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term.
    Hugh nodded. “And these are our daughters, Ariel and Theo.”
    “Welcome.” Luke smiled, still with the same hesitant, careful demeanor. “Please, come inside. Don’t want to catch your death of cold.” He stepped back so we could enter his house. He smiled directly at me as I passed, and there was something knowing in his eyes, like he could see right through me.
     

CHAPTER 4
    “TO BE HONEST, I didn’t expect a priest,” Hugh said as Luke shut us into his warm house. “I didn’t even know you were Catholic.” The house smelled pleasantly of cinnamon and spices. Heavy shutters covered all the windows I could see, and although the house was cluttered it was tidy and inviting. The same tamed chaos as in the garden.
    Luke chuckled quietly. “We grew up Catholic, but my brother renounced the faith after our…experiences. I drew closer to God and found my faith a source of comfort and clarity.”
    He led us down the hall, lined with shelves full of antiques. Different clocks sat on every surface, all ticking away in perfect harmony. We entered a living room with rose-patterned, overstuffed couches. A fire was burning in the cozy stone fireplace, and there were more clocks on the mantle. I wondered how he got them so evenly set.
    Each of us took a seat on the couches. Paintings of flowered meadows and log cabins decorated the walls. There was no TV or electronics of any kind visible, like we’d stepped into the last century. A fine layer of dust had settled on most of the objects displayed.
    “Would any of you like something to drink?” Luke asked, still standing and appearing nervous again as he folded his hands. “I apologize, I don’t have much. I haven’t been to the grocery store yet this week, but I can brew some tea.”
    “Tea would be lovely,” Lucy said, speaking for us. None of the rest of us knew where to start. Luke used the request to dash out of the room.
    “He doesn’t really seem like he’s happy we’re here, does he?” Hugh whispered to us.
    Lucy shrugged, not one to be impolite.
    “Maybe he’s not crazy about getting involved,” Theo whispered back. We sat in awkward silence, trying not to stare at each other.
    A kettle started to whistle. Luke returned minutes later carrying a tray with a teapot and some blue china cups.
    “So, let’s get started,” Hugh said, avoiding further pleasantries. “Noah said that you had some information that would help us against our enemies.”
    Luke sipped at his own tea. “Did my brother tell you why we left Hell after high school?”
    Hugh shook his head. “I remember that you moved pretty abruptly. But he came back to teach when Hawthorne was renovated. We never really spoke about it. I figured hometown pride brought him back.”
    “You probably didn’t know about our younger sister, Marnie. She was in middle school when Noah was a junior.”
    Hugh appeared to wrack his own brain. “I don’t really remember,” he apologized. “I’m sorry, so much has happened.”
    “That’s okay,” Luke said with a wave of one hand. “Your paths wouldn’t have crossed and neither my brother nor I like talking about it.”
    He took a deep breath and set down his tea cup. “Marnie was a quiet girl who always had her head in the clouds or a book. She tried not to stick out, but the children at school picked on her and called her a witch because of the dark dresses she wore. On several occasions, they even threw rocks at her. She drew away from us more as she got older, and we didn’t understand why. Finally, she revealed to us that she saw the spirits of dead people all the time. She had horrible dreams. It was all too much for her and she thought she was going insane. Soon after that, she jumped off of the Mason Bridge and killed herself. It was what I’d later come to understand is called the Sight.”
    He took a photo housed in a round, braided silver frame down from the mantle. It showed a girl with a shy smile and her hair parted down