This Changes Everything (4 page)

Chapter Four

Ellie’s heart
jumped into her throat and she started toward the stairs, then stopped, nearly
falling forward when she heard a man’s angry voice.

“Where’s the
ring?”

“I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” her mother answered, the words shaky.

The howling wind
shook the house.

The man’s voice
lowered to a growl. “I’m going to ask you nicely one more time:
W
here
is the ring
?
”

Momma started to
cry. “Do you want my wedding ring? Here. I’ll give it to you.”

The loud sound of
a slap echoed up the stairs, and Ellie’s mother cried out.

He
’
s hurting Momma
.
Tears burned Ellie’s eyes, but she remained frozen with fear.

“Amanda. I
thought you were smart. Isn’t that why Higgins asked you to come to Charlotte?”

“I don’t know”—she
took a breath through her sobs—“what you’re talking about.”

“I’d hate to cut
up that pretty face. All you have to do is cooperate.”

Momma didn’t
answer, but the sounds of her crying made Ellie panic.
I have to help Momma.

She bolted for
the staircase, her foot landing on the top step, but the gentle voice of an
older man spoke softly in her ear. “No, Ellie. Don’t go downstairs.” He sounded
so nice and insistent that she stopped in her tracks and looked behind her,
finding no one.

Was this what it
was like for Claire when
she
heard voices?

Ellie wanted to
go to Momma, but the man’s warning sent a new wave of terror through her blood.
Sinking to sit on the top step, she clutched Bunny, shaking uncontrollably. She
struggled to breathe through her tears, but a comforting warmth pressed against
her side.

The mean man
asked her mother, “Why were you in Charlotte a few days ago?”

“I was invited to
see an antique collection.” Momma wasn’t crying as hard, but her voice was
shaky. “But it wasn’t a man named Higgins. His name was Juan Ricardo.”

A flash of
lightning lit up the downstairs, and a loud clap of thunder behind it made
Ellie jump.

“See?” the man
asked, trying to sound nice but Ellie wasn’t fooled. “That wasn’t so hard, was
it? Now tell me about the ring.”

“I don’t know
anything about a ring.”

Why was Momma
lying? Why didn’t she just tell him that Daddy had the ring? Then he’d go away
and stop hurting her.

Ellie heard the
bad man hit Momma again. She clutched Bunny to her stomach, once again ready to
spring down the stairs.

“No, Ellie,” the
kind man cooed in her ear. His voice reminded her of her grandfather, warm but
strong. “You can’t tell him about the ring or he’ll hurt you, and I can’t let
him do that. You’re very special to me.”

Ellie’s chin
trembled. “But I have to help Momma,” she whispered. Daddy told her to take
care of her mother. She didn’t know what to do, but she had to do
something.

“If you go
downstairs, they will hurt her even more. And they’ll hurt you, too.
Trust me
,
Ellie.”

She had no idea
who this bodiless voice belonged to, but she clung to his words. They
felt
true. He said he wanted to protect her, and she didn’t know what else to do. “I
have to call 911,” she whispered.

She started to
stand, but the warmth around her increased, enveloping her in a blanket of
security. “No, Ellie. Not yet.”

The man
downstairs laughed, but it sounded mean and ugly. “Where’s your daughter?
What’s her name? Ellie?”

Ellie’s chest
froze, refusing to suck in air as terror coursed through her blood, making her
light-headed.

“You know her
name?” her mother wheezed out.

The man chuckled.
“I know all kinds of things about you, Amanda.”

“Ellie’s not
here.”

Rain pelted the
windows so loudly it sounded like someone was throwing rocks.

“Then where is
she?” the man asked.

“She’s spending
the night at a friend’s house.” Her mother’s voice sounded stronger than
before.

“On a school
night? I don’t think so,” he growled. Then he shouted, “Ellie! Where are you?
Come out and play.”

Ellie’s body
trembled with fear, and she gritted her teeth to keep them from rattling.

“Don’t listen to
him, Ellie,” the nice man said in her ear. “He wants to hurt you.”

