"I don't know. But everything ya need's in there. I'll show ya how to get the bed ready and all."
We got up and I grabbed another EMF pump for Beau to use while Grandmama took him into the parlor to pull his bed out of the couch. She may as well just go ahead and turn it into his bedroom, seeing as how he wasn't leaving any time soon. As I walked into the parlor, she already had his bed out and was putting his sheets on for him.
"Nellie, would ya mind if I washed up? It's been so long, I think it'd make me feel better."
"Why sure. I hadn't even thought 'bout ya takin' a shower or anything. I bet you'd like it, maybe even a hot bath. Malyn, go show him where everything is up there while I get this ready."
We turned to head upstairs when he turned back around and asked, "Do ya happen to have an extra toothbrush I could use, too?" When she straightened to look at him, he grinned so that all his teeth would show, which made her laugh.
"Grandmama always buys me extra when they're on sale, so you can have one of them. And I've got Scope, too," I added with a big smile, winking at him.
"Why would I need a scope to brush my teeth?"
Grandmama laughed and I explained, "Not a scope, just Scope. It's mouthwash." When I saw that he was still looking at me weird, I just grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. We had just turned the corner to go up the stairs when his hand slipped right through mine. "I guess we know what kind of range those pumps have." So I went back into the parlor to grab the pump, and grabbed my plasma ball, too. "I'll leave this on in my room and you can just turn it off when you leave. That way you can leave the pump off until you go to bed and save the battery." After I took the ball to my room and plugged it up, I showed him where the towels, shampoo, and soap were. I also gave him the option of washing with a rag or my poufy, which he laughed at.
"I think I'll take this one," he said as he grabbed the rag.
"And here's a toothbrush for you, and some toothpaste, and here's the Scope," I said, handing him the bottle. He opened it and sniffed it before taking a swig and swallowing it. "No!" I yelled and grabbed it from him. "You don't swallow it; you swish it in your mouth, and then spit it out." I started to laugh. "I hope that doesn't make you sick."
"If it does, I'll just turn my pump off and I won't feel it," he said, waving the pump at me.
"Just don't get that wet." I sat it on a shelf next to the shower, but out of the way. "Okay, then," I said as I walked out the door, "I'll leave you to it."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me back in the bathroom and whispered in my ear, "I wish ya didn't have to."
"Have to what?"
"Leave."
My heart skipped a beat, yet again. Then I heard grandmama coming up the stairs, so I kissed him and backed out, shutting the door behind me. As I turned around, there she stood with one eyebrow raised. "What?" I asked with a guilty grin.
She just smiled and knocked on the door. "Beau, here's somethin' for ya to put on to sleep in. Thought it'd be more comfy than what ya had on."
He opened the door and took what looked to be shorts and a t-shirt. "Thanks, Nellie…for everything."
"You're welcome."
Since he was already shirtless, I acted like I was trying to see over Grandmama's shoulder to peek in at him, which made her swat at me. Beau just laughed and shut the door. "I was only playing," I said as I smacked her bottom and ran into my room.
She followed me and sat down on my bed, shaking her head. "What am I gonna do with you?"
I laid down beside where she sat. "So, is there anything to be worried about? Because at this point, I doubt I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"Those things won't bother us. Or at least I don't think they will. They are soul stealers, not people stealers."
"Soul stealers? But we still have souls, don't we? Just because ours are tucked away in these bodies may not matter. Maybe they can destroy our bodies to get to our souls." Now I was just scaring myself.
"I doubt anything's gonna come kill ya, then turn 'round and pretend to be one of your loved ones so you'll go with 'em, Malyn."
"Yeah, I guess I see your point." It was quiet for a minute as we listened to Beau's water running. "So, you think that's how all of them work? Get you to trust them so you'll follow them? If they're so powerful, why wouldn't they just grab them and go?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's like tryin' to trap an animal. If you chase 'em, they run; grab 'em, they fight. But if ya gain their trust and coax 'em into the cage with a little peanut butter, it's much easier."
