“Come again?” I managed to choke out.
She raised an eyebrow as she pulled the bagel out of the toaster and began to spread cream cheese on it. “You didn't lock your door. I peeked inside your room this morning to make sure you had made it home last night.”
I grabbed a kitchen rag and began to clean up my spilled coffee. “And you didn't kick him out?” I asked weakly as I kneeled on the floor.
My mom sighed. “I know the two of you lived in your dad's house together. I think I'm just relieved to have you both here, instead of down there.”
I stood and tossed the wet rag into the empty sink. “Is this a trick?” I asked suspiciously.
“I also noted that both of you had clothes on. If you plan for that to change at any point, I expect you to talk to me about it first.”
“Mom!” I exclaimed, feeling like my face was on fire. I was also very glad at that moment that Chase was up in my room where he hopefully couldn't hear us.
She gave me her best mom look as she said, “I mean it, Xoe.”
I really wanted to run away to my room, but what I said was, “Don't expect that talk to come any time soon.”
My mom put the cream-cheesed bagel on a plate and handed it to me. “Tell your boyfriend to come down for coffee. I can be a few minutes late for work.”
I opened my mouth as I tried to think of something to say. “Um, we really need to go check on my friend in the underground.”
My mom raised an eyebrow at me. “If you're going to have boys staying in your room in my house, the least the both of you can do is have coffee with me.”
Sighing, I nodded and left the kitchen to march dutifully upstairs, bagel and coffee in hand. This at least wasn't as bad as the time Max and Jason had both slept on the floor of my room. Now that would have made for an awkward coffee session. Of course, I hadn't even kissed Jason at that point, and I had no intention of ever kissing Max, even if he wasn't dating Allison.
I entered my room to find Chase leafing through a world atlas from my bookshelf. “You know,” he began as I closed the door behind me, “it's a shame you can only appear in places you've been, or else we could be in Japan right now.”
I snorted. “Mom wants you to come down for coffee.”
Chase dropped the atlas to his lap and looked at me in shock. “ . . . What?”
I smirked and waved a hand for him to follow me. “C'mon.”
What ensued when we went back downstairs was ten times more frightening than my evil grandmother's ghost. Okay, maybe frightening isn't the word. We'll go with awkward. Extremely awkward.
It started with my mom telling us we were allowed to sit next to each other (we had taken seats as far apart as possible), and ended with her asking Chase about his previous relationships. That question had really thrown us, considering we'd killed Chase's last girlfriend.
When she finally had to go to work, I was able to shower, and we popped underground for me to hang out with Dorrie while Chase showered.
My tension melted as soon as I sat down in my dad's den, even if it was to play another game of Checkers with Dorrie. We ended up staying there most of the day since Lucy, Allison, Emma, and Max were in school. Dorrie was thrilled. If she had her way, we would have stayed the night, but I explained to her that I needed to check in with Lucy to make sure Emma's first day went okay, and I needed to check in with Jason to make sure there was still no sign of Emma's father, though he probably would have called me if there was.
Dorrie watched us sadly as Chase and I both joined hands to leave the underground. The look on her face before we poofed out of existence let me know that we'd need to figure out something other than leaving her trapped in my dad's house all of the time. The only problem was that I didn't see any other options. She no longer had a cab to drive in the dreamworld, and if she went out into the demon world, she would be unmade.
Drivers weren't allowed to leave the dreamworld. They weren't even allowed to leave their cabs. Personally, I thought that Dorrie at least had a better life now than when I'd first met her, but I wasn't the one that could never leave the house, with only Chase and myself for company.
Maybe I could bring her to my mom's house and my friends could come over and visit with her. It would be risky, but not as risky as bringing a group of non-demons to the underground again. Plus, Dorrie might enjoy having her boundaries expanded, if only a little.
I continued thinking about Dorrie as we appeared in my empty living room, then left to walk to Lucy's. Chase and I were both silent, deep in our own thoughts as our feet crunched along the gravel at the edge of the road. The cool wind whipped my loose hair about, while the smell of damp earth pervaded my nostrils. Fresh air was the one thing I really missed when I was in the underground. The demons did their best to magically replicate the outdoors, but that deep, instinctual sense that we all have gave the illusion away.
It would have been nice if the walk to Lucy's was longer, extending our time outdoors. Plus, it was hard to be excited about what lay at the end of our journey. Checking in on the status of my new pack members seemed like a menial task compared to what we'd be doing later that night. I knew Chase's thoughts were likely on the idea of seeing his brother again, that was, if Cynthia could actually summon him.
I was surprised when Chase reached out and grabbed my hand as we walked. He did so without a word. Sure, I had considered grabbing his hand as well, but I didn't know if we were at that point yet. I had told him that I needed to be on my own for a while, which was true, but it had been over six weeks since Jason and I broke up. Was that long enough? I wasn't sure, but boy, did his hand ever feel nice in mine.
6
I had just raised my hand to knock on Lucy's door when my phone buzzed. I checked it to find a text from Cynthia's number that read, “Found her.”
I showed the text to Chase, just as Lucy opened the door. Instantly reading the looks on our faces, Lucy's eyes narrowed. “What's going on?” she asked suspiciously.
