A/N: All of this was because of SM. Not mine.
Lynzey Lou, thank you for your help with this. It was fun.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Chapter 7
~*Victoria~*
"Ma?" Rose's voice came down the hall, followed by the distinct sounds of bags hitting the floor.
Esme smiled, her eldest was home. "We're in the kitchen. Get yer ass in here, child."
Rose walked in, all round, swaying hips and her gold hair bunched in a messy bun atop her head. Her sneakers squeaked on the kitchen floor, and behind her, she towed a large man called Emmett. She threw her arms around Esme and squeezed. "Damned near a college graduate and she still calls me child," Rose bantered, poking her mother's side.
Carlisle pushed his wife to the side and snorted as she shot him the finger. He laid a smacking kiss on the side of Rose's face and wrapped his arms around her. "Good to see ya, Rosie Bean." She pat his chest and stepped back.
Rose pulled her coat off and hung it over the nearest chair. She stepped around the table toward her brother, and I watched her eyes flip from Edward and back to me. "You're in it pretty deep, eh little brother?"
"Are we talking about the ghost or her?" Edward waved toward me and a strange grin crept across his face. I'd seen it before when we talked about our future. I knew that grin.
"Both," she answered with a knowing smile. She hugged him and whispered something in his ear, he chuckled and did that thing he does when he's nervous; he ruffled his hair, and clicked his tongue.
"Nice shirt, Em," I said to giant man that had walked up and rested his thick arm on my shoulder.
He beamed and looked down at the words on his chest: My girlfriend talks to the dead. What can yours do? It was shit like that that made the Cullens love him so much. He knew Rose, he never claimed to understand her, but he knew her kindness, her wit, her intelligence and he loved her. He accepted her, no questions asked, and never once called bullshit. The guy was kind of awesome.
"So there's something spooky in your house?" Emmett asked.
"You could say that."
"Bummer." Emmett took a seat at the table.
Rose walked over slowly. "I'm sorry you're going through this. How is Riley?" She tugged gently on my sleeve and pulled me back to the table.
"Mom said he's doing better. They've gonna try taking the tube out tomorrow, see if he breathes on his own." I showed her the pictures of Riley my mom and dad had been sending Bree and me all week long. He was tiny still and very fragile looking, but he had a look about him that made me think he'd be just fine.
Pouring herself a cup of tea, Rose asked, "So what do we know about this house?"
Edward piped up. "Built in the 1800s by the Harlow family. Harlow senior owned, like, half the fucking county. William Harlow junior, married Gertie, built the house a little before their eldest, Victoria, was born. They had two girls. Mom met Sadie, and I believe Victoria and I are well acquainted. Bitch tossed me across the room like rag doll."
Rose nodded, looking almost impressed. "Takes a good deal of energy just to manifest, never mind moving stuff."
"Stuff?" Edward shook his head incredulous.
Rose shrugged. "People …"
"Anyway," I broke in, "the Harlow's were all murdered some cold January night. Victoria went missing. Evidence pointed to her; something about the angle of the blows and bloody handprints found in the house. She was sentenced to a mental institution. But that's where the buck stops. Not a single mention of her after her sentencing."
Rose sipped her tea and nodded. "Other owners?"
"The only one we know of is Jenks, the sex-shop beater," Edward said with a shrewd grin.
"Edward Anthony!" Esme tried to chastise him, her snicker kind of had her busted.
Em snorted. "I remember that shit. The Flash, right?"
I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of me. Lips pressed together, I bowed my head.
"Leah and Paul Clearwater owned it in the 1980s or early 90s, maybe. They moved up to Seattle when Paul was promoted. Leah was one of my ER nurses," Carlisle offered. "Never said a sideways word about that house."
"Kids?" Rose asked, shifting in her seat.
"Nope," Carlisle answered just as his cell phone rang. He answered, standing up. "All right, thanks, Matt. No it's fine. See ya soon." He pushed the phone back into his pocket and heaved a sigh. "Fucking Granady. Old bugger called in sick." He walked over to Rose, and lovingly kissed her head. "I don't want to see a single one of you tonight, got me? Be safe." Worry etched into his handsome face, he turned to Emmett. "Take good care of my girl."
"Always, sir." Em clapped him on the back as he walked away.
