by Avery Kloss
“I’m sorry. I’ve had trouble too.”
“I know. I sensed that about you.”
“I’m feeling better, actually.”
“So am I.”
“Well, that’s good, right?”
“It is, but it’s because you touched me. You did something.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“No, you don’t understand. I felt something. It like raced through my body. It was … the most amazing thing.” A tremulous smile appeared. “I’m so scared now. So scared.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want it to go away. I haven’t felt this good in years, if ever.”
“Me either.” I smiled, because I no longer suffered under the blanket of depression, and I certainly did not wish it back. “I hope this good feeling lasts too. It would suck if it went away.”
“You have to tell me what you did, Brie. How’d you do it?”
I pondered if I could trust her. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Everybody calls me the town weirdo anyway. Try me.”
Waving a hand, I said, “Come on in. Let’s talk.”
18
Music played, while the record spun around. Maven sat cross-legged on the bed, her expression hopeful. Clearing my throat, I said, “I have some questions too.”
“Like what?”
“About your boyfriend, Flint, whatever his name is. He works at the biker bar.”
“I’ve warned you about the place. Just stay away.”
Her attitude annoyed me. “Okay, look. If you want to know what happened to me and stuff, you have to cough up some info too.”
“Why? That place is for losers and … unsavory types. It’s a total dead end, literally.”
I thought of the night of the flat tire often, wondering about the man who had helped us. He had done something to me after the attempted suicide. So many weird things had happened, and now this.
You did kill yourself. You were successful, except for Gabe and his lifesaving skills.
Pushing the distracting thoughts aside, I stared at Maven. I wanted her to be honest with me. “Do we have a deal?”
“Maybe.” She picked at a fingernail. “You go first.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ve … had some mental health issues. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, I’ve been … a little suicidal.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I snorted. “Are you psychic?”
“No, I have eyes. I see your wrists.”
Wearing mostly long-sleeved shirts and bracelets, it bothered me that she had glimpsed the scars. I shrugged the uncomfortable feeling off, determined to find out more about Gabe and his bar. “Yeah, whatever. Anyhow, where was I?”
“Suicide.”
“Yep, that. I was feeling really low the other night.”
“Before or after your Gabe encounter?”
“Which Gabe encounter?”
“You said he was in your backyard.”
“Yes, that one. I was super low. I wasn’t really thinking. I just wanted it to stop. So, I might’ve jumped off the second story balcony.”
Her mouth fell open.
“Then Gabe worked his EMS skills and brought me back.”
“Those aren’t medical skills, Brie.” Something wary flickered in her eyes.
I ignored that, saying, “And then I basically went about life as usual, but I do feel better. I'm so sorry about the whole suicide thing. I totally regret what I did. I had the whole near death experience and everything. It really freaked me out. I don’t want to die. I'm gonna have guilt about that for a while. It was such a drastic, selfish thing, you know? I didn’t even consider how my mom would feel.”
“Then what happened?”
“I had an encounter with the ghost last night.”
“Suzie.”
“Yes. She gave me this ring. She left it on the record player.”
“Okay.”
“I put it on, and I love it, actually. Then she kinda made me follow her.”
“Where?”
“Down the hall to the other bedroom, and then the balcony. The same one I jumped from. She looked more like a real person too. She wasn’t all white and floaty, you know? She was like fully formed almost, except her feet were a little fuzzy.”
“Then what happened?”
“She knocked me off the damn balcony.”
Maven’s eyes widened.
“That’s twice now I’ve fallen from the same place and not died.”
She sprang from the bed. “Holy crap!”
“Yeah, that’s what I said. I feel so weird. I can’t even explain it. I look different too.” Speaking of the scars on my wrists, I glanced at them. “No scars, nothing. Even my old appendix scar is gone.”
“Are you … do you … feel the need to drink blood?”
“What?” I made a face. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you had vampire blood in you, you moron. You died with vampire blood in your system. That makes you one of the damn bloodsuckers.”
“I beg your pardon. I’m not a bloodsucker, and those don’t exist anyway.”
“You can’t be that stupid. Why do you think you didn’t die the first time you skydived from the second story? Think.” She pointed at her head. “He gave you his blood. He brought you back before you died. You should’ve died.”
“Oh, come on. Vampires aren’t real. I appreciate the whole creepy goth vibe stuff, but that’s just ridiculous.”
“They’re real.” She nodded, appearing emotional now. “I know 100% they’re real. I won’t get into it, but let’s just put that debate to rest, okay? Now, why you’re not a bloodsucker confuses me totally. You should be running around sinking your teeth into everything. Your mom should be dead. You shouldn’t be able to come out in sunlight.”
“Because I’m not a vampire, silly.”
“You’re something else. Something else happened, but you died with vampire blood in you. That has to have some effect.”
I shrugged. “I’ll play along. So, I’m loaded with vamp blood. I should’ve died twice, but here I am.” I grinned. “What am I?”
She rubbed her nose with two fingers, a thoughtful expression lingering. “I don’t know. Why would a ghost push you off a balcony? Why?”
