I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself
if I could just come in I swear I'll leave.
Won't take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.
The House That Built Me-Miranda Lambert
When Julianne wakes up it's just her and Meggie in the van, the men enjoying the fresh air outside. Stretching lazily, she pushes the blanket off onto her messenger bag before sliding the door open and stepping out next to Dustfinger. Even with her eyes blurry from sleep she can make out the iron gate that used to terrify her as a child. The spikes on top look sharp enough to impale anyone who's brave enough to climb over them and serves as a good warning to any would-be trespassers. Thorny bushes grow on either side of the gate, hiding a good deal of the property. With a shiver, she turns her gaze to the right and a smile makes itself known as she spots the lake she used to swim in with Resa while Mo was working.
Meggie joins them a short time later, pushing some of her blonde hair off her face and behind her ears.
"Beautiful, isn't it," Mo asks, wrapping an arm around Meggie's shoulders and holding her close. He then proceeds to tell her about the abandoned castle that's barely visible atop a hill. Julianne used to sneak up there at night to see the robber's ghost, but always fell asleep before anything happened. Mo would come get her the next morning, always talking about how dangerous it was but never putting a stop to her trips.
"Where does Elinor live," Meggie asks softly, resting her head on Mo's shoulder. "Surely not behind that scary gate."
"Where else would the wicked witch choose to live if not behind something scary and terrible," Julianne grumbles, kicking a pebble down the slope that leads to the lake. Mo gives her a stern don't frighten your sister look that she'd seen a lot when she went through her ghosts and goblins phase. "Sorry, Mo, but she's not the most likable person out there. Actually, I've met muggers that I like better than Elinor."
"Come on, Juli, she's not as bad as all that," Mo says, lying through his teeth. Julianne scoffs and shakes her head. It's not until she feels a puff of hot air against her ear that she realizes how close Dustfinger is to her.
"Looks like you have rich relations," Dustfinger whispers.
"Richer than any of the others, but she'll be poor as a church mouse if she doesn't cut back on her spending," she says, ignoring the shiver that races up her spine. "Elinor has more books than any library I've ever been in. In fact, the town librarian comes to her for advice." Mo nods and grunts as he manages to push the gate open a couple of feet.
"What are you doing," Meggie asks in surprise, her blue eyes bright. "We can't just drive in." Julianne follows her sister's gaze to a sign nearly hidden by the hedge. Private property. No Unauthorized Entry. Well, good to know nothing ever changes. Mo just laughs as he pushes the gate farther open.
"Don't worry," he assures her," the only thing Elinor guards with an alarm is her library." Dustfinger glances around nervously, looking for something beyond the gate. Julianne grins devilishly as she realizes he's looking for guard dogs. She puts her hands in the pockets of her sweats as she strolls back to the van.
"Her dogs are pretty nasty though," she quips, throwing Dustfinger a wink over her shoulder.
They all pile back into the van, Mo starting it and driving past the gates and up the winding driveway. The branches of fir and chestnut trees twine together above them to make a tunnel, hiding them from the purple skies of twilight. The driveway seems to go on forever and the longer they drive the more anxious Meggie and Dustfinger appear. Finally, the trees give way to gravel and the rose beds that Elinor takes so much pride in. She wins an award every year for them and often writes to Mo in order to boast about it. Julianne can't grow flowers to save her life, but her mother had been great at it. Victoria Ricci is dead though, and Julianne only has stories that Mo tells her on quiet nights.
Elinor's house in enormous, bigger than any place Julianne's ever seen. Her station wagon is parked outside, rusting slowly from all the weather it's had to endure. Julianne has no doubt that the garage is reserved for more books. The house itself is as welcoming as the gate had been, shutters tightly closed on lower floors and curtains drawn on the upper floors.
"Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within," Meggie quotes. "It had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." Mo pulls the van up beside the other car, putting it in park and cutting the ignition before he gets out.
"All ye who enter here beware," Julianne says softly as they approach the front door," as dead men tell no tales." Dustfinger eyes her nervously, sticking closer to her than before while Meggie holds onto Mo. She was too young the last time they were here to remember that it used to be warm and friendly. The window closest to the door is barred with a sign below it: If you intend to waste my time on trivia, you'd better go away now! Mo presses on a little white button making a bell ring inside the house.
"Stop ringing that damn bell!"
"She sounds lovely," Dustfinger remarks under his breath. Julianne scoffs lightly, nodding. The door swings open a few minutes later, revealing an elderly woman with gray hair put up in a sloppy bun and the stern face you'd expect to see on a governess from a period film. Elinor is older than Julianne remembers, nearing her mid-fifties with a few more lines in her face and hard eyes. She's dressed in a sweater, skirt, and flats with a string of shiny pearls around her throat.
