The Ghosts of Melbrew [1/12]

Chapter 12) Among The Corn

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          Another week went by as I talked more to Veronica. I still didn't know what her deal was, but she intrigued me to no end, while also being incredibly frustrating. There was something about her, not exactly hiding the truth, but not giving it to me, either. That crypticness that just made me more curious than anything else.
 
          Along with that, I also began to notice that that Annabelle girl from the Diner was watching me. Well, I didn't notice it, but I felt it. It's really bizarre. She always did give me the creeps, same as her strange mother, though at the time I struggled to understand why. I definitely wasn't expecting her to actually approach me, and even weirder was the chills her voice gave me.
 
          "Hello, Emeline Orman!" She said cheerfully as always. She was with Nora and three other people I didn't know, but recognized from around school.
 
          "Oh, uh, h-hi?" I said, confused, and even felt a bit anxious again. It used to be abnormal for me, but now it's becoming common. Am I developing anxiety?
 
          Nora spoke, "Annie, Jessie, Max, Ashlyn, and I are gonna be going out to the Zimmerman's corn maze tonight! We wanted to know if you or any of your friends would like to come along with us?"
 
          I paused for a moment to think. I thought that it would be fun to go. I might not've known Max, Jessie, or Ashlyn, but I liked Nora... and it would be nice to have more friends...

          ...I pondered, though as I looked to Annabelle, my mind changed. She would be there with us. There was just some sort of overlooking sense of doom that came over me. I felt it all the time around her. So, I made my decision.

          "...O-oh, I uh, I dunno. It's... it's kind of a short notice." I said.
 
          "Nah, I get it. Anna just wanted to ask. We won't pester you about it." Nora said, and they all walked off in their group.
 
          Honestly, I would've loved to go. I'm quite an extrovert and good with people, but there was something telling me I shouldn't, that feeling deep inside. Maybe it was because Annabelle gave me the creeps, but maybe it was the anxiety. I decided to not pay it much mind, though even as I tried to go back to focusing on my book, I just couldn't.

          My heart was racing and I had an upset stomach, it was definitely an oddity for me. It was the same feeling that I got before I entered that place in the woods. I've been getting anxiety and gut feelings since I arrived here... but why? It was a question I couldn't answer. Maybe it's not so odd anymore.

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          By Thursday the 20th, Halloween was fastly approaching with only eleven days to go. It was our second history club meeting. The first fake meeting passed by, and about thirty seconds later Cameron entered in with his queued slamming of the door, followed by his yell, "I brought the goods!"
 
          "I told you to stop slamming doors!" I said.
 
          You said to stop slamming YOUR door, not the history club door."
 
          "Not just– oh, whatever."
 
          He, carefully for once, put his bag down on the table. We had discussed what we would bring, so he brought all the stuff we collected while exploring that abandoned building a few weeks prior. We also brought Jane Howell's book, and Lutho's journal.
 
          "We found your fiancée's book." Dominik said, picking up both of the books, "We also hope she might be able to translate this journal we found?" He handed them to Mr. Marshall. "I know it might seem silly, but we think it's real, and a lot like what she writes about."
 
          Mr. Marshall held Jane's book under his arm as he flipped through the journal, increasingly looking more and more intrigued. "Why, you're right, Dominik, these are the same creatures she researches in her work! Where on Earth did you find this?"
 
          "The local library," Kimi said, "Kai and I found it a while ago."
 
          "How long ago?"
 
          Kimi shrugged, "A few months? It was around the end of last school year. We didn't think it was real, it just looked cool. Then we looked at it more and it felt creepy and had a weird vibe and then we found more things. So uh now we think it's real."
 
          As Mr. Marshall continued to look through the book, he put on a face I couldn't quite read. It was like a mix of astonishment, horror, and confusion all at once, but the intrigue was still present.
 
          After a bit of silence as we watched him, he finally spoke, "I have to give this to Jane. This is too... strange. But that name... Lutho... it sounds familiar..." He put down the journal to flip through his fiancée's book.
 
          "Okay, but how does she know about these things in the first place?!" Cameron exclaimed, gesturing to the books.
 
          "Jane is a witch. She studies magic and other dimensions." Mr. Marshall said casually, while still searching through the book. We looked at him in bewilderment.
 
          "...And you've just told us this now WHY?" Cameron asked.
 
          "I didn't think it was important. You've always shown interest in the Humphrey family, not the ghosts here." Mr. Marshall said looking up, confused. "I was under the impression it was unspoken awareness."
 
         "Mr. Marshall, excuse my language, but, there's much more going on here than just the fucking Humphrey family and we know this now. The Melbrews are building a portal in the woods! Emmy and Dominik saw demons in the forest where we found a dead fuckin' goat! The Humphrey family was brutally murdered ages ago and STILL no one knows the answer! There's a secret hole in the ground that might lead to an old cult, I don't fucking know!"