The Ghost Files 3.5

by Apryl Baker

  No matter what kind of demon had attached itself to Mattie, Mary wanted it out of her house without the ability to return. Ghosts too. Mattie’s latest hospital visit resulted from an angry ghost who’d tried to kill her. Well, the ghost had technically succeeded in drowning her.

  If it hadn’t been for Eli and Caleb, she’d have been good and dead. Mary didn’t know CPR, something she was rectifying this weekend, especially with Mattie living here. Having a sister with supernatural abilities meant adjusting more than Mary had originally thought, but she wouldn’t change a thing. Mattie had saved her life, and giving her a home was the least she could do.

  A knock sounded at the door, and Mary frowned. She’d have to give up her perch watching Caleb’s behind as he worked. Sigh. She pulled herself up and went to open the door. Mrs. Flynn and her new baby stood on the porch. She looked tired.

  “Hello, Mary, can we come in?”

  “Of course.” Mary stood back to let them enter, hoping against hope Caleb would hear they had company and cover up the symbols he was engraving in the walls. She led them past the living room and into the kitchen. They didn’t have an open concept home. Instead, the kitchen was in a room by itself. “Can I get you some tea, Mrs. Flynn?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She put the baby down on the floor and settled a few toys around him before taking a seat at the kitchen table. “I’ve been so busy with Noah, I haven’t had time to sit for even a moment.”

  Mary poured her a glass of iced tea and took a seat across from her. She looked more than tired, she looked drained. “Noah not adjusting well?”

  Mrs. Flynn gave her a rueful look. “Is it that obvious?”

  “You look a little tired. I figured he hasn’t been sleeping through the night. You’ve only had him a little over a week or so?”

  Mrs. Flynn nervously tapped her fingernails on the table. “Yes, that’s right. Normally, he’s such a good baby, but at night when we put him down…well, he doesn’t stay down for long.”

  “He’ll get used to it soon enough,” Mary assured her. “Babies adapt quickly.”

  “I hope so,” she said, her voice a little pained. “I came to see if you still wanted to babysit for us.”

  “Yeah.” Mary leaned over and ruffled the baby’s soft hair. He looked up and grinned at her. “He and I will get along just fine.”

  Mrs. Flynn looked relieved. “Anthony and I have tried two different babysitters this week. We didn’t want to bother you with everything going on with Mattie.”

  “No worries,” Mary told the woman. “It’s all good. I’ll be happy to babysit for y’all.”

  “How about tomorrow night?” Mrs. Flynn asked. “We need to be at the mayor’s for a dinner party. Anthony was just promoted to Deputy Chief.”

  “Oh, wow. Tell him congratulations for me. What time do you need me to be there?”

  “Is six okay?”

  “Sure is. I normally charge twenty an hour, but for you guys, I’ll do it for ten.”

  “Thank you, sweetie,” she said.

  “You said you’d tried two different babysitters?” Mary asked, thinking it sounded odd.

  “Noah hasn’t liked either of them,” Mrs. Flynn admitted. “He cried the entire time we were gone, and…”

  “And?” Mary prompted when she stopped.

  Mrs. Flynn let out a long sigh. “Well, they both said strange things happened while we were gone.”

  “Strange things?” Mary felt a frown settle on her face.

  “It’s nothing,” Mrs. Flynn assured her. “I think the baby’s constant crying got the best of them.” She stood up and collected Noah. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mary. Please tell your mother to not be such a stranger.”

  Mary walked them out, her mind reeling with questions. Something had disturbed Mrs. Flynn, and she didn’t want to talk about it. What strange things had been happening? Was it only the babysitters who experienced it, or had the Flynns seen the strange things firsthand? Had it started when Noah came to live with them, or had it been happening for a while?

  Come tomorrow night, she’d find out one way or another if something was going on in the house.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Mary blinked at the sound of Eli Malone’s voice. He was gazing up at her from the bottom step of the porch, his aqua eyes alert.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Come on inside. Caleb should be finishing up. Mattie’s still asleep, so please don’t wake her.”

