression was one of concern.

  “Hi, Grandma Polly,” Miles said, as we entered the room.

  “Oh, you’re here! It’s so good to see you, dears,” said Polly, as she hopped up and gave him a big hug, and kissed his cheek. Then she turned and hugged me.

  “It’s so good to see you children!” she said, the look of concern so effectively erased, I decided I must’ve imagined it.

  “Anika, dear,” Polly turned to me. “I found something I’d like you to have. Come with me.”

  Polly took me by the hand, and led me out of the room. Miles walked with us.

  Polly led us to the hall of bedrooms where we stayed while at the castle, and then to her room. She opened the door, and ushered me inside.

  “I’ll be unpacking, you know where to find me,” Miles smiled, and continued on down the hall.

  Polly motioned to a chair near the fireplace, and I sat and watched, as she picked up a beautiful wooden chest, inlaid with mother of pearl in an intricate pattern.

  Polly sat on the chair beside me, and handed me the chest.

  “This is a jewelry box, dear. It belongs to you now. Each of the Bannerman wives once owned it, and you might as well begin to use it yourself.”

  “Oh, Polly… it’s beautiful,” I said, gently tracing the design on the lid with my fingers. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, my dear,” said Polly, waving her hand. “Of course! It’s been a good many years since it held those long-lost jewels, and you and Miles will be married soon enough. You might as well have it now, to hold what is yours, by right.”

  Polly held out an ornate key. Taking it, I unlocked the chest. I caught the faint scent of roses as I opened it, and examined the velvet covered trays and drawers. Inside one, I found a gold locket. I held it up, and looked at Polly.

  “Go on, dear, look inside,” she said.

  I opened the locket, and to my surprise, I found a picture of Miles on one side. A black and white photo from 1870.

  “It belonged to Miles’ mother,” Polly said. “The Miles whose name you cleared.”

  “Oh, wow,” I breathed, looking at the photo.

  “I am sure Miles’ mother would want you to have it,” Polly smiled.

  I stared at the locket, then set the chest down carefully and hugged Polly.

  “Thank you. This… means a lot,” I said, as I fingered the locket in my hand.

  “All right then, dear, you may go ahead and take all of this to your room, and enjoy putting your jewelry into it. I need to dress for dinner, so I’ll see you soon.”

  Polly kissed my cheek, and closed the door behind me as I carried the locket and the chest next door to my own room.

  I carefully set the chest on the vanity, then turned and flew down the hall to Miles’ room. I skidded to a halt, and knocked on the half-open door.

  Miles opened it the rest of the way, and I held out the locket.

  “This was your mother’s!” I said excitedly. “Grandma Polly gave it to me!”

  “I remember her wearing it when I was semi-transparent,” Miles said softly.

  “Did you know your picture is in it?” I asked, opening the locket.

  “No, I had no idea…” he held the locket, lost in a memory.

  I stood motionless, waiting for him to return to the present.

  Miles looked up, and smiled.

  “I’m so glad Grandma Polly gave this to you. It’s right that you should have it.”

  I smiled back, as Miles unfastened the clasp and fastened the chain around my neck. I felt of the beautiful locket which held so much meaning for both of us, and smiled again.

  “I’m going to have to work hard to think of a better anniversary gift than that,” Miles said, and I hugged him.

  “I’ve got everything I could ever want, right here.”

  Miles smiled, and hugged me back.

  “I better go dress for dinner,” I said finally.

  That was Polly’s tradition, and I loved it, which may seem strange coming from a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl, but with all of the heirloom jewelry that Miles continued to dole out a piece at a time, I needed somewhere to wear it! Tonight, I’d wear the locket.

  I changed quickly into a fitted, ivory satin dress. The skirt fell just above the knee. I couldn’t imagine dancing in it, but I could walk at least! The locket glowed golden above the V-neck top, and I fastened a Bannerman heirloom diamond bracelet on my right wrist, over the long, fitted sleeve.

  Miles waited in the hallway outside my bedroom door, to escort me to dinner.

  “You look amazing,” he smiled, as he held out his arm.

  “Thank you, so do you,” I said.

  Dinner was wonderful as always, and it was good to see how cheerful Polly was. I must have imagined the concerned look on her face earlier. Now she didn’t look like she had a care in the world.

  “Would you like to take a walk in the garden?” asked Miles, after dinner.

  “I’d love to,” I said. “I’ll run get a sweater, and meet you back here.”

  When I reached the hallway, I slowed when I realized my bedroom door was open.

  I was certain I closed it. I felt a twinge of apprehension, and stopped. I bit my lip and looked over my shoulder, wondering if I should go back and get Miles, or Chip. I looked back toward my door, and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw movement at the end of the hall.

  A dark shadow.

  No, no, no! Not again! I felt a chill, and my breath caught. I stood there, frozen.

  “Are you okay?” asked Miles, from behind me.

  I shrieked and nearly jumped out of my heels, as I whirled. Miles grabbed me to keep me from falling, as I twisted my ankle and stumbled.

  “What’s going on?” he looked concerned.

