Outside the house the ghosts were just socializing with each other. It was like a big party at this point. For once they didn’t harass me on my way in, it made me smile. I put the flowers in a small vase and eyed the ring. It was gold and vintage. Something told me the emerald was real, I hoped I was wrong. I let Hades out and waited in the doorway as he found a place to pee. I needed to focus on other things tonight. I was so close to calming the Way that I wasn’t going to wait until later to work on it. I had gotten a good night of sleep last night, so today was the day. Hades came in, I gave him a treat and love before heading upstairs. I was hopeful as I lay down.
I was in the Veil again. I really was getting good at this, I sat down in the dirt and looked up. It hadn't been easy but now... it was time to make the Way my bitch. I smirked as I lay down in the dirt. I thought of the boys again. We were over at the twins’ house. Everyone was in the kitchen as Asher checked the enchiladas that Maria had left in the fridge for us. Asher and Isaac were picking on Ethan. Who came over to me, hugged me from behind, and rested his head on my shoulder.
“Make them stop picking on me, Beautiful,” He begged pitifully. I reached behind me and ran my fingers through his hair.
“Aw, you can dish it out but not take it?” I teased him. He growled in my ear before letting me go and smacking me on the butt, I turned and smacked his arm in return. Ethan backed off as he laughed. I flipped him off then turned back to the others, they had all gone still. “What?” I asked. Everyone unfroze and went back to the conversation. It wasn't until later when I realized that was the first time one of them had smacked my butt. I made a rule that night that if they smack mine, theirs’ becomes fair game. So far only the twins were willing to risk it. I felt my body relax as my barriers dropped. That hot wind rolled over me, my mouth suddenly became parched. I focused on pushing my barriers out. I knew when I reached the wall, fury poured into me making me want to fight it. I accepted the rage. You're not mine, you have no place in me. The rage had nothing to latch onto so it slipped over me like oil. A slap of wind told me I was at the clouds. The energy behind it made me clench my teeth. That overwhelming sense of wrong filled me. The howl of the wind got louder as my energy crept across the sky, the winds got worse as I got closer to the center. A deep feeling of sickness poured over me, making my stomach lurch and my energy shook against it. NO! My eyes snapped open, my gaze instantly went to the Way above me. Focus! This is the day I'm calming the Way! Not tomorrow, not the day after. NOW! I forced myself to not fight against the energy that made my stomach churn. I kept crawling across the clouds. The closer I got to the Way, the more the Veil reacted. The wind picked up, stinging me with sand, the ground vibrated, lighting striking the ground within inches of me. I ignored it all and kept focus, I wasn't stopping today. My energy finally met in the middle, the Veil went still and silent. Lightning froze mid-strike, sand hung in the wind like pollen in the breeze. My heartbeat was loud in my ears as I looked at the Way. Then I spoke to it.
“I know you’re dying. I know you’re angry and desperate but I need you to calm down before I can help,” I whispered to the Way, believing every word with my heart and soul. I felt that hard feeling in my chest and I was going to use it. “I will find whoever did this to you, I swear. But we need to take care of you first. They can’t stop me from bringing souls to you.” There was a long silence. The Veil started moving again. The sand dropped from the wind, the lightning raced back up into the disappearing clouds. I watched in amazement as the sky cleared and stars twinkled above me. “Rest, I will bring you a soul tonight,” I promised her. I don’t know why, but the Way felt like a her to me. There was a sound, like a note played on a flute but it ran over my skin. Unsettled, I pulled my energy back to me and let my barriers rise again. I got to my feet, adrenaline burning through me. “Stay calm, I’ll be back,” I promised, then pulled myself out.
I opened my eyes in my bedroom. Adrenaline pumping, I jumped up from my bed, threw my door open, and ran downstairs, I grabbed my jacket and ran out the front door. I didn’t even bother to close it. The ghosts shouted for me but I ignored them as I jumped into the Blazer and I peeled out on to the street. I had a promise to keep. I sped through town, only slowing down for stop signs on my way to Asher and the twins’ street. My heart slammed in my chest as I focused on not killing myself. When I was there, I skidded to a stop between Asher’s house and the Twins’, I barely took the time to kill the lights and engine. In a heartbeat, I was out and running down the sidewalk.