She seems pleased to see Mo, even goes as far to ask him why he doesn't visit more often, and then she spots the rest of them. Elinor doesn't trust Meggie because she's still a kid, she doesn't trust Julianne because she used to be a brat, and Dustfinger probably just creeps her out. Elinor Loredan is easily creeped out by strange people.
"Hello, Auntie," Julianne waves.
"To what do I owe the pleasure? Have you finally decided to take pity on my poor books?"
"Yes, that's why I've come," Mo nods, easily taking on the lie. "A commission I received was postponed and it was so late that I had no one to watch Meggie while Juli works on her term paper."
"I suppose she's outgrown the playpen." Elinor's tone is cold as she sneers down at Meggie. Her gaze lands on Dustfinger for a second before flicking back to Mo. "Do I know him? My God, don't tell me he's gotten Julianne pregnant." Julianne's eyes widen at that and she takes a couple of hasty steps away from Dustfinger, shaking her head vigorously.
"No, Dustfinger is... A friend of mine. Surely you have room enough for him for a night or two? He's traveling south."
"Only if he keeps his filthy hands off my books and is fine with an attic room. My library has grown so much, and I'll have to move some things around in order to house the three of you alone." She moves back into the house, waving a hand behind her for the others to follow. Inside the doorway are two floor-to-ceiling bookcases, white as the walls and a stark contrast to the rest of the bookcases that fill the house. "Julianne, you know where everything is and the rules, why don't you take your friend on up to his room and help him clean things up a bit? And absolutely no inappropriate groping!"
"I would never," Dustfinger starts, only for Julianne to interrupt him.
"I make no promises," Julianne says. Elinor looks downright scandalized as Julianne grabs a handful of Dustfinger's coat, pulling him after her through the halls and up the stairs. All of Elinor's books are organized and alphabetized, a far cry from how their books are back home. The attic room is small and covered in dust, filled with stacks of Elinor's less valuable books that she can really care less about. Some stacks are so tall that they tower over Julianne and sway back and forth at the slightest movement in the room. In short, it's claustrophobic. Dustfinger looks over at Julianne again with raised brows.
"The woman gives new meaning to the word bookworm."
By the time they're finally done with Dustfinger's room and have stumbled down to the kitchen where everyone else is setting the table for dinner, they're both sore and covered in dust.
"When was the last time you were in the attic, Auntie," Julianne asks, plopping down in her chair. Dustfinger follows suit with a tired sigh, settling on a chair next to Julianne. "You have spiders up there that have basically made a home in some of those books."
"They weren't very happy about being evicted either," Dustfinger adds dryly, flicking a spider web off his shirt. Elinor rolls her eyes, claiming that she has no spiders in her home and that they must have imagined the whole incident. Mo sends Julianne a sympathetic look, knowing that spiders scare the living daylights out of her.
Supper that night consists of bread, cheese, and some overcooked ham that Elinor has made herself. It's not until the meal is set out that Julianne remembers that her step-aunt can't cook and often ordered takeout when it's just her. Unfortunately, she feels the need to dust off her poor pots and pans in the kitchen when she has guests. No doubt there had been some spiders in there that have ended up kicked out of their home.
Dustfinger cuts off a slice of ham and slips it into his pack for Gwin to munch on and Julianne smiles until she catches Mo and Elinor whispering and Meggie's questioning look. She's still curious as to what's going on and Julianne bets Meggie will find out sooner than Julianne likes. Tonight just feels wrong, like the darkness they've tried to escape has followed them and is wrapping around her like a blanket, suffocating her.
After picking at his food, mainly moving it around so it looked like he had eaten, Mo stands up and excuses himself. "I'd like to examine the books one more time to see which one I should start with tomorrow." He places a light kiss on Meggie's forehead and Julianne's cheek. "Goodnight, girls, Elinor, Dustfinger." Elinor and Dustfinger give him nods before going back to what they're doing.
Meggie leaves soon after, using the bathroom as an excuse to spy on Mo. Anyone with eyes can see that's what she's going to do, she's too agitated and curious to be doing anything else. Julianne shakes her head, the stale bread settling like rocks in her belly.
"I'm going to turn in," Julianne murmurs, setting her fork on her plate before standing.
"But you've barely touched your ham," Elinor complains," and besides, I doubt you even remember where your room is located. After all, it's been nine years since you've visited."
"Second floor, first door on the left, and I bet it's still painted royal blue with little lights on the ceiling that look like stars." Elinor shifts in her seat, nodding and waving her off. The last time Julianne had been here she was going through an astronomy phase, she couldn't find enough information on the subject. Now, though, the unknown scared her.
Now she knows of the bad things that live in the dark places of the world.