by K. F. Breene
“Is that me?” he whispered, pointing to his bedroom window.
I swallowed and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “No.”
His eyes snapped up to mine, deep and blue and infused with the same haunted wariness I always saw in my own blue eyes in the mirror after a rough night.
“Check the date,” I whispered uncomfortably.
His release of breath fluttered the pages.
“Four years ago,” I said. “A year after the Johnsons ran from this town like their butts were on fire. The house was vacant at the time of that drawing.” I looked down at my hands as I rolled my pencil across the desk. “I have pictures of it, too. The entity is hard to make out, so those pictures wouldn’t sway anyone, but…”
“My door opened by itself last night.” He licked his lips. “Then it closed, by itself, at a different speed. I’m a believer.” He closed the notebook and handed it back. The haunted look was still in his eyes. “What exactly have I moved into, Ella?”
The bell rang as we stared at each other, and the gravity of his last words hung heavily between us.
I tore my gaze away and reached down for my bag, quickly stuffing my notebook into its depths.
“Not for nothing,” he said as he righted his desk and stood, all ease and grace, “but you are an exceptional artist. Is that what you’re going to go to school for?”
I laughed sardonically, my parents’ expressions etched into my brain. “Not hardly. They wouldn’t pay a red cent if I tried to get a degree in the arts. I know this for a fact. They’ve told me several times.”
“So you used to want to be an artist, and the real world crushed your dreams before you even had a chance to reach for them.” He tsked and shook his head. His side brushed against mine. “That’s a shame.”
“Judging by the passive-aggressive undertones, it sounds like you’re used to that song and dance.”
He huffed and looked away as we edged closer to the door. “Could be.”
“So what was your dream, then? Sumo wrestler?”
“Sumo…” This time his huff turned into a laugh. “You’ve found me out. Sumo wrestling was my pie in the sky before my father ruined it for me.”
“That’s too bad,” I said. “I hear they are revered, and get to eat a lot.”
“The eating was a decided attraction, yes.”
As he had yesterday, he slowed as we neared the door, letting me go ahead and preventing anyone from squeezing in beside me. Braiden’s groupies waited for him in the hall amidst the students passing by. Odis stood off to the other side, looking down at his notebook.
“Oh good,” I said, hurrying toward Odis. “You’re still here.”
“Can we walk with you now, Braiden, or are you still off-limits?” I heard Buffy say.
“Hey.” Odis smiled and pulled his backpack around so he could drop his pager into the smaller compartment. “Sucks that you didn’t get to move back into your seat. Though it seemed like you were having a grand ol’ time with Braiden.”
I frowned, because while his face was perfectly placid, I detected a sour note in his voice. “Not really. It was business as usual until he grabbed my…book.” I started walking, and Odis kept pace. “Can I get the last ten minutes or so of notes? I have everything else, I just missed that last bit when he grabbed my stuff.”
“I noticed,” he said, and I heard that sour note again.
“No big deal if not. I just thought I’d ask.”
“It’s fine. But…” Odis glanced behind us. “Just be careful, okay?”
“What?” I asked as we reached the end of the hallway. We paused, each needing to go a different direction.
He scratched the side of his nose, glancing away from me. “Look.” He faced me head-on, looking concerned. “I know Braiden just got here, and he seems charming, but trust me when I say that he doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”
Lead filled my stomach. “Why do you say that?”
His eyes tightened. “Just trust me, okay? He’s got a reputation.”
“In the last two days?”
Odis took a step away as Braiden and his cronies drew nearer. “From New York. He got into a lot of trouble there, Ella. I mean…a lot. He’s not a good guy. People like that don’t suddenly become saints. And guys like him don’t normally notice girls like you.”
I felt the frown crease my face. I knew it was true, but still, it wasn’t the nicest thing he could’ve said to me.
He gave me an apologetic smile. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t trust him. He must be up to something.”
Before I could reply, he was striding away.
