LeRoux Manor Page 6

  “This is awesome,” Camille stated.

  “Not too old-fashioned for a city girl?” Grace asked.

  “No way. I love it.”

  “Then just wait till you try the food,” Jayne announced. “It’s brilliant.”

  Camille grinned and followed the girls to a booth in the back corner. Then her self-confidence faltered again when she saw two boys sitting in the booth, and she quickly looked around, hoping she’d find herself at another booth instead.

  “Ladies, about time you rocked up. We were going to order without you,” one of the boys said as he slid out of the booth and threw his arm across Grace’s shoulders. He planted a kiss on her cheek.

  “I told you we were picking Camille up first,” Grace replied.

  “I know. I’m just stirring.” The boy winked at Camille and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Jonathan Glasser, dutiful boyfriend and comic relief.” He grinned and flicked his blond hair out of his face. “This dude is Lachlan Rivers. Ledge of a point guard and Woodville Academy’s pride and joy.”

  Lachlan also slid out from the booth and extended his hand. He seemed the opposite of Jonathan, with dark, short-cropped hair and piercing blue eyes. Camille was a little taken aback by the intensity of his gaze when she shook his hand and was mortified to feel the heat of a blush move up her neck and into her cheeks. “Uh, point guard... Basketball, right?” she asked, unsure of what else to say, her mouth suddenly feeling dry and she hoped the others couldn’t see her instant crush. Lachlan nodded but didn’t say anything at all.

  “Righto, Camille from Australia,” Jonathan declared. “Let’s sit, and you can tell us all about yourself over some food.” He pulled Grace into the booth beside him. Lachlan slid in opposite Jonathan, nodding his head in Camille’s direction. But before she could follow, Jayne dove in beside him, casting an irritated look at Camille who was left hovering at the end of the table. She felt ridiculous, and with Jayne’s unmistakable ‘back off’ vibes, Camille slid into the booth alongside Grace.

  “Pretty much everything we do revolves around these blokes’ stomachs,” Grace told her with a laugh. Seemingly oblivious to Camille’s embarrassment, or the territorial glances Jane was flicking in her direction, despite the friendly smile on her face.

  “I don’t know if the girls told you, Camille, but the food here’s brilliant,” Jonathan stated.

  “So I’ve heard,” Camille replied and picked up the menu, partly to actually read it, and partly to avoid meeting his gaze. Still at the mercy of the butterflies in her stomach—now aggravated by her growing attraction, she found she had no appetite, yet she didn’t want to offend her new friends by not taking part in their tradition. “So, what’s good here? Or is that a stupid question?” Camille asked, smiling when they laughed.

  “It’s kind of a stupid question,” Jonathan said, “but as you’re new, we’ll let it slide. I think we should start you off slow. Ease you into the Rick’s experience. Try the classic cheeseburger and chips. And a vanilla milkshake. You won’t regret it.”

  “Sold,” Camille replied, lowering the menu. She was grateful for not having to decide on her own.

  A woman approached them on roller skates and pulled a notepad and pen from the front pocket of her apron. “Hey, guys,” she said before looking down at Camille. “Welcome to Rick’s. I’m Amy. You’re new here, yeah?” Camille just nodded. “And you’ve just moved here?”

  “Yeah, they’ve moved into LeRoux Manor,” Jayne added.

  Amy’s eyes widened in awe. “Wow. Creepy. I’d heard the rumour but didn’t know if it was true. That’s cool.”

  “Uh, yeah. Something like that.”

  “How come we don’t get the friendly ‘Welcome to Rick’s’ bit, Amy?” Lachlan asked, and Camille smiled at him, grateful for the deflection. He glanced at her and offered a small nod.

  “Because you lot are part of the furniture. Now, what can I get you?” They put in their orders as Amy frantically jotted it all down before flashing them a smile and gliding away.

  “You can’t just announce to everyone that Camille’s moved into LeRoux Manor,” Grace said to Jayne, who looked up in surprise.

