The Dead House

Kaitlyn turns her head to the side, resting her chin on her sharp shoulder like a bird perched on an outcropping. “I see. Thank him for me. Tell him… tell him I—” She breaks off as one dry sob breaks free.

Naida’s hand shoots forward to grasp Kaitlyn’s. She squeezes, then lets go. Kaitlyn balls her hand into a fist, eyes fixed on Naida, then snatches her hand into her lap.

Naida swallows. “Ari… he wanted to tell you that the chapel’s been pretty dank and dark, and he doesn’t like to go there much anymore. He prefers the main building… mostly the lower level.”

There’s a small pause and the briefest hesitation from Kaitlyn.

She swallows, squeezing her eyes closed. “They’re saying I’m crazy, Naida.” She says it in a rush. “They say I’m Carly and that I’m crazy—they say I need help—they say—”

“No.” Naida says it firmly, her voice low and her lips tight. “Never. Never let them tell you that, Kait. You’re not crazy—do you hear me?”

Kaitlyn presses her fists to her eyes. “I don’t know anymore—I don’t know what’s real. They sedated me, and I couldn’t get out of the Dead House. The Voice… I hear his whispering so close—” She breaks off once again, tearing her fists away from her eyes, and her voice grows softly shrill. “I think he’s trying to get inside me. Naida… that’s not normal, is it?”

Naida leans forward and drops her voice. “You listen to me, okay? You’re not crazy. I think someone’s trying to make you think you are. You’ll be out of here before you know it. Just stay calm, stay focused.” Her eyes dart to Kaitlyn’s hands and back up to her face. “All right?”

Kaitlyn begins to shake, slowly at first, and then more violently. “They won’t let me go, Naida,” she breathes. “They’ll lock me in here forever! I heard Carly screaming for me to help her, but I can’t—I don’t know how!”

The guard buzzes into the room. “Calm down, Johnson, or this meeting will be over in a second flat.”

But it’s too late.

Kaitlyn locks her eyes on Naida’s and yanks on her restraints. “Get me out of here, Naida! The Voice is getting closer! Get me out of here! Get me out!”

Naida stumbles out of her seat and covers her mouth.

The guard moves to intercept Kaitlyn. “I warned you.”

Kaitlyn throws herself out of the chair, yanking her arms violently to try to break free. She must pull a stitch, because the bandages covering her left arm bleed red. Naida begins to cry, watching as the guard grabs Kaitlyn.

“Naida!”

“You can leave,” the guard shouts as two health-care assistants rush into the room from the rear door. “Now!”

Naida, shaking her head, hand still pressed to her mouth, flees the interview room and out of camera shot. The assistants remove the restraints and carry a hysterical Kaitlyn from the meeting room. An eerie silence follows the slow, mechanical sweep of the weighted door.





61



The Johnson Claydon Diaries



Twenty-fourth Entry

Naida came.

She slipped me a note:




Kaitlyn,



You have to get out of there, I know you can. Carly told me how you’d break out at night and go wandering during the summer. You have to come back to Elmbridge. Down to the basement, which Ari showed me. Avoid the chapel—we can’t risk you being seen—the basement is safer. In that little side room, okay? Weird things have happened since you left, and I’m convinced that a Shyan is working you. That’s a Mala priest who has tainted himself with dark conjurings.


Someone’s been trying to bind me with tricks, I think because I’ve been looking into Carly’s disappearance, but they’re using Grúndi, not Mala. That’s dark magic, plain and simple. But they don’t know that I know a bit about Grúndi, so I recognize it.


I think I know who’s doing this—I mean, maybe. I’ll explain more when I see you. If you absolutely have to reach me, use this number:

[number omitted]




My dreams have been… Carly is in worse trouble the longer we wait.


Come soon.





Carly is in trouble. I was right. I knew she was calling to me. This is bigger than me, Dee, much bigger than me. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I’m so relieved, so grateful. Nothing else matters now.

What do you mean?

I don’t think—

She might, I suppose…

No, I suppose so…

Well, yeah. I guess I really don’t, do I, Dee?

Yeah… yeah, I know, I should trust you. Naida never liked me. She always wanted Carly for herself… and she is promised to the Mala calling, which Carly made sound like some kind of witchcraft-voodoo cult. She could be working with the Voice. With Aka Manah.

She might be trying to trick me. Get me into worse trouble.

What’s that? Oh.

Yeah, I think so too.

I must look a wreck, because when she came through the door, she stopped in her tracks and blinked back sudden tears. I know she sees Carly, not me. Still, it was nice to think that she cared how they’ve been treating me.