A river of tears
streaked down Ellie’s face, and she struggled to keep from sobbing. “I have to
help Momma,” she forced out between hiccuped breaths.

“No,” the voice
said. “Stay here with me.”

“Ellie!” the man
downstairs shouted. “If you don’t come down, I’m going to hurt your mommy with
this
very
sharp knife.”

Ellie covered her
face with her bunny as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

“Show her what
happens to people who don’t cooperate,” the bad man said. “Go find her.”

Ellie thought he
was talking to her mother until another man said, “Okay.”

There were
two
men.

“No,
please
.”
Her mother’s voice was raspy and full of tears. “She’s not here.”

“Hide!” the voice
next to Ellie’s ear insisted. “
Now
!
”

Ellie stood, torn
between her fear of getting hurt and her desire to help her mother. She’d
promised Daddy she would. The bad man was going to hurt Mommy if she didn’t go
downstairs.

“Ellie, I want to
protect you,” the bodiless voice said, still nice but louder. “But you need to
hide
.
Now!
”

Her fear won out
and she scrambled to turn around, running down the hall, making sure to miss the
squeaking boards. She rushed into her room, threw open her closet door, and
burrowed behind a pile of stuffed animals, her back to the wall. Sobs shook her
shoulders, but she covered her mouth with her hand to keep from making any noise.

“Good,” the voice
whispered, soothing her frayed nerves. “Good girl.”

Footsteps landed upstairs,
going into the bedrooms at the front of the hall.

“Stop!
Please
,”
her mother begged. “I’ll tell you!” She was upstairs now, in the hallway. Ellie
only had to run out through the bedroom door to get to her.

“I thought Ellie
wasn’t home, Amanda,” the mean man said in his fake-friendly voice. “Did you
lie to me?”

Ellie’s mother
said something, but her crying made it incoherent.

“Keep checking,”
he growled.

The light from
the hall spilled through the partially opened bedroom door, and her mother’s
sobs echoed in the hall.

“Momma,” Ellie
wailed softly, trying to get up.

The warm presence
held her firmly against the closet wall. “
No
.”

“What is it that
you want to tell me, Amanda?” the bad man laughed. “Because I’m most interested
in the ring. Maybe Ellie can fill me in.”

“She doesn’t know
anything.” Her mother sounded panicked and her words came out in bursts. “I
swear.
Please
.
Just leave her out of this.”

A long shadow
moved on the wall in the hallway, visible through the open door.

Ellie pressed
harder against the closet wall, her upright knees banging together as she
shook. They were coming for her.

The tall shadow faltered
as another shorter one rushed toward it. Her mother cried out, “
No!
Don’t hurt her!” The two shadows blended into a shaky blob before she heard a
man cry out in pain. The tall shadow separated from the shorter one and a loud
piercing scream filled Ellie’s ears.

She scrunched her
eyes shut as she released a helpless sob. “
Momma
.”

“
Ellie
!
”
Her mother’s voice sent a flood of terror down her back.

Momma needed her.
Her heart pounding against her chest, a deep fury erupted and Ellie fought
against the force that held her tight, crying in frustration. “Let me go! Let
me go!”

The taller shadow
jumped the shorter one, grunting and releasing a growl. It lifted its arm and
swung toward the smaller shadow, over and over, as Ellie’s mother screamed.

“
What are you
doing
?
” the bad man shouted, sounding furious.
“
Stop
!
”

Ellie kicked and
tried to scream, but it lodged in her throat as the smaller shadow fell to the
floor with a loud thump.

Momma
.

A fresh burst of
anger rushed through her and she pushed against the bond holding her in place,
but the warmth held her still and the voice murmured softly, “Not yet, Ellie.”

She clenched her
fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Her breaths came in quick pants
as she rested the back of her head against the wall, waiting for the voice to
let her go.

“Keep looking.”
The bad man didn’t sound happy. A new shadow on the wall squatted next to the
smaller one. “Where’s the ring, Amanda?”

Ellie heard a
wheezing-coughing sound.

