Life Curse: Taber Blood I

Chapter 5

The three knocks of death. What was Macey thinking? It was just a knock, no matter how obnoxious it sounded. Nevertheless, she stood there holding Jared's hand, paralyzed out of fear of opening the door and learning what lurked on the other side. 

Jared let go of her hand, waltzed to the door, and opened it before Macey could object. 

And so it was Daniel who stood on the other side, wearing the same tweed jacket, hands clasped in front. He had an expression of duty on his face.  

Relieved but irritated with the old butler, Macey said, "Oh, it's the keeper of the passageway."

Daniel's face twisted like a scrooge. "Breakfast is ready, ma'am." He about-faced and marched toward the stairs. "Who else would knock at the door?"

Macey projected her death stare right at Daniel. Her mouth didn't help matters, but Daniel's knock was deliberate and done to instill fear. There were some rules to establish. One, knock like you have some sense of the impression your giving, and two, announce yourself when reaching the top of the stairs. She would have told Daniel right then but deemed it better to have the conversation when Jared wasn't present. 

Macey and Jared ate breakfast and left the old mansion as planned. The fifty-two-room colonial seemed right out of a horror movie. An intriguing structure situated on one-hundred-fifty acres of land all behind the house where the family cemetery rests. It had a menacing butler to add to its austere prestige. Macey smirked at that notion. The front, a few thousand feet from the road where smaller homes expanded in the fifties, needed an update. Who is Macey kidding? It needed a complete re-do.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get in the car," she said to Jared.  Macey backed out of the driveway and proceeded north, darting her eyes between the rearview mirror and the road. The mansion was creepier with distance, but the feeling of dread lifted as she drove away.

The school, located near the Taber Mansion, was a distance Jared could walk, but it was too soon to let Jared travel independently. Besides, Macey feared other kids would bully him like his father years ago. A scenario best left in her darkest fears than risk exposing Jared. 

Macey turned left, headed for Main Street. "Sweetie," she said.

"Mom, please don't call me sweetie in front of the other kids." 

"Oh, right. That wouldn't be pleasant. I'll be sure to call you Jared." Macey glanced over at her son. Today, he will meet new friends and teachers. If there are to be any problems from the past, Macey would know later in the afternoon. But, for now, she must let him experience the good and evil, a hard choice for a loving mother. 

"I will return to pick you up at three."

"Ok."

"First, I have to walk you into the school."

"But, Mom!"

"It's required," Macey said as she pulled into the parking space. "But it isn't required tomorrow."

Jared cocked his eye sideways, "The next day?"

Macey turned the ignition off and pulled her keys out. "Nope."

Jared sighed in relief. Macey understood she'd have to give him space to establish himself in his new environment. The last thing he'd want is to appear like a wimp in front of other boys. 

Tillinghast Elementary hadn't changed in thirty years. Yet, most people don't know the connection to the Taber family. A marriage that brought the two families together until tragedy separated them and left them rivals for generations.  A history Macey considered better told when Jared is old enough to understand complexities between people.