"Peanut butter?"
"Yes, all wild animals love peanut butter," she said as she swatted at me again. "Now, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Don't ya go botherin' Beau.”
"I won't."
She kissed her hand and patted my head with it. "G'night, Malyn. I love ya."
"I love you, too."
"Oh, I heard your phone goin' off on the way up here, so ya may wanna check it."
"Okay." I thought I should check it now while Beau was in the shower, so I ran down to grab my purse. I dug my phone out on the way back up the stairs and saw that I had two texts, both from Jace. The first one said:
Hey just wanted 2 make sure u made it home ok
The second just said:
Call me.
Instead of calling Jace, I opted to call Beth, since I told her I'd call her back.
"Oh my gosh, Jace is drivin' me nuts," she said as she answered her phone.
"Sorry. I hope it's not because of me."
"Yes, it's ‘cause of you. He just keeps askin' if I've heard from you, and when I say no, he tells me to call you."
"Why? I just saw him not too long ago."
"I know." Then I heard him in the background. She sighed and said, "Here, Jace wants to talk to you."
When she handed him her phone, he must have walked away because I heard her tell him to come back with her phone. "I'll bring it back in a sec," he yelled to Beth. "Hey."
"Hey."
He was quiet for a second. "I didn't mean to act like a jerk today…again."
"You weren't a jerk, Jace."
"Yeah, I was. You tried to tell me how you felt and I didn't want o hear it. If you want to break up with me, I'm okay with that. I can't make you stay with me if you don't want to."
"It's not that, I just…can't right now." I didn't want him to think I didn't like him, because I did. But I was trying to watch what I said so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"Right now?"
"Well…I…" I hate it when my mind stops sending information to my mouth.
"It's okay, Malyn. We can still be friends. I mean, we work together, and you and Beth are best friends."
"Thanks, Jace." I thought it would be best if I just left it at that.
"So, when do you work again?"
"Um, I think Thursday. I'll have to look and make sure."
"Can I still text you? Or would you rather me not?"
"I guess it would be okay." If not, I'm sure I'd find out soon enough.
"Well, I guess I'll let you go, then."
"Okay." There was an awkward silence for a minute and I wondered if he had hung up. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here." And he was quiet again. "Malyn?"
Oh, no. "Yeah?"
"I still care about you. And I probably always will, to some degree. I just wanted you to know that."
"Jace, I care about you, too. And this is hard for me. But I had to choose, and my heart belonged to him first. I never thought I'd see him again. But then I pulled up and there he was . . . with part of my heart that he had taken with him when he left."
Silence.
"Jace?" I said barely above a whisper.
"I'm here,” he replied. “I was just wondering how much of my heart you're gonna to be taking with you…and if I'll ever get it back."
"But I'm not going anywhere, Jace. I'll be right here."
"Here in Dandridge, but not here with me. There's a difference." Before I could reply
, he said, "But it's okay. I understand, Malyn. We're young, still got a lot of life to live. And who knows, maybe someday…"
I sighed. "Yeah, who knows."
"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later. I'll have Beth call you back."
"Okay." I hated this. "Jace?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For not hating me."
"I could never hate you."
"I hope that’s true. Just tell Beth I'll call her when I get up."
"Okay. Bye, Malyn." He said it like he was saying bye to more than just our phone call.
"Bye."
So here I lay, listening to Beau's water running, wishing the day was over. I never would've thought that I'd leave my life in a big city to come to this small town and have it become so crazy. I missed LeLe. I was gonna have to get her out here somehow. But then I thought about the situation we were in and how she was still clueless about my 'gift'. Maybe a visit would have to wait just a bit. So I just sent her a quick text letting her know I was thinking about her.
"Malyn, wake up."
I jumped, causing Beau to laugh. I opened my eyes to see a freshly showered Beau sitting on my bed. "Hey."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya."
