“What do you see?” I asked uncertainly.
“There is an energy in your cottage. A presence that wants you.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“Wants me? For what? To…to eat me?”
“No, no.” She waved my fear away with a flick of her hand. “Nothing so sinister. This presence—he is male, I believe. And he is tied to you through your past. Have you seen him before?”
I opened my mouth to say no. But then, like a beam of light stabbing through a fog, I saw it.
The flash of a memory.
A pounding on my bedroom door—furious and violent. I was small…scared. And standing between me and that door… was a tall shadow. Broad shoulders. No face. Just… blackness. Protecting me.
The Shadow Boy, something whispered in my head. He saved you.
I gasped, the image dissolving like smoke before I could hold onto it.
“Danni?” Harmony leaned toward me. “You okay? You look like you’ve got a headache again.”
“I…I’m fine. I just had a memory.” I shook my head, feeling dazed. “Or I think it was a memory. It’s gone now.”
Madam Healer nodded thoughtfully.
“Just as I thought. There’s a block there—a protective one. Formed by trauma, perhaps.” She steepled her fingers and leaned closer to me. “I could give you a potion to unlock it—but I must warn you, it’s very strong. A flood of memories come all at once. For some, the overload leads to madness.”
“No thank you,” I said quickly. “I don’t want to go crazy just to remember something I might not even want to know.”
“That’s wise of you,” she said, nodding. “Instead, I suggest you speak to Goody Albright. Her memory tea is much gentler. It causes a slow unveiling—the results are much more manageable.”
Harmony perked up.
“Goody’s probably at Goldie’s right now. They’re meeting to talk about the All Hallows Eve ceremony.”
My eyebrows lifted.
“What’s that?”
“I can explain on the way,” Harmony said. “Come on—let’s head over.”
I stood to go, but Madam Healer reached out and took my hand. Her fingers were cool and dry, but her grip was surprisingly firm.
“You have hidden depths, my dear,” she said, her gaze boring into mine. “Whatever it is that lingers in your cottage… I don’t believe it means to harm you. In fact, I believe it wants to heal you. But you must be open to it. Do not fear it.”
Then she released me and turned, gliding away into the shadows without another word.
I stood there for a long moment, staring after her, more confused than ever… but also, strangely, hopeful.
12
DANNI
Harmony led me down Main Street, right through the center of Hidden Hollow. I took the opportunity to really look over my new town. The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the streets were beginning to glow with string lights and softly flickering jack-o-lanterns. Each stoop and storefront was decked out in autumn splendor—pumpkins, cornstalks, and garlands of dried leaves in red, gold, and burnt orange.
It was quaint. Cozy. Almost too perfect, like something from a Hallmark Halloween special.
And then there was the magic. Was it magic? Whatever it was, I could feel it here, humming just beneath the surface of things like a current under my skin. Not threatening, exactly, but ever-present.