  “Why? It’s not like it’s some kind of secret. I’m sure the whole town knows by now anyway.” Jayne folded her arms.

  “It’s fine, really,” Camille added, not wanting any friction on her behalf.

  “In this town, everyone knows everything,” Jonathan said. “Though obviously, being your new friends, we’re allowed to ask you questions about it, aren’t we?”

  Camille smiled, more focused on the fact that he’d referred to them as her friends. “Sure. I don’t know if I can answer too much, but go ahead.”

  “Is it creepy?” he asked.

  “I already asked that!” Jayne announced.

  “Well, I wasn’t there, was I?” Jonathan retorted.

  “It’s a little creepy sometimes, but I think it’s just because it’s so big and old. I’m still getting used to it,” Camille lied with a half-smile. This was starting to sound like her go to soundbite.

  “So, no cool ghost stories or anything?” he asked, sounding quite disappointed.

  “Nope,” Camille said. “Not one.” She toyed with the edge of her napkin, then looked up. Lachlan stared at her intently, and she quickly returned her gaze to the table, fearing he’d see the lie in her eyes.

  “You know, there was a murder there,” Lachlan stated.

  Grace scoffed. “You can be so morbid sometimes.”

  Camille smiled nervously again, unsure whether Lachlan was trying to unnerve her or just knew his history. “It’s okay,” she said. “I know all about it. The murder of Caleb LeRoux and the disappearance of his daughter on the day of the manor’s grand opening.”

  “Doesn’t that creep you out?” Jayne asked, hugging herself against an imaginary shiver and shifting closer to Lachlan, glancing up at him as though hoping he might put a reassuring arm around her.

  Camille watched them for a moment, feeling a pang at the thought that the two of them might be an item. Lachlan, though, seemed oblivious to Jayne’s attention.

  “Not really. I mean, it was so long ago, and it didn’t happen in the actual house.” Camille shrugged. Grace saved her from any further investigation and skilfully deflected the conversation toward filling Claire in on their holiday shenanigans and local gossip.

  Before long, Amy returned with their food. Camille marvelled at how the woman balanced all that food on the trays while skating around. If it was Camille doing it, she wouldn’t last two minutes. When everyone tucked into their burgers, the comfortable silence made Camille even more grateful to be here. The boys grunted and groaned in appreciation as they ate. Camille savoured each bite, conceding that this was the best burger she’d ever tasted.

  For the rest of the evening, LeRoux Manor thankfully wasn’t mentioned again. Camille had more than enough time to think about it once she returned home. For now, she was grateful for the change in conversation. The group filled her in on all the best places in town, where all the kids hung out beyond school hours, and what the teachers were like.

  “Just a heads up,” Jonathan said. “Mr Ostervic will likely corner you the first chance he gets, regardless of whether you’re in his class or not. He’s a bit... eccentric. Especially when it comes to LeRoux Manor.”

  “He’s not that eccentric,” Lachlan added.

  “Of course you would defend him. You’re the teacher’s pet.” Jonathan threw a chip at his mate.

  Lachlan picked it up and ate it. “What can I say? I’m good at everything.” He spoke so dryly; Camille couldn’t tell if he was boasting or joking. The others laughed, and she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at him, only to find him already looking at her again. She felt herself blushing again and futilely tried to push him from her mind.

  Both a jock and good at school? This guy can’t be for real.

  ON THE DRIVE HOME, Camille was surprised to find herself yawning.


  “Looks like you had a good time,” her mother said.

  “Yeah, I did. It was nice to meet some people before school tomorrow.”

  “Your new friends seem nice.”

  “I think so. They’re all so different. Like, it’s hard to see what they have in common. I mean, Lachlan and Jonathan have basketball, but aside from that, the only common ground might be that they’ve known each other all their lives.”

  “That’s how it works sometimes, sweetheart. Those can be some of the strongest friendships, I think.” Camille yawned again. “Straight to bed for you,” her mother stated as they pulled up into the driveway.

