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The Gatekeepers

Taylor Borchmann

Runaway Publishing

Copyright © 2021 by Taylor Borchmann

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Created with Vellum

For my Granny, who asked me every time I saw her when I would publish this book.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

One

Amelia stormed up a set of worn stairs to her bedroom, stomping as hard as possible on each step. Her foster mother, who bore a strong resemblance to an overweight Rottweiler, had barked out the usual orders: make a hearty breakfast of greasy bacon, sausage, and other heart-stopping foods; run to the café to replenish the dwindling pile of beignets; and for goodness’ sake, brush your hair! Slamming the door to her room, Amelia quickly ran her fingers through the tangles of her short, blonde hair. It was pointless to brush it and they both knew it. The strands had a way of wrapping around each other into what Ms. Kingsley referred to as a “rat’s nest.” The weight of the future settled heavily upon Amelia’s eleven-year-old shoulders. Today was the day she might leave the foster home forever. Emphasis on the might. At this point, she was expecting to be the property of the State of Louisiana for the rest of her life. She had quit dreaming of having a family a long time ago. Candice had said there would be a trial run at the new family’s home for a few days to see if she was a “match.” Amelia hadn’t met this new family yet, but she was sure they’d be the same as all the others. It usually only took a day or two before Amelia was dumped back at Ms. Kingsley’s front door with her failed family speeding off in the distance. It didn’t make any sense to Amelia why it kept happening. She couldn’t the first few families – she was too young. But she had been perfectly polite to the last two. She had read ghost stories to her prospective siblings, using voices and flashlights and everything. Yes, they had woken up screaming in the middle of the night, but that wasn’t her fault. And okay, rather than killing the spider the mother had been screaming about, Amelia had caught it and asked to keep it as a pet. It was cute! And it wasn’t hurting anything. It actually ate mosquitos, which Amelia thought made it invaluable. The family disagreed and forced Amelia to squish the poor thing.

Her voodoo doll had been the final straw for the last family. When the father had attempted to toss it in the fire, Amelia snatched it back out, setting some curtains alight in the process. Breathing a sigh of defeat, Amelia walked over to her open window, ignoring the still hollering Ms. Kingsley, to see a black car idling in front of the house. Could this be them? They’re probably too embarrassed to come inside, she thought, glancing about the dismal front lawn with its overgrown weeds and molding forgotten toys. I would be, anyway. Movement in the car made Amelia refocus on its occupants. The doors finally opened and a man and woman emerged. They wore long-sleeved shirts, pants, even gloves, and surveyed the house. What’s with the clothes? It’s only October. The man chuckled, slinging his arm around the woman and pulling her close for a kiss. She smiled back at him and threw her arms around his neck. Snatches of their conversation drifted up to Amelia. “Can’t wait—” “—perfect—” Amelia shook her head. Already they were too excited. In Amelia’s experience, the more excited the parents were, the bigger the disappointment she was and the quicker they were to return her. Ms. Kingsley was one failed adoption away from sending her to a new house. That could be better, but it could also be much worse. A new house meant new rules. They could keep her from painting, or stop letting her go to the Quarter, or make her wear pink ribbons in her hair. It had all happened before, and the memory made Amelia shudder. She watched as their gaze came to rest on her window. She ducked, heart pounding. After counting to ten slowly, she looked outside again, but they were gone. “Amelia!” yelled Ms. Kingsley, her jowls no doubt quivering with the effort. “Come down here—now!”

Amelia clenched her fists. She could do this. She could be a daughter. Granted, she had never done it for longer than a few days, but she could at least try. Amelia took one last look around her sparse bedroom, but there wasn’t much to miss. The only things that made the room even a little bit homey were her paintings, and those were now packed inside a tube in the black trash bag on her bed. Grabbing the only treasure she had from her original home – a small, scorched voodoo doll that was draped corpse-like on her nightstand – she tucked it into her back pocket for safe keeping. She left her door swinging open to welcome the next unfortunate soul who found themselves in Ms. Kingsley’s care. Shame roiled in her gut as she dragged the makeshift suitcase behind her, praying the bag wouldn’t rip as it bumped down the stairs. The last thing she needed was to pick up an explosion of socks and underwear in front of this new couple. She left the bag by the front door and followed the scent of burned coffee into the kitchen. The couple immediately stood up, waiting to be introduced by Ms. Kingsley, who was too busy devouring a beignet to notice. Powder clung to the fine gray mustache that decorated her upper lip. “Hi, Amelia,” the woman said, offering her gloved hand, which Amelia awkwardly shook. Her own hand was limp and sweaty, and she tried to subtly wipe it on her jeans. “My name is Darlene Gates. I’m so happy to meet you.” Amelia opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. Now that she saw her up close, Amelia was startled to note that Darlene was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. A cream-colored scarf wrapped around her head to hold back her hair, but a few wisps of straight black poked out. Her eyes came to a point, like almonds, and were a dark brown color that immediately brought to mind chocolate pralines. When Darlene smiled, Amelia felt as though she was covered with a soft blanket. Safe and warm. “Wipe that smirk off your face,” Ms. Kingsley ordered. Amelia felt the small smile that was beginning to form falter and disappear. She rubbed one foot behind the other, unraveling her shoelaces in the process.

They don’t seem too bad, she thought. Sure, they dress weird, but so what? “This one’s got a mouth on her,” Ms. Kingsley said through the doughy dessert. Amelia bit her tongue to keep from retorting. “Hope you’re ready to do some serious discipline.” The haughty glare Darlene rested on Ms. Kingsley would have melted anyone else. Anyone, Amelia thought, who was actually paying attention. But Ms. Kingsley was once again rooting through the white paper bag, searching for another beignet. “And this guy over here is Ted,” Darlene continued after a moment’s awkward silence, her voice soft and sweet once more. Ted smiled and offered her his gloved hand, which enveloped Amelia’s completely. He looked nervous, too, which made Amelia feel more at ease. He had a small gut that suggested he liked a second helping at dinner with maybe some light exercise on the weekends. His short brown hair stuck out at odd angles, like he had tried to style it but quit halfway through out of boredom or defeat. His big blue eyes studied Amelia from behind square-rimmed glasses. “Hi kid.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Candice raved—” “Oh, don’t start talking about that little busybody.” Ms. Kingsley abandoned her search for the beignet and returned to her coffee. “I’ll tell you what, I’m glad to be rid of that one. She’s worse than Amelia. Won’t ever stop talking, once she gets on a roll.” Silence once again filled the kitchen. Amelia could barely breathe for the heaviness of it. Wondering whether she should drag her things back upstairs, Ted interrupted her thoughts. “We’d love to be your parents,” he said. “If that’s cool with you, I mean.” Amelia clasped her hands behind her back, took a deep breath, and spoke the first three words she’d said all day: “That sounds nice.”

Two

Amelia slid into the backseat of the Gates’ car, feeling dingy and dirty on the polished leather. Ted placed her trash bag into the trunk, and she jumped when he slammed the lid closed. “Amelia,” Darlene said, looking back from the front enger seat. Her eyes looked a bit misty and Amelia wondered if she had allergies. “I know this is really hard for you, so if there’s anything we can do to make this transition easier, just say the word, okay? Whatever you need.” “Okay,” Amelia whispered back, not trusting herself to say more. She could feel the pull of Darlene, wanting her to open up, be relaxed, smile. But those were things she rarely did at all, let alone with two complete strangers. Wishing Darlene would redirect her niceness elsewhere, Amelia fidgeted uneasily. “Okay! Who’s ready to go home?” Ted asked, sliding into the front seat. “What’s in that heavy bag of yours? A dead body?” “Yes,” she replied. “The last people who tried to adopt me.” Did I just say that? Did I really just say that? Sweat beaded on Amelia’s forehead. She didn’t want to start off her new life being morbid. You can’t just say the first thing that pops into your head! Laughter filled the car, and the tension running across Amelia’s shoulders eased. She allowed herself a small giggle. “I like you, kid,” Ted said as he got himself back under control. “You’re going to fit right in.” He pulled away from the curb, still chuckling to himself as Amelia leaned back in her seat. Usually, her jokes were either met with blank stares or reprimands. She was always too harsh, too odd, and too edgy. Never had she just been funny, like she felt now.

As they drove down Esplanade into the Garden District, Amelia’s heart sank again. They had left the French Quarter with its loud houses, brightly painted and decorated to reflect the pride of the people. She loved the exposed brick and iron and musicians playing their rambunctious jazz. Now, the houses were becoming more proper, more stern, more… boring. And she was afraid the people would be, too. But the Gates don’t seem boring. Amelia appraised them from the backseat. Darlene sang softly under her breath while Ted tapped along on the steering wheel, off beat. No, not boring, she decided. Amelia returned her attention to the window, feeling a little less broken. New Orleans had a special kind of beauty that not everyone could appreciate. Feeling safe in her thoughts of the city, she sighed and let her head rest against the seat back. It wasn’t long before the car slowed to a stop before a three-story white building with navy blue shutters and a matching blue door. The front porch wrapped around one side, complete with a swing and rocking chairs. Ivy climbed the wrought iron fence and flowers lined the walkway up to the house. Heavy green ferns hung in bushels from the balcony railing, dripping water as though someone had just relieved them of thirst – just like the Quarter. “We’re here,” Ted said. Both he and Darlene looked at her, gauging her reaction. Nerves tingled all over her skin as she got out of the car and shut the door behind her. Taking a few steps forward, she rested her hands against the closed gate. An odd thrill, mixed with foreboding, crept over her. Darlene opened the gate and gestured for Amelia to enter first. As they walked closer to the house, Amelia leaned her head back, trying to take it all in. “That window up there is your room. I just put fresh flowers in the window box. I hope you like dahlias. They’re my favorite.” “They’re beautiful,” Amelia said, watching the tips of bright purple and red flowers fade from view. “I hope I don’t kill them.” “It’s okay if you do. I have to replace all of my flowers every few months. I do not have a green thumb.” Darlene laughed as she steered Amelia inside.

The front door opened to a living room covered in blankets and pillows. Amelia could barely step inside without knocking over a strategically placed stool being used as a tent pole. “Gosh darn that kid!” Darlene sighed in exasperation. “I told him to clean up before we got home.” “That kid?” Amelia asked. “Your brother. Levi. Hang on a second, honey. Let me grab him.” Brother? Amelia thought back to everything Candice and Ms. Kingsley had told her about the Gates. She didn’t recall them saying anything about a brother. Then again, she had zoned out plenty of times, assuming the adoption would never happen. For all she knew they could have given her a full biography on him. Pain constricted in Amelia’s throat until she thought she would choke. Two adults she could handle, even if she didn’t quite trust them. Adults were easy. Kids naturally impressed them, as if they had forgotten what life was like at a young age. All Amelia had to do was show them some pieces of her artwork, which wasn’t even that good in her opinion, and they would rave on and on about how talented she was. Another kid on the other hand, a boy for that matter… that was something else entirely. What if he doesn’t even want a sister? Amelia gripped the back of the couch and did the only thing she knew that could stop the panic attack. “One… two… three—” “Okay there, kiddo?” Ted snuck in behind Amelia, making her jump again. He set her bag gently on the floor, failing to notice the minor heart attack he had just inflicted. “Where’d Darlene go?” “To… to get my brother,” she stammered in reply. “Oh… Did you not know? I know these are unusual circumstances, us bringing you here like this before ever meeting you. But you… us… we… aren’t the usual case, I think. Anyway, I thought Candice would have told you…” Ted

continued to ramble, stopping abruptly when he saw Amelia’s eyes widen. “We probably should have warned you it wasn’t just us. I promise this is it, though. We don’t have any weird cousins that come to visit and never leave. Or pets. Always wanted a dog, but Levi’s allergic.” Amelia exhaled and released the couch. If her new brother was anything close to Ted and Darlene he probably wasn’t too bad. She hoped, anyway. “Amelia?” Darlene called. She walked down the stairs, directing a boy about Amelia’s age but maybe half a foot taller in front of her. “This is your brother. Levi, meet your sister.” Amelia stood still, waiting for Levi to make the first move. He was tan, much darker than the Gates, and his wavy brown hair fell over his eyes, making them hard to see. He had a strong nose and the kind of square jaw girls at school would have fawned over. His wide mouth burst into a sudden grin, revealing white, slightly crooked teeth. Suddenly Amelia couldn’t see anything at all, because she was scooped into a hug so tight her face was muffled against his gray hoodie. “Hi,” Levi said, releasing her. She stumbled back, out of breath, and broke into a hesitant grin of her own. “Hi.” “So listen, I don’t know what they told you about me, but I promise it’s not true,” Levi said. “Unless they said I’m handsome and funny. ‘Cause that’s true.” “They didn’t say anything, actually.” “Figures. You’ve been here ten minutes and already you’re the favorite.” “We don’t have favorites!” Darlene exclaimed, squeezing Levi lightly on the arm. “But if we did, Amelia is definitely in the lead,” Ted said and winked at Amelia. Levi smacked his hand to his chest and swayed as though he had been shot through the heart. Righting himself, he smiled broadly at Amelia. “Come on, newbie. I’ll show you your room.”

Amelia left a laughing Ted and Darlene and followed Levi up the stairs to her bedroom. Smiling family photos lined the wall. A few were typical awkward photo shoots where everyone is forced to make some sort of physical with each other. In one, Ted stood behind Darlene with his hands on her shoulders. Darlene looked like a yoga instructor with her right arm crossed over her chest and her hand on Ted’s, while her left rested on Levi’s head, who barely came up to her waist and was missing from most of the picture. Levi caught Amelia staring at the photo and grinned. “That photographer was terrible. We hung it up for laughs. Now that you’re here we’ll probably get to take another one.” “And what are all these?” She pointed to a series of photos of mountain ranges. They featured each member of the family with their back to the camera, surveying the land below them. Levi stopped to look at the photos. His face relaxed into a peaceful smile as he shared the memory. “That was Brasstown Bald in Georgia. We’re big mountain people. Mom and Dad hate the beach, which is why they’re so pasty.” “And you?” “And me what?” “You’re not pale.” “Nope.” “So what does that mean?” Amelia asked. She turned to face Levi, who was still looking at the photos with that goofy grin. “Are you…?” “Am I what?” “Adopted?” Amelia asked hesitantly. Part of her hoped it was true, that Levi was also an outcast child who had found his way into the Gates’ hearts. But then she immediately felt terrible for the wish, because that meant something had happened to Levi’s parents. Or maybe nothing happened to them, which might be even worse. “Mom, Dad, am I adopted?” Levi yelled down the stairs.

Amelia hid her face in her hands. She knew he was just teasing, but now he probably thought she was stupid. She peeked through her fingers to see that Levi had already started walking up the rest of the stairs. “You’re darn right you are!” Ted shouted. “A kid as good-lookin’ as you couldn’t have come from me. Your mom, maybe. But not from this dad bod.” Amelia heard a slap and could only imagine Ted playing his stomach like a bongo. “Oh, you are so full of it,” Amelia heard Darlene say, pleased and embarrassed. Amelia couldn’t help but smile. “I’m Native American,” Levi explained. “Mom’s Japanese – she can speak it too, it’s really cool – and Dad is… well he says he’s a mutt because he’s from everywhere in Europe.” Levi shrugged. He stood at the top of the stairs now, oblivious that his new sister hadn’t moved. Amelia ran to catch up into a bright hallway with four doors. She had never met a family so different from one another, but so similar at the same time. Levi seemed like a mix between Ted and Darlene, and yet he didn’t share a drop of blood with either of them. It was hard to understand how it worked. How family worked. She had never had one that she could recall, so the concept was beyond her. Family to the Gates seemed to be about more than shared blood. But what it actually was about, Amelia couldn’t guess. “This is my room,” Levi said, pointing to the door on his left. “Mom and Dad are there next to me. Then that’s the study. Don’t go in there, by the way. That’s the one rule of the house, but they’ll probably tell you that later. And this is your room, right here.” Levi gestured for Amelia to open her door. Her hand shook as she gripped the knob and gave it a gentle twist. Nothing happened. “It’s the humidity. Just give it a little booty tap.” Levi mimed smacking his hip against the door, so Amelia followed suit. “Mom and Dad mentioned you liked to paint. They said something about your room being a blank slate? Whatever that means. They said you could choose

whatever color you want. Or colors. Or something about a mural? I don’t know, I was eating cereal at the time, and you know how crunchy it is in your own ears…” Amelia stopped listening to Levi as she entered her new room. It didn’t even matter if she kept the walls white. She had a bedroom in a house with a family that might actually like her. It was perfect. Too perfect. A small part of her wondered when it would all disappear, taken away like everything else in her life had been. Levi plopped down on her freshly made bed, still chattering away. “…if I were you I’d do an army green. Or blue. Dark blue almost-black type blue…” Amelia continued to ignore him, which didn’t faze Levi in the slightest. Once he was on a roll, there was no stopping the tidal wave of words flooding from his mouth. She took her voodoo doll from her back pocket and laid it gently on the bed – her bed – next to Levi. Afraid that she would start crying if she looked at the entire room at once, she trained her eyes on small bits of it, one at a time. Turning slowly, she gazed at the open window, sunlight dappling the creamcolored carpet. Amelia could picture herself standing in front of this window with her easel and paints. She had begun to unconsciously mimic the strokes when Levi snapped her back to reality. “What are you doing? Oh, look in your closet! There’s more stuff in there.” Amelia jerked her hand down to her side, ashamed to be caught in a daydream. She turned around, keeping her eyes on the ground, and opened the closet door to find clothes. Clothes in her exact size and style: black and blue skinny jeans, checkered and solid shirts, and hoodies in black, gray, and purple. And lying beneath the clothes were five pairs of Converse shoes in varying colors. Who are these people? How do they know so much about me? “It’s kinda creepy how well Candice knows you,” Levi said, as though he could read her thoughts. “She sent Mom and Dad all your sizes and favorite colors. I helped with the shoes, though. That’s why those are extra awesome. There’s a new wooden thing in there, too, I think.” Amelia pushed aside the clothes to reveal a brand-new easel and stool. Sitting on the stool was a box of paints in every color Amelia could imagine. No more mixing to get the right shade of red. No more pretending the orange was yellow.

She had about twenty shades to choose from right here. She knew from experience that a set of generic paints could be costly. This must have been a small fortune. “Do you like it?” Darlene asked from where she leaned against the doorway. Amelia couldn’t answer with anything other than a nod as she handled her new paints and brushes with extreme care. She gently placed everything in a pile by the open window and walked over to sit beside Levi on the bed, reaching for her doll for comfort. It was strange, she realized, to think that such generosity could be overwhelming. But oddly enough, it felt nice. It was the time and effort the Gates had taken to make everything exactly as she’d like it. Heat flooded Amelia’s cheeks as she tallied up how much all of this must have cost them. “We want you to feel at home, Amelia. We’re your family now. And family takes care of each other.” Amelia finally met Darlene’s eyes and was surprised to see them filled with tears. “Thank you,” Amelia whispered, avoiding Darlene’s gaze and looking around her room. “Thank you for everything.”

Three

Amelia couldn’t sleep that night, which wasn’t unusual. She tried all the tricks: reading until her eyes burned, counting sheep, counting backwards from one hundred, and listing everything she did that day, which actually did the opposite of what she was trying to accomplish. She wanted to leave her room and get a glass of water, but nerves tingled down her spine. What if I break something? Or if I get in trouble for being out of bed? Amelia flopped over on her side. Three thirty-three blinked back at her in glaring red digits from her alarm clock. She rolled out of bed, grabbed a worn Nancy Drew book, and crept to the door. Gradually, she eased it open. It had cooled down enough that the door didn’t stick this time. The house felt still, like time had been turned away at the Gates’ threshold. No clock ticked, no timber creaked, no wind rustled. Amelia shuddered, throat drier than before. The door to the study was slightly ajar. She had never gotten around to asking why it was off limits and the Gates had never offered an answer. Amelia drummed her fingers on the back of her book, the sound echoing like gunshots down the hallway. She liked the Gates, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about their secrets. Technically, Ted and Darlene never told me I couldn’t go in there… She felt a pull toward this mysterious door. Keeping her nose out of other people’s business was not Amelia’s strong suit. She had been told so often enough by Ms. Kingsley. But it couldn’t be helped. Amelia was a born detective. If something didn’t sit right to her, she had to figure out the truth. Before her brain could catch up and tell her body no, her feet had carried her down the hall. “Are you sure about this?” Darlene’s voice asked from inside the study. Amelia, and her heart, stopped. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Not yet anyway.” Caught between wanting to hear more and not wanting to get in trouble for

eavesdropping, Amelia braced her back against the wall, making herself feel smaller. Footsteps paced back and forth on the other side of the door. Seven steps one way, seven steps the other. They finally came to a stop before the door. Amelia slinked back toward her room, hands shaking, breath hitched in her throat. “Just think about it, okay? Give her the benefit of the doubt.” Oh, this is bad. Amelia walked faster, but in her haste she turned too quickly and bumped the wall, dropping her book on the floor with a resounding smack. She froze. “What was that?” Darlene asked, her voice growing louder. Amelia scrambled to grab her book, burst into her room, and threw herself on the bed, feigning sleep. Soft footsteps tapped down the hall, coming closer to her door. She had left it open in her rush to get inside, and she knew Ted and Darlene had seen her close it after saying goodnight. The footsteps stopped. She could feel their eyes searching for her in the darkness. “Asleep,” Ted said, receding back toward the study. “Levi probably fell out of bed again.” Darlene laughed. “I swear, that poor kid.” Breath flew from her lungs in a rush as Amelia attempted to relax. She was still clutching her book with white knuckles. What did they mean by ‘benefit of the doubt’? Were they talking about me? Amelia’s heart sped along like she’d drunk a mug of triple espresso, which she’d only done once in her life and promptly thrown back up. There was no way she could go to sleep now. She needed to know who and what Ted and Darlene were talking about. Curiosity had gotten her in trouble before, a lot of trouble, but she’d rather get in trouble ten times over than not have answers to her questions.

But there was also no way she’d find out any more tonight. Tiptoeing back to her doorway, she watched Ted and Darlene lock the door to the study and go back into their room. Grabbing her book and voodoo doll for comfort, she snuck down the stairs. She hadn’t forgotten about that glass of water, and after her scare, her mouth felt like the desert. The kitchen wasn’t off limits, or at least she didn’t think it was. And maybe in the morning there would be a better chance to explore the study. She yawned, crossing the twilit living room and into the kitchen. A window seat, cushioned with pillows and throw blankets, provided the ideal spot for reading from the light of the moon. And from this angle she could still see the stairs. No one would be able to sneak up on her as she lost herself in the pages of her book. Suddenly tired, she tucked herself into the plush cushions and pulled a blanket over her legs. Just a few seconds, she told herself as she shut her eyes. Just a few seconds and then I’ll read. But those few seconds turned into hours as she fell into a heavy sleep.

