Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Flo felt like she was making headway every moment she spent with Sven since he got zapped at the séance and could see her.
She was starting to see more and more fragments of who she was, which was a good sign.
She was sure that she had previously remembered all these things, yet she just couldn’t recall them, which was definitely a conundrum.
Whatever had happened, she was feeling less and less skittish. And definitely more confident.
She was hopeful that whatever curse had been put on her could be broken. Maybe she could find some information about it and what happened that night. Why did her father have her cursed in an iron-infused room. Did he really understand what he was doing to her?
Something told her yes, he did, and that she didn’t like him much.
Whatever had been done was meant to hurt her.
And what if can’t be broken?
The thought gave her pause. The moment she took off her glove, it aged very quickly.
What if her curse was broken and she died?
What would that do to Sven? She hadn’t said anything to him yet because she didn’t want him to worry, but she was thinking about it now.
The curse placed on her was not the same as his curse.
Hers had backfired for some reason. And she knew this because of her memory. Her father only wanted her to forget about Sven so she would marry someone else.
Was it because the room repels spirits?
After Sven explained how the iron infused in the walls affected him and other ghosts, she couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reason her curse had backfired. It would make sense, but again, she didn’t know. If only the other ghosts had seen it.
Which seemed doubtful.
Maybe they did, an optimistic voice said in her head. The logical voice wasn’t so sure. If her iron hideaway repelled Sven to prevent him from being caught inside it, it probably trapped ghosts too.
The problem was, they didn’t like talking to her. Flo wished even one of the ghosts would talk to her. There were spirits here older than her, ones who had been here a long time. They might’ve seen what happened. Then again, she hadn’t really been receptive toward them either.
As she was sitting there, flipping through the books, one of the ghosts entered the room. It was Lottie. Lottie never seemed like she wanted to chat, but she would look in her direction. She would acknowledge her presence, but it didn’t mean that she wanted to be friendly with her.
Lottie had died before she did, so she might actually have been there the day Flo was cursed.
This was all just speculation because for years, Flo had remained hidden from them.
She was terrified of them the first time she saw them because she didn’t want to believe that she was dead, and talking to the spirits meant she could be dead.
Then again, she wondered if the spirts were terrified of her because she wasn’t a ghost like them.
She was a revenant, one who was undead.
Don’t be such a chicken. Find out.
Flo set the book down she was holding and looked Lottie straight in the eye.
Lottie’s gaze pierced through her. Her lips pursed together. Lottie was younger and often seen with the child spirit, who was her daughter.
Flo didn’t know how they died, only that it must have been tragic.
Lottie looked away, floating to move on, so Flo jumped up.
“Hello.”
Lottie froze mid-hover and looked back over her shoulder, surprised. “Well, hello there, Florence.”
Flo moved closer. “You’re not afraid of me?”
Lottie puffed up her chest like she was insulted. “What makes you think that I’m afraid of you?”
“I’ve been here for a century and none of you have talked to me before now.”
Lottie rolled her eyes imperiously. “You’ve never wanted to talk to us before, so we never tried. You kept your distance, so we gave you space.”
“I thought you were all afraid of me,” Flo admitted. “Because I was different.”
“There you go with that word again. Afraid. It’s preposterous, as I said. We were worried you were afraid of us, so we kept our distance. You’ve been skittish from the moment you came out of that gin closet.”
“How did you know about the speakeasy?”
Lottie looked at her with disbelief. “Everyone knows about the gin closet. I’ve been here for some time, my girl.”
“Are we related? Are you an ancestor of mine?”
Lottie nodded. “Yes, I would be your great-great-grandmother. I died from tuberculosis quite young, along with one of my daughters who is running around in the attics most days. So, she would be your great-great-aunt.”
“Oh! Well, it’s nice to meet you.”
Lottie seemed to relax a bit. “It’s nice to finally formally make your acquaintance.”
“Were you related to my mother or father?”
Lottie snorted in disdain. “Your mother. You think that I would be related to that criminal imbecile that was your father?”
Flo felt her cheeks heat. “I’m sorry, I don’t really remember.”
Lottie’s hard expression softened. “Yes, I understand that you’re having trouble with your memory since you were cursed.”
She knows?
Or she overheard. Either way, excitement bloomed in Flo’s chest. “Yes, since I was cursed, I don’t recall anything about it. Do you know anything about that moment?”
“I sort of do, but again, I don’t know what transpired in that room where you were cursed. Honestly, until you came out a few years ago, I thought that you were trapped in there forever, or dead.”
The hope Flo was feeling dissipated with Lottie’s admission. “Right. Because none of you can go in that room.”
“Exactly. There’s something about that room that I don’t understand. We try to go in there and we can’t. We’re sucked right back into the main part of the house. It hurts when it happens.”
“It’s the iron. Sven explained it. I guess my father had it built in that room because if he was using it for his speakeasy, he was trying to keep everything out.”
“It was a waste,” Lottie snapped. “It wasn’t in the house while I lived, that’s for sure. I would never use iron in my house. Well, maybe as a decorative piece outside, but never iron inside the house. A fence would be fine.” Lottie was rambling, but Flo didn’t mind.
“I don’t understand why he did it,” Flo said.
