Without further explanation about why Marcus was endangering Josie, Donatella turned on her heels and left. Promising to send supper up to her room, Sam not-so-subtly indicated that the girl should also retire for the evening.

Even though she hadn't eaten since breakfast - and goodness knew how long ago that had really been - Josie wasn't hungry. When Wesley arrived with the bowl of lamb stew, the girl ignored it in favor of staring out the window.

Pressing her nose to the cool glass, she watched as the large clumps of crystallized flakes fluttered to the ground. The English garden where the children had played in the warm sunshine was now completely covered under a thick blanket of snow. The large, full moon also struggled to shine through the clouds delivering the unexpected precipitation, casting an eerie glow over the scene.

Josie couldn't help but think of her new friend, locked away upstairs. Why was Hyde examining him? Would he still be here in the morning? With the way Margie Blackburn had disappeared, Josie feared Marcus would also be gone without another word.

She couldn't let that happen. He was the first good thing to happen to her since arriving at the manor, and the least she could do was say goodbye. By the time she reached this decision, the fire in the hearth had almost died down completely. The room was becoming colder with each passing minute prompting Josie to find her cloak in the wardrobe. After bundling herself in the warm, wool garment, she opened the bedroom door a crack and listened.

Approaching voices at that exact moment made her quickly shut the door. Putting her ear against the wooden panel, she could tell it was Ezra and Dr. Hyde passing by, but she was unable to make out their exact words.

Confident they were far enough away, Josie opened the door again and peeked out. It was just in time to see the two men round the corner at the end of the hallway before disappearing down the grand staircase. Slipping out into the corridor, she cautiously closed the bedroom door behind her and headed toward the secret stairwell.

Most of the previous times she'd used the spiral stairs, they had connected the second floor with either the parlor or dining room. Only once did it take her - along with four other women intent on holding an séance - all the way to her Great Aunt's penthouse loft. Not knowing where the main staircase leading upstairs was - or whether the manor would even let her find it - Josie tiptoed toward her only option in reaching Marcus.

She knew the inside of the correct path was lined with endless shelves covered in books, but when Josie pulled the concealed door open, she was met with familiar, stone walls.

The girl sighed and shut the door. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on where she needed to go and tried again.

Still no books.

She repeated the process, imagining the colorful volumes neatly lined up on the curved bookcases. This time, she only opened her eyes when she'd pulled the door open.

Bare walls.

Shutting the door, she turned around and leaned against its frame. Burying her face in her hands, she muttered to herself - and maybe a little bit to the house. "Go to Donatella's room. Find Marcus. Go to Donatella's room. Find Marcus."

Lowering her hands and turning back to the staircase's entry, she peeked into the dark abyss one more time.

A sconce flickered alive, and its light bounced off a dusty, leather-bound tome.

Josie smiled as the whole spiral staircase was gradually enveloped in the soft, yellow glow as the phenomenon repeated itself all the way to the top. Stepping inside, she pulled the door closed behind her and started upward.

She scaled the risers one-by-one, dragging her fingertips along the spines of books she passed. Her steps became increasingly faster as Josie's anxiety grew at reaching the top. Within a few seconds, she found herself bounding upwards, her long skirt swishing around her sprinting legs.

Bam.

A small hardback with tattered edges fell of the shelf and landed with a thud on the step directly in front of her. Josie skidded to a stop, reaching down for the old book.

Plop.

This time, the sound came from behind. Turning around, Josie saw a large, thin manuscript laying a few steps below.

Crash. Thud. Wham.

Suddenly more books started flying off the bookcases lining the stairwell, littering the steps like dry leaves a forest's floor in the autumn. Josie's heart erratically thumped in her chest. Covering her head with her arms, she crouched down as far as she could and began running upstairs.

"Oh. Ow. Ouch!" The girl cried out as the hard volumes hit her back and head. Why had the house revealed this path only to attack her now? Still not seeing an end to the curving steps, her frustration bubbled to the surface. "Enough!"