Four

Amelia jolted awake to Ted and Darlene’s voices. Her sluggish mind struggled to where she was and how she had gotten there. She played off the abrupt movement with a sigh and rolled toward the kitchen to better hear. The night’s events came rushing back and threatened to send Amelia into a panic. Maybe they would reveal a clue about what was in the study and what they had been talking about. “—found her like that,” Darlene was saying. “Why did she come down here? Does she hate her room?” “I’m sure it’s fine, honey,” Ted responded. “It’ll take some time to make her comfortable. Candice told me she’d had five failed adoptions before. Five. I can’t imagine what she’s been through.” Tears pricked Amelia’s eyelids. She resisted the urge to press them away with her hands. Instead she forced out a fake snore to cover the sob that had risen to her throat. Amelia had been close to adoption so many times that she barely ed them all. Rejection had a way of blending together into one giant ball of hurt. A ball she had fought to hide deep inside herself. Locked away. Untouched except to throw another dark memory behind the closed door. She felt something on the other side of that door push against the wood, straining the lock. No. No. Don’t think. Don’t open up. The tidal wave of emotion quelled to gently lapping waves. The pressure behind her eyes eased. Good. Better. “I hate lying to her,” Darlene whispered. Her voice grew muffled. Amelia peeked through her damp eyelashes to see a blurry Ted and Darlene in the kitchen. Ted had his arms around his wife’s waist. Her head was buried in his chest. “You know we can’t tell her yet. We may have told Levi when he was five, but even then he was too young to understand. We’ll scare her off before we officially adopt her.” The normally jovial timber of his voice turned heavy with

worry. He took Darlene’s gloved hands and kissed her palms. “Which reminds me, Candice is coming by today for lunch to check on everything.” Amelia squeezed her eyes shut. I knew it. I knew there was something wrong. There’s always something wrong when it comes to me. But what it was this time Amelia had no clue. For once, it wasn’t because of something she’d done, but a secret her new family was keeping from her. Her mind traveled from deadly illnesses to bank robberies to bodies hidden beneath the floorboards. It couldn’t be too bad, though. Levi seemed normal enough and he knew their secret. Unless it was all a façade. She needed to know what was going on like she needed air to breathe and a blank canvas to paint. Not knowing has to be worse than whatever their secret could be, right? If the Gates refused to tell her what the secret was, she would have to figure it out herself. She would try the study again, but this time she would make sure Ted and Darlene were far away. There had to be a clue in there. Something – anything – to help her. Otherwise, why would it be off limits? It didn’t seem as though Ted and Darlene would say anything else useful now. They hurried about the kitchen, grabbing pots and pans to make breakfast, no longer trying to be quiet. Yawning loudly, she stretched her arms high overhead and arched her back. She made a show of rubbing her eyes and blinking rapidly in the bright light. “Oh, good morning.” She smiled sheepishly and gathered her book and a few pillows that had fallen to the floor in her restless dreaming. If you can act like everything’s normal, then I can, too. “Morning!” Darlene said a little too brightly. “I’m about to make pancakes. Want some?” “Sure,” Amelia answered. “Um, I’m sorry if I startled you this morning. I couldn’t sleep so—” “Don’t worry about it, kid.” Ted ruffled her hair. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep across from Levi either. The snoring that comes from that boy…” He laughed as Levi traipsed down the stairs at that very moment, hair sticking up at odd angles, gripping the railing as though he might fall. “I can hear you,” Levi said sleepily. He stumbled like a zombie into the kitchen,

falling into his seat at the table. “And I do not snore.” “Amelia said you do,” Ted said, winking at her. Amelia nodded conspiratorially. “Like a badly tuned tuba on Bourbon Street.” “You’re such a French Quarter kid,” he laughed. “No one knows music like you guys.” Amelia couldn’t argue with that. Growing up in the Quarter had given her an appreciation for music like nothing else. She even knew the of the usual street bands on a first name basis, having stopped so many times to listen. When Ms. Kingsley stopped giving Amelia a monthly paint allowance, seeing how much money the bands made had given her an idea. On weekends when her foster mother went fishing and left Amelia home alone, she would haul her easel, canvas, and paints out to Royal Street, setting up for the day next to some of her musician friends. She would paint while they played, and once her art dried, sell it to the watching crowd. She hadn’t noticed until that moment, but living in the Garden District was eerily silent compared to the Quarter. The thought made her feel strangely empty. Music had been her constant companion in the Quarter, and now it was gone. “Want to go for a ride today?” Levi interrupted her thoughts. “Mom and Dad just got me the coolest new bike. It has a spot where you can stand on the pegs in the back. They got you one, too, if you’d rather ride your own.” Fear and shame washed over Amelia at the offer. With everything else Candice had told them about her, from her favorite paints down to the size of her shoes, she was shocked that Candice hadn’t told them about this. “Actually…” She hesitated. For some reason, she hated to it this fact. “I actually don’t know how to ride a bike.” For a moment, all activity stopped. Levi had been leaning on the back two legs of his chair and fell forward with a crash. Darlene dropped a pancake mid-flip. Ted, who was doing nothing, continued to stand there. “Well, that’s no big deal,” Darlene said, coming to Amelia’s rescue. “Ted can barely ride his. He falls nearly every time we go out.”

Amelia felt a rush of gratitude toward her as Ted nodded in the background. “I’ll ride on the pegs if it means I don’t have to pedal or anything,” she said. “Deal!” Levi held out his hand for a high five, and when Amelia didn’t respond fast enough, he reached over and grabbed her hand, making it smack his. “Sorry,” Ted apologized for his son, grabbing plates and syrup. “He doesn’t understand the concept of personal space.” Amelia sat quietly, feeling both contentment and concern worm their way through her insides. The Gates were casual and fun and made Amelia feel like part of their family, but unease over their secret still hung above her like a dark cloud threatening rain.

After breakfast, Levi dragged Amelia to the shed in the backyard. Standing amongst rusted gardening equipment and a push mower were four terrifying bicycles. Amelia gulped. She ran her hand over the bike Levi said was hers. It was a purple beach cruiser, complete with basket and water bottle holder. She ran a finger along the stitched leather seat, knowing she would never sit there. This bike was too pretty to spend most of its time lying on the concrete with a dazed Amelia sprawled beside it. Outside, Levi walked his dark blue mountain bike to the sidewalk. “Come on!” he called, swinging his leg over the bicycle and sitting there expectantly. “I don’t have all day!” “Yes, you do!” Amelia yelled back, surprising herself with her candor. “Hang on a minute, I want to grab my sketchbook.” Amelia ran back to the house. She hoped Levi would take her to City Park where she could convince him to play mini golf or something while she drew and had some time to think. She slid through the front door, expecting to by Ted and Darlene cleaning the kitchen. She was already at the foot of the stairs before she realized Ted and Darlene were in the living room. Ted was sitting on the now visible couch with

Darlene standing behind him. But… no, her eyes had to be broken. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Darlene’s ungloved hand… inside his head? That can’t be right. It had to be a trick. But it looked so real. She rubbed her eyes, but the vision was still there before her. “Nope, still nothing,” Ted said as Darlene adjusted her hand inside his skull. “Umm,” Amelia began. “I—” Darlene jerked her hand out of Ted’s head in shock. “Amelia, I—I can explain!” Amelia gave a strangled cry of fear and ran upstairs to her room, her mind still trying to rationalize what she had seen. She silently thanked whoever had been watching over her that morning, making sure she tied her shoelaces for once. The door was stuck again, and she threw her whole body against it. It burst open, leaving an indentation where the knob hit the wall. She locked it behind her and looked around wildly. The nightstand was the only thing light enough for her to move. She pushed it quickly in front of the door, barricading herself in. Slowly, she backed away. She heard feet rush up the stairs, followed by frantic knocking. “Amelia, please let us explain!” Darlene exclaimed. “Go away!” Amelia cried. She stood against the far wall now. Sinking to a crouch, she wrapped her arms around her knees. “Leave me alone!” She couldn’t make sense of it. Darlene looked solid, had even felt solid the few times she had touched Amelia. How could she stick her hand through someone? How could Ted let her? Maybe he’s like her, too. She heard Ted whispering to Darlene. The knocking stopped and the footsteps receded. Amelia shuddered. If Darlene can go through another human, what was stopping her from coming through the door? “No one is going to force you to come out,” Ted said calmly. She froze. In the silence, she thought they had left her alone.

“And no one is going to come in unless you say so,” he continued. “But I’d like the chance to explain, if you’d let me.” Amelia hated to it it, but she was curious. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the secret they had wanted so badly to keep from her. If it was, they had done a poor job. She crossed her arms and willed her hands to stop shaking. If they tried anything weird, anything she didn’t like, she could always crawl out of her window to escape. It wouldn’t be the first time, and probably not the last. Amelia stood and faltered to the door. She pushed aside the nightstand with a small grunt. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she reached toward the knob. She could see the shadow of Ted’s feet under the door. Do I really want to do this? “Just tell me from there,” Amelia said. She let her hand fall to her side. “Okay.” She could tell he wasn’t a fan of the idea, but she wasn’t about to let him in until she had some answers. “Well, Darlene and I aren’t like you and Levi.” Ted hesitated. “How did we explain this to Levi?” he whispered to himself on the other side of the door. “Tell her about the gates,” Amelia heard Darlene call from downstairs. “Right, excellent idea.” Ted drew in a deep breath and continued. “There are these things called gates. Not us, the Gates. These other gates are portals, I guess, or doorways. Darlene and I guard them. You see, when someone dies, they go to the Underworld. But not every ghost wants to stay in the Underworld, of course. A Gatekeeper’s job is to watch the gates and keep the dead inside from coming out.” Amelia couldn’t speak. Words seemed far away, at this moment, and all she could do was stare blankly at the white wooden grain of the door. Ghosts? Underworld? Is he saying all of that is real? Ghost hunting shows were some of Amelia’s favorite to watch on TV, late at night when Ms. Kingsley was asleep. But never had she thought they were real. She glanced over at her bed, searching for her voodoo doll that was still downstairs on the window seat. She had never truly believed in the paranormal, she just liked thinking about it and sometimes

even pretending it was real. It was easier to act like her dead parents were still with her as ghosts through all her foster homes and failed adoptions. If she didn’t, then she really was alone, and that felt so much worse than a few pretend people floating around her. “What does that have to do with the hand thing?” Amelia asked, finally finding her voice. It shook so much, she wondered if Ted would even be able to tell what she said. “Let me back up a bit. Can I come in yet?” “No.” He sighed. “Okay, fair enough. Amelia, Darlene and I always wanted another kid. We love Levi and we wanted him to have a sibling. Having children of our own isn’t possible anymore. We’d been looking for someone like you for a long time. Someone who isn’t afraid of the impossible. Someone who would fit in with our family. When Candice called us about you we knew you were the one.” He sighed again. Amelia heard a soft thump and imagined him leaning his head against the door. She fought the urge to smile, imagining Ted trying and failing to come up with the words to explain what she had seen. “This isn’t working. I’m just going to come right out and say it. Darlene and I are ghosts, Amelia. We died a long time ago. Hades hired us to guard the gates to the Underworld. Not only do we make sure the dead don’t escape, but we also keep the living from going in. Before their time, that is. And if a rogue ghost does escape, Darlene and I hunt it down and return it to where it belongs.” Amelia pursed her lips, her forehead scrunched in deep thought. Everything she had believed to be true was crumbling down around her. She liked the idea of ghosts, but now that Ted told her they were real, she didn’t know what to think. But it really wasn’t that far a leap to go from liking the idea of something to actually believing it to be true. Amelia could already feel her thoughts rearranging themselves to accommodate for this new information. Ghosts were real. She had proof standing on the other side of the door. Check. But there was a bigger issue that struck her now with what Ted was saying. “So…” she said slowly, unsure how to phrase her question. “So does that mean my parents, my biological parents… does that mean they’re ghosts, too?”

Ted was quiet for a moment before he answered with a hesitant “Yes.” The excitement she had felt moments ago suddenly turned to dread. “How come… how come they aren’t here, but you are?” Ted didn’t answer her for so long, she thought he had left. Amelia moved her hand to open the door to see if this was true when he finally said: “I don’t know. Only Gatekeepers can be with the living. We can only assume that Hades didn’t choose them to be Gatekeepers.” Or maybe… maybe they chose not to be Gatekeepers because they didn’t want to be with me. But “oh,” was all she said. Another long silence thickened the air before Amelia broke it. “So, what about the clothes?” Ted laughed, seemingly happy to be away from her darker questions. “That’s your question? You believe me?” “I think so,” Amelia itted. “But what about the clothes?” “We can only touch inanimate objects. Or I guess to be more technical, things without souls.” “But it’s so hot out. What do you tell people? Do you sweat?” Ted chuckled. “Skin condition. Very rare. We can’t be exposed to the sun. Darlene and I met in a group. Something along those lines. And no, we can’t sweat. Which is a blessing, if you ask me, because I would not smell good otherwise.” “Hey, Amelia.” Levi’s voice ed Ted’s. She wondered how long he’d been standing there. “I know this is crazy. I I was scared when they first told me. I thought they were going to eat me or something.” He paused. Amelia rested her hand on the doorknob. “But they didn’t,” he said. “They’ve always taken care of me. They love me, Amelia. I promise they’ll love you, too.”

Amelia opened the door to see Ted and Levi looking back at her like two lost puppies. “I think I might be crazy,” she said. “We all are a little bit,” Ted grinned. “Can I come in now?” She nodded, stepping aside. Darlene peeked around the corner. “Me, too?” she asked. “You, too,” Amelia answered. She watched as Darlene, Ted, and Levi crowded onto the edge of her bed, like students in the principal’s office. Amelia grabbed the chair from her desk and set it in front of them. “Okay,” she said, plopping into the seat. “I have a few more questions.”

Five

Amelia thought her head might explode like her third-grade science fair experiment. There were so many rules to being a ghost. They couldn’t touch anything with a soul or other ghosts unless they wore clothes, which made them solid. They didn’t have to eat, breathe, or sleep, but they did them all anyway because they got bored otherwise. Amelia listened to them all, knowing she’d never even half the information. Ted, Darlene, and Levi took turns explaining. “So then this whole Gatekeeper thing, how does that work?” “Well,” Darlene began, “when we died, we spent some time in the Underworld. I think a week, maybe two, before Hades tracked us down.” She looked at Ted who nodded. “He had been watching us when we were alive and thought we’d do a decent job.” “They aren’t even telling you the cool part,” Levi interjected. “He chose them because they used to be ghost hunters when they were alive. They were pretty famous for it up north. That’s why they’re so good at their jobs.” “Ghost hunters?” Amelia asked, perking up. Until now she had been sitting slumped in her chair, trying to make sense of everything. “Pretty famous is rather generous.” Darlene squeezed Levi’s shoulder. “There are a lot of places to haunt up north, so finding the ghosts was rather easy. The Ellis Island hospital, Gettysburg, the Salem witch trials – all created a huge host of unhappy ghosts.” Darlene suddenly grinned at Ted. “It wasn’t all sad, though. I one time a young boy called us about a witch-ghost, and we had shown up in our full ghost-hunting regalia before realizing he had called us about his mom. She had tried to get him to eat broccoli and he wasn’t happy about it.” Her laughter trailed off. “We had finally settled in Pittsburgh for a few years before we… well, anyway, I guess that’s why Hades needed us. Too many lingering ghosts, not enough Gatekeepers. And with there being so many gates, and new ones popping up all the time, Hades needs all the help he can get.”

“Wait. Before you what?” Amelia interjected. “Unfortunately, the main job requirement to being a Gatekeeper is that you’re no longer breathing, since you have to travel through the Underworld occasionally,” Ted explained. “He had to wait to hire us until, well, we died.” “So…” Amelia wasn’t sure how to word her next two questions. Both were deeply personal, and she didn’t know how much Ted and Darlene were willing to share. “Umm, will you ever look different than you do now?” Darlene smiled sadly. “No,” she answered. “We died when I was 31 and Ted was 33. We had just gotten married.” Silence fell in the room. Amelia looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap. “I have one more question,” she said, her voice barely above a murmur. “One more and then I’m done for now.” She looked up at Ted and Darlene, meeting their glum gazes. “How did you die?” Ted sighed and took Darlene’s hand. “It was New Year’s Day. We had just left a friend’s party sometime after the countdown and were on our way home.” Ted sat quietly for a moment. He squeezed Darlene’s hand and continued. “A driver ran a red light. He hit us head on. I don’t the rest.” Levi stood and left the room. Amelia frowned. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s okay,” Darlene said. She reached across the space and put her bare hand on Amelia’s denim clad knee. “He just hates hearing it. He’ll be all right.” Darlene looked at Ted. “Will you check on him, honey?” Ted ruffled Amelia’s hair on his way out, gently shutting the door behind him. “Hey, don’t feel bad.” Darlene gestured for Amelia to her on the bed. “You have the right to ask any questions you want.” Amelia sank onto her bed next to Darlene. “It’s just a lot,” she said lamely, not knowing how to express her thoughts.

“I know.” Darlene put her arm around Amelia, keeping her fingers on Amelia’s sleeve. “And there’s really no easy way around the hard questions.” “Why does it make Levi upset? I mean, it’s not as if he lost you guys. You may not be alive, but you’re still here. When my parents died they were just… gone.” Darlene sat quietly for a moment. “Don’t forget, Levi is an orphan, too. He’s just a little more sensitive than you are, I think. He hides it behind the jokes, just like his father. Not that that’s a bad thing,” she amended, seeing the look on Amelia’s face. “You’re direct. It’s refreshing.” Amelia had never been called ‘refreshing’ before, and the thought made her smile. Before she could respond, her stomach growled. They had been sitting in her room for hours and had barely even covered the basics of being a ghost. “Let’s pick up after lunch,” Darlene said as she stood from the bed. She offered Amelia her hand and helped her up. “We have plenty of time to discuss everything else.” “Lunch! Candice is coming at lunch,” Ted exclaimed from the hallway, standing behind a now-grinning Levi at Amelia’s door. All three honed in on Amelia like the glare of a spotlight. She fought the urge to look away. “Amelia, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Darlene began. “But we’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell Candice about… all this,” Ted finished lamely. “The number of people who know we’re ghosts are all in this room. Plus Hades, but technically I don’t think he counts as a person—” “We can finish explaining everything after she leaves,” Darlene interrupted Ted’s rambling. “Or,” she faltered, “if you don’t want to stay, we won’t blame you. You can leave with Candice if you want.” Amelia opened her mouth but wasn’t sure what to say. She settled for a slight nod, feeling her stomach flip. She didn’t know what she wanted. The Gates had seemed so perfect, and now that she knew they weren’t, she didn’t know what to do. Part of her felt relieved that she wasn’t the weirdest person in the house, but another part, a larger part, felt nervous. Could she keep up with a family like

this? Would it be too much danger, living with ghosts who guarded the living against the dead? Danger is better than boredom, Amelia thought, the beginnings of a smile quirking the edge of her mouth. And I’ve had enough boredom to last me a lifetime. Darlene patted Amelia’s shoulder. She walked past Ted and Levi without looking back, as though she were afraid to see Amelia’s expression. Ted followed suit, but Levi paused, his hand on the doorframe. “I’d really like to be your brother,” he said simply. Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

Amelia dropped her head into her hands. She wanted to like the Gates. If she was honest, she actually did like the Gates. But did she want this to be her life? A life of secrecy and uncertainty? Obviously the Gates couldn’t stay anywhere too long if they never grew older, and the risk of living with two Gatekeepers would be similar to living with two parents as spies. They may be good at their job, but there was always the chance that someone might be better. What other life do I have? She could stay here with a slightly less than perfect family, the only real hiccup being that her new potential parents were dead, or she could go back to Ms. Kingsley. “Amelia?” Ted called from downstairs. How different his voice sounded from the rough bark of her foster mother. That one word, her name, spoken like a question, was enough to decide her. “Candice is here. Would you mind coming down?” I can do this. She breathed in deep, feeling the oxygen flood her body and pump her muscles with strength. She expelled the fear, waving it from her face like bad morning breath. She grabbed a brush from the dresser, and for the first time in days, untangled the knots in her hair.

Six

Candice was already sitting at the dining room table when Amelia finally made it downstairs. She chatted cheerily with the Gates, her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail so tight that her mouth seemed to be stretched in a constant grin. “Hi, Candice.” Amelia slid into the seat across from her. “Hey kid, how are you?” All activity in the house paused as she contemplated what to say. “Great! I’m great.” A collective sigh could be heard around the room as everyone resumed their normal pace. Levi sat in the window seat pretending to read, but his knuckles were white as he gripped his book. She realized then that she could ruin his life, too. If she told Candice that the Gates were ghosts, Candice would extract Levi from the house as well. More than just Amelia’s fate was in her hands. “Lunch,” Darlene sang, setting a plate piled high with steaming grilled cheese sandwiches on the table. “Dig in!” Levi leapt up to grab a sandwich, devoured half, and complained of a burned tongue with each bite. Darlene ed him a napkin, gesturing to the string of cheese hanging from his mouth. “So, Amelia, what did you do today?” Candice asked. “Well,” Amelia answered, speaking carefully around the cheese gluing her teeth together. She swallowed slowly, giving herself time to think. “Levi took me on a bike ride.” Levi’s head jerked up at the sound of his name. He gave a bread-filled grin.

“That’s great!” Candice replied. “How was it?” “Kind of scary at first, but not too bad. I just had to get used to it.” Ted winked at Amelia behind his sandwich. Darlene looked noticeably more lighthearted while Levi gave Amelia an obvious thumbs-up. She tried not to roll her eyes at him, already feeling a strong connection to this family that was not her own, but could be. Would be, if she let them. For once, Amelia had the chance to direct her own life. I hope I don’t mess it up.

After lunch, Candice pulled Amelia aside into the living room, sat her on the couch, and knelt before her. The Gates made unnecessary noise in the kitchen, banging pots and running water to give them the semblance of privacy. “Is everything going okay here?” Candice asked. “Are you happy?” For as long as Amelia could , Candice had been her direct, but emotional, social worker. When Amelia had been returned from her first potential family like an unwanted package, Candice had been the one to hold her as she cried. When Amelia had sprained her wrist at the foster home before Ms. Kingsley’s, Candice had convinced her to learn how to paint with her left hand, which she could now do with ease. Candice had been by her side through everything. If Amelia stayed with the Gates, she wouldn’t see Candice anymore. First the Quarter and now Candice. I’m gaining a family, but I’m giving up so much. “I am.” Amelia hesitated. “They’re really nice. It’s just a lot to get used to.” She thought of the look on Ted and Darlene’s faces when she had come down the stairs at Ms. Kingsley’s. Their eyes had been so full of joy and hope, maybe even love. No one but Candice had ever looked at her in that way. “But… I’d like to get used to it.” Candice wrapped her in a crushing hug. “Technically I’m not supposed to do that,” she said, releasing Amelia. “But I don’t care.” Candice stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “Now don’t think you’re getting rid of me so fast. I’ll still be checking in every now and then. And I’ll need to bring by the official paperwork for everyone to sign.”

