“That is strange,” Mr. Hanley agreed.
Hawkins rubbed his jaw. “It’s more than strange. It’s demented.” There was a long pause before he continued. “I have a small suspicion who it might’ve been, but without any evidence I can’t prove a thing.” At this, my heart skipped a beat. Did he suspect Noah?
“Who do you think it was?” Mr. Hanley questioned.
Hawkins’ voice was tense and a little scared. “I can’t say but … oh, forget I said anything. I’m just upset about the whole thing. We’ve never had a break-in before. Now I’m going to have to fork out for new locks and a security system.” I moved around the corner, casting Hawkins a quick glance. He had bags under his eyes that weren’t usually present, like he’d lost sleep over this.
A small measure of guilt pinched at me. But I also felt like Noah had a good reason for messing with Hawkins. I had no proof of this other than a feeling. Maybe my attraction for him was clouding my judgement.
I wanted to tell Aoife about what happened during my suspension, but I worried she’d judge me for going along with Noah. I thought of how I let him put that lipstick on me. The surreal moment when I’d kissed the mirror, the shape of my lips imprinted on the glass. I was ashamed because secretly I’d enjoyed it.
When I got home that evening the house was quiet. I was disappointed to see Noah’s bike was missing from the driveway, and I wondered what exactly his job working for the mayor entailed.
I went upstairs to use the bathroom, and on my way back down, I paused on the second step. A faint, feminine voice spoke muffled words I couldn’t make out. I followed them back up the stairs and stopped at Vee’s bedroom door. It was left ajar, and it sounded like she was in there talking to herself.
A chill crept over me.
“You don’t control me anymore, you idiot,” she scoffed, emitting an eery, joyless laugh. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw her wandering around her room in a silk robe, grimacing because it looked like she had nothing on underneath. I didn’t need to see that. Still, something kept me frozen to the spot. I wanted to know what she was saying, who she imagined she was talking to.
“The house is mine now. It’s not like Sylvia has the strength or resources to fight me for it. I’ll burn it to the fucking ground someday if I want to. Where will I live? Ha! I’ll find somewhere, I’m sure. You always said I was beautiful. Someone will take me in. Sylvia on the other hand? She’ll be out on the street. Or worse, in one of those Godawful care homes.”
She picked a clear bottle of what appeared to be gin off the windowsill, brought it to her mouth and took a long swig as she spun around the bedroom, dancing a strange, drunken dance. I was more than a little concerned about her saying she’d burn the house down.
Despite our troubled relationship, seeing Vee like this wasn’t fun for me. Many times I’d considered helping her quit drinking, but even broaching the subject was tough. I’d never managed to get the words out. Probably because she always cut me off with a cruel remark before I ever had the chance to be kind. To try to help.
My conscience niggled at me while Vee continued to talk to whoever she imagined was in the room with her. This house really was haunted, but not with the dead. Noah was right about that. Vee had enough demons to fill a hundred houses with ghosts. Noah, too, it seemed.
I wished more than ever to know their full story. To see clearly exactly how they became the people they were today.
I turned to leave, the floorboard creaking under my foot. Vee went silent, and I froze. Shit! She was going to catch me out here. I swear I stopped breathing. I waited for the inevitable, but it never came. Instead Vee closed her bedroom door with a quiet snick, shielding her crazy talk from prying ears.
As quietly as I could, I hurried back down the stairs and went straight to my room. I sat on my bed, still affected by Vee’s haunting monologue. I suspected if I had to live in this house as long as she had, I might go just as mad as her one day.
A foreboding feeling hit me, because my plans to get as far away from here as I possibly could weren’t so clear cut anymore. Noah had captured a part of me I didn’t know existed, rendering my carefully crafted plans into a slowly crumbling relic.
14.
Many quiet, uneventful weeks went by.
I was glad for them, because despite being drawn to Noah’s chaos, I really didn’t enjoy conflict. I also needed to buckle down and prepare for my exams. I came into my room one evening and found a brand-new smartphone from him. It clearly cost far more than what I’d given him, and I didn’t know how to feel about that. He’d also included credit so I could make calls and go on the internet.