  “Is she okay?”

  Mary nodded. “Yeah. There was another ghost attack last night, but we took care of it.”

  “We have to figure out who these crazy ghost girls are soon. Any more attacks and she might not survive it.”

  Eli followed her inside and upstairs to where Caleb was working in the hallway. Mattie’s door stood partially open, and Mary glanced in to make sure she was still asleep. A noise caught her attention and she paused. She listened, and sure enough, there it was again. She pushed the door open and slowly made her way inside, looking around.

  Mattie was still sound asleep, and her TV off.

  “Everything okay?” Eli poked his head in and looked around too.

  “Yeah,” Mary said and walked back out. It was quiet in there now.

  “Mary, Eli said there was another ghost attack last night?”

  She turned to see Caleb off the ladder and leaning against the wall. His muscles bulged, and it was all she could do to rip her eyes away from his tight t-shirt.

  “Yes, but like I told Eli, we took care of it.”

  “We?” Caleb’s expression was a mixture of censure and incredulity. “Mary, you don’t need to be messing with things you don’t understand. Mattie is equipped to deal with ghosts, you’re not.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We’re ghost hunters, Mary, and we know what we’re doing. Mattie can take care of herself too, but you can’t. You’re just an ordinary girl with no idea what’s really going on. You can get hurt, so stay out of it and let those of us who do know what we’re doing handle things.”

  Did he seriously just order her to stay out of all things ghostly in that highhanded manner she’d ignored yesterday because she thought he was cute? He did not!

  “So let me get this straight, Mr. Big Bad Ghost Hunter,” she said, her voice soft. “I’m just a poor, helpless girl who has no clue about ghosts, and I need to mind my own business?”

  “Basically, yes.”

  Eli let out a hiss and stepped back. Smart boy.

  “Are you really as arrogantly stupid as you sound?” She could feel the expression on her face morph to one of rage. How dare he?

  His eyes widened as she came closer. “Listen here, Caleb Malone. I do know about ghosts. I made sure I read everything I could get my hands on when we decided to have Mattie come stay here. Just because I’m some girl with no special superhero powers like you, doesn’t mean I don’t know the risks, or what I’m doing. How dare you presume to tell me what I can and can’t do? I am not some stupid fangirl playing at ghost hunting. I’m intelligent, and I got myself up to speed on all things ghostly so I could help keep my sister safe.”

  Caleb’s mouth worked for several seconds with no sound escaping before he managed to get control of it. She would have laughed if she weren’t so pissed. Eli, however, had no issue laughing at his brother.

  “I’m sorry,” Caleb muttered. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just…”

  “Shh,” Mary shushed him. She’d heard that noise from Mattie’s room again. She went back in and stepped closer to the bed, listening. This time, the sounds were louder, more clear. There was a lot of hissing, moaning, and spooky sounds coming from the area around Mattie’s bed.

  “What is it?” Eli asked, coming to stand next to her, his head cocked.

  “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Caleb stood on her other side.

  “You can’t hear it?” The noises were loud.

  “What?” Caleb asked again, his tone fru
strated. “There’s nothing here.”

  “I can hear things, weird sounds.”

  “What do you mean, you can hear things?” Caleb questioned.

  “Around her bed,” Mary informed him. “There are things whispering, moaning, and making generally unpleasant sounds.”

  “I don’t hear anything, Mary.” Caleb almost glared at her, and Mary shot him a look of irritation.

  “Just because Mr. Big Bad Ghost Hunter can’t hear it, that isn’t my problem. The fact remains something is not right!” Mary’s voice rose with each word.

  “Good one, Mary.” Eli laughed. “Give him what for.”

  “I already apologized,” Caleb snapped. “Can’t you two just let it go?”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who told her she needed to let the people who knew what they were doing handle things, and to let the big bad ghost hunter fix it.”

