Caroline, assigned by a lawyer named Luke, gets work at a Bayou mansion as a caregiver for senior Ben, who lives with his wife Violet. Caroline finds her new workplace very creepy, since all the mirrors have been taken down as insisted by Violet. Ben can hardly speak, and always looks terrified. Caroline learns the history of the house, where two slaves, Papa Justify and Cecile were murdered for practicing witchcraft with two white kids. Also, Caroline is given a skeleton key, which can open any room, except the attic, where Ben apparently had his "stroke." As strange things start to happen in the house, Caroline is convinced that Violet is doing magic, and Ben is her prisoner. Wanting to escape with Ben, she is stopped by Luke, who is in cahoots with Violet. Caroline is brought back to the house, and when she escapes, she runs to the attic and performs a spell, which she thinks would protect her. It turns out, that Violet meant for Caroline to do the spell to be able to possess her body. Violet has been possessed by Cecile all this time, whereas Luke has been possessed by Papa Justify. Luke, the whole time, has been trapped in Ben's body. In the end, Violet has possession of Caroline, and she and Luke have young host bodies to control. Violet and Ben are taken away, and have lost the ability to talk.
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Best part of story, including ending:
That Caroline's arrival was devised by the slaves from the very start.
Best scene in story:
When Caroline brings a mirror in the house and awaits in horror as to what she'll see.
Opinion about the main character:
Caroline is a skeptic, but because of fear, mistakenly believed that magic could help her, it instead backfired.
