Raise the Dead

by C. C. Wood

  Her words should have made me feel better, but I still wasn't sure I could believe her. I wanted to, but I no longer had the confidence I had moments ago.

  "Try to get some rest tonight and I'll call you in a few days when it's safe."

  "But what if something happens between now and then? What if someone comes—" I bit back the words. If someone came for me, I would be dead because I couldn't fight.

  "Hey, hey," Angie said, taking my hands in hers. "No one will know where the power was or who it came from. Other than general location, very few witches can hone in on magic with that much accuracy and I don't have anyone with that sort of ability in my coven. You will be safe for a little while."

  "You're sure?" I asked.

  "Yes, I'm sure. You'll be okay, Zoe. I promise."

  Even though I had about a thousand more questions, I released a breath and reached for my seat belt. "I'll be waiting for your call then," I murmured. And trying not to panic, I added silently.

  I didn't say anything else before I climbed out of the car and shut the door behind me. My mind spun with fear and confusion as I walked up the sidewalk toward my front porch. I could feel Teri following behind me but I couldn't say anything to her, not when my throat was tight from the need to scream.

  As I moved onto the porch and up to my front door, I realized all the lights were out at the house next door. It was closing in on midnight, so I assumed that Mal and Stony were asleep. Blaine wasn't in town yet, but he would be here by the end of the week.

  I entered the house, moving slowly as I shut the door and locked it behind me. Tossing my keys on the little table by the door, I trudged through my living room toward the kitchen. After the past hour I'd just had, I needed a shot of tequila.

  I grabbed the bottle of silver tequila from the cabinet and the shot glass I kept next to it. The liquor burned as it went down but it seemed to release some of the tightness in my chest. I considered another one but decided against it. Though it would definitely help take the edge off the panic rising within me, it would also dull my other senses and I needed to be alert. At least until I knew for sure if I could trust Angie.

  "Zoe."

  I glanced over my shoulder at Teri.

  "Talk to me, Zoe," she continued. "What's going on?"

  I shook my head as tremors set in. "I don't know, Teri. I really don't."

  "What happened at the cemetery? I wandered off for just a few minutes and the next thing I know, I'm being dragged along behind Angie's car."

  I believed Angie. There was no way I could talk to Mal or Jonelle about this, at least not yet. Teri was the only person I could tell, even though she wasn't technically a person. If the others found out about me, they would ask questions and it would put us all in danger. I couldn't risk their lives without knowing more about my situation. And, unlike Angie, I didn't have access to the texts and histories of the coven. I only had my computer and a Google search bar.

  "I sucked the life out of every living thing in a three-foot radius when my power slipped out of my control," I admitted, staring down at where I'd braced my hands on the kitchen counter.

  Teri was uncharacteristically silent. I lifted my head to look at her and found her staring at me with true fear in her eyes. "God, Zoe, no wonder you're freaking out! That's scary as fuck. What are you going to do?"

  I shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't even know how I did it or how to stop it from happening again. But Angie seems to have an idea of what's going on and she says she's going to help me."

  Teri had been with me long enough to know when I wasn't telling her everything. "But you don't believe that she wants to help you?"

  "I don't know," I confessed, shaking my head. "I mean, she seemed as freaked out as I was but she started talking about how I would be in danger if anyone else found out, that other witches would probably want to kill me once they understood what I truly was." I was still having trouble wrapping my brain around that one.

  "And what are you?" Teri asked.

  "I wish I knew."

  She floated closer to me. "We'll figure this out. I promise."

  I glanced down at the bottle of tequila and decided maintaining control over my faculties was a stupid idea after all. Reaching out, I poured another shot of tequila and tossed it back.

  "No more tequila," Teri stated firmly as she reached out and took the glass from my hand. "You need to stay sober in case there are any ninja assassins hiding in the bushes."

  I rolled my eyes then they popped open wide. "Wait, you just took that glass away from me!"