"Rain check?" Carlisle asked, looking over his shoulder at his wife. He winked that same sexy ass, cocky wink Edward often gave me.
"Absolutely," Esme said, blowing him a kiss.
"You're both disgusting," Edward said, pushing away from the table. "Let's get this fucking show on the road. What do we need, Rosie girl?"
(LL)
As we pulled up to the house on Westminster drive, Rose let out a whistle. "She's been waiting. She knew we were coming. None too happy about it, either."
"Yeah, well the feeling is mutual." I unbuckled myself and gave the house a hard look. Haunted house always brought big, run down, creepy houses to mind. Homes that looked like evil had settled into their very foundation. This was not that house. It was more Better Homes and Gardens than Amityville; and maybe that made walking up those steps worse. The unassuming nature of it all was creepy as fuck.
The porch creaked and groaned like a crotchety old woman as we made our way to the door. With a shaking hand, I pulled the keys from my back pocket.
"Allow me," Emmett said, gently tugging the keychain from my hand. The key slid in, the lock disengaged, and I held my breath. Emmett walked in ahead of us, tense and ready.
"Where was the first incident, Bella?" Rose asked, her hand sliding into Em's supersized mitt.
"The kitchen, I guess. That crap with the dishes." The four of us made our way to the far corner of the house.
After turning on every single damn light we could find, Rose pulled a chair away from the centre island and plopped down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. I'd seen Rose go all Long Island Medium before, so I knew her quiet breaths and the toiling with her necklace were all part in parcel. My eyes zipped around the room and I shifted back and forth.
Suddenly, Rose grasped and brought her hand to the back of her head. "Jesus. Christ!" Her eyes flew open. "She watched from the doorway, just watched, humming a little tune while her mother did the dishes. Gertie didn't see. She didn't know." Rose let out a long, shaky breath. "The first strike hit her shoulder, the second—the side of her head. Then more …" She lifted her hand in the air, as if holding something, and swung it down in sharp, quick movements again and again.
My hand hovered over my mouth. I could picture the scene, the startled mother, the hateful grin stitched on the child's face.
"Down the hall … to daddy," Rose said in an almost gleeful voice. She recounted William Harlow's death; the way he begged her to stop, reached for her with tears and fear in his eyes. "He knew she was sick. They knew. Disgrace …disgrace." Rose turned and faced me. "They were more worried about saving face. Pretend like it's all okay, shove it under the rug and hope the neighbours won't talk too much."
The lights over head flickered twice and then we were plunged into darkness. "Victoria?" Emmett coaxed, flicking on a flashlight. "Ah Jesus, that's disgusting." The putrid smell of old blood and rot filled the room.
"Ya wanna talk, Victoria?" Rose shouted.
A loud bang rumbled like thunder threw the house.
Edward pointed his own flashlight down the hall. "Living room," he said, and I turned to see sparks of blue light emanating from the mouth of the living room. Keeping close, we made our way toward the little lights.
Emmett pushed the coffee table off to the side, opening up the room. From the purse at her side, Rose withdrew a container of salt and quickly walked around the room, spreading it in a large circle. "Inside. Don't break the line," she directed.
We all crept over the white line with wide eyes. My heart throbbed and my head ached from the smell.
"Victoria Harlow, you can't be here anymore. This isn't your home, this isn't your family. You need to move on," Rose called out to the room; her fists were balled tightly at her sides.
A growl tore through the room, and I cupped my ears to muffle the sound. Edward's arms came around my waist, holding me to him. "Stop it!" I screamed, tears flooding my eyes.
The air shifted and crackled with energy. The lights grew more intense, zapping like little bolts of lightening.
"Holy shit," Emmett whispered and jerked his head toward the far corner of the room.
A small shape had begun to form, blurred and about as solid as smoke. It moved like oil through water, stepping away from the corner. The blue-white glow lit the room and the sad, drawn face of a small child became clearer.
"Sadie," I mustered, choking on the lump in my throat.
Rose knelt so that she was eye level with the girl. "She hurt you, didn't she?" she asked in a quiet, gentle voice.
I could hardly speak. Not three feet from me, stood a dead girl. I was both amazed and horrified. I'd never doubted the afterlife, but this brought things into a whole new perspective.