Candice ruffled her hair and walked into the kitchen to tell the Gates the good news. Instantly, a stampede of three rushed Amelia and enveloped her in a group hug. She couldn’t help but notice that Ted and Darlene kept their faces well away from her head, as these were the only parts of them not covered in clothing. “Thank you,” Ted whispered for only Amelia to hear. She blushed and let him squeeze her a little bit tighter. “Well now that that’s settled, I’ll leave you all to it,” Candice said. “I’m sure you have plenty to do with Halloween tomorrow.” “What?” Amelia squeaked. With the possibility of being adopted looming over her head, she had completely forgotten Halloween was so soon. “Candy!” Levi yelled, zooming around the living room. He dived onto the couch and kicked his legs in the air. “Sugar rush!” “We’ll see about that,” Darlene laughed. Candice gave Amelia a thumbs-up as she walked out the door. “Proud of you,” she mouthed. “Come with me,” Darlene said, taking Amelia’s hand in her gloved ghostly one. “I have just the thing for your costume.” She led Amelia upstairs and pulled down a ladder leading to what Amelia assumed to be the attic. “There’s a costume up here that I wore when I was your age. I think it should fit you.” The attic was filled with old trunks and boxes, a fine layer of dust resting atop them. The musty smell of disuse suggested that no one had been up there in a long time. Amelia’s fingers itched to go through the boxes and see what could be hiding inside. She was always surprised at the things people packed away from prying eyes. “You’ll be trick-or-treating alone with Levi tomorrow,” Darlene said, popping

open a heavy trunk and rooting through its contents. “Ted and I have to work the gates. Halloween tends to be the worst night for us. Imagine Black Friday at Walmart, but everyone is dead.” Amelia wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to laugh. She sneezed at the dust and looked over Darlene’s shoulder into the trunk. Yards of frail fabric yellowed with age spilled from it. Hidden beneath was a small white onesie, which Darlene touched fondly. “No one ever comes up here. Levi isn’t much for dress up, and Ted… honestly it just makes him sad. Ahh, here it is,” she said triumphantly, drawing out a black velvet dress with short sleeves and a pair of striped tights. “My mother made this for me when I was a girl and we had just moved here. It was my first Halloween. Do you like it?” Amelia ran her hands along the smooth fabric. It ran like water through her fingers. “Does it have a hat?” she asked, taking the dress from Darlene and holding it up against her body. She felt something rest on her head and looked up. A witch’s hat slipped over her eyes. “Perfect.”

Seven

The next morning, Amelia woke to Levi’s face inches from her own. “Boo,” he said, two candy corns sticking from under his top lip like vampire fangs. Amelia jerked upright, bashing her head against his. “Ow!” They both exclaimed, rubbing their foreheads before falling helplessly into laughter. “Good, you’re both up!” Darlene called from the hallway. “Get dressed. We’re going on a field trip.” Levi flew out of Amelia’s bedroom flapping his arms like a bat. “I vill be right der muver!” He cried in a terrible Dracula accent. Amelia shook her head. She imagined she would be doing a lot of that, now that the Gates were going to be her official family and she was gaining Levi as a brother. Throwing open her closet in excitement over this mysterious field trip, Amelia pulled on the first clothes she could grab: dark blue skinny jeans and a gray shirt. Closing her eyes, she picked a pair of Converse at random and was pleased to see she had chosen a pair of purple high-tops. Running down the stairs to the living room, she saw that she and Levi were the first there. “Where do you think we’re going?” she asked him, bouncing on her toes. He shrugged in response. “Someplace cool, probably.” “You got that right!” Ted announced, high-fiving his son and fist bumping his daughter. “Yea!” Levi pumped his own fist in the air. He spun in a circle and almost fell

over. Amelia grinned, imagining a future of embarrassing photo shoots as she tried to leave the house for school dances, Ted making dad jokes while Levi stood in the background, doing something ridiculous. She may hate it one day, but for now, it felt exactly right. “Okay, let’s go you two weirdoes.” Darlene came down the stairs, looking Ted and Levi up and down, who were now circling about one other and trying to karate chop each other’s arms. She looked at Amelia and whispered, “If we beat them to the car, I’ll drive and you’ll get shotgun.” Amelia nodded conspiratorially and took off at a run after Darlene. They slid into the front seats as Levi struggled to catch up, Ted locking the house behind him. “Someone has to be the responsible adult around here!” Ted yelled over his shoulder as Levi tossed himself across the back seat dramatically. “We know! She’s already in the car waiting for you,” Amelia yelled back, pleased at the snicker that came from Darlene. If she had been with Ms. Kingsley, she would have received a smack across the cheek and a reprimand for talking back. But she wasn’t with Ms. Kingsley, anymore, she reminded herself. She didn’t need to be afraid. When the car finally held all of the Gates, Darlene headed toward their destination. More secrets, Amelia thought. But this time, the thought of secrets didn’t make her nervous. Now that she was on the inside of their secret life, the thought of discovering more about the Gates filled her with anticipation and she bounced in her seat. When they pulled off the interstate and onto Esplanade, Amelia looked at Darlene in confusion. What are we doing back at the Quarter? Darlene found a rare parking spot and they got out of the car. Amelia traipsed behind the Gates toward Royal Street. A small bump had begun to blossom on her forehead, identical to the one on Levi’s. He nodded at her head and winked. “You look like you’re trying to grow a unicorn horn.” “So do you.” She brushed her bangs down to cover the sore lump.

Amelia allowed her mind to wander as she followed along like a duckling. They were in part of the quarter commonly clogged with tourists, and Amelia had to dodge more than one family taking photos. Levi did the opposite and tried to make faces in the background of as many as he could. Now that she no longer lived in the quarter, she wouldn’t get to roam its streets with the freedom she once had. Bright colored buildings were sandwiched between red brick ones with no consistency. Beautiful metal latticework decorated the second story balconies, adorned with dangling green ferns and vines that extended toward Amelia, reaching for her like outstretched fingers. Everything in the French Quarter, everything in New Orleans, was so vivid and filled with life. The thought made Amelia burst out in laughter, and Levi looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head, not wanting to explain. How could a place that was teeming with beauty and nature and life hold the doors to death itself? For the first time, Amelia realized what a juxtaposition life and death were. New Orleans held the two in its hands, side by side. One didn’t exist without the other – couldn’t exist without the other. Like sunshine and rain. Hope and defeat. One without the other didn’t mean as much. It just didn’t work. Amelia stumbled on one of the many cracks in the sidewalk, Levi catching her just before she hit the ground. “Here we are,” Ted said, oblivious to his clumsy new daughter behind him. “Our home away from home.” Eyes widening in shock, Amelia took a step back. “No way.” “Yes way,” Darlene said, her voice filled with a strange emotion. “The LaLaurie Mansion. Home to unspeakable horrors, only one of which being a gate to the Underworld.” “I didn’t think anyone was allowed to go in there.” Amelia knew the history of the LaLaurie Mansion, and it did not make her want to take a single step inside. There was a reason ghost tours never walked on the same side of the street as this place. It had seen torture and death in abundance. And when something has seen such horror, it leaves an impression. Any time Amelia had walked by the mansion, she had felt a burden settle on her soul. If she was able to avoid this area altogether, she did. “Technically, the living aren’t allowed. Only Hades, Ted, and I have permission. And you two by extension, though only with proper supervision.” Darlene

ushered them across the street, avoiding bicyclists and honking cars. “Everyone thinks it’s owned by some rich guy in Texas. But really, it’s just Hades. He bought it from the owner once the gate showed up. Ted and I have to occasionally ‘haunt’ the place to keep up appearances.” Amelia grinned, thinking of Ted trying to look spooky in his current longsleeved t-shirt. On it was the design of a box that looked like an element from the periodic table that said ‘Ah!’ with ‘The Element of Surprise!’ beneath it. Once inside the courtyard, Ted led them into the actual mansion. A foyer with a white curving staircase at the far end greeted them. Branching off to either side were large grand rooms with sweeping curtains and antique cushioned couches and chairs. Dust coated everything. “We probably should have cleaned before bringing you here.” Ted followed Amelia’s gaze throughout the sitting rooms. “We pretty much only go upstairs unless we have to look creepy in a window.” Amelia nodded, following the group down the hall. Busts of stern looking men sat on a shelf, their eyes watching her every move. A shudder ran down her spine. She found herself wondering what those busts had seen in this vile place, but then thought better of it. In truth, she didn’t really want to know. “Do you know the story of the LaLaurie Mansion, Amelia?” Darlene asked gently as she led the group up the twisting stairs. “Yes,” Amelia whispered, wondering if any spirits haunted its walls like the stories all claimed. Well of course they do, she answered her own question, their names are Ted and Darlene. “Delphine LaLaurie owned slaves and starved them until a lot of them died. But I know some people think she also broke their bones, stuffed them in boxes…” Amelia’s voice failed her. The story had always made her feel queasy. Darlene nodded. “No one knows the exact truth, but we do know that gates to the Underworld tend to appear in places where the suffering was so great that the concentration of grief and horror develop a lasting connection between the living and the dead. One such gate is here in the attic, where many of these horrors were believed to have taken place.” Ted took the lead into a dimly lit attic where a shimmering portal stood against

the far wall. To the side were a locked cabinet, two chairs, and a table with a deck of cards. “We keep our weapons there,” he pointed at the cabinet. “The cards are for when we get bored.” “If you’re going to stay with us, Amelia,” Darlene began, “we want you to know what you’re getting into. We’re going to show you how to catch a ghost.”

Eight

When Amelia was younger, she had dreamed of being a painter. She still had those same dreams, except now she hoped to explore the world while she painted. Capturing those rare moments when people allowed themselves to be completely open were her favorite to paint. If she could paint Darlene right now, she would have enjoyed getting the creases of concern between her eyes, the straight set to her mouth, the tension along her shoulders as she waited for Amelia’s response. Wait, what? Amelia’s eyes widened. We’re going to catch a ghost? She tried desperately to hide her nerves. The Gates wouldn’t let anything happen to her, she reasoned. They didn’t go through all the trouble of adopting a daughter just to have a ghost nab her and run. Steeling herself, she walked cautiously toward the gate. The gate itself seemed solid enough, though the slight shine emanating from its frame suggested the consistency of a mirage. If she were to touch it, would her hand right through? Her fingers itched to try and they crept forward of their own accord. “I wouldn’t do that,” Ted said, barring her arm from reaching any further. “You don’t want to get sucked through by accident.” “He’s kidding,” Darlene said, glaring at Ted. “But it’s better if you didn’t touch them. Hades can sense movement at every gate and we don’t want to draw his attention.” Amelia shoved her hands in her pockets to quell the temptation. Beyond the gate, she could see nothing. It looked eerily similar to the fence bordering the Gates’ house, except while she could see through the bars and beyond there, she couldn’t see anything but a hazy mist here. “Can you tell when a ghost is coming from the other side?” she asked, squinting as if it would help her see.

“Not until they’re right about to through. Otherwise, we can’t see or hear anything. So we need to be ready at a moment’s notice to react.” Ted steered Amelia toward the table and motioned for her to sit. He opened the cabinet behind her and pulled out a large gun, the likes of which Amelia had never seen. “This is a special gun that sprays a paralyzing mist on the ghosts,” Ted said. “And it doesn’t work on the living.” “Does it hurt?” “No, but it doesn’t exactly feel good either. It’s like that tingly sensation when part of your body falls asleep.” Amelia nodded. “What about that one?” She pointed to a coil of thick wire that shone bright silver. “That would be angel wire,” Darlene explained, ing the wire carefully to Amelia. “That one does hurt, but only ghosts. You can touch it.” Amelia touched the tip of her finger to the wire but felt nothing. “What does it do?” “Burns. We only use it in severe cases.” Darlene took the wire back from Amelia, taking care not to touch the coil, and placed it in the closet. “We try not to resort to extreme force with normal ghosts. Demons however…” Ted trailed off, looking toward the silent gate. “Demons?” Amelia glanced at him, noticing a stiffening of his shoulders. “Demons,” he repeated. “Cross your fingers you never meet one of those. Demons used to be ghosts. But after dying, something inside them just went… wrong. Too much anger or sadness or, I don’t know, something, led them toward destruction. “Demons are ghosts who suck out the essence of other ghosts. It makes them stronger, faster, gives them abilities even Hades doesn’t have. They’re the worst ones to come through the gate because they’re entirely unpredictable.”

“What’s an essence?” Amelia asked. “ how ghosts can’t touch people with souls or each other? Well, your essence is like the imprint your soul leaves behind when you die. It’s a shadow of your living self,” Darlene explained. “Personally, I think even the essence is too much like a soul and that’s why ghosts can’t touch each other. But demons… when they suck out an essence they take in whatever made that ghost themselves. The ghost will cease to exist. Like a second death, but worse since they can’t even exist in the Underworld.” Amelia shuddered. Dying once already sounded awful, but dying twice? She didn’t want to think about it. “So what about when you’re not here? You can’t watch the gates all the time and be with us, too.” Ted chuckled. “Cameras.” He pointed to the corners of the ceiling. Small cameras were mounted in every corner of the room, pointing directly at the gate. “Plus there’s a sensor on the gate. If a ghost or demon comes through when we aren’t here, we’re notified. We have an hour to sort it out before Hades gets involved—” “And we do not want Hades involved,” Darlene interjected. “No, we don’t,” Ted affirmed. “How come?” “Does anyone want their boss involved in anything that they do?” Ted asked. Amelia didn’t know what he meant by that, but felt a door close on that subject, and decided not to knock further. She leaned back in her chair, her gaze traveling between the Gates, the gates, and the weapons cabinet. “What about you, Levi?” “What about me what?” Levi looked startled. His hand had been reaching toward the angel wire, but he dropped it nervously to his side. “What do you do?” Levi looked incredulous. “I’m not a Gatekeeper. I don’t do anything.” Amelia wasn’t surprised by his response, but she couldn’t help but feel Levi was

hiding something. Maybe it was the nervous shifting of his eyes, or the guilty smile that was now plastered across his face. Ted and Darlene didn’t seem to notice. She raised one eyebrow at Levi, whose grin broadened. “I’m alive, . Can’t be a Gatekeeper.” “Okay,” she said, and was pleased to see Levi shift awkwardly under her gaze. She’d have to ask him later when his parents – their parents – weren’t around. Levi was hiding something, she just didn’t know what. She didn’t know a lot of things, she realized, looking at the shimmering portal to the Underworld once more. Every question that was answered revealed another hiding underneath. She wanted to know more about the Underworld, about Hades, about the other Gatekeepers, hiding in plain sight among the living, scattered about the world. If she stayed with the Gates, she’d have a whole lifetime to learn the answers. The thought of it sent a thrill up her spine. Darlene rested a hand on her shoulder and Amelia jumped. “Will you and Levi head to the back of the room?” She asked politely. No change in her voice alerted Amelia to the concern that she felt rippling off Darlene’s hand. “We’re about to have company.”

Nine

The gate to the Underworld brightened. Amelia had to shade her eyes from its intensity. She and Levi stood in the far corner of the room – Levi in front of her, blocking her from view. “I just got you,” he said, pushing her firmly behind him. “I’m not going to lose you to some crazy ghost.” Amelia thought about fighting him, asking what he thought he could do to protect her if he wasn’t a Gatekeeper, but she kept her mouth shut. Levi still knew more than she did about ghosts. For now, she’d let him act the ‘big brother.’ But now Amelia regretted her ivity. The ghost emerged from the gate, shaking and sputtering, like a run-down car struggling to keep from petering out. Levi kept stepping farther and farther back until she was crammed in the corner, barely able to breathe, let alone see. She poked him in the ribs and he jumped a mile. “Don’t do that!” he hissed, his joking nature gone in the strain of the moment. “You’re crushing me,” she responded. “Hush!” Ted called to the bickering siblings as he and Darlene surrounded the ghost. He still held a stun gun, though Darlene held nothing. “Why doesn’t Darlene have a weapon?” Amelia asked in a loud whisper, her struggles with Levi momentarily forgotten. “Watch,” Levi said. He started to bounce, excitement flooding his voice again. The ghost – at least, Amelia thought it was still a ghost – looked haunted. She appeared solid, like Ted and Darlene, but there was something off about her that made her seem less human. It might have been the awkward way she held

herself. Like she wasn’t used to her own body anymore. Though other than that, Amelia was surprised to see that she didn’t look particularly dead. Not like the dead in the movies. If she were to stand still and not look so crazed, Amelia wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between her and someone alive. The ghost’s eyes shifted between the two Gatekeepers. Judging the one with a gun to be the bigger threat, she ran haltingly at Darlene. The whole scene reminded Amelia of glitchy computer graphics that needed to buffer every few moments. Were all ghosts like this? Ted aimed the gun at the ghost, but didn’t pull the trigger. Although he had said the spray didn’t hurt, it was obvious he didn’t want to hit Darlene on accident. Anxiety spiking through her veins, Amelia clutched the back of Levi’s shirt as the ghost charged Darlene. The ghost lunged as Darlene clapped. Bright light flooded the room and Amelia tried not to shut her eyes. The ghost froze, dazed, as she tried to determine where this new threat was coming from. But the lights were everywhere – the ceiling, the floor, the walls – the entire room shone with a harsh radiance. Stumbling backwards, the ghost tripped over her own feet and fell into Ted’s arms. His gun now strapped to his back, unused. Darlene clapped again and the lights went out. The room was now unnaturally dark in comparison and Amelia’s head smarted from the sudden change. Ted led the ghost back to the gate, but before sending her through, he whispered something in her ear. The ghost dropped her head. Ted spoke a few more unintelligible words and the ghost nodded. They stepped forward, and rather than opening, the gate became even hazier. The ghost hesitated, then stepped through and disappeared. All was silent and still in the attic. Ted rubbed his forehead, shoulders hunched, standing before the gate. Darlene ed him, threading her fingers into his. She stood on tiptoe and said something softly that Amelia couldn’t quite catch. The tension in his shoulders eased and he brought his gloved hands up to caress his wife’s face. “Ahem,” Levi coughed, stepping forward. Amelia stumbled from her crushed position against the wall. “Not to break up the party and all but…that…was…so

cool!” He pumped his fist in the air. “The ghost was like –” Levi held his hands up like claws and twisted his face into a gnarly grimace. “And Mom was like –” he spun clumsily, clapping his hands high in the air, causing the lights to come on again before Darlene hurriedly shut them off. “And Dad was all –” he mimed kicking a ball into the gate. “Score!” Ted gave a small laugh. “I don’t think it happened exactly like that, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.” He took the gun off his back and returned it to the cabinet. “This is honestly my least favorite part about being a Gatekeeper.” “But why?” Levi deflated. Amelia had to it, the whole affair had been rather anti-climactic. The Gates hadn’t done a whole lot to catch this ghost and she hadn’t put up much of a fight. “Ghosts that find a way back out of the gates are usually scared,” Darlene explained. “They don’t want to be dead. And usually they’re peaceful. They don’t have the same anger and ambition that demons do.” She dropped into a chair at the table. “You could tell this ghost didn’t want to fight us. She just felt trapped… cornered. She didn’t feel like she had a choice.” “So that ghost was just scared?” Darlene was silent for a moment. “Levi, do you when we took you to that theme park when you were eight and you got separated from us?” Levi nodded, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I didn’t know what to do. I tried calling for you, but you weren’t there.” “That’s how these ghosts feel when they die. One minute they’re here, laughing, spending time with their friends and family, and then suddenly, they’re not. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to die at an old age. Your father and I are proof of that.” Darlene smiled sadly at Ted and reached for his hand. “This ghost we just sent back was young, maybe in her twenties. She probably has no idea how she died.” Amelia’s stomach dropped. She had never thought about that. The feeling of being dead and not knowing what happened would be like an itch you can’t scratch. Except unbearably worse. “How did she get to the gate?” Amelia asked. “How does the Underworld work?”

“Those are loaded questions,” Ted laughed, removing the heavy feeling in the air with his chuckle. “There are layers to the Underworld that ghosts must travel through to get to their final resting place. The gates to get to those layers are in a waiting room of sorts. It would be difficult, but if you are driven enough you can come back through. It’s not a journey for the weak. That’s probably why she was so tired and moved the way she did. When you’re dead, the gates take a little something extra out of you.” “Okay,” Darlene slapped the table, making everyone jump. “That’s enough for today, I think. It’s getting late and you two need to get ready for trick-or-treating tonight.” “Yes!” Levi jumped in the air, clacking his heels together. “Let’s go!” Amelia grinned and once more followed the Gates through the Quarter. She had seen and learned so much in such a short space of time. Even though she still had questions, she was glad Darlene had called a halt to the proceedings. Her brain probably couldn’t handle any more information, and she wasn’t sure if her heart could handle any more sadness, either. She couldn’t shake the fingers clenched around her throat, squeezing it tight, when she thought about not knowing the cause of her own death. That poor ghost. She wondered what Ted had said to the ghost before sending her back to the Underworld, but she didn’t think Ted would tell her. He had whispered for a reason. But knowing Ted, it was probably some words of encouragement. If she had learned anything about the Gates in this short time with them, it was that they weren’t needlessly cruel. “Hey wait,” Amelia called, pushing past Levi to walk between Ted and Darlene. “I forgot to ask earlier, but what was that all about with the lights?” Ted chuckled. “The Underworld isn’t some black hole like most people think,” he explained. “But the light there is different. The light of the living is sharp and surprising if you aren’t used to it. Darlene and I have found it’s the easiest way to stun unsuspecting ghosts without hurting them.” “But you said the gun doesn’t hurt.” “It doesn’t. But since we’ve been with the living for so long, bright lights don’t daze us like they do someone who’s been in the Underworld for a while. We use

the lights instead of the gun anytime we can so we don’t accidentally mist ourselves in the process.” Amelia jumped over a crack, thinking. So lights first. Gun second. Angel wire only in case of emergency. “Hades installed them. He thought clap on clap off lights would be funny.” Darlene rolled her eyes. “But it does give us the element of surprise. Most ghosts do exactly as this ghost did. They see me as a weaker target since I don’t have a gun. Once they make their move, we dazzle them with the lights and catch them easily before they have a chance to actually hurt someone. Ted usually has the gun. He tends to jump early with the lights.” Ted shrugged. “What can I say? Darlene is braver than me.” Darlene play shoved him and Ted tripped, laughing. “He’s not wrong.” She stuck her tongue out at her husband. Amelia smiled between them, content. For a brief moment she contemplated slipping her hands into theirs. But she was too old for that now. “Hey,” Levi nudged between Amelia and Darlene. “I’m here too, ya know.” “How could we forget?” Darlene wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders and squeezed him tight. “Yea, you snore too loud to ever be forgotten about,” Amelia quipped. It’s funny how comfortable you can get around people in a short amount of time. These people had been complete strangers to her days before, but now they felt like old friends. When Candice had told her there was another couple wanting to adopt her, her first reaction had been disbelief, followed closely by fear. She hadn’t wanted to be returned again like so many times before. It made her feel like a defective toy. Putting her trust in someone else wasn’t something she had much experience with. But now she had a whole new set of fears to worry about. Ghosts. She had been afraid when the ghost came out of the gate, and seeing Ted and Darlene take care of it hadn’t made Amelia feel less anxious. It felt like she was trading one fear for another. But I’d rather be afraid because I’m in danger, she reasoned, than be

afraid of being myself. Levi snorted. “I do not snore! Why do you people keep saying that?” He kicked a loose pebble in front of them, running forward to kick it again. “Come on, slowpoke!” he called to Amelia. She grinned and took off after him.

Ten

The night air carried a surprising chill. Goosebumps spread up Amelia’s arms as she and Levi stood on the front porch, ready to raid the neighbors for candy. Clad in Darlene’s witch costume with a pair of black Converse, Amelia spun in lazy circles, watching the dress puff out around her ankles. Levi was swathed in toilet paper as a makeshift mummy. Classy, she thought, looking him up and down. Levi shrugged when he caught Amelia eyeing his improvised costume. “Toilet paper still gets candy,” he said and winked. Amelia rolled her eyes and took a brown paper bag from Darlene. “Levi has the cell phone, so stick together,” she said. “Do not leave this neighborhood under any circumstances. And come right back home when you’re done. We want a text from you every thirty minutes.” She grabbed her own phone off the porch railing. “Now stand together. I want a picture.” “Moooom,” Levi complained, but he pulled Amelia in for a hug all the same, knocking her hat askew and ripping off half his costume in the process. He gave the camera a cheesy grin. Darlene reached over and leveled Amelia’s hat. “You guys have everything you need?” she asked. “Yup, let’s go!” Levi shouted, jumping down the porch stairs and leaving a trail of mummy wrappings. “Does he have house keys?” Amelia asked. Too many hours spent sitting outside locked foster homes had made her cautious. “See, this is why we adopted you.” Ted grinned and dropped a spare key into her hand.

