"You didn't give my name, right?"
"Man, I know the drill. Of course not. I've got feelings, and they're delicate, like a flower. You just hurt them."
"Alright, where am I heading?"
Ryan led him to the highway. They drove in silence for a while, but Connor could feel Ryan's eyes on him, if that was even possible.
"What?" he asked.
"Just worried. I don't usually see you on the side of road puking. You don't drink, and you never talk to women, so no stress there. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good. And I talk to women all the time. Remember Emily? Me and her got along pretty well."
"Up until she caught you talking to me. I'm telling you, man, you have to make that part of your move-set. Walk up to a girl and be like 'Hi, I can hear spirits. Guess what sordid things they say about you?' I'm telling you, panties would go flying."
Connor laughed. "If panties came flying at me, I'd probably miss them."
"Yeah, you would. Look, you sure you want to do this? I could tell Nancy to go to Hell."
"Now that's a real nice thing to say to a soul. Her name's Nancy?"
"Yeah. I guess I'd better prep you a little. The mother is Nancy. Her daughter is Sara. We're heading over to Sara's house."
"Did Nancy tell you what this message was?"
"Nope, and I didn't ask. I just said I knew a special guy who has no life and no friends who could talk to spirits. And he was also ugly."
"Great. Lie to the woman."
"Listen, man—"
Connor shook his head and prepared himself for another repeat of an old conversation.
"Do you know the money you could be making, or how famous you could be?"
"I don't want to be rich or famous."
"You wouldn't have to work at the airport, throwing other people's luggage onto a plane."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing at all. I'm just saying you don't have to do it."
"I like my life, Ryan. It's simple and uncomplicated. If I add working with spirits into that, it's not so simple anymore."
"Ah, so that's why you don't have a girlfriend. You like things simple."
He laughed. "Actually, my last official girlfriend, Tonya, caught me talking to a mother and daughter who were murdered by the father. She didn't stick around too long after that."
"I'll bet she didn't. Take this next exit."
Ryan guided Connor through a nice neighborhood. Children played on a slip-and-slide in a front yard. A few scattered souls moved about the street. A man mowed the grass in his front yard. Connor hoped one day he could have a small house.
They parked in front of a corner home that Ryan pointed out. Connor took a deep breath and rested his head against the seat. As many times as he delivered messages, it never got any easier.
"What's up?" Ryan asked.
"Just hoping I don't get a door slammed in my face."
"Are you kidding? Who would slam a door in that adorable face of yours?"
"Okay, let's get this done. The woman's name is Sara?"
"You got it."
Connor crossed the street with Ryan at his side. A few of the neighborhood children gave him a glance. It wasn't uncommon for a spirit to attach itself to the living, but it was uncommon for the living to look comfortable with it.
A middle-aged woman answered the door. The look on her face told Connor she didn't get many visitors. Slightly graying hair, beautiful blue eyes. She wore a simple light dress, trying to keep cool in the heat. A soul hovered in the living room behind her.
"Are you Sara?"
"Yes, who are you?"
He could barely concentrate on her as Ryan talked over him.
"Hey, Nancy," Ryan shouted. "This is him. This is Connor."
The soul behind Sara moved slightly. "He can really understand us?"
"Yes, I can," Connor said. "So would you please quiet down a second?"
Sara rested a hand on her hip as she narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
He clenched his eyes shut, already feeling like a fool. "I'm sorry. That wasn't meant for you. I know this is gonna sound weird, but that soul behind you…that's your mother. She has something she needs to tell you."
Sara slammed the door in his face.
"Well, I tried."
Connor was halfway down the sidewalk when Ryan caught up to him.
"That's it? You're not even gonna try? You drove all the way out here just to leave in five seconds?"
"This isn't a good day to be treated like crap."
"What about your hundred bucks? Nancy told me Sara would pay—"
"I don't care about the money. The woman doesn't want to listen, and that's fine by me."
"Sir! Please wait."
He turned at the sound of the new voice. Nancy had moved through the front door and floated toward him. She floated just slightly beneath Ryan, meaning she was shorter than him when she was alive.
"Please don't go," she said.
"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, but your daughter doesn't believe in people like me. And I don't want to sit here for an hour trying to convince her."
Connor locked eyes with a man driving by as he carried on a conversation with two spirits. The driver flashed that look Connor had dealt with his entire life. Making extra money was always nice, but not as the expense of feeling more like a freak.
"All you have to do is go to the door and repeat what I say."
He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, knowing he'd give in. Despite the looks he'd received over his life, he wanted to help people.
"Okay, she has ten seconds after that to answer the door."
Connor knocked on the door once again, a spirit at either side. Nancy floated closer to his ear and spoke.
"Nancy here tells me she knows the combination to the safe, and to call you Slipper, whatever the hell that means," he said to the door.
He quietly counted to ten, and turned to leave. Nancy and Ryan both pleaded with him to stay. He was nearly to his car when Sara shouted behind him.
"Wait!"
She stood in her doorway, watching him with a careful eye. He slowly approached her once again, and she eyed the two spirits floating next to him.
