Page 46 of If I Stopped Haunting You

He glanced sidelong at Skinner. Neil knew all too well what being drawn to something felt like, but only bad things could come out of a place so dark, so abandoned. When he searched the darkness, his gut twisted, and his hair stood on end. He didn’t want to see the woman in black, if the portrait in the foyer was any sign of who she was. It was creepy and scary, and Neil was regretting coming to a haunted castle.

He cleared his throat and motioned to the stairs as the voices of the others grew louder below them. “Come on, Laszlo will kill us if we’re any later than we already are.”

She nodded and turned slowly, peering back at the west wing over her shoulder as they descended the staircase.

“You’re late!” Daniela decreed as they turned into the kitchen.

Neil shook his head as Skinner pushed past him to the table and took a seat. “We got lost,” he lied.

“Sure, you did.”

Laszlo clapped, drawing their attention. “Okay! This time we’re doing a partner activity. I was going to do it tomorrow morning, but you all seem to need a bit more stimulation today.”

“Sure do,” Daniela whispered to Neil.

“So, we pair up?” Neil asked, ignoring her pointed stare.

“Yes, we’ll randomly select partners and rooms. The idea is to sit and write the first thing that comes to mind in these places. Take it in,” Laszlo said, eyes flicking around them. “This castle holds a lot of inspiration. Look at the walls, at the floor, and just write whatever pops into your head, okay?” He clapped his hands again and motioned to the table. “I’ve already mapped out the creepiest rooms in the castle, so we’ll draw from those.”

Neil leaned toward the rough sketch Laszlo had laid out across the table. There were rooms he didn’t know were there, secret doors and passageways in places he was frankly uncomfortable knowing even existed.

“Now that I think about it, this sounds like a terrible idea,” Laszlo said, turning to Skinner.

Neil watched as the two leaned in toward each other conspiratorially. His stomach twisted at the sight. He wanted her to trust him like that. To smile without pulling back, to laugh freely.

“Laszlo, I will never understand why you decided renting out a haunted Scottish castle was a good idea,” Skinner said.

“Frankly, neither will I.”

“What about that one novel you wrote with the… thing that had the ghost doing… the thing? Wasn’t that kind of scary?”

Laszlo squinted at her. “My gothic thriller?”

She shook her head, leaning forward. She tapped her finger against the wood of the table, scraping her nail in the grooves, andNeil thought of her straddling him, her hands splayed across his chest as she laughed.

“No, no it was…” She scrunched up her nose, thinking. “The one with the underground tunnels? And the vampire.”

“Oh,The Drawn and the Closed.”

“Yes!” Skinner laughed and clapped. “That’s the one.”

“Is that a sex dungeon?” Daniela whispered from behind Neil, pointing to the map.

“What?” he asked, momentarily distracted.

Daniela smirked. “I was testing you. You’re spending an awfully long time studying this map, Stormy.”

“Please don’t use that nickname.”

“But it’s my favorite!” Daniela slung an arm over his shoulder. “You know, we’re from the same tribe, Stormy. We’re practically cousins. Aw,” she said when he tried to pull away, “why so gloomy?”

“Please don’t with the weather puns.” He shrugged her off and refocused on Skinner and Laszlo.

“Are you telling me you wrote that despite being scared of ghost stories and haunted places?” Skinner asked Laszlo, tilting her head.

Laszlo waved his hand. “I’ve been on dozens of underground tours. Something about those made it easier to write, you know? But that cellar?No, thank you.”

“What kind of underwear do you wear, Storm?” Daniela continued.