  “You nearly scared me to death, that’s all!” I snapped, trying to calm my pounding heart.

  Miles looked even more concerned.

  “What happened? Did you see it again?”

  I looked back down the hall, where I was almost certain I saw something disappear. Almost.

  I looked back at Miles.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me… I probably imagined it. My bedroom door is open, and I remember closing it. Then I thought I saw something disappear around that corner, but maybe it was just nerves—”

  I grabbed Miles’ arm as he started down the hall. I kicked off my hindering heels, and followed right behind him.

  We searched, but didn’t find anything. The house is so big though, it would be impossible to search the entire place. Miles was thinking the same thing.

  “Maybe I imagined it,” I said.

  “I think you wish that you did,” Miles said, turning to look at me. “I don’t think you believe it, though.”

  I shivered, and he hugged me.

  “Did you—feel anything, when you saw it?”

  I thought about that briefly.

  “A bad feeling… darkness.”

  Miles considered that.

  “Did you feel anything when you first saw me?”

  “Annoyance,” I replied. Miles laughed, and I elaborated. “Well, when I spoke to you, remember what happened? You fell on the floor and wouldn’t answer me! You just stared at me like—I don’t know what, like—I was the strangest thing you’d ever seen.”

  Miles laughed again.

  “You were adorable, the only strange thing about you, was that you were looking right at me.”

  “Really?” I said in surprise. “I was a mess, I’d been cleaning the parlor all day.”


  “Yes, really. You were adorable, even with cobwebs in your hair and dust on your nose,” Miles said, with that soft look in his eyes. Then he got back on topic. “Make sure you have Chip with you when you go to bed tonight… and keep your door locked.”

  I nodded.

  “Keep your phone right beside you, and call me immediately if you feel, hear, or see anything.”

  “Okay.”

  Miles hugged me. He looked as apprehensive as I felt.

  “What do you think it is? What do you think… it wants?” I asked.

  Miles thought that over.

  “If… there’s anyone else trapped here… I really cannot tell you how much I hope that’s not what this is.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

  “I never saw anything, or heard anything, in all the years I was here, to make me think that’s likely…”

  We thought the same thing. The castle was so huge, there was no telling what might be hiding here.

  Neither of us felt like a walk, not anymore. We called in the dogs, and Miles searched my room. Then he kissed me goodnight, and I locked the door behind him. Chip didn’t seem concerned, which was reassuring. He dropped with a thud on the dog bed which was next to mine, and closed his eyes.

  I focused on unfastening my bracelet as I moved toward the vanity. I looked up when I reached it, and tried to open the chest. At first I thought it was locked, until I realized… it was facing the other way. It wasn’t how I left it.

  I turned it around quickly, and opened it. It looked the same; empty. I slowly put my bracelet inside, then locked it.

  I texted Miles to let him know what I found. We texted back and forth for a while. We didn’t come to any conclusions, but it felt good to communicate.

  I sat thinking for a long time after that, about the unexplained things I’d seen since Miles returned.

  The only conclusion I could come to, was that something very odd was going on in the castle.

  “I absolutely love this apartment,” said Jenny, as she straightened the couch pillows.

  “Me too,” I agreed, setting out bowls of chips, and dishes of the dip Jenny made.

  There was plenty of space in the large living room to spread out and study. It was also quiet. Unless the guys were watching a game on the big screen TV, that is. Jenny is a really good cook, she bakes the most amazing delicacies to snack on while studying, and she loves to send food home with people, too. She and I both love hosting and having people over, so it all fit together perfectly.

  Tonight, there would be no studying. Instead, the students from one of our study groups would join us for movie night.

  There was a knock at the door, and I turned to answer it.

  “You are the best landlord ever,” I declared, as Miles stepped through the doorway, loaded with grocery bags. Trixie came in with him, and went to wake up Chip, who was sound asleep on the floor of my room.

  “I aim to please my favorite tenant,” he smiled.

  “You succeed brilliantly,” I said, and kissed him, before taking a few of the bags. We carried them to the kitchen, and unloaded them.

  The building owner, who happens to be the greatest guy in the world as well as the cutest, kept our refrigerator and cupboards stocked. A starving college student might enter our apartment that way, but they wouldn’t leave in the same condition.

  “Ooh, that looks good,” said Jenny, as I lifted a fruit platter out of one of the bags.

  “I thought so too,” Miles said.

  There was another knock at the door, and Jenny went to answer.

  “Hi Jenny,” said Xander. I kind of suspected he and Jenny liked each other, but wasn’t for sure. “Hey, guys! How are you?”

  “Great, Xander!” Miles said. “Good to see you.”

  “So how did you do on that exam?” asked Xander, picking up a chip and scooping dip out of the bowl Jenny set out.

  “I think I did okay, how about you?” asked Miles.

  He did okay? He is so modest. If he missed even one answer, it would be a first.

  “It was hard, if we didn’t meet for study group I would have failed it. I think I did okay, I’m sure I passed anyway,” said Xander, turning to Jenny and holding up another dip laden chip, “This—is awesome.”

