Ever Lost (Secret Affinity Book 2)

by Melissa MacVicar

  I sigh. Gram told me props are useless. The power has to come from the medium, and the other stuff is mostly ceremony and tradition. But some people think they need the props for comfort, I guess. My only prop is my key, and I touch it while Connie hauls out a giant peach-colored crystal along with a candle in a jar.

  “Fine. I just need to know you can handle it if things get crazy.”

  “I’m sure you will be fine, Jade.”

  Connie strikes a match and lights the scented pillar. It’s stinky, powerfully so, and I worry that the odor will linger long after we’re gone.

  It hit me what she said. I fix my eyes on her, and cross my arms over my chest. “What did you mean when you said I will be fine? What about you?”

  Before she can answer, I hear splashing out in the hall. Slosh, slosh, slosh. The sound is rhythmic, as if he’s walking with soaked feet. He comes through the door. I glance at Connie. She doesn’t turn to look. She doesn’t even seem to know he’s here.

  Avery gestures at Connie, water flying off his arm. “Is this a new teacher?”

  “No. She’s here to help me. And to help you.”

  Connie spins around, dropping her matches. “He’s here!” Her eyes dart around the room. “I sense him.”

  For the love of… Connie’s a big fat fake! I try to calm down, to save my anger for later. I need to deal with Avery now even if it means I have to move him on by myself.

  “Yeah, he’s right there.” I point at the opposite corner from where Avery is to see what she’ll do.

  She twirls in that direction, her white skirt flying outward. “Yes, right there. I see now.”

  I scoff, “I can’t believe you lied to me!”

  “What’s going on?” Avery asks.

  Connie spins back to face me. “What?”

  I decide to ignore her and give all my attention to the ghost. “Listen, Mr. Avery. I’m very sorry for what happened to you. If you changed your mind and didn’t really want to die, that’s terrible. But you have to move on now. You have to go because there is no coming back to life.” I close my eyes and imagine waves at the beach—river water flowing over smooth rocks. I listen for voices humming and calling from the great beyond, like when Gram and I had done this with Lydia.

  Nothing happens.

  “What are you talking about?” Mr. Avery snaps.

  I open my eyes and scan the room. I try to remember the words Gram used, but I was so out of it that day, I can’t recall how she summoned them.

  “Other spirits,” I tell Avery, even though they aren’t here. “It’s time for you to move on. You need to be at rest.”

  “Rest?” He quivers like a flag in the breeze, suddenly sheer.

  “Yes. I’ll call the other spirits to take you. You can’t stay here. You’ll only suffer if you do.”

  I try again to focus my mind on them, to think about the light and the humming sounds they made. I catch the fresh smells of spring—soil and sunlight and flowers. But still, nothing happens. I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do next. Gram helped me last time, but now I’m flying blind. I thought Connie would be able to help.

  Avery bellows, “But what about Clarke? He’s going to get away with it!” His voice is so loud that I feel as if I’m standing next to a speaker at a rock concert.

  I know Avery’s issue must be about Blakely, so I decide to lie. I have to try something. “No. I won’t let him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t. I’ll tell someone about him and Blakely.”

  “No! No!” Avery screams, a terrible, piercing noise that makes my ears hurt.

  He starts choking, then he coughs up rotten-smelling water while his eyes bulge, black and purple. A desk flips on its side. The SMART Board pens fly across the room, barely missing Connie’s head.

  “Jade!” Connie shrieks. She raises her arms to cover her head.

  I get dizzy and start to feel as though I’m being sucked into his angry vortex, just as I was with Lydia. Static fills my ears, and I’m looking down a dark tunnel. I grab the back of a chair, close my eyes, and try to focus my thoughts on calming Avery down. The river flowing. The wheel turning. The wave crashing and receding.

  I see them. They’re fighting. It’s foggy, but I can make out the forms of Fraser and Avery. Fraser grabs Avery around his upper body and takes him to the ground in some sort of wrestling hold. Within a few seconds, Avery is unconscious.

  I slump against the wall. “It’s okay,” I murmur.

  “No!” Avery yells, but his voice is muffled.

  My calm thoughts are tempering his chaotic ones. I have some control. Even though he’s angry, he’s not overpowering me. The room falls silent. I keep my eyes closed a bit longer, and when I open them, Avery has vanished.

  The room looks as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, except for the one desk and the pens on the floor. Connie is pressed flat against the wall, her eyes darting around wildly.

  “You’re a liar,” I say.

  “Is he gone?” she asks, looking terrified.

  “Yes. Why’d you lie to me?”

  “I do have a gift, but it’s not the same as yours. I wasn’t sure you were telling the truth, so I pretended to be like you. I’m sorry. I was only trying to figure you out, and this was the only way to be sure.”

  “That’s a load of crap. If you’re so psychic, you should have been able to tell without lying.” I walk across the room and start picking up the pens.

  “I know. I’m sorry about that. I’ve attended banishments before, but I’m not like you. I’m not a true seer.”

