The Face At The Window

Dad returned a little earlier than two o'clock to check on me, and found me sleeping. He woke me up to ask me how I was feeling, I said I felt better than this morning. He felt my forehead again, my fever was gone. He brought me more ice water to drink, as well as some orange juice. "You need to drink plenty of liquids, or else you're going to become dehydrated."

I sipped at the juice, my stomach was rumbling loudly. "I'm hungry."

"I noticed. I'll call room service and have them send you up some lunch." He handed me the room service menu. I quickly scanned it, then ordered a fish sandwich and fries, since the fish was great here. Dad called down to the desk and placed the order.

"While we're waiting for that, I'll put some more salve on you," he said, summoning the jar from his kit.

I bit my lip, but didn't bother protesting, and submitted to the indignity of having the stuff rubbed all over me once again. I considered it the price I paid for being so deceitful. And it wasn't going to end there, I thought with another wince. For now I knew where the Brotherhood headquarters were, I wanted to take a look at them. And maybe put the fear of God into them, for a change.

Dad sat with me while I ate, and I asked him how he was doing with his new case. "That's difficult to say, it's early days yet. But I did manage to reassure all the families who had received threats and put some of my Hunters on watch detail."

"That's good. Did you talk to the cat lady?"

"Her name's Evelyn Proctor, and yes I did. She was very helpful, she's lived in Salem her whole life and knows just about everything there is to know about it and the families who live here."

I was dying to ask if he knew about the headquarters of the Shining Path, but I didn't dare. Instead I asked another question that had been plaguing me ever since I'd spoken with Evelyn. "Dad, is there a spell that could, uh, stop a bullet?"

He looked startled. "Yes, but it's not one that's very well known, except to Hunters. Why?"

"Just wondering. Those Brotherhood scum, what if they tried to shoot you?"

"I know the spell, Gavin, and if I were even thinking of confronting one, I'd cast it first."

I sighed in relief. Then I thought of something else. "I wonder if my fire shield could stop a bullet?"

Severus considered. "It might, depending on how hot you made it. Most bullets are made of plastic, not metal these days, and plastic will melt in fire. Not that you have to worry about dodging bullets, scamp." He shot me an appraising look. "This is a rather odd conversation. What's going on in that head of yours, boy?"

I shrugged. "I got to thinking, is all, about those creeps hurting people, and their sort likes to do it with guns, probably."

"Yes, and we wizards aren't immune to bullets," Dad acknowledged. "But remember, I'm not here to confront any of the Shining Path just yet. All I'm doing is gathering information. So you can quit worrying, all right?" He reached out and rumpled my hair.

I smiled and wished like hell I didn't have to lie like this. If he ever found out . . .well, that hand wouldn't be ruffling my hair, oh no. It'd be shoving soap in my mouth at the very least, for Dad considered lying as bad as swearing and used the same punishment for it. I'd have to be very careful, for interfering in his investigation was serious business, and I'd be grounded for life if he caught me.

I finished my sandwich and fries, my deception had done little to blunt my appetite, at least. Tomorrow, I resolved, I would be healed from my sunburn and able to accompany Aunt Teri and the twins about the town again. I planned to study the tour map we had, so I knew where the street was with the headquarters on it, then somehow I'd find a way to get over there.

* * * * * *

The next morning, I was fully recovered from my sunburn, having removed the glamour over myself. Although Dad insisted on applying a thin coating of burn salve anyway, over my protests, which he ignored. "Dad, I'm fine! I don't need it." I gestured at myself. "See? I'm healed up, no red anywhere."

"Not on the surface, no," he agreed, uncapping the jar. "But that was a terrible sunburn and it probably penetrated down several layers of skin. Now quit arguing and just let me do this, Gavin Snape! It won't hurt you and it can only help moisturize your skin."

I rolled my eyes, then turned over and let him do what he wanted, grumbling rebelliously. My act fooled him, thank God. Maybe I should consider a career as an actor, I thought guiltily. Then I jumped when he gave me a swat on the bottom. "Quit that whining," he ordered, and I stopped grumbling.

Once that was finished, I got dressed and then we headed out to see some more of Salem.

I managed to steer my relatives in the direction of the headquarters, since it was close to another rather famous Salem landmark, an old house that was rumored to be haunted. The twins promptly dared me to go up and knock on the door.

"C'mon, Director's son! Let's see how brave you really are."

"You really think this place is haunted?" I said skeptically.

"Who knows? I dare you to ring the bell and then wait to see what happens," Nick suggested.

"Nothing," I said dismissively.

"We'll see, won't we?" Drew said, his eyes glittering.

