Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

With some borrowed cash from James, Sebastian walked to the General Store to sort out his phone.

Carla smiled as Sebastian approached the register. "Got your wallet?"

His stomach was tight with a combination of anxiety due to the crowded store and worry about his conversation with James. He nodded at Carla and set the SIM card on the counter. Someone came to stand in line behind him.

"You here visiting?" Carla asked as she rang up the purchase and took his cash.

"No." Sebastian glanced at the middle-aged woman behind him in line, hoping she wouldn't get impatient as Carla talked to him. He'd never liked annoying people.

"New in town then?" Carla pressed, not yet counting out his change.

"No. I've lived just outside of town for a while." Sebastian fidgeted with the hem of James's leather jacket. He hadn't been able to leave its comfort behind, even after disappointing James. "I wanted to move closer."

"Outside of town?" Carla looked confused. Which was fair. There wasn't anything outside of Moonlight Falls other than trees.

"You're not the one at Storm House, are you?" the woman behind him cut in, blatant curiosity lighting her face.

"Maybe," Sebastian muttered.

"Probably best to get out of that festering old place," she advised. "My mother said the Storms used to have parties out there when she was a little girl. No matter how lively they were, she said they couldn't disguise the creepiness of the place, and those were the good old days."

Sebastian didn't respond. Sullivan and his son, Simon, had lived at Storm House with their families. They'd had guests out to the house and hosted regular events. It would have been much less obvious to people in town that the two men never left the property when their wives and children came and went, and Storm House wasn't some foreboding place no one visited.

People in town seemed to believe things at Storm House had gone steadily downhill, gotten undeniably creepier and more haunted as the decades passed and guests were no longer invited out. But that was mainly because Simon had wanted peace and quiet in his final years, and Stephen hadn't had the kind of family support his predecessors had when he'd been trapped there alone.

"Well, it'll be good to have you in town," Carla said, breaking the strained silence as Sebastian and the other woman stared at each other. Carla offered his change, smiling brightly at Sebastian as he took it and fled.

The duplex was around the corner, across the street from Gray Electrical. Sebastian called the number listed on the For Rent sign in the window. When the landlord realized Sebastian was standing in the front yard, he rushed over to meet him.

"Might as well show you through now." The man seemed eager to accommodate Sebastian as he walked him through the small home. It was partially furnished, with a bed in the room upstairs and a couch and dining table downstairs.

Sebastian didn't like anything about it. "I'll take it," he said after spending five minutes in the place.

The landlord seemed delighted. He'd bemoaned how hard it was to find tenants in such a small town, especially when most residents wanted a larger property and didn't want to share a wall with their next-door neighbor.

"The man living here before took great care of everything," the landlord assured Sebastian. "He was here for ten years before moving to be closer to his grandkids, and the woman next door is lovely."

Sebastian nodded. He wasn't a fan of small talk. Never had been. He'd been quiet as a kid, and maybe the roots of his new anxiety had always been there, though there was no denying he didn't handle unpredictable situations as well as he used to.

Sebastian was given a key on the spot and a lease to sign. He sat at the dining table and looked up his lawyer's number online, then made another call.

Once the lawyer got over the shock of his famously reclusive client calling him for the first time, he was happy to arrange everything Sebastian needed. A deposit and the first month's rent were sent to the landlord and an account with debit card access was opened for Sebastian.

It should have felt good to accomplish all these things. Sebastian's life outside Storm House was more tangible now. It was working out smoothly. He had everything he needed to rebuild except the ability to leave Moonlight Falls. But even that didn't seem like much of a loss at the moment. The idea of going to unfamiliar places still made Sebastian's insides squirm.

However, instead of feeling good, he was melancholy. He didn't know what to do next. What did he want from his life now that he had it back?

Luckily, he didn't have to dwell on the big picture for long. He walked through the town back to James's house to meet the others.

Sebastian was a mess of nervous guilt as James pulled up in Eli's car. Even if James and Eli didn't blame him for their parents' accident, he was still the cause of their past trauma, and Sebastian didn't know how he was supposed to ignore that. If Sebastian had never been born and the curse never transferred, James and Eli would still have their parents. If Sebastian had never tried to escape Storm House, James, Eli, Parker, and Hazel wouldn't be trapped by the curse. These were just facts, and Sebastian couldn't ignore them.