  “Well, it didn’t work. I couldn’t get him to go.”

  “You’ll need to try again. What is he upset about? They won’t go until they have some resolution.”

  “Resolution is overrated,” I snap. I’m not about to trust her with the vision I just had of Avery and Fraser fighting.

  “I know someone else who can help. She’s a real seer, like you. I can take you to see her.”

  “Why should I believe anything you tell me?”

  “You don’t have to. You can decide for yourself when you meet her. I know you’ll like her, though. She’s just like you. I can take you to her on Monday. What time is school over?”

  “Three o’clock. But I’ll have to think about it.” I cross my arms and stare hard at Connie.

  “I am not lying about this. I promise. Noemie is the real deal.” Connie shoves her giant crystal and half-melted candle back in her bag.

  I’ll have to think long and hard about whether to go with her to meet this Noemie person. But if I don’t at least try, I’ll be stuck with my only other option, which is to bother Gram. And that’s something I don’t want to do.

  Jade

  Chapter 13

  I’ve only been at Layton for two weeks, but it already feels like an eternity. I should be doing homework or hanging out with friends—that’s what a normal kid does on Sunday mornings—but instead, I’m zoned out on the couch, watching Teen Mom. The teen couple is in the middle of a big fight when I hear a car pull in the driveway. I lean forward so I can see out the window beside the front door.

  A tan Tahoe. The car looks familiar, but I can’t place it. Then I see Charlie sitting behind the wheel. That’s the Dowlers’ car that they keep on the Cape.

  I spring up from the couch, sprint to the front door, and burst through it. Charlie is getting out of the car, smiling like the happiest boy in the entire world. I run and leap into his waiting arms. He lifts me off the ground in a bear hug. His smell—cologne and soap and him— is the best smell on earth. When he puts me down, I bury my face in his chest. It’s him. It’s Charlie’s T-shirt and Charlie’s muscles.

  “I missed you so much,” he murmurs.

  “How are you here?” I ask, leaning back but keeping my ar
ms around his neck.

  He kisses me hard. His lips are urgent and needy, making my body tingle all over.

  “Charlie,” I whisper when he gives up on my lips and starts kissing my neck. “Let’s go inside.”

  “Okay.”

  We stumble toward the door, me walking backwards, still clutched to his chest and giggling. He’s shuffling because he’s unwilling to let me go so we can walk like normal people.

  “Charlie!” I laugh.

  He laughs, too, and picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he holds them up with his hands under my thighs. I circle my arms around his neck for support.

  “Where’s your dad?” he asks, jogging toward my door.

  “Work.”

  “Awesome.”

  When we get inside, the realization that our parents probably don’t know he’s here dawns on me. He puts me down in the foyer and shuts the front door. I don’t hesitate. I take his hand and lead him up to my bedroom, where I shut the door behind us. He sits on my bed and pats the spot beside him.

  I sit and snuggle up to him. “You ran away, didn’t you?”

  He nods then kisses me again. Without worrying or caring about the consequences of what he’s done, I let him push me back so that we’re lying down on the bed. We’re frantically undressing each other, and between kisses, he asks if my dad will be home soon.

  “No. I don’t think so,” I say.

  Charlie takes out his phone and powers it down. “Shut yours off, too.”

  “Okay.” I grab mine off the nightstand. Once it’s off, I reach for the hem of his T-shirt and pull it over his head.

  His skin is still tan, his chest broad and smooth. I run my hands over his torso, out to his arms, and kiss his neck. I plant a line of kisses along his collar bone.

  “I missed you… so much,” he whispers.

  “I missed you, too,” I breathe against his cheek.

  Charlie and I are together. No phones. No parents. Just us. Just how it should be.

  Afterward, we lay still until our breathing returns to normal. His arm is wrapped around my shoulders, and my face is pressed in the crook of his neck. The scent of him fills my senses. I don’t want to say anything that will break the spell of this moment.

  Charlie and I had our first time on the Dowlers’ boat in August. The boat was our special place, where Charlie first told me about his feelings for me and where we had our first kiss. We had a picnic one night and watched the sunset from the beach on Coatue while eating the meal I packed—pasta salad, cold fried chicken, and lemonade. We ate watermelon for dessert, and he tasted like the sweet juice of it when we kissed. We returned to the tiny cabin of the boat, where Charlie had made a bed for us.

  “Are you sure?” he asked me.

  I told him yes. I had no doubts. None. The cabin was dark, the air humid and close. The only sounds were our breathing and the gentle slapping of waves against the side of the boat. I could tell how nervous he was and how much it meant to him.

  Afterward, he kissed me softly. “I love you. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too,” I murmured.

  And now, I want to stay right here and never move again. But against my will, I start thinking about how much trouble he’s going to be in if he went off island without asking and drove up here in the Tahoe without permission. Mom and Mike will flip. I can’t even imagine what they’ll do to him.

  “So have you decided what to do about Connie?” Charlie asks.

  I told him on the phone last night about the failed banishment and Connie being a fake.