“Maybe she’s not a friendly ghost?” I shrugged, grinning.
“That’s not it. I think she knew you had vamp blood in you. She pushed you off for some reason, knowing you’d come back.” She paced the room. “But, come back as what?”
I thought of the book on mythology I had found in the library, finding it open on the floor on a particular page. This happened more than once. “She’s a weird ghost. If ghosts can lose their minds, maybe that explains it.”
“Suzie Moore used to live here. It was more than thirty years ago.”
“Yeah.”
“The legend is she was in love with a vampire, but his enemy killed her. She’s waiting to be reunited with him.”
“You’ve mentioned that before.” Her belief that vampires existed was bizarre, to say the least. There had to be an explanation as to how Gabe had revived me. I surmised that I had not broken any bones or my neck at all. He simply gave me CPR, and that did the trick. However, Maven remained dead set on the idea that a vampire was responsible for my still being alive.
“I tried speaking to Gabe Murray the other day. I went to the biker bar.”
She blinked. “You should stay the hell away, if you know what’s good for you.”
“He wasn’t there.”
“Did you go during the day?”
“Yeah.”
“That would be why. Vamps can’t go out in sunlight.”
“Right.”
She paced the room. “God, what the hell are you?”
“Just me, but better. It’s amazing not being depressed. I hope this feeling doesn’t wear off. I’ve spent most of my life depressed, even when I was a kid. I was like born bummed o
ut or something. Maybe my past life was crap,” I giggled, remembering how my friends would run around and play all day, while I just wanted to sit in a corner or hide in the woods. My parents brought me to a shrink, even at the tender age of seven.
“No.” She shook her head. “You’ve got some powers.”
I laughed, “Yeah, for sure.”
“So she gave you a ring and pushed you off the patio?”
“Balcony.”
“I want to see the balcony.”
“You told me to stay away from it.”
“Let me just see it.”
I slid from the bed. “Sure.” She followed me to the door, and then the hallway, where sconces lit the space, although they shone dimly.
“This house is creepy, Brie.”
“I love it.” The door to the empty bedroom stood open. “Through here.”
“Why’d your mom buy such a big house?”
“She wants to renovate and do a bed and breakfast.”
“Oh.”
Passing through the empty room, I opened a French door, a blast of cold air hitting us. “This is it.” Memories of last night returned, yet I did not feel unsafe in the least.
Maven glanced over the railing, her fingers gripping the iron bar. “You should’ve died. That’s a long drop. Nobody can survive that.”
I could hardly explain what happened. “Grass is soft. I figure it cushioned the fall.”
“My ass.” She glanced into the distance. “There’s a cemetery there, isn’t there?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s one of the reasons this house was on the market for a decade. Nobody wanted to buy a rundown mansion with its own cemetery.”
“It wasn’t for sale that long.”
“The woman who lived here was trying to sell it for a good ten years. She’d list it and then take it down.”
“It was waiting for the right owner, I guess.”
“And you think that was a coincidence?”
“What else would it be?”
“I know you think I’m nuts. You don’t believe what I’m trying to tell you. You fell from this height twice and didn’t die. Isn’t that a little strange?”
“Yes. That is … it doesn’t make much sense. I’ll give you that much.”
“If I jumped from here, I’d be dead.”
“Please don’t.” I grabbed her arm. “Just cause I lucked out doesn’t mean you will.”
“I’m not suicidal, Brie. Relax.” She eyed my hand. “You’re totally buzzing me. I feel it.”
“Oh, sorry.” I let go of her.
“You’re loaded with some kind of energy.”
“I don’t know. I can’t help it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, while strands of hair flew into her face. The wind blew through the branches, rustling whatever dried leaves remained. “We shouldn’t be out here.”
“Yeah, I’m freezing.”
“No, he’s watching.” Her gaze grew grim. “Get inside.”
“Who’s watching?” I shivered at the thought, finding myself in the bedroom. “Maven?”
“Don’t go out at night, not now.” She locked the door. “I gotta go.”
“Do you want some ice cream?” My appetite seemed to have returned lately, the idea of a snack appealing.
“No. What’s your phone number, so I can text you.”
“I don’t have text. Mom won’t give me one of those fancy phones.”
She made a face. “Fine, just give me your number.”
“Sure.” A door slammed somewhere, the sound echoing. “Wow, the wind.”
“Don’t go outside at night. Stay away from windows, okay?”
“Most of them are painted shut anyway. It’s driving mom nuts.”
“Good.” She appeared grim. “I’d leave ‘em like that.”
19
Getting out of bed the next morning, I stepped on a book and nearly slipped. “Ugh! Why are you doing this, Suzie?” I had returned the book to the library last night, only to find it in my room again. Bending to pick it up, I glanced at the page, the image of a woman on a horse in one of the pictures. “What are you trying to tell me?”
I sat on the bed staring at it, reading about some ancient Celtic goddess. Myths and fairytales never did interest me, the story about a fairy princess who rejected the man she was supposed to marry to favor another, but then he cursed her. She possessed supernatural powers, communing with animals and such. The singing of her birds could wake the dead and send the living to sleep, whatever that meant.