So it wasn’t just Scarlet and me that saw the oddity that was Braiden’s notice of me. But a part of me—a small, totally girly part—had held out hope that his attentions had been genuine. That he did actually want to hang out with me, to get to know me.
I blew out a breath and hurried away before Braiden caught up with me. It was best to ignore him, as originally planned. From that moment on, I’d make sure to stay away from him. It was the safest approach. The only approach, if I wanted to finally get out of this town in one piece.
Chapter Thirteen
After the final bell rang that day, granting all the students temporary freedom, I walked with Scarlet down the front steps of the school. The wind blustered across the school grounds, making the trees sway to its silent tune. Clouds drifted overhead, puffy and white. Students poured into the school parking lot or walked to the drop-off and pick-up area to meet their parents. Off to the side, a line of three buses waited at the white curb.
“Did I tell you?” I asked Scarlet, walking her to the bike rack. The bus wouldn’t take off for another twenty minutes. “Braiden’s door opened and closed on its own last night.”
“You did, remember? Right before Miss Potters walked in and told us to stop talking. I guess the Johnsons weren’t lying about the house being haunted.”
“We knew that. How many times have I seen an apparition standing in Braiden’s window?”
“I know, but this proves you aren’t crazy.”
I snorted. When it came to ghosts, we both knew a silly thing like proof didn’t go far in this town. Logic took a quick back seat to willful ignorance.
“Was he freaked out?” Scarlet asked.
I thought back to our conversation, remembering his expression. “Not really. He’d been looking at my notebook, though, so—”
“You showed him your notebook?”
“He grabbed it when he was getting some fruit out of my lunch. He found the picture of his house.”
Scarlet’s eyes rounded. “Did he notice the date?”
“I pointed it out because he thought the figure in the window might be him.”
She pulled her lock from the tire before stuffing it into her backpack. “He thought you were drawing him? That’s embarrassing, especially after the creepy staring and everything.”
“Yes, thank you, Scarlet. That hadn’t crossed my mind.” I brushed my limp hair out of my face. Regardless of the buckets of hairspray I’d used that morning, the style was not holding. “He wanted to know what he’d gotten into moving here.”
“Oh wow.” Scarlet stood, leaving her backpack at her feet. “He went from a nonbeliever to a believer really fast. That’s good. It means he has an open mind.”
“I think a candle appearing out of nowhere and lighting itself helped speed things along. Not to mention the Old Woman showing up outside of his house.”
“True.” Scarlet looked beyond me and her brow furrowed. “Don’t look, but—”
I spun around, unable to help myself.
“—there’s the devil now. Why do you always look when I say not to?”
“Why do you keep saying not to look when you know I’m going to look immediately?”
Braiden stood off to the side of the front stairs with a group of his new friends. He was talking to Nate and Leo, who were nodding with grins on their faces. Bobby stood a
little removed with Dirk and Cliff, another varsity baseball player, with his arms folded. Buffy stood just a few feet away, chatting carelessly with a couple of fellow cheerleaders, Maria and Emily.
“Odis warned me away from Braiden.” I turned back around. “Not that I needed it, but still. He said that he’d heard Braiden had a reputation in New York.”
“You already knew that.” Scarlet moved as someone came up behind her, trying to get to his bike. “Remember? Shana basically told us he was a bad boy.”
“I know.” I studied my shoes. “Odis made it sound worse, though.”
“Well, I mean…” Scarlet raised her eyebrows. “Odis can be pretty dramatic at the best of times. I don’t know. Braiden seems perfectly friendly to me. He always said hi when I see him in class. Why are they…”
With Nate in the lead, the group stalked across the area in front of the steps, parting students like Moses parted the Red Sea.
“Oh no, they’re coming right for us.” Scarlet took a step back in panic. Her foot caught on the strap of her backpack. She tripped, flailing her arms in a windmill and shouting, “Whoa!”
