Chapter Twenty-Three

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

We ended up at a house on the far side of town. I was expecting a crazy, broken down, dilapidated house that screamed, “Haunted!” and, “Demonic!” and, “Hello, I’m your worst nightmare!” But this was a normal stucco house standing shoulder to shoulder with its normal stucco neighbors. There was even a kitschy little lawn gnome in the garden.

“Who lives here, the Stepford Wives?” I eyed the neat hedges rimming the cheery yard. “Is this house going to kill me?”

“No. It’s just a house. The house itself can’t hurt you.”

Mouth was standing ramrod straight. Calm and happy he was not. He was more wispy than I had seen him in a while.

“Mouth. You’re freaky nervous. Tell me what’s going on.”

He didn’t say anything, which was unlike him. I wanted to kick him, but my foot would just go right through.

“Mouth?”

He turned and grasped my hands in both of his, but I didn’t feel anything besides a rush of cold air.

“Luna,” he said earnestly. “I can’t go in there with you. I