Amelia slipped the key into her sock for safekeeping and followed Levi to the front gate. Trick-or-treaters ran down the street with parents and babysitters in tow, shrieking in excitement over their bulging bags of chocolate and future cavities. Yellow streetlamps blinked on in the deep blues and purples of the night. It was Amelia’s favorite kind of night. The kind that encouraged mischief and wonder and maybe one too many candy bars. Amelia clenched her treat bag in anticipation. “Trick-or-treat!” she and Levi shouted at the neighboring house. A handful of candy was deposited into their bags by some adults dressed as superheroes. Amelia glanced over at Ted and Darlene, who stood on the porch with their arms around each other, watching them. She saw Ted lean over and whisper into Darlene’s ear, who nodded. They waved one final time and disappeared around the back of the house.

After an hour of knocking on doors and screaming at strangers for candy, Amelia grew tired. Her feet dragged as she followed the still-hyper Levi down their fourth street. Her paper bag had long since filled, and she couldn’t possibly eat another piece to make room. “Have you been texting Ted?” Amelia asked when she finally caught up to Levi. “Oh, shoot! I forgot!” Levi scrambled for the phone in his pocket. It was buzzing uncontrollably. “Dad’s calling. I’m so dead!” Amelia continued to the next house, and Levi’s voice faded behind her. She heard a cluster of kids dressed as a group of Christmas carolers sing “trick-ortreat” ahead of her. The owners of the house opened the door and shoved bags of candy into each of their hands. Amelia’s mouth watered when a hand gripped her shoulder from behind. She jumped, whirling on her attacker before she saw it was just Levi. His hand slipped from her shoulder and hung by his side, cell phone nearly falling out of his grip, candy bag nowhere to be seen. “Levi, what happened?”

Her brother stood still. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his eyes darted back and forth. Recognizing the signs of a panic attack, Amelia led Levi out of the street to a quieter space on the sidewalk. “Levi?” Amelia whispered. She grabbed the phone from his hand before he dropped it. “Mom.” His voice wavered. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, which had fallen into his eyes. “A demon came out of the gate and took Mom. We have to go home.” “Wha—?” Amelia began before Levi grabbed her hand and ran back to the house.

They were only four streets away, but time slowed down as they made their way home. Where before Amelia saw happy families, now she saw terrifying strangers, capable of ripping her apart at a glance. Princes and princesses turned into raging monsters, dogs and cats into murderous beasts. They blocked her path, oblivious to the fear that filled both Amelia’s and Levi’s eyes. “This way!” Levi shouted. He dragged Amelia past an open fence and through a stranger’s backyard. “Hey!” the homeowner shouted as they ran past, but they ignored him. They scrambled over fences, Levi boosting Amelia up when one was too tall. Tree branches and bushes clung to their costumes, and they left shreds of toilet paper behind like breadcrumbs to follow. By the time they were back at the Gates’ house, they both sported cuts on their faces and hands, and Amelia had lost her witch hat and candy. They walked around to the front of the house. Ted stood on the porch. His hands hugged his sides, knuckles white as they dug into his ribs. “I need you two to stay here,” he said roughly. He opened the door and they followed dutifully inside. “I’m going back out. I’ll check in every thirty minutes.”

“No, Dad, you can’t!” Levi shouted. He stood defiantly in front of the door, blocking his dad’s way out. “You can’t go alone. I’m going to come with you.” “No, Levi. Stay here with your sister.” Levi’s eyes flashed in anger before settling to disappointment at Ted’s pained expression. “I can’t lose you, too,” Ted insisted. “Stay here. Protect each other. I’m going to find your mother.” Levi started to argue, but Ted held up his hand for silence. “Do not disobey me, Levi.” At the sternness in his father’s voice, Levi paled and shrank from the door, slinking to the couch like a wounded animal. Amelia felt odd as a silent bystander, so she awkwardly patted him on the back. “Oh, Levi,” Ted spoke gently, breaking. He knelt down and put his hands on Levi’s knees. “It’s going to be all right. Your mother is strong and smart. She’ll be okay. We’ll all be okay.” After a moment’s hesitation when no one spoke, he added, “Why don’t you and Amelia help me from here? You can do some research about demons and see why this one was able to get past us so easily.” “You promise?” Levi glanced once at Amelia before his gaze pierced Ted. “Promise what?” Ted asked. “That it’s going to be all right?” Amelia drew a sharp breath. Promises were tricky territory in her opinion. People had made too many promises in her lifetime that hadn’t been kept. Ted sighed. “I promise this will all be over soon.” Levi nodded, not seeming to realize that Ted’s promise offered hollow comfort. He wiped his eyes and stood, pulling Amelia closer to his side for . Ted surveyed the room. “I don’t like leaving you two here like this, but I don’t know what else to do. Just…” He frowned. “Just be careful.”

He swept Levi and Amelia into a strong hug. Amelia felt her feet lift off the ground and the top of her head felt suddenly cold. That’s Ted’s face, she realized as chills sped down her spine. “I love you both,” he whispered as he set them back down again. “I love you, too, Dad,” Levi said. Amelia smiled and gripped Levi’s hand, more for his comfort than for her own. She felt a fluttering in her gut that she thought might be worry. “I’ll be back,” Ted said in a terrible impression of the Terminator. Levi grinned as he watched him slip out the front door. The grin fell as soon as Ted was out of sight. “Come on,” he said. He locked the front door and motioned for Amelia to follow him. “We’ve got work to do.”

Eleven

Levi led the way inside the forbidden study. The walls were lined with books in a rainbow of colors. The only space not taken up by shelves was a large window that looked out onto the front yard. Next to the window stood an antique black globe on a golden pedestal that Amelia itched to touch. An oak desk, far too large for the room, stood to one side with a regal leather chair behind it. “Whoa,” Amelia whispered. She walked toward the globe and spun it, watching the countries fly past. “This is amazing.” “It’s just a bunch of old books.” Levi shrugged. He grunted, pulling the chair away from the desk so he could sit in it. “Now, where to start?” If the situation weren’t so dire, Amelia could have laughed at the image of goofy Levi sitting so formally at the desk. With his eyes closed and hands pressed together, he seemed for the moment at peace. But beneath his calm exterior, Amelia could feel waves of anxiety rippling across the room. “How did Darlene get kidnapped?” Amelia asked. “Is Ted sure it was a demon?” Without waiting for Levi to answer, she began perusing the shelves. Her eyes fell upon a heavy volume with Eastmont High written up the side. Pulling it from the shelf, she let the yearbook fall open to a page of notes all addressed to Ted. After flipping through a few pages with no response from Levi, she shut the yearbook with a bang. “What are you thinking?” she asked. Levi jumped. “I’m just wondering why a demon would kidnap Mom. You heard them earlier. Ghosts just want to escape. Right?” Amelia frowned. “Yea, but this is a demon.” “So?”

“That changes things, I think.” Amelia stood quiet for a moment. “If demons have special powers and all… shouldn’t Hades help get Darlene – Mom – back?” “I don’t know. Maybe?” Levi let his hands drop. “I don’t think Hades is the most helpful guy, but that’s all I’m saying. I don’t want to make him mad.” “Can he hear us?” Amelia whispered, looking around the empty study. Levi shrugged. “The demon must have kidnapped Mom for a reason.” “Like revenge? Do you think he knew her?” “I don’t know. It’s possible.” “But that could be anyone. I’m sure being a Gatekeeper would make you a ton of enemies,” Amelia thought aloud. “They send a lot of ghosts back to the Underworld. If one of them got angry and became a demon—” “That’s if her attacker was someone she and Dad sent back to the Underworld. It could be someone from before then, too. From when they were alive.” Amelia glanced down at the yearbook. “What if we started from the beginning? We can look at notes in her old yearbooks and see if anyone didn’t like her.” She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking Darlene, but what else could they do? Since she had died, her with the living had been limited, and if she had made any ghost enemies, how would Levi and Amelia know? “Worth a shot.” Levi walked to the shelf of yearbooks and grabbed a few at random, dropping them to the floor. “I’ll start with these, you can do those. First we have to figure out which are Mom’s and which are Dad’s, since they went to different schools. If we find a suspect we can let Dad know. Maybe it’ll give him a clue as to where she is.” “Okay,” Amelia said, dropping to the floor. But after a few minutes of silent page flipping, she had the feeling Levi’s gloomy mood was only getting worse. “Could their hair get any bigger?” Levi grunted in affirmation but didn’t say any more. He continued to skim the pages, reading notes from Darlene’s classmates in the margins of the book.

“I really think it’s going to be okay,” Amelia offered, before turning back to her own book. She felt Levi pause for a moment before resuming his search. “Hey, what about that guy?” He turned his yearbook to face Amelia, pointing to a scruffy teenager with acne. “Mom drew little hearts around him.” “Why would someone she liked kidnap her?” Amelia countered. “I don’t know, maybe he was crazy? Or he started to like her back and then she changed her mind? I don’t know. Teenagers are weird.” “Hmm.” Amelia considered the possibility. The latter wasn’t a bad one. Amelia could picture the headline: Crazy Dead Ex-Boyfriend Seeks Revenge on High School Flame, Also Dead. “What’s his name?” “Gary Thornwip.” Amelia shuffled through the pages, looking for notes from Darlene’s possible exboyfriend. It wasn’t until the last page that she found a separate note tucked inside the book. Amelia nudged Levi and opened the note. “Dear Darlene,” she read. “I know you think we’re better apart, but you’re wrong. I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that you’re the one. I will always love you. Love, Gary.” “Wow.” Levi rested his head against the bookshelf. “Dude was desperate.” “I have the yearbook after you, so that makes them how old? She was a junior.” “Seventeen,” Levi answered. “Now we just have to make sure he’s dead.” “Why?” “Because he came from the Underworld, ? Keep up, newb.” Amelia half-smiled, seeing a glimpse of the old Levi emerge. She hated watching him crumble in distress over Darlene, though she could see why he would. I guess that’s what it’s like to love someone.

Levi bounded over to the desk, sprite once more. She wouldn’t start feeling sorry for herself while Darlene was in danger. She wouldn’t start feeling sorry for herself ever. She had bigger things to worry about than the lack of love in her childhood, even if the thought made her feel so incredibly raw that she thought her insides might ooze through her skin. No, she was being silly. This feeling was nothing she couldn’t ignore. Levi booted up the laptop and quickly typed in “Gary Thornwip, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania” into the search bar. “Mom is from Pittsburgh,” Levi explained. “She and Dad met at the University of Pittsburgh in a Greek mythology class or something. I don’t know. It was cheesy.” “Look, there!” Amelia pointed at the newspaper obituary of Gary Thornwip, 35. “Try that one.” Levi clicked the link and read aloud. “Gary Thornwip, 35, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, died tragically of a heart attack. He leaves behind family and friends who love him.’ …that’s all they wrote.” Levi thought for a moment, staring at the screen. Amelia watched his pupils grow smaller as he looked into the bright light. Finally, Levi pushed himself away from the computer. “This could work. He died almost ten years ago. I’m texting dad.” His fingers flew over the buttons faster than Amelia would have thought possible. “And now we wait.” Fifteen seconds later the phone buzzed. “That was fast.” She looked over Levi’s shoulder at Ted’s response. “He wants us to meet him at the diner in ten. Grab your stuff, we’ve got to hurry!” Amelia didn’t have any stuff to grab, so she just followed Levi downstairs and outside to his bike. She hopped on the pegs and Levi took off, forgetting to buckle his helmet so the straps whipped at her face in the wind. There weren’t nearly as many trick-or-treaters out now and the sky was black

with a full moon barely visible over the treetops. She guessed it was close to nine by now. Levi skidded to a stop in front of the diner. He propped the bike against a telephone pole as Amelia stepped inside the building. The overwhelming stench of air freshener attempting to cover the smell of burnt hamburgers assaulted Amelia’s nose. She wrinkled it in distaste as she surveyed the shabbily decorated space. The owners had tried to copy the traditional sixties style, with black and white checkerboard floors and shiny red leather seats, but it had since fallen into disrepair. The floors were scuffed and stuffing bled from tears in the seating. A neon sign behind the counter blinked “Fresh Key Lime Pie,” before finally winking out for good. A small window showed a glimpse into the kitchen, but Amelia couldn’t see anything but a rack of Styrofoam to-go boxes. They chose a booth in the corner near the door so they could easily see outside. A waitress appeared from the back. She leaned over the counter, not even bothering to come to their table. “You kids want anything?” “Just two waters, please,” Amelia called. “And a hamburger!” Levi added. “Our dad is coming.” “Sure he is,” the waitress replied in a tone that suggested she did not, in fact, believe Levi one bit. She pushed open the kitchen doors and shouted their order to the cook in the back, disappearing from view with a flip of her ponytail. Amelia drummed her fingers on the table, chin resting in her other hand. “So if the demon is this Gary Thornwip guy, how do we help catch him? We’re nowhere close to the gate and we don’t have any weapons.” “I don’t know,” Levi said impatiently, staring out the window as though he could will his dad to appear. “Maybe Dad will know. He and Mom have caught ghosts away from the gates before.” “But have they caught a demon?” Levi didn’t seem to have an answer to this and shrugged. “If Hades only gives them an hour to catch a ghost or demon, does that mean

he’s out there helping Ted?” She looked at her wrist before realizing she wasn’t wearing a watch. “It has to have been an hour by now.” Levi shrugged again. He was no good for any sort of conversation. Amelia sighed in exasperation and continued to drum her fingers. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Rest. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Rest. Levi’s hand stopped Amelia’s. “That’s going to drive me crazy.” “Aren’t you already?” she teased, but he didn’t laugh. Amelia sat on her hands and gazed around the room. She felt like she was the one going crazy. She needed to do something. Sitting in a booth waiting for Ted felt like torture. Shouldn’t they be coming up with a plan to help him? Maybe they could even find the demon on their own. The thought made Amelia’s hands sweat, and she wiped them off on her pants. She hated being scared. She would do whatever it took to make the feeling go away, even if that meant running headlong into the very thing that caused her panic. Tired of feeling ive, Amelia slid out of the booth and swiped a pen from by the cash . She flattened a crumpled napkin at their table, pen hovering just above it. “What are you doing?” Levi finally asked after a few minutes of silence. “Planning,” Amelia responded. Levi propped his head in his hands. “Fine. Fine. I’m sorry. I just… I get kind of quiet when I’m freaked out. I don’t stay calm like you.” Amelia laughed. “I’m not calm. I’m just better at hiding it sometimes.” She pointed her pen at Levi. “If we can’t catch this demon at the LaLaurie Mansion, where’s the next best place?” “I don’t know—” “Yes you do! You know loads more than I do.” Amelia looked down at the napkin. On it she had written the three keys to catching a demon: light, gun,

wire. “Where can we get a lot of light?” “Maybe down in the Quarter somewhere?” “Hmmm… too many tourists, I think. What about City Park? There’s a lot of light at the putt-putt place.” “That could—” Amelia heard the clatter of pots and pans hitting the floor. She looked toward the kitchen door, but no one emerged. “Should we check on our water?” she asked, throat suddenly dry. Levi squirmed in his seat. “Forget that, here he comes!” A hooded stranger struggled to open the door. Amelia almost got up to help him, but then Stranger danger flashed across her mind and she settled back into her chair. The figure finally wrestled the door open and slid into a seat a few booths away, facing Amelia. “Never mind.” Levi slumped, defeated. “City Park?” Amelia questioned, trying to bring Levi back to planning. For a few moments he had been distracted of worrying. She began sketching what she could of the layout of the putt-putt area. “Yea,” Levi replied, less interested now. “That could work.” “I don’t think that’s enough light though, so we’ll need the gun or the wire.” “Dad has the gun.” “So we’ll get the wire then.” Amelia drew a rough sketch of City Park’s miniature golf course, placing light poles haphazardly on the crude diagram. “But how do we get the wire?” She slumped back in her seat. “And how do we turn on the lights.” Amelia felt the sudden urge to rip up the napkin. This was all too complicated. For every answer there were a dozen more questions. She had learned how to

catch a ghost only hours ago. How was she supposed to catch a demon now? “I really need some water,” she muttered, looking again to the kitchen. She folded the napkin and slid it into her sock. Levi wasn’t good for any more planning, and neither was she. Her gaze came to rest on the hooded figure, who never bothered to look for the waitress or call out for help. She could just glimpse a pale face underneath. He hadn’t moved since he sat down, an awkward stone monument looking in her direction. “I’m going to call him,” Levi announced, hitting Ted’s name on the phone’s list. The stranger jumped. His phone had started ringing at the same time. He scrambled to find it in the folds of his jacket. Amelia blinked in confusion, looking between her brother and the stranger. “No answer.” Levi shut the phone. “That’s weird.” The stranger stilled. His phone no longer rang. “Levi, I think we should go,” Amelia whispered. She slid to the end of the booth and stood. The stranger did the same. “Levi, now!” The stranger smiled. Amelia turned and tried to open the door, but it was stuck. The lock was engaged too high for Amelia to reach. “Levi!” she screamed. The stranger advanced. He threw back his hood to reveal a gaunt face, skin stretched tight over the bone. His light blond hair hung lank to his shoulders and his bright red eyes pierced Amelia’s heart.

She shuddered and reached shakily toward Levi, who had frozen in fear before the specter. The stranger smiled now, taut skin stretching further over his skeletal frame. “Levi. Run. Now!” Amelia pushed him forward. He stumbled past a chair and then broke into a run, diving over the countertop and scrambling into the kitchen. Amelia darted the opposite way, jumping on top of the seat she had just vacated. She ran across the top of seats and tables lined back to back, slipping on napkins and silverware. The stranger reached out to grab her. His fingers skimmed the hem of her dress. Amelia tripped. She slid across the table and cut her hand on a steak knife. Blood flowed down her wrist as she cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Quick footsteps approached behind her. Amelia scooted away from the stranger. He looked at her hand, red with blood, and something odd flickered in his eyes – maybe concern? But his eyes traveled back to her face, and Amelia was sure she had just imagined it. There was nothing in those red eyes now. Not concern. Not fear. Not hate. His eyes were dead, devoid of emotion. “Figured it out yet?” he asked. His voice was low and raspy. “Surely you’ve realized by now. Ted isn’t coming.” The stranger pulled Ted’s phone out of his pocket and dropped it in her lap. He shot his hand forward as if to grab her, but Amelia ducked, flinching. “Levi!” she cried. She heard a grunt and a thud. Opening her eyes again, Amelia saw the figure crumpled at her feet. Levi stood over him, wielding a skillet. His arms fell and he dropped the skillet to the floor with a heavy clang. Amelia scrambled to her feet. She took a napkin from the table and held it to the palm of her hand. “You’re hurt?” Levi asked. He stepped over the stranger to inspect her hand.

“No time! We have to get rid of him.” Amelia picked up the skillet, debating whacking the unconscious figure once more for good measure. “But who is he?” Levi asked. He took the skillet from Amelia and set it on a table. “Here, grab his other arm.” Together, they dragged the stranger into the kitchen. Amelia’s palm stung, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on. Levi guided them into the freezer where they laid the stranger behind boxes of overripe vegetables. “He did something to Ted,” Amelia said. She kicked the stranger’s foot. He kidnapped Darlene, too, she realized. Levi bit his lip in thought. “We can’t interrogate him. He won’t answer our questions, and he’s too strong. I got lucky knocking him out like that.” “So what do we do?” “We’ll shut him in. When he wakes up hopefully he’ll be too groggy to get out. And then maybe Dad will be able to—” Levi stopped short. He suddenly turned, pulling Amelia after him. He slammed the freezer door shut. “Where are the cook and waitress?” Amelia asked. Levi pointed to the opposite corner of the kitchen. The cook and waitress lay together in an unconscious pile. The stranger must have knocked them out before coming for Levi and Amelia. The demon, she corrected herself after a shudder of realization. That’s why he was covered in clothes. He couldn’t have touched us, otherwise. Amelia tried to take her brother’s arm, but he shrugged out of her grip. She followed him out into the dining area and stopped short when he fell into a chair. “We’ll find them,” she said in her most comforting voice. “Both of them.” Levi set his head on the table. His arms hung lank at his sides. “What do we do

now?” Amelia was at a loss for what more she could tell him. Nothing would lift Levi’s spirits. But then, there was a rap on the diner’s door. “Look!” she shouted, nudging her brother until he finally raised his head. Ted stood at the door, attempting to open it but having no luck. Finally, he knocked again, giving them a little wave. “Dad!” Levi yelled, climbing on top of a chair to reach the door lock. “Levi,” Ted sighed in relief. He burst through the door and encircled his son in a tight hug. He beckoned for Amelia to them. “That demon jumped me and stole my phone,” he muttered into their hair. “How did you escape and find us?” Amelia asked. “I had a pocketknife, but it took me some time to actually get it out of my pocket,” Ted snorted. “As for finding you, Darlene and I put a GPS tracker on Levi’s bike — yours, too, Amelia — in case anything ever happened while you guys were out riding. I’ve got a laptop in the truck I used to find you.” Ted waved aside the explanation. “The important thing is that we’re together now. Speaking of which, why are you not at home where I asked you to be?” He leaned back, looking them full in the face. Levi’s eyes widened. “The demon must have told us to come here. We thought we were texting with you!” he defended himself. “But Dad, we have him. He’s in the freezer, come on!” Levi tried to drag Ted to the kitchen, which was about as effective as trying to move a building with his bare hands. “I’m not going in there with either of you. Stay here.” Ted paused and looked down. “Amelia, what happened to your hand?” Amelia hid her hand behind her back. “Nothing. I’m fine. Go!” She nudged Ted toward the kitchen door.

Ted squeezed them one last time and disappeared into the kitchen. “He’s in the freezer?” he shouted. “Yeah, behind some boxes,” Levi replied. “There’s no one here.” Amelia and Levi shared a nervous look and then ran into the kitchen. The freezer was empty. “No! But… how?” Levi stammered. “Side door,” Ted answered, pointing to a door partially blocked by the cook and waitress. It was swinging open in the slight breeze. He walked over and peeked out. “There’s a small alley back here.” He shut the door, careful to step over the diner’s employees. “What do we do now?” Levi asked. “We go home, kiddo. Not much we can do right now.” Levi sighed and followed his dad out of the kitchen. Amelia brought up the rear, looking at the destruction they’d left behind. The kitchen was okay for the most part, but pots and pans were scattered across the floor. As she entered the dining area, the events of the night suddenly hit her. She grabbed her throbbing hand. Chairs were thrown around the room, tables and benches askew from Amelia running atop them. She didn’t even causing such a mess. At the time she had just wanted to survive. Ted gestured to her from the front door. She followed along and climbed into the backseat of his truck. He and Levi had already put the bike in the truck bed. She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. She didn’t realize life with the Gates would be so dangerous. Is this what I signed up for?

