Page 32 of Into the Dark, We Go
I was holding a piece of paper on which Lucas’s father had written Duane’s address.
"Shall we go, just the two of us?" I asked Mitchell.
He thought for a moment, then squinted like he was picturing something unpleasant and shook his head. "Nah, those two are going to go at each other if we leave them alone any longer, so I wouldn’t risk it."
But he couldn’t have been more wrong. Left to their own devices, Nick and June stood on the museum stairs, looking surprisingly relaxed and engaged. June’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She looked overstimulated, as if she’d had too much caffeine, and immediately spilled her newfound information without even asking how things went with Lucas’s parents.
"This town is crazy! Did you know it was founded by a witch coven?"
I vaguely recalled Lucas mentioning something like that in the past.
"I thought this was a mining town," Mitchell queried.
"The city was founded by people who got kicked out of the original settlements," June said, brushing off his question. "They were accused of practicing magic or Satanism, or whatever."
The church, bathed in the warm hues of the setting sun, boasted its newly painted sides in pristine white, as if trying to wash away the dark past June had just mentioned. Sunlight reflected off the church windows, casting a harsh glare in our direction, like a disapproving finger warning outsiders not to disturb the fragile balance of the place.
"So, everyone in town is a descendant of witches?" I muttered, still struggling to make sense of the information June had dumped on us.
"Not everyone," Nick corrected, his tone matter-of-fact. "Also, the coven died out a few decades after its founding."
June’s enthusiasm was palpable. "Yes, there was a massacre! Can you freaking believe it?"
Mitchell grew curious. "Was the entire museum about witchcraft?"
His sister launched into a detailed explanation, tripping over history as though it were trying to pull her back. "No, there was still a lot of boring stuff about the settlers and migration routes or whatever. But the witchcraft was the only part that didn’t make me snore. They worshipped the devil, and that’s how they stayed alive. But then they had a fallout, fought over their grimoire, and that’s all."
My mind reeled. It all seemed so irrelevant, yet my curiosity was piqued. "Kind of like the Salem witch trials?"
June dismissed the comparison. "Nah, they pretty much killed each other."
"The coven disappeared, and the town lived happily ever after," Nick wrapped up the conversation. "How about you? Any leads?"
"Oh yeah!" June finally remembered our absence. "What did you find out?"
"Not a lot," Mitchell responded for both of us. "But we got Lucas’s friend’s address. We should follow up on that and see if he knows anything."
"Are you sure he still lives here?" June asked skeptically.
"You’ll be surprised," Nick said, "not a lot of people leave towns like this one. Most stay forever."
But the hope of catching Duane that night was fading. No one answered his landline, and Lucas’s dad didn’t have a cell number for him, and it was getting too late to show up unannounced.
"Let’s pay him a visit tomorrow," Mitchell suggested. "It’s a Sunday, he’ll likely be at home."
"Do you think Amanda really came here?" June asked her brother.
"I don’t know, Junie. But we’ve come here to find her, so we’re staying till we figure something out."
Mitchell gave June a gentle pat on the back, and although she was always so prickly, she didn’t push his hand away. It was the first time he called her ‘Junie’ in front of us as well.
I didn’t have any siblings, but at that moment, I regretted being an only child. Having an older brother must be nice. I caught Nick looking at me, probably thinking the same.
Just then, the museum’s front door creaked open on its own, the sound resounding like a groan through the square. The sudden noise made me flinch. We all turned, but it slammed shut just as quickly.
I felt a light pressure on my back. It was Nick trying to console me.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice low and concerned. "You seem a little on edge."