  She grinned. "I was wondering when you would notice. I've been getting stronger over the past few weeks. I can move things and Stony was able to hear me yesterday. It was only a few words, but he understood them perfectly."

  "Wow, that's amazing, Teri!" And a welcome distraction from the anxiety swirling in my gut.

  "I think it has something to do with you," she replied. "Ever since you tethered me to you, it's easier for me to interact with the real world. I think being connected to you rather than the house is making me stronger."

  Just like that, my happy feeling disappeared. Great, one more thing for witches to count against me if they found out about my abilities to suck the life out of plants and maybe even humans.

  "What's wrong?" Teri asked. "You stopped smiling."

  "It's great news, Teri, but I'm just worried that it will only add to the case against me if anyone ever finds out about tonight."

  "Hey, I told you, we'll figure that out. If I keep getting stronger, I'll be able to protect you. I can be your bodyguard! It'll be like a combo of early '90s movies, but in real life!"

  I huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, but movies from the '90s can't kill you."

  "So you say. I bet someday we'll find a ghost who died because of one. Just wait and see."

  The argument was absurd and distracting. I knew Teri had done it on purpose.

  I stared at my friend, my roommate, my very own pet ghost. She might have her annoying moments, but when it really counted, she showed up. That was what mattered.

  "Now, you need to go to bed and get some sleep. We have a lot of important work to do tomorrow to figure out what you are and how to control your new powers."

  I sighed and stuck the stopper back in the tequila. She was right. Getting drunk wouldn't do anything but leave me with a hangover and I had a lot to do over the next few days. Mainly figure out how to control my newfound, potentially deadly abilities. Oh, and determine how to keep witches from wanting to kill me if they found out.

  After I put the liquor away and washed the shot glass, I turned out all the lights downstairs and trudged up the steps to the second floor.

  My bedroom was dark when I arrived at the top. Frowning, I stared at the pitch-black that yawned behind the door. Strange, I knew I'd left my bedside lamp burning. Then again, Teri had a tendency to burn out bulbs quickly if she got too close to them. We weren't sure why, but it seemed that ghosts were made up mostly of electricity.

  Damn, I didn't have any other bulbs. I'd have to go to the store tomorrow and grab one. With a sigh, I made the mental note and flipped the light switch next to the door.

  When I saw what waited for me inside, I screamed.

  Chapter Three

  The spirit hovered in front of me, her eyes wide and frightened as she screamed too.

  As my shriek died away, hers continued, piercing and high.

  I took a deep breath and blew it out. Ghosts rarely frightened me now that I'd dealt with them for ninety percent of my life, but her unexpected appearance startled me. Especially after the stress of the night.

  She was also well-formed for a ghost, barely transparent and in full color. I'd rarely seen spirits with such strong presence. Except for the newly dead.

  God, I hoped she wasn't newly dead.

  My heart broke at the thought. The little girl couldn't have been much more than ten or eleven, pale and thin as though she'd been sick for a long time. The only ind
ication I had from her appearance that she was a ghost was the fact that a pale light surrounded her. An aura that indicated she wasn't on the earthly plane any longer.

  I lifted my hands slowly, raising them palm out next to my shoulders in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry I screamed," I apologized. "I didn't expect you to be here."

  Her scream faded and she studied me with a wary gaze as she floated back away from me.

  "Please, can you tell me your name?" I asked.

  She stared at me in silence for a few moments before she finally answered, "Selene."

  "Hi, Selene. I'm Zoe. It's nice to meet you." I swallowed hard, trying to think of the best way to ask my next question. "Do you know how you got here?" I asked. If she didn't know that she was dead, I didn't want to scare her any more than I already had.

  "Holy shit! It's a little ghost girl!" Teri cried out behind me. "That's both cool and terrifying!"

  I closed my eyes and dropped my head toward my chest. Shit. Somehow she managed to say exactly the wrong thing. As usual.