Twelve

Amelia woke to the sound of arguing. She was tucked in bed and the clock on her nightstand read 10:03 in blaring red digits. Her hand throbbed. It was wrapped tightly in white gauze, a thin red line showing where it had continued bleeding. The moonlit room spun as she tried to sit up. “Ted?” she called feebly. “Levi?” The arguing abruptly stopped. Footsteps pounded quickly up the stairs. “Hey, kiddo.” Ted opened the door slowly. The light from the hallway blinded Amelia, turning Ted into a looming shadow as he entered the room and sat gingerly on the edge of her bed. “That cut of yours was worse than I thought. How are you feeling?” “I’m okay,” she lied. “Can I get some water? My head hurts.” “Here.” Levi appeared at her side, water already in hand. Amelia gulped it down and her headache slowly receded. She set the glass on her nightstand as her eyes adjusted to the light. “How long was I out?” “Maybe thirty minutes. You feel asleep as soon as we got in the car. Are you sure you feel okay?” Ted asked, pushing Amelia’s hair tenderly behind her ear. “Maybe we should take you to the emergency room.” “I’m fine, I promise.” Amelia waved away Ted’s attempts to feel her forehead. “I’m fine.” She pushed aside the covers that trapped her legs and shakily stood. “See? Fine. I’m just hungry.” Ted and Levi followed Amelia downstairs into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple from the counter, ignored her taste buds screaming in disgust, and sat in a seat by the dining room table.

“So what are we going to do?” She chewed quickly, trying to get the apple’s Styrofoam-stale taste out of her mouth. Levi glared at Ted from across the room. “We,” he drawled, “aren’t allowed to do anything. We have to stay here, ‘out of harm’s way.’” Amelia looked back at Ted and raised her eyebrows. He was staring at the ceiling, nostrils flaring, probably trying to rein in his temper. “Yes, Levi, thank you.” Ted looked down at Amelia and his gaze softened. “I want you two to stay here. To stay safe.” He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, it sucks. Yes, Levi, I know I just said ‘sucks.’” Levi snapped his gaping mouth shut and returned to his glower. “But I can’t focus on finding Darlene if I’m also watching you two,” Ted said. “You can help from behind the scenes.” “That’s what we were doing!” Levi burst. “We found you a lead and you don’t even care!” “I do care, Levi. I just don’t know how realistic it is that this old high school flame of hers has anything to do with it. But—” Ted held up his hand to stop Levi from interrupting. “I will look into it. I have an idea of where this demon might have gone, so I’m going to check into that first. Then I will follow up with your Gary Thornwick theory.” “Thornwip,” Levi muttered. Amelia abandoned her half-eaten apple on the table and stood. “All right. We’ll stay.” Levi stared at her, betrayal written across his disbelieving face. “Thank you,” Ted said in relief. He took her bandaged hand in his gloved one. “I won’t ever let anything happen to you again, okay.” “I know. I’m fine,” Amelia repeated for the fourth time. She slipped her hand away from Ted’s. “Go. We’ll stay here.”

Ted gave her and a stiff Levi each a quick hug. “Keep your phone on you, please.” He handed the phone to Amelia, who quickly slipped it into her sock with all her other trinkets. “Mine’s dead, so you can’t call me. If anything happens, call the police and have them pick you up. Make up a story if you have to. Hades can sort it out for us later.” He grabbed a bag leaning against the front door. “The most important thing is for you two to be safe.” He nodded once more to his kids and slipped out into the night. As soon as the door shut, Levi rounded on her. “Why did you say that? I thought we were a team! I thought we were friends.” “We are friends,” Amelia said, taken aback at how angry Levi seemed. His nostrils flared at her words. “But do you want Ted to waste any more time refusing to take you with him, or do you want him to go out and find your mom? Our mom,” she amended. “Ted’s as stubborn as you are when it comes to family. I’ve barely been here a day and even I know that.” Anger morphed into shame on Levi’s face. He saw Amelia’s discarded apple sitting on the table and picked it up. “You know, I don’t like apples either. I don’t know why Mom buys them.” He tossed the apple into the garbage can next to the counter. “Do you like mac and cheese?” Amelia scoffed. “Do I like mac and cheese? Step aside and let the master show you how it’s done.”

Fifteen minutes later, Amelia and Levi stood at the stove, stirring macaroni noisily into a boiling pot of water. Milk and cheese powder coated the counter. “So I had to pick: play a sport or play an instrument.” Levi stirred the congealed noodles. “I didn’t really want to do either. I mean, sports are cool and all, but I’m almost as clumsy as you.” “Hey!” Amelia whacked him with a wooden spoon, but he dodged out of the way. “I know I’m amazing at pretty much everything, so this may come as a shock to you, but I can’t keep a beat to save my life. I hated playing, but Mom and Dad had just bought me a drum set, so I felt bad. But then I came home from school

one day and it was gone. A soccer ball and pair of cleats were in its place.” “And you’re better at soccer than you are at the drums?” Amelia drained the noodles of what little water was left in the pot. Levi shrugged. “It’s not too hard. I was that bad.” Levi was still talking when Amelia heard a soft thud coming from the ceiling directly above their heads. “Did you hear something?” she asked. “I thought I heard something.” “No,” Levi replied. He turned the stove off and crept into the living room. “Nothing here.” Amelia stood still. There it is again! A sliding sound came from above. My bedroom. Amelia looked at the ceiling. She couldn’t if her window had been open, and if it was closed, had it been locked? “Levi?” she whispered. “I’m here.” He came back into the kitchen and took her hand. He flicked the lights off and drew them into a corner. “Stay here, I’m going to check it out.” “No, wait!” But he was already gone, melting into the shadows of the kitchen. Amelia crossed her arms, sliding down the wall until she sat on the floor, making herself as small as possible. She lost track of how long Levi had been gone. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered to herself. Goose bumps pricked her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, like sentinels waiting for an attack. “I’m not.” “You can keep telling yourself that, my darling girl, but we both know it isn’t true.” Amelia jumped. Sitting next to her against the wall was a ghost. No, the demon! He turned his pale, drawn face toward her, his cold, red eyes gleaming. His cheekbones were sharp as mountain peaks, and his lips broke into a crooked grin. A gloved hand clapped over Amelia’s mouth and stifled her screams.

“Now, now, there’s a sport,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you if you promise to behave. Do you promise?” Amelia nodded, shaking. She pushed the ghost’s hand from her mouth and leaned back. “What do you want?” The ghost sighed. He stood and spun one of the dining room chairs around. He plopped into it, motioning for Amelia to do the same. She twitched her head nervously and stood, aching to run but knowing she’d barely make it three steps before the ghost would have her. She rubbed her bandaged palm, ing how quickly he had followed her in the diner. “I’m not sure I can answer that quite yet.” His voice rasped low and cutting. She felt it draw across her skin like a knife. Threatening. Deadly. The ghost looked away, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. “Are you happy, Amelia?” “I—” Amelia didn’t know what to say. This was the last thing she expected the demon to ask her. “I’m sorry about your hand.” He gestured toward her mummified palm. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.” “What do you want?” Amelia repeated. “Where’s Darlene?” Footsteps rang on the stairs. “There’s no one up there,” Levi shouted down. “But your window was open. Maybe it was a bat or—” He halted. The dim light of the moon coming through the kitchen window illuminated Amelia standing with the ghost behind her, his arm around her neck.

Thirteen

Amelia tried to gulp. The pressure of his forearm against her throat made it difficult to breathe. She gripped his arm with what strength she had. It wasn’t enough. Levi couldn’t take on the demon alone. And if she didn’t escape soon, she would probably out from lack of oxygen. “Please,” Levi said. “Let her go.” “You know, I don’t think I will.” The demon walked toward Levi, a sort of shuffling gait with Amelia between them. Her head was forced upward at an awkward angle so she couldn’t see the floor. “We were having a nice talk before you interrupted us, and I’d prefer to continue it without you.” They had almost reached the front door. Amelia began to scratch and pull at the demon’s arm, but he didn’t so much as flinch. As he leaned with one arm outstretched to open the door, Amelia pretended to faint, letting her dead weight carry her to the floor as her captor loosened his arm in surprise. Amelia, free from his grip, dove toward Levi. She grabbed his arm, dragging him toward the stairs. “Come on!” She could hear the demon chuckle in surprise. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that he stood in the open doorway. “You are something else, Amelia,” he said. “But you realize you’ve just trapped yourself. Past me is the only way out.” She scowled and looked away, shoving Levi up the steps. “This way,” she said, pushing Levi into her room at the top of the stairs. He stumbled blindly into the darkness, groping for the light switch. “Well, now we’re trapped!” he cried, flinging his hands into the air. “Why did you bring us here?” Amelia rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you’d think you’d never been chased by a

demon before.” She paced the floor of her room. Think Amelia, think. You’ve needed to escape your room before. What did you do then? More than once, Ms. Kingsley had chased Amelia to her room in a rage. Most recently because she had refused to get her foster mother more beignets from the pantry. Amelia hadn’t wanted Ms. Kingsley to find out she had eaten the last one, so instead of telling her so, she had asked ‘Haven’t you had enough already?’ This had spurred Ms. Kingsley out of her chair faster than Amelia had ever seen her move. Running to her room, she had slammed the door closed and climbed out the window to the roof. No adult ever suspected someone escaping to the roof. Always do what’s least expected. She glanced toward her bedroom window. The Gates’ house had no drainpipe to crawl up to get on the roof. But she did have a window box. This could work… Amelia flung open her closet and grabbed the easel Ted and Darlene had bought her. It was made of sturdy wood and could fit a large canvas. It would have to do. Levi groaned. “What are you doing?” Footsteps on the stairs caused them both to pause. “He’s coming,” Levi whispered. “Move! Move!” Amelia stood at her window, tossing the flowers in the window box into the bushes below. “Sorry, flowers,” she said, thinking guiltily of Darlene. She propped the easel in the flower box and leaned it against the side of the house. Pretending it was a ladder, she stepped onto the base that normally held her canvases and scrambled against the side of the house to reach the edge of the roof. Gripping the edge, she swung her legs like a pendulum until her foot hit the lip of the roof, where she was able to pull herself up and over the ledge. She sat up in a crouch and looked down at Levi, staring incredulously back at her from the window. “Okay, your turn,” she gasped. “I can’t do that!” he said.

A sudden banging on her door made them both jump. Levi reluctantly cringed. “Okay, okay, I’m coming.” Amelia watched as Levi shakily ascended, ready to grab and pull him up should he fall. But as he put his full weight onto the easel, she heard a sharp crack. Eyes wide, he lunged upward, managing to grab the roof with the bare tips of his fingers before the easel followed the flowers to the ground in bits of broken wood. “I’ve got you!” Amelia threw herself forward, grabbing Levi’s other flailing hand. But there was nowhere to gain traction and she felt herself slipping forward off the sloping roof as Levi pulled, trying to bring himself up. “Grab the roof! The roof!” she screeched. Levi managed to let go and grab the roof, using his strength and fear to pull himself up without swinging. Amelia leaned back just in time to give him room as below her door slammed open. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the demon sang. Amelia heard crashing sounds as the demon destroyed her room searching for their hiding place. “Ah, did we sneak outside, perhaps?” “This way,” Amelia whispered, dragging Levi to his feet. They tiptoed backwards over the peak of the roof and onto the other side. “He’ll think we dropped down instead of climbing up. Gets them every time.” “But… how?” Levi asked, clutching his side and trying to catch his breath. “If you’re trying to run away, why would you ever go on the roof?” “I guess that’s fair,” he said. He looked around and finally sat back down. “Now what?” “That’s the hard part. I wanted to bring the easel with us. Once the demon left we’d just use the easel like a ladder again and crawl back through my window. Now we have to find another way down to the shed and get the bikes.” She stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the backyard. “Well… bike.”

Levi pointed to a big live oak on the property. “We can go down that tree. I used to climb it all the time.” ‘That’ tree was close to the house, but with branches so brittle near the roof Amelia didn’t see how they’d be able to climb down without falling or making so much noise the demon would find them before they made it to the ground. Amelia lay on the roof with her head peeking over the edge. The windows facing the backyard didn’t have window boxes, so there’d be no escaping that way. “Or,” Amelia suggested, as her eyes alighted on a potential solution, “we can climb down the trellis.” The trellis in question was a white grid of thin wood that stopped a few feet below the roof. Vines clung to the crisscrossed pattern, anchoring it against the house. “That’s not very sturdy,” Levi said, peering over the edge and eyeing the trellis with distrust. “We’d have to be flying squirrels to get to your tree,” she countered. “The trellis is much closer.” Levi set his mouth in a grim line. “Fine,” he answered, “but I’m going first.” He pushed Amelia back and hovered on the edge of the roof. Turning to face Amelia and lay on his stomach, he muttered under his breath things Amelia was pretty sure he wasn’t allowed to say. A loud crash resounded from the other side of the house. Panic spiked through her core, giving her a rush of adrenaline. Her palms began to sweat. They couldn’t wait much longer. Levi continued to scoot backward off the edge of the roof, until only his arms and head were visible. Amelia leaned over to guide him where to put his feet. “There,” she said, once he had managed to dig his toes into one of the square openings of the trellis. “Now just take one hand at a time…” She pried one of his hands loose from the roof, forcing him to reach down below. “And the other…” She breathed a sigh of relief as Levi clung, shaking, to the wobbling structure.

“This isn’t as stable as we thought.” His voice was an urgent whisper. “Wait ‘til I get down first.” Amelia waited, listening to his soft grunts and exclamations, trying not to imagine him losing his balance and falling to the unforgiving ground. If either of them fell, there’d be no bushes to break the landing, just the hard, green earth. “Okay, come down. I’ll wait here.” Amelia inched her way backward, the feeling of nothing beneath her feet, and then her shins, her knees. Her stomach dropped. She bit her lip so hard the taste of coppery blood flooded her mouth. The trellis was farther down than she realized, and being a good six inches shorter than Levi, there was no way she could keep her arms on the roof and still reach the trellis with her feet. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to slip farther down, until only her hands gripped the edge. The rough shingles cut into her bandage, causing her hand to bleed freely once more. A small drop of blood hit her forehead, startling her eyes open. “Levi,” she gasped, unable to shout any louder without drawing the demon toward them. “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Just a little bit farther. You’re close.” “Levi, I can’t hold on!” Amelia clutched the roof’s edge by the tips of her fingers. She made one last effort to touch the trellis, but in that same moment, she slipped free and fell to the ground below. “Oomph!” she grunted as Levi caught her. They tumbled to the ground in a pile. She heard a sickening crack as Levi groaned into her back. She scrambled off him, but he lay on the ground, unmoving. His eyes were fixed at the sky as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. “Levi! What’s wrong?” Amelia dropped to her knees beside her brother. His eyes roved wildly, and he made odd sounds, somewhere between a gasp and moan. Managing to point to his chest, then his wrist, which was bent at an odd angle, Amelia pieced together what was wrong. Not only had she knocked the

breath out of her brother, she had also broken his wrist. Now he was panicking and it was entirely her fault. An agonizing minute slithered by as Levi struggled to regain control of his breath. Amelia dragged him behind the shed. There were no longer any sounds from the house, so Amelia prayed the ghost had left. Levi was slowly catching his breath, but he didn’t seem any less calm. His hand hung limply, and he couldn’t move his fingers without his face draining of all color. “We can try to splint it?” Amelia suggested, not quite sure what a splint even was. “Later,” he answered. His voice cracked with pain. “Bike. Now.” Amelia opened the shed slowly, trying to keep the rusty door hinges from screeching too much. Her hand was on Levi’s bike before she stopped in horror. Levi’s wrist was broken at worst, sprained at best. Either way, he wouldn’t be able to steer a bike with someone riding on the pegs. Slowly she walked the bike outside and looked at Levi. He looked down at his useless hand and back at the bike. “Well,” she said with false cheer, “I had to learn sooner or later, right?” Amelia took a quick practice pedal behind the shed, but there wasn’t room to do much more than a few feet in one direction before she had to get off, turn the bike around, and go the opposite way. “You’re a natural,” Levi said through gritted teeth. He had already attempted to give Amelia a few pointers, but gave up when she ran into the same tree three times in a row. “Good enough,” she said, dazed from her third impact. “We need to get you a splint, or a brace, or whatever. Should we go to the hospital?” “No!” Levi exclaimed as they ran next to the bike through the front gate. There had been no sign of the ghost for ten minutes, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still in the house, waiting for them to reappear. “They’ll want to know how I broke it and where Mom and Dad are. We can’t risk it.”

“Fine,” Amelia replied, “but promise me that the second we find Ted or Darlene we’re going to the hospital.” She waited for him to nod and was surprised when he did without further argument. “Good. Now hop on. I’m ready.” She straddled the bike as Levi stepped onto the pegs. Her hands sweat profusely on the handlebars, but she refused to remove one to dry it. The bandage Ted had so painstakingly fixed for her now blew in tatters in the wind, though her hand seemed to have stopped bleeding for the moment. Her shaking legs cranked the pedals. She stared only at the ground directly before her. “Stop sign!” Levi shouted. Amelia looked up just in time to almost avoid hitting it. Levi hopped off the bike before the crash, which left Amelia sitting on the ground with the bike on top of her, wheels still spinning. “I’m fine,” she lied as Levi tried one-handed to pull the bike off her. She shoved it away, looking with dismay at the scratches marring Levi’s prized possession. “Dad will fix it,” he said confidently, though she could see by the way he wouldn’t look directly at her or the bike that he was trying not to be upset about it. “Let’s go.”

They rode straight toward the French Quarter since Amelia knew it best. “We need to go a couple different places,” Amelia panted. “Just in case the demon is following. We can lose him in the Quarter.” “Plus there’s tons of stuff going on down there right now. Losing him should be easy.” Levi’s voice was still filled with pain and Amelia was wracked with a fresh bout of guilt. She nodded along, pretending like she didn’t feel horrible at the night’s turn of events, and distracted herself by planning all of the places they could stop on their way. Her legs felt like cement blocks, and each push of the pedals grew slower and slower. She took a detour through Lafayette Square, taking care to

weave clumsily around the central statue. “How can the demon track us? Can he smell us or sense where we are or something?” “I don’t know,” Levi itted. “I’ve never been hunted before.” “Awesome,” Amelia muttered. She didn’t want to be mean, but she couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed at the Gates for not preparing their son in case something like this happened. “Guess I’ll keep pedaling then.” “What?” Levi asked. “Nothing,” she replied, forcing her frustration away. It wasn’t Levi’s fault he couldn’t answer her questions. But when she got Ted and Darlene back, they were going to have a long talk about training their kids for this kind of danger. She let out a sigh of relief once Camp Street became Chartres Street. Finally, she was back on her home turf. She knew each street like she knew her own name. They were part of her, and she knew just where to go to lose the demon – if a demon could be lost, anyway. Amelia took a quick right on Iberville and a left on Decatur, ignoring the shouts of complaint from a couple dressed as vampires. Perfect, she thought. It’s still going on. “Where are we?” Levi asked as the crowd thickened from one pair of vampires to twenty. They all seemed to be milling in and out of an alleyway between two brick buildings. House of Blues was written on a sign suspended across the alley. “It’s a big vampire party,” Amelia explained, trying to weave through the throngs of midnight revelers, but hitting nearly everyone in the process. “Hey!” a girl with blue hair shouted, hissing at them with her fake fangs. “Watch it!” yelled another who Amelia had run into directly with the bike. “You watch it!” Amelia shouted back, glaring at the man in a top hat and fangs until he stepped aside. She continued pedaling, no longer caring who she ran into.

“You’re kinda scary,” Levi said once they were out of sight of the vampires and rode against traffic up Decatur Street. “I really hate riding a bike,” Amelia replied through gritted teeth. She wasn’t sure if she would make it much farther. The crabby vampires had to have been enough to lose the demon, but if they weren’t, the tourists at her favorite beignet café surely would. Plus, she wouldn’t mind devouring a beignet or two. She thought longingly of the uneaten macaroni and cheese and her stomach growled. Okay, maybe three beignets. But that’s it. The streets were crowded with costumed partiers as Amelia finally pulled the bike to a stop and half-climbed half-fell off of it. The café stood before them, bright lights shining in the early hours of the morning, its green awnings flapping in the chilly wind. A line at least ten feet long emerged from the entrance. People huddled close together, trying to keep warm as they nursed cups of coffee, waiting for the world-famous beignets. The smell of warm powdered sugar and freshly fried dough put everyone in a drooling daze. “Maybe we really should try to trap the ghost here,” Amelia said as she surveyed the brightly lit area. She shivered as the wind from the canal cut through the thin sleeves of her dress. “No, you were right. There’s too many people,” Levi wrapped his good arm around her shoulders, pulling her close for warmth. “City Park will be better. Emptier.” Amelia’s stomach growled again. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” She left her brother sitting on a bench, clutching his broken wrist to his chest. Hoping no one saw her, she slipped around the back of the building and tapped on a side door with a glass window that led to the kitchen. A man covered in powdered sugar from his fluffy gray mustache to the tips of his black boots looked over. His face lit up. “Amelia!” He exclaimed, opening the door and ushering her inside. “What are you doing out so late! Does Ms. Kingsley know?” “Hey, Franz,” Amelia smiled, giving the older man a quick hug around his large middle. “I don’t live with Ms. Kingsley anymore. I got adopted!”

Franz chuckled. “Well, that’s cause for celebration! How many beignets do you want? Two? Three?” “Umm, could I have six?” she asked sheepishly. “My new brother is with me.” Franz smiled, dropping six beignets into a white paper bag. “Not getting into trouble, I hope.” “We’re trying very hard to stay out of it, actually.” Franz looked the disheveled Amelia over. “Are you sure you’re okay, little one?” “Promise,” Amelia grinned falsely. She held up her pinky to the baker, who took it in his own. “Be safe, Amelia. And don’t eat those all at once. what happened last time.” “I won’t!” she called as she ran out the door, waving behind her at Franz, who was still looking at her with concern. “See you later!”

Amelia dropped the bag of beignets on Levi’s lap, licking her fingers of the three she had already devoured. “Dinner is served.” “How did you get these?” He looked with wonder in the open bag. The rich, warm aroma of the soft dough wafted into his face. “You don’t have any money.” She shrugged. “I know a guy.” In truth, Amelia had known Franz for as long as she had lived with Ms. Kingsley. Every week she had been made to bring back a large bag of the dessert. Once, when Amelia had eaten one from the bag before getting home, Ms. Kingsley had forced her to walk back down to the café in the dead of night to replace it. Ever since, Franz had always slipped Amelia an extra so she’d never get in trouble. She felt guilty now for leaving Franz with no explanation as to what was going on. He was sure to worry about her. I’ll come back when this is all over, so he knows I’m okay. Maybe I’ll introduce him to Ted and Darlene.

“I’d do anything for these beignets,” Levi said through a full mouth. “You and me both.” Amelia grinned, feeling much happier with food in her stomach. “Where to now?” “I have an idea,” Levi said, shoving the last beignet in his mouth. He crumpled the bag and tossed it into a trashcan. “Come on, it’s not that far.”