  “Thanks,” Jenny smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “And it’s your own recipe, isn’t it?” I asked.

  “Yes, I was playing around with the ingredients in several different recipes, and came up with this.”

  “You’re good at what you do,” Miles said, trying it for himself. “You could get a job as a chef right now, if you wanted one. You have a real talent.”

  I had a feeling I knew who would be the first to offer her a job after she graduated.

  “Thank you, Miles,” she said. “That’s quite a compliment.”

  “He’s not kidding,” I said. “He could give you a list of places to pick from right now. But he’d get on his fiancé’s bad side, if it cost me my roommate!”

  Everyone laughed, but I was serious!

  “I wouldn’t do that to you,” Miles said.

  “You’re so smart,” I replied, kissing his cheek, and everyone laughed again.

  More students began to show up, until we had quite a crowd. Our building was in a good central location, and was a very nice building at that. Few college students could afford such a nice place to live. I sure couldn’t, if it wasn’t for my scholarship! It was great being able to share that good fortune with others. Most others, anyway.

  “Hi, Miles,” said Gina.

  Gina was about my height, but a totally different body type. She had dark curly hair, and I didn’t trust her. She clearly had a thing for Miles. I thought she was probably more immature than she was bad, but I still didn’t like it.

  Miles nodded toward her in acknowledgment, then put his arm around me and turned back to our conversation with Xander and Jenny.

  Gina was in a couple of our classes, and quickly latched onto our study group. Since we were having movie night at our place… of course she came.

  After everyone arrived and was loaded with chips, dip, pizza, and fruit, we gathered around the comfortable living room to watch the movie we chose.

  Miles and I sat together on the couch. Seeing that the stack of napkins on the coffee table was down to none, I jumped up to get more from the kitchen. I grabbed a handful, turned around, and bumped right into Miles.

  “Running into you is like running into a brick wall!” I said, feeling like a ping pong ball. “I didn’t expect you to be right behind me.”

  “Sorry,” he said, his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

  “So what’s going on?” I wondered. “These napkins aren’t that heavy, I’m sure you’re not here to help me carry them back to the living room.”

  Miles glanced over his shoulder, and frowned.

  I looked around his shoulder, and frowned, too.

  “So I got up, and she immediately took my place, huh?”

  “That’s about right,” Miles said. “I don’t remember girls being this blatantly obvious, before.”

  “Yeah, well, their chaperones probably would’ve whacked them with a fan or something,” I said, and Miles laughed.

  I’d like to whack her with something harder than a fan.

  I saw Jenny say something to Gina, and Gina got up and followed her toward the kitchen. Jenny winked at me and smiled.

  “Come on,” I said, linking arms with Miles. “Jenny corralled her for us.”

  I smiled at Jenny as we passed each other, and I curled up on the couch with Miles again.

  Jenny came back carrying another box of pizza, and Gina trailed behind her carrying a bag of chips.

  “If we run out of anything, Gina and I’ll get it, Anika. You and Miles just enjoy watching the movie together,” Jenny said.

  Gina looked like she’d been sucking on a lemon.

  I love having a fiancé I can trust, and a friend that watches our b
acks!

  We spent another weekend at the castle. I was apprehensive, and I could tell Miles was, too.

  I kept my jewelry locked in the safe in Mission Control, and kept my bedroom locked even when I wasn’t there, to be on the safe side.

  But, after all, nothing troubling occurred. I saw no shadows.

  Miles and I took a walk around the estate on Sunday afternoon. The sun was warm, although the air held a chill.

  I glanced at the guest house, where I used to live. I saw a car parked there.

  “I guess Grandma Polly hired a caretaker?” I asked. Miles looked toward the guest house, also.

  “I guess so. She hasn’t said anything, but that’s what it looks like.”

  Chip and Trixie pranced and played in circles around us, as we walked. They loved the cool air, and having room to run. Birds chattered loudly, in the oak trees that surrounded the estate.

  I looked around me, and took a deep breath.

  Miles looked down at me, a question in his eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I smiled. “I really am. Everything is good.”

  Miles smiled too.

  “Good,” he said.

  “I am so glad you’re here, all the way here. Sometimes I miss the movie nights we had at my place though, when I lived in the guest house and you were my semi-transparent friend, and no one else was here.”

  “That was fun,” agreed Miles. “After we’re married, we’ll send everyone on vacation and have the whole place to ourselves again, for as long as you want.”

  I laughed.

  “So who’ll do the dusting?” I asked, and Miles laughed too.

  Chapter 7

  Miles and I were both glad to have good friends. Miles was alone for so long, but not anymore. Now he not only had me, but lots of other friends, too. Our best friends were definitely Jenny, John and Annette, and Xander.

  Jenny and I were lounging in the living room looking at Bride magazines, when there was a knock at the door.

  “What happened to your game?” I asked, as I let Miles in.

  It was Tuesday night, game night for Miles and the guys, and when he left our apartment fifteen minutes ago, he was headed to the gym.

  “John called, as Xander and I were leaving the building. The other team cancelled,” Miles said.