Grim Hill: The Family Secret Read online

  Table of Contents

  Reviews

  Title

  rights

  dedication

  CHAPTER 1 - A Shocking Announcement

  CHAPTER 2 - Second Sight

  CHAPTER 3 - A Desperate Attempt

  CHAPTER 4 - At All Costs

  CHAPTER 5 - An Eerie Prediction

  CHAPTER 6 - A Dreadful Deal

  CHAPTER 7 - Always be Prepared

  CHAPTER 8 - Journey into the Unknown

  CHAPTER 9 - Land of the Midnight Sun

  CHAPTER 10 - Bewitched

  CHAPTER 11 - Dark Amusement

  CHAPTER 12 - The Journey Darkens

  CHAPTER 13 - A Chilly Greeting

  CHAPTER 14 - A Mysterious Visitor

  CHAPTER 15 - An Eerie Incident

  CHAPTER 16 - A Logical Explanation

  CHAPTER 17 - The Witching Years

  CHAPTER 18 - A Perilous Plague

  CHAPTER 19 - A Little Witchcraft

  CHAPTER 20 - Walpurgis Night

  CHAPTER 21 - The Disappeared

  CHAPTER 22 - The Family Secret

  CHAPTER 23 - The Bridge

  CHAPTER 24 - Gnawer of The Moon

  CHAPTER 25 - The Witches’ Revenge

  CHAPTER 26 - Bell, Book, and Candle

  CHAPTER 27 - Escape from Blakulla

  CHAPTER 28 - Sámi Magic

  CHAPTER 29 - An Uncertain Future

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  “Grim Hill” Series

  Praise for the “Grim Hill” series:

  “Solid tween appeal …” – The Globe and Mail

  “… a pre-Steven King novel for tween readers.”

  – BellaOnline.com

  “… a storyline that fantasy addicts will devour.”

  – Montreal Review of Books

  “[An] appealing mix of realism, whimsy, and legend.”

  – Booklist

  “… bubbles along at a magical pace … creepy enough to cast a spell over anyone who reads it!”

  – Resource Links

  “DeMeulemeester has scored big …” – Vancouver Sun

  “Cat is an engaging heroine, and Grimoire has just the right amount of evil …”

  – January Magazine

  “… an entertaining and worthwhile read.” – Kirkus Reviews

  “We simply want to devour more of this author’s highly readable and intriguing prose that she has a knack for creating … Next installment, please!”

  – CM: Canadian Review of Materials

  Visit the official “Grim Hill” series website:

  www.grimhill.com

  Grim Hill

  The Family Secret

  written by

  Linda DeMeulemeester

  Grim Hill: The Family Secret Text © 2010 Linda DeMeulemeester

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in any retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Grim Hill Press.

  Published in 2011 by Lobster Press™

  Reissed in 2013 by Grim HIll Press

  Editorial Director: Meghan Nolan & Mahak Jain Editor: Katie Scott Editorial Assistants: Nicole Watts & Simon Lewsen Cover Illustration: John Shroades Graphic Design & Production: Tammy Desnoyers Production Assistant: Luckensy Odigé

  Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.; Technicolor is a trademark of Technicolor Trademark Management.

  In memory of my grandmother, Alice Beatrice Walls (MacPhail), an amazing storyteller.

  – Linda DeMeulemeester

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Sharon Eisbrenner and her friends for their invaluable Swedish connection. Many thanks to the staff at Lobster Press, and to Katie Scott for her insightful editorial help, and to John Shroades for another wonderful cover. Much appreciation to John and Alec and Joey as always.

  CHAPTER 1 - A Shocking Announcement

  IT WAS ALL too good to be true.

  I wondered if my ears were plugged as I said to Mia and Amarjeet, “Did I just hear that right?”

  “Cat, shh,” Mia rasped. “Ms. Sevren is saying some thing else.”

  I tilted my head toward the P.A. speaker as if that would help and listened intently to what our vice principal was announcing.

