“I have no idea how to even begin to tell them,” I said softly as I rested my arms on the counter. He let out a deep breath.
“We,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “We are going to tell them. We all knew Sophie was in the house and we decided not to tell them.”
“I don’t want you guys to take the fallout,” I admitted. “They can blame me, it’ll be better-”
“No,” Miles stated clearly. “We’re going to do this as a family. The way we always do things.”
I sighed deeply, tension melting from my shoulders. To be honest, I didn’t want to have to tell them by myself. “How do you think they’ll take it? That we didn’t tell them?”
“It’s not going to be pleasant,” he admitted, his gaze on the counter top. “Ethan will probably be angry. But Isaac… I don’t know what to expect from Isaac.”
I cursed.
Miles reached out and took my hand. I met his gaze. “But we’ll all be there for them and we’ll help them get through it.” I looked down at our hands. I held on tight, wanting to believe it’d be that easy.
“Lexie.” I met his eyes again. “It’s going to be alright.” I nodded. Miles’ thumb ran over the back of my hand. “Now, they leave Monday morning?” I nodded again. “I’ll do some research and see if I can get a better idea of how to help them through the initial shock.”
“Thanks, Miles.” I squeezed his hand again. He squeezed back.
“Of course.” The front door opened.
“I’m here!” Ethan shouted.
“Kitchen!” Miles' hand slipped from mine before he moved to the coffee maker.
It wasn’t long before Ethan walked in smiling. “Ready for therapy?” he asked.
I sighed wearily as I picked up my water bottle. “Sure.”
“Come on, Beautiful.” He gave my arm a tug. I got up, a heavy weight settling on my shoulders.
I followed Ethan down the long hallway that ran the length of the house and into the music room. The room was beautiful. The walls covered in bookshelves. The only things in the room were a guitar, a cello, and a grand piano.
Ethan sat down at the piano and opened the folder he brought. I sat next to him and waited with a heavy heart.
“Ethan…” I tried again to get him to understand.
“No. Screw what that therapist said,” Ethan stated cheerfully. “We can get your voice back to where it was.” He handed me the sheet music to Green Day’s ‘Still Breathing.’ It didn’t require a huge range, but first I needed to do my warm up exercises. His chocolate eyes were determined when they met mine. “Okay?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was hopeless. I nodded. “Okay.”
Chapter 3
Saturday Afternoon
It was over an hour later and I was still sitting next to Ethan at the piano. He played the guitar as we sang a duet. I was trying to sing my verse of Seether’s ‘Broken.’ On my second line my voice cracked. We ignored it. On the fourth line my voice strained to reach the higher note, it came out scratchy and sounded awful.
Enough! I stopped, threw my sheet music, put my elbows on the closed piano and hid my face in my hands. My chest was tight as tears fell. I sounded horrible. I couldn’t hit the notes I used to, my range was small enough that it was laughable.
I took a deep breath. My throat burned with the need to scream. It wasn’t enough for Clay Ordin to take Zeke, no, he had to take this too. That fucker! I took shaking breaths as tears fell. I didn’t even realize how much I loved singing with Ethan until I couldn’t anymore. And now… I wished Clay was in front of me so I could stomp his nuts into the ground.
Ethan’s hand went to my shoulder as I tried to get myself under control.
“It’s not… going to… happen,” I managed while taking deep breaths.
“Lexie…” his voice was smoky and gentle. I dropped my hands and looked at him. When he saw my tears, his face grew pained.
“Don’t ‘Lexie’ me,” I croaked. I cursed and took another drink from my water bottle. “My range is gone and it’s not coming back.”
His eyes softened on mine. “Then we’ll pick songs in your range-”
“There aren’t that many-”
“Then I’ll fucking write ‘em!” he snapped. He reached out, wiped my cheeks and held my face in his hands. “Don’t give up on me, Beautiful.”
