Page 17 of Marked By Shadows

“Focus please,” I said. “Melissa and Byrony? Freya? Where are they?”

“Melissa, Byrony and her boyfriend Joe, were in the dining room messing with a Ouija board,” MaryAnn said. “None of us wanted part of that shit. Freya went to bed, I think.”

I tugged Alex passed them, my feet and legs freezing as we hadn’t taken time to grab shoes, and made our way into the house through the back door. There was a bit of a sunporch off the back, enclosed, long and narrow, a space filled with storage boxes of crafting supplies, well organized towers of completed projects, and shadows. I paused when something seemed to move out of the corner of my eye, only when I turned my head, everything looked fine. Probably a trick of the light. Probably.

Inside the backdoor of the house, was the kitchen and the small sitting area attached to Freya’s space. Her area was empty, dark, and quiet. I frowned at the made bed and silence of her space. There was giggling and noise coming from the dining room area, too loud to be anything other than human, so I followed the sound, through the kitchen and to the hall.

Melissa, Byrony, and a man I assumed was Joe, all sat at the table, surrounded by candles, and hunched over a Ouija board. Alex clung to my hand as I entered the space, a little angry as they hadn’t bothered with anything more than paper plates to catch the candle wax and keep it from burning Freya’s expensive table.

“Maybe it’s time everyone went to bed? Since you can’t see fit to check on people screaming five feet from you,” I ground out, gripping Alex’s hand like it was the only thing keeping me from strangling them.

“We can’t help it if the rest are a bunch of babies,” Melissa said.

“They are screaming at nothing. That’s not our fault,” Byrony added.

Joe laughed. “Kind of funny though.”

“Not for the rest of us who are here to sleep and craft,” Jonah pointed out.

“That’s why you’re in the cabin, isn’t it?” Byrony threw Jonah’s attitude back at him.

“If bitches weren’t screaming for no reason, I’d still be asleep,” Jonah said.

“We weren’t the bitches screaming,” Melissa replied.

“Something touched me,” Julie whispered.

“Maybe it’s time everyone goes to bed,” I said.

“You’re not the boss of us,” Joe said.

Alex squeezed my hand, his eyes focused on the doorway behind us instead of the throw down at the table. I glanced back, not seeing anything. Not really. Just maybe… a shadow? The edge of movement? Was that a trick of light? Low to the floor like that? I frowned, studying the shadows now.

Freya appeared in the opposite doorway after a moment, also wrapped up in a robe like Jonah was. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, flipping the switch and filling the room with light. I blinked away spots and tears from too much light too quickly. Checking the other doorway again, I found the shadow gone. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, but Alex’s focus remained on the door.

“For those who wish to sleep, please head to bed, anyone who wants to do otherwise, please take your noise to the craft room, which is insulated to minimize sound.” She waited a moment as if waiting for everyone to move, but no one did. “Anyone hurt?”

“No. Just afraid to sleep in our room,” Julie said.

“Chad has the other king. He’d probably be willing to switch with you,” Freya put Chad on the spot.

“Oh sure, yeah, no problem,” Chad said, instantly making himself the hero. “Let me move my stuff.” He headed toward the stairs. Julie and Nicole following at a slower pace.

When Byrony, Melissa, and Joe didn’t move, Freya put her hands on her hips. “Guest rules state courtesy in not disturbing other guests.”

“We didn’t scream,” Byrony said.

“Last request, move your game to the craft area, or call it a night.”

“And if we don’t?” Melissa challenged.

“Then you’ll be finding yourself a new place to sleep for the next week,” Freya said, unmoved.

Byrony rose, gathering up the board as she went. “We’ll go out and play in the woods for a bit. I assume we are allowed to come back when we are finished?”

“As long as you’re quiet enough to respect the rest of the guests, yes,” Freya allowed. “Just because you don’t plan on going on the retreat into the city tomorrow, doesn’t mean everyone else has the same plan.”

“I’m going tomorrow,” Jonah said.