The bad man swore
a string of bad words, then the shadow rose. “Why can’t you keep your goddamned
temper in check
just one fucking time
? She’s useless
now!
Damn
it
!
” Ellie heard a banging noise and the
wall shook. “I’m searching downstairs. You look up here and bring the brat down
when you find her.” His feet clomped on the stairs as he left.

Momma
.

The only shadow
left was the one close to the floor, and it began to crawl in a slow, jerky
movement toward Ellie’s room. Her anger dissolved into pure panic. A monster
was coming to get her.

Her eyes were
riveted on the floor, so the sudden movement in her doorway startled her. Her
breath sucked in as her gaze rose to the dark figure filling the doorframe, his
head covered with a hood. His right hand gripped a large knife, the metal gleaming
in the flashing lightning outside her window. The wind gusted, knocking a tree
branch into the glass with a loud, repetitive thump.

He jiggled the
blade in his hand as he slowly entered her room. Ellie’s chest constricted, her
lungs burning as he walked around her bed and squatted to look underneath.

Wide-eyed, she
forced her body to remain still, afraid he might see or hear her. He stood and
moved back toward the bedroom door. Abruptly, he stopped and pivoted on his
feet until he faced the closet door, hunching down in a slow movement. His
stubble-covered chin lowered and the hood on his forehead rose, exposing his
dark, glaring eyes that focused on hers. His right hand rested on his knee,
blood dripping from the knife into a pool on the wood floor.

A scream bubbled
in Ellie’s throat as he reached for her with his free hand, but a bright white
light filled the room, partially blinding her. The hooded man lifted his arm to
shield his face.

“
I claim her as
my own
,
Curse Keeper. You will not harm
her
.” Although the voice coming from the light was the same
one that had comforted her, now it sounded angry.

The man bolted
upright, his hand shaking as he held out the knife. “What is this? Who are
you?”

“
You know who I
am
,” the voice boomed, shaking the floor beneath Ellie’s
bottom. “I know the foolish quest you seek. But where you fail, another will
succeed.”

“You have no idea
what I want,” the man snarled, holding out the blade.

“Do not think me
stupid
,
son of the land. You wish to break the curse. You are not the first, nor will
you be the last.”

The hooded man
turned to Ellie, lifting his blade over his shoulder as though ready to strike.

Ellie screamed.

“
If you harm a
hair
on her head, I
will kill you
and your sons
.”

The man froze,
his knife poised to strike.

The white light
pulsed. “Look at her, Curse Keeper. She is an innocent child, not much younger
than your eldest son. I know it was your original plan, but can you really kill
her?”

The knife still
loomed over Ellie and she pressed her back into the wall, sobbing.

“You attacked her
mother when she tried to stop you. You hurt her out of reflex. But to kill this
girl will be in cold blood. Can you look into her eyes and do it?”

The man glanced
toward the open door, his arm still raised.

The white light
expanded and contracted. “You and the child are the only ones who can hear me.
Your friend will not come to help you. No one will.”

The man crouched
again, lowering his arm as he searched Ellie’s face. Blood dripped from his
bloody hand, and Ellie realized the drops were from his
own
wound. The
hood lowered over his brow and shadows covered most of his face. Hatred filled
his eyes, and his mouth pressed into an angry line.

The light shined
brighter. “You are mistaken if you think that I will let you hurt her. I need
her for another purpose.” The orb moved closer to the man. “The curse will be
broken, but not today. It will happen when
I
deem it
so.”

The man’s grip on
the knife tightened and he shifted his weight. “I’m sick and tired of being at the
mercy of the curse. I want this to end.
Tonight
.”

“It began with
my
will and will end when
I
wish it.”

The man’s face
contorted with rage.

“I do not condone
you forcing my hand, Curse Keeper, and you will
pay
for this
transgression, just like the others before you.” The light glowed bright white.
“
T
his girl
changes
everything
. If only you had shown patience and restraint,
you would have seen this. You will get what you want, but not during your
tenure. At a time of my choosing, I will find your son and help him break the
curse, only because it serves
my
purpose.” The voice lowered and the
glow pulsed. “But because of your treachery, he will rue the day I sought him
out, and he will curse you for the sacrifices he must make as penance for
y
our
betrayal.