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anymore. It’s much quicker to take
    the SEPTA train to Phil y.” He pointed to the station on his left.
    We turned a few blocks later, and I glanced up at the street sign.
    Chestnut Hill Avenue. The houses on this street were bigger, all
    made of stone. Some sat closer to the road, some were set back.
    We stopped at a sleepy intersection. Dylan glanced over at me.
    “Ready? It’s not too far up here.”
    He pulled over a few seconds later and stopped. “It’s back
    there. Through the trees,” he said, motioning to my right.
    I cupped my hand to the window and peered into the dark-
    ness. All I could see was a fence, stone and wrought iron. Beyond that, just trees. My eyes were fixed on that fence line. Now that I had found the house, I wasn’t sure what to do. Stone, set back from the road. In the middle of woods. It has a big fence. You have to go there.
    Nick didn’t tell me what I was supposed to do once I got here.
    Other than find James.
    I got out of the car and walked to the gate. The entrance was
    locked, preventing anyone from entering. Dylan followed behind
    me. The word “Monroe” was carved into large stone posts on either side of the gate.
    I turned slightly. “I’m not ready to ring the bel , but I want to see the house. Is there another way in?”
    He shook his head. “The fence surrounds the whole property,
    and the house is pretty well surrounded by trees. If you walk down to Crefeld and over, you can cut through to the back of the property, but stil , it’s fenced.”
    “Give me a boost, then. I think I can make it over the top.” I’d
    never done anything like this in my life, but I wasn’t leaving without getting a better look.
    34
    ELLEN J. GREEN
    “I never agreed to this. This is crazy.” He thrust his hands stiffly into his pockets. “Besides, how do you think you’re going to get
    back over?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll figure it out. Come on.” I took
    hold of the iron bars and tried to hoist myself up.
    On his face, disapproval warred with amusement—maybe
    even excitement—and final y he said, “I’ll give you a boost, but I’m not coming with you. If you don’t come back in ten minutes, I’m
    going home. Find your own way out of here.”
    “Agreed,” I said. “Ten minutes.”
    I hadn’t anticipated the sharpness of the spikes at the top of
    the fence. Getting to the top with Dylan’s help wasn’t the problem.
    Getting back down the other side was. I had worn the most inap-
    propriate sandals in my closet for this venture. They were light, strappy, and flimsy, with a small heel. Perfect with my khaki pants, but not particularly good for climbing. I final y managed to grasp on long enough to drop myself to the ground. “See you in ten minutes. Don’t leave me.” I headed through the trees toward the house.
    When I came to the clearing, I stopped and sucked in a breath.
    The house was too big for me to gain any sense of proportion from my vantage point, but what I saw gave me goose bumps. The stone
    structure was at least three stories high and seemed to go on forever. Ivy grew into every crevice, transforming the mansion into
    a secret garden. There were no lights in any of the windows, no
    signs of life anywhere. I wanted to dart across the front lawn to get a better look but was afraid to be seen. Instead, I headed around to the back, and in doing so, I moved myself away from any light that came from the road.
    The house jutted out at irregular angles, casting shadows in
    the moonlight. I stood transfixed and suddenly knew that I had
    violated something sacred by coming here. This place was so quiet and serene—but it wasn’t serenity that I was feeling. It was fear.
    THE BOOK of JAMES
    35
    Fear seemed to fill the woods and the grounds around me.
    It hung in the air like a thick mist, it clung to the stone, and it dangled from the trees. It was everywhere. Anxiety, depression,
    helplessness, and pure pulsing rage were there too, hidden behind