Chapter 6

 

Tori tried to lay low for the rest of the day. Seeing as there was no use inspecting the lantern during the daytime, she read to her brother and kept up with the barrage of text messages sent by Shawna. There was more news about Adam, as well as drama over some new mandatory program the students were forced into back home so they’d have a safe Halloween. Tori had all but forgotten about her costume and trick-or-treating with Kimmy. Her thoughts were full of Jared and the lantern. She had so many questions to ask him, but there was no point in it if she couldn’t hear his answers.

So far, her grandmother had been willing to help, even to the extent of helping her sneak out at night. She hoped her grandmother would also support her plan to go back again to hear what Jared had to say. A retired nurse, Tori’s grandmother had just the tool she needed: a stethoscope. When Tori was a young girl, her grandmother had taught her how to put the ear tips in her ears like headphones, and then press the chest piece to her heart. She’d been fascinated by the thumping sounds inside her chest that she couldn’t hear with her naked ears. Bu-dum. Bu-dum. Bu-dum.

If the stethoscope could magnify her heartbeat, then there was a chance it could also amplify Jared’s voice. Tori smiled. “It’s worth a try,” she muttered to herself.

She held in her excitement throughout the day, avoiding—by some miracle—her mother’s stern brow and questioning glances.

But she couldn’t avoid her father’s point-blank question asked during dinner. “You didn’t happen to go outside last night, did you?”

Tori’s heart stopped. “Wh—what do you mean?”

“I saw your hiking boots on the front porch right outside the door, when I went to get the morning paper. I was sure I’d brought them inside last night and placed them on the shoe rack.”

Tori paled, at the same time mentally smacking herself in the back of the head. I knew I’d forgotten something. I remembered to lock the door, but left my boots outside like I do at home. Think. Think. Think. Tori wasn’t a good liar and now wasn’t the time to start practicing. Her shoulders rolled forward. “Sorry, Dad.”

“Tori?” Her mother’s voice was pinched. She stood from the table, her eyes flittering between Tori and her grandmother. “Did you know about this, Alice? Did you allow this over our objection?”

Now it was time for Tori’s grandmother to pale. But she didn’t. She lifted her chin. “It’s my home, my property. And I’d said it was safe.”

Tori’s mother stood silently for a few seconds. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and serious. “If we can’t trust you to support us in how we raise our children, then perhaps all visits with Tori and Kimmy should take place at our own home, not here.”

Tori sucked in a breath, startled by the pained look on her grandmother’s face. There’d been a thirteen-year gap between now and the last time Tori had visited the plantation. She’d been aware of a tension between the families, glossed over with smiles and good manners, which was becoming more noticeable as she got older. Whether that had anything to do with why they lived so far apart, Tori didn’t know. But she didn’t want her grandmother punished for any of it. “It’s not Grandma’s fault. Mom, I was just following another of your rules—the one about doing what you believe in and how when given an opportunity to do good—”

“Victoria! This was a matter of your safety and a violation of our trust. You will not go out again at night without us. Your father and I will have to discuss whether you’ll be grounded from taking Kimmy trick-or-treating. He can go to dinner with us and the Thompsons instead.”

No. Tori bit her lip. The Thompsons were a childless couple her parents had known since high school; they were stuffy and boring, and Mr. Thompson had a habit of patting her on the head and teasing that it would stunt her growth. Why do the Thompsons have to spend Halloween visiting their parents’ hometown too? Why couldn’t they stay back home?

Tori’s Halloween plans were falling apart. She’d ruined her visit with her grandmother, and may have robbed her grandmother of future visits from the comfort of her own home. Dumbfounded, Tori stared at her father. Not only had he brought up the fact that she’d been out last night, he’d said nothing to defend his own mother. He sat there with his eyes glued to his plate, fork in hand, his knuckles white with tension.

“You’re not going to stop us from visiting Grandma again, are you, Dad?”

He frowned. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that, but your mother’s right—we’ll need to talk about it.”

Despite Tori’s best efforts, tears had begun trailing down her cheeks. Tears filled Kimmy’s eyes. He whimpered. Great, Tori thought, now he thinks he’s in trouble too.

Her bottom lip quivered. “He should be able to go trick-or-treating. He’s been waiting all year. Please don’t punish him because of me!”

“That’s yet to be decided,” answered her mother. “For now, you’re forbidden from going anywhere near that lantern whether it’s dark or light outside.”

Tori frowned at her mother, and then met her father’s gaze with pleading eyes. Desperate, she said the first thing that came to her mind. “The lantern has a name. It’s Jared.”

Her parents looked at one another.

Tori’s grandmother opened her mouth and shut it again. She smoothed out the napkin that sat on her lap. “Perhaps I did let this go too far. Carl, Megan, please understand—I didn’t mean any harm. I didn’t know just how vivid of an imagination Tori has—”

“I’m serious,” said Tori, not caring that her voice squeaked like a child’s. “I’m not imagining anything. You can come with me and see it for yourself. I’ll prove it to you.”

“Enough of this nonsense!” Tori’s mother shook her head. Seeing the despair written across Tori’s face, she sighed and collected herself. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, hon. You’re usually so reasonable. I don’t know if you miss your friends or if something else is happening. If this is part of a holiday prank you’re setting up, know that I’m not interested. But, baby, if there’s something private you’d like to discuss with me, then we can chat about it after dinner. Not here at the table.”

Tori clamped her mouth shut, resisting the urge to shout and leave the room. Given her family’s reaction to her news about Jared, she doubted any time would be the right time to discuss what and who she’d found.

She glanced at her grandmother, who looked back at her with interest. Perhaps she still had an ally, despite what her grandmother had said about a vivid imagination.

 

That evening, Tori worked extra hard to convince her parents that her mind was on other things. They’d seemed to soften toward her once dinner was over and they’d had a break from hearing about the lantern.

She sat with Kimmy on the couch, her legs folded underneath her while they played a game of peekaboo. But the lantern didn’t stray far from her mind.

Tori’s mother popped her head in the room. “Want to watch a movie with us, hon? Your father’s setting up a projector in the theater room.” She almost sounded like her old self again.

“Nah, thanks,” Tori said. “I think I’ll just read tonight.” She picked up her brother and handed him to her mother before heading in the direction of her grandmother’s library. She over-exaggerated a shrug, hoping her mother would read it as a sign of defeat. No use raising suspicion, she thought. Tonight I’ll be more careful.