Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

" H uh?" Dewey asked, his features twisting more.

"I think…I think she said death," Paige whispered, her eyes flicking to the creepy house in front of them.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Dewey shifted his gaze to the motionless doll in the backseat. "Now, just what do you mean by that, doll?"

"Easy," Paige said with a shake of her head. "Ri, when you said death…"

"Death, death, death."

A shiver shot down Paige's spine as she grimaced. Outside the car, Lily grinned at the older woman and motioned to car, glancing inside at Dewey and Paige.

"I think we should get out. We're being rude," Paige said as she popped her door open and stepped out.

The wind whipped her hair around as storm clouds gathered on the horizon. "Hi, I'm Paige Turner. Sorry for the delay in getting out."

"It's okay," Lily said. "Ri tends to get vocal around this house. "

Paige crinkled her brow, surprised the woman mentioned the ghost sitting in her backseat. "Uhh– "

"It's okay, Althea and Carly are very familiar with spirits. And they know about Ri," Lily answered as Cassie opened the back door and pulled the doll out, reattaching her base.

"Hi, Ri!" A teen bounced out of the house, her dark hair ribboned with pink and purple streaks.

"Carly," the ghost answered.

Paige's eyes went wide as she witnessed the scene. "Wow, she likes you."

"I like Ri. She's pretty cool. Did you know she was a pirate captain? That's awesome for a woman back in her day."

"Cool," Ri answered.

"Yep," Carly said. "You're pretty cool for an old gal."

"Ignore my granddaughter," Althea said, "she thinks anyone over thirty is…what is it you call it? An old?"

"Hey, I'm not an old," Dewey said.

Althea narrowed her eyes at him, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "No, but you are quite unique, aren't you?"

"I'm not…I'm normal," Dewey said with a crinkle of his nose. "Just a normal average, everyday human. Regular old guy. Like Damien here." He thumbed toward the man removing luggage from Cassie's trunk. "Just two regular guys. Nothing weird about us."

"Stop," Paige said through clenched teeth before she grinned nervously at the woman. Something about Althea made her apprehensive. It was like the woman could see right through you. She worried they'd slip up and give away some piece of information that would cost them big.

"It's quite all right. We like different, don't we, Carly?"

"Yep, we do."

"Well, won't you come inside? I have rooms prepared for you in case you'd like to rest for a little after the drive. "

"Thanks, Althea. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure Paige and Dewey probably want to get started looking for this key."

"Oh, of course. Carly and I have been discussing it since you called us. I'm not aware of any key, but the house does have hidden spots, so we'll do a thorough search."

"Sounds like most of the places we've been at," Paige said. "Although…we may have a clue."

"A clue? Oh, perfect," Althea answered. "Maybe that'll help."

"Find the pixie, find the key," Paige said.

Damien furrowed his brow at the statement as did Althea. "Hmm, I'm not aware of any pixies, but we certainly will keep our eyes open. Now, I've got a little lunch prepared, why don't you come inside?"

"Oh, lunch," Dewey said, his eyes lighting up. "Yes, please."

"Dewey's our good eater," Lily said with a chuckle as they hauled their bags into the expansive foyer.

Paige studied the portrait hanging on the wall as they entered, her nose wrinkling as the woman's eyes seemed to bore into her.

"I'll have Lester move the bags upstairs," Althea said. "Just leave them here, then follow me to the kitchen."

"Lead the way, sister," Dewey said as he dumped his duffel on the floor and raced behind her.

"Hey," Damien said, sidling up to Paige, "I don't remember anything about a pixie in the clue."

She shook her head. "No, there wasn't. We, uh, stumbled upon it while at the B&B."

"Where?" he whispered.

Paige pressed her lips together and shook her head. "You're not going to believe this, but…the cat and dog can talk."

"Oh. Yeah, I'd believe it. I'm pretty that was the premise of the series. Ellie movies to Salem Falls and learns the animals can talk."

"So, she can hear them," Paige murmured. "Good thing she didn't spill the beans about Dewey. She accidentally saw him in true form."

"Yikes. I bet that was…interesting."

"The cat shook us down for a milkshake and burger for the dog. I feel really bad about the whole puke on the carpet situation. Anyway, the cat said find the pixie. Maybe it's bogus, but…keep an eye out."

"Coming from a cat who literally blackmailed you, it could be bogus. The clue said midnight's swallow, but I'm not sure that helps us at all."

"What is a midnight swallow?" Paige asked with a wrinkled nose.

"A pixie," Althea said as she slid a large charcuterie board onto the counter. "You've already said to look for that."

"Oh, well…then we have that information from two sources, so hopefully it's correct."

