River of Bones (10 page)

Whispering voices traveled under the threshold. Footsteps sounded again.

“Open up, we're coming in!” Wolf said. He glanced at me, his eyes hard. “I'm gonna break it down. Stand back.”

I took a step away and Wolf shoved hard on the door. It flew open and every ounce of me begged for it to be closed again.

 

Sassy drew her knitted shawl tighter around her shoulders as she always did in the evenings when the dampness chilled her bones. She closed her eyes as she sat listening to the fall of every raindrop on the poorly tarred roof. To her ears, the sound was soothing, rhythmic. Like the gentle beat of drums.

She drifted to sleep and Papa Doc came to her again, to warn her, baboon skulls jumping around his neck as he danced, the long sloping portion of an alligator jaw wedged onto his dark head. He glared at her, eyes gleaming like spears of black ice.

Sassy struggled to breathe, her old heart pounding like pistons. She snapped her eyes open and she saw the room as it was: large, square, with a warped wooden floor covered by threadbare rugs, a poorly plastered ceiling and dingy windows. In the far corner of the kitchen sat her Mama's well-used cook stove and enamel sink.

It amazed her that the shack hadn't toppled over by now. The place was older than she was and Lord knows she wasn't sturdy anymore. Sassy pushed herself from the chair. Moving slowly, her joints throbbing, she went to the fire and stared into the symbols she'd written in ash.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

Lord help those folks—it didn't look good for them. Not good at all.

Dozens of dead birds in various stages of decay littered the floor. Some were bloated piles of feathers, others little more than skeletal remains. Light filtered in from a gaping hole in the ceiling. Birds roosted in the exposed rafters, wings flapping, eyes gawking.

“Gross!” I said, studying the mess. “They must fly in and get trapped somehow. Maybe that explains the noises.”

Wolf shook his head. “That doesn't make any sense. They can leave the same way they flew in. And it wasn't flapping we heard. It was footsteps.” He entered the room, bones crunching beneath his feet. A wild chill raced up my spine.

Wolf examined the room, knuckling the walls at intermittent spots until he heard a hollow echo.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He plucked at the rotting wallpaper. It peeled away in a large sheet. “Looking for a hiding place or a hidden door, and I think I just found one. Come take a look.”

I tiptoed around the dead birds and came to his side. “How do you know it's not just a closet?”

“While I was mowing the yard, I noticed what looked like boarded up windows almost hidden under the vines and slope of the roof. But when I came in for a closer look, I couldn't see them anymore, so I thought it'd been a trick of the light or a shadow. But now….” Wolf shrugged. “I guess a lot of old plantation houses have hidden rooms. So I thought maybe that was what I'd seen. Either way, all I really care about is finding the intruder, and tossing him out.”

A jolt of excitement spread through me at the idea of Wolf wanting to protect me, but then again, was he just feeling sorry for me? The sickly-looking Swamp Thing? Worse yet, maybe he needed to take his mind off the death of his dad and I was a just a distraction. A sudden wave of sadness hit me.
Come on, Dharma, don't get all weird.

Wolf ran his hand over the smooth surface of the door. A gothic mural of two dancing figures ornamented the front. “I don't think this is just a closet.” He nudged the door with his shoulder and it groaned open. A breeze whooshed out at us, like a giant sigh. +

Wolf pulled a flashlight from his back pocket, cut a sharp beam into the darkness and peered inside.

“See anything?” I asked.

“Another staircase! Come on, let's check it out. Watch your step and stay behind me.”

We hiked up the creaking steps. I touched a dusty handrail and held on tight, hoping the stairs would support us.

At the landing, Wolf waved the flashlight around a humongous room, about the size of a grade school gym. He worked his way across the floor to a far wall, jerking the boards from the windows, casting them aside and heaping them in a pile.

The afternoon light spilled into the room, revealing a once elegant ballroom with
tattered velvet curtains and rose patterned rugs. A beautiful chandelier
dangled over a giant table surrounded by matching chairs. Ancient party decorations, faded streamers and ribbons hung from the cathedral ceiling.

Light danced across the immense table, illuminating a full place setting for twelve. Party favors sat by each plate, tiny glass animals and wooden trinkets. Two sets of candles stood at the end, coated with cobwebs and moss. A petrified lump rested in the center. A cake?

Holy Miss Havisham—how weird.

I crept to the head of the table and spotted the corner of a yellowed piece of paper tucked underneath a plate. I tugged it free, opened it and read it aloud. “
Happy Birthday to my Dearest Darling.”

“Thanks for the birthday wishes, but mine isn't for another month,” Wolf teased.

Frowning, I slipped the delicate parchment back where I had found it. “Why would someone just leave everything set up like this?”

Wolf shrugged. “I don't know, it's weird. By the looks of things it's been here for a hundred years, at least.” His eyes widened. “Hey look! There's a present!”

