Macey's Missing: Taber Blood II

Chapter 1

Jared and Brenda just learned Johnathan, the butler, entered their world through the hand-painted tree.  A portal to the underworld, created by Evalena, the witch who cursed the Taber family. The portal wasn't new to them. They'd known for years, ever since Macey and her son, Jared, moved into the mansion ten years earlier. They killed the witch who created the portal. Killing isn't the right word, more like they returned her to ash because she was already dead. Evalena's demise didn't close the passageway between the living and dead. Many creatures entered from the other side using Jared's ancestral tree. Johnathan, their butler, was the first, but the family wasn't aware until now. 

Now that Jared and Brenda know about Johnathan, they have a plan, and it is simple. Kill the fake butler. 

The second demon to come through had set its eyes on Jared, and good ole Johnathan wasn't a bit surprised. He should have been. After all, it was the first he'd seen. Anyway, the creature lunged at Jared with the intent to kill him. Macey caught the beast mid-air, a battle ensued until both disappeared back through the portal. That was the last time Jared saw his mother. He was age eleven at the time. At eighteen, Jared no longer feared creatures from the other side. 

Jared remained on the side of the living. He would have been alone, except he had his uncle Eddie. The estranged relative came into their lives to defeat the witch. It was perfect timing, but not unexpected. At least not for Eddie. He had watched the Tabers and the mansion for years in anticipation of the chance to end the curse. Then there's Roxanna, Macey's best friend. She and Macey had their problems, but in the end, Roxanna proved her loyalty. She fought fearlessly by Macey's side. Roxanna brought along her daughter Brenda, Jared's side-kick since the original battle with the witch. Lastly, there's David, Macey's psychiatrist and husband. He keeps everyone grounded, as in, in the world of the living. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes.  Uncle Eddie, Roxanna, Brenda, David, and Jared are family. Part of the reason Jared no longer feared the demons is the support he received from his family. They reside at the Taber Mansion. The largest home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Also home to the mysterious hand-painted ancestral tree where the dead find passage to the living. 

The butler, Johnathan, is a demon. He had lived with them before Macey disappeared and ever since. But that will end today. Jared and Brenda caught onto Johnathan and waited till the adults weren't home to confront the slick demon. 

They faced the butler—Brenda with her mother's baseball bat and Jared with ready fists. Jared stepped forward and matched the demon's dominant stature. Johnathan lunged, a move similar to the creature who took Jared's mother seven years ago. The method suggested he and the beast who took Macey were from the same family line or demon circle. Either way, the attack was simplistic as in easy to read. Jared sped forward and snatched the demon, but not by the throat. That would suggest a trite method. Instead, Jared plunged his fist through the demon's chest and held him mid-air by his non-beating heart.

The demon laughed, revealing jagged teeth. Brenda, like her mother, didn't mind a good fight. She swung the bat smashing his teeth into pieces that scattered across the floor. The demon stumbled back and fell. His eyes widened at the sight of his dead heart that remained in Jared's tight grip, several feet away. 

"Didn't see that one coming, did you?" Brenda said, her sarcasm mimicking her mother's.

Speaking of, "I knew something would go wrong," Brenda's mother, Roxanna, said. She and Uncle Eddie stood at the entrance staring at Jared and the dead heart of the demon in his hand. They were supposed to be on a plane halfway across the world to search for another portal. But, Roxanna felt something was wrong and demanded they return home.  

Johnathan spun around to face Roxanna and Eddie. Eddie had turned into the beast, another remnant of the witch's curse. He stood on all four limbs snarling at Johnathan, whose appearance turned more like a demon than a butler. Roxanna said, "I want the credit card I gave you to maintain the household."