Somemes I have very dark thoughts about my mother—thoughts no
sane daughter should ever have.
Somemes, I'm not always sane.
"Addie, you're being ridiculous," Mom says through the speaker on my
phone. I glare at it in response, refusing to argue with her. When I have nothing to say, she sighs loudly. I wrinkle my nose.
It blows my mind that this woman always called Nana dramac yet can't see her own flair for the dramatics.
"Just because your grandparents gave you the house doesn't mean you have to actually live in it. It's old and would be doing everyone in that city a favor if it were torn down."
I thump my head against the headrest, rolling my eyes upward and
trying to find paence weaved into the stained roof of my car.
How did I manage to get ketchup up there?
"And just because you don't like it, doesn't mean I can't live in it," I retort dryly.
My mother is a bitch. Plain and simple. She's always had a chip on her shoulder, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
"You'll be living an hour from us! That will be incredibly inconvenient for you to come visit us, won't it?"
Oh, how will I ever survive?
Pretty sure my gynecologist is an hour away, too, but I sll make an effort
to see her once a year. And those visits are far more painful.
"Nope," I reply, popping the P . I'm over this conversaon. My patience only lasts an enre sixty seconds talking to my mother. After that, I'm running on fumes and have no desire to put in any more effort to keep the conversation moving along.
I never understood the tension between them, but as I got older and started to
comprehend Mom's snarkiness and underhanded insults for what they were, it
made sense.
Nana always had a positive, sunny outlook on life, viewing the world through
rose-colored glasses. She was always smiling and humming, while Mom is cursed
with a perpetual scowl on her face and looking at life like her glasses got smashed
when she was plunged out of Nana's vagina. I don't know why her personality
never developed past that of a porcupine—she was never raised to be a prickly
bitch.
Growing up, my mom and dad had a house only a mile away from Parsons
Manor. She could barely tolerate me, so I spent most of my childhood in this
house. It wasn't until I left for college that Mom moved out of town an hour
away. When I quit college, I moved in with her until I got back on my feet and
my writing career took off.
And when it did, I decided to travel around the country, never really settling in
one place.
Nana died about a year ago, gifting me the house in her will, but my grief
hindered me from moving into Parsons Manor. Until now.
Mom sighs again through the phone. "I just wish you had more ambition in
life, instead of staying in the town you grew up in, sweetie. Do something more
with your life than waste away in that house like your grandmother did. I don't
want you to become worthless like her."
A snarl overtakes my face, fury tearing throughout my chest. "Hey, Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Fuck off."
I hang up the phone, angrily smashing my finger into the screen until I hear the telltale chime that the call has ended.
How dare she speak of her own mother that way when she was nothing but
loved and cherished? Nana certainly didn't treat her the way she treats me, that's for damn sure.
I rip a page from Mom's book and let loose a melodramatic sigh, turning to
look out my side window. Said house stands tall, the tip of the black roof spearing
through the gloomy clouds and looming over the vastly wooded area as if to say
you shall fear me. Peering over my shoulder, the dense thicket of trees are no
more inviting—their shadows crawling from the overgrowth with outstretched claws.
I shiver, delighting in the ominous feeling radiating from this small portion of
the cliff. It looks exactly as it did from my childhood, and it gives me no less of a
thrill to peer into the infinite blackness
Parsons Manor is stationed on a cliffside overlooking the Bay with a mile long
driveway stretching through a heavily wooded area. The congregation of trees
separates this house from the rest of the world, making you feel like you're well
and truly alone.
Sometimes, it feels like you're on an entirely different planet, ostracized from
civilization. The whole area has a menacing, sorrowful aura.
And I fucking love it.
The house has begun to decay, but it can be fixed up to look like new again
with a bit of TLC. Hundreds of vines crawl up all sides of the structure, climbing
towards the gargoyles stationed on the roof on either side of the manor. The black
siding is fading to a gray and starting to peel away, and the black paint around the
windows is chipping like cheap nail polish. I'll have to hire someone to give the
large front porch a facelift since it's starting to sag on one side.