He told himself he believed James when he said he didn't blame Sebastian for the accident fourteen years ago. James wasn't mad at him. He wouldn't lie about his feelings. But Sebastian didn't understand how James could be so reasonable, so doubt kept creeping in. No one else in Sebastian's life took his side or looked past his flaws. Maybe James did blame him just a bit. He couldn't get rid of the idea, even after how wrong he'd been this morning when assuming the worst.

The worst could still happen , a scared little voice inside him whispered.

But Sebastian had resolved to try with James, to hold on to the hope they could last. He hadn't given up when he was trapped at Storm House. If he could manage that, he could try to make this work. He could believe what James had told him despite his doubts. He could try to solve the problems he'd created, absolve his guilt, and make a place for himself in Moonlight Falls.

Sebastian wanted to be chosen for once. He wanted to be kept. He wanted friends and James, and he'd do anything to earn them. He could prove he was worth keeping. Maybe then the worst wouldn't happen.

"I got myself a place to live." Sebastian stood from where he'd been seated on the front steps as James, Eli, and Parker got out of the car. He had his box next to him, ready to go .

James looked at him for a long moment before speaking. "Glad it worked out."

Sebastian glanced between James and Eli. "How did it go?"

James approached, his hair wet from the pool. He reached out and clasped Sebastian's shoulder. "It went fine, Sebastian. It's disorienting learning something new about our parents' accident after so long, but neither of us wants to let old anger about the event back into our lives. And like I told Eli, I was already mad about what your family did to you with the transfer spell. Finding out they also hurt my family is hard to hear, but it doesn't change that much for me. I was already mad at your mother. She has a lot to answer for."

"My mother?" Sebastian asked dumbly.

James gave him a confused, almost pitying look, his eyes scrunched and lips thin.

Eli and Parker came up behind them. Eli pushed past James and captured Sebastian in another unexpected hug. "I'll be careful with the veins, okay? But we need to go take a look at them. And not just because my curiosity is killing me."

"It's not going to be hard for you to be there?" Sebastian glanced between the brothers. "Knowing what part the veins played in everything?"

Eli crossed his arms. "I spent a lot of time being mad at the section of North Road where Mom and Dad's car was found, but in the end, it's just a place. I don't need to be angry at the veins as well. I'd rather study them and see if we can fix them so nothing bad like this ever happens again."

"I agree," James added. "The best thing we can do is try and correct this whole mess."

They piled into the car. Sebastian placed his box in the trunk so he could drop it at his new place later. He should probably grab some bedding and other things while at Storm House, but he spent the ride being grateful Eli still wanted to help after learning the whole story rather than compiling a to-do list for moving into his new home.

Hazel met them at Storm House, her van already waiting outside the gate when they pulled up.

Right, it was time to do this. Sebastian climbed out of the car and marched up to the gate. "You won't feel the haunting effects of the property anymore now that the curse has you. So at least being here won't make you feel like shit." He unlocked the chain and swung the gate open. "Don't bring anything onto the property with a battery, or it will get drained."

Everyone left their phones in the cars. It took Sebastian a second to remember he had a phone in the pocket of James's leather jacket.

Eli pulled a pile of books out of his trunk and handed them to Parker, then grabbed a leather case. "I did some research on how to measure the power flowing through the veins. All my usual tools are electronic, but luckily people have been quantifying magical power since before electricity. Parker and I did some crafting this morning to recreate some old instruments."

"See, this is exactly why we need you." Sebastian smiled at Eli, and the younger man smiled back. They hadn't known each other growing up any better than Sebastian had known James, but of course, they'd seen each other around. Eli was pretty friendly, and Sebastian wished they'd been in the same grade in school. Maybe they'd have been friends.

Sebastian led everyone onto the property. His eyes kept snagging on little things. Today's newspaper on the gravel driveway. The weeds popping up near the front steps. All the apples weighing down the trees.

They were heading toward the forest when Miss Moo came charging over to them. The cow stopped in front of Sebastian and snorted before letting out a long moo.

"Hey, girl." Sebastian patted her head. "I don't think I've ever seen this cow run. "

James joined Sebastian in petting the cow. "Seems like she missed you."

Sebastian hugged her neck. He felt bad for leaving her here, but he couldn't exactly bring a cow to his duplex. "Oh no." He looked at James in alarm. "We didn't feed the chickens this morning."

"I can go do it now." James gestured to the barn where the feed was kept.

"No." Sebastian glanced over at the chicken run. "I'll do it after I show everyone the veins."

