Cameron Keen never expected her life to become entangled in the horrors of Blackwood Mountain.
Drawn back by a past she can't escape, she soon finds herself face to face with her old friend Josh Washington, a man haunted not just by grief, but...
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ISOLATION.
Cameron sat on her chair, her leg tucked beneath her, eyes flitting between the spirit board and the faces around the table.
"So, it says here: 'To communicate with the spirit world you must free your mind of all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions..." Chris looked from Josh to Ashley. "And generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whim of the Spirit-master... which is me.'"
Ashley scoffed as she sat down in her chair, scooting it closer to the dining room table. "It does not say all that."
The humor of the moment—Chris acting like a grand Spirit-master—didn't seem to reach Cameron. She could feel the weight of something about to shift, a seriousness bubbling just beneath the surface of the jokes.
"Chris, come on, this is serious." Josh put an end to Chris' shenanigans with an amused smile, sitting down as well.
"Enough guys, let's try this." Cameron inched closer to the edge of her seat, placing her fingertip down flat on the planchette, watching the others do the same.
"Do you wanna give it a try, Cam?" Chris's voice broke through her thoughts, but she shook her head firmly.
"No way." She said, widening her eyes for dramatic effect. "I'm not getting my bloodline cursed for saying something wrong." She held up her hands as if the board might come to life and zap her.
The humor didn't quite settle the knot in her stomach, but it got a few laughs from the group, which was all she needed to feel like things were still in control.
Chris laughed, unable to resist the teasing, though his eyes twinkled with mischief as he looked at Ashley. "Fine, Ashley. Since you're our recent convert, why don't you try being our medium?"
Chris leaned back in his chair, still chuckling as he watched Ashley reluctantly take on the role of the medium.
She hesitated, her eyes flickering nervously between each person. She wasn't quite sure what to expect from the board, but she played along, her voice light as she tried to keep the mood casual.
"Okay... uh... Is anyone there?" Her tone was half-joking, her shoulders tense despite her attempt at nonchalance.
She glanced around the room dramatically, as though she half-expected an invisible force to respond. "Pick up the phone... spirits... spirit phone... Abracadabra?"
Even though Ashley was trying to joke around, something about this felt different. It wasn't just a game anymore, at least not to Cameron.
Josh, sitting across from her, narrowed his eyes slightly, the amusement from earlier fading. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and leveled a serious look at Ashley.