  “No arguments here,” Camille replied. She leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek before getting out of the car.

  She inspected her reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to see herself through Lachlan’s eyes, wondering if he liked her too. Quickly feeling ridiculous, she pulled a face at herself and left the bathroom, flicking off the light on her way out. A strange hum wafted down the hall toward her, and she paused to listen. Then, smirking at her own paranoia, Camille realised it was her mobile vibrating against her bedside table, and she hurried back to her room to pick it up. Grace had sent her a facetime request, so she accepted it before remembering she still stood there in her pyjamas.

  “Hey,” Grace whispered, though it sounded forced and fairly loud. “Sorry to call so late. I just wanted to check in with you and see how you found tonight.”

  “No worries. I was just getting ready for bed,” Camille whispered back, wondering why, as there was no way her parents would hear her talking from their bedroom. “I had a really good time. Everyone was really nice.”

  “Are you sure? You seemed a little unnerved by Lachlan.”

  Camille smiled. “He’s fine. I just wasn’t sure how to take him. I mean, he doesn’t say a lot.”

  Grace nodded. “At least not compared to the rest of us. He’s just super intense with everything he does. He takes overachiever to the next level. But he’s also a really great bloke, once you get to know him.”

  “Jayne seems keen on him...”

  Grace laughed. “Yeah, you picked up on that, did you? She’s not exactly the subtle type, our Jayne. She’s been in love with him for so long, we tend to not even notice anymore.”

  “What about Lachlan? Does he notice?”

  Grace scrunched up her face. “He doesn’t seem to be interested, but that could just be because he’s so focused on his schoolwork and his basketball. Who would know? Lachlan keeps most things pretty close to his chest. Why? Are you keen on him?” She shot Camille an exaggerated wink.

  “Hardly!” Camille felt herself flush at the thought. “I only met the guy tonight.”

  “If you say so,” Grace replied, clearly not prepared to let the idea go. “I’ll drop it if you show me what your room looks like. I imagine it’s brilliant.”

  “Well, not quite yet. There’s still a lot to do.” Camille turned the phone around and slowly scanned the room—starting with the four-poster bed, now with a black and silver bedspread and black crepe drapes covered in tiny, starlike specs of silver. Moving the phone toward the windows, she heard Grace gasp. “Holy crap. Those windows are epic!”

  Camille smiled and recalled her own reaction to seeing them for the first time, though now the moonlight flowed freely through the clean glass instead of so much dust and dirt.

  Camille smiled and recalled her own reaction to seeing them for the first time, though now the moonlight flowed freely through the clean glass instead of so much dust and dirt. She moved the phone around the room—over the deep-green wallpaper with the shimmering silver detail that, in its cleaner state, made Camille think of tiny snail-trails across the grass. Next, she moved quickly past the wardrobe and the doorway, then spun the phone around toward herself.

  Grace screeched, and Camille fumbled to keep from dropping the phone. “What?” she asked, panicking. “What is it?”

  “The door!” Grace demanded. “Go back to the doorway!”

  Camille turned toward the doorway and peered into the dark hall, her heart pounding in her chest. She overheard Grace’s father telling her to get off the phone and get to bed. The call terminated, Camille closed the door, and she Camille stared down at the phone in her hand, wondering what the hell had happened. Calling Grace back to clarify might get her new friend in trouble, so Camille plugged in her phone and set it on the bedside table before climbing into bed. As she reached over to turn off the light, her vibrating phone made her jump. Then she read the text from Grace.

  ‘Sorry, can’t talk. Got in trouble for making too much noise.’

  ‘What happened?’ Camille quickly texted back.

  ‘Some woman was standing right there in the hallway. Scared the piss out of me.’

  Camille lowered the phone and looked at her closed bedroom door.

  ‘Was probably Miss McAllister lurking again,’ she sent. ‘She does that a lot.’