She was clearly trying to stagger her other foot back to catch herself, but it hit off a bicycle tire and caught. Her body stiff, she timbered backward.
“This is the worst time to fall,” I said through my teeth. “They’ll make fun of you for a solid month.”
I darted in, slamming my shin against the tire she’d hit and knocking it aside. My leg throbbing, I grabbed her around the middle. Using everything I had, realizing this probably looked even stupider than Scarlet hitting the ground, I heaved and tried to hoist her back to her feet.
“Whoa there.” A large body bumped my back and another set of arms braced under Scarlet.
Panting, severely taxed with the weight, I glanced over and met Nate’s alarmed gaze.
“I got her,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“I shove way bigger guys than this.” He pushed Scarlet up to standing.
“Comforting,” she said.
A strong hand wrapped around my upper arm, stabilizing me as I stepped away. “You okay?” Braiden asked, his minty breath dusting my face.
“That was a nice trip,” Dirk said, laughter ringing in his words. “I guess I’ll see you next fall.”
The cheerleaders laughed and Cliff put up his hand for Dirk to high five.
“Yes, very original,” Scarlet said, brushing Nate’s hands off her. “I haven’t heard that one before.”
“Get it?” Cliff said, his square face screwed up in laughter. “Because you tripped? And a trip. Like, going somewhere?”
“Our school system hard at work, folks,” Scarlet muttered.
This time, it was Braiden who barked out laughter.
“Are we doing this, or what?” Leo asked, running his hand up the side of his large and pristine flat top. The thing was a work of art. “I only got a couple hours before practice.”
“Me too,” Nate said.
“Let’s go. Scarlet, Ella, you in?” Braiden directed the question largely to Scarlet. “We’re going to check out the town and thought maybe you gals could tell us a few more ghost stories.” He’d guessed, correctly, that I hadn’t shared the invitation with Scarlet earlier.
“Yeah,” Nate said, his eyes on me. “This town is full of that stuff. You tell it the best.”
Scarlet grabbed the handle of her bike. “I…um.” She shook her head, looking at me. “Have to do homework, right, Ella?”
“That’s no excuse.” Leo took a step away, motioning for Scarlet to get moving. “We all know it’ll take us longer to do our homework than it’ll take you.”
“Are we seriously trying to talk them into going with us?” Emily asked Buffy much too loudly.
“Sorry, guys. I need to catch my ride.” I barely stopped myself from pointing at the row of buses.
“You can ride with me. Come on.” Braiden took me by the hand.
Warmth seeped into my palm and electricity ran up my arm, sizzling through my body. I stared dumbly, hardly able to breathe.
“Ready?” he asked, his gaze intense.
Scarlet started to talk, but her words were lost to me. I was too transfixed by the strange yet intoxicating sensation rolling through my middle.
“Yes,” I heard myself say, stepping toward him. Allowing him to lead the way.
“Is this really happening?” Maria asked Emily and Buffy. The sparkly black hair band nestled in her Madonna ringlets caught and threw the light.
“Yeah,” Emily said as she chomped her gum. “Is Braiden bringing nerds?”
“Ella, wait. This is a terrible idea.” Scarlet hurried after me before halting and turning back to her bike. “I can’t leave my bike unlocked.”
“What’s terrible about showing a newcomer around town and hearing some spooky ghost stories?” Nate waited for her.
“Because something about Ella brings those stories to life,” Scarlet said with a warning in her voice, her hands working quickly. “You have to be ready to travel into haunted places with her. And ready is one thing this crowd of novices is not.”
“Oh man. You two should sell tickets. You are a great team.” Nate chortled.
“She’s not exactly blowing smoke,” I said softly as Braiden led me to his car.
“Are we in danger?” he asked.
I blew out a breath, thinking over the many experiences I’d had throughout the years. “Physically, I doubt it. You might feel strange emotions, see things, or get rocks thrown at you, but that’s about it.”