  "B-b-but I'm not dead," Selene stuttered. She glanced down at her body and lifted her hands to examine them more closely. When she saw the slight transparency to her flesh, her eyes rounded and her mouth fell open. "I can't be dead! They promised me I wouldn't die!" she wailed.

  Exasperated, I twisted around to glare at Teri. "Good job. Now she's freaking out again. Excellent."

  Teri stared at the little girl with wide eyes then shrugged at me. "I didn't realize she didn't know. Sorry."

  I barely refrained from rolling my eyes as I faced the little girl once more.

  "Selene," I murmured, inching closer to her. The little girl continued to sob loudly. "Selene," I repeated, louder this time.

  Her hiccoughing sobs quieted somewhat as she blinked at me. I took that as a good sign.

  "It's okay, Selene. You're safe here. I'm going to help you, okay?" I waited until she focused on me. "Now, what do you mean? Who promised you that you wouldn't die?"

  "If I'm dead, does that mean I'm going to Hell?" she asked me, her voice tremulous. She looked so young and frightened.

  "No, sweetie, you're not. I'm not even sure that Hell exists."

  That wasn't exactly the truth. I was pretty sure there was a dark...place, specifically meant for evil souls, but there was no way a child as young as Selene would qualify. Right?

  "I don't know, Zoe. Some kids resemble spawns of Satan, so maybe you shouldn't promise that," Teri whispered in my ear.

  I shot her a dirty look, hoping Selene hadn't heard. When I saw that the girl's crying had slowed to just a couple of tears, I relaxed somewhat.

  "What's the last thing you remember, Selene?" I asked the girl gently.

  "I-I don't know," she stuttered.

  Sensing her panic was about to crest once again, I soothed, "That's okay. That's fine. Do you remember what you were doing before you came here?"

  She frowned for a long moment before answering, "I was lying in bed. I remember because the ceiling was really pretty, with a painting of a blue sky and clouds. A woman was talking to me, telling me to relax. I was supposed to look for someone. Someone who could help me."

  "Good, that's good," I encouraged her. "What else do you remember?"

  She shivered visibly. "It was cold. So cold."

  "Do you remember what the woman looked like? Or where you were?" I prodded, trying to ask the important questions without frightening her any more than she already was.

  Selene shook her head and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, I heard my front door fly open and feet thunder up the stairs.

  "Shit," I muttered. I had a good idea who was coming up the steps and as much as I loved the fact that he was running to my rescue, I also knew his sudden appearance would startle Selene once again.

  "Sweetie, a friend of mine is about to come into the room, okay? Try to stay calm. I promise he won't hurt you."

  No sooner had I finished reassuring Selene before Mal skidded around the corner and through my open bedroom door, wearing nothing but a pair of shiny black athletic shorts. A light sheen of sweat covered his chest and abdomen, bringing the delineation of his musculature into sharp relief. He could have been a Greek statue in motion. Then he stopped short and his face went pale.

  "Oh, my God," he whispered, staring directly at Selene. "Is that...a ghost?"

  My unbidden perusal of his naked torso ended abruptly when I realized that he could see the ghost floating in the middle of my bedroom.

  To her credit, Selene didn't scream at Mal's sudden appearance and was studying him just as intently as he was studying her.

  "You can see her?" I asked.

  "I can see her," Mal replied. His voice was soft and shaky.

  In all the situations we'd been in over the past few months, I don't think I'd ever seen him this rattled. With the exception of the nights that we all almost died. Yeah, nights. As in, two. Both are long and complicated stories that could easily fill a couple of books.

  "How is this possible?" Mal asked me.

  "I have no idea."

  Selene whirled, looking behind her. "Someone's coming." She faced us again. "I have to go."

  "Selene, wait," I said. I was beginning to believe that the little girl wasn't dead.

  "I have to go." She glanced over her shoulder once again. "You can find me, Zoe Thorne. I'm somewhere in Austin. Please, please find me before they hurt me."

  Her form began to waver and fade.