The lawn is long overdue for a haircut, the blades of grass nearly as tall as me,
and the three acres of clearing bursting with weeds. I bet plenty of snakes have
settled in nicely since it's last been mowed.
Nana used to offset the manor's dark shade with blooms of colorful flowers
during the spring season. Hyacinths, primroses, violas, and rhododendron.
And in autumn, sunflowers would be crawling up the sides of the house, the
bright yellows and oranges in the petals a beautiful contrast against the black
siding.
I can plant a garden around the front of the house again when the season calls
for it. This time, I'll plant strawberries, lettuce, and herbs as well.
I'm deep in my musings when my eyes snag on movement from above.
Curtains flutter in the lone window at the very top of the house.
The attic.
Last time I checked, there's no central air up there. Nothing should be able to
move those curtains, but yet I don't doubt what I saw.
Coupled with the looming storm in the background, Parsons Manor looks like a
scene out of a horror film. I suck my bottom lip between my teeth, unable to stop
the smile from forming on my face.
I love that.
I can't explain why, but I do.
Fuck what my mother says. I'm living here. I'm a successful writer and have
the freedom to live anywhere. So, what if I decide to live in a place that means a
lot to me? That doesn't make me a lowlife for staying in my hometown. I travel
enough with book tours and conferences; settling down in a house won't change
that. I know what the fuck I want, and I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks
about it.
Especially mommy dearest.
The clouds yawn, and rain spills from their mouths. I grab my purse and step
out of my car, inhaling the scent of fresh rain. It turns from a light sprinkle to a
torrential downpour in a matter of seconds. I bolt up the front porch steps,
flinging drops of water off my arms and shaking my body out like a wet dog.
I love storms—I just don't like to be in them. I'd prefer to cuddle up under the
blankets with a mug of tea and a book while listening to the rain fall.
I slide the key into the lock and turn it. But it's stuck, refusing to give me even
a millimeter. I jimmy the key, wrestling with it until the mechanism finally turns
and I'm able to unlock the door.
Guess I'm gonna have to fix that soon, too.
A chilling draft welcomes me as I open the door. I shiver from the mixture of
freezing rain still wet on my skin and the cold, stale air. The interior of the house
is cast in shadows. Dim light shines through the windows, gradually fading as the
sun disappears behind gray storm clouds.
I feel as if I should start my story with "it was a dark stormy night..."
I look up and smile when I see the black ribbed ceiling, made up of hundreds
of thin, long pieces of wood. A grand chandelier is hanging over my head, golden
steel warped in an intricate design with crystals dangling from the tips. It's always
been Nana's most prized possession.
The black and white checkered floors lead directly to the black grand staircase
—large enough to fit a piano through sideways—and flow off into the living
room. My boots squeak against the tiles as I venture further inside.
This floor is primarily an open concept, making it feel like the monstrosity of
the home could swallow you whole.
The living area is to the left of the staircase. I purse my lips and look around,
nostalgia hitting me straight in the gut. Dust coats every surface, and the smell of
mothballs is overpowering, but it looks exactly how I last saw it, right before
Nana died last year.
A large black stone fireplace is in the center of the living room on the far left
wall, with red velvet couches squared around it. An ornate wooden coffee table
sits in the middle, an empty vase atop the dark wood. Nana used to fill it with
lilies, but now it only collects dust and bug carcasses.
The walls are covered in black paisley wallpaper, offset by heavy golden
curtains.
One of my favorite parts is the large bay window at the front of the house,
providing a beautiful view of the forest beyond Parsons Manor. Placed right in
front of it is a red velvet rocking chair with a matching stool. Nana used to sit
there and watch the rain, and she said her mother would always do the same.
The checkered tiling extends into the kitchen with beautiful black stained
cabinets and marble countertops. A massive island sits in the middle with black
barstools lining one side. Grandpa and I used to sit there and watch Nana cook,
enjoying her humming to herself as she whipped up delicious meals.
