by Amy Richie
What kind of logic was that? The ghost- people had never cared if there were other people around. Not ever. It was why they thought I was crazy- they didn't see what I saw.
“Toby.”
One of the men on the bench turned his head to look over at me, then bent down to whisper something to the woman next to him. It didn't take long for both of them to stare at me.
“I'm not going over there,” I decided, taking a step backwards. “I'll just wait here.”
“They aren't going to hurt you, Crazy.”
“Still...”
“Stop being a baby.” He reached down to hook his hand around my upper arm.
He was so real. How could they not see him?
“Are you human now?” I gasped out.
“No.”
“I can feel you.”
“Because you want to.”
“I couldn't feel Tristan.” He couldn't even help me up.
“You blocked Tristan. The smartest thing you've done in a while- maybe ever.”
“I don't remember blocking him. How did I?” That might be useful later if I ran into Zac again.
“You didn't do anything special,” he scowled, “it's not like there's a magic spell.”
Then?
“You just decided,” he continued before I could ask. “You just decided not to let him affect you.”
“That's it?”
“It's no small feat. I would never have guessed you were strong enough.”
To decide?
“Just goes to show that even I can be wrong sometimes.”
“I'm stronger than you thought?” Was Toby complimenting me?
“I wouldn't go that far. Zac still got to you.”
“And you can touch me now.”
“You're letting me,” he peered sideways at me, “opening up to me.”
It was because I had lost him. I didn't want to ever lose him again. That was why I didn't feel Tristan anymore, I realized. My entire focus was on finding Toby.
“It'll be fine,” he suddenly snapped, dropping my arm as though it were on fire. Could he feel the heat, too? “We'll sit here and the only thing that will happen is the bus will come.”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked wearily.
“No.”
Didn't think so.
“There's a place over here.”
With only a small pout, I hurried to follow Toby right into the small crowd of waiting people. Not all of them watched as I passed, but enough did. They didn't smile and neither did I.
Behind me, a soft whisper sounded- calling out to me. I turned quickly and scanned the darkness. Was it Tristan? Had he changed his mind?
There was no one back there though. No familiar honey colored curls and full lips that smiled too often to be normal. Tristan was gone.
“What are you doing?” Toby demanded darkly.
“Nothing,” I sighed.
“Here.” He pointed at the ground, just a few feet away from the overflowing bench.
If we were going to sit on the ground anyways, why couldn't we sit a little further away? It wasn't like I wouldn't be able to hear the bus coming. Even though my ankle hurt, I had made it this far- what was a few more steps?
“Do we have to sit this close to them?” I whispered.
Toby didn't bother to whisper; he didn't have to. “Just sit down,” he growled. When I didn't move, he rolled his eyes and sank down in the same place he stood.
“Fine,” I muttered, following his lead.
The woman on the bench swiveled her head around to stare at me as I settled myself beside Toby. The fact that people usually stared at me where ever I went didn't make me feel any better.
“Everyone is staring at me,” I hissed.
“So?”
“Do I look normal?”
Toby laughed loud enough to make me look over at him. “Are you serious?” he asked after he had sobered up.
“Can you look at a person and know they're crazy?”
“Maybe not everyone.”
“But me?”
“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “Definitely.”
At least there weren't that many people out here waiting for the bus to come this late at night. I had sat at many bus stops over the past few weeks, some were more crowded than this even. I could handle it.
Besides, I had Toby with me now. He would keep the ghost- people away at least. He might not like me, but he had cared enough to come back with Tristan.
I shifted closer to him, pressing my body up against his. Warmth flooded me- making me feel safe.
At least for now.
Chapter Fifteen
Toby twisted his body, jabbing his elbow into my shoulder in the process. It hurt, but not enough to make me move. He had always been careful to keep his distance before, always maintaining his own space. I never knew I could feel him.
When I'd first met Tristan, I could feel him. We had even kissed. My face flushed hot at the memory. He had been trying to lure me out into the night- it worked.
In the end, he wasn't able to touch me at all; not even to save me from Zac. He had to get Toby- who could touch me. I didn't understand how it worked, but I was glad for it.
Instead of pushing me away like I was sure he wanted to, Toby draped his arm across my shoulders.
The weight pushed me down, further into him. I felt more safe here with Toby than I ever did with Tristan. For now, that was enough.
“What about Tristan?”
“What about him?” I heard the sneer in his voice.
“What will he do now?”
“How should I know?”
“Will he go after Zac?”
“Don't flatter yourself.”
Heat crept up from my neck.
“He's not going to challenge his brother over a human girl- even a Seer.”
“He said I was his. He told Zac that I belonged to him.”
“You are.”
“And Zac still wants to kill me.”
“You're something different and that scares him.”
