Among You (12 page)

“
What brings you to our house, Scott?”

I swallowed hard and led with the truth.

“
I visited the haunt last night and was so blown away I wanted to come back a second time. When I saw it was closed already, it seemed the only way to satisfy that urge was to…” I hesitated, afraid what the truth would get me into my usual trouble. I finally relented and continued my tale. “…break in and have
a look around.”

Babbette smiled wide. “And do you like what you see?”

She wasn’t asking if I liked the house. Even I didn’t miss that clue. At this point, no lie was necessary.

“
Very much so.”

“
So you liked the Gaultier House? Why not just post on Facebook or Twitter, like everyone else?”

We were finally diving into familiar territory.

“
Because I’m not like everyone else.”

Both girls smiled.

“
I’m drawn to the odd and obscure. I’ve always been like that.”

“
Such as?” Babbette asked.

Timely smiled and answered the question for me. “He means like freaks, geeks, and goblins.”

“
Sort of, yes. Horror and the macabre have always fascinated me. That’s why I came back tonight; I wanted to get a look behind the curtain to see the real show.”

“
I don’t understand,” said Babbette.

“
How you pulled all of this off. Some of the effects were beyond anything I’ve ever seen. And the masks…I can’t even begin to describe how realistic they were. And how you managed to put them on and take them off without anyone noticing, that was…”

Babbette and Timely tensed at the mention of masks.

“
Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

Timely released an uneasy laugh. “We just aren’t allowed to speak of such things…to give away the secrets of the Gaultier House. Centuries of meticulous design and planning have come together to create what you witnessed last night. If someone were to get their hands on those secrets…”

“
Understood…of course,” I interrupted.

Timely laughed. “Snap. You’re an easy one.”

Two and two quickly came together.

“
Oh, you’re just…”

“
Fuuuuu –”

“
Joking around,” Babbette interrupted what was certainly to be profanity from the lips of Timely.

“
Oh Babbette, you’re just no fun some times. I’m sure Scott has heard much worse, considering…”

Babbette leaned over and slapped a hand to Timely’s mouth.

“
This one,” Babbette said with a nod toward her friend.

Just as her hand was removed from Timely’s mouth, a thunderous roar shook the walls of the room.

Babbette and Timely stood with a nervous energy.

“
Oh my,” Babbette whispered. “It’s father. We must get you out of here before he sees you.”

“
What happens if he does see me?” I asked.

“
You don’t want to know,” both girls spoke in unison.

“
This way,” Babbette gestured toward the back wall of the room.

“
There’s no way out over there,” I nearly shouted.

Babbette urged me on. “Just trust me.”

I looked deep into her eyes and connected to something so profound, so truthful. At that moment, I could place my very life in her hands.

When I reached the spot on the wall Babbette indicated, I could feel a soft breeze. Upon closer examination, a seam appeared from the intricate Fleur di Lis
pattern of the wallpaper. Before I had a chance to investigate, Timely reached out and placed a finger on one of the Fleur di lis. A hidden door slid smoothly to the side to reveal a tunnel.

“
Through here. This will take you directly to an exit of the house – one that Father won’t consider checking. Leave the house and don’t look back.”

I turned to Babbette. “Will I ever see you again?”

She smiled. “Of that, there is no doubt. Now…go.”

I nodded and took one last look at the heavenly face before I turned and raced off.

Dim sconces lit the passage that wove through an odd collection of rooms – one of which was a library. I stopped and looked in to see a massive collection of old, leather-bound books; they lined the walls and any horizontal space to be found. Resting alone, on a small table by the door, was a book titled
The Concise History of the Gaultier Family
. Without thinking, I snatched the book from the shelf, slipped it into my backpack and rushed out of the house.

The cold night air was a welcome gift to my senses. The surge of adrenaline sent me speeding to the car. Just as I was about to punch the gas and squeal away from the house, I remembered my motive was stealth. After Babbette and Timely treated me with such kindness, the last thing I wanted to do was get them into trouble. The girls were probably inside the house, swearing to Gorman Gaultier there was no visitor among them.

With that in mind, I gently pressed the gas pedal to ease the car out of the parking lot and into the darkness of night.

ten | a lusty lie and a book

The Mustang coasted back into the driveway, lights out to avoid any attention. Everything went off without a glitch – minus Gorman Gaultier storming the castle and chasing me off. All I had left to do was sneak back into the house and slip into my bed.

Before I could open the door to the car, the image of Babbette danced into my conscience; her red curls and gorgeous lips forced a smile to my mouth and a tingle to nearly every nerve in my body. I hadn’t felt like this since the time I got my first look at a naked woman. This time, however, I was aroused beyond carnal desires.

My hand finally managed to open the door and I stepped out of the car. With my backpack shouldered, I silently stepped up to the door and took in my last breath of the thrilling night. Just as I was about to grab the handle, the door opened.

My dad’s disappointed face looked out through the darkness.

“
I’ll give you one chance to explain yourself before I wake your mother.”

Dad knew; once mom was involved with the punishment, I was dead. Dad always seemed to understand my follies – especially when said follies involved a girl (which rarely, if ever, happened).

Actually, it never happened. I really only assumed he’d be cool if a girl was involved. That is why I lead with a lie.

“
I snuck out to see a girl.”

It was really just a half-lie.

