CHAPTER TWO
There was no small foyer inside Siler House. No small hallway with paintings or flower arrangements or coat racks. The door opened into a broad space that was part of what the brochure had called the Great Room. Furniture divided it into two sitting areas: one in front of the brick fireplace, and another in the room’s middle. A table with a chess set had been placed in the corner. To Jess’s right, a large mahogany side table with clawed feet stood against the wall closest to a wide, dark wood-paneled staircase that led to three beveled windows on the first landing.
“Well, it is elegant,” her mother offered.
Jess agreed. The far end of the Great Room hosted a set of floor-to-ceiling windows that matched the ones on the stairwell landing. The room itself was painted hunter green. A crystal chandelier the size of a small car glittered high above the room’s center, its prisms casting odd refractions of light into the corners and illuminating small faces carved into the crown molding. Jess squinted to see them better.
Voices—that of a woman and a girl—carried from around the corner. Was the girl like her? Did she see ghosts? Jess’s attention shifted from the odd, staring faces above her to the hallway.
“Aunt Carolyn, please!”
“DON’T!” a woman, presumably Aunt Carolyn, replied. “For God’s sake, don’t touch me!”
The source of the voices rounded the corner a moment later—a tired looking, dark-haired woman in casual slacks and blouse, and a too-thin girl of about seventeen or eighteen with long strawberry blond hair wearing shorts. A man dressed in a black suit and red tie followed behind. Unless Jess missed her guess, he had to be Dr. Brandt.
“Allison, you’ll be fine,” the man said. “I assure you and your aunt that you’ll be safe here.”
The woman slowed and turned to offer him a terse smile. “Yes, my husband and I will feel much better when she’s here with you.” She rubbed her arms as though it were winter rather than late July. “Allison’s parents, that is, my sister and her husband, will be in touch, I’m sure. They just need some time.” Her eyes darted in Allison’s direction and Jess swore she saw fear inside them. Not the kind she’d expect from some weird germaphobe afraid of being touched, but from someone who’d just found a tarantula hanging in front of her, or the boogeyman in her bedroom closet.
Or encountered someone who’d done something to permanently scare the crap out of her.
“Well,” Aunt Carolyn replied at last, “If that’ll be all.” She gave the man a cordial nod and hurried past Jess and her mother, almost colliding with Lily and Paul in her rush. Allison’s aunt never looked back, slamming the door shut behind her.
The man in the suit approached them, an apologetic look on his face. “Dr. Gregory Brandt,” he said. He gestured at the thin, young girl. “And this is Allison Giles. You must be—”
“It doesn’t matter who they are,” Allison interrupted. “They should leave this place. This instant.”
For a long moment, no one spoke. Lily came to stand beside Jess. “Awkward,” she whispered.
Allison wrung her hands and managed a smile. Tears glimmered in her eyes. “Are you afraid of me, too? If not, you will be. Just like everyone else.”
“No one is afraid of you,” Dr. Brandt assured her. A smile spread across his face almost too easily. “Your aunt is uncomfortable with the study, that’s all. Non-believers usually are.”
Allison’s eyes cut to Dr. Brandt. “My aunt believes. They all do. How could they not?”
Jess opened her mouth to tell Allison that she wasn’t afraid of her, even though her aunt clearly had been, but Allison shoved past them and hurried up the stairs.
“Really awkward,” Lily reiterated.
Jess felt her mother’s gentle touch on her arm. “Jess, sweetheart. Say the word and you can come with us to Florida. It’ll be a nice family vacation. Your cousins will be happy to see you.”
The worrisome tone in her voice was too much. Her mother meant well, but Jess found the gesture nearly suffocating and pulled away. She needed to do this. Her mother loved her, wanted to shield her, but Jess was stronger now. Hiding the grief and tears had been hard at first, but that, too, had become easier over time. Jess sensed the weight of her mother’s stare.
She thinks Allison and I have a lot of potential crazy in common. And maybe we do.
“Allison is just nervous,” Dr. Brandt explained. “The relationship she has with her aunt and uncle is a bit strained.”
“Wow, I hope she’s not my roommate.” Jess hoped the statement would go a long way to reassure her mother, although she actually wouldn’t mind sharing a room with Allison. Everyone else could call it crazy if they wanted, but Allison might really be in tune with whatever ghosts called Siler House home.
And Allison might be able to help me find the portal, so I can find Dad and Grams.
Paul laughed. “I don’t know, Jess. With your luck, she’s definitely your roommate. So, what do you say we lug the dead bodies upstairs and find out?” He nodded toward her luggage.
Jess smiled, thankful for Paul’s eternal and timely wit.
“Simple case of nerves,” Dr. Brandt repeated. “I’m certain Jess and Allison will be fine,” he added, essentially confirming that Paul was right about Jess’s luck. “They’ll be good friends by morning.”
Jess’s mother finished introducing herself, Paul and Lily just as the next study mate arrived—a tall, fair-haired guy wearing jeans and a black polo shirt. He held the door for a woman and tall girl who shared his complexion and faded blue eyes. He grinned nervously at Jess and her family before bringing his attention back to what she assumed were his mother and sister. A man entered behind them and Jess noticed that the newcomer’s face grew taut. He wiped the palms of his hands against his jeans.
“Ah,” Dr. Brandt exclaimed. “Bryan! So glad you decided to join us.” He began making the formal introductions around the room. Jess learned that Bryan’s last name was Akerman, that he was about her own age, and that his younger sister’s name was Erin. The man with his mother was her boyfriend, Alex.
Everyone nodded or shook hands. Alex wrapped an arm around Bryan’s mother, and Bryan looked away.
“Bryan, it’s okay. Honest,” his sister said softly, resting a hand on his arm. Bryan swallowed hard and nodded.
“Sweetheart,” Bryan’s mother said, excusing herself from small talk with Jess’s mother and moving away from her boyfriend. Bryan seemed to relax a bit. “We’ll be just fine.” She leaned forward and whispered something too softly for Jess to hear clearly, but it was something about finally being happy. Then she turned to face everyone. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Hon, do you have the car keys?” Alex patted the pockets on his slacks.
“Bryan!” Erin mouthed accusingly.
“What?” Bryan mouthed back. “I didn’t do it.”
The boyfriend seemed nice enough. At the same time, Jess totally understood. Watching her mother with someone other than her father had been hard at first, too.
“Never mind!” Alex pulled the keys from his right pants pocket. “They’re right here.”
Bryan shifted his footing and looked toward the door. Whatever ability Bryan had, it wasn’t like hers or Allison’s. Jess wondered if Bryan’s ability was more physical. Telekinesis? Mind control? Something else? Cool.
Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t wait to talk to her fellow test subjects and get the chance to know more about them and about Siler House. She had been waiting for something like Siler House to come into her life. She looked around at the stairwell and the large, inviting room, and wondered that if houses could think, would Siler House feel the same way about her.