Free Eldritch Manor by Kim Thompson

slept here as well.”
    Willa stared in astonishment. “In charge? Me? But I ... I don’t ...”
    Miss Trang spun around in her chair and looked her in the eyes again. She didn’t look tired anymore; she looked steely and determined. “You are in charge. Keep the others in line. Don’t let the place fall apart. I don’t have time to give you the full story, but this is very, very important. All right? Will you help us?”
    Willa swallowed. She didn’t know what was going on. She felt uneasy and fearful, but this was the first time she’d ever been needed for something important.
    She nodded. “Yes, I will.”

Chapter Seven
    Willa in charge
    M iss Trang’s departure lifted the dark clouds of worry from the household. As she strode purposefully away up the street with only a small black bag in hand, the old folks relaxed into smiles. The house itself seemed to heave a sigh of relief. Willa watched Miss Trang until she was just a black dot in the distance. She felt Horace’s hand on her shoulder.
    â€œNo need to worry now. Miss Trang will know what to do.” His voice was warm and reassuring.
    â€œBut where is she going?”
    Horace gestured vaguely. “She’s meeting with the others. They’ll ... they’ll take care of things.”
    â€œWhat others? Who?”
    â€œOh, beings who are much more important and powerful than this sad group you see here.”
    He turned to look at the others settling in for tea, chattering away and rattling cups without a care in the world. Mab sat on the mantle swinging her feet and whistling cheerfully. Robert was telling knock-knock jokes and Belle was rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Baz appeared with a plate of scones fresh from the oven and Horace hurried over to get his share.
    Willa sank into a chair and watched them. She was glad that whatever was going on was being taken care of, supposedly, somewhere and by someone, but she still had her own worries. First there was the “being in charge” assignment which sat cold and anxious in the pit of her stomach. Looking after this crew seemed far beyond her capabilities. Miss Trang had advised her not to let Robert get his hands on any alcohol, and to take especially good care of Mab. Other than that, “you’re in charge” was all she had to say on the matter. But how could Willa be in charge if she had no idea what was going on? Almost as worrying was Miss Trang’s insistence that Willa move in until she got back. What was her mom going to say about that?

    â€œOh, I don’t think so, honey. I mean, you’re only twelve.”
    In the past, Willa would have taken this as the final word and gone off to sulk in her room. But now, buoyed by the urgency of the situation and Miss Trang’s surprising confidence in her, she actually argued back.
    â€œIt means more pay. It’s just so Miss Trang won’t worry about them. They’re old, they need help, and what if there’s an emergency in the middle of the night? It’s only for a few days, and it’s not far away. I’ll call you right away if I need help.” Her mom said nothing, thinking. Willa pressed on. “Miss Trang is really depending on me. Please can I stay there? Please?”
    Then, to her great surprise, her mom relented ... with one condition. She wanted to visit the house and meet everyone. Case the joint with a mother’s suspicious eye. Just what Willa was afraid of.

    Nobody else shared her fear.
    â€œThat shouldn’t be a problem. We can have both your parents over for dinner,” suggested Horace.
    â€œWill there actually be food?” Willa turned to Baz, who rolled her eyes.
    â€œHa-ha. Very funny. Of course there will be food. I’ll make my roast duck with mashed garlic potatoes and all the trimmings.”
    Horace nodded. “It’s very good.”
    The next afternoon Willa picked up the items on Baz’s