A smile crept across dad’s lips. “
Really?”

And then…he shook his head. “
You expect me to believe that? You haven’t mentioned a girl in your life, other than Sally; and I know you wouldn’t risk sneaking off in the dead of night, in my Mustang, to see her. Guys your age don’t sneak out, for a meeting with a friend. A little covert escapade means one thing and one thing only.”

Dad went silent for a moment…and stared at me, hard.

“
So, are you saying, to my face, that you slipped away in my Mustang, and got lucky tonight?”

I was never one to lie to my parents. Nothing good ever comes of going down that road. The truth had always seemed to set me free.

But…

In this case, I needed the lie. This moment was a gift from God. I always knew Dad would let me off the hook for sex. Even though the prospect of talking sex with a parent made me want to toss my lunch onto the floor, this had to be an exception. I had to make it out of this night alive, or I’d never see Babbette again.

So…I nodded, ‘yes’.

Dad smiled. “
It’s about damn time,” said Dad as he slapped me on the shoulder and leaned in close. “So, is she cute?”

I nodded quickly and received another slap on the shoulder for my effort.

“
That’s my boy,” he grinned wide. You’re still grounded, by the way.”

The air escaped my lungs in a single, teen-exaggerated sigh.

“
Hey, look at it this way – you got laid and your mom doesn’t have to find out, so you’ll survive to get laid again.”

Had my dad been any other person on the planet, hearing him use the word ‘laid’ would have had me running into my closet and locking the door until the moment was lost in a bottomless pit of memory. But my dad was cool enough to pull it off; so it really didn’t bother me all that much.

Getting grounded, on the other hand, did.

“
Aw, come on, Dad,” I whined, knowing I wouldn’t get my way.

“
Seriously? You’re getting off nearly scot-free
and you’re giving me that act? Okay, I’ll withdraw the grounding and tell your mother. Deal?”

No deal. No way, now how.

I violently shook my head. “I’m good with the grounding.”

At least I’d live.

“
That’s what I thought. No car for the time being. Period. Now, go to your room and get to bed.”

Crap.

No car meant I’d be begging Sally for a ride back to Babette.

Awkward much?

I glanced to my right and saw a picture of my mom. The memory of her last punishment slapped me across the face. Right then, I was very okay with my sentence. Besides, I had something else tugging at my attention.

Dad sent me packing and I raced up the stairs to my room. The second I was within my sanctuary, I opened the backpack and pulled out the book. It was glorious; cracked and aged leather, the smell of dust and time. The cover was faded with a thin, leather strap wound tight to keep the contents from the eyes of the world. Carefully I untied the binding and opened the creaky, flesh-like cover.

I dove into the book, taking notes as I read.

In summation of The Gaultier History:

Gorman Gaultier was the patriarch of the Grande Gaultier House. Married to Suzanna Gaultier, he fathered a daughter (Babette) and a son (Stefann). The Gaultiers were born well after the plague had disfigured the town and blessed them with immortality. Gorman built a life for his family and his sister’s family (Margerie Chance) after he discovered a large deposit of gold under his home. He disguised himself regularly, to blend with the common, and managed to sell the precious metals in different cities. He assembled a fortune, which allowed him to help bring the entire population of the town to the states (he supported the move, single-handedly) in 1891. Before the Gaultier’s departure, one of the surrounding towns discovered Gorman’s secret and set out to destroy him and his family. They managed to get into his house and violently kill both his wife and his son. At the same time, his sister’s family, minus their daughter, Timely, were slaughtered by the same gunmen.

The deeper I dove into the book, the more I realized it had to be part of the haunted house shtick. Either that, or I had it bad for a much, much older woman. I rescanned the pages for any evidence of its validity…none came. I was no scholar of rare books. I could take the tome to the public library, but should it turn out to be legitimate, I could lose it to some obscure book mafia.

I decided the only course of action was to talk to Sally. She would know what to do – or what not to do.

A deep yawn invaded my throat and mouth. I glanced at the clock.

“
Four thirty,” I whined. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. I can’t do school on two hours sleep.”

Before another syllable of complaint escaped my lips, I fell back onto my bed. Before my head hit the pillow, I was sound asleep.

Dreaming.

*

Darkness overtook my eyes; the smell of sulfur and the crack of gun and thump of a cannon filled my ears with fear. Between each violent crash, I could smell a fragrance I’d never before known. Beyond the smell of death and rot, the air was sweet and clean.

“
This way,” I heard a voice whisper. “I saw the rat duck into the barn. We got the beast cornered now.” Two men came into view; the larger of which turned toward the barn and pointed. “Head to the barn…now!”

The younger man winced and moaned, clearly not wanting to comply.

“
Go,” the elder shouted, “or I’ll skin you alive.”

Left alone, the older gent lit a pipe and sucked hard at the ivory shaft.

“
If I had my way, the Gaultier’s would have been burned at the stake decades ago. Witches and warlocks, the lot of them.”

The man drew in a lung full from the pipe. As he exhaled, tendrils of wispy smoke rose from behind him and danced about his back.

“
Soldier,” a disembodied voice whispered.

The smoking man jerked around, a look of horror plastered across his face. He turned, his pale cheeks and flushed forehead spoke volumes of his exhaustion. When the man saw nothing, he returned his attention back to the barn.