“Doors closing on their own?” He opened the passenger door for me.
“That’s a given. But you’re used to that.”
He handed me in before starting around to the other side. I barely heard, “I wouldn’t say that I’m used to it, exactly.”
As we left the parking space, I saw Scarlet climbing into Nate’s large truck. The others in the group split up, too—those who had a car driving, and those who didn’t getting a ride. Buffy scowled at me through the windshield of her VW Cabriolet, waiting for us to lead the way.
Braiden turned out of the driveway, heading toward the downtown stretch, and I watched the town drift past out of the window. “What would you like to see downtown?” I asked.
He took a left and punched the gas, surging forward. I found my old friend, the handle on the door. “I want your take on the main drag and its offshoots.”
“Its offshoots?”
“Yeah. You know. The side streets and interesting places. And I want to see that mill.”
“Oh.” I kicked my backpack to the side so my legs had more room. I wanted a larger area with which to brace myself. “You want to compare my notebook to real life.”
He smiled. “Yes. I’m intrigued. You’ve captured something with those pictures and I want to see if I can identify it in person. If we’re both being visited by the same phantom, maybe we have exciting superpowers that will save the world.”
“We definitely don’t.” I laughed and uncurled my fingers from the handle in the door. He’d thankfully slowed down again as we neared the hub of town. “At least, I definitely don’t.”
“Where should I park?”
I gave him directions to Main Street and pointed to a small parking garage. Once in there, I had him park on the second of three floors, near the back.
“I was actually hoping not to get broken into,” he said, sitting in the parking space with the car still running.
“No one is going to break into your car. This town has problems, but large-scale vandalism isn’t usually one of them.” I pushed open the door and climbed out. “But there is exactly one fancy sports car in this town. If you parked on the street, you’d get a lot of attention. People would watch you and mutter about your business. You don’t need that.”
“I’ve seen a couple sports cars rolling around.” He opened his door as Nate’s truck rolled in.
“I said fancy sports cars. This one l
ooks really new and sleek. It’s the only one, trust me. You have to get closer to the city to find more like this. Your dad really stuck you in the backwoods of nowhere.” I shifted and crossed my arms. “Why is that? Why did you move all the way out here if he commutes to the city?”
An uncomfortable expression crossed Braiden’s face. “Look, Nate is getting out. Let’s go meet him.”
It didn’t take a genius to know that he was hiding something.
Chapter Fourteen
“Good idea, parking in here,” Scarlet said as she half fell from the truck. Nate rushed over and grabbed her before she could face-plant. “Thanks,” she said, once again dusting his hands off her arms. “Otherwise you’ll have people looking out for you. The people in this town treat gossiping like a full-time job.”
“You’re really clumsy,” Nate told Scarlet, clearly not having heard a single word she’d just said.
She frowned at him. “Thanks. Oh goody. Here are the cheerleaders in their clown car.”
My mouth dropped open. Fatigue and hunger could make Scarlet show her more sarcastic side, but she was usually pretty good about keeping it under wraps around other people.
“I have some carrot sticks,” I offered, pointing toward the Corvette.
She looked over tiredly but shook her head. “It’s fine. Let’s get going.”
Nate nodded a hello to Leo, Cliff, and Dirk as they stepped out of their respective cars.
“So what are we doing again?” Emily asked, running a tiny nail file over the tips of her fingernails.
“A tour of the town. Come on. At this rate, it’ll take us all day to make it one block.” Scarlet turned and walked toward the stairs.
“I don’t remember ever hearing her talk, let alone ripping on us,” Nate said as he fell in line with Leo. “Do you?”
“How would I know? I haven’t been in one of her classes since middle school, dude. I can’t get into that advanced crap.”
“Good point.” Nate scratched his head. “Well then, I don’t feel bad that she basically just called us stupid.”
“We’re not stupid. She’s just annoyingly smart,” Cliff said, trailing them.