Four
and a half hours later they turned onto a gravel road that wound up a
hill. Rowan peered skeptically at the
large dark house they were approaching.
The house was really more like a castle, a large castle covered in so
much ivy and moss that it looked almost black from a distance. There was something hauntingly beautiful
about the place. Pools of mist spotted
the grounds that must have once been well groomed but years of neglect had made
everything whimsically overgrown. Rowan
felt like she was in a scene of a horror flick.
With one hand on the steering wheel she rubbed the goose bumps on her
other arm.
“We are here.” She finally whispered
to Xander’s sleeping form in the passenger’s seat. He didn’t move. Rowan turned
off the GPS and then reached over and gently shook his shoulder. With a start his eyes sprang open. He turned and pinned Rowan with a reptilian
stare. She shrank back against the door
as she finally came to a stop in front of two yellowed lamp posts. They framed an
old brick walkway that led to two large oak doors with large brass door knobs. Rowan didn’t notice a middle-aged man in a long
burgundy robe open the door and head down the walkway towards the car. Her
attention was on Xander’s face. Her heart pounded in her ears as his lips
curled back in a predatory snarl.
Suddenly the passenger door was flung open and the man in the
burgundy robe grabbed Xander by the shoulders.
“Get out!” He didn’t yell but his voice was loud and
firm. Rowan didn’t have to be told
twice. After fumbling with the door for
a couple seconds it opened and she nearly fell out of the car. When she got to her feet she stumbled back
until her back hit a lamp post. She
slumped to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
After a few minutes the man in the burgundy robe came around the
side of the car and knelt before her.
“You okay?” The man was probably in his mid fifties with hair that was blonder than
Rowan’s and eyes a crazy shade of turquoise blue. He smiled encouragingly as he snapped a cap
back on a syringe. “Don’t worry. He’s
sedated now. Let me help you inside and
get you some tea.” Rowan nodded without
a word and let the man help her to her feet and lead her inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gunnar walked back down the hall. He shoved his hands into his pockets as a
smile played at the corners of his mouth.
He should have known who she was.
She looked so much like her mother.
This was perfect. It was
fate.
- By Joy Creech
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