Part 6

David's mother swept toward him like a diving hawk.

Curious, but not yet frightened, David watched/

But what had been about to happen was interrupted by a sudden and insist ant knock at the door.

David's mother halted in mid-stride. She turned toward the door and regarded it with a furious storm of expressions all attempting to occupy her face at once.. Her features flickered from shock to fear to worry to anger... all of them aimed at the jagged wooden planks as if the door ITSELF had made the sound, and not someone on the other side of it.

The knock came again. It was loud and impatient.

And rude.

"Rietta Vern..." a voice called from outside. David recognized it, and frowned. The owner of the voice was one of the few points of agreement between his mother and father... and him too. They all disliked aunt Theema.

Rietta Vern hissed, and looked ready to SPIT the door down... but only for an instant.

In the blink of an eye, she had the front door flung wide.

Theema Grieves Vern made the beginnings of a step...

...then halted.

The two women exchanged curious expressions. Theema glanced at the blade in Rietta's hand... then at the bundle under her arm... then at David. Rietta gave the woman outside a dark, considering look. Fingers twitched around the handle of the blade.

David, of course, had no idea what he was seeing. But he knew it was strange, and strangeness was always much better than boredom.

Theema cleared her throat and licked her lips unconsciously. The woman was the exact opposite of David's uncle... thin, stern, and humorless to a degree that made her universally hated among every child (and most adults) in town. And she was ugly. Her mouth was too wide and too full of teeth that were too large for her head. When she smiled... which she only did when someone was about to be punished.... she looked like a giant, gangly insect wearing a carved pumpkin in place of its head.

The smile she had now made her David back away a step.

"Riettaaa," Theema's shrill voice sang. "What are we going?"

David's mother tensed, as if preparing for some sudden exertion-

-then another shape joined Theema Vern outside.

Gayle Grieves was a taller, older, meaner version of her daughter. The old woman's gaze swept the interior of the house before fixing on David's mother with a glare that could... and undoubtedly had... curdle milk. She may have been angry... or perhaps not. At far as David could tell, what he was seeing now was her permanent expression.

Rietta gave a slight sigh, and nodded deeply as she stepped away from the door.

"Come in," she said. The words came out strangely... as if something was wrong with Rietta's jaw. "The Watch house welcomes you."

Both women returned the slow, deep nod and stepped across the threshold.

David shuddered... and wondered what had almost happened.