Near the plate, under a sheet of dust and grime, sat a wrapped gift held together by a faded red ribbon.

Gently, I picked it up and turned it over. The package appeared so frail I worried that it might disintegrate in my hands.

I tore the corner and started to open it, then hesitated. “Wait, let's unwrap it downstairs so I can check on Benny.”

Wolf's gaze danced over the package. “Cool. I can't wait to see what's inside.”

The two of us rushed downstairs. Benny lay cuddled in his blankets, dozing off while he played with his toys. Wolf plopped beside me on the sofa. I ran my hand over the gift and tore the hole I'd made in the paper a little wider. My fingers tingled, I felt like a kid at her own surprise party. A wave of guilt drowned my excitement. Was it right to open a present meant for someone else?

“Are you feeling okay?” Wolf asked. “You don't look good.”

My throat burned worse now than ever. “No, I feel totally trashed.” I tried to swallow and winced. “My throat is killing me.”

“Let me see.” He clicked on the flashlight and aimed it at my mouth.

“What?”

“Come on, open up.”

No way was I going to show him my gross throat. What if I had a bunch of spit or something hanging off my tonsils? I would totally die if I did.

“Come on, Dharma!”

“No way.”

Wolf gave me a hard look. “I'm only trying to help, and you're making things difficult for no reason.”

“All right,” I said, slowly opening my mouth, wanting to please him. “No” is such a simple word, but I can never seem to say it.

Wolf peered inside and cringed.

My cheeks flamed. “That bad?”

“Worse.” He frowned, pressing his lips into a hard line. “Grab your stuff and I'll give you a lift into town. They have an urgent care center where you can just walk right in. They were great when I snapped my ankle in track.”

“I'd rather wait and see how I feel in the morning. Besides, I don't have much money.”

His face softened. “I really think you should go now, but I can't force you.”

“I promise to go in the morning, if I'm not better.”

“Promise?”

I held up three fingers. “Scouts honor.”

“All right,” Wolf said. “Now hurry and open the package.”

“Let me grab some water first.”

Wolf jumped to his feet. “I'll get it. You better rest.”

“Thanks,” I said, apparently a bit too loud, since Benny woke up to the sound of my voice. My brother would be hungry again, and as I watched him sit up and rub his eyes, I knew that Wolf had probably been right about staying still. My legs felt like over-chewed bubble gum. “Can you grab a snack for Benny?”

“Sure, just don't open that package until I get back.” Wolf jogged into the kitchen and returned with bottled water and graham crackers for Benny. My empty stomach rumbled. I felt like my gut had been scraped out with a shovel—but there was no way I could swallow anything other than liquid. He tossed me the water and handed Benny a cracker and sat on the couch—right next to me.

Every beat of my heart hammered in my ears. Could Wolf hear it also? What if I smelled bad? Like major B.O. or something? What about my breath? Did it stink, too? Was I breathing too loud? Any moment now he'd probably make some excuse just to move to the other side of the couch.

“Are you going to open it? Or should we just sit here until we're like fifty?” he asked.

I stared at the package. “I feel bad opening someone else's present.”

Wolf rolled his eyes. “They've probably been dead forever. I'm sure they won't mind.”

“I guess you're right,” I said, biting my lip. I tore off the brittle paper. Inside, a purple silk cloth, still bright and vibrant, concealed a rigid object. I carefully peeled away the layers to reveal a small painting inside a square frame.

“It's the Cobb family,” Wolf said. “Same people in the painting in the dining room. It must have been a gift for the General, since it was at the head of the table.”

“Wow, it's beautiful. I wonder why he never opened it?” I leaned closer to the picture. Another person, a tall black woman with cold flinty eyes, stood behind the children. “I wonder who that is?” I pointed at the green turban wrapped around her head.
Wolf's jaw hardened. “Probably one of the servants. Did you see the slave shacks by the edge of the swamp?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it's horrible. Someone should've burned them down a long time ago.” The room started to swirl, I fought the urge to puke.
No, please not now. Not in front of Wolf.
I twisted the top off my bottled water and sipped the cool liquid. Spinning the cap back on, I took a few deep breaths. The lump in my throat disappeared, but I felt exhausted, like I'd ran a thousand miles.

Wolf's eyes filled with concern, but then his expression lightened as I forced a smile. “Why don't you take a nap,” he said. “I'll head upstairs and continue exploring, just to be sure no one's up there.”

“Cool. Thanks.” My shoulders slumped. If only I had enough strength to go with him.

Wolf hiked upstairs and I leaned on the arm of the sofa, listening to his footsteps clomping overhead. My heart skipped. I could only imagine what those flawless lips would feel like, feathering across mine. Those smooth hands touching my face. I sighed. Like that would ever happen in a million years. And by some galactic miracle if it did, what good would it do to get hooked up with some guy, just to be ripped away from him? Mom would probably show up, as usual, with a lynch mob at her heels, running us out of town.