  “I repeat – this is an amazing opportunity, but because the grant money came in at the last minute, we have only five weeks to organize the school exchange in time for spring break. Every senior who is interested in participating must meet in the gym immediately.”

  “We’ve got to get in on this; otherwise, we’ll be stuck in this stupid town with nothing to do.” Mia slammed her locker door in irritation.

  I closed my gaping mouth. Darkmont had no money for any extracurricular activities, not even for any more sports until the next school year – but it just got a grant for a school exchange?

  “Where?” I said incredulously. “She didn’t say where the exchange was, did she?”

  “Does it matter?” Amarjeet threw her own books in the locker, not even caring when they landed open, which wasn’t like her. “I’m signing up. Think about it. Most of us aren’t even allowed to go into the city with a couple of friends to see a movie. Can you imagine traveling without parents?” Then her face broke out into a huge grin.

  “We’ll have to be with teachers,” I pointed out.

  Amarjeet acted like she hadn’t heard. “Do you think it will be a big city? I mean, this town doesn’t even have a mall.”

  “Or a rec center!” This place was so different from my old town. Except for going to the library or the small pool that was only good for teaching little kids how to swim, there weren’t a whole lot of activities for the average person. It was early March, and summer seemed like a lifetime away. We needed fun!

  Zach, Rabinder, and Jasper hurried toward the gym, rushing past us without as much as a “hello.” “Hurry,” Mia said. “What if it’s first-come, first-served? There goes Mitch.” Mia pulled off her jacket and, in her rush, twisted it inside out.

  As Mia struggled with her sleeves, we ran down the hall – even though we weren’t supposed to run – and followed Mitch into the gym.

  “Does anybody know where the swap is?” I asked Jasper. Curiosity burned through me.

  He shook his head. “No, the only specific thing Ms. Sevren said was that it’s for seniors only.”

  “Well, that’s us,” I said happily. One good thing about living in this tiny town was that we only had a junior high. All the older kids took school buses into the city. This left us on top of the food chain, even though we were only thirteen.

  “Of course there will be other criteria,” said Clive, sounding smug as he joined us. “Like good grades.” He looked right at me.

  “Of course,” I said as my heart sank. My grades weren’t bad – but they weren’t great. And I’d managed to get myself in trouble a few times in school …

  “Here we go.” Jasper pointed to the stage. Ms. Sevren stepped in front of the shabby velvet curtains, walked on stage, and adjusted the microphone. Screech. She tapped the microphone and leaned forward, brushing a strand of steel-gray hair from her eyes.

  “Darkmont has the chance to offer our students an incredible opportunity,” she began. I couldn’t say that was something I heard every day. Then Ms. Sevren got my full attention.

  “We are going to do a student exchange with our sister school, Svartberg Academy, in Sweden.”

  Okay, my ears must have been blocked. Did she say Sweden? Mia squealed in delight.

  “Our students will have a wonderful opportunity to explore the local museums and galleries and to learn firsthand about the history and geography of
the region,” said Ms. Sevren.

  “Awesome,” everyone murmured, though I figured like me, they weren’t thinking about the museums at all. Excitement shot through the gym like a bolt of lightning. I could feel the tingling on my skin as I shook my head, dizzy with disbelief.

  Travel to Sweden – was she kidding? I’d never been on a plane, and I could barely imagine what it would be like getting out of this town with my friends. Once I’d seen a show that took you on the highest train in the world to a cloud forest in South America. That’s the closest I’d ever been to traveling.

  “To qualify for this exchange program, Darkmont seniors need to meet the following conditions.” Ms. Sevren flashed two sheets of paper in front of us. Everyone stopped jumping up and down on the polished gym floor and stood stock-still.

  I held my breath.

  “Firstly, you must have a grade point average of B or higher. Even with spring break, participating students will still miss an extra two weeks of school, so you must be in good academic standing.”