‘Not that far’ turned out to be another mile of bike riding and narrowly running people over. “It’s midnight!” Amelia shouted at a ing couple, who had waved their fists at her for almost hitting them. “Go home already!” “Once my wrist is fixed, I’m never letting you ride again. You turn violent.” “Yeah, well, maybe you should have thought about that before you broke it in the first place.” “Hey, you landed on me.” “Yeah, well –” Amelia trailed off, too busy concentrating. “We’re here!” Levi said, jumping off the bike. Amelia swerved from the sudden lack of weight and ran directly into a red brick pillar, behind which stood rows upon rows of mausoleums. The French Quarter cemeteries were a popular tourist destination, and therefore widely avoided by the locals. Amelia found it weird that people would want to take pictures of other people’s graves. It wasn’t as if they knew the person who was entombed there. And the mausoleums weren’t necessarily pretty. Most were covered in greenish-gray grime with weeds sprouting from their rooftops. She still couldn’t figure that one out. “St. Louis Cemetery No. 2? This is where you wanted to go?” There was just enough room between the bottom of the gate and the ground for her and Levi to slide underneath. Once inside, Levi led her with astonishing swiftness to a particular mausoleum,

covered in flowers and ornaments as an offering to its inhabitant. “Who’s in here?” Amelia asked, unable to read the name in the dark. “Marie Laveau,” Levi answered as he moved some of the flowers and made room for them to sit on the ground. “You know who she is, right?” “Of course I do,” Amelia rolled her eyes. “She’s the ‘voodoo queen.’” She sat down quietly next to Levi, taking care not to disturb any of the offerings. She was already in trouble with one of the dead that night; she didn’t need to make it two. “How do you know about this place?” she asked. She drew aimlessly on the dirty concrete beside her as she tried to slow her racing mind. “I didn’t think kids outside the Quarter ever came to these cemeteries.” Levi shrugged. “I’ve been on a school tour here once or twice. I’ve just always liked it. It’s peaceful.” He stretched, gasping as he jostled his wrist, and leaned gently back against the mausoleum. “We’ll be safe here while we come up with a plan.” Amelia brought the napkin from the diner out of her sock. It was damp with sweat, and she no longer had a pen, but it was something, at least. As she looked at her crude drawing, frustration welled inside of her. What good was she if she couldn’t help her new mother and father? They needed her, but looking at the map yielded nothing. No brilliant plans appeared in her mind’s eye, perfectly formulated and ready to be executed. That was how it always seemed to happen in the movies: every piece of the puzzle falling perfectly into place, the heroes riding off into the sunset, everyone happy and together. Whole. Shoving the napkin back in her sock, Amelia blew out an angry breath of air. Wholeness was something reserved for other kids. Not her. She was destined to be the one that made mistakes. That was too awkward. Too clumsy. Too Amelia. Together they sat in silence, at a loss for what to do next. The sky was cloudy, obscuring most of the stars, but the few that shone through were bright and illuminated the ground enough that they would at least be warned of someone coming. “Boo.”

Amelia and Levi shot up, both having dozed off in the comforting embrace of the night. A figure had materialized before them, so tall that the siblings had to crane their necks back to see his face. He wore a perfectly pressed pinstripe suit and held a fedora in his long, bony fingers. His skin was a rich black, deep and smooth and his smile was bright and dazzling. “Did I scare you?” the man asked with a chuckle. “Good, good. A healthy respect for your elders and superiors can never go awry.” His voice was whimsical but heavy. Amelia glanced at Levi, who gave the smallest of shrugs. She looked back at the man before her and noticed that he glowed around the edges. She had never seen a ghost do that. “Now, where did I misplace my cane? Oh—” He snapped and a cane appeared in his hands. “There we are. Now. Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Hades,” he announced with relish. He flipped his fedora in the air where it landed on his head, charmingly askew. “You’ve heard of me, I assume?” Neither Amelia nor Levi spoke. They sat stiff with shock as Hades bowed slightly, allowing sparks to flash from the tip of his cane. “Well, that’s odd, since your parents are employees of mine. I would think they had told you about me. Anyway, I’m here to offer a little advice. I can’t always directly interfere – rules limiting my power, checks and balances, blah blah blah. But,” Hades held his finger in the air triumphantly, “I can give you some tips. Roundabout ones, I might add. But possibly helpful, given the circumstances.” Hades looked at Levi, and with the quickness of a cobra, grabbed his broken wrist and gripped it tight, rapping it sharply with his cane. Levi yelled in pain and surprise, but then his eyes widened. He pulled back, wiggling his fingers and twisting his wrist deftly. “Th-thank you,” he stammered. Hades winked. “Don’t tell anyone I did that. Wouldn’t want people to think I’ve gone soft. Oh, and I guess I should do something for you, too.” The god of the Underworld looked Amelia up and down before waving his cane over her head. “There, that’ll do.”

“What did you do to me?” Amelia asked, feeling her body for changes. “Turned you into a slippery little snake.” White teeth flashed in a grin, and Amelia grinned back, albeit reluctantly. “Or your dress, anyway. No one will be able to catch you now. You’ll slide right through their fingers.” Who is this guy? “We’ll take any advice you have,” Levi interjected before Amelia could say something snarky. “Excellent!” Hades paced back and forth, gently tapping his cane against his knees with each step he took. “What to share? What to share?” Amelia could feel Hades sparking with electricity, and she shifted uncomfortably on the ground. What kind of underworld god emits sparks? Shouldn’t he be fire or ice or something? She exchanged a glance with Levi, who slyly twirled his finger by his head and mouthed, “This guy is crazy.” Luckily, Hades didn’t see, and Amelia ducked her head to hide her grin. “How about how to stop the demon and find Darlene?” Amelia asked once she had control of herself again. This guy sounded like those politicians Ms. Kingsley was always going on about – a lot of pretty words but no substance. And if she was being honest, he really did sound a little loony. “Well,” Hades responded, grin forced. He stopped pacing and turned slowly toward the children. A vein on his forehead appeared. He looked like an impatient parent trying hard not to lose their temper. “That’s more a job for the Gatekeepers. I wouldn’t want you two to get hurt.” “Well, if you haven’t noticed, the Gatekeepers here are a little busy.” Amelia wasn’t sure why this god grated on her nerves so much. She knew she should probably keep her mouth shut. He hadn’t been outright rude to them, but she could feel that something was off. People didn’t just show up and give gifts without asking for something in return. Ms. Kingsley had given her a house to live in and, in the beginning, cheap paints to use, but she had selfishly kept a majority of the money the state gave her for Amelia’s well-being. Not to mention she had tormented Amelia daily for being different. Other foster girls had offered

friendship, but expected Amelia to gossip about others, even though she didn’t want to. And those friendships had dried up faster than rain puddles in the summer heat. Even the Gates had expected Amelia to offer herself as their daughter in exchange for their love, hadn’t they? She couldn’t imagine they would want her to stick around if she didn’t officially their family. Sadness blossomed in her stomach, turning her anger into a heavy weight that sank her further into the steps she sat on. “Let’s leave the demon hunting to the professionals,” Hades replied diplomatically. “Ted is around here somewhere. Once I find him, he can catch the bad guy and you two can stay out of harm’s way.” “So how can you help us stay safe now if you won’t help us catch the demon?” Levi asked when Amelia didn’t reply. “I don’t think this demon is after Darlene,” Hades replied. “Ghost-napping her was a distraction. This demon is after something else. Someone else.” “Who?” Amelia asked. “You.” Amelia straightened. “Me?” She asked incredulously. “Why me?” Hades tapped his cane against his chin, thinking. “Ah, forget it. I’m already in the thick of it, might as well just show you.” Before Amelia could blink, Hades grabbed her arm and smacked his cane against the ground in a shower of sparks. Everything went black.

The acrid smell of smoke filled Amelia’s nostrils. She coughed and raised her hand to cover her mouth. Hades no longer held her arm. In fact, she was completely alone. The night formed itself into different shades of darkness. Objects took shape, and a dull color crept through the vision. She was standing on the front lawn of an old colonial-style house, white with black shutters and a large front porch. Fully grown oak trees were scattered across the yard, giving Amelia the

impression the owners were private people. It was all very beautiful, aside from one problem. Smoke spilled from every opening of the house. Red and orange flames licked up the curtains and shattered the windows. She took a step backward and suddenly found herself inside a bedroom. The smoke crawled up her nostrils, dark tendrils threatening to choke her. Sweat dripped from her forehead into her eyes. She dropped to her knees, heaving, before she realized she wasn’t alone. A baby, barely old enough to walk, stood in the crib before her. She had a fuzz of light blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. “Da?” the baby squeaked, looking through Amelia as though she wasn’t there. An inhuman roar came from downstairs. Amelia heard a crash as part of the house, weakened from the heat, collapsed. “Hades?” she croaked. She coughed and spat black tar onto the floor. “Da?” the baby called again. This time, though, there was an answer. “Miss me?” Hades suddenly appeared beside Amelia. “Wait for it…” A second Hades, this one wearing a fireman’s uniform, burst through the door. He stormed across the room, scooped up the baby, and disappeared. Amelia’s Hades gestured to the window, where she saw the fireman Hades reappear on the lawn and place the infant in the hands of a real fireman, walk behind the fire truck, and disappear. “What is this?” Amelia whispered. Her throat felt raw and broken. A memory tugged in her mind. She looked around the room again. A family photograph sat on the baby’s dresser. She reached over and picked it up to see a mother and father holding the baby. “But this—” She stopped. The father in the photograph was familiar. Fear prickled up her spine. “This is the demon?” Though she said it as a question, she knew with certainty that it was him. He had the same features and blonde hair, but his face was fuller and his hair wasn’t greasy and lank. He looks nice, she thought in surprise.

Hades nodded. “His name is Edgar.” “Edgar,” Amelia repeated. She wiped away the thin film of smoke that had already begun to stick to the glass. “And.” Her eyes stung, but wiping them only made it worse. She was covered in soot. “And the baby is…” “You, Amelia. Edgar is your father.

Fourteen

Amelia jumped as her mind fell back into the present. “What was that? What just happened?” Levi was shaking her hard. Her head snapped back and forth like a rag doll. “You went all glassy eyed and weird!” “Stop! Stop!” Amelia batted Levi away, afraid she was going to be sick. “I’m here; I’m fine!” She held her aching head in her hands. “What did you do to me?” Hades tapped her head lightly with his cane and the roaring in her ears ceased. “I took you into a memory of the night your family died.” “You did what?” Levi jumped to his feet, fists clenched. Amelia pulled him back down beside her. “It’s fine,” she breathed. It wasn’t fine, though. She felt nauseous, and it had nothing to do with having her mind snatched from her body and taken elsewhere. Her heart hurt. In less than five minutes, Hades had shown her how she had become an orphan. She shook with the pain of it. Hades knelt in front of Amelia and lifted her chin. “You needed to know.” “Did he do it? Was it Edgar’s – my father’s – fault?” She held her arms close to her chest. If she let go, she might crumble apart. “As far as I know there was faulty wiring in the house. Something caught fire.” Edgar waved his cane in a dismissive gesture. He took a deep breath and crouched until he was eye level with Amelia. “Things can look pretty on the outside and be broken on the inside.” Amelia wasn’t sure if they were still talking about the house. She blinked and looked away, struggling to fight past the emotions clawing their way up her throat. “And my mother?” she asked. “What about her? What was she like?”

“Victoria was the type of person that thought she could fix things through sheer willpower. She was possessive and demanding. In life they were quite the pair. In death they’re even worse.” Hades stood up and clasped his hands on the top of his cane, resting the end on the ground in another shower of sparks. A blade of grass lit on fire near Levi’s feet and Levi quickly stomped it out. “So why is Edgar after me now?” Hades dug his cane deeper into the dirt, staring intently at the ground as if it would swallow all three of them whole and solve everyone’s problems. “From what I understand they want to take you back to the Underworld to complete their family.” Amelia’s head snapped to Hades. “What?” He shrugged, meeting her gaze again. “They’re missing a piece of their collection. You’re the last piece they need to feel whole again.” Amelia shivered. She had wanted to be wanted, to be loved and desired. But she didn’t want to be possessed. That wasn’t love as far as she knew. “One last question: why did you save me?” she asked. “I’m somewhat of a seer,” Hades boasted. “That means I can see the future,” he added when Amelia scrunched her eyebrows at him. He smiled smugly. “It’s not foolproof, and things often change. But I foresaw you being a big deal in my future. To what extent, I wasn’t really sure. But I knew I couldn’t let you die.” Amelia closed her eyes, wanting to be anywhere else. She wanted to be alone. Away from Hades. Even away from Levi. She needed to think, but she couldn’t with so many eyes analyzing her body language, scrutinizing her every facial expression. “So what happens now?” Levi chimed in when Amelia didn’t speak. “Now, you two need to go somewhere safe while I find that father of yours. Both, actually,” Hades amended with a chuckle. “But we can help—”

“And get yourself killed? No, no, I don’t think so. I’d take you with me, but I may need to pop back down to the Underworld for a time, and if you ed me for too long… well, Ted and Darlene wouldn’t be happy. We’ll leave it at that.” “So where can we go? Nowhere is safe for us.” Hades thought for a moment. “Head back to the LaLaurie Mansion. I’ll have someone watch the other side of the gate for the time being. No ghost or demon will get through with her there. It’s not her job and she’s going to give me an earful about it but… you’ll be safe.” “With who there?” “Never you mind.” Hades tapped Levi’s shoulder. “Just head to the house and stay there until someone gets you.” With that final pronouncement, Hades bowed deeply and disappeared in a shower of sparks. For a long moment, neither Amelia nor Levi spoke. Amelia had never broken a bone in her body, but she had seen Levi in shock from the pain of his own broken wrist. She imagined it must have felt something like the way she felt now. She was only eleven. Twelve now, actually, she thought in surprise. She hadn’t even realized it was November 1 st. Her birthday. Thinking about her family was too much. Too much for her now twelve-year-old brain to handle without it shutting down against her will. Her brain felt like it was trudging through mud. Disted thoughts popped into her head without warning, and she struggled to connect them all. Why are my parents doing this to me? Why now when I finally have a chance to be happy? A hiccoughing sob rose in her throat. Before she could stop herself, tears fell hard and fast down her face. “I can’t,” she gasped in between shallow breaths. “I can’t.” Arms encircled her shoulders as she cried, and she tucked her head into Levi’s shoulder. His hands rubbed her back in slow circles. For how long, she wasn’t sure. But he never once shushed her or told her it was okay, and for that she was grateful. If there was ever a time to cry, it was now. And if there was ever a time that things were far from okay, it was most definitely at this very moment.

Eventually, her breathing returned to normal, only the occasional hiccup to indicate anything had been amiss. Her eyes were red, but no one would see in the dark. Rubbing the remaining wetness away, Amelia stood. “Let’s go,” she said shakily. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks when she saw the dark patch of tears and snot on Levi’s shirt. “I’m sorry.” Levi leaned over and gave his sister a quick kiss on the temple. “It’s okay, that’s the sleeve I wipe my nose with, anyway.” Amelia giggled. The laughter burst from her throat, quick and surprising. It felt good. She laughed again, reveling in the weightlessness of it, and followed Levi into the night.

Fifteen

The pair traveled much faster on the bike with Levi pumping the pedals and Amelia acting as navigator. Whisking down alleyways and side streets, they avoided the late-night stragglers still stumbling about at two in the morning. “You’re much nicer now that you’re not driving,” Levi said as he weaved through the thinning crowds. “Yea, well, they had been in my way.” Amelia shrugged, feeling slightly guilty at the guy she had yelled at earlier. In her defense, he really had been in the way. They hopped off the bike in front of the LaLaurie Mansion and waited for a couple of people dressed as turtles in sunglasses to before pushing open the gate. It didn’t budge. “Locked! Why didn’t we think of that?” Amelia kicked the gate. “Now what?” Levi chuckled. “Step aside.” He knelt in front of the lock and produced a bobby pin from his back pocket. “Keep an eye out, would ya?” Amelia half-heartedly watched the streets, but she knew anyone out this late would be too tired or acting too goofy to notice them. The only people that had paid them any attention all night were the ones she had run over hours earlier. “What are you doing?” “Shh.” Amelia rolled her eyes. A chilly breeze swept down the street, ruffling her hair and stroking her cheek. She wondered how they were going to take down Edgar. They had the barest bones of a plan that she was none too confident in. All of the adults that were supposed to take care of them were either kidnapped or off hunting the kidnapper. What’s the point of having a parent if they aren’t even here to parent? Amelia wondered.

Amelia felt the burden of saving Darlene. It was her fault, after all, that Darlene had been kidnapped. But why had he taken her and not gone straight for me? What’s his plan? She wasn’t worried about Edgar hurting her, not if he was planning on taking her to the Underworld to live as a family there. Amelia leaned against a post that ed the balcony of the second story. Curving ironwork decorated the underside of the balcony. Wicked-looking spikes, Romeo spikes, she vaguely recalled, protruded from the post above her head. If someone tried to break into the building from the second story, they would get quite a shock on their way back down. The perfect trap. A trap! Amelia jumped away from the pole. “Levi!” she exclaimed. “I think I know—” “Done!” Levi shouted at the same time, pocketing the now oddly bent bobby pin. The lock hung open on the gate, which Levi pushed aside, granting them entrance into the courtyard. “You’re welcome.” “Where did you learn to pick locks?” She asked as they locked the gate behind them and Levi quickly picked the second lock to get into the house. “Public school,” he replied with a wicked grin, gesturing for her to enter the foyer. “And YouTube.” “But why?” Amelia couldn’t imagine Levi ever needing to break into anything. Not like she had, anyway. When she got tired of waiting around for Ms. Kingsley on nights she got home late, Amelia had attempted to learn to pick locks, but had never succeeded. Rather than sit outside all night, she had learned to leave her window unlocked and how best to climb a drainpipe. Levi shrugged. They trudged up the stairs and into the room with the gate. It stood there, shimmering and silent. No signs of life or death emerged from the other side. “Mom and Dad spend a lot of time here. They would bring me, sometimes. But I wasn’t allowed to do or touch anything. I had to sit over in that corner,” Levi pointed to the corner they had occupied earlier, “and stay out of the way.” He looked darkly at the corner before turning away. “I know Mom and Dad didn’t mean anything by it. They wanted me around, but they also wanted me safe. But being safe is boring. So I learned how to pick locks. Now I can come here

anytime I want.” Amelia’s mouth quirked in an understanding smile. She had been physically safe with Ms. Kingsley, but she had also been bored out of her mind. Resorting to wandering the French Quarter and painting whenever she could, Amelia’s life had been one of solitude. She liked being alone, but it got old after a while. The danger that came with living with the Gates was exciting, if also nerve-wracking. As long as every day wasn’t like this one, she still thought that she would rather have the danger. Her eyes caught on the cameras in the corners of the room. Ted had mentioned that the cameras record when they aren’t there, but did they record when they are? “Do you know where the recording equipment is?” Levi waved his hand toward the stairs. “There’s a closet somewhere. I think it’s in there.” Amelia opened the door to the landing and saw another door directly across from her. Inside she found audiovisual equipment that she had no idea how to use. Sitting atop all of this was a TV monitor with a hazy picture of Levi, staring at the gate. If she figured out how to go back in time, she could probably find the moment when Darlene was abducted. She was about to call for Levi to help her when she realized that her brother watching his mother get attacked and ghost-napped might not be the best idea. It took her a few minutes on her own, but shortly, she found a button that sent the images skittering backward. The TV screen showed Ted and Darlene facing the gate, much like they had earlier in the day when they showed Amelia how to catch a ghost. They both looked weary, like this wasn’t the first ghost they had caught and returned since they had arrived. The gate shimmered and Edgar stepped through. Amelia tensed. Her biological father ran straight for Ted, no sign of exhaustion or fear. Ted aimed the gun and sprayed a fine mist over Edgar, but before the mist could touch him, Edgar evaporated into a haze of black smoke. “What?” Amelia said aloud, leaning closer toward the TV. Darlene and Ted had

mentioned that demons might have special powers. This must be Edgar’s. Edgar reappeared behind Ted and knocked into him hard. Ted flew forward and hit his head on the side of the gate with a resounding thud. Darlene came up behind Edgar, ready to fight him with her bare hands, but she was no match for him. They grappled while Ted lay stunned. Finally, just as Darlene was about to get away, Edgar grabbed the stun gun from the floor and sprayed the mist over both Ted and Darlene. Ted, who was struggling to get up, fell backwards, and Darlene dropped where she stood, unable to fight. Edgar tossed the gun aside. He stepped over Darlene to Ted, grabbing some rope that was hanging from his belt loop. He dragged Ted over to one of the chairs at the table and propped him up in it. Edgar bound him to the chair, barely giving him a second glance. When he had finished, he walked over to Darlene and threw her over his shoulder. “Come on, come on,” Amelia heard herself rooting for Darlene, even though she knew the outcome of this scene. “Move. Do something.” But she didn’t move. She wasn’t even able to look at Ted as she bounced against Edgar’s back as he left the room. Ice trickled down Amelia’s neck. She was glad, suddenly, that she hadn’t let Levi see this. And she hoped he never would. Fast-forwarding the tape back to the present, Amelia saw Levi now sitting in the very chair Ted had been tied to earlier. He had the deck of cards out and was playing solitaire. If anyone deserved to have their family back together it was Levi. Sweet, funny, smart Levi, who would do anything to protect her, even if it meant being really annoying in the process. Wiping her face of any emotion, she shut the door to the closet and reemerged in the gate room. “Let’s work on our plan,” Levi said, sweeping his cards into a stack. “We can get what we need while we’re here.”

Amelia nodded, once again drawing out the map of the City Park miniature golf course. “I had an idea while we were outside. If we bring Edgar here,” she pointed to a spot on the map near the entrance, “I can lead him here,” she pointed to the middle of the map. “If he starts to go somewhere we don’t want him to, BAM, lights.” Levi grinned at her exclamation. “And the angel wire?” Amelia drew a square on the center of the map. “We have it here, closing off three sides of the square. Then once he’s inside, I’ll slip away and we’ll—” “—finish off the square, trapping him.” “Exactly.” Amelia grinned. Sure there were holes in this plan, but it was her plan. She was starting to feel proud of it. “That will keep him from using his powers, right? If he has any, I mean.” “I think so.” “And when does the sun come up?” “I don’t know. I’m twelve. If the sun is up, I’m asleep.” Amelia sighed. “Never mind. Let’s say the sun rises at six. If we catch him at 5:30, then we only need to keep him there for thirty minutes before the sun will do it for us. It’ll be so bright he won’t be able to see or move.” “But what if people come to the park early to see the sunrise or something.” Amelia sat quiet for a moment, thinking. It was Monday morning, so most people who weren’t at a party probably had to go to work. “Who would want to be at a park that early in the morning?” “I don’t know. Bikers. Joggers. Morning people.” Amelia mimed puking. “Gross. I guess we’ll just have to hope they don’t come by the golf course. I don’t think it’s open ‘til ten anyway, so no one should see us.” Levi nodded, accepting Amelia’s plan. “What if Dad or Hades can’t help us get

him back to the gate?” “I guess we just wrap him up in more angel wire and walk him here.” “But that’s miles away! You’re going to walk him all the way here at six in the morning?” Amelia threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know! This is the first time I’ve ever had to catch a ghost. I’m winging it!” Levi slapped his hands down on the table and Amelia had a sudden image of Darlene doing the same. “All right. Never mind. Every great plan leaves room for inspiration, right?” Amelia shrugged. “Well,” he dragged out the word, “we’ll just leave some room for inspiration. We’ll figure out how to get Edgar back to the gate only if we have to. Deal?” Amelia shook Levi’s outstretched hand. “Deal. Now break into that cabinet and get us some angel wire.”