  Still, Camille put her phone on the bedside table again and slowly swung her feet off the bed and onto the floor. Determined to catch Miss McAllister in the act, she tiptoed toward the door, careful to avoid the squeaking floorboards. When she reached the door, she grabbed the handle and yanked it open. There was no one there. Her phone vibrated again, and Camille closed the door, walked back to her bed, and read Grace’s next message.

  ‘Does Miss McAllister have white hair pulled back into a bun and wear a high, white-lace collar?’

  Camille froze, her eyes flying back to the door before flicking towards the closed wardrobe and back to her phone.

  ‘No. No, she doesn’t.’ Camille couldn’t write anything more.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  C

  AMILLE PULLED HER coat tighter against the icy morning, regretting not having taken her father up on the offer to drive her the whole way to school. But she’d wanted to speak to Grace before they got caught up in all the first-day mayhem, worried that she may have driven off her new friend before setting foot through the school gates. She jogged across the road when she saw Grace waiting for her in front of the bookstore. Grace gave her a little wave before quickly shoving her gloved hands back in her pockets.

  “Hey,” Camille said as she stepped in beside her, smiling with relief.

  “Hey. So, who was lurking outside your room last night if it wasn’t McAllister?” Grace asked as they walked. “I thought you said they were the only other people in the house. Was it a ghost?”

  “Wow. Straight into it!” Camille replied, trying to smile though she wasn’t really joking.

  “Sorry,” Grace said. “I was just thinking about it all night. She kind of freaked me out.”

  “Freaked you out? How do you think I felt being told there was someone outside my room?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It just gave me a shock.”

  “What exactly did you see?” Camille asked, wanting more clarification even though she knew deep down Grace had seen her mystery woman.

  “It’s hard to say, exactly. It was so quick. I only really saw the top half of her with the hallway so dark. She just clasped her hands together in front. Really pale against the long black sleeves. Buttons up the front of the dress. At least, I’m assuming it was a dress, with a high collar. Like a white lace or something around the neck. White hair in a bun. I don’t even recall much about her face. But she was... glaring at me right through the phone. Like she could actually see me. That’s all I saw.”

  For a long time, neither of them said anything else as they walked.

  “So... you’ve seen her before?” Grace prompted.

  Camille nodded. “A few times. Only the first time was really clear. It was my first night at the manor.”

  “Ugh...” Grace shuddered. “That is so creepy. And totally cool.”

  “How is it cool?”

  “Well, it’s like a ghost of LeRoux Manor’s past seeking out the modern generation to connect with us. I mean, it’s
clearly a ghost, right?” Whatever fear Grace had had, it was rapidly replaced by enthusiasm for her theory.

  “Yeah, I guess so. She looks so real, though, doesn’t she?”

  “What did you expect a ghost to look like?” Grace asked.

  Camille shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. I guess I always thought they’d be more... I don’t know. Transparent?”

  “Hmm... Who do you think she is?”

  “No idea. I haven’t seen her in any of the pictures I’ve found so far.”

  “Have you had a look in the book you bought yet? There’s bound to be something in there.”

  Camille nodded. “Good idea. I haven’t had the chance to have a proper look at it yet. I’ll check it out as soon as I get home.” They put the topic of the woman on hold as they met Jayne, Jonathan, and Lachlan at the front of the school.

  “Ready for your first day?” Jonathan asked as he reached for Grace’s bag.

  Camille smiled with as much confidence as she could muster. “Sure. Starting senior year in a new school at the wrong time of year, and as the town freak, no less... This is going to be awesome.” Her new friends laughed, and Grace reassuringly slipped her arm through Camille’s, leading her toward the gate.

  “Welcome to senior year, my friends!” Jonathan declared as they entered Woodville High together.

  “ARE YOU GOING TO TELL the others what happened last night?” Camille asked Grace as they left their double period of Advanced English.

  “It’s not really my place to tell them. I mean, it’s your house. Your family history. We don’t keep secrets, but I know you just met us. I get it if you need some time to get to know us better before telling everyone. On the other hand, some fresh perspective might be a good thing.”