“Cynthia just picked up on the demon girl's location,” I explained hurriedly.
“Demon . . . girl?” Lucy asked, making me remember that I hadn't talked to her since we'd met with Cynthia and Rose.
“We have to go,” I said quickly. “I'll explain later.”
“I'm coming,” Lucy demanded. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her black pea coat from the coat rack beside her front door, then stepped back for us to come inside.
Not wanting to take the time to argue, Chase and I stepped into Lucy's house, shutting the door behind us. I did a quick scan of the beige living room to make sure we were alone, then held my hands out to Chase and Lucy. They each took one. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, I concentrated on Cynthia and Rose's little, dingy apartment.
Rose let out a yip of surprise when we appeared, then a smile slowly crossed her freckled face. “That is so cool,” she marveled.
I dropped Lucy and Chase's hands, and I rolled my eyes. “Where's your mom?”
“I'm in here!” Cynthia called from the small, adjoining kitchen.
I walked around the narrow divider of counter top, with Lucy and Chase following close behind me, to find Cynthia seated on the kitchen floor. She had a map of Shelby in front of her, covered in what looked like white sand.
She pointed to an area where the sand had gathered on the map without looking up. “She's there,” she explained, “but there's no telling how long she'll stay.”
I looked to where Cynthia pointed. It was an area downtown where tourists and the more hip denizens of Shelby liked to hang out, filled with coffee shops, bars, and bookstores.
“How will we find her?” Lucy asked. “There have to be half a dozen cafes and restaurants in that small area alone. Do we even know what she looks like?”
Cynthia turned startled eyes to us as she finally realized that it wasn't just me and Chase hovering over her. “Can't demons sense their own kind?” she asked, puzzled.
I shook my head at Cynthia, t
hen turned my gaze to Lucy. “Do you think you'd be able to smell her?”
Lucy shrugged. “How much demon blood does she have?”
At the same time, Cynthia and Rose answered, “A lot.”
Lucy puckered her dainty, cupid's bow lips in thought. “If we cross an area where she was, I might be able to pick up on a scent. More likely though, we'd have to walk through each establishment so I could get close enough to smell the patrons.”
I bit my lip. Those did not seem like good odds. “It's worth a shot,” I conceded. I held my hands out to my friends once again, then met Cynthia's eyes as I said, “Call me if she moves.”
A moment later we were all standing in an alley way.
Chase looked around at the trash strewn street. “I don't even want to know why you've been here before.”
I couldn't help my wry smile. “I was kidnapped out of this very alleyway by those witches that wanted to steal my powers.”
Chase's eyebrows raised as he realized what I was talking about, and Lucy just frowned. She had been kidnapped during that fun little experience as well.
“Let's go,” I announced, not wanting to dwell on the memory.
We made our way to the main street, which was fairly populated, even for a weekday. We stared at the passersby as the gravity of the task ahead hit us. Finding the demon girl was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, except this needle had a tendency to brutally murder people.
Chase and Lucy looked to me for instruction. “We should split up,” I said in reply to their questioning glances. “You two stick together and check the buildings on this side of the street, and I'll check the other side.”
“You shouldn't go alone,” Chase said instantly.
I smirked at him. “If worse comes to worse, I can poof away from danger. Neither of you can do that, so you should go together.”
“But you can't smell her like I can,” Lucy argued, crossing her delicate arms in defiance.
“I know what she looks like,” I explained. “If I find someone that fits the description, I'll call you to come smell her. You have your cell on you, right?”
Lucy nodded, obviously unhappy with the situation. Chase's face mirrored hers perfectly.
“Do you guys have any better ideas?” I asked of their petulant expressions.
When they didn't answer, I nodded my head and left them to walk across the street. I glanced back once I reached the other side to see them entering the nearest coffee shop together, looking like a strange couple since Chase was over a foot taller than Lucy.
I turned and went into the Italian restaurant in front of me, suddenly feeling unsure about my task. The interior of the restaurant was dimly lit, and as far as I could see, the color scheme was dark reds and black. The host, a middle aged man whose belly was a little too large for his tuxedo shirt, waited dutifully to seat any who entered.
He watched me with a disinterested look on his face as I approached. “One?” he asked apathetically.
“I'm meeting someone,” I explained. “Mind if I look around to see if she's here?”
He sighed and gave a lazy nod, and I passed by him without another thought. Fortunately the restaurant was small, and most of the patrons were either older couples, or families with young children. It didn't take me long to see that the demon girl was not among the diners, but I decided to do a quick check of the bathroom, just in case.
I walked confidently across the restaurant and opened the door to the women's restroom. The bathroom was in stark contrast to the restaurant, done in sterile whites with water stains on the ceiling and walls. What a hole.
I stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind me, then peeked under the bathroom stalls. Two of the three stalls were empty, but the third revealed black combat boots. Biting my lip in frustration, I turned to a sink and slowly washed my hands in hopes that the mystery girl in the stall would emerge before too long.
As I looked into the cloudy glass mirror above the sink, I thought I saw a flash of movement, but it was gone before I could make out what it was. I leaned sideways to glance underneath the occupied stall. The feet were still there.