As he led the group through the trees, Sebastian realized his dread of returning to Storm House had been forgotten. The sight of the house hadn't triggered him like he'd expected. He'd been too distracted by all the little things around the property that needed doing and too focused on taking charge of the vein problem. His need to show the others he was more than a hopeless mess and the cause of their problems had eclipsed everything else.

Why hadn't returning here filled him with loathing? Why hadn't it triggered his fear? Was it because he'd acknowledged to himself that he'd been strong here? That he'd done everything he could to survive the curse and had succeeded and was hoping that confidence would find him again so he could sort out the rest of his life?

He wasn't sure.

They reached the clearing and stopped at the edge of the trees. The fuel cell hummed faintly in the center. The dried blood from the ritual looked sinister on the shiny metal. A chill went down Sebastian's spine. His fear wasn't totally banished.

James caught his eye. He looked up and Sebastian followed his gaze. No shades lurked in the trees, so that was a bonus. But on a sunny day like today, he hadn't expected them.

Hazel went to inspect the fuel cell. "This is kind of amazing." She narrowed her eyes at James. "I can't believe you pulled this off."

James shrugged. "It was pretty straightforward in the end." He joined her next to the fuel cell. "Doesn't look like much energy has been used, so that's good."

Eli set his case on the ground. "But the veins are draining its energy. This is such an interesting combination of magical principles. I'd never have thought blood magic would work on a non-living source."

Sebastian came closer so he could see what was in the case when it opened. "What are you planning to do exactly?"

Parker handed Eli the books. Eli sat cross-legged and began flipping through them. "I need to see what the veins are doing. If we don't know exactly what's happening, we can't fix it."

"The old methods of measuring power flowing through the earth are all magic-based," Parker explained when it was clear Eli had gotten too wrapped up in the books to explain how he would see what the veins were doing. "I'll cast the spells once Eli has everything set up."

"I don't have any magical ability," Eli explained.

"No, you've just got an incredible knowledge of how this all works." Parker looked affectionally down at Eli, who bit back a smile, still focused on the book.

Eli and Parker were sweet together, but Sebastian had other things on his mind. "What kind of spells?" He clenched and unclenched his fists. "How do they interact with the magic in the veins?"

"It's all passive," Eli replied without looking up. "Nothing like the magic you were doing with transferring the curse. That magic had a direct effect on the veins, linking you or the fuel cell to them to correct the imbalance. All I'm doing is reading what's going on beneath the surface. Observing."

"But the observational magic will still interact with the veins to some extent," Sebastian argued .

Eli finally looked up, studying him. "You're really worried."

Sebastian gave Eli a helpless look. How could he not be?

"We'll be casting spells on the instruments, not the veins themselves." Eli opened the case to reveal several wire-framed contraptions and a pencil case.

"The spells will detect what's going on around them, and the mechanism will record it." Parker pointed at the wire frames. "There's no reason the veins should react to either. That's kind of the point."

"Yeah, it'd be impossible to observe what magic is here naturally if measuring it affects the magic we're looking at. Data integrity is key. Everything I'm doing is scientific, even if the methods are dated." Eli gave Sebastian a reassuring smile. "I'm confident the observational spells won't cause an explosion of power or anything like that. I researched the theory this morning."

"Okay." Sebastian finally relented. He had to trust Eli, and now that everyone knew the risks, there was no reason to think they'd disregard them.

Hazel and Parker helped Eli set everything up. Spindly-looking structures were placed at four points around the clearing and one next to the fuel cell. They would ward the mechanisms once they were ready to go to stop any shades from messing with them. Apparently, shades liked to ruin Eli's experiments, though Sebastian had no idea why.

Sebastian turned to James. "I might go feed the chickens since I'm not really contributing."

"Want me to come?" he offered without hesitation.

"You don't have to."

James gave him a stern look. "I know that. But I'm not contributing either, and I'd like to come with you. Unless you want the time alone."

Sebastian grabbed James's hand reflexively. "I don't want to be alone." He wondered if James could tell how deeply he meant the words. He didn't look at his face to check.

"Come on then." James tugged Sebastian along, pulling him toward the path. They walked in silence for a few beats until James said softly, "How's being back here?"

Sebastian looked at him sideways. "Weirdly, not as bad as I thought."