What made me so special though? Because I had been born seeing the ghost-people? What a stupid thing to be special for.
“Anyways,” Toby's voice vibrated against my side, “why did you leave with Tristan?”
“Huh?”
“At the hotel.”
“He... he kissed me.”
“What?” He pulled away from me so suddenly that I almost fell into his lap. “He what?”
“He kissed me,” I repeated.
“You let him?”
“He didn't ask my permission.”
“I didn't leave you alone for very long,” he raged.
“You shouldn't have left me alone at all!”
“You were safe.”
“Clearly not.”
“Kissed you,” he muttered. “That's playing dirty.”
“It wasn't so bad,” I shrugged.
“Only a crazy person would like getting kissed by a ghost.”
“He felt real.”
“He's not.”
“I looked for you,” I pressed on. “There was a girl in the mirror,” I shuddered. “And I was so scared and I wanted to find you.”
“You don't have to worry now,” he said gruffly.
How could he say that? He hadn't been up on that volcano with Zac. “Easy for you to say,” I mumbled.
“Tristan told me to keep you safe.”
“Have you ever seen Zac?” I felt my eyes going wide.
“I have.”
“We don't stand a chance.”
“The Halskette will keep you safe enough.”
“A Halskette?”
“Your necklace,”he nodded down to where the teardrop rested against my skin.
“Do you really believe that?”
“I do.”
“Tristan...”
“You mean your boyfriend,” he inserte
d grouchily.
“He said you were taking me somewhere safe.”
“I am.”
“Where?”
“Don't worry about it.”
“He can get to me when I'm sleeping- where can we go that will be safe?”
“There's someone who can help us.”
Someone? “Do you mean Nona?”
“Don't worry about it,” he repeated.
Did that mean yes?
“If you would have stayed where I left you,” he sighed heavily, “things could be a lot different now.”
Toby left though and Tristan showed up.
“I would have come back.”
My eyes widened slightly. “You would have?”
“Of course.”
“I thought you would be glad to be rid of me.”
“If only it was that easy.”
“Did you even look for me- all this time?”
“It's only been a few weeks- stop making it sound like years.”
“Did you?”
“I did,” he swallowed thickly. “It was strange.”
I didn't take my eyes away from him, taking in the harsh lines of his jaw and chin and the way his dark eyes narrowed and widened back out frequently. What thoughts tormented him? “What was strange?”
“Not knowing where you were.” He looked down, locking gazes with me. “I kept waiting- thinking you would join the Cursed. You never did though.”
“Tristan told me about your deal. I want to set you free.”
“He shouldn't have told you.” He looked away then, to glare at the ground between his legs.
“He's not so bad- Tristan. He... he cared about me.”
“I don't know why you like him so much,” he half snarled.
How could I not?
“He wants you dead. How great can that be?”
“He saved me,” I reminded him. More than once, actually. If Tristan really wanted me dead, he wouldn't have helped me. He wouldn't have brought Toby back to me.
“He only saved you from Zac so you can kill yourself later.”
“He didn't want me to die.”
“Because he wants you to join him. You have to do it yourself. You're not too stupid to understand that, are you?”
“No matter what you say about Tristan, he's the only one that ever cared.”
“Are you going to get all girly on me?” His top lip curled up.
“It's true though.”
“That he cares about you?” He made a gagging noise in the back of his throat.
“Maybe.”
“You're delusional.”
“No one else does!” I retorted- way too loudly. “If I would have died back there, no one would have cared.”
My dad and his new wife were the only family I had; they would be glad to be free of the embarrassment I brought them. I had no friends. There was no one, except maybe... Tristan.
“That's not entirely true though,” he replied softly.
“Really?” I scoffed. “Because you know better than anyone else how true that is.”
“There is someone who would have cared if you died back there,” he insisted.
“Who?” I challenged. Did Toby know someone that I didn't?
“Me.”
“What?”
“Me,” he admitted, clearing his throat softly.
“You what?” My eyebrows came together as I tried to understand what he meant. Him?
“I would have cared.”
“Why? You hate me.” Was he just trying to bait me?
“I don't hate you,” he denied hotly. “You annoy me- a lot; but I've watched you grow up. I wouldn't want you to die like that.”
“Do you want me to join the Cursed too?” That didn't make sense though. Didn't Toby want to be free?
“No,” he snapped. “Just shut up.”
“But...”
“Do you want these people to call the cops on you?”
“No.”
“You're sitting here talking to yourself,” he reminded me. “Just shut up and wait for the bus.”
Toby would have cared if I died? I felt my lips move up into a half smile. He didn't hate me as much as I'd always thought he did.
Was that why he kept me safe all this time?
No, I peered sideways at Toby. He was cursed until one of the Seers lived. No matter what he said- he still had some hope left. Hope in me.
