I sat down slowly on the bed, thinking about my mother. My memories of her were scattered, but I remembered her hugs and her smile the most.

Who had been her mother? As tight-lipped as my dad was about his own family, he’d never said anything at all about my mother’s family. And worse, he’d never explained why. I’d always assumed it had something to do with her death, but I didn’t know for sure.

And why? A car crash was tragic but not generally something to be ashamed or mysterious about.

My thoughts turned to Maria. She’d mentioned that her husband had an interest in genealogy and had apparently learned a lot about his ancestry. Maybe once I got the Internet up and running in this place, I could do some research of my own.

Turning away from my gloomy thoughts, I made my way downstairs. The curtain rods I’d bought had to be installed with screws, so I would need a drill. I figured all the stuff like that had to be in the basement, so I grabbed an old flashlight I’d seen in the kitchen drawer and headed down the stairs.

To my surprise, the flashlight turned on just fine and gave off a powerful beam. I saw a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room, so I yanked on the chain next to it.

The bulb gave off a pale, yellow glow, but it was bright enough for me to turn off the flashlight.

Several stacks of boxes and bags surrounded me, teetering precariously. I walked slowly through the maze of junk, looking around for tools.

I peeked inside some of the boxes, wondering what kind of stuff grandma had kept down here. Some held clothing from bygone eras, others had old kitchen cookware and pans, and still others had stranger things like unusually long, tapered candles in a variety of colors.

I even came across a box of romance novels, the covers emblazoned with shirtless men and large chested women. I couldn’t help laughing, imagining Grandma reading these kinds of books.

As I meandered towards the back of the basement, I noticed two old-fashioned cellar doors that were designed to open up and out to the back yard. I supposed they were there in case of an emergency. Tornadoes were a possibility in this part of the country, so it would make sense to have an outside entry to the basement.

My foot hit something solid as I walked, and I looked down.

“Here we go.”

I’d found what looked like a large toolbox. Hefting the lid open, I grinned with satisfaction. An assortment of tools lay inside, including a very old drill. It sat right next to a case with different sized bits. Taking them out, I shut the lid and dusted off my hands.

As I stood up, a random door, painted white, caught my eye on the far wall of the basement. It didn’t have a doorknob but closed instead with a bar across the middle. Intricate carvings of leaves ran the length of the door from top to bottom.

The craftsmanship was beautiful, but something about it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

Though the door creeped me out, I couldn’t resist walking up to it and reaching out, trying to grasp the bar of wood to lift it. My fingers curled against some kind of invisible barrier. A sort of jolt shot through me at the contact, not painful, but not pleasant, either.

“What on earth?”

Goosebumps sprang up on my arms as I backed slowly away from the door. Why would Grandma Celeste have something like this in her house? What was behind it, and how come I couldn’t reach the bar?

I quickly decided I’d had enough of exploring the basement and wound my way back through the maze of boxes, moving faster with each step. Pounding up the stairs, I didn’t look back until I’d reached the main floor and slammed the basement door shut.

Chapter Two

When I walked down the street to the shop the next morning, I saw the gray cat sitting on the front stoop. It didn’t spook and run away like most cats would when I approached.

“Hi, kitty.”

I crouched down so I was eye level with the cat and reached out my hand. She looked at my hand with what could only be described as disdain.

I frowned, confused. Since when did cats have facial expressions?

“Are you hungry? You’ve been hanging around here a lot.”

The cat gave a low purr, so I scooted a bit closer. I reached out, my fingers barely brushing the top of the cat’s head when its paw shot out and swiped at me.

I jerked my hand back and toppled into the dirt on my butt.

“Hey!”

I sat up and glared at the cat, who stared evenly back at me. My heart hammered as I looked down at my hand. I had no scratches, and I realized that I hadn’t felt any pain when the cat made contact. It looked like she’d kept her claws retracted.

Standing up, I brushed off my pants and glowered at the animal. Even though she hadn’t scratched me, she was still mean.

“Shoo! Go away.”

With a contemptuous meow, the cat ambled slowly in the direction of the woods behind the shop. With a deep breath, I unlocked the door and went inside.

While I waited for Maria to come, I began dusting the counters and clearing cobwebs from the rafters. It was hot, dirty work, but I felt glad for a task to occupy my mind.

The bed in my room at Grandma’s house was very comfortable, a large queen bed with a mattress topper to boot, but it had taken a few hours to finally fall asleep after the weird events in the basement. I’d woken frequently through the night from muddled, weird dreams.

I usually had a hard time sleeping in new places, but I couldn’t deny the fact that the door in the basement rattled me. What was hiding in there? Why couldn’t I reach the bar to pull it up?

I’d been creeped out the entire night, even with two floors between me and the door.

When my alarm went off at eight, it had been a monumental task to drag myself out of bed and get dressed. I knew then that it was going to be a very long day.

Maria showed up about five minutes after nine, toting a large bucket full of supplies, a large broom and dustpan in her other hand. I smiled, happy for the distraction from my thoughts.

“Good morning!”

“Hi,” I greeted her, climbing down off the step ladder I’d used to reach the webs. “Thanks so much for coming.”

“No problem. I know it’s hard to be new in town, especially a town like Woods Crossing where everyone already knows each other.”

I smiled, but it came out more like a grimace. “It would probably be easier if I had any family left in town.”

Maria sighed as she set her cleaning supplies down.

“Exactly. Tim’s family originally came from Woods Crossing, but it wasn’t like we knew anyone when we moved here. That’s part of why I reached out to you in the store. It’s hard to be on the outside looking in, and I didn’t want you to feel the same way.”

My smile became less strained as it stretched across my face.

“That’s really nice of you. I was so glad you talked to me yesterday. I really like the town, but all my close friends are still in Titan Bay, or they’ve moved out of state.”

Her expression grew sympathetic.

“It’s good we found each other, then! I’m sure we’ll be great friends.”

I began taking down some candles to polish the shelves. Maria followed my gaze, then looked around at the rest of the shop. The shelves were organized by product, with an area for all different types of candles, one for lotions, facial creams, and other body products, one for herbal supplements, one for teas, and one for herbal ointments.