blooming a violent, angry red. “I know no such thing, Jeremiah. What I do know is that bridge has a bad history. The kind of history that can change a place. Make it attractive to certain . . . things.”
“Grandma, you know I don’t believe in—”
Ruth laughed mirthlessly, cutting Joshua off again. “Joshua,” she all but whispered, her eyes locked once again onto his. “I’m pretty sure you do believe. At least you believe now .”
A soft, thoughtless yelp escaped my lips.
I slapped my hand to my mouth. Ruth, however, didn’t look at me. Instead, she remained focused on her grandson.
Maybe she hadn’t heard me yelp? And maybe I was being hypersensitive, imagining that she saw me, too? Imagining that she referred to me as one of those “certain things” associated with High Bridge?
Maybe. But it didn’t seem very likely anymore.
And I didn’t want to risk it. In fact, I suddenly felt trapped. The need to run began to burn in my limbs. I threw one more longing glance at Joshua before I crept several paces backward.
Joshua followed my movements from the corner of his eye. “Don’t—!” he started to protest, but then clamped his lips down and gave his grandmother a tight smile.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, hovering at the entrance of the hallway. “But I think I’d better get out of here.”
He frowned, still staring at his grandmother, who had yet to drop her eyes from him. I looked back and forth between Ruth and Joshua, gnawing on the corner of my lip. At last my gaze fell on Joshua. I looked down at the hand closest to me and watched him clench and unclench it, like he’d done outside his math classroom today.
Despite my fear, this little gesture made me smile. It emboldened me, if just a tiny bit.
I drew a deep breath and then said, “Meet me at your school tomorrow, okay? At lunch, in the parking lot?”
Joshua gave me just the slightest nod, and my grin widened. The grin shrank, however, when Ruth’s eyes darted once more to mine. If I didn’t know better, I would have believed that a gaze like that could kill me again.
“Help me get out of here, Joshua,” I whispered, as if my hushed tone would somehow make Ruth less aware of me. I spun around and bolted down the hallway before I had the chance to find out.
Once I reached the end of the hallway, I nearly shrieked in frustration. The screen door stared back at me, shut tight against my useless, dead hands. I almost collapsed with gratitude when an arm reached past me and shoved the door open, wide enough for me to pass through it. I crossed onto the deck and spun back around with a wide smile of relief.
“Thanks, Joshua, I really—”
The words died on my lips.
Ruth stared out at me from across the threshold, her hand still clenched to the doorframe, standing only inches away from me.
She was alone in the hallway.
I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from Ruth’s. Watching her, my vision blurred, and I could swear my head actually started to ache .
Finally, with an almost nightmarish slowness, I looked away from her. I began taking uncoordinated, fumbling steps across the deck and then down its stairs.
From behind me, I thought I heard something—a soft murmuring, almost like chanting. But I didn’t look back at Ruth. Instead, I dashed through the yard and toward the driveway, intent on escape. Before I could flee, however, the sound of Ruth’s voice froze me one last time.
When Ruth spoke, she whispered. But this time she did so loud enough for me to hear her, even from across the yard. The very sound of it prickled, icy and cruel at the back of my neck.
“You weren’t who I expected,” she hissed into the dark, “but whoever you are—leave. And don’t come back.”
My first impulse was to drop to the ground, curl up into the fetal position, and pray for a nightmare. For a good old disappearing act.
My next impulse was to cry out Yes, ma’am; of course, ma’am and promptly obey her orders.
My
“Grandma, you know I don’t believe in—”
Ruth laughed mirthlessly, cutting Joshua off again. “Joshua,” she all but whispered, her eyes locked once again onto his. “I’m pretty sure you do believe. At least you believe now .”
A soft, thoughtless yelp escaped my lips.
I slapped my hand to my mouth. Ruth, however, didn’t look at me. Instead, she remained focused on her grandson.
Maybe she hadn’t heard me yelp? And maybe I was being hypersensitive, imagining that she saw me, too? Imagining that she referred to me as one of those “certain things” associated with High Bridge?
Maybe. But it didn’t seem very likely anymore.
And I didn’t want to risk it. In fact, I suddenly felt trapped. The need to run began to burn in my limbs. I threw one more longing glance at Joshua before I crept several paces backward.
Joshua followed my movements from the corner of his eye. “Don’t—!” he started to protest, but then clamped his lips down and gave his grandmother a tight smile.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, hovering at the entrance of the hallway. “But I think I’d better get out of here.”
He frowned, still staring at his grandmother, who had yet to drop her eyes from him. I looked back and forth between Ruth and Joshua, gnawing on the corner of my lip. At last my gaze fell on Joshua. I looked down at the hand closest to me and watched him clench and unclench it, like he’d done outside his math classroom today.
Despite my fear, this little gesture made me smile. It emboldened me, if just a tiny bit.
I drew a deep breath and then said, “Meet me at your school tomorrow, okay? At lunch, in the parking lot?”
Joshua gave me just the slightest nod, and my grin widened. The grin shrank, however, when Ruth’s eyes darted once more to mine. If I didn’t know better, I would have believed that a gaze like that could kill me again.
“Help me get out of here, Joshua,” I whispered, as if my hushed tone would somehow make Ruth less aware of me. I spun around and bolted down the hallway before I had the chance to find out.
Once I reached the end of the hallway, I nearly shrieked in frustration. The screen door stared back at me, shut tight against my useless, dead hands. I almost collapsed with gratitude when an arm reached past me and shoved the door open, wide enough for me to pass through it. I crossed onto the deck and spun back around with a wide smile of relief.
“Thanks, Joshua, I really—”
The words died on my lips.
Ruth stared out at me from across the threshold, her hand still clenched to the doorframe, standing only inches away from me.
She was alone in the hallway.
I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from Ruth’s. Watching her, my vision blurred, and I could swear my head actually started to ache .
Finally, with an almost nightmarish slowness, I looked away from her. I began taking uncoordinated, fumbling steps across the deck and then down its stairs.
From behind me, I thought I heard something—a soft murmuring, almost like chanting. But I didn’t look back at Ruth. Instead, I dashed through the yard and toward the driveway, intent on escape. Before I could flee, however, the sound of Ruth’s voice froze me one last time.
When Ruth spoke, she whispered. But this time she did so loud enough for me to hear her, even from across the yard. The very sound of it prickled, icy and cruel at the back of my neck.
“You weren’t who I expected,” she hissed into the dark, “but whoever you are—leave. And don’t come back.”
My first impulse was to drop to the ground, curl up into the fetal position, and pray for a nightmare. For a good old disappearing act.
My next impulse was to cry out Yes, ma’am; of course, ma’am and promptly obey her orders.
My
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