Pirate's Luck

Ghost Hotel

Cleo Richmond took a deep breath and faced the phantom that haunted her nightmares for so many years. Shade house didn't look as foreboding as she remembered. In fact, the three story Victorian home's yellow façade and blue trim felt inviting. Her Great Aunt Fay had recently remodeled the bed and breakfast which boasted nine guest rooms, a large parlor, music room, a wrap-around porch, large gardens and an updated kitchen. Cleo had an open invitation to visit the Bed and Breakfast whenever she wanted but she declined and not just because Fay was her least favorite relative.

Something was wrong with the house.

The nightmares started ten years ago—the last time Cleo visited her Great Aunt. Unfortunately, she could never remember the dream. Flutters of dread niggled at the back of her mind whenever she awoke from the nightmare. The only thing she could recall was the warning: Stay away from Shade house.

But now she owned it.

Her Great Aunt Fay died three months ago leaving Cleo the house. Cleo didn't want it and Fay knew that. Even dead her aunt figured out a way to make her life a living nightmare. Well it didn't help that she chose Halloween of all days to move into the creepy place.  What was she thinking? Cleo bit her bottom lip and picked up her suitcase. She couldn't go back now. The sooner she dealt with the place the sooner she could sell it, she thought as she headed up the walkway to the house.

As Cleo stepped closer to the verandah she realized that she wasn't alone. A couple stood on the side porch. Trees which were more than a century old hid the couple from the view of passerby's which is why Cleo didn't notice them at first.

The man's dark head was bent low as he whispered in the ear of a young blonde. The girl looked about Cleo's age maybe a bit younger. If Cleo had to guess she'd say about 22. But there was something off about her. Shadows fell on her face where light should have been. The man who hovered over her seemed sinister. He was substantially older. His dark hair was showing signs of frost.

"I don't want to. It's cold." The young woman whimpered as Cleo inched closer to where they stood.

"Can I help you?" Cleo asked setting her luggage down next to her feet on the verandah.

The man whipped his head up to look at Cleo. She shuddered at the sight of his cold blue eyes. "We were having a private conversation." He grumbled.

"You're trespassing." Cleo stood her ground.

The woman's green eyes went wide. "I'm not trespassing." She drawled. "I'm a guest at this inn."

"That's impossible." Cleo said placing her hand on her hip. "The B&B has been closed for three months now." The hotel shut its doors to the public when her aunt died and Cleo had no intention of opening those doors back up.

"Like that is going to stop your guests." The woman said before flouncing away.

The stranger turned right before she reached the front door. "That man is not a guest. Keep him away from me." She demanded before she walked into the house.

"So you're the new Shadow Guide." The man sneered before Cleo could follow her unwanted guest into the hotel.

"I'm the new what?"

The man's lips formed a sly smile that didn't quite reach his cold eyes and he took a step closer to Cleo, eyeing her as if she were a diamond and he the jeweler looking for the tiny imperfections. He circled her and Cleo felt a cold tingle shoot through her body when he came closer. Cleo followed him with her eyes.

She didn't trust him.

"You don't belong here." He whispered in her ear. "If you know what is good for you, you would sell this place and be done with it."