“What does this have to do with anything?” Before closing the book, I glanced at the picture again, the woman on horseback dressed in a golden outfit with a long, glimmering headdress that flew out behind her in the wind. She grasped at the reins, a gold ring glinting on her wedding finger. “She’s pretty.” My door suddenly swung inward, and I gasped, seeing my mother. “You scared me.”
“I thought you were up. I didn’t hear your alarm.”
Snapping the book shut, I left it on the bed, and yawned. “I hope there’s coffee.”
“Yes, honey.”
“I’ll be down in a sec. I gotta change.”
“You’ve time.” She seemed to remember something. “They’re staining the floors today. We can’t be in the main part of the house until it’s all dry.”
I made a face. “How long’s that gonna take?”
“Probably two days.”
“Aw, that sucks.”
“I know, but it has to be done. I'm sorry. You’ll have to enter from the back of the house. We’ll hang out in the kitchen. I should move the TV to my bedroom, but I don’t think there’s cable hookup there.”
“Never mind. Not watching TV won’t kill anyone.”
“It’s a pain in the butt, but it’ll look so nice when they’re done.”
“Yes, Mom.”
She smiled contritely. “You’re handling the upheaval very well, honey. Thank you.”
“It’s only temporary. Have you gone into the carriage house yet? Wasn’t someone living in there before? Didn’t she rent it out?”
“It’s vacant. I haven’t looked. Been too busy with everything else.”
“Okay, I need to get dressed.”
Her hand on the door, she offered a smile. “Come down when you’re ready.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I looked for Maven at lunch, but I did not see her in the cafeteria. Steffy waved me over, whereby I sat with her and Tara, although I kept an eye out for Maven. By the end of last period, I scoured the hallway, Maven not among the other students. I had given her my phone number, but she had not called. The same thing happened the next day and the next, the girl not in school. By Friday, I seriously thought about calling the cops, but how would they be able to help? As I waited outside for my mom, who planned to take me on a shopping trip, I watched the cars come and go, a few buses leaving. People swarmed around me, and scattered from the doorway.
The rumble of a motorcycle caught my notice. This was the person that dated Maven; what was his name, Flint? I perked up upon seeing him, the man dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, his feet encased in black boots. People turned to look at him, while a teacher pursed her lips, clearly displeased that he prowled the parking lot.
Getting to my feet, I ventured down the steps to him, his attention on me. When he cut the engine, the noise ceased at once. At this proximity, he appeared surprisingly pale, his skin pasty white, while dark circles lingered beneath each eye. The sharp, hollow features of his face took on a sinister quality, the overall effect slowing me down. I fought the urge to turn around and run.
Mustering up some courage, I blurted, “Where’s Maven?”
An eyebrow lifted. “I’m here to get her.”
“She’s not in school. She’s not been in school all week.”
A lazy, unconcerned smile appeared, which made him look even scarier. “I beg to differ.”
“Well, if you see her, can you tell
her to give me a call? She has my number. I’ve been trying to talk to her all week.”
“And you would be?”
“Brie.”
“Does Brie have a last name?”
“Nope.”
“You were at the Bad Bone.”
I had seen him there. “Briefly.”
“I wouldn’t recommend coming back.” He sat on the motorcycle, his legs on either side of the machine. “You catch my drift?” His attention lingered over my shoulder. “It was good having this talk.”
“It’s just a bar. I don’t know what the big deal is.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
Maven appeared, casting a nervous glance in my direction. “Hey, Brie.”
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all week.”
She flung a leg over the back of the motorcycle, getting on. “Been busy. I’ll give you a call. I found out some stuff.”
“Where are you going?”
“Got things to do.”
The engine roared to life, which annoyed me, because speaking now proved useless. Neither one of them wore a helmet. Feeling more than a little awkward over the situation, I stood back and watched them drive away, leaving the parking lot a moment later.
On the walk home, I formulated a plan, because mom had a date with Mr. Walker tonight. Entering the house through the back door, I inhaled the smell of varnish; the wood floors on the first level had all been redone. Tile covered the kitchen, although that needed updating too, but mom had other plans first.
Climbing the back stairs, I dropped my things off in the bedroom, and left to take a shower a moment later. When I finished, I wore a towel securely around me. While getting ready, I heard a car approach, and glanced out the window to see mom. After blowing out my hair, I applied makeup, although I hardly needed any cover up at all. I returned to the kitchen, where mom sat at the table with a laptop.
“I’m not here tonight.”
“I know.” I put the kettle on, wanting to boil water for tea. “Where are you going?”
“To Astoria for dinner.”
“That far?” Oh, wow! This is awesome. She’ll be way out of town. She’ll be out half the night.
“It’s about a half an hour each way, I guess. You’re a big girl. I'm sure you’ll be all right for a few hours. You seem so much happier lately. I don’t know what it is, but I’m really glad to see you like this.”