  Done … almost. I had a C+ in history, but my science mark was an A-, so it would average out.

  “Secondly, although our grant is generous, your parents will still have to cover some of the cost.”

  My soaring balloon of excitement took a dive bomb. Air hissed between my lips in a sigh. Ever since my parents’ divorce, my family didn’t have much money to spare.

  “But,” said Ms. Sevren, “we want to offer this op portunity to as many students as possible. So to qualify for the exchange, everyone must participate in fundraising events over the next four weeks.”

  Done. My balloon bounced back up.

  “Finally,” said Ms. Sevren, “you must have your parents sign a letter of permission and the sponsoring teachers, Ms. Dreeble and Mr. Morrows, sign a letter of reference. We will need both in the office by Thursday.”

  My balloon was now quickly deflating. I wasn’t exactly on the good side of either of those teachers. Other students rushed past me to pick up the letters that were now set on a table at the foot of the stage.

  “C’mon, Cat,” called Amarjeet. “You’re signing up, right?”

  “Yeah, even you should qualify,” Clive said with a wicked grin.

  “Guess if they take you, they’ll take anybody,” I shot back. Clive laughed and nudged me toward the table. When I reached the pile of letters, I still hesitated.

  “Don’t worry, Cat,” Jasper mistook my hesitation – he knew my family didn’t have loads of cash. “We’ll hold car washes, and I can get my parents to offer a free dinner at their restaurant as a raffle prize. We’ll raise a lot of money for the trip.”

  Jasper Chung was a good friend. But I didn’t think he could help me get on the good sides of my teachers. At least, not in two days.

  Clive, on the other hand, knew exactly why I hesitated. “Better get that punk hair toned down,” he teased, pointing at the green strands in my brown hair. “You know how that annoys Mr. Morrows; it’s not exactly in Darkmont’s dress code.”

  That was true. Darkmont was strict about not wearing anything that drew attention, which meant no face piercings, no cool clothes, no distracting jewelry, and no crazy hair. But dye wouldn’t work on my hair – once you’ve been marked by the fairies, there’s nothing you can do about it. Somehow, though, I thought Mr. Morrows would be more concerned about a few outstanding assignments I might have forgotten, rather than the color of my hair.

  Also, there was one more thing lurking in the back of my mind. Did I dare wish for anything in this town? It was almost as if a wish could be turned against you here, and it was better to put your heart’s desire in a box and lock that box away. Our Valentine’s dance had proved that. I shuddered remembering that disaster.

  Then it struck me. I wasn’t wishing for anything in this town; I was wishing to get out of it.

  CHAPTER 2 - Second Sight

  WHEN I GOT home, I had the place to myself. It was for the best, because I had to get busy and I didn’t need Mom wondering why all of a sudden I had so much homework to do in one night.

  I also didn’t need my little sister Sookie casting me suspicious glances as I tried to explain my way out of it. I had a lot of work ahead of me if I was going to convince my teachers to sign the reference letter for the student exchange. And I really wanted that trip to Sweden, even though I didn’t know much about Scandinavia. But I knew I’d get to fly on a plane, that I’d get to stay in a hotel with all my friends, and that parents wouldn’t be with us.

  I hauled out my books and got started. Mom had taken Sookie to an eye doctor in the city, and they were going to stay there for dinner. But there was something Sookie had said when she brought home that note from her teacher that had me a little worried.

  “My eyes are fine,” Sookie had grumbled. “I don’t want to go.”

  “That’s not what your teacher says,” Mom had explained patiently. “You have a hard time seeing what’s been written on the board in your class.”

  “Oh, I can see the board fine. I just forget sometimes to remember what I’m looking at.”

  “What on earth do you mean?” Mom had frowned.

  But Sookie had only stared at Mom for a few seconds, like she’d been examining a bug on a leaf. I remembered the silence in the kitchen, except for the red clock that had been tick-tocking. Then switching gears, Sookie had asked, “Can we go to the sushi restaurant?”