“Lexie?” Ethan shouted. I ignored him and kept running. Herbert had to be around here somewhere. I spotted him, pacing in the middle of the road, grumbling to himself. I slowed so I could catch my breath. Running footsteps caught up to me. “What’s wrong? Why are you running?” Ethan demanded as he grabbed my arm. I turned to him with a huge smile on my face.
“I calmed the Way!” I shouted, not caring if anyone heard. Ethan’s jaw dropped before he hugged me tight.
“That’s amazing!” He practically shouted in my ear. I hugged him back tight. “What now?”
“Now I cross a soul,” I pulled back and headed further towards Herbert Munich. The old man was in a nice suit. His white hair was perfectly combed, even his nails were immaculate and I had promised he would be one of the first to cross.
“Hey Bert!” I shouted at him from the curb. I really am tactless, he looked up and glared at me. “Wanna cross now?” I smiled at him. His eyes lit up as he hurried towards me.
“Really? Now?” He asked, his hands shaking. I nodded still smiling.
“It might take a couple tries to grab you, but I think I got it down,” I assured him. He gave me a big smile.
“What do I do?” He asked eagerly.
“Just, don’t fight me or anything that you feel happening. I don’t know what's going to happen but, just... be passive,” I said, sounding unsure. He nodded. I took a deep breath and remembered what I felt that night with Emily Hann. How I refused to accept that she might die. I wouldn’t let her. I looked at Herbert. He missed his wife, he wanted to see her so bad my heart ached. I wanted to take him to her. I reached for him but I kept hitting something. That's when I realized what it was, my beads. I quickly shoved them off in one motion and handed them to Ethan as I focused on grabbing Herbert. I reached for him again. Only now, I could see it. I watched a gold string of light move from me out to him. It wrapped around him. I had him. “Okay here we go,” I warned him. I closed my eyes and dropped down to my Center dragging Herbert with me. It felt weird and a little painful, like swallowing a piece of food that was just a bit too big. You’d get it down but you were going to feel it. Then I was standing on my white sandy plain. I took a breath and looked to my left. Herbert was still here.
“Is this the Veil?” He asked, stunned.
“No, it’s my Center. I have to take you to the Veil to cross. It's a long story,” I said. I don’t know why but I reached out my hand. He gave me a smile and took it; his hand didn’t go through mine. Okay, that was new. I thought about the Veil and we flew across the sand. Then we were just there, standing on the stone ledge near the abyss. Startled, I pushed Herbert back further from the ledge. I really needed to work on knowing where to stop when coming here or someone was going to be unmade on accident. The Veil was how I left it, the land still burnt and barren, but the sky was still clear. I turned to Herbert, his eyes showing his confusion.
“Why does it look like this? Where am I going?” He asked, his eyes growing wide.
“Someone cut the Veil off using all the energy that was here. It’s not supposed to look like this,” I reassured him. “That's why there is so much energy floating around the physical world now.” His eyes met mine.
“Yes, that energy is... disturbing. You can take it and do things you can’t usually do,” He said, still looking around. “But once you get a taste, you just keep wanting more.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You mean...”
He looked back to me. “Y
ou become addicted,” He finished for me. I tucked that away for later. “What do I do now?” He asked, his voice shook. I took a breath and focused. I needed to let him go. Herbert was going to make his choice, I couldn’t make it for him. I watched that golden thread disappear, I let go of his hand, and met his eyes.
“I can’t force you to cross, Bert,” I began, keeping my voice gentle. “You have a choice. Jump off the ledge and leave existence.” I pointed up at the sky. “Or move on.”
“What’s on the other side?” He looked up, his face drawn.
“I don’t know, but everyone I’ve seen cross felt pure joy,” I said honestly. “If your wife is anywhere, she’s there. And she’s probably waiting for you.” He swallowed hard, tears in his eyes. My chest ached with how much he missed her. He looked at me again.
“I’m so sorry, about...” -tears falling down his face- “I just wanted to go,” He said softly. I gave him an understanding smile.