"I didn't realize I had fallen asleep." When my eyes finally focused, I thanked them. He had on a white t-shirt and navy blue shorts, and his hair was still wet. I started to get butterflies in my stomach.
"What?"
He startled me again. "What what?"
"You're starin'."
How could I not? "How did you like your shower?"
"It felt great. I could've stayed in there lettin' that hot water beat down on me all night. All we had growin' up was a tub and we had to share the water most of the time. Ma would run the water in the mornin' so it would heat up some durin' the day, then she'd heat more water on the stove and pour in it, but it never was good and hot. In the winter we barely took baths at all ‘cause it was just too cold."
"I couldn't imagine what that was like back then. I guess when you grow up with indoor plumbing you take it for granted. We're born with the luxury of just being able to flip a handle and have hot water. Or flip a switch and have electricity. We're spoiled."
"Yeah. It's spoilin' me, too." He laid back and put his arms behind his head, smiling at me. "Why don’t ya go get ready for bed and I'll lay with ya 'til ya go back to sleep."
"With that smile, how could I resist?" I got up and plugged my phone up to charge before heading to the bathroom. I was really tired, so I doubted he'd have to lay with me long.
I got ready quickly so I could hurry and lay back down. "That was fast," Beau said as I walked back into my room.
"I'm tired, ready to lay down." I went through my usual routine of turning my radio on and light off.
"I wonder how I'll sleep tonight. It's been a long time." He pulled me toward him so my back was against him and wrapped his arm around me, holding me tight.
"I don't know. It'll be weird, I'm sure."
He took a deep breath and sighed. "I could sleep like this all night."
"Then why don't you? I'm sure Grandmama wouldn't mind. As long as the door's open and she's just right down the hall."
"I wouldn't wanna risk it."
All I kept thinking about was how I wanted to run my fingers through his wet hair, but I resisted. "Maybe it is best that we don't risk it."
He was quiet, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth across my arm. He pushed back my hair, gently kissed my neck, and whispered, "I love you."
I rolled toward him so that we were practically nose to nose. "I love you, too."
"If I'm not awake when ya get up, wake me."
"Okay."
I gently ran my lips across his until he kissed me. Then I nestled down into his chest and went to sleep, much faster than I thought I would. But my, and everyone else's, sleep was suddenly interrupted during the night by the sound of screaming.
Chapter 22
CONFUSION
Malyn
Once I was awake, I realized that the screaming I heard was my own.
"MALYN!" I heard Beau yell as he came flying up the stairs. He burst into my room with Grandmama right behind him yelling my name, too. He came around the bed and sat down beside me. "Ya okay? What's wrong?"
When my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that Grandmama had sat down at the foot of my bed and had a concerned look on her face. She rubbed my foot through my blanket, not saying anything. "Well…" I didn't know what to say. The dream I just had felt so real that I was still slightly bewildered.
As I remembered my dream, I dropped my head. Then I felt Beau gently wipe my cheeks, which I hadn't noticed were covered in tears. I couldn't remember ever having cried in my sleep.
"It's okay. We're here now," he said so softly that I barely heard him. He looked back at Grandmama, concerned, as if he wasn't sure what to do.
"Honey, did ya have a bad dream or somethin'?"
"Yeah, I guess." My heart was finally starting to beat at a normal speed again. "It just seemed so real." I shook my head and looked at my blanket. "Sorry I scared you."
"What was it about?" she asked.
I debated on telling them, not wanting to hurt Beau, but he seemed even more anxious to know than Grandmama did. So I took a deep breath and began to tell them. "I was in the yard, down by the river. And I was so scared." I looked at Beau. "Your mom was there. She had on a blue dress and a white apron…and her hair was pulled up. She was beautiful." I realized then that Beau looked a lot like her. "She was sitting on the ground holding Thomas in her lap…crying."
Beau shifted slightly on the edge of my bed and quietly encouraged me to continue. "It's okay. What else did ya see?"
