The Curse of Redwood (Ivy Grove #2) - Jaclyn Osborn Page 0,28

I opened the book to the first page, hearing Ezekiel’s voice in my head as I read the first sentence. A few pages into the story, there was a light thump against the wall near the TV. I glanced up from the book, seeing nothing.

“I’m going crazy.” I sat up on the couch and placed the book on the coffee table in front of me.

I shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. And when I breathed out, I saw my breath in the air. I always kept the thermostat at a comfortable seventy degrees Fahrenheit because I got chilled easily. Had I accidentally turned it colder? It was an old house. Maybe it was a draft since the weather had cooled off.

A glimmer appeared in the corner of the room.

As I stared at the spot, the form of a young man took shape. He looked to be around my height, if not a tad bit taller, and his blond hair hung around his pale face, reaching the bottom of his ears and curling at the ends.

“W-Who are you?” I asked, stunned. Though he didn’t look threatening, his presence unsettled me. The back of my neck prickled and my stomach rolled. I felt like I was going to puke.

The boy’s body blinked in and out before materializing beside the coffee table. His close proximity allowed me to see the color of his eyes; a unique shade of sea-green. His pale skin was porcelain in appearance, and there was no life in his gaze. No warmth either. He reminded me of a doll. A sad, beautiful doll.

“He fancies you,” he whispered.

“Who does?”

“He fancied me too.” His voice echoed through the room, whispery with deeper undertones.

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“You are no different than I!” The boy lurched forward and grabbed me by the throat. I gasped and slapped at his cold hands, but his hold remained firm. His beautiful face turned sinister, with dark circles appearing around his eyes and cracks forming in his skin. “I wonder if he will silence you as he did to me. Only time will tell.”

I shot upward on the couch, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde falling from my chest and to the floor. I stared at the book in confusion. Hadn’t I already put it on the table? My bleary vision felt like it did when I first woke up from a nap.

“It was a dream?” I snapped my head from side to side, observing the room. There was no change in temperature and no odd apparitions of angry blond men. “This is like some Inception shit.”

A dream inside a dream.

The pressure on my neck had felt very real, though. I coughed and put a trembling hand to my throat. Tears burned in my eyes and slowly trickled down my cheeks. I didn’t feel safe in my own home anymore. Somehow, the nightmares kept finding me.

“What’s happening to me?” I put my arms over my head and just cried.

It was all I had strength to do right then.

***

“You’ve looked better,” Ben said, after answering the door. His dark blond hair had grown longer on top, and he sported a close-shaven beard. His oversized cardigan sweater had a few tiny holes in it, and there was a coffee stain on his undershirt.

“I could say the same about you,” I responded. “Are you going for the hobo look?”

Ben looked down at himself. “I haven’t had a chance to shower yet this morning.”

“Just this morning?” I taunted, curling my nose. “I don’t think you’ve showered in a week. How does Theo stand being around your smelly ass?”

“Simple. I can’t smell,” Theo said, popping up in front of me.

I screamed and clutched my chest. “Ghost boy’s gonna give me a heart attack one day.”

“You’ll live.” Ben stepped aside so I could walk into the manor. “I’d offer you something to eat, but I need to go grocery shopping. All we have are stale crackers and coffee.”

“At least you have the essentials,” I said, trailing behind him as he headed toward the sitting room.

I had visited Ben a few times since the library incident, though I had kept quiet about the last time I’d gone to Redwood. As far as he knew, I hadn’t been back there. Probably for the best. He didn’t need any more dark shit on his mind.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Ben asked, sitting at the table beside the bay windows. The chessboard we liked to play with was on top. “Or will I