I took one deep breath, then another. He pulled me against him. I laid my head on his shoulder. His touch starting to calm me down. He rested his cheek against my forehead and held me tight.
“You might not sing with the band again, but you’ll always be able to sing with me,” he whispered.
I nodded and held him tighter. “Love you,” I whispered.
“Love you, too.” He held me until I had stopped crying and could breathe again.
When I moved out of his arms he chuckled. He reached up, using his thumb to wipe under my left eye.
“Your makeup is destroyed.” He smiled. I snorted and then wiped my face under my eyes.
“I’m not surprised,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I think that’s a day.”
“Yeah, breaking down into tears usually means the end of my practices,” he offered. I grinned a little. He gave me a small smile as I drank from my water bottle again. “It might take a long time, but we’ll keep trying.”
I nodded. “I’m going to go wash my face.” My voice was hoarse as I got up and headed down the hall to the bathroom.
When I saw my reflection, I shook my head. My mascara was destroyed. I thought about what Ethan said as I warmed up the water. Did he really think we could get my range back? He kept being so certain. When the water was ready, I washed my face until my makeup was gone. I dried my face and looked in the mirror. My eyes were still red from crying. Oh well. There was nothing I could do about that.
I headed back to the kitchen to get my usual ‘after voice therapy tea’. Miles was there already, pouring hot water out of a kettle into a mug. By the time I reached him he had put in a tea bag and passed it to me.
“Thanks, Miles,” I croaked. He gave me a gentle smile as I sat on the counter next to the stove. I blew on my tea as he leaned against the kitchen side of the breakfast bar. I took a drink, the warmth soothing my throat.
“Ethan headed out, he said he’d see you tonight.” Miles’ gaze ran over me. “Are you alright?”
“Just had a breakdown,” I admitted, meeting his eyes. “My voice hasn’t improved in the last month.”
“If you want to stop these lessons, I’ll talk to Ethan about it,” he offered.
I shook my head. “I think they’re more for him than me.” I took a sip.
“It’s possible,” he said quietly. “Are you guys really going out to that old hospital tonight?” Miles grinned.
I chuckled. “Yeah, it was Isaac’s idea.” There was an old hospital that closed down in the forties. It remained empty and was pretty much abandoned at this point. Everyone at school swore it was haunted.
Miles narrowed his eyes on me. “Why?”
“Because of the rumors,” I explained. “The twins want to see if it’s really haunted or if it’s just stories. And since I’m the world’s best ghost detector…”
He shook his head. “I’ll be here in case you guys get caught and need bail.”
“Why don’t you come with us?” I asked. “I think Asher and Zeke are going too.”
“Walk through a large, abandoned building?” He looked out the window over the sink. “I live in one. It’s not necessary to go looking for one.” I looked him over. There were shadows under his eyes.
“Are you having trouble sleeping again?” I asked softly. His gaze met mine.
“As usual,” he admitted. “I’ve tried music, I’ve tried television, I even tried Melatonin. The only thing that works is working until I’m exhausted.” I hated that Miles couldn’t fall asleep normally. He was brilliant and that was when he was exhausted. I wanted to see what he could do with a full night’s sl
eep.
“Well, if you’re up one night, give me a call.” I offered with a grin. “I’ll probably be awake too.”
He smiled the smile that made him handsome and wreaked havoc with my heart. “Deal.”
Miles waited until I was done with my tea. “If you don’t want your dance lesson today, I’ll understand,” he offered.
I smiled. “Nope.”
He held back a grin. “Alright, then let’s go.”
* * *
By the time I finally got the moves Miles was teaching me right, we were both sweaty and breathing hard.
When the song ended, Miles lifted me from the dip then went to turn off the stereo. He looked good when he was sweating, the wave of his hair curled more, making me want to run my fingers through it. I pulled my mind back from where that train of thought was taking me.
He shut off the music then turned back to me. “You’re making a lot of progress.”
“I’m trying to,” I admitted before taking a drink of water.