I went back to washing my hands, feeling suddenly uneasy. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I glanced at the boot-clad feet once again, but they hadn't moved.
The toilet flushed, startling me so that I banged my hands against the faucet as I shoved them back underneath the flow of water. I watched the closed stall door in the mirror while I waited, wondering what the heck was taking the girl so long. Suddenly, something sharp was at my throat and I was pulled backward. Whoever had me spun me around so I couldn't see anything in the bathroom mirrors.
“Why are you here?” a feminine voice spat in my ear.
I wiped my wet hands on my jeans and tried to turn my head far enough to see her, but it was no good. The sharp pressure at my throat made speaking highly uncomfortable, but I managed to reply, “To wash my hands, you freak. It is a bathroom after all.”
The pressure increased at my throat, and realizing I had no other choice, I closed my eyes and pictured the far end of the bathroom. Suddenly I was free, and facing the girl Cynthia had described.
My eyes widened in surprise as I took in the white apron over her casual clothes, and the hairnet that held her dark hair away from her face. She clenched her strong, angular jaw in annoyance. Sparing the time to glare at me with her large, hazel eyes, she stomped over to the bathroom door and locked it.
“Who are you?” she asked as she marched back toward me. “I can sense a demon from a mile away.” Face to face, I could tell that Cynthia had been correct about the girl's height. She was three, maybe four inches shorter than my 5'8”.
“Y-you work here?” I asked, glancing at her hairnet. I was more surprised by that fact than the fact that this rather innocent looking girl had just tried to slit my throat. I didn't see a knife anywhere, but she could have easily stashed it in her apron.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, actually looked at me, then her jaw dropped in surprise. “You look just like her,” she commented softly.
I sighed. “I imagine you're referring to my grandmother?”
She looked me up and down again. “Shorter. Not as polished, but you could otherwise easily pass as sisters.”
Bitterness boiled in my stomach at the thought of my grandmother's face, so similar to mine. More powerful demons didn't age, and my grandmother had been one of the most powerful demons around.
We both turned as someone tried to open the bathroom door. The girl walked over and opened it to peek outside, then told whoever it was that a toilet had overflowed and she was cleaning it up. She shut and locked the door again, then turned back to me.
“What do you want, Alexondra?” she asked coldly.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You must have actually spent some time around my grandmother if you know my name.”
She snorted. “Everyone knows your name. Your dad is a well-known demon.”
My heart stopped for a moment at the mention of my dad. She had said is, letting me know that she didn't know he was dead. Of course, she had been trapped in the human world. How would she know?
“I know about the witches you killed,” I commented casually, hoping to catch her off guard.
Rage washed over her face, then suddenly dissipated. “You wouldn't have such a look of judgment on your face if you knew what they did to me. I bet they're playing the victims here.”
“Oh?” I prompted, not wanting to give away what I did and didn't know.
“Alexandria had them torture me,” she said, her voice firm and even. “She wanted to know what I know, but I escaped. Now they're all going to pay.”
Was this girl crazy? “Know what you know?” I asked.
The girl gave me an as if look. “Why are you here again?”
“What's your name?” I asked instead, in an attempt to calm her down. She seemed about ready to either run away, or attack me again.
/> “Nix,” she replied without thinking about it. “Now tell me why you're here.”
“I'm here to bring you back to the underground,” I lied.
“Pfft,” Nix replied. “I'm not going back until I make the witches pay. All of them. I may not be able to get to Alexandria yet, but I'll find a way.”
“My grandmother and my dad are both dead,” I forced myself to say, “and I'm running out of patience.”
A look of almost sympathy crossed Nix's face, then she scowled. My phone started buzzing in my pocket. Nix glanced at it, then glanced at the door. Sensing that she was about to run, I lunged for her, hoping to pop her into the underground, where at least she couldn't kill any more witches.
I landed one hand on her arm and was about to transport us out of there when she swatted at me with her free hand. What should have been an ineffective blow landed me with what looked like four knife slices across my forearm.
I released her arm and tried to drop to the floor as she swatted at me again, but I wasn't fast enough. Sharp pain seared across my stomach, followed by the warmth of fresh blood. Panicking, I chucked a small fireball at her as I skittered backward. She dodged the fire, unlocked the bathroom door, and ran, leaving me to clutch at my wounds in shock. I collapsed the rest of the way to the tile floor as blood slowly soaked through my clothing.
My phone started buzzing again. I scowled, having to straighten out my right leg from my seat on the floor to fish it out of my pocket with my good arm. My eyes widened as I glanced at the floor to see just how much blood I was losing. Nix must have really done a number on me, but it was hard to tell with the chilly sensation creeping through my entire body. I fumbled with my phone as Chase's number flashed in front of my face before I pushed the answer button.
“Yeah?” I groaned into the receiver.
“We haven't seen a sign of her . . . but I'm guessing you did?” Chase replied.
“I'm currently bleeding onto the floor, worrying about what diseases I might pick up from this bathroom,” I explained, feeling oddly numb.
Gone Ghost Page 6