The Dead House

Scott scoffs.

“Scott,” Naida pleads, “I’ve known this about Carly and Kaitlyn for almost two years now. Do you think I’m lying?”

He throws up his hands. “Babe—”

“Well?”

“No, but I think she’s pulled the wool over your eyes.”

Naida throws up her hands in a mirroring gesture and growls.

“You know,” Brett says slowly, glancing at Kaitlyn tentatively, “she is very different at night.…”

Naida turns to Scott. “I need your help. I need you to believe this quickly, because Carly’s in some serious trouble. Life-and-death kind of trouble, only worse, because it’s her eternal soul in danger.”

Scott stares at her like she just sprouted feathers. “Naids, I dunno. It’s so… Jekyll and Hyde, you know? Are you sure she’s not just—”

“What? Crazy?”

Scott shrugs. “Well… yeah. Sorry.”

“Just listen, okay? We think an Olen—a Mala spirit of great power—has taken Carly.” She pauses, looking each of them in the eye. “Last year I initiated you guys into a Mala circle. I taught you and shared with you, remember that? Now I need you to believe me.”

“Excuse me?” Kaitlyn says softly.

“Last year I taught all of them a bit about Mala. I wanted to explore it a little more. Scott was curious, and so was Brett. Carly too. We formed a kind of Mala group.”

Kaitlyn looks as though she’s had the air knocked out of her. “Carly… was in a witch ring?”

“Just basic stuff. How to create a charm bag and a trick bag, simple things like that.” Naida turns back to the room. “But this is bigger than that. Like I said, Carly’s been stolen somehow. And I need your help.”

Scott frowns and, after a moment, as though sensing that Naida has reached some kind of limit, walks over and wraps her in his long arms.

“This is mental, I hope you know that. But… you’re stubborn as shit, so I guess I have no choice but to make sure you don’t get hurt. What do you need from us?”

Naida doesn’t reply right away, and before long, it is evident why. She is crying. He kisses the top of her head, nuzzling into her corkscrew curls.

“I need you to sneak Kaitlyn food and drink,” she manages, at last. “And bring her clothes from my wardrobe, bringing out the old ones. It’ll have to be on a rotation. Kaitlyn can’t be seen.”

“For how long?” asks Brett.

“I don’t know. I have find out what’s going on. I can’t go into this blind. I need to prepare myself—could be a few days. A week, maybe?”

Brett smooths back his perfect hair. “I don’t know, Naida… Why do the police want her?”

“Because they’re idiots,” Ari says. “But if you’re too scared, we can do it without you.”

“Forget it!” Kaitlyn snaps. “I don’t need help—”

“No, wait,” Brett says, cutting her off. He smiles. “I’m sorry. I want to help, if I can… Kaitlyn.”

“I really think that I’m the only one who can get Carly back,” Naida whispers. “I’m the only one who knows about Mala, and about Grúndi. I’m the only one who can deal with this… and it’s a big responsibility.”

Kaitlyn clenches her jaw and glances at Naida, perhaps still wary, but she says nothing.

Ari folds his arms and frowns, and with a glance at Kaitlyn, says, “Back from where?”

“I’m not sure yet. I need to research, as I said. Have to find out the time frame, look for clues.”

“What about Juliet?” Brett asks. “Could she have been taken too, like Carly? Could they be in the same place?”

Naida shakes her head. “I think Juliet… I think human evil was responsible for her disappearance. I don’t sense anything spiritual. I think she was kidnapped, or—I don’t know.”

There is a long moment of silence.

“In any case,” Naida says at last, “you should know that someone’s working against us.”

“What do you mean, ‘working against us’?” Ari says.

“I mean someone took Carly—someone took her soul and trapped it. Now that someone is going to do his damnedest to try to stop me from going after her.”

“Is this dangerous?” Brett asks.

Naida nods, and Scott lets loose a vehement exclamation.

“But I can do it. I just need time. I need you to keep Kaitie safe for me until it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

Naida looks at Scott, whose eyes are locked on her face. “Just time.”

Scott shakes his head, and Brett pulls on his lips in thought.