Miles wiped the sweat off his face. “You’re a fast learner. By this summer I’ll be able to take you to one of the salsa clubs in Missoula.”
My eyebrows went up. “We’re underage.”
He finished his drink from his water bottle. “Some of the clubs let in minors.” Did I want to go salsa dancing with Miles this summer? Yeah, I really did.
“Sounds good to me,” I said as we started putting the furniture back in place. “Why do you like salsa dancing anyway?” I began shoving one of the couches back to its spot. Miles was instantly there, practically moving the couch on his own.
“It’s all about the woman,” he said quietly as he slid the coffee table back into place.
“How’s that?” I asked as I started pushing the other couch. Miles went to the other side and helped move it into place.
“If you watch the dancing in a salsa club, you’ll see it,” he said as he met my eyes. “Salsa dancing isn’t really about the men. It’s about the women. The man’s job is to make her look great. Which isn’t really difficult.” He turned away from me to the stereo. “Your hair spins around you, your body moves with the music, and you start to glow. You let go.” He reached up and pulled out the CD and put it in its case. “It’s my job to make you look even better.” My face warmed. What the hell did you say to that?
“Well, this woman is going to go take advantage of that bathtub,” I announced. I picked up my bag of clothes. Miles’ back was still to me. “Thanks, Miles. I really enjoy these lessons.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, not bothering to turn around. “I enjoy teaching you.”
I walked into the long hallway and headed to my room in the house. It was the classically elegant master bedroom. It had been Miles’ mom’s but she decided to bail and not come back. I still wanted to yell at her for it, but I settled for donating all her clothes to charity. Miles thought it had been a great idea.
I shut the door behind me and made a beeline for the bathroom. It looked like a spa. Teal walls, and white tile. Especially, with the giant Jacuzzi tub. Hello heaven.
As soon as the water was high enough, I dropped a rosemary bath bomb in before I stripped down and climbed in. Oh, God. The hot water went to my chin. This was bliss.
I reached up, grabbed one of the rolled-up towels and put it behind my head. Then I hit the jets. Jets of water massaged down my back and the bottoms of my feet. I groaned and closed my eyes.
Rosemary scented steam filled the bathroom.
I looked up at the row of bath products that had been appearing over the last few months. Brands I didn’t even recognize. All of them had either rosemary oil or extract. The shampoo and conditioner were even for curly hair. Not to mention they were hydrating, exactly the kind I used. Only these were better. Whenever I used the tub here I left with my curls defined and smooth without any help from me. Miles never said anything. Bath stuff just kept showing up. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes.
Somedays I wondered if Miles cared about me the way I did about him. Others… I had no clue. I took a deep breath, sank into the heat of the tub and let the world drift away.
Chapter 4
Saturday Evening
It was four in the afternoon when I trudged up to my room for my ‘nap.’ At least that was what I called Veil work when Tara was around. Hades followed as usual, the dog had been my shadow for months now. I laid down on my bed and groaned when Hades instantly took up more of my bed. I scooted, bitching the whole time. He just laid his head on my pillow and looked adorable. The brat knew how to play me.
I closed my eyes, focused, then dropped down to the Veil. Over the last few months, bypassing my center had become a habit. I dropped to the grass then straightened. The Veil was the same as this morning. Nothing ever changed here unless I brought the dead. I was at the center of the Veil, exactly where I needed to be.
I sat down in the grass, making sure I didn’t crush any flowers, took a deep breath and brought up a memory of the guys that made me feel safe.
It was the night after I came home from the hospital. Hades was with me, hogging the bed. The guys were spread out over my floor. Well, most of them. Zeke had been sleeping sitting up against the wall between the door and the closet. The twins were on the floor beside my bed. Miles was down near the foot and Asher’s long legs were in the hallway. They refused to leave that night. So, Rory agreed to let them crash in my room as long as the door was open.
My barriers dropped.