  “Fine by me.” Mom had smiled, relieved to have gotten off easy – you didn’t want to mess with Sookie when she got into a sulk. Sure, Mom had the upper hand, but it took effort.

  I thought about the way Sookie had looked when she’d explained why she didn’t need her eyes checked. I realized it was the kind of intense expression I didn’t much like, sort of like a cat going after a canary. No, it was more like a cat drooling over a bird through the window.

  Suddenly, shivers crawled up my back.

  Sookie balanced a regular kid’s life with a secret one, and she wasn’t old enough to know which secrets were dangerous to keep …

  Much later when Sookie and Mom got home, I was still hunched over the computer in the dim light of our study.

  “Oh, Cat,” Mom said without even a “hello” as she surveyed the oak desk where I’d left an empty popcorn bowl and a plate with cookie crumbs. “Tell me that wasn’t your dinner.” Mom frowned looking at my dishes.

  “I ate a balanced meal,” I said. I’d grated cheese on the popcorn, and the cookies had raisins in them.

  “So,” I asked, looking at my sister, “What’s up with that?”

  Sookie grumbled. “The doctor said I’m supposed to wear this annoying eye patch at home. Then at school I have to wear stupid glasses,” she said, upset enough to use normal grade three talk.

  Sookie collapsed in a miserable heap on the stool beside me. She hung her blond head. “Now I see double.”

  “That shouldn’t happen,” Mom said as she carried my bowl and plate to the kitchen. “It’s supposed to make your weak eye stronger.”

  “So how many fingers do you see?” I said, holding up one finger.

  “One and that’s not what I meant.” Sookie folded her arms and looked cross.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Sookie said with a hint of mystery. And as soon as Mom disappeared into the kitchen, Sookie pulled off her eye patch. I shrugged and got back to work. Sookie picked up my permission letters and began reading them.

  “Hey,” I snatched the letters away. “Those aren’t yours.” In Sweden, I’d be free of my kid sister for three whole weeks.

  “Mom,” I yelled, “I’ve got an important paper for you to sign.”

  “Sookie, put that eye patch back on,” Mom insisted when she walked back into the room.

  Sookie looked so sad, I added, “You can pretend you’re a pirate.” She pulled her patch down over her eye and asked, “Can I go too? I can’t wait!”

  “Go where?” asked Mom.

  I hande
d the letters to Mom. “Well, you’ll be waiting a long time,” I said to Sookie. “You’re only nine and this is for the grade eights.”

  “What’s this about?” Mom said, skimming the form.

  The letter pretty much explained it all, but Mom liked to hear my take on things. She called it “keeping our communication open.”

  “There’s a student exchange for seniors. Mom, I really want to go. There’s a grant and there will be fundraising, and so it shouldn’t cost …”

  Mom got those lines between her eyebrows as she read – that was never a good sign.

  “But I’ve got to go,” I said under my breath, as if saying it too loud would make it not come true – like a birthday wish.

  After a minute Mom said, “It would be a wonderful opportunity.” She went to the oak desk and opened the drawer, then pulled out a big white envelope. “I have to check these lawyer’s papers. I’m sure your father gave permission for you to leave the country …” Her voice trailed away. Would Mom need him to sign something?

  I’d been about to jump up from the computer and read over Mom’s shoulder, but I froze mid-motion. It was as if a fist squeezed my heart. Sookie, who’d been fidgeting on her stool, grew still. We hadn’t heard from our father in ages.

  Mom forced a smile. “Let me sign your letter, Cat. Don’t you worry; I’ll work out all the details.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” That moment of tightness passed.

  “I can’t wait!” squealed Sookie.

  “For what? To get rid of your older sister?” I wasn’t that bad.

  “No.” Sookie got that strange look of anticipation on her face again, but she didn’t explain herself.

  “It’s too late to be doing homework.” Mom looked at her watch. “What have I said about doing schoolwork after T.V.?”