"One of them is my mother?"
"This one," he said, gesturing to his right. "The other is my loud-mouthed friend."
"Hey, now," Ryan said.
"How can you tell?"
"Because I hear them, and he never shuts up."
Sara studied him for ten seconds before stepping aside. "Would you come in?"
"And that's my cue," Ryan said. "My work is done. I'll catch you later, man."
"Alright. It's a late game tonight. Eleven o'clock."
"I'll be there."
Ryan flew away. Connor didn't bother looking, but Sara watched with her mouth open. Nancy moved first, floating past Sara into the house. Connor cautiously stepped into the living room, almost expecting Sara to slam the door in his face once again.
"Do you want anything to drink?" Sara asked. "I have soda, water—"
"She's nervous," Nancy said.
"Of course she's nervous. A guy she doesn't know is claiming he can talk to souls."
Sara looked at both Connor and Nancy. He could see her hands shaking slightly. "You're…talking to her now?"
"Yeah. And no thanks, I'm not thirsty."
"On those reality shows the guy usually gets real thirsty after talking to them."
"That's all fake. You don't get thirsty. It's no different than talking to anyone else."
Sara sat on the couch. Connor followed her lead and sat in the chair across from her. There was some awkward silence as the three of them were quiet. He occupied himself by studying her house. She continued to stare at him, trying to figure out if he was a fraud.
"So," Connor finally said. "What is Slipper?"
He winced as both Nancy and Sara tried to talk at once. Holding up a hand to silence them, he turned his attenti
on to Nancy. She hovered on the couch just next to Sara.
"Sara wouldn't wear shoes in the house. She always hated the feel of them on her feet. All she would wear is Muppet slippers."
Connor laughed. "The Muppets?"
Sara gasped at the conversation she couldn't hear.
"Yeah. Fozzy Bear in particular. So we just always called her Slipper."
Sara stared at the soul next to her. "This is Mom? Has it always been her hanging around?"
"Mostly," Nancy said. "I come and go. Your aunt visits sometimes too."
He relayed the message, and tears streamed down her face. "I always wanted to believe it was Mom or Dad. Aunt Jessica visits me? I never would have known."
There was another silence. Connor clasped his hands together and looked at Nancy. "Okay, well, I'm here. Did you have something you wanted to say to Sara?"
Nancy said nothing, and Connor wondered if she would speak. When she finally did her voice trembled.
"Her father died a few years back from cancer. I was there when he passed, but he's already reincarnated now, in a beautiful baby in London. But he didn't know, and neither does Sara…he wasn't her real father."
His eyes shot open. "What? Do you really want me to tell her that?"
"What's going on?" Sara asked. "What did she say?"
"We need to go to the safe," Nancy said.
He shook his head and rose to his feet. "She says we need to see the safe."
Sara was confused, but stood up and went to a door leading to the basement. "Follow me."
Connor held in a disgusted sigh as he followed her downstairs. He wasn't sure what message he expected, but he wasn't prepared to give someone life-altering news. The few favors he'd done in the past involved much simpler messages. One boyfriend wanted to tell his girlfriend that he was on his way to propose to her when he died in a car accident. Connor nearly cried at that story. Another time a father wanted to tell his son that it was him watching over him at night over the years. Very simple, easy to deliver messages. Not like Nancy's message.
"This is my parents' house," Sara said. "My father died of—"
"Cancer, I know."
"Right. Please, excuse the mess." She pushed a few boxes aside. "After Mom died I moved in. The safe is theirs. It's been here a long time."
He heard a sad sigh behind him. Nancy followed them both closely, and she obviously didn't look forward to the next few minutes.
"You've always been able to talk to spirits?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, ever since I was a little kid. I thought everyone could. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was different."
Sara continued to push her way through the crowded basement. "Is this what you do? Go around helping people?"
He laughed at her words. Helping people. He wondered if she would think he was helpful by the time he left.
"Actually, I work at the airport."
"Sounds like a waste to me."
Sara knelt in front of the safe and dusted cobwebs from the dial. She looked at Connor, who in turn looked at Nancy behind him. The spirit said nothing for a moment.
"Nancy? You're the one who said we should come down here."
"Mom?" Sara said, addressing the spirit for the first time.
Nancy recited the combination. Sara spun the dial as Connor relayed Nancy's words. Sara turned the handle and pulled the safe open.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting. The safe wasn't that large. Hopefully whatever was inside could deliver Nancy's message, and he wouldn't have to be the one to give her bad news.
Sara smiled as she pulled out an old jewelry box. "I haven't seen this in forever."
She pulled out more items. A baby's dress. A thousand dollars in cash. A uneasy feeling crept over Connor, mostly from Nancy's silence. He knew something bad waited for Sara.
Finally, she pulled out a small stack of photos. He watched over her shoulder as she flipped through them. They looked innocent enough. A baby sitting in a high-chair with a piece of birthday cake. A little girl sitting on Santa's lap. Sara stopped as she settled on a picture of a man and woman holding hands on a swing. Connor didn't know who they were, but guessed the woman was Nancy.