  “Well, it’s true.” Caleb sounded exasperated. “She’s ordinary…she doesn’t know how much she can get hurt…”

  That was it. Mary’s temper exploded. He had no right. None, especially after everything she’d been through.

  “Really?” Mary asked, her voice going soft. “I’m ordinary and I don’t know how much I can get hurt? I survived the torture of a crazy lady for three weeks. There are scars all over my body. I can’t even walk without limping because she broke both my legs, my ankle, and snapped the tendons in my left foot. I’ve known more pain in my ordinary life than you ever will.”

  She turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door to her own room when she got there. The door held her up as she fought to control her tears. He had no idea who she was, what she could and couldn’t take.

  Stupid man. A tear leaked out and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily. He thought she was ordinary? Of course he did. He hunted down ghosts. All his girlfriends were probably all big bad ghost hunters too. How was she supposed to compete with that?

  And did she want to? She hated arrogant men, and he was probably one of the most arrogant she’d ever met. Not to mention he thought she was ordinary.

  Her eyes narrowed. She’d show him ordinary.

  ***

  Caleb all but growled in frustration. Mattie had informed them that Mary could indeed hear ghosts, and that he owed her a huge apology. How the heck was he supposed to know the girl could hear ghosts? He’d never even heard of anyone with that ability before.

  Not only did he have Mary to deal with, but Eli needed a ride to the lake to chase after Mattie. She’d overheard their conversation about Eli being her guardian angel and ran, just like Eli had feared. How did he go from simple demon-proofing to being involved in teenage drama? Eli needed his own car.

  “Are you two leaving?” Mary asked, her blue eyes still full of fire.

  “We’re going to the lake to find Mattie,” Eli told her. “She ran out on me when I told her about the bond we share.”

  “Bond?”

  “We don’t have time to sit here and explain it if you want to catch your girlfriend,” Caleb interrupted his brother. He just wanted this day to be over.

  “Then you can explain it on the way to the lake,” Mary decided, and she and Eli headed out the front door.

  “Wait…” Caleb called, but they both ignored him and climbed into his truck. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He did not need this today.

  He closed and locked the bottom lock on the door before dragging himself to the truck. When he climbed in, Eli was explaining the Guardian Angel bond to Mary, who was conveniently in the middle. He shifted, and his arm rubbed against hers. She smelled like peaches and warm honey. The scent invaded his nostrils and he inhaled deeply. It made him think things he shouldn’t be thinking.

  “Are you just gonna sit there all day, or are we going to the lake?” Mary snapped, bringing him out of his thoughts.

  Instead of answering, he started the truck and backed out. He knew the lake was in Mooresville or Davidson, so he drove until he hit I-77 North. Mary wouldn’t let him miss the right exit. At least he hoped not.

  Eli’s phone buzzed, and he answered it. “Hey, Ava.” He listened for a minute. “No, we’re going to the lake to catch up with Mattie and Dan…Sure, we can come get you.”

  Caleb groaned. These people needed their own transportation in a bad way. Instead of arguing, he took the next exit. He could get to their house from there.

  “So you can really hear ghosts?” Eli asked.

  “Yes.” Mary’s voice was back to the soft tone Caleb was used to. “It started after…”

  “You were never able to before?”

  She shook her head. “I remember every moment of what happened to me, even when I went to visit Mattie during the quiet times.”

  “Visit Mattie?” Eli frowned. “Wait, do you mean an out-of-body experience?”

  Mary shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know what you’d call it. Mattie says I was close to death and my soul traveled to her. She came and found me. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be dead.”

  “Dan told me about what happened to both of you,” Eli said. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “When you went to visit Mattie, could you hear the ghosts then?”

  Mary was quiet for a moment, but then she nodded. “Yeah. That’s how I found out about her. They told me about a girl who could see and hear them. When I thought about her, it’s like this bright path appeared in front of me. I just followed it straight to her. She was lit up like a Christmas tree.”

  That made sense, Caleb thought. The Doc said Mattie was a beacon to ghosts, her energy lighting up so they could see her. Mary must have been so close to death, her soul could tap into the energy Mattie naturally exuded.

