The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 10

I immediately knew I was dreaming because my twin was there.

It was Halloween three years ago. Orion got out of the car, dressed as Jerry Springer, and grinned at me. "Come on, Sloane. Don't be a chickenshit. This was your idea."

I stuck my tongue out at him but returned his smile as I climbed out of Rook's black 1985 Camaro, flaunting a leather mini skirt as Batgirl.

At sixteen – a full two years older than Orion and me – Rook was the only one who actually had a car and a driver's license, which meant he usually ended up playing "chauffeur." Dad had given my brother and me a few driving lessons, taking us to empty parking lots to practice when he had a weekend off, which was rare, since his schedule at the factory alternated between day and night shifts. But it would still be a while before either of us could get a license, and probably even longer before we could afford a car.

I walked up to Orion and Rook, who was dressed as a zombie hockey player. The old house loomed before us, looking grey and ominous with its boarded up windows and NO TRESPASSING signs. Since the house was in the middle of nowhere, we didn't bother locking the doors. Rook even left the keys in the ignition.

"Scared, sis?" Orion asked.

"Yeah, right." I gave him a light shove. "I'm just here to make sure you actually follow through with my dare."

Part of me was a little spooked of going inside the abandoned Miller Mansion, especially with the lore surrounding it. According to the local papers, a family was found mysteriously murdered there in the late 1800's. Occult activity was suspected, as their wrists and throats had been slit, and the bodies had been nearly completely drained of blood. The killer, or killers, was never found, and the case remained open to this day.

I completely loved anything spooky. Halloween was my favorite holiday, and we always made a point to do something "Mystery Inc.ish," like ghost hunting. This year, I had dared my brother to go inside the Miller Mansion and bring back something of Mrs. Miller's, who they found clutching the butcher knife they suspected she'd used to kill the rest of her family before killing herself. We'd rounded up Rook and left Kate's costume party shortly before midnight to come here. My skin tingled with excitement but also something else, almost like a warning.

I kept my reservations to myself, not wanting to look like a wuss in front of the guys, especially Orion. He'd never let me live it down.

I frowned slightly. Too bad Leo couldn't make it out. He would have loved this. When I had phoned him up earlier, he had declined, saying he had the flu. Judging from the sound of his voice, I wouldn't want to go anywhere near him. I promised to tell him all about it when I saw him at school.

My brother and Rook had already started toward the house. "Come on, Batgirl," Orion called. He and Rook were already disappearing in the shadows that ran alongside the house. I giggled and followed after them.

We walked around the side to the backdoor, which was secured with a padlock as thick as my forearm. "How are we supposed to get in?" I asked, examining it. It looked new. I bet we weren't the only ones seeking a cheap thrill around this time of year, and the city had updated the locks, wanting to keep it as secure as possible. The place was one of Pittsburgh's "historical monuments," and we could definitely get into big trouble if we were caught trespassing.

Orion whipped out a flashlight and shone the beam on the ground. "'Oh ye, of little faith.'" He pushed aside the weeds, revealing a set of old wooden doors. They were also locked, but the lock looked ancient. It was coated in so much rust that it was a burnt orange color, unlike the shiny silver of the other lock. Orion reached into his duffel bag and pulled out Dad's bolt-cutters.