  I threw out a hand and tried to use my magic to hold her in place, but it didn't work. I couldn't hold her the way I could other spirits. Definitely not a ghost. "Wait! Austin, Texas?"

  The little girl's eyes met mine, both wise and sad, before she nodded. A moment later, she vanished completely.

  "Well, what in the fresh hell was that?" Teri asked. Her voice seemed painfully loud in my dim bedroom.

  "I have no idea," I muttered.

  "I just saw a ghost," Mal muttered. "On my own. With no magical spell or anything."

  "It's a good thing he's pretty because he's a little slow," Teri quipped.

  I nearly choked on a laugh but managed to suppress it. Barely. Mal definitely wasn't stupid, but it was still hilarious.

  "I don't think she was a ghost." I hated to interrupt his musing, but this was important.

  Mal stopped talking to himself and focused his eyes on me. Despite the late hour, his gaze was sharp. "Why?"

  "Because my powers had no effect on her. And she didn't look like any other spirit I've ever encountered. She looked...almost as though she was alive rather than dead."

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "She didn't stay when I tried to make her comply. Angie has been teaching me to control my abilities. I can control most spirits I come into contact with. But not her. And her form was solid and in full color, which isn't like most spirits. They're usually a little transparent."

  "I don't understand," Mal responded.

  I moved over to my bed and plopped down with a weary sigh. "I don't either. It's been one hell of a confusing night, that's for sure. I can't be certain, but I think that little girl is alive somewhere and in danger."

  "We'll figure it out," Mal promised. He moved to sit beside me, picking up my right hand and cradling it in his. "Are you okay? When I heard you scream, I think I was all the way down our stairs before my eyes opened up completely."

  "Yeah. My bedside lamp wasn't on when I came upstairs, but I figured that the bulb burnt out. When I came in and turned on the light, she was just...there."

  Mal squeezed my fingers gently. "That would definitely scare me."

  "It's just been a helluva night," I stated.

  "You went to the cemetery with Angie tonight, right?"

  At his question, my stomach twisted in knots. My dilemma with Angie had faded from my mind when confronted with an intruder, but now it roared back with full force.

  I shouldn't tell him. I couldn't. He was able to accept me as I was, but wo
uld he still feel the same way if he knew that I was a life-sucking necromancer? I wanted to believe that he could, but this wasn't just a peculiar quirk like seeing dead people or having a ghost for a roommate. I could kill with my magic. So far it had just been plants, but what if I hurt a living, breathing person?

  Worse, the knowledge of my abilities could put him danger. If I told him the truth...there was no telling what might happen.

  With that, I made my decision. I would go with my initial instinct, and Angie's directive, and keep this to myself.

  "It was frustrating," I muttered. "I'm still having trouble controlling my powers."

  Mal put an arm around me and hugged me. "I'm sorry."

  I rested my forehead against his bare shoulder. "It's okay. Angie keeps saying I'll get it. Eventually."

  "Want me to go grab a shirt and hang out with you for a little while?"

  God, I wanted to say yes. I truly did, but I knew if Mal stayed, I would end up blurting out the entire story of what happened at the cemetery. I was still in shock about the truth of my abilities and my willpower wouldn't withstand his presence.

  I lifted my head and looked up at him. "Can I take a rain check? I'm really tired and I just want to go to bed."

  Mal studied me closely before lifting a hand to cup my cheek. "Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."

  I nodded. "I'm okay, only exhausted. It was already a long night before I got that scare."

  He still watched me closely but seemed to accept my words. "Okay, wanna go out for lunch tomorrow?" He grinned. "Now that I'm not living two hours away, we can see each other every day."

  I managed to smile back at him. "That sounds great. Can we go early? Around eleven? We can avoid the worst of the rush."

  "Sounds good to me." He came closer and gave me a light kiss. Then he laid his lips against my forehead. "Get some sleep, okay?"

  My ability to summon a smile was draining away rapidly, but I curved my lips into a weak one. "I will. Thanks for riding to the rescue, Mal."