The Face in the House

26

She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there, walking around the seance room, breezing by the guests, stopping occasionally to gently blow on the backs of their unsuspecting necks. The sensation the knowledge brought her was perhaps more eerie and exhilarating than that of not knowing. She was tense with anticipation, her arms broken out with goosebumps, her body bracing for one of her invisible friends to bump her chair. To give her the cue.

Already, the playful, excited tone of the gathering had quieted into something more like nervous discomfort. Teddy held two of the guests hands, one on either side of her at the circular table. On her right sat the old woman, whose eyes were alight with energy of someone fifty years younger. Her hand was small and dry as bone. On her left sat the bespectacled professor, who tried to keep his face impassive and observant. Only his hand betrayed him, it was cold and clammy and trembled as if he were cold. Teddy wondered if Owen or Poole was paying special attention to the self-proclaimed skeptic. The other guests, the three 20-somethings from the nearby university, rounded out the rest of the circle.

One of the students, a young woman, sat very still, but looked around the room as if following a fly with her gaze. She observed so expectantly that for an instant, Teddy feared the girl could somehow see the invisible actors. Her face, however, remained the same level of calm amusement, which put Teddy's mind as ease. She realized the girl was probably looking for lights, fans, speakers, mirrors, or any other instrument that could be used to mimic paranormal activity. After several moments of silence passed, the girl's gaze finally rested upon her own, and her wide, glassy eyes told Teddy that she had found nothing in her search. On either side of her, her male companions shifted in their chairs and bounced their knees; an indication of intense boredom or growing fear.

Then came the cue, a gentle nudge to the back of her chair. She jumped at the sudden sensation, a calculated bit of realism (by design, she hadn't known when it would come), and gripped each hand tighter. Fear seemed to fan out from her like an electric current from guest to guest, as each hand tensed with surprise.

"He's here," Teddy said, and let her eyes fall shut.

In that same moment, the candles flickered violently as if from a sudden draft. One blew out, the smoke swirled and tinged the air with a burnt sweetness.

"Stephen did you just breathe on my neck," the girl hissed to her friend on her right, "Because if you just did that I'm going to kill you."

"Fuck no I didn't breathe on your neck — I don't even think I'm breathing at all," Stephen hissed back.

Teddy pretended not to hear the exchange.

"Spirit, we welcome you," she called, her voice deep and strong. "It is Friday, September the 13th in the year 2019. We sit in the parlor of Thornewood House, a group of harmless, curious mortals. We wish to make your acquaintance, if you'll have us."

She opened her eyes and addressed the group.

"This house stands between worlds," she explained conspiratorially. "The world as we know it, and the world beyond our comprehension. As a medium, I am most powerful where the lines between this world and the next blur and twist."

"I-I can feel them," said one of the students, a young man Teddy had overlooked. "Two of them. A-At least."

The young man looked about ready to flee the house, get in the car and leave his two friends behind. He eyes were wide and shiny and his voice trembled as he spoke. Teddy followed his gaze. A candle flickered at one end of the table.

"I-I think something just moved my chair—"

"Perceptive. Yes, I feel them too. Shall we invite them both to join us?" Teddy suggested.