The man had Sara's blue eyes.
"Mom," she said, holding up the picture. "Who is this?"
Nancy said nothing, and Connor filled the silence with a nervous laugh. Sara looked at Nancy and back to the picture.
"This isn't Dad."
Nancy again was quiet. Sara turned her attention to Connor, who offered a sheepish shrug. "The cat seems to have snatched up her tongue. That is…if spirits had tongues."
"That's your real father," Nancy said.
He wasn't sure if he was supposed to relay that message or not. He'd rather have been anywhere else. At home watching an old ballgame on the DVR, eating lunch by himself at the diner, getting a root canal. Sara stared at him, and he could feel Nancy's eyes on him.
"Nancy says that's your real father."
Watching the pain flash across Sara's face certainly wasn't worth a hundred dollars. She lowered her head and cried quietly. Nancy told Connor the facts, which he slowly repeated.
"Your mom had a short affair, before she married who you always thought was your dad. She honestly thought you were his, but as you grew older…well, you can see. The resemblance there is pretty strong."
"Did Dad know?"
"He suspected, but they never really talked about it, even after they both died. They spent some time together, but he wanted to reincarnate, and your mom still isn't ready."
"Why, Mom? Why are you telling me this now?"
"She just wanted you to know. She felt you deserved the truth."
Connor clenched his eyes shut as both women cried together. He made a mental note to yell at Ryan the next time he saw him. He thought helping someone and making some money would be a good way to help ease the pain of the anniversary of his parents' death. But this didn't feel like help at all.
"Okay, well, I think I've made enough women cry today. I'll show myself out."
He was nearly to the steps when Sara spoke.
"What's his name?"
He turned and looked at Nancy. It took her a moment to regain her composure and stop crying.
"Matthew Stonewell."
"I want to find him. I want to see if I have any brothers or sisters."
"Can…I come with you?" Nancy asked.
He relayed the question. There was still pain and sadness in Sara's eyes, but she let out a small smile and nodded.
"Of course."
Connor could only imagine the journey in front of them. Sara traveling with her soul mother looking for her biological father. It would make for an interesting story.
He just wanted to go get lunch.
"Okay, well, I'm glad I could help out, or whatever I did. You two have a nice day."
"Wait," Sara said. "I know what you do can't be free. We didn't talk about price or anything…."
He brought a hand to his chin. "Since you're offering, would twenty dollars be out of the question? Just for gas?"
Nancy floated forward. "That's not what I told Ryan we would pay—"
"Gas money," he repeated. "And we're good."
"Twenty dollars doesn't seem like enough."
"It'll fill up my crappy car."
The women laughed, which was a much better sound than the tears he'd heard minutes ago. Sara walked him to the door, Nancy at her side, and handed him a twenty dollar bill.
"I wish I could do what you do," she said. "Hearing souls. That must be amazing."
Connor thought of the hell he went through after his parents' death. Weeks of terror, before the couple living next to his aunt saved his sanity.
"It's not all it's cracked up to be."
CHAPTER 4
Brooke stretched out on the couch in a pair of cut-off sweatpants and a tee shirt, absentmindedly flipping through the channels on TV. The sun had nearly set, and the horizon was beautiful as souls traveled o
utside the apartment. Some moved faster than others, creating an almost hypnotic effect. She crossed the living room and closed the curtains. Amber slowly made her way down the hallway, stifling a yawn. Brooke laughed as she glanced at the time to see it was nearly eight o'clock.
"What are you? A vampire?" Brooke asked.
"Give me a break. I was tired. Let me have the shower first."
"You can have the shower all you want. I showered this morning, like a normal person."
"Well, you have to get ready if we're going out."
"Going out? Didn't we just go out last night?"
"Yeah? So?"
"So, a night in didn't cross your mind?"
"Brooke, there are guys out there waiting to be danced with, waiting to be kissed. There's music, and fun, and drinks. And you want to stay in? You haven't even dated anyone since that guy at work."
"So what? Anyway, I'd just rather stay in tonight."
"No, you can't. I can't go out alone. I need my girl with me."
Brooke fought jealousy as she thought of another night in Amber's shadow. She loved Amber like a sister, but Amber didn't realize the effect always placing second had on her.
"I don't know…."
Amber clasped her hands together. "Please!" she begged. "We'll get you a guy, too. We'll hit on all of them all night until one steps into our trap. We'll have fun. I promise."
Brooke shook her head, knowing she wouldn't tell Amber no. Amber squealed with delight and hugged her as she jumped up and down.
"Thank you. I'll go get ready."
Brooke browsed through her clothes as Amber sang badly in the shower. Amber shouted at a soul as it used their bathroom as a shortcut. It must have been a male soul, as Amber argued with it.
"Like what you see?" she said. "You've got another three seconds before I cover up with a towel. I can wait you out, you little bastard."
Brooke laughed as the soul moved through the bathroom door and stopped just inside her room. She stood in front of the mirror and held a few blouses up, trying to decide which one looked best.
"You're not gonna get a show in here," she said. "Sorry."
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