AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hush her, worried about the sleeping people behind these closed doors. Although… I know for a fact that there are other guests here, that Hennigin Hall is booked out, but I haven’t seen another living soul except Penny so far.
Another mysterious quirk of this strange building? Or a coincidence?
“Sorry,” she whispers, beaming up at me. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright. “I’m overexcited.”
She’s adorable, that’s what she is. My smile is strained.
“Fingers crossed for more bleeding wallpaper, then.”
“Oh, can you imagine?” She heaves a blissful sigh, like I mentioned a tropical vacation or a gourmet meal. Something truly decadent. “That would be so cool. We shouldn’t get greedy, though.”
With our fingers knotted together and the door to room thirteen in sight, I repeat the same mantra in my head.
Don’t get greedy.
Don’t get greedy.
If this is all Penny wants from me, it has to be enough. It is enough, damn it, because a few hours spent in this woman’s company mean more to me than a lifetime with someone else.
Even if that kiss was a mistake. Even if the way she holds my hand now, swaying closer so our shoulders bump, means nothing.
Fuck.
“What are the chances you’ll sleep tonight?”
My words are teasing, but the hungry rasp of my voice gives me away. I want so much more of Penny. Want to hear her life story; want to know all her hopes and dreams and shadiest secrets. Want to know what she’s scared of, if not ghosts and gargoyles. Want to play with her hair.
“Um, try zero.” She’s practically skipping along beside me, her mood so buoyant that she might float up to the ceiling. Penny is a helium balloon on a string. “You’re gonna regret letting me stay in your room, that’s for sure. Did you ever go to sleepovers when you were younger? Like in middle school? I’m gonna be the kid who wouldn’t shut the hell up.”
I don’t want her to shut up, so that works for me. I want to settle her in the bed, then drag over the armchair and sit there listening, gazing at her in wonder. Is that odd? Would she be alarmed if she knew?
“Maybe we should read your stories,” Penny says suddenly, sliding me a sly grin. I splutter as we reach the door, fumbling the key into the lock. “I’ve read all of them, you know. About a million times each. Bet I know half the lines by heart.”
“Ah.” Is this a heart attack? Why are my elbows sweaty beneath my rolled sleeves? “I had no idea. I’m, ah. Glad you like them.”
Glad she likes them? I’m ready to pound on my chest like Tarzan.
Glad she likes them. Honestly, for a professional writer, this woman renders me incoherent.
The door swings open with a groan, and the room inside is shadowed and still. Penny presses close to my side, and even though she’s still fizzing with excitement, she hesitates on the threshold. “Oooh. Creepy.”
“Yes.”
I’m ninety nine percent sure we left the curtains open, but they’re drawn now, blocking out all moonlight. The lamp is off too. There’s no light, nothing but shades of darkness, shadows within shadows, and the odd texture of hidden objects my eyes can’t quite see in the gloom.
“Stay close,” I murmur. For my benefit or for hers? Who knows?
The light switch is near the door. I slide my palm along the bumpy wallpaper, then flick it on.
“Oh,” I say, staring at the crimson stain on my palm with dismay. All around us, dark red patches bloom like huge bruises on the walls, glistening in the lamplight, with sticky tracks streaking down toward the floor. The mirror starts to rattle in the en suite.
“Jackpot,” Penny breathes, tugging me further into the room by my clean hand. She gazes around with awestruck eyes.
It’s cold in here. I didn’t notice at first, not with the full-body flush I get in Penny’s presence, but the chill is too insistent to be ignored. It strokes frigid fingers beneath my clothes, and sinks to the marrow of my bones. My nipples pebble beneath my shirt.
“S-so c-cool,” Penny says, her teeth chattering. Our breaths form tiny white clouds. She’s taking this remarkably well considering she cleaned these walls only this morning. “And you said you f-felt a hand?”
“On the back of my neck,” I say, right as Penny sucks in a sharp breath and smacks at her nape. She turns to me, eyes brimming with happy tears.