I shrugged and walked up the crumbling stone steps and pressed the old bell. It whined annoyingly, like a bee that had forgotten how to buzz. The only thing that was likely to happen is part of the house collapsing from the bell's echo, I snorted.

I waited for about a minute, then turned to come down the stairs. "See? Nothing, like I told you," I said. The twins looked disappointed. I'm sure they'd wanted some horrible dead thing to pop out of the house and come after me. Then I lowered my voice and hissed, "Maybe the ghost or whatever only comes out at night. . ."

Nick's eyes widened at my daring. "Seriously? You want to sneak out and come back here?"

I nodded slowly, for it would be yet another chance for me to study the house where the Brotherhood was holed up.

Drew looked uneasy, he was the good twin, well, sometimes. He didn't get into half the trouble his brother did. "If we're caught . . .Mom and Uncle Sev will kick our asses."

"How're they gonna know, you jackass?" Nick sneered. "They'll be asleep, duh!" He rubbed his hands eagerly. "It's perfect! The haunted house at midnight. Then we'll really see who's got guts in this family." He gave his twin a challenging stare. "You up for it, or are you nothing but a whiny girl, Drewie?"

Drew scowled, but he couldn't refuse his twin's dare. "Fine, but if we're caught, you're gonna make sure you take most of the blame, the two of you."

"How's that fair?" I objected. "An accessory is as guilty as the main suspect."

"Don't quote Hunter protocols at me, Gav!" my cousin growled. "This is stupid, you know."

"If it's stupid then why are you going along with it?" Nick demanded.

Drew scraped the blacktop with his sneaker. "Damned if I know," was all he said.

"Fine," I agreed swiftly. "If something happens, I'll say it was my idea and Nick's. Okay?" Which it was. I began having second thoughts as we walked back to where Aunt Teri waited. Maybe I should just tell them to forget it. It was one thing to get myself in trouble, another to include my cousins. Then again, Nick probably would have thought of this sooner or later. He was a born thrill seeker.

I then told them that this wasn't the only house in Salem that was supposed to be haunted. "Where's another one?" they demanded eagerly.

"This way," I beckoned them down a connecting street. "It's an old mansion, dates back to the witch trials or something. It's on Rochester Street."

We found it, no problem. It was a large brick building, three stories or so, with a porch entrance that was as big as my living room. It crouched like a hungry beast behind wrought iron gates. I peered at it, trying to see if I could sense anything odd about it, but all I could pick up was a vague sort of uneasiness. There was a watchfulness about the place, as if it was waiting for something to happen.

From outside the gates, the place looked deserted. I tried the gate, but it was locked. "Damn! I wish we could open the gate." I rattled the bars in frustration."

"We can," said Drew, and pointed his finger and whispered an unlocking charm. "Alohomora!"

There was a click and then the gates swung open.

Smirking, we slipped onto the grass and made our way across the property to take a closer look at the house. Up close we could see that the blue paint was peeling along the colonial style shutters and some of the brickwork was crumbling. But the marble columns fronting the porch were as solid as ever, and so were the roof shingles.

"Who was supposed to've died here?" Nick asked.

"Lots of people," I answered shortly, craning my neck upwards to see the upper stories.

Suddenly, I caught a flicker of movement at one of the second story windows. I bit my lip and stared hard, trying to determine if it was a trick of the light. But no, I saw the white drape move and for one instant a face peered out of the window.

I caught my breath.

"What is it, Gav?" Drew demanded, for I'd gone very pale.

"Didja see a ghost or what?" asked Nick, scanning the house eagerly.

"No. It was nothing . . ." I managed to say after a moment.

"C'mon, Gav. You can tell us, we won't say anything," Nick coaxed. "What did you see? Was it a real ghost?"

I shook my head, irritated with his questions. "No! It was just a trick of the light," I snapped, but I kept my gaze trained on the window for a moment more. Perhaps if I waited, she might return to the window. But after a few minutes I gave up and left, walking out of the yard.

I didn't speak much on the way back to the hotel. My cousins probably thought it was because I'd gotten scared and didn't want to admit it. But that wasn't it at all. I was quiet because I was still trying to come to grips with what I'd seen, or thought I'd seen at the Shining Path headquarters.

For the face at the window had been Monkey's.

Impossible as it seemed, I'd know her eyes and features anywhere. It made no sense for her to be here, in Massachusetts, much less inside that house. But I knew what I saw. I gnawed my lower lip to ribbons and knew I had to come back there and see if I'd seen what I thought I had.

After that I didn't know what I'd do.

I know, this one's really short, but don't worry, i wrote the next one! Stay awake and I'll post it!