James draped an arm over his shoulders and squeezed, filling Sebastian with affection and longing. Not being there alone must be what stopped Storm House from being triggering. The idea of spending the night here by himself still inspired a familiar dread. Sebastian was glad he'd never have to stay here overnight again. He had a feeling it would break him. But in the daylight, with James, things seemed all right.

They fed the chickens and collected the eggs. Sebastian got distracted by the state of his vegetable garden. Weeds were popping up everywhere. He set to work, James joining wordlessly.

It felt good to take care of his plants. Knowing he'd be living at the duplex, away from all the little things he'd built at Storm House, made Sebastian feel empty, but at the same time, he didn't ever want to live here again. It was a confusing mess of emotions that was starting to hurt.

"How are you doing, Sebastian?" James asked from across the small pumpkin patch.

"Huh?" Sebastian looked up from the clump of weeds in his hand. "I'm fine."

James eyed him, his face neutral. "Okay, good." He looked down at the dirt, slowly pulling more weeds.

Sebastian regretted brushing him off. He wasn't fine. Why was he acting like he needed to be? James would understand. Sebastian knew he could be open with him, but he was trying to put some space between them and not rely on James so much .

However, this kind of emotional support was okay to look for in a relationship. This wasn't the kind of distance Sebastian needed. He needed his own place to live, his independence, but he didn't have to shut everyone out.

He figured James would want to hear how he was really doing, and maybe sharing would help repair some of the trust Sebastian had broken by keeping secrets from James.

Sebastian dropped the weeds he was holding and brushed the dirt off his hands. "I'm not fine, actually."

James looked up. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sebastian nodded. James stood and rounded the pumpkins to sit next to him. Sebastian looked at his dirty hands and leaned until his shoulder connected with James's.

"Ever since we left, I've been thinking about Storm House, but not in the way you might expect. I hated living here. Hated having to do everything by hand. Didn't want to live like this and be stuck gardening and baking because I had nothing else to do and no other way to get fresh food. But now that I don't have to do it, I feel lost. I miss being out here with my plants and planning what to do with my harvests. It felt weird not doing any of my usual stuff yesterday. But I also feel like it's kind of fucked up that I miss it."

James was silent for a moment, seeming to mull over Sebastian's words. "Your garden and routines were all you had for so long. It makes sense that you found ways to enjoy them. Maybe you'd have liked gardening and baking even if you were never trapped here. They are pretty common hobbies."

"I know." Sebastian rolled his eyes even though James couldn't see it from the way they were sitting side by side. "It's just that not being here has left me feeling so lost. But at the same time, coming back in any sort of permanent way scares the shit out of me. I can't, and I won't. I just don't want to leave my garden or Miss Moo. "

"You don't have to."

Sebastian shifted to look at James.

He shrugged. "You can come here and work outside. See your cow. Bring the vegetables and fruit back to town."

Sebastian cringed. "Wouldn't that be weird?"

"Who cares? If it's what you need."

Sebastian smiled at James's bluntness. "I don't know. Escaping only to willingly come back sounds ridiculous. And I don't know if I'd be okay here alone, even in the garden. It'd be too easy to forget I was free."

"I can come out here with you," James offered. "Or, while I'm at work, you and Eli could work something out. He'll have to check on the results in the clearing. I bet you could get him to help with the plants too."

Sebastian looked down at his hands. It sounded perfect. So easy. Like he and Eli were already friends. "Maybe."

Would something like that work, and if it did, would it last? Would he and Eli stay friends? If he didn't solve the problem of their imprisonment in Moonlight Falls, wouldn't everyone resent him eventually? Sebastian couldn't help his fatal thoughts, but he was tired of preparing for the worst.

It really seemed like James harbored no blame for him in regard to his parents' deaths. He wouldn't be this caring otherwise and wouldn't seem relieved Sebastian had opened up and trusted him with his worries. It made Sebastian wonder if he could stop blaming himself or at least stop worrying James would change his mind.

James acted like Sebastian was worthy of his care and concern, and Sebastian was going to go ahead and accept it. Soak it up like a needy sponge, even if he didn't always feel he deserved it. James was giving him good things and he wanted to accept them, not worry they'd be taken away.

"I'll talk to Eli," Sebastian said eventually. "But I should probably focus more on the veins than the garden. "

"If looking after your garden helps, then do it. Like you told me, we have to take care of ourselves and not let the problems with the veins consume us."

It was true, but that mentality had only been necessary when the problem didn't seem to have a solution.