Shaking away the memories, I rush over to a tall lamp by the rocking chair and
flick on the light. I release a sigh of relief when a buttery soft glow emits from the
bulb. A few days ago, I had called to get the utilities turned on in my name, but
you can never be too sure when dealing with an old house.
Then I walk over to the thermostat, the number causing another shiver to wrack
my body.
Sixty-two goddamn degrees.
I press my thumb into the up arrow and don't stop until the temperature is set
to seventy-four. I don't mind cooler temperatures, but I'd prefer it if my nipples
didn't cut through all of my clothing.
I turn back around and face a home that's both old and new—a home that's
housed my heart since I could remember, even if my body left for a little while.
And then I smile, basking in the gothic glory of Parsons Manor. It's how my
great-grandparents decorated the house, and the taste has passed down through
the generations. Nana used to say that she liked it best when she was the brightest
thing in the room. Despite that, she still had old people's taste.
I mean, really, why do those white throw pillows have a border of lace around
them and a weird, embroidered bouquet of flowers in the middle? That's not cute.
That's ugly.
I sigh.
"Well, Nana, I came back. Just like you wanted," I whisper
🥀
"Are you ready?" my personal assistant asks from beside me. I glance over at
Marietta, noting how she's absently holding out the mic to me, her attention
ensnared on the people still filtering into the small building. This local bookstore
wasn't built for a large number of people, but somehow, they're making it work
anyway.
Hordes of people are piling into the cramped space, converging in a uniform
line, and waiting for the signing to start. My eyes rove over the crowd, silently
counting in my head. I lose count after thirty.
"Yep," I say. I grab the mic, and after catching everyone's attention, the
murmurs fade to silence. Dozens of eyeballs bore into me, creating a flush all the
way to my cheeks. It makes my skin crawl, but I love my readers, so I power
through it.
"Before we start, I just wanted to take a quick second to thank you all for
coming. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I'm incredibly excited to
meet you all. Everyone ready?!" I ask, forcing excitement into my tone.
It's not that I'm not excited, I just tend to get incredibly awkward during book
signings. I'm not a natural when it comes to social interactions. I'm the type to
stare dead into your face with a frozen smile after being asked a question while
my brain processes the fact that I didn't even hear the question. It's usually
because my heart is thumping too loud in my ears.
I settle down in my chair and ready my sharpie. Marietta runs off to handle
other matters, shooting me a quick good luck. She's witnessed my mishaps with
readers and has the tendency to get secondhand embarrassment with me. Guess
it's one of the downfalls of representing a social pariah.
Come back, Marietta. It's so much more fun when I'm not the only one getting
embarrassed.
The first reader approaches me, my book The Wanderer, in her hands with a
beaming smile on her freckled face.
"Oh my god, it's so awesome to meet you!" she exclaims, nearly shoving the
book in my face. Totally a me move.
I smile wide and gently take the book.
"It's awesome to meet you, too," I return. "And hey, Team Freckles," I tack on,
waving my forefinger between her face and mine. She gives a bit of an awkward
laugh, her fingers drifting over her cheeks. "What's your name?" I rush out,
before we get stuck on a weird conversation about skin conditions.
Geez, Addie, what if she hates her freckles? Dumbass.
"Megan," she replies, and then spells the name out for me. My hand trembles
as I carefully write out her name and a quick appreciation note. My signature is
sloppy, but that pretty much represents the entirety of my existence.
I hand the book back and thank her with a genuine smile.
As the next reader approaches, pressure settles on my face. Someone is staring
at me. But that's a fucking stupid thought because everyone is staring at me.
I try to ignore it, and give the next reader a big ass smile, but the feeling only
intensifies until it feels like bees are buzzing beneath the surface of my skin while
a torch is being held to my flesh. It's… it's unlike anything I've felt before. The
hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I feel the apples of my cheeks heating to a
bright red.
Half of my attention is on the book I'm signing and the gushing reader, while
the other half is on the crowd. My eyes subtly sweep the expanse of the
bookstore, attempting to scope out the source of my discomfort without making it
obvious.