"Sadie, as long as you stay here, in this house, she'll find you. She'll hurt you. Victoria is sick. She's very sick, like a rabid dog. Do you understand?" Rose studied the faded face of Sadie Harlow, her lips pressed in a thin white line.
The girl's head cocked from side to side, and finally she spoke, "Where do I go?" She sounded so lost and desperate.
Rose just smiled and pointed. "That light, Sadie Harlow, is for you." The girl flickered, struggling to keep her form, and turned slowly, fading as she did. Rose straightened. "Mom and Dad were here for her. Keeping her safe … keeping Victoria locked away."
"Locked…?" The air in my lungs punched up and out. "My room. The closet."
Rose nodded. "She's pretty much got free reign now." As soon as the words dropped from her mouth, the lights came back on and the sudden change was a shock to my eyes.
"Shit," Edward mumbled behind me, his grip tightening.
A maniacal chortle bounced off the walls and echoed all round us.
"Oh, that's creepy as fuck," Emmett said, giving Rose a look that said he was not okay with the dead kid's laughing.
Slowly, a red ball rolled into the room, almost oozing over the small drop into the living room, and came to a halt just beyond the circle Rose had drawn for us. I was counting on that circle to keep us all safe.
"This is no game, Victoria, you need to go." Rose turned, searching the room.
The ball inched forward, touching the salt line. Edward reached out and tapped Rose's shoulder, pointing out the advancing ball.
"Um … should that ball be able to move past the line?" I asked, more than a little fucking nervous.
"No," Rose said with authority.
Then suddenly the ball zoomed forward and the second it breached the line, the salt blew outward, scattering around the room and leaving us vulnerable.
"She must've missed the memo!" Edward shouted over the ever growing laugh.
"Well fuck me, that's a first." Rose looked genuinely perplexed.
The ball began to quake, the outline of it becoming obscured and hazy, as if it were moving, changing shape. Four sets of feet stepped back, giving the red ball a wide berth.
"What in the happy fuck is this noise?" Em asked, watching the ball.
Quicker than the flash of a camera, the ball seemed to burst into smoke and shade, and from it emerged a girl. Willowy, wild dull, red hair, and black, empty eyes; she appeared much more solid, and diffidently more formidable than her sister.
Victoria leered at us, sending chills racing up and down my spine.
"This isn't your home anymore, Victoria. Move on." Rose stood straight and faced off with the girl. She had brass balls and I was impressed.
Victoria just laughed, amused by us.
"Bella, this is your house, you need to own it. Lay it all out for the crazy bitch!" Rose's voice demanded my attention and took my eyes off the ghost girl.
Victoria's lunatic antics cut out and Rose went flying through the air, smacking against the back wall of the living room. My scream had barely formed when tiny hands reached out and wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air.
I heard Rose groan, and Edward yell, and I saw Emmett reach for Victoria. I lurched forward, throwing her off balance and clapped my hands on her wrists and tugged. Her skin felt like old, damp paper and the sensation made my stomach roll. Her face burned with anger as her grip slipped. "Get out of my fucking house!" I hollered, slamming my foot down.
Her fingers loosened and she stumbled. I yelled again, claiming the house, my family.
A furious screech fell from her cracked lips, and just like the ball she began to quake. Somewhere behind me, Rose got to her feet. "Again!" Rose shouted, pushing my confidence to the forefront.
"Victoria Harlow, leave!" I shouted, locking eyes with her and pushing every ounce of energy into that tiny word.
(LL)
Two hours later and reeking of sage, I stood on the front porch with a red ball in my hand.
"Bury it deep. Maybe say a little prayer that the girl finds some peace," Rose suggested, holding my hands in hers.
"I will," I promised.
Emmett and Rose waited by the car while Edward and I dug a hole in the backyard, next to the gazebo. It was a pretty spot, that when the spring came, would be full of colour. I dropped the ball into the small hole and pushed the dirt over it, patting it down with my hands.
"May you find peace, Victoria Harlow, and god willing, may you never feel the need to terrorize my family again." I gave the earth a final pat, stood, and let Edward led me back to the car.
End Notes: They'll be a short epi/future-take shortly, but that's, that folks. I hope you enjoyed the Halloween treat. Enjoy the holiday and be safe.
Now it's time for me to get back to my Omens. I missed Little Bird and Masen. They've been whispering …