Sixteen

While Levi broke into the cabinet, Amelia explored the rest of the house. She swept her bare fingers over the dusty furniture, leaving swirls and trails in her wake. They still had no idea how to turn on the lights at City Park. They also didn’t know how to get Edgar to the park in the first place. No one had yet explained to Amelia whether demons could sense humans. Sighing, she flopped onto a couch, a puff of dust billowing around her. The room darkened as Amelia’s eyes drifted shut. It had been so long since she had actually slept, not counting the short time between the diner and waking up in her room. Just five minutes. A buzz against her ankle drove Amelia to her feet, heart pounding. Another buzz and she scrambled in her sock for the thin phone she had forgotten was there. Miraculously it was undamaged from her brief escape to the roof and the many miles she biked through the French Quarter. A text from an unknown number filled the screen. She swiped over to read it. “Meet me down the street in ten minutes. Come alone. Love, Dad.” Amelia shivered. Somehow, she knew this wasn’t Ted asking his son to a midnight stroll. This was Edgar. She typed a quick message back, breathing the word out as she hit send. “No.” Seconds later the phone buzzed again. Amelia’s voice shook as she read the threat out loud. “Then you’ll never see Ted and Darlene again.” Amelia dropped the phone on the couch and closed her eyes. The text had said to come alone, but could she risk leaving Levi behind? Amelia was afraid of Edgar, but she was more afraid of losing Levi. If Edgar’s plan was to lure her away so he could take him away too, she’d have no one left. Amelia couldn’t bear the thought of Levi getting hurt. She had to protect him like he had protected her. She’d meet Edgar alone and try to solve this herself. If

she could fix things now, they wouldn’t even need to go to City Park. She didn’t bother texting Edgar back. Levi was still upstairs somewhere. She could make it down the street and back before he even knew she was gone, if she hurried. Amelia darted to the front door and slipped outside. She crossed her arms, hugging herself to maintain a bit of warmth in the cool night air. What am I doing? She panicked. Edgar was a man – a mad-ghost, actually. How could she compete against that? He wasn’t the type that could be talked out of something. Amelia was in over her head. She didn’t even know where on the street she was supposed to meet him. “If I were trying to kidnap someone,” she mused, “where would I do it?” She reasoned that the darker end of the street made more sense and turned right. Houses decorated with glowing pumpkins and ghosts and spiders ed her by. She looked at them in wonder now. It’s funny, she mused, the things you notice when you’re afraid you might not get to see them again. A few of the houses and shops still had their Halloween lights on, though their curtains were drawn and the street was empty. The lights illuminated just enough for Amelia to see the dark silhouette of a man waiting for her. His hands were clasped behind him, and he rocked back and forth on his toes, nervous. “Edgar?” she asked, refusing to walk any farther. His name felt odd on her tongue. This man had given her life, and yet he was a complete stranger to her. “Hello, my darling,” his voice rasped across the space between them. He sounded almost apologetic in those three little words. “What do you want?” Edgar turned toward a house, which lit his face with a ghastly green glow. His lips were drawn tight in a grimace, and his forehead was scrunched as though he was in pain. “Are you okay?” Amelia couldn’t help asking. She took half a step forward – if she reached out she could almost touch him – before she ed that this man was responsible for the destruction of her new family. He may have been her biological father, but blood was all they had in common.

“No,” Edgar itted. He took a step toward her, but she took a mirrored step back. The lines grew deeper across his face. “I promise I won’t hurt you. You’re my daughter. My baby girl. Why would I ever hurt you?” “You already did.” Amelia held up her hand, showing Edgar the bloody gash she had received at the diner. His face contorted in sorrow. “And you hurt Darlene, and probably Ted, too. Why are you doing this?” Edgar shook his head violently. “Ted is fine. I led him far away so you and I could talk. And Darlene is paying for what she’s done. But I haven’t hurt her.” “What do you mean?” Amelia felt her heart constrict, and she lost what little breath had filled her lungs. “What did you do?” “I didn’t do anything. It’s what she did to me! She tore apart my family.” Edgar took another step toward Amelia, who couldn’t seem to make her legs move. She felt like a squirrel in the middle of the road. Headlights were approaching fast, and she couldn’t decide which way to run to find safety. “How? How is that even possible?” she demanded. Amelia clenched her fists. He’s crazy! “Darlene took you away from me,” he insisted. “I was coming back for you. I wanted to bring you home. Victoria said I had to wait until you were the right age, so you could be her best friend—” “Whose best friend? Victoria’s?” Amelia interrupted. Edgar crossed his arms and looked away. He seemed so much like a pouting child in that moment that Amelia felt the odd urge to laugh. “Darlene knew,” he continued, ignoring her question. “She knew and she took you before I could find you. She hid you from me!” Edgar’s words rose to a shout, invigorated by this revelation. Amelia waited for lights to flicker on in the houses and for someone, anyone, to rush out and save her. But no one did. She was alone. “But,” Amelia’s voice broke, and finally, the tears came. Reality blurred as they poured from her eyes. “Darlene said she wanted me because I fit in their family. Not because she wanted to keep me from someone else.” Suddenly, Edgar was there before her, wrapping her in a tight squeeze. Too tight to be comfortable.

“No! Get away!” Amelia scrambled easily from his grip, silently thanking Hades for his gift of making her hard to catch. He looked hurt. He had finally attempted to be a parent and was found wanting. “Why did you want me to come out here? What do you want from me? What do I have left?” “You, Amelia.” Edgar backed away a few steps. “I want to take you home. You can have a real mom and dad. Not Ted and Darlene. They can’t replace what your mother and I can give you. Darlene only took you in because she felt sorry for you. She doesn’t really love you. But I do, and so does your mother.” “Victoria?” Amelia thought about Hades’ description of her mother. He could have been exaggerating, but even so, she wasn’t sure if she wanted a mother so uptight and controlling. “I don’t think so.” “You can’t replace your real parents, Meme. They’ll never know you as I do.” Edgar opened his arms wide. She took another step back. A hazy memory of an Edgar full of life and happiness, lifting her from her crib, stunned her. How was my Meme’s nap? Amelia shuddered, dispelling the memory. “Did Darlene really know you were going to come for me?” Her legs threatened to collapse. The weight of this new secret felt like too much. She didn’t know whether she should believe this man standing before her. He had done nothing to earn her trust and everything to break it. And yet, with one small incision of doubt, he had flayed her wide. She looked up at the sky lit with stars and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She had thought the Gates were different. That they liked her for her. But now even that small hope was crumbling. Her resolve to ignore Edgar’s accusations wavered. This is why you don’t hope, Amelia, she scolded herself. You always end up disappointed. “Oh, yes,” Edgar said eagerly. “Gatekeepers have ways of knowing things. They knew I was getting restless down there. But even then they still weren’t a match for me.” He smiled smugly. “The living have made them soft.” Amelia turned away from him. She felt broken. Vulnerable. She didn’t want him to see her like this, swayed by his words. “So you want me to go with you?” she asked. “Yes. Come with me, and I’ll let Darlene go. They’ll carry on without you.” He

paused. “They don’t need you, Amelia. Your mother and I do. You complete our family. Come home.” Amelia bit her lip. She didn’t know what to do. Life with the Gates had been so promising, but she couldn’t help wondering now if it was a lie. She thought of Levi and what he would say if he went downstairs to find her gone. “What about Hades?” Amelia asked. “Won’t he just punish you and take me away once he finds you?” Sparks flashed next to Amelia, who jumped and stumbled. “You rang?” Hades drawled, brushing nonexistent dust from his shoulders. “How did you—?” “Yes, I know. My timing is impeccable.” He grinned and helped Amelia up from where she’d fallen to the ground. “I hope you weren’t missing me too badly.” “I can’t say that I was,” she grumbled. Hades tipped his hat to Edgar. He had changed his attire and was now in a suit of midnight blue velvet with silk lapels and a dark green fedora with a matching blue band. He noticed Amelia looking his way and winked before he snapped back to attention. “My good sir, you’ve been causing quite the ruckus tonight. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to stop.” Edgar bared his teeth. “And I’m afraid I will have to deny your request.” With a bow, his body dissolved into smoke and drifted away into the air. “Well, that’s new,” Hades said, bemused. “And to think I was trying to be polite and not take him by force.” “It’s his demon power. I’ve seen him do it before.” Amelia answered, waving her hand through the space that had just been Edgar. Hades mimicked Amelia with his cane. “Quite annoying, isn’t it? Anyway. Ted’s still alive. Well, technically he’s not, but you know what I mean. He’s wandering around town, farther north somewhere. My guard on the other side of the gates has orders to tell me if Edgar somehow sends him back to the Underworld.”

“How does that work?” Hades removed his fedora and scratched his head. “It’s complicated, but basically any of my Gatekeepers can technically be sent back to the Underworld if you know how to do it. You need some bottled hellfire and a wish from an angel, among other things.” Hades gently placed the hat back on his head and tugged down one side. “Gatekeepers get special protection when they sign up for the job, so your average ghost or demon can’t just shove one through a gate. They’d pop right back out. Edgar probably couldn’t get hold of the necessary items, and that’s why he didn’t send Ted or Darlene through when he first appeared.” He shrugged. “But anyway, I seem to have popped in just in time. He was feeding you a five-course meal of bologna, and you were gobbling it right up.” “So it’s not true?” she asked hopefully. No matter how many times she tried to squash the feeling, she had yet to conquer it completely. “Well, most of it’s true. He does want to take you home, and Darlene did know you were in danger—” She wilted. “Oh.” “But.” Hades paused and twirled his cane. “What he left out was the whole living people can’t enter the Underworld thing.” “What?” “Well, they can, but if I don’t give them permission, they’ll die. Takes a few hours, and I imagine the process is excruciating. But in the end…” He drew a thin finger across his throat. “Bye bye.” Amelia shuddered. She had been so close to accepting his offer. Why am I so gullible? Heat rushed to her cheeks. I start to believe whatever people tell me, even if I know it’s not true. Hades rested a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get you back with your brother, shall we?” He turned her around and steered her toward the LaLaurie Mansion. “I’m glad to see you followed my instructions, even if you did still meet the enemy alone on the street in the middle of the night.” Hades sounded perturbed, which gave Amelia a small sense of satisfaction.

“I thought I could talk to him,” she said. “I just… I want to understand him.” She looked up at Hades, who for once looked grave. “You can’t always fit people into boxes, Amelia. Sometimes they do things that contradict. Just because you’re used to someone telling the truth doesn’t mean they’ll never tell you a lie.” Amelia didn’t know what to say to that. She had been trying to force Edgar into the mold of what she thought a father should be. But what do I know? I’ve never had one. The thought made her spirit sink even deeper. Suddenly, Hades stopped and crouched beside Amelia. He held both her wrists in his hands. “Amelia,” he said, his eyes meeting her own. “I know you’ve seen and heard a lot of things tonight, things you don’t understand and don’t make sense.” He seemed to want her to nod, so she did. “It’s okay to be sad.” He stood up abruptly and released her wrists. “I just want you to know that. It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Some people are just sad. And those sad people need happy people to help them. The Gates are happy people. Do you get what I’m trying to tell you?” Amelia looked away, not wanting Hades to see that her eyes were again filling with tears. You let yourself cry one stupid time, and now you can’t stop. “Just talk to Darlene about it when we find her. I think it’ll make you feel better.” “Okay,” Amelia whispered. She wasn’t much in the mood to talk about her feelings with the god of the Underworld. And she didn’t want to think about Darlene right now. If she really had adopted her because Edgar was coming for her, then she wasn’t sure she could trust Darlene. Darlene had acted like she had wanted Amelia. Just wanted. Not wanted to save her or wanted to keep her from Edgar. There was a difference, Amelia decided. And secretly, she hoped that Darlene had only wanted.

“There you are!” Levi yelled when Amelia walked back into the house with Hades. He rushed forward and embraced her in a bone-crushing hug. Letting go of her worry for the time being, Amelia hugged him back just as fiercely.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I had to meet him. I had to.” Levi released her and stepped back. “Next time you go off on your own adventure, take me with you, okay?” “I promise.” She grinned. “All right, now that I know you two are safe, I’m off to go help Ted. It’ll be easier to stop Edgar since we’ve seen his power up close.” Hades clasped his hands together and nodded at the siblings. “Will it?” Levi asked. “No, but one can always hope!” Hades whirled his cane, sparks beginning to fly, but Amelia grabbed his sleeve. “Hey wait. How did you know where to find me and Edgar?” “You called for me.” And before she could object to his nonsensical answer, he was gone again in a cloud of sparks. “But I didn’t call for you,” Amelia muttered, confused. “What was that all about?” Levi asked, glancing between Amelia and the space Hades had occupied. Amelia walked into the living room, Levi close behind. Talking about everything that had just happened felt daunting. Emotionally, she wasn’t prepared to dissect her feelings on the subject of her biological father. Physically, she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Laying on one of the ornate couches – the less dusty of the two – she threw her arm over her eyes. “My life is so complicated,” she breathed, feeling and sounding much older than her twelve years. “Today is my birthday, you know.” Amelia heard Levi’s footsteps leave the room. She peeked under her arm to see him head toward the staircase. Guess he doesn’t care, she thought grimly. She thought tears would come, but they didn’t. The vibrant spring of water that ran through her had run dry. Surprised to find that she didn’t care, she felt herself beginning to fall asleep when something hit her stomach.

“Oof!” She exclaimed. She opened her eyes to find a package of Oreos and a beaming Levi at the foot of the couch. “Happy birthday!” He bellowed, jumping onto the couch so that Amelia’s body popped into the air. “Sorry it’s not wrapped. And sorry it’s not a good present. I found it upstairs in the cabinet.” Amelia ripped open the package of Oreos, suddenly starving, and shoved several in her mouth before she thought to offer Levi one. He took the proffered cookie gladly, his teeth blackening from the chocolate. “We’ve been eating a lot of sugar tonight,” Amelia said gleefully when they had polished off the package. “It’s Halloween,” Levi said with a shrug. “It’s blasphemy if we don’t.” He took another cookie. “Do I have to, like, sing happy birthday to you or something? Because I’m not sure you want to hear that.” “The Oreos were good enough, thanks.” She sat back on the couch and patted her stomach. “I wouldn’t mind taking a nap now though. I’m sleepy.” Levi looked at the phone she had left on the couch earlier. “I don’t think we have time for that.” He showed her the clock. The numbers read 4:36. They had less than an hour to get to City Park, lay their trap, figure out how the lights worked, and somehow get Edgar to show up. Amelia hopped up from her seat, the impossibility of her plan hitting her. She had been so confident in it only an hour or so earlier, but now? Now it seemed foolish. It seemed like the plan of two twelve-year-olds who had no idea what they were doing. “Hey, as long as I drive, we got this.” “We got this,” Amelia repeated under her breath. She followed Levi quickly into the courtyard as he grabbed the bike. They sped off into the slowly lightening sky. Amelia rode on the pegs, pointing over his shoulder the fastest way to get to City Park and, hopefully, to trapping Edgar.

Seventeen

Levi was out of breath by the time they reached the mini golf course. “Half a package of Oreos is not the best snack before a long bike ride,” he muttered before running behind a bush and expelling Amelia’s birthday present from his stomach. Amelia scrunched her nose, turning away from the sound of retching. If she tried to help him, she’d end up puking right next to him. She’d rather not do that on her birthday, she decided. A tall iron fence with an imposing – and, of course, locked – gate surrounded the mini golf course. As soon as Levi was done in the bushes, he ed Amelia, wiping his mouth. “I take it you need my lock pick skills again?” “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Amelia joked. She pressed her face between the iron bars of the fence, looking in vain for something that might turn the lights on. “No one does, little sis, no one does.” The gate swung open on creaking hinges. “I think I just beat my record.” Amelia walked into the dark mini golf course, noting the eerie Halloween décor the City Putt staff had set up throughout the area. “Congrats. You’ll be a criminal in no time,” she joked, side-stepping around a clown, arms welcoming with a frozen grimace upon its face. “Yeesh.” “What, you don’t like clowns?” “Does anyone like clowns?” “True.” An electrical box was nowhere to be seen, and Amelia was beginning to panic. If they couldn’t find the box that turned on all the lights, they wouldn’t be able to

guide Edgar to their trap. She had a feeling Edgar would follow her throughout the course, but she didn’t want to rely on that. If they couldn’t guide Edgar, slowing him down or speeding him up when needed – Amelia shuddered. If we can’t trap him, I don’t know what’s going to happen. If what Hades said was true and Edgar took her to the Underworld, Amelia wouldn’t just be forced into being with her biological family, she would die. Panic seized her, and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. I don’t want to die— “Hey, look over here!” Levi stood at a small shack-like building near the first hole where patrons get their putter and golf ball. “I think there’s a box in here.” He jumped over the counter and began to feel along the wall. “Turn on the phone light, would ya?” Amelia beamed the phone’s flashlight over Levi’s shoulder, feeling silly for not having used it earlier in the night. As she swiped the light across the putter-lined wall, she wanted nothing more than to run away. Leave all of this ghost business behind and hide somewhere no one would find her. It took all of her restraint to simply stand still and follow Levi’s movements inside the building. “Here!” He opened a flush against the wall and flipped a few switches. Bright lights blinked on throughout the course, illuminating giant pumpkins, zombies emerging from the ground, and flying pale ghosts hanging from the trees. Amelia had to laugh at that last one, the sound dispelling some, but not all, of her fear. If only they knew. She slid the now unneeded phone into her sock once more. “Okay, so it looks like the lights turn on in sections. So if I flip this switch, it should turn on over there.” He pointed off to his left and a small group of lights turned on. “Nailed it!” “Give me the angel wire.” Amelia held out her hand. “While you figure out the lights, I’m going to set the trap.” Levi tossed the angel wire behind him, not looking to see if Amelia caught it. She plucked it from the air, surprising herself, and went off in search of a good place to hide the wire. It needed to be hidden enough that Edgar wouldn’t see it while he was chasing Amelia, and small enough that when Amelia finished the box, he wouldn’t be able to escape it, regardless of his ability to disappear.

After a few minutes of searching, Amelia came upon a grouping of four thin trees. That’ll do. She uncoiled the angel wire and looped it around the trees, leaving one side open for Edgar to run inside. Standing in the empty space, she closed her eyes and, finally, allowed herself to think. I want to catch Edgar because I want to feel safe. He tried to trick me into coming with him to the Underworld. If I had gone with him, I’d be dead right now. The color drained from her face. But I don’t hate him, she realized. I feel bad for him and the path he’s chosen. An owl hooted nearby, breaking Amelia from her thoughts. She rubbed warmth back into her arms, her fingers slipping over the dress Hades had spelled for her. I still don’t know if I can trust Darlene. I don’t understand why she lied to me about why she adopted me. If she didn’t just want me, why didn’t she say so? But Amelia knew why Darlene hadn’t said so. You don’t tell a kid who’s getting picked on that you’ll be their friend because you feel bad for them. You lie and say you like them. Maybe one day you will, even if you don’t right now. The thought made Amelia sad. I hope I’m wrong. I don’t like feeling like this. Every new thing I learn makes me feel scared or angry and hurt. It makes me feel weird. Hades’ voice popped into Amelia’s head. ‘It’s okay to be sad.’ But I don’t want to be sad. I don’t want to feel mad or frustrated or… or… like I can’t control my feelings. I don’t want to feel anything! Amelia kicked a stone. That’s not true. I like feeling happy. Levi makes me laugh. She smiled. Ted thinks I’m funny, and that feels good. Darlene gave me her own dress to wear tonight. Would she have done that if she didn’t like me? A small bud of warmth blossomed in her chest. When we find Darlene, I’ll ask her. She’s the one who wanted to tell me the truth about them being ghosts in the first place. Maybe I can trust her. “Amelia?” Levi’s voice called into the darkness. “Where are you?” “Over here! By the giant spider!” She looked up at the blow-up black widow hanging high overhead. Lights illuminated her section of the golf course. “I figured it all out. Come back and we’ll practice before he gets here.” We still don’t know how to get him here. Amelia kicked another stone. The sky was beginning to lighten. If they waited much longer, there’d be no point in

using the lights. The sun would stun Edgar, but nothing would keep him from disappearing into his weird black smoke but the angel wire. “So if you run around the course like a clock, you can cut across that bridge over there, and you’ll be close to where you put the wire.” He pointed in quick succession to various landmarks. Amelia nodded, trying to keep up. “We have to disorient him first, I think, so you can’t just go straight to the trap. Once he’s trapped, give me the signal and I’ll come help you close the box.” “What’s the signal?” “Uhh… flap your arms like this.” Levi made a wide gesturing motion with his arms and nearly toppled over from the exertion. “How about I just yell ‘now’?” “Fine.” Levi deflated. “But if I can’t hear you, then do the flappy arm thing.” Amelia rolled her eyes and hid the rest of the angel wire in a bush next to the trap. My eye muscles are gonna get really strong living with him. “How do we get Edgar to show up?” Levi asked, looking around the props and golf holes. A buzz sent a jolt of shock up Amelia’s ankle. She smacked her hand to her forehead. “I’m an idiot.” She grabbed the phone and flipped it open, ignoring the text from Chili’s telling her they had won a free queso appetizer. Finding the unknown number once more, Amelia typed a quick message. Meet me at City Putt. I’m ready. Pushing Levi toward the building where he had found the light switches, she ran for the entrance to the mini golf course. “Hurry! He’s coming now!” “Now?” Levi yelled, sliding once more over the counter when he could have easily used the open doorway. “Yes, now! What other ‘now’ is there?” Amelia flung herself toward the open gate, resting against it and trying to calm her breathing. It’s now or never. I hope I’m ready for this.

Just as her breathing slowed and she felt her heart rate return to normal, black smoke appeared before her. The tendrils wisped and curled, forming the silhouette of a man – a thin, gangly man, with ice blond hair and a crooked grin. Edgar had arrived.

Eighteen

This was a bad idea. Amelia’s blood had run cold. Seeing Edgar again, knowing that this time he might actually take her to the Underworld before she could stop him, sent fear racing through her body. She jumped away from the gate, shot through with adrenaline. “I was so happy when I got your text.” Edgar stepped forward, his hand outstretched. Amelia took a step back before ing that she was supposed to act like she wanted to go with him. “Your mother is going to be thrilled.” “Wait.” Amelia stalled. What do I do now? “I—I want to know what it’s like. Down there, I mean. In the Underworld.” “It’s just like home,” Edgar said. “Your true home. Before…” Edgar’s face darkened. “You probably don’t .” “You’d be surprised,” Amelia muttered, her throat feeling the phantom smoke clogging it once more. “What does it look like?” She asked louder, hoping to buy time. Walking backward, she began to head toward the path Levi had pointed out. This might actually work. They were coming close to the first set of lights. Once there, Amelia would have to turn and run and trust Levi to flip the correct switches at the right time. “It’s a big, beautiful house, with a shady yard to play in. You have a swing set and all your favorite toys—” “I was two. I don’t think those will be my favorite toys anymore.” Momentarily abashed, Edgar seemed to lose his footing. “We’ll get you new toys.” “How?”