“I understand.” Something to the right moved, I turned as a door made of gold light appeared. It opened. There on the other side was a meadow of grass and flowers. There she stood. She looked like she was in her early twenties with curly, shoulder-length black hair, big blue eyes, and olive skin. She was wearing a soft and airy dress. The way she smiled at Herbert left no doubt in my mind who she was. “Damn Bert, you got real lucky,” I said. He laughed, and sniffed.
“I know, I knew it every day I had with her,” He said, his eyes never leaving her. “I never even asked you your name.”
“Alexis, everyone calls me Lexie.” He turned to me, tears running down his wrinkly face, his eyes shining with happiness.
“Thank you, Lexie.”
“You’re welcome.” I tilted my head towards his wife. “Now get your ass over there, she’s missed you just as much.” He had a brilliant smile as he walked towards the door. As he got closer, he changed. He stood straighter, his hair color darkened, the wrinkles disappeared. He grew younger before my eyes. By the time he crossed the threshold, he was in his twenties again, and not a bad looking guy either. Her eyes lit up as tears fell down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms and proceeded to kiss the shit out of her. Whoa, didn’t need to see that. Thankfully the door closed before I saw more. The door turned into two small balls of light that shot up like rockets into The Way and disappeared. There was a loud thunderclap that knocked me off my feet. Dazed, I watched it move across the Way in waves, it reminded me of waves in a storming sea. Okay, was that going to happen every time? I got to my feet slowly. I had hit the dirt pretty hard.
“Managed it huh?” I jumped and turned. Imposter Lexie was standing there smiling. I huffed.
“Yeah, is it going to make that sound every time?” I asked, because if so, I needed to come up with a Veil version of earplugs. The other me smirked and shook her head.
“No, but every soul on earth heard that noise,” She told me, her face suddenly serious. “They’ll know there is a way into the Veil now and they’ll be coming to you.” I fought the urge to groan.
“How much pain am I going to be in when I pull out of this?” I asked. The other me tilted her head thinking.
“A small nose bleed, no pain,” She said. Then her eyes narrowed on me. “It’ll get worse with the more souls you cross over in a twenty-four-hour period. Be careful, otherwise you can burn out,” She warned her voice firm. She looked around, something catching her eye on the ground. I turned, there was a small green vine that hadn’t been there before. She walked over and knelt in the dirt. “When you cross souls you’ll be restoring a balance. Over time, the Veil will open again.”
“Just by helping souls cross?” I asked, unable to hide the doubt in my voice. Was it really that simple? The other me stood up and smiled.
“Yeah, but you need to be careful,” She came back to stand in front of me. “I’d suggest two tomorrow, three the next day, then four.” I raised my eyebrows at the pace. “You need to build this skill fast, and it’s going to be unpleasant. You’re going to pass out when you hit your limit. After you pass out, don’t start up 'till at least eight hours later or you’ll fry your brain.” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Why are you suddenly such a fountain of information?” I asked, dryly. She raised an eyebrow.
“Because now I can,” She countered. “The one who did this, they’re going to know soon enough that someone like you is around. And they are going to try to put it back to the way they wanted it.”
“How do I stop that from happening?” I asked. She gave me a sad smile.
“You're going to have to lock the Veil yourself,” She said, like it was that simple.
“Huh?”
“If you lock it, it’ll keep the other one out,” Imposter Lexie explained slowly.
“Yeah, and the dead will never be able to cross here on their own. I’d kinda like to have my life back at some point,” I shot at her. This was insane. Lockdown the Veil? More?
“If you're going to do that, then create an alarm to warn you if they come back,” Imposter Lexie suggested. “You’ll just have to come and deal with them here. That'll take energy manipulation. I suggest you learn it.” I just gaped at her. Her or my face turned sympathetic. “Start small, cross souls. Get some of the balance back that we desperately need. Then work on the next part.” Her face turned serious. "It's affecting more than just the dead,”
“What do you mean?” I asked. She shook her head.
“Don’t worry about that, we’re handling it. Right now, get the souls crossing.” She said. I nodded, I got it. Cross souls, figure out how to keep the fucker out, and learn how to manipulate energy. Okay, I can do that. Right?
