Page 42 of Cursed by Death (Ruby Jane #1)

I stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the old, but beautiful, Victorian home that had brought so many nightmares to life for so many children.

That for sale sign in the front yard now had a Sold sticker across it. I had missed the opportunity to take a guided tour of the historical home during one of its open houses.

That was okay, I didn’t need a tour, guided or otherwise. I knew the layout inside like the back of my hand. I spent a lot of time while living here looking for all the best places to hide.

Sadly, there’d been no place to hide from the monster who’d lived inside the house.

“I can’t believe someone bought this place,” a voice said from behind me. “If only they knew.”

I glanced back over my shoulder to find both Bane and Roan standing at the curb, staring up at the house. They both wore identical faces full of disgust and I couldn’t say that I blamed them.

I wished that I could say that I was surprised to see them here but I really wasn’t. I thought they might be stalking me. They’d been calling the house phone several times a day and I never answered it. It made me glad that I had never given them my cell phone number.

I mean, I knew I’d be able to block them from my cellphone to stop them from calling but I wasn’t sure that that was what I actually wanted. I liked that they kept calling but, if I was being honest with myself, I expected them to give up and call it quits any day now.

I’d be disappointed, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

Is that why they were here, to bid me farewell and say their goodbyes?

Roan turned to his brother. “We should burn it down. Just burn the whole fucking thing down to the ground,” he suggested. “We’d be doing the new owner a favor. If we make sure it looks like an accident then they’ll still be able to collect the insurance money.”

Who thought about burning down a building and tried to get other people in on the arson? That seemed a little extreme, even to me.

“Maybe we should try sage-ing it first,” I joked. It was a joke because I didn’t actually believe that sage worked to get out bad spirits and negative energy. But it made people feel better to believe that it did. And believing in something like ghosts and spirits was half the battle.

They both looked horrified so I figured my joke fell flat.

Oh well. At least I had tried.

I sighed as I turned back to the house. “No one is burning it down.” I felt them move beside me but I didn’t turn to look back at them again. They could stare at each other and have a silent conversation with just their eyes all they wanted. I didn’t need to see it because I wasn’t actually a part of it.

“I would have thought you’d be the first person in line to light the match,” Bane said in confusion.

I shrugged, uncaring. He didn’t have to understand, only I did. “Maybe. But that was before I bought it. If you torch one of my properties I’m going to be seriously pissed. At the both of you.”

I could tell that I had stunned them both into silence. It was a nice change. Maybe now they’d stop suggesting we take part in felonious activities.

Not that I was opposed to a little crime and getting my hands dirty every now and then. I liked me some mayhem just as much as the next girl.

“Why would you ever do that?” Roan asked me quietly. I could hear the confusion and judgment in his voice clear as day. “This place is evil. All three of us have experienced it first-hand. You, more so than either of us.”

“Hell,” Bane said, backing his brother up, like usual. “You can’t even bear to go inside the godforsaken house. It makes no sense that you would buy it.”

They had it wrong. It wasn’t the place that was evil, but the woman who had once occupied it. But this was just a house, no matter how bad the memories were or the ghosts who lived inside my head.

“It’s just a house,” I told them with conviction, repeating my thoughts out loud.

“The fuck it is,” Bane snapped at me in outrage. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

“What are you going to do with it?” Roan asked me curiously, for once not seeming to agree with his twin at all. “It’s not like you’re going to live here, you already have a house.”

“Oh, god,” Bane groaned. “Please tell us you aren’t planning on moving in here. If you say yes, I’m going to have you committed to the psych ward. I swear, I’ll do it.”

Roan started arguing with his brother and I tuned them out. If they were still anything like they were when we were kids they could argue for hours like this with each other.

What was I planning on doing with the house? I wasn’t quite sure but I wanted it to be used for something good.

You couldn’t change the past. There was no magic eraser that could wash away someone’s sins.

Unfortunately, life didn’t work like that.

I might not be able to change the past but the future wasn’t set in stone yet. I could make of my future whatever I wanted to.

But first… I had to conquer my fears.

I started walking towards the house. The twins were right behind me. I had a feeling that’s where they’d always be, whether I wanted them there or not.

The End.