My gaze hooks on a lone person standing in the very back. A man. The crowd
shrouds the majority of his body, only bits of his face peeking through the gaps
between people's heads. But what I do see has my hand stilling, mid-write.
His eyes. One so dark and bottomless, it feels like staring into a well. And the
other, an ice blue so light, it's nearly white, reminding me of a husky's eyes. A
scar slashes straight down through the discolored eye, as if it didn't already
demand attention.
When a throat clears, I jump, snatching my eyes away and looking back to the
book. My sharpie has been resting in the same spot, creating a big black ink dot.
"Sorry," I mutter, finishing off my signature. I reach over and snag a
bookmark, sign that too, and tuck it in the book as an apology.The reader beams at me, mistake already forgotten, and scurries off with her book.
When I look back the man is gone
🥀
"Addie, you need to get laid."
In response, I wrap my lips around my straw and slurp my blueberry martini as
deeply as my mouth will allow. Daya, my best friend, eyes me, entirely
unimpressed and impatient based on the quirk of her brow.
I think I need a bigger mouth. More alcohol would fit in it.
I don't say this out loud because I can bet my left ass cheek that her follow-up
response would be to use it for a bigger dick instead.
When I continue sucking on the straw, she reaches over and rips the plastic
from my lips. I've reached the bottom of the glass a solid fifteen seconds ago and
have just been sucking air through the straw. It's the most action my mouth has
gotten in a year now.
"Whoa, personal space," I mumble, setting the glass down. I avoid Daya's
eyes, searching the restaurant for the waitress so I can order another martini. The
faster I have the straw in my mouth again, the sooner I can avoid this
conversation some more.
"Don't deflect, bitch. You suck at it."
Our eyes meet, a beat passes, and we both burst into laughter.
"I suck at getting laid, too, apparently," I say after our laughing calms.
Daya gives me a droll look. "You've had plenty of opportunities. You just don't
take them. You're a hot twenty-six-year-old woman with freckles, a great pair of
tits, and an ass to die for. The men are out here waiting."
I shrug, deflecting again. Daya isn't exactly wrong—at least about having
options. I'm just not interested in any of them. They all bore me. All I get is what
are you wearing and wanna come over, winky face at one o'clock in the morning.
I'm wearing the same sweatpants I've been wearing the past week, there's a
mysterious stain on my crotch, and no, I don't want to fucking come over.
She flips out an expectant hand. "Give me your phone."
My eyes widen. "Fuck, no."
"Adeline Reilly. Give me. Your. Fucking. Phone."
"Or what?" I taunt.
"Or I will throw myself across the table, embarrass the absolute shit out of you,
and get my way anyways."
My eyes finally catch on our waitress and I flag her down. Desperately. She
rushes over, probably thinking I found a hair in my food, when really my best
friend just has one up her ass right now.
I procrastinate a little bit longer, asking the waitress what drink she prefers. I'd
look through the drink menu a second time if it weren't rude to keep her waiting
when she has other tables. So alas, I pick a strawberry martini in favor of the
green apple, and the waitress rushes off again.
Sigh.
I hand the phone over, slapping it in Daya's still outstretched hand extra firm
because I hate her. She smiles triumphantly and starts typing away, the
mischievous glimmer in her eye growing brighter. Her thumbs go into turbo
speed, causing the golden rings wrapped around them to nearly blur.
Her sage green eyes are illuminated with a type of evilness you would only
find in Satan's Bible. If I did a little digging, I'm sure I'd find her picture
somewhere in there, too. A bombshell with dark brown skin, pin-straight black
hair, and a gold hoop in her nose.
She's probably an evil succubus or something.
"Who are you texting?" I groan, nearly stomping my feet like a child. I refrain,
but come close to allowing a little of my social anxiety to air out and do
something crazy like throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the restaurant. It
probably doesn't help that I'm on my third martini and feeling a tad adventurous
right about now.
She glances up, locks my phone, and hands it back a few seconds later.
Immediately, I unlock it again and start searching through my messages. I groan
aloud once more when I see she sexted Greyson. Not texted. Sexted.