Josie's frantic exclamation was met with an eerie silence. The scraping sound of books pushing off the wooden shelf before hitting the stone floor had stopped.

Slowing enough to peek over her shoulder, Josie's breath momentarily caught in her lungs at the sight. Dozens of books were floating in mid-air, frozen in their journey to the floor.

Donatella had told her things weren't as they appeared, but Josie never expected to see anything of this sort. This was some type of enchantment, witchcraft even. Coupled with the odd visitors in the cemetery, her Great Aunt's trance-like state at the séance, and Marcus' possible possession, this was even more of a reason to get her friend and escape, once and for all.

After coming to this realization, Josie reached the door at the top of the staircase surprisingly quickly. She knew she was in the right place, recognizing Donatella's round table holding the everyday objects she used to call forth invisible spirits. Everything was still there as she'd remembered: the glass and rattle, the chalk and board.

Returning to the place that gave her such ominous feelings that night made Josie queasy once again. Rushing across the dark space, the girl couldn't wait to leave. But first she needed to find her friend.

Marcus was clearly not in this room, so Josie pushed back the heavy curtain leading into the adjacent space.

A harsh, bright light momentarily blinded her. Squinting in an attempt to clear her vision, Josie stumbled into the room. Disoriented, the brief sound of wood scraping against wood made her hastily turn away from the source of the noise, and she bumped into something hard.

Looking up at the elaborately painted face staring down at her, Josie screamed . . . until a cold hand clamped onto her mouth from behind.

"Shhh, you're going to make them come back." Marcus whispered into her ear. When Josie quieted down, he removed his hand from her face and took a small step backward. "Don't worry, it's not real."

With her sight returning to normal, but still struggling to catch her breath, Josie observed the object in front of her. The white moonlight coming through three, large dormer windows illuminated the life-sized, wooden case with the colorful image of a woman.

"Of course it's not real." She giggled, trying to hide her mistake. Raising her hand, she cautiously touched the wooden face. "I've seen something like this before . . . at the South Kensington Museum, if I'm not mistaken. Father took me to an exhibit last year of treasurers explorers brought back to England from Egypt."

"Is there anything inside?" Marcus leaned closer again, his voice dripping with anticipation.

"The ancients wrapped their dead in bandages and place them in these before sealing them in their tombs." Josie recalled what she'd learned on that previous outing.

Marcus reached around the girl, his fingers touching the case. "Let's open it."

Josie swatted his hand away, remembering her purpose. "No." She turned toward the boy and shook her head. "We don't have time for games, Marcus. I . . . wait." Josie looked around the room. Apart from the mummy case and the large birdcage she saw on the night of the séance, the room was also cluttered with all types of other strange objects and artifacts. Globes and daggers, dried herbs and candles, as well as taxidermy creatures perched on shelves and tables. There were even stone tablets with unreadable etchings, various animal bones, and potion bottles, but one thing was missing. "Where's the bed?"

Marcus wrinkled his forehead. "What?"

"I thought this was Donatella's bedchamber, but there's no bed. Where does she sleep then?" Josie picked up a dark, leathery object before realizing it was a dried baboon hand. Throwing it back on top of the steamer trunk, she turned back to the boy. "Never mind. That's not why I'm here. I came to get you out of here, and we need to go. Now."

"Is the house empty? Besides us, I mean. Did the others leave?" Marcus' eyes widened.

Josie frowned. "No."

"Well, then I hope you can fly because you know we can't just leave through the front door. I'm actually not sure how you got to me, at all."

"I heard Donatella telling Hyde to bring you here-"

"That's not my point." He cut her off. Walking to the curtain dividing the two rooms, he continued. "I know you knew where to look, but how did you get in? Because I certainly can't get out."

To prove his point, Marcus put his hands against the thick fabric and pushed. Despite his efforts, the boy couldn't pass through the gap. It was as though an invisible barrier was blocking his way.

Josie smirked. "Then it's your lucky day, Marcus Mayweather because I have no intention of going back the way I came." Hurrying to the center dormer window, she felt around for the latch. "But I do hope you're not afraid of heights."