“Maybe he knew what he was doing. Your father came from Tallowfield, and I always had my suspicions about him when my great-granddaughter wanted to marry him. If I could’ve put a stop to it, I would have, but I was gone by then, so it’s not like I had a way to stop it.”
“Tallowfield?” Flo asked, intrigued.
“Tallowfield is home to a lot of witches and wizards. Not usually the nicest of them. I suppose if you had asked me back then, while I was alive, I would have said you were silly to believe in the idea of curses and witches. But now, given that my home is overrun with ghouls and occult-loving tourists, and a witch who explodes feather pillows and enchanted appliances, I tend to believe that Tallowfield is full of witches as the old rumors stated.”
“Well, and I suppose, ghosts,” Flo teased.
Lottie smiled indulgently. “Yes. You’re correct. I did not believe in entities.”
“So you remember my disappearance, but you don’t know what happened to me in that room?”
“I’m afraid I don’t. I do know that you’re not a ghost,” Lottie said.
“How do you know for sure?” Flo asked, intrigued.
“You can manifest yourself, and you can touch things. I saw that you were eating.”
“How did you see that I was eating? Nobody was in the kitchen.”
“I was peering through the walls. You’re not the only Turner who can hide in the wall.”
“My surname is Turner?”
“No, it was Hawthorne. Turner was my family name. We built this home. Still, you look like your mother and always had a kind heart. You’re a Turner through and through.”
Joy bloomed deep inside her. The idea she had family. Not just shady gin dealers and tax evaders, but proud people like Lottie.
“So, peering through walls is a family trait?”
“Indeed.” Lottie looked at her softly. “I wish I could tell you more. All I know is your father tried to curse your memories, not transform you and make you invisible.”
“That I do remember. He wanted me to forget Sven.”
“Yes.”
Flo sighed. “Well, thank you. I’ll have to keep researching.
I need to know exactly what happened with my curse, because when I took off my gloves, they aged.
I’m worried. If the curse failed so miserably in the first place…
what if I die?” Flo looked at her bare hands. “I don’t know what was done to me.”
“I know your father wanted to control you. He didn’t have the power to do that, so I know that he made calls to those people.
That night, those robed people came and you were taken down that hall and there was nothing I could do.
On my insistence, Erickson tried to stop them, but couldn’t follow.
When your father returned, he looked scared and he threw those robed figures out of this house.
He never saw you again and neither did I.
At least not until you emerged from that room the way you are now, and yes, at first, I thought you were a ghost, but you were so frightened of us, we let you be. ”
Flo nodded. “I’m sorry for that.”
“No need to be sorry, dear. I am glad that you are talking to me. You don’t need to be afraid of ghosts, and I will put the word out they’re not to be afraid of you.
You are a revenant after all, But we’ve all gotten used to Mercedes being able to see us, and now Sven being able to see us, but it would be nice if we could also talk. ”
Flo nodded. “I would like that. So, it looks like if I’m going to find any information about my curse, I’m going to have to get Mercedes go to Tallowfield.”
Lottie nodded sadly. “It seems that way, though I don’t know about sending her there.”
“I agree. I don’t want Mercedes going there.”
“There’s just something not right about that whole situation.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Lottie floated over toward her and took her hand. It was cold, and there was an energy about it because Lottie was a ghost, but it was comforting. Flo felt something deep inside her, a memory coming back.
“Flo, you’re crying. Come here,” the soft voice of her mother calls out.
Flo climbed into the bed and her mother smiled and held her close.
“I was scared, mother,” Flo cried. “The storm is loud.”
“Don’t be scared. I’m here. Always. Now sleep.”
Flo felt a sting and tears welled in her eyes. She remembered her mother. The one who loved her first. Lottie’s touch brought back another memory. Something deep and emotional. It was as if she were coming out of a fog.
“Dear, you cannot worry about these things you can’t control,” Lottie said softly.
“You have to focus on the fact that you’re here and you found your true love again.
You have to live, which is a silly thing to say given what you are and what I am, but nothing seems to make sense.
All I know is this is a good place to live.
Most people seem happy, so you just have to try to make sure that you live every day as best you can, even if you don’t remember him or your life or the other details.
To wallow about what you can’t control, well that’s a horrible way to spend eternity. ”
Flo touched the corner of her eye and felt the dampness. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Now I’m going to go tell the other spirits of our conversation so they have nothing to fear. They won’t scare you off, although I would be wary of Mario. He still hasn’t gotten used to wearing clothes again.”
“Are his clothes missing?” Flo asked, amused.
“He does have clothes, but they’re kind of soggy from his adventure in the pond when Sal killed him.
He prefers to run around here naked, much like Magnus.
However, his clothes always return at the start of new day.
At least Magnus is better at that now that he has Mercedes.
Now, I’m going to be on my way, but everything will be well, dear.
You’ll see.” Lottie squeezed her hand one more time and then turned into a ball of energy and dissipated through the wall.
Flo sighed and turned back to the bookshelf. It wasn’t the answers she was looking for, but it was a start, and at least now the others would talk to her. Things were definitely looking brighter and she didn’t feel as upset or anxious.
Which was a nice change of pace for once.