The energy of the Veil washed through me gently, making my skin tingle. I opened my eyes. My energy was still close around me in a golden dome. That was fine for what I was doing.
I closed my eyes and focused on an image of an apple. That hard feeling in my chest grew, my will reached for the energy of the Veil. A small weight grew in my right hand. I opened my eyes and smirked. A shiny red apple sat in my hand. It felt solid and real. Mostly because it was. Following the book from Serena, I learned how to use the energy in the Veil, much like a Witch in the real world, only in here. I left my eyes open as I focused on dissipating that energy. I pictured it gone, its energy absorbed back into the Veil. The apple burst into gold light, then there was nothing.
“Okay, one down, thirty to go.” I thought out loud.
I ran through the exercises that were in the book, twice. I worked on doing it faster and faster. Once I was warmed up, I could create almost anything instantly.
I was playing with fire as it ran along my arm when I had an idea. I smirked at the flames as they smothered out.
“Zahur!” I shouted. Over the last few months, Zahur had become more of a teacher than the creepy Imposter Me. Whatever she was, she was always willing to help if I got stuck on an exercise.
It was only a couple minutes wait before she popped into the Veil, looking like me again. I instantly dropped water on her, soaking her to the bone. I burst out laughing. She pushed her hair out of her face and glared at me.
“If you wanted a fight, you just had to ask.” She smirked. Oh shit. A ball of water shot towards my face. I dropped onto my back barely in time for it to pass over me. I somersaulted backwards to my knees and shot Zahur a challenging look. She wasn’t wet anymore but she was smiling.
I conjured a ball of fire and threw it at her. She ducked, her smile grew.
“Good,” she stated in an odd voice. It wasn’t mine… it sounded deeper. “Now, let’s see what you have learned.” I grinned wickedly.
We went at it like that for some time. She scored some hits, which hurt like hell, and I scored a few myself. Eventually, she called it.
“Good,” she said as the shield of energy she created disappeared from around her. “But you need to be faster. If the other one comes back you need to be able to take them down quickly before they can do more damage.” She walked towards me. I met her in the middle. When she was close enough she reached out, her hand glowing with green light. Before I could ask she ran that hand around me. The spots she hit didn’t hurt anym
ore.
“What did you do?” I asked when I got my breath back.
“Simple healing. I can only do it here,” she said before meeting my eyes. “Now, you need to start on making an alarm.”
“Yeah, I’ll start tomorrow,” I agreed. I needed that alarm soon. If whoever shut off the Veil came back, I’d need to know immediately.
“See that you do,” she said a second before she disappeared. I hated that she could do that.
I looked at the flowers blooming around the Veil. There were even some vines now, climbing over the charcoal stumps of trees. The Veil was finally healing but if it took a hit like before, it might just kill it off for good.
Worried, I pulled myself out of the Veil and back to reality.
* * *
I had just pulled on my black hoodie when a car honked outside. I looked through the blinds and spotted Zeke’s Jeep. I hurried downstairs, Hades on my heels.
“I’m heading out with the boys,” I told Rory. He eyed what I was wearing. Black jeans, black shirt, black boots and hoodie.
“What are you guys up to tonight?” he asked suspiciously.
“The twins want to check out the old abandoned hospital to find out if it’s really haunted,” I admitted. Rory chuckled.
“Be careful and don’t get caught,” he told me as he looked to Hades. “Hades, want to stay, eat pizza and watch sports?” Hades gave a small bark and left my side to join Rory on the couch. I smiled as I opened the door and almost ran into Asher.
“I wasn’t taking that long,” I pointed out as I slipped outside and closed the door behind me.
“I know, but Zeke was starting to growl.” Asher shrugged. We headed across the lawn toward the running Jeep.
“Ash, I need to talk to you guys without the twins before Monday,” I whispered as we slowly walked out to the car.
He nodded. “I’ll send a text to Zeke to show up early to brunch tomorrow.” he offered. I gave him a smile.
Whispers From the Dead Page 5