  “So the ghosts never shut up after you woke up?” Eli questioned.

  Again, Mary took a few minutes to think about her answer. “I never really thought of it that way. It was muted when I woke up, but it got stronger as the weeks went by. Now, if I focus, I can hear them.” She shivered. “There are so many around us all the time. People have no idea they are never more than three steps away from a ghost.”

  “Seriously?” Eli asked.

  “Yes.” Mary smiled at him. “I forget you guys can’t see them all, or hear them like I can. You only see the bad ones.”

  “You’ve officially creeped me out,” Eli said. “I didn’t need to know that.”

  Mary laughed. “I think you can handle it.”

  Caleb wasn’t sure he could, though. Hearing ghosts wasn’t normal, even in their line of work. Granted, he’d never met someone who had gone through what Mary had either.

  Feeling like a first class jerk wasn’t something he was used to. He’d behaved like an arrogant idiot, and he needed to apologize to her, but it wasn’t something he looked forward to. Saying I’m sorry didn’t happen often to Caleb. Maybe he could get her alone at the lake and talk to her.

  A smile flirted with his lips when he thought of her blue eyes spitting fire at him. She was a firecracker. She had nerve too, inviting herself along. Most girls he knew wouldn’t have done that, not even his sister, Ava.

  Mary just kept surprising him, and he liked it more than he should.

  Caleb pulled into his parents’ driveway and honked the horn. Ava came running out, jumping into a pair of shorts as she ran. She looked so much like their mother, it always amazed Caleb. The two could be twins instead of mother and daughter. The only difference was Ava had brown eyes instead of Heather’s aqua ones.

  “Hi!” Ava climbed into the back seat of the cab. “I’m Ava.”

  “This is Mary, Mattie’s foster sister,” Caleb introduced as he backed back out and headed for the interstate. They were going to miss Mattie and Dan with all these side stops.

  “Is traffic always this bad?” Eli complained a while later. They were sitting still on I-77, creeping every few minutes.

  Mary chuckled, the sound almost musical, and it made Caleb want to smile. “It’s summer. Lak
e Norman is a hot spot during the season. It’ll get better once we hit the Huntersville exit and then slow down again the closer we get to the lake. People bottleneck traffic looking at the boats.”

  Eli snorted. “More like hoping to see some topless girls.”

  “That too.” Amusement tinged her voice as she fiddled with the air conditioning.

  What should have been a half-hour drive took them almost two hours, since they had to backtrack and retrieve their sister. She’d been dying to meet Mattie.

  Eli, Ava, and Mary chatted mostly about Mattie. Caleb noticed whenever they asked about Mary herself, she always turned the topic to something else. It made him curious as to why she was so closed off.

  When they finally reached the lake and found a parking spot, Caleb all but jumped out of the truck. Being so close to Mary for so long had been a little unnerving. The girl affected him in ways no one else had.

  “She’s that way,” Eli announced.

  “How do you know?” Mary asked.

  “Guardian Angel bond.”

  Caleb grinned at Mary’s dumbfounded look. That bond took some getting used to. Basically, Eli had an internal GPS when it came to Mattie’s location. He’d always know where she was.

  “They could be anywhere,” Mary argued.

  Eli shrugged. “I’m going east. Why don’t you guys try that way?”

  Mary sighed and turned to look at Caleb. Her expression turned grumpy. “Come on, Mr. Big Bad Ghost Hunter, let’s go find them.”

  “Do I even want to ask?”

  “No,” they both said at the same time, and Ava burst out laughing, throwing her blonde hair over one shoulder.

  “Do you two need a time out?”

  “He does,” Mary grumbled and started walking.

  Caleb shot a glare at his sister and hurried to catch up. The ground was uneven, and he was worried Mary might stumble with her limp.

  “Did he get all macho arrogant?” Ava asked, linking her arm with Mary’s. Caleb figured she must have had the same thought he did about the terrain.

  “Do that often, does he?”