Free A Whispered Darkness by Vanessa Barger Page B

the center of the room, the empty, cracked seat facing the door. When my eyes rested on it, the wheels squeaked forward a few inches.
    My heart leapt in my throat. The cold latched on to my skin, freezing me to the spot. I didn’t want to see anything. Willed myself not to, but it was too late for that. A bit of darkness broke off from the shadows at the back of the room. The shape flickered and bent like light through water. An old movie screen version of a small girl with pinafore and ringlets bounced up behind the chair, until just her eyes were visible over the back.
    Dark, black orbs that glinted despite the foggy quality of the ghost. A high-pitched giggle echoed around me and the hair on my nape rose. The small face rose behind the chair, a smile plumping cherub cheeks before her lips parted and revealed needle-like teeth. I shrieked, and the door to the room slammed shut.
    Mom’s head popped out of her room. “What happened?”
    “I—” The words didn’t want to come out of my mouth.
    Mom’s brow furrowed and she took in the closed door. Her mouth curled at the corners like she enjoyed a private joke. “You must have seen the doll I found in there earlier. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “Doll?” I croaked.
    She walked out, pulling a bathrobe around her tighter. She moved past me, and curled her fingers around the door handle.
    “You don’t need to open it.” I said.
    “Yes I do. You need to see there’s nothing there. Really, Claire, you’re beginning to worry me.”
    She pushed open the door, and the chair sat where it was before, only this time a dirt-speckled porcelain doll sat in the seat. The eyes were open, a cloudy blue glass that matched the blue dress and pinafore. Minus the black eyes and teeth, it was the image of the little girl.
    Except it hadn’t been there before.
    “See? Nothing but a doll. It’s just precious, isn’t it?” Her fingers stroked a line down the curve of the cheek.
    “Not quite what I’d call it.” I mumbled.
    She shot me a sharp look, and I didn’t understand the hostility in her eyes. Again, the feeling that someone else was looking at me moved over me like a wet blanket.
    “I’m sorry?”
    I shook my head, backing out of the room. “Nothing. That must’ve been it. Just scared me I guess. I’m going to make dinner now. You better finish getting dressed.”
    I forced myself not to bolt downstairs, instead walking at a normal speed and ignoring the itch between my shoulder blades. As I hit the bottom of the stairs, I thought I heard Mom chuckle before her door closed again.
    I leaned against the doorjamb of the kitchen and let my body warm as the temperature rose again. I focused on breathing. A creepy ghost kid is bad enough. But those teeth…goose bumps flowed down my arms again. That was nowhere close to a good thing. The heavy bass thumping changed to a slower beat and I closed my eyes, letting out a long breath. At least Grant hadn’t seen it. His music had covered my scream. I had to get it together. If Grant came down and saw me freaked out, he’d want an explanation. He was already having nightmares, and this wouldn’t help.
    With a sigh, I headed into the kitchen. I pulled some hamburger from the fridge and set about making burgers. Doing something normal made the supernatural stuff around me more bearable. About the time I had them sizzling in a pan and started arranging the toppings and buns on the counter, I heard Mom tear downstairs.
    “Bye, sweetie. I’ll be back around four-thirty. Get some sleep, and try to get your brother in bed at a decent time. If you need me, my cell is on, or you can call the factory. The number is on the pad next to the phone.”
    She pressed a kiss to my cheek, pulled an insulated lunch box from the fridge, and threw her purse over her shoulder. She paused in the doorway, patting her pockets for her keys. When she found them, she tossed a smile over one shoulder and hurried out the door.
    The change in