"I heard a noise behind me." I turned toward Grandmama, knowing that if I looked at Beau I would start crying. "I saw his dad carrying him," I said as I motioned toward Beau. "He was dead. James was walking behind them and they were both crying." Even though I hadn't looked at Beau, the tears still fell. So I went ahead and turned my head toward him and finished, wiping my tears away. "He went over and sat down by your mom, still holding you and was crying so hard." I shook my head and cried, too. "When she realized you were dead, she screamed. I guess that's when I screamed." I wiped my eyes again. "It was so awful."
They were quiet and then Beau said, "For the love of all that's holy." He stood up and walked toward the window, looking out to where my dream, and his death, had taken place. He turned around and said, "That's what I was just dreamin'. And when Ma screamed, I woke up, and heard you screamin'. It scared me for a minute ‘cause I thought it was still her, but when I realized I was awake and that it was you…" He just shook his head.
Grandmama turned to face him. "So you were dreamin' 'bout when ya died? And so was Malyn?"
"Yep." He came back over and sat down on the bed again. "You described it right down to what she had on." He shook his head again and rubbed his hands across his face like that would somehow erase the memory. "I know I told ya 'bout it before, but not all of it. Especially not how she looked. So there's no way ya'd know. You were seein' my dream."
This was freaking me out just a bit. "So, I not only see the dead, but I can also get into their dreams?"
"Well, we got somethin' else for Max to research," she laughed.
"I wonder if that would happen while I'm awake, too."
"I doubt it. But maybe y'all can test it and see. Maybe Beau can sleep while ya stay awake for a bit, if ya can. That way we'll know and can tell Max."
"Ya want us to test it tonight?" Beau laughed. "I doubt I can go back to sleep. What time is it, anyways?"
I looked over at my clock. "It's just 1:45."
Grandmama stood up. "Just go ahead and lay in here and try to go to sleep. Maybe you'll be able to go to sleep easier."
"In here?" he asked, like he hadn't heard her right.
"Yes, but remember, I'm right across the hall…listen
in'."
"Yes, ma'am."
She smiled at us and said, "Well, good night, kids. I'm anxious to see how this goes."
"Not as anxious as I am, I'm sure."
"You'll be fine. And if not, I'll be right across the hall." She started to walk out, but turned around and said, "Just right there," as she pointed to her room, smiling. And as she got to her room she said, "Right here."
Beau and I both laughed. "Okay, we know," I yelled back at her, shaking my head. "That woman." Beau walked over to turn off my light and got in bed beside me, but didn't say anything. "You okay?" I whispered.
"It just brought it all back, that's all."
"I'm sorry. It was hard for me to see, so I can't imagine how it must be for you." He didn't say anything. "You need to get comfortable so you can relax." He still didn't say anything, so I laid down beside him and put my head on his chest. He put his arm around me, still quiet. "Are you sure you're okay?"
He squeezed me and said, "I'm okay." But I knew better.
I got up and went to my closet to get an extra pillow. "Here, this will make you comfy," I told him as I stuffed it under him. "I can't sleep without two pillows—my head on one and snuggle with the other."
"But I got you to snuggle with now. I don't need it, you use it."
"But I've got to stay awake for a while, so I don't need to get too comfy. But you, on the other hand, do. So roll over and I'll put my arm around you." He gave in and rolled over, but when I went to put my arm around him, it barely fit. "One of the many disadvantages to being vertically challenged—short arms." I opted to just lay my arm under his across his side, which worked pretty well. He seemed to be comfy and I was not.
"G'night, Malyn," he whispered.
"Good night," I whispered back as I kissed the back of his neck.
"Now don't go doin' that or I'll never get to sleep."
I giggled. "Sorry."
It was hard laying here against him and letting him go to sleep. The night that I thought he had left kept popping up in my mind. Even though it was one of the worst nights of my life because I thought I'd never see him again, it was also one of the best. It's still so weird to think of him as not being alive. As I lay here next to him, he feels like any normal guy would; warm and muscular, yet soft and . . . okay, I was gonna have to think about something else.
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