The lights were closer now. Levi’s head was barely visible over the counter, his eyes locked on Amelia’s. She nodded once, ready to make a run for it. “I’ll find some and bring them back to you. I know you like to paint. I’ll get you paint. Every color you could ever dream of.” “That sounds nice,” she lied, feeling the echo of the same words on her tongue from when the Gates had arrived at Ms. Kingsley’s to take her home. Home. Home was the place she’d spent two nights at, not two years. Home was dahlias outside her bedroom window and the smell of grilled cheese downstairs. Home was Levi snoring in the room across the hall and the strength of Ted’s arms around her. Home was Darlene’s snorting laughter at something Amelia had just said. They’re my home. Just as the realization hit, light flared in Amelia’s eyes, stunning her as much as Edgar behind her. She heard him roar in pain, and looked back to see him clutching his eyes. “Run!” Levi screamed. She ran. Bushes, fences, and streams cut through her path, but Amelia jumped them all. Feeling a renewed surge of energy, she flew through the air, faster than she’d ever run before. The panting of Edgar’s breath was just behind her. Funny, she thought, he doesn’t even need to breathe. His hand reached out to grasp the back of her dress, but it slipped through his fingers like a slimy fish. Thanks Hades. Dropping to her hands and knees, Amelia scurried through a tunnel that Edgar would have to take the long way around. She gained a few more precious seconds of time. Lights blazed on at every new hole, causing Edgar to howl in pain. Though the lights didn’t stun him now for more than a second. He seemed to be recovering faster every time. Amelia could see the trap ahead of her. She couldn’t get there too early, or Edgar would see the wire and trap her instead. Improvising, and hoping that Edgar wouldn’t notice the wire, Amelia slipped around to the back of the trap. “Come and get me!” She taunted, successfully enraging Edgar once more, so that he ran, full speed, directly at her. At the last moment, she lunged to the side and Edgar dove face first into the angel wire.

The sound he made when he connected with the angel wire was inhuman. Amelia flinched, but ran quickly to the other side, finishing off the box with more wire she had recovered from its hiding place. Edgar was trapped. He slid to the ground, unable to move for fear of touching the wire. Ugly red welts crisscrossed his face. His hands steamed, and Amelia saw that the wire had melted the leather gloves. Edgar peeled these off, dropping them to the ground in a useless pile. “What did you do to me?” He whispered. To Amelia’s surprise, he sounded oddly calm. Only the shaking in his hands gave any hint at the pain he was in. Amelia crouched beside him. The thin wire separating them might as well have been bulletproof glass. But she didn’t trust Edgar not to pull her through the wire if she reached her hand in to comfort him. Crossing her arms, she look him full in the face, trying not to let her eyes wander to the rising sores that were entirely her fault. “It’s called angel wire. You’ve never seen it?” “No.” “Do you understand why I did this?” Amelia shuddered against the cold. The sun was beginning to rise, but the chill in the air remained. “No.” Edgar looked down at his hands and clenched them. The welts stretched, the bright red burns still emitted a thin vapor of steam. “I thought you wanted to be with your family. Your real family. But you’ve been brainwashed I see.” Amelia felt anger flare in her chest. The only one doing any ‘brainwashing’ was Edgar. And in the short time she had known him, it seemed to be impossible to reason with someone bent on manipulating the situation. “I think we’re done here.” Amelia turned away from her father toward Levi standing a few steps away, ready to intervene whenever she needed him. She nodded and he stepped between Edgar and Amelia, shielding her from the one who had caused her so much pain and confusion. Levi’s movement revealed a pair of joggers standing at the gate to City Park, angling their curious faces to see what was going on. “What are you looking at?” Amelia yelled. She waved her hands in the air as though shooing a bird. “Get out

of here!” The joggers jumped back, stunned, and then ran off into the sunrise. Levi chuckled, throwing an arm around his sister and pulling her close. “So it’s not just riding a bike that makes you angry, huh?” Amelia muttered something under her breath that made Levi’s cheeks turn pink. “Better not let Mom hear you say that.” “Better not let Mom hear where I learned it from.” Amelia raised her eyebrows at Levi, thinking distinctly of that moment on the roof hours earlier when Levi said something very similar. “Yea… well.” “How are we going to get him to the gate.” Amelia turned back to Edgar, still sitting on the ground. “Ted doesn’t have his cell phone anymore. And Hades—” Sparks appeared next to Amelia, singeing tiny holes in her dress. “What in the Underworld is going on here?” Hades bellowed, smacking his cane against the ground in another flurry of sparks. “I tell you to stay at the LaLaurie Mansion and you decide to come play a round of mini golf?” “No, we came here to trap Edgar—” “I know why you came here, boy! I was being facetious.” “Facey-what?” “Never mind. The point is that I told you to stay put.” “Ted told us to stay put too, and we didn’t listen to him either.” Amelia pointed out. “That’s not helping your case.” Hades inspected Edgar’s cage, nodding in appreciation. “Angel wire I see.” He touched the wire, which smoked, but didn’t seem to affect him. He raised his cane and the wire disappeared. A set of handcuffs attached themselves to Edgar’s wrists in its place. “Special handcuffs,” he explained to Amelia’s questioning look. “They dampen demon powers. Told you I’d figure something out now that I knew what he could do.”

“Where are you taking him?” “I have a special set of cells in the Underworld for the particularly troublesome. I’ve already got your name engraved on a plaque there. You’re gonna love it.” Hades flipped his cane, emitting a shower of sparks, as he geared up to disappear. “Wait.” This time, it was Levi causing the god of the Underworld to stop. “My mom. Edgar. Where’s my mom?” Edgar smiled his devilish grin. “Her resting place.”

Nineteen

“Her resting place?” Levi repeated in confusion as Hades took Edgar away. “What does that mean? She’s not taking a nap.” “It means where they buried her, I think.” Amelia rocked back on her heels, thinking. “Do you know where that is?” Levi shook his head. “Why would I? My parents are still with me, even if they aren’t alive.” “I guess we could—” “Hey!” A voice called from the entrance to City Putt. Levi and Amelia jumped, ready to run if it was another jogger or someone who actually worked there. But it wasn’t any of those people. Relief flooded through Amelia and she ran just behind Levi into Ted’s open arms. “Dad!” Levi yelled, crushing himself against Ted’s chest. Amelia squished in beside him, burying her face somewhere near his armpit. “I thought I lost you both,” Ted whispered into their hair. A cool, tingly feeling dripped from her scalp and down her neck as Ted’s unclothed head came in with her own. “Never, Dad,” Levi whispered. He pulled back suddenly. “Mom’s at your grave! Let’s go!” Levi and Amelia followed Ted, who took off at a run toward his truck, stopping to toss Levi’s bike in the bed along the way. “How did you find us?” Amelia asked as she buckled herself into the backseat. “GPS, ? Hades came to help me after he saved you, Amelia. But after a few hours he got this funny look on his face and disappeared. I realized then he must have been summoned. I checked the GPS and saw you were at City Park,

so I came as fast as I could. Luckily I wasn’t that far away.” “But I didn’t summon Hades!” “Did you say his name?” “Yes, but I did just a second ago, too.” Ted smiled wearily. “It’s both a pro and con of being Hades. Have you ever heard the expression that when your ears ring it means someone is talking about you?” Amelia nodded. “It’s like that, except Hades can actually hear what you’re saying. He can determine if he actually needs to show up, or if you’re just mentioning his name casually.” “That’s scary,” Amelia itted. “It is.” Ted agreed. “Which is why we never say his name unless we absolutely have to.” “Where are we going?” Levi interrupted. He bounced in his seat, staring hard out the window. “St. Louis Cemetery Number 3.” Levi slapped the dashboard in excitement. “That’s close!” Amelia knew this cemetery was less than a mile away from City Putt. We had been so close to her this whole time. They pulled into the parking lot of the cemetery. Still empty. As quietly as possible, they slipped from the truck. They were no longer in danger of Edgar, but the patrolling policemen could cause just as much damage. A tall fence surrounded the cemetery, each skinny pole topped by an arrowshaped spike to discourage fence hoppers and birds alike. The marble mausoleums seemed on fire in the orange and yellows of the rising sun, lining a

freshly paved walkway adorned with flowers. Ted pointed toward the right of where they stood. “Ours is back there somewhere. I don’t think we’ve ever visited it, though I know our families have — they believe my grandfather left us the plots in his will, though it was definitely Hades that orchestrated everything. We were confined to the house for a week when Darlene’s mom and stepfather came to visit.” He jiggled the lock at the gate. “That’s ironic,” he laughed without humor, “I’m a Gatekeeper and I’m locked out.” “Stand aside, Pops. I got this.” Levi took his trusty bobby pin from his pocket and began to fidget with the lock. “Where did you learn that?” Ted asked in bewilderment. “Ummm,” he replied. “I’ve been going to the LaLaurie Mansion without you. I’m sorry,” he added quickly when Ted’s mouth thinned into a disapproving line. “I just didn’t like feeling left out…” He looked at Ted with wide, innocent eyes. “Forgive me?” Ted ruffled Levi’s hair. “Mmm, we’ll talk about it later. But for now, no more secrecy.” He held his hand out for his son to shake. “Now commit a crime and break into this cemetery,” he commanded. Amelia smiled, thinking of the similar words she had said to Levi earlier about breaking into the weapon’s cabinet at the LaLaurie Mansion. Family really does rub off on each other. “Sir, yes, sir!” Levi popped the lock open with a flourish, bowing to his applauding audience. “Thank you, thank you.” But as soon as they stepped onto the hallowed ground, all smiles vanished. Something didn’t feel quite right. They ed mausoleums overflowing with flowers and candles and others that had probably never been visited since the last time they were opened. The cemetery was laid out in a maze, and they took a few wrong turns into dead ends before they found the row Ted thought he was laid to rest in. They were at the end of the row and almost out of mausoleum options when Ted spied it. “There,” he said. “Burns.”

“Burns?” Amelia asked. “I thought your last name was Gates?” As soon as she asked she knew that couldn’t possibly be their real last name. Her face turned red, but in the colors of the rising sun she hoped no one could tell. “Technically it is,” Ted explained. Amelia sighed in relief when no one laughed. “When Hades employed us he changed our names so no one we knew could happen upon us. Hades prefers to hide in plain sight. All his Gatekeepers have the last name of Gates. It’s a private joke to him that’s not really funny, as most of his jokes are.” They approached the mausoleum. It was slightly smaller than the others, as it only held two bodies instead of an entire family. It was devoid of flowers, and although it was clean, a layer of dust coated everything but the doorknob. Levi broke this lock faster than the others, finally itting that it hadn’t been locked at all, which he realized after a few prods of the bobby pin. He placed his hand on the door, and after taking a deep breath, pushed it inward.

Twenty

The mausoleum appeared empty. Tucked unto niches inside the walls were Ted’s and Darlene’s caskets. Morning sunlight filtered through a stained-glass picture of cherry blossoms and cast a blood-red hue over the dismal group. Where is she? But no, Edgar wouldn’t just leave Darlene sitting in her own mausoleum, Amelia realized. He had hated Darlene and what he believed she had done. He had hated her more than he hated Hades for keeping him in the Underworld. He would do something much worse to her. And with that realization, Amelia’s eyes landed upon Darlene’s casket at the same time a small thump issued from within. “No,” Ted whispered in defiance, as if this small denial would make it not true. “He wouldn’t…” “He would,” Amelia affirmed, as there was another thump and a muffled cry. “We have to get her out!” Levi panicked. He searched the mausoleum for a way to unlock the casket, but there was nothing to be seen. “I—I might have something in the truck.” Ted backed away from the mausoleum before turning and running back to his vehicle. Amelia placed a hand on the casket and put her mouth to the seam. She had no idea if Darlene could hear her, but she had to try. “We’re going to get you out,” she said, enunciating each word as clearly as she could. “I promise.” Two soft raps were the only response, which Amelia told herself meant that Darlene believed her promise and would wait patiently. Ted came back moments later with a crowbar. “It was all I could find.” Levi and Ted each grabbed opposite ends of the casket and pulled. The casket hit the ground with a solid thunk and Darlene cried out in surprise or pain, Amelia

couldn’t tell. She and her brother backed away as Ted gripped one end of the crowbar and slid the other just under the casket lid. He heaved himself onto the crowbar, the sound of splintering wood echoing throughout the small space. It took three tries before the wood cracked enough that Ted and Levi could, together, push it away, revealing a shaking but conscious Darlene underneath. “Ted?” she croaked, struggling to sit up. Ted gently lifted her from the prison and laid her on the floor. The three of them surrounded her. Darlene didn’t try to talk anymore. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she lifted a shaking hand and stroked Levi’s and Amelia’s faces. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “I’m sorry it took so long,” Ted whispered. He crouched by her feet, his hands gripped on her ankles as if he was afraid to let her go. “The kids did everything. The demon – he misled me – I...” Darlene reached forward and squeezed Ted’s wrists. “It’s okay.” “It’s not –” But Darlene interrupted him with a finger to his lips. “This is not your fault and I will not let you take the blame. None of you.” She looked pointedly at Amelia then, as if she could sense the guilt broiling inside her daughter. She slid her arms around her children and pulled them close. “I love you. All of you. So much.” Around the time Amelia’s legs started to fall asleep from the awkward position, she felt a gentle hand brush her shoulder. “We need to go,” Ted said, heading toward the door. Cemetery security will be here soon.” The small family struggled to get back to Ted’s waiting truck. If the others felt anything like Amelia, she knew their feet were probably throbbing, their eyesight blurring with fatigue. Ted drove much slower back home, and by the time they arrived, Levi had fallen asleep against Amelia in the backseat. Ted carried him inside to the couch, where

they all sat down and refused to move. “So what happened last night?” Ted asked. He sat with Darlene’s socked feet in his lap, giving them a rub. Darlene looked so relaxed in this moment that Amelia didn’t want to ruin it by detailing all the horror she and Levi had faced. “What didn’t happen?” She asked. With a soft laugh, she let her head fall back against the couch. Closing her eyes, she began to list the night’s events. But between one breath and the next, she fell asleep.

A raucous snore from Levi startled her awake. But whether it was moments or hours later, she wasn’t sure. She looked around to see that Ted and Darlene were gone. Someone had laid her out on the couch with a pillow and blanket. Her head was next to Levi’s, his snores growing ever louder. The light in the room was dimmer. I must have been asleep most of the day. A soft murmur of voices drifted from the dining room. Rubbing her eyes, Amelia crept off the couch so as not to wake up Levi. “Do you think we should tell her?” Amelia froze. Are they talking about me? Darlene continued. “Because if she doesn’t find out from us, she’ll find out from someone else, like Hades. And he doesn’t always have the best tact…” Bracing herself, Amelia walked into the kitchen. “Tell me what?” Both adults looked as though they had been caught sneaking dessert before dinner. They jumped in their chairs, trying to hide their concern with fake smiles. “We didn’t know you were awake. We figured you’d sleep for a few more hours yet.” Darlene scooted a chair out from the kitchen table. “Come sit.” Amelia sat, folding her hands on the kitchen table to keep them from shaking. “Why did you want to adopt me?” Her voice cut through the air slicing the tension. She could hear the heavy thud of the question as it fell to the table, waiting for an answer.

“I think this is a question for me,” Darlene said. Something in Amelia’s gaze must have told her that was true, because after a moment’s hesitation she continued. “I know you’ve been fed a lot of lies tonight, so I hope I can set some of this straight for you.” Darlene clasped her hands together. Ted tried to reach out and take one, but she shook her head. “No one knows this, but I hired a Private Investigator to look into our deaths.” She stopped and glanced at Ted here. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “It just felt odd to me, that we could do so many dangerous things in life and suddenly after running into Hades on one of our ghost hunting excursions – though we didn’t know it was him at the time – we could die in such a random accident. Maybe I was just being paranoid, I don’t know.” Darlene shrugged, now staring hard at the table. “But it doesn’t matter. I found out what I needed.” Darlene’s pause grew uncomfortable. Before Amelia could summon the courage to ask what Darlene found out, she stood. “I’ll be right back.” Awkward silence filled the kitchen. Neither Ted nor Amelia knew what to say to break it. Levi’s snore seemed to do it for them, though, and they both laughed nervously at the loud trumpeting sound. Light footsteps on the stairs alerted them that Darlene had come back, this time with a manila envelope in her hands. She handed the envelope to Ted, who slid out the contents carefully. “We were in a car accident, as you know. But the strange thing that no one ever told us – no one ever could tell us, because we were dead – is that no one was driving the other truck. No body could be found. No fingerprints, other than the ones belonging to the truck driver, who was at home in another state, sleeping. No footsteps outside of the truck in the snow. Nothing. It was a mystery, then, how such a large truck could cross state lines and find its way into the front of our car.” “What are you saying?” Amelia asked when Ted made no move to speak. He was staring hard at the photo of the car crash. Amelia couldn’t see the details, but by the way his hands were shaking, it wasn’t a pretty picture. “I’m saying that we had met Hades about a week prior. He hadn’t told us who he really was, only that he was a very powerful businessman in need of people like us. People who believed in the unbelievable. People who were good at what they

did. And Ted and I were good – great, actually – at hunting ghosts.” Darlene ed a business card to Amelia. It read Gatekeepers, Inc. ‘Keeping the Ghosts Where They Belong.’ “I don’t understand.” “Neither did we, at the time. We pocketed the business card and waited for a call. A call that never came. Notice how there isn’t any info on the card?” Amelia flipped the card over, but Darlene was right. It was a rather pointless business card if there was no way to the business. “And then a week later we were dead.” Ted shoved the photo into the envelope and pushed it away, out of Amelia’s reach. He leaned back and looked toward the ceiling. “How long have you known?” Darlene blushed. “I’ve known since we had Hades amend the contracts.” “That long? And you didn’t tell me?” “Wait, what contracts?” Amelia didn’t want to lose the thread of this conversation, though she had no idea how it related to Darlene wanting to adopt her. “Hades has every Gatekeeper sign a contract that they’ll be loyal to him, they’ll follow his every bidding, etcetera. When I realized what he did, I blackmailed him.” “You blackmailed Hades. Hades. The god of the Underworld. You blackmailed him?” Ted’s words spun in circles. He couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence, much less keep his body still. Unable to sit in his chair any longer, he stood up and paced the room. “Yes.” Darlene’s voice was small, but strong. “I did. And because of it, we were able to adopt Levi. And now Amelia.” “I thought Hades was just being nice. That getting to adopt was like getting a

bonus or something since we don’t get paid.” Darlene didn’t respond. She waited for Ted’s pacing to slow before turning to Amelia. “We loved our life of three, but Ted started talking about wanting a sibling for Levi. I wasn’t so sure. We’d have to find someone who could handle our secret. Levi was practically born into it, but that probably wouldn’t happen again. So we looked. And we looked. And we looked. They had to be around Levi’s age, able to handle unbelievable surprises, and, well, not be afraid of ghosts. The older Levi got, the less likely it was we would find someone.” Amelia watched as Darlene pressed the tips of her fingers against the table, unable to meet the gaze she knew was now directed at her. “And that’s when I found you, Amelia. You were perfect. But almost too perfect. So I dug a little deeper into your past. I saw who your parents were and what they had done. I learned that Hades had saved you for some reason. It was easy to see that you were marked for this world, the one that’s connected to the supernatural. When someone is marked like that, these things don’t let go so easily. I was afraid. I knew that if I didn’t keep an eye on you, someone else would find you, and that someone may not have your best interests at heart.” Amelia watched as one of the delicately gloved hands reached across the table. The hand touched her chin, lifting it so Amelia was finally unable to avoid Darlene’s gaze. She looked into the warm chocolate eyes of her mother and felt herself melting. “I loved you first, Amelia. I chose you because I loved you. Everything else is secondary.” Amelia nodded slowly. “I believe you,” she whispered. “Good. Because there’s something else I have to tell you. Something I just recently learned. I wasn’t going to say anything, but since we’re laying everything on the table.” She looked down and took a deep breath. “Edgar spent a lot of time in our mausoleum talking to himself. Or to someone else. I think he was communicating with your mother.” Amelia flinched. Darlene was her mother now. Whatever was down in the Underworld with Edgar had no claim to that title. “Oh. So we might have another visitor.” She shrugged, pretending not to care. “We took care of one, we can take care of the other.”

“No.” Her voice cut through Amelia’s facade. “I don’t think Victoria is going to come here, Amelia, because she can’t. She doesn’t want to leave your sister.”

Epilogue

The world tipped. Amelia felt herself careening down a narrow tunnel, wind swooshing past her ears in a deafening roar. Sister. Sister. Sister. It seemed to scream at her. “I have a sister,” she breathed. Another snore from the living room made her jump. “But I already have a brother.” Amelia didn’t understand – couldn’t understand – what Darlene meant. “I know,” Darlene said kindly. “It’s difficult to process.” Opening the envelope once more, Darlene found a piece of paper and slid it to Amelia. It was a photo of a girl Amelia’s age with long blonde curls and bright green eyes, the same shade as Amelia’s. They could almost be twins, but where Amelia’s face was sharp and serious, this girl’s face was fuller, more open. Friendly. Amelia traced the curve of her sister’s cheek with a trembling finger. “Her name is Rosalie. She died in the same fire that killed your parents. Victoria has her in the Underworld, hiding from Hades.” “She looks like me.” Amelia couldn’t attach her mind to anything Darlene was saying. All she could look at was the girl in the photo. “She’s my big sister?” “You’re the same age now,” Darlene said softly. “I think that’s why Edgar and Victoria waited so long to find you. They wanted her to have a friend.” Amelia’s mind snapped back to something Edgar had said when he had met her on the street earlier that morning. ‘Victoria said I had to wait until you were the right age, so you could be her best friend—’ Rosalie. He was talking about Rosalie. “Is this what you were talking about when I came in?” Darlene nodded.

Ted leaned against the table, fists clenched. “I don’t know what we can do for her, Amelia. We can’t just bring ghosts back from the Underworld—” “But you’re here.” Amelia pointed out. “We’re Gatekeepers,” Ted said gently. “We have to be.” “We wanted you to know from us before you heard it elsewhere.” Hearing it from Ted and Darlene didn’t make it any better, Amelia decided. She thought she had been angry when Edgar took Darlene. She thought she had been angry when she learned what her biological mother had done to her father. She even thought she had been angry when she thought Darlene hadn’t really wanted her. But no anger in Amelia’s life could have prepared her for the way she felt now. Red mist clouded her eyes. Her thoughts became disted and incomprehensible. No one would take her family away from her again, whether they were alive or already dead. She would find her sister and take her away from Victoria, even if it was the last thing she would ever do. “Hades!” Amelia bellowed. “We need to talk.” Sparks ignited beside Amelia, and the grinning god of the Underworld leaned lazily against the doorframe. “You rang?”

Acknowledgements

There are so many people to thank, and I apologize in advance for anyone I don’t mention. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my husband, Thomas Borchmann, for being my cheering section every step of the way and for not balking at the cost of ISBN numbers. Thank you to my Granny, who has always been my biggest fan and asked me anytime she saw me when I was going to publish my book. I’ll it I started to feel the pressure, so I hope you’re happy Granny! I did it! To my writing buddy Jordyn Snyder: I don’t know what I’ll do without our coffee dates when I write the next book. You let me gab for hours and pick your brain over the tiniest detail, and for that I’m incredibly thankful. Thank you to my editor, Jessica Hatch, for taking my story and making it so much better. Your clever eye made this story stronger in more ways than I can count, and I am indebted to you! (Just a note, she edited content, not grammar, so if you find grammatical errors you can email me directly.) To my family who suffered through countless editions and listened to me drone on and on about the publishing industry, you guys are the best and I will be needing your services again soon for book two. And finally, thank you. I would never have published this story if readers like you didn’t exist. We’re the “cute but creepy” ones, as my friends like to say. If you enjoyed this book even just a little bit, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It will help direct other readers like you to Amelia’s story.