"Wow, Althea, you really know to put out a spread," Dewey said, grabbing a slice of cheese.

She grinned at him. "And there is some tomato soup on the stove if you'd like a bowl of that with the light lunch. And– "

A boom of thunder rumbled overhead before the lights flickered then went off.

"Oh, darn," Althea said. "Well, that will make things a bit more challenging. And please get soup before it gets cold."

"I keep telling you we need a generator," Carly answered as an older, well-muscled man entered, carrying two lanterns.

"Bah, generators are for wimps," he said. "Hi, I'm Lester."

"Storm," Ri said as she zipped past Althea. "Soup. "

"Of course, I'll get you a bowl of soup, dear," Althea answered without skipping a beat. "And some cheese."

"Cheese," Ri repeated.

"This is kind of weird," Paige murmured to Dewey as they filled their plates with crackers, cheeses, and meats.

"And creepy. Now we have to look for a pixie in the dark."

"In a storm."

"In this creepy old house."

"Fire's roaring in the living room if you'd like to eat in there," Lester said. "And I'll rustle up more lanterns if you're intending on searching the house during the storm."

"That would be excellent, Lester," Althea said, balancing Ri's bowl of soup and a plate of cheese for her in her hands. "I believe they would like to search as soon as possible. The matter is quite urgent, if I'm not mistaken."

"Y-yeah," Paige said with a nod. "Sorry, I hope we weren't rude earlier– "

"No, dear," Althea answered, "but I read it on your face. Don't worry, we understand."

Paige offered her a grateful smile as she crossed to collect a bowl of soup.

"Wow, I wonder if she can read on my face that I'm not human?" Dewey whispered.

"I don't know. She's sort of strange," Paige answered as she ladled soup into her bowl. She twisted to find Althea behind her, having already returned from dropping Ri and her food in the living room. "Oh, hi."

"Hello," Althea answered with a soft smile. "I noticed your bracelet earlier while we were outside. Do you mind if I take a closer look?"

"Uh, sure," Paige said, shooting a dubious glance to Dewey as she lifted her wrist.

Althea closed the distance between them, studying each charm with interest before she stepped back. "How interesting. I haven't seen all of those charms before. In particular, the dragon."

"Oh," Paige said with a nervous chuckle, "the dragon is the bane of my existence. It's always catching on things and getting stuck."

"Yes, the little tail has a barb on it."

Paige nodded as she collected her cheese plate before her brow furrowed. "You said you haven't seen all of the charms. Have you seen some of them?"

"Oh, yes," she answered with a nod. "Where did you get the bracelet, may I ask?"

"My mother. She left it with me before she disappeared. It's a family heirloom."

"Ah, I figured as much, given your energy."

Paige's features scrunched further. "My energy."

"Yeah, honestly, I don't know what you mean either," Dewey chimed in. "Paige is pretty low energy, if you ask me. She's always tired."

Althea chuckled, scooping a ladleful of tomato soup from the pot and pouring it into a bowl. "Not that sort of energy, young fellow. She has a…magical energy."

Paige's stomach twisted into a knot as her eyes widened. "What?"

"You don't know?" Althea asked. "I assumed if it was handed down, you knew your role."

"Uhhh–"

"Oh, I see," Althea interrupted as Paige's features creased again. "You're keeping it secret. Well, I understand that."

Althea raised her arm, showcasing her own charm bracelet. "See?"

Paige leaned closer, noting similar charms, a few identical like the cat. "You have one, too."

"Similar, a bit different from yours, but it means the same thing. You are…extraordinary in the world. It means you are magical."

Confusion settled on Paige's features. "Are you?"

"Yes," Althea answered simply with a grin on her face. "Yes, I am. I come from a long line of psychic witches. You are a witch, too, if I'm not mistaken?"

"She is. Wow, you really are psychic," Dewey answered. "Tell me, what number am I thinking of right now?"

Althea eyed him. "That's not exactly how it works, though I'd guess seven."

"Amazing, that is exactly the number I was thinking," Dewey said with a grin.

"Wait, wait, stop with the number guessing. Do you know anything about my background? I…I mean, we figured out the bit about the…" Paige leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Witch stuff. But…I never knew my mother. She disappeared when I was only a few days old. So, I have no idea how any of this works."

"Oh, you poor dear. Well, I can tell you precious little, I'm afraid. Most secrets are kept within families, but it appears you are from an Irish clan, likely with the ability to control animals."

"Amazing," Dewey answered with a grin. "She can control animals with that bracelet and some special words."

"Do I have other powers?" Paige asked the woman.

"I imagine so. Likely communicative powers with beasts and possibly even the ability to perform other forms of magic like spells and incantations."