"Come over tonight and lick my pussy. I've been craving your huge cock," I
read aloud dryly. That's not even all of it. The rest goes into how horny I am and
touch myself every night to the thought of him.
I growl and give her the filthiest look I can manage. My face would make a
dumpster look like Mr. Clean's house.
"I wouldn't even say that!" I complain. "That doesn't even sound like me, you
bitch."
Daya cackles, the teeny little gap between her front teeth on full display.
I really do hate her.
My phone pings. Daya is nearly bouncing in her seat while I'm contemplating
googling 1000 Ways to Die's contact information so I can send them a new story.
"Read it," she demands, her grabby hands already reaching for my phone so
she can see what he said. I jerk it out of her reach and pull up the message.
GREYSON: About time u came to your senses, baby. Be over at 8.
"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I really fucking hate you," I
grumble, giving her another scowl.
She smiles and slurps on her drink. "I love you too, baby girl."
🥀
"Fuck, Addie, I've missed you," Greyson breathes into my neck, humping me
against the wall. My tailbone is going to be bruised in the morning. I roll my eyes
when he slurps at my neck again, groaning when he rolls his dick into the apex of
my thighs.
Deciding I needed to get over myself and blow off some steam, I didn't cancel
on Greyson like I wanted to. Like I want to. I regret that decision.
Currently, he has me pinned against the wall in my creepy hallway. Old
fashioned sconces line the blood red walls, with dozens of family pictures from
generations in between. I feel like they're watching me, scorn and disappointment
in their eyes as they witness their descendant about to get railed right in front of
them.
Only a few of the lights work, and they just serve to illuminate the spiderwebs
they're crawling with. The rest of the hallway is shadowed entirely, and I'm just
waiting for the demon from The Grudge to come crawling out so I have an excuse
to run.
I would definitely trip Greyson on the way out at this point, and not one inch of
me is ashamed.
He murmurs some more dirty things into my ear while I inspect the sconce
hanging above our heads. Greyson said in passing once that he's scared of
spiders. I wonder if I can discreetly reach up, pluck a spider from its web, and put
it down the back of Greyson's shirt.
That would light a fire under his ass to get out of here, and he'd probably be
too embarrassed to talk to me again. Win, win.
Just when I actually go to do it, he rears back, panting from all the solo French
kissing he's been doing with my throat. It's like he was waiting for my neck to
lick him back or something.
His copper hair is mussed from my hands, and his pale skin is stained with a
blush. The curse of being a redhead, I suppose.
Greyson has everything else going for him in the looks department. He's hot as
sin, has a beautiful body and a killer smile. Too bad he can't fuck and is a
complete and utter douchebag.
"Let's take this to the bedroom. I need to be inside of you now."
Internally, I cringe. Externally… I cringe. I try to play it off by jerking my shirt
over my head. He has the attention span of a beagle. And just like I suspected,
he's already forgotten about my little blunder and is staring intensely at my tits.
Daya was right about that, too. I do have great tits.
He reaches up to tear the bra from my body—I probably would've smacked
him if he actually ripped it—but he freezes when loud banging interrupts us from
the main floor.
The sound is so sudden, so violently loud that I gasp, my heart pounding in my
chest. Our eyes meet in stunned silence. Someone is pounding on my front door,
and they don't sound too nice.
"Are you expecting someone?" he asks, his hand dropping to his side,
seemingly frustrated by the interruption.
"No," I breathe. I quickly tug my shirt back on—backwards—and rush down
the creaky steps. Taking a moment to check outside the window next to the door,
I see the front porch is vacant. My brow furrows. Letting the curtain fall, I stand
in front of the door, the stillness of the night closing in on the manor
Greyson walks up beside me and looks over at me with a confused expression.
"Uh, you gonna answer that?" he asks dumbly, pointing at the door as if I
didn't know it was right in front of me. I almost thank him for the directions just
to be an ass, but refrain. Something about that knock has my instincts blaring
Code Red. The knock sounded aggressive. Angry. Like someone had pounded on
the door with all their strength.
