Free Griffith Tavern (Taryn's Camera Book 2) by Rebecca Patrick-Howard Page B

never stopping to talk to each other or really look around. It took the joy out of shopping.
    Matt would say there had never been any joy in shopping in the first place. Then again, he was still trying to squeeze into his high school letter jacket at the age of thirty–not because he had any nostalgia about those years (they’d been torturous for him, band geek and all) but because he hated to shop.
    On the last trip back to her car, something made her stop and turn around. It was just the faint whisper of a breeze, nothing that should have been disturbing, but the deliberateness tugged at her and made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She had the strongest feeling someone was watching her and that someone was not looking at her from the road, but from the supposedly deserted house. Thinking about the picture from the day before, she hesitated, not sure she wanted to pursue the matter.
    Nothing was there. The house was quiet, the windows empty. Yet, something hovered; a viscidness that surrounded her and made it hard to catch her breath. It pushed down on her from above, gently but with great pressure. Taryn closed her eyes and, focusing on her breathing, tried to dispel the invisible suit of armor that enveloped her. Little by little, it eased up until the air felt normal again.
    She turned back to the car and started towards it but she’d barely taken two steps when the breezes stirred again, nipping at her neck and fingers.
    Ever so gently, Taryn laid her paints down on the ground and, moving in slow motion, turned to face the building. At first it looked the same as before, nothing appeared to have been moved or manipulated in any way. But there, standing in a downstairs window, was the unmistakable shadowy outline of a woman and she was staring straight at Taryn.
    Taryn jumped a little but didn’t look away. The energy radiating from the house was hot and palpable as Permelia’s eyes bore into her. She couldn’t turn her head or ignore what she was seeing, despite the fear that crept down her spine and reached into her heart.
    For a brief moment, the two solitary women watched one another with equal curiosity. Neither the figure nor Taryn moved; time itself seemed to stop for just an instant as the currents between them sparked. Taryn could feel a bond of sorts that felt as real and solid as the ground underneath her feet. She couldn’t make out any distinctive facial features but had the impression of long black hair falling around her shoulders and a dark colored dress. She was neither smiling nor frowning, but possessed a sharp look of concentration, as though she was unable to find the words she was seeking. Taryn could still hear the faint hum of cars behind her but they felt a million miles away, in another place and time. Even the old tavern glimmered dimly, wavering in the chasm the two women formed. For a moment it was intact again, whole, and then it was in shambles. As confused by the events as Taryn, it wasn’t sure which version of itself it should be.
    Taryn was much calmer than she thought she’d ever be, faced with a situation such as this one. Right before the figure shimmered away, shimmering was the only way Taryn would be able to describe it to Matt later, she lifted her right hand in a kind of wave and Taryn knew she was directing it at her. The bond dissipated and the force threw Taryn to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Before scrambling to her feet she thought she’d heard a cry of pain, but she might have been imagining it.

Chapter 7
     

     
     
    S o what did you do?” Matt asked with genuine curiosity.
    “I waved back,” Taryn answered. “You know, it felt rude not to.”
    “I don’t know that I would’ve stuck around once I saw her.”
    Taryn had trouble explaining how she’d felt compelled to stay, that she probably couldn’t have moved even if she’d wanted to. And that, although she’d been scared, she was also curious. A huge part of her was