I could only hope I wouldn't let him down.
“What are you smiling about, Crazy?” he nudged lightly at my back.
“What?” I jerked slightly at the accusation. “I'm not.”
“Yes you are.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Am not,” I mumbled.
“Ok, you were.”
“So?”
“So, what were you smiling about? You look like an idiot.”
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “I was only thinking that maybe you weren't as bad as I thought.”
“Don't do that,” he sneered.
“Do what?”
“Start liking me.”
“I don't.”
“Good. Don't.”
“I won't.” I clenched my teeth tightly together, determined not to smile.
“There's the bus.”
The four people stuck together on the bench peeled themselves up and gathered up the few bags by their feet. I scrambled up to join the back of the line.
“Ren.”
I whipped my head around, searching for whoever- or whatever- was calling to me. No one was there.
“Bye Tristan,” I whispered.
“Get in and sit towards the back,” Toby ordered, pushing me forward.
“Ok,” I grunted, “don't push.”
The lady in front of me looked back and turned around again just as quickly. Of course, she wouldn't be able to see the pushy dark haired ghost behind me.
“Do you even know where this bus goes?” I whispered as I settled into an empty seat- at least empty to anyone else.
“Just trust me, Crazy,” Toby replied calmly.
My head moved until our eyes met. Trust Toby? Could I do that?
“Yeah,” I swallowed the lump in my throat, “I can do that.”
Outspoken
Chapter One
The bus screeched loudly as it slowed to a stop. “Finally,” I groaned, coming more fully awake.
I twisted my neck as far as it would go to one side, enjoying the tiny popping noises the bones made as they stretched and relaxed again. Turning to the other side, I was hoping for the same results and was left disappointed.
“We leave in fifteen,” the driver called back to the few of us riding in the green, uncomfortable seats. “Better get out and stretch your legs.”
“Good idea,” I muttered in response even though he couldn't hear me; he had already skipped down the steps to the ground outside.
I fell in line at the back of a short queue waiting to get outside. My body felt sore; I needed a hot shower, good food, and a decent bed to sleep in. Traveling in so many buses was making me miss Nine Crosses. At least there, they fed me and gave me a bed. Why had I hated it so much?
“This town gives me the creeps,” the woman in front of me whispered. “One of the most haunted places in America.”
Both me and her traveling partner pivoted our heads to check out the windows for ghosts.
“It's too light out right now,” the woman continued, “they only come out at night.”
I wanted to tell her how wrong she was; instead I climbed out of the bus behind the pair.
Nothing looked familiar; not that I had been to many places in my life, but I didn't recognize anything in the small town we had stopped at. There were no people around that weren't just on the bus with me and even those people were making their way back to the safety of the bus.
I didn't blame them. There was no way we would b
e able to find a hotel here. I'd be lucky to find a place to eat, I didn't see any familiar golden arches. What kind of town was this?
I turned back to the bus, but didn't get on. This was where I was staying- hopefully it wouldn't be for long.
“Did you hear what that lady said?” I asked the boyish man standing next to me- the one no one else could see.
“About the ghosts?”
“Yeah.”
“That's stupid,” Toby scoffed. “So of course you believe it, huh?”
“No,” I denied through an almost closed mouth.
“Good, cuz even you know that ghosts don't have to wait until it's dark to come out.”
“I don't want to stay here,” I blurted out loudly. We had sat on that bus for two days just to come to a town full of ghosts?
“Cheer up, Crazy,” he almost grinned. “At least we're off the bus now.”
“I guess,” I shrugged.
It was true that I was getting tired of being on the bus- my last experience on one hadn't ended well. And it wasn't like I could sleep well with my head pressed against the hard glass of the window, every bump jerked me back awake.
Still, knowing Zac was out there and probably looking for me for the express purpose of killing me didn't make walking out in the open very comforting. Weren't we supposed to be finding someplace to hide?
And where were the ghost-people? It wouldn't take them long to find me. It was probably a better idea to get back on the bus and just go.
But to where, I argued with myself. How far was far enough?
“Let's go.”
“Where?”
“I'll know when I see it.”
He started down the street, his head swiveling from side to side. I didn't know what he was looking for, but I knew what I wanted.
“There's a place we can stop,” I pointed across the street at a small sit down diner. They would have something I could afford.
“Why would we stop there?” Toby drawled, barely glancing over at the place.
“So I can eat.”
“You just ate.”
“When?” My steps slowed but Toby plowed ahead.
“Earlier, when we were on the bus.”
“No I didn't,” I argued, lines etched deep into my forehead. “I didn't eat.”
“What were those things you bought at the store?” he looked back over his shoulder. “It certainly looked like you were eating them. You put them in your mouth and chewed.”