"Wow," Paige answered as she stared down at her bracelet. "I had no idea."

"You're very powerful, I'm certain. I get that energy from you. Though, you'll need practice and training. You'll catch it on your own, but it would be better if someone shared strategies with you. "

Paige stared into her soup, her features pinching. "I really hope someone can share strategies with me."

"We'll find the key, darling, don't worry about that." Althea patted her on the arm, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks."

"Now, let's go eat, and then we'll start our search."

Paige and Dewey made their way into the living room, finding comfortable chairs near the fire to settle into as they ate.

With each passing second, Paige grew more agitated about finding the key. She fidgeted after downing her food in record time.

"Oh, boy, Althea, that tomato soup was something else. What's your secret?" Dewey asked.

"No secret, just a standard recipe," she answered. "Now, I'd propose we split up and take the house in sections. Paige has a clue suggesting a pixie may be the ticket to finding the key. I am not aware of any specific pixie representations in this house, but we should all keep our eyes peeled."

Everyone nodded at Althea's words.

"Where would you say it's best for us to start? Mom and I will take a location."

"Well, Carly, Lester and I can peruse the attic. Why don't you two take the upstairs, the rest of the group the downstairs? I'm sorry, it'll be slow-going with the lights out, but I think we'll make some progress."

"Sounds good," Paige said with a nod as she rose. "Can I help with the dishes?"

"Oh, don't worry about those, just set them in the sink, and we'll handle that later." Althea gave them a dismissive wave as she smiled.

They shuffled to the kitchen, dumping everything into the sink before everyone disbanded to search their specified locations .

Paige waved her flashlight around in what happened to be a painting studio. "This is going to be nearly impossible to find in this lighting."

"Hopefully, it'll be obvious," Damien answered. "But did you see all the carvings in the woodwork?"

"Yeah, amazing."

"And difficult. It's so intricate, I'm not sure I'll recognize a pixie within it."

"Right? Or there could be dozens of them," Paige lamented. "We may be searching through hundreds of pixies."

"Gosh, I hope not," Dewey answered, swinging his flashlight across the back wall. "That'll take forever."

"Leave it to the last key to be a pain in the you-know-where," Paige said with a sigh.

"Where?" Dewey asked.

"You know," Paige answered.

"No. Where? Heart? Head? The pain in my head is incredible, right now."

"Never mind," Paige mumbled.

They moved on to a greenhouse space, making a quick search through the plants before they backtracked to search the dining room.

"And then, assuming we find this stupid key," Paige said, "we need to drive back to Hideaway Bay for the Chapter Gate."

"Assuming there isn't one closer," Damien countered.

"How would we know this?" Paige asked.

"We wouldn't. Probably best to just bite the bullet and make the long trek back to Hideaway Bay."

Paige heaved a sigh as she brushed her fingers across the wood chair rail. "Yeah, probably. I'm just…dying to get moving here."

"Oh," Dewey said, his features pinching. "Bad choice of words, Paige. "

She slumped into a dining room chair, her eyes welling with tears.

"Oh, come on, Paige," Dewey said, patting her on the shoulder. "Think positive. By this time tomorrow, we'll probably be almost back in Hideaway Bay. Then we just need to brave the wilds of Maine, find the serum, and pop back home. Easy."

"From your lips…" Paige forced herself to her feet, her lips still tugging into a deep frown.

They finished their scouring of the dining room before they moved on to the living room, finding it devoid of any pixies.

"I feel sort of bad pawing through their house like this," Paige said as they left the room behind.

"Yeah, but nothing to be done about that," Dewey answered. "I wonder if she's got dinner planned, though."

"You and your stomach," Paige said with a shake of her head. "Well, should we head upstairs and see how the ladies are doing there?"

"I guess. Nothing down here that I saw," Damien answered, mounting the stairs.

Paige followed behind him, shaking her wrist to drop her bracelet down from her forearm. As she took another step up, she stopped, her arm caught.

Dewey plowed into the back of her. "Hey, you need to call your stops, Paige."

"Sorry, I'm caught." She huffed out a breath as she twisted her arm. "The stupid bracelet is stuck on something."

Damien backtracked down the stairs, shining his light on Paige's stuck wrist. "Let me see if I can get you free."

"Thanks."

He squatted down to study the situation.

"It's probably the stupid dragon tail. It's always catching on something," Paige answered .

"Yeah, it is but…"

"What?" Paige asked, her brow furrowing. Her stomach twisted. "Oh no, did it damage the carvings?"

"No," Damien said with a shake of his head. "But it's what the dragon's caught on that's making me pause."

"What is it?" Dewey asked.

Damien flicked his gaze up to them. "A pixie."