A real man would offer to open the door for me after hearing such a violent
sound. Especially when we're surrounded by a mile of thick woods and a
hundred-foot drop into the water.
But instead, Greyson stares at me expectantly. And a little like I'm stupid.
Huffing, I unlock the door and whip it open.
Again, no one is there. I step out onto the porch, the rotting floorboards
groaning beneath my weight. Cold wind stirs my cinnamon hair, the strands
tickling my face and sending shivers racing across my skin. Goosebumps rise as I
tuck my hair behind my ears and walk over to one end of the porch. Leaning over
the rail, I look down the side of the house. No one.
No one on the other side of the house, either.
There could easily be someone watching me in the woods, but I have no way of
knowing with it being so dark. Not unless I go out there and search myself.
And as much as I love horror films, I have no interest in starring in one.
Greyson joins me on the porch, his own eyes scanning the trees.
There's someone watching me. I can feel it. I'm as sure of it as I am about the
existence of gravity.
Chills run down my spine, accompanied by a burst of adrenaline. It's the same
feeling I get when I watch a scary movie. It begins with the beat of my heart, then
a heavy weight settles deep in my stomach, eventually sinking to my core. I shift,
not entirely comfortable with the feeling right now.
Huffing, I rush back into the house and up the steps. Greyson trails behind me.
I don't notice he's in the middle of undressing as he walks down the hallway until
he steps into my room after me. When I turn, he's stark naked.
"Seriously?" I bite out. What a fucking idiot. Someone just banged on my door
like the wood personally put a splinter in their ass, and he's immediately ready to
pick up where he left off. Slurping on my neck like one would slurp jello out of a
container.
"What?" he asks incredulously, splaying his arms out to his sides.
"Did you not just hear what I heard? Someone was banging on my door, and it
was kind of scary. I'm not in the mood to have sex right now."
What happened to chivalry? I would think a normal man would ask if I'm
okay. Feel out how I'm feeling. Maybe try to make sure I'm nice and relaxed
before sticking their dick inside me.
You know, read the fucking room.
"You serious?" he questions, anger sparking in his brown eyes. They're a shitty
color, just like his shitty personality and even shittier stroke game. The dude gives
fish a run for their money, the way he flops when he fucks. Might as well lay out
naked in the fish market—he'd have a better chance of finding someone to take
him home. That person is not going to be me.
"Yes, I'm serious," I say with exasperation.
"Goddammit, Addie," he snaps, angrily swiping up a sock and putting it on. He
looks like an idiot—completely naked save for a single sock because the rest of
his clothes are still thrown haphazardly in my hallway.
He storms out of my room, snatching up articles of clothing as he goes. When
he gets about halfway down the long hallway, he stops and turns to me.
"You're such a bitch, Addie. All you do is give me blue balls and I'm sick of it.
I'm done with you and this creepy fucking house," he seethes, pointing a finger at
me.
"And you're an asshole. Get the fuck out of my house, Greyson." His eyes
widen with shock first, and then narrow into thin slits, brimming with fury. He
turns, cocks his arm back and sends his fist flying into the drywall.
A gasp is ripped from my throat when half of his arm disappears, my mouth
parting in both shock and disbelief.
"Since I'm not getting yours, thought I'd create my own hole to get into
tonight. Fix that, bitch," he spits. Still sporting only one sock and an arm full of
clothes, he storms off.
"You dick!" I rage, stomping towards the large hole in my wall he just created.
The front door slams a minute later from below.
I hope the mysterious person is still out there. Let the asshole get murdered wearing a single sock.
April 4th, 1944
There's a strange man outside my window. I don't know what he wants from me. But I think he knows me. He watches me through the windows when John's not home. He wears a top hat on his head, concealing his face from me. I've tried to approach him, but when I do, he runs away. I haven't told John yet. I cannot fathom why, but something keeps me from opening my mouth and admitting that a man is watching me. John wouldn't handle it well. He'd go out with his shotgun and try to find him. I must admit, I'm more afraid of what would happen to my visitor should my husband succeed. I'm very afraid of this strange man, But God, am I also intrigued.
💋