“Who... or what are you?” I asked really wanting to know. She smiled at me and shook her head.
“You’re not ready to know yet,” She said patiently. Her eyes ran over me. “Now go celebrate or something, there will be plenty to do tomorrow.” She seemed to consider something. “If you run into trouble, call for Zahur.” Imposter Lexie, no, Zahur disappeared. Just like that, gone. I sighed. Things were going to get more interesting, great. I closed my eyes and pulled myself out. When I opened my eyes, I was on the snow covered sidewalk again. Ethan, Isaac, and Asher were watching me like hawks. I quickly put tissues to my nose and smiled.
“I did it,” I announced. Their faces went blank. “I got Herbert to cross.”
“Holy shit,” Isaac said stunned,
“Ally...” Asher said a big smile spreading across his face. Ethan just hugged me to him and held me tight. I squeezed him back, it was the happiest day of my life. Relief filled me until tears fell down my face. Asher saw them then reached out and wiped my cheek while Ethan squeezed me tighter.
“Okay, we need to celebrate!” Isaac declared. I smiled as Ethan let me go.
“Hell yeah!” Ethan shouted. Asher wrapped his arm around me as we headed back down the street. The twins got on their phones to tell the others the good news. I couldn’t stop smiling as we reached Asher’s house. Ethan turned to me. “Okay, go home, we’re bringing pizza and we’ll have your movie night, Beautiful.”
I pumped my arm and hissed. "Yes!” The boys laughed at me, I didn't care. I calmed the Way, they could laugh all they want.
I pulled up to the house. The ghosts were still waiting outside. They looked like they all wanted to say something. Well, so did I. I got out and stepped onto the grass. Before they could start I held up a hand for silence.
“I calmed the Way, and I can cross souls now. But!” I stopped them before they could make their demands. “I can only do one at a time. To do this safely, I will cross two tomorrow, three the next day, and so on. So, instead of hanging out here at my house all the time and keeping me awake, I’ll make you all a deal.” They were all listening. I made my voice firm, but calm. I wanted them to know I wasn’t messing around. “Go to the Cemetery, I’ll cross one of you in the morning and one at night, unless there is an emergency. You, as a group, will decide who crosses next. You will not
come to me bitching and moaning about how your need is more important than anyone else’s. Does everyone understand?”
“We understand perfectly,” Mrs. McClain said politely. “We will go now and discuss who will go next.” Everyone nodded in agreement. As a group, they began to leave. Some walked down the street, chatting like old friends. Some glared at me before storming off. I didn't care. They were gone. I was so happy I did a dance right there in the front yard, before going inside. My fierce watchdog was out cold on the couch. I immediately pounced on Hades who retaliated with puppy kisses. When the fight was over I sat down and called Rory.
“Hey kid. Is the house still standing?” Rory asked dryly.
“I did it,” I announced. “I calmed the Way and got a soul to cross.” Rory let out a big sigh.
“Lexie, that’s... amazing,” His voice was so relieved it brought tears to my eyes.
“I’ve also got the ghosts meeting me at the cemetery in the mornings to cross. They won’t be hanging around anymore,” I told him still smiling as Hades put his head in my lap.
“Damn kid! You’re on a roll!” He shouted into my ear. I snickered as I stroked Hades' ear.
“Do you care if the guys are coming over with pizza and bad movies?” I asked, my voice pleading. He chuckled.
"As long as they're out by curfew," He warned me.
"Deal," I said instantly, unable to stop smiling.
“That’s my girl, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I hung up as the front door opened and Tara walked in.
“Hey, Tara,” I said, cheerfully. She eyed me.
“What are you so cheerful about?” She snapped. I ignored it.
“The guys are coming over with pizza to watch movies. Are you in?” I asked.
Tara blinked. “Everyone?”
“Yeah,” I said. Tara grinned.
“Yeah, I’m in,” She said. “I’m going to go change.” Tara headed upstairs. That’s weird, why would she change? I went to the movie collection and started picking up movies I've wanted to make the guys to watch for a while now. Army of Darkness, check, Sucker Punch, check. I was still looking when the front door opened. Zeke came in looking pale.
When To Fear The Living Page 17