  “I don’t know. I think maybe I should go with her to meet Noemie. Connie lied, but she doesn’t seem mean.”

  Charlie pulls away and rolls onto his side to look at me. The position makes his biceps appear larger and sexier. “Are you sure? You need to be careful about trusting her from now on.”

  “I know. But I can’t call Gram.”

  “And your dad?”

  “I’d rather not involve him, either. Speaking of which, where does your dad think you are?”

  Charlie sighs. “Nick’s house. I’m going to go back on the six o’clock ferry, and maybe they’ll never know.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him.”But what about the Tahoe? What are the chances you’ll get the same parking space in the lot?”

  “Yeah. But maybe they’ll forget exactly where it was. I’ll try to get close enough.” Charlie smiles at me and runs his hand down my shoulder. “But I don’t even care if he finds out. No matter what they do to me, this will have been worth it.” He kisses my forehead softly and then my cheek.

  All I can do is kiss him back because I can’t regret that he came to see me—not for one single solitary second.

  He raises his head to say, “I’m starving. Is there a McDonald’s around here?” That’s my Charlie—always hungry.

  “Yeah. And then you should go. Before my dad finds out you’re here. Maybe you can get away with this if he doesn’t know.”

  We get up and start getting dressed. Charlie stares at me as I put on my bra.

  “Stop,” I tell him because he’s getting that look again already.

  He grins. “Stop what?”

  “You know what.” I button my jeans and pull on my T-shirt.

  “I can’t help it if you drive me wild,” he says, grabbing me in a bear hug and rocking me back and forth.

  On our way downstairs, I turn on my phone. A text comes in from Mateo: Coming over to see you.

  “Who’s that?” Charlie asks.

  “Someone from school,” I mumble, hoping that we can get out of here before Mateo shows up.

  Charlie will flip. Charlie will not take seeing Mateo just stopping by my house lightly.

  “Tell her you’re busy with your boyfriend,” Charlie says as we reach the bottom of the stairs.

  I can see through the side window beside the door that there’s a beat-up blue Honda Accord already in my driveway. This isn’t going to be pretty.

  Jade

  Chapter 14

  Charlie goes to the door and peers out the window. “Who’s that?”

  I move to stand beside him. Mateo unfolds himself from the Honda and eyes the Tahoe.

  “It’s that guy I was telling you about. He’s been a friend, and—”

  “Friend?” Charlie blurts. “That guy?” He jabs a finger at the window.

  “Yeah. He’s really—”

  Charlie steps to the side and reaches for the door knob.

  “Charlie, stop!”

  But Charlie has that look, the one he always gets when he wants to kick his brother’s ass. He flings open the door and pushes the screen so hard it almost pops off the hinges. I’m right behind him, trying to grab his elbow and somehow stop him from getting to Mateo before I can calm him down, but I’m not fast enough. Mateo’s mouth opens in an O at the sight of Charlie charging toward him. He flicks his eyes to me in confusion. Mateo braces for the impact.

  Charlie stops about two feet from Mateo. “Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend.” He’s locked onto Mateo with a death glare, but his voice is oddly calm.

  “Charlie?” Mateo asks, glancing at me and then quickly looking back at Charlie.

  I step between the two of them. “Yeah. And you should go.” I turn and put my hands on Charlie’s chest. “It’s okay. He’s leaving,” I say calmly.

  Charlie looks down at me, a mixture of hurt and anger swirling in his eyes.

  “It’s okay. He’s just a friend,” I say.

  “Yeah. Jade can have friends. You don’t own her,” Mateo says. Dude, so not helpful!

  “You! Shut up!” Charlie says, pointing at Mateo. “The only reason I’m not kicking your ass right now is I don’t want to upset Jade.”
>
  “Well, don’t do me any favors. I’m pretty sure you’d be the one getting your ass kicked if you tried it.”

  “Oh really?” Charlie scoffs. He takes a step to the side, as if to get around me and charge Mateo.

  “Yeah, really!” Mateo says, moving in a similar fashion as Charlie, so they have a clear shot at each other.

  Just when I think they are going to lunge at each other, we hear the noise of tires on gravel. We all look to see my dad pulling into the driveway, and even though I didn’t want my father to catch Charlie here, I’m more than a little relieved that he’s shown up.

  “That’s my dad, so cut it out! Both of you!” I scold them. Now I know how Mike used to feel when Brendan and Charlie went at each other.

  Both boys take a step back and relax their postures. Charlie folds his arms over his chest, the veins in his neck and forehead protruding. He continues to scowl at Mateo.

  “What’s going on?” Dad asks, striding over to us.

  I move to stand in front of the boys. “Hi, Dad. Charlie came for a visit. A surprise. Isn’t that great? And my friend Mateo was just leaving. Right?” I give Mateo a get-the-hell-out-of-here-now look.

  “Hi, Mr. Irving. I’m Mateo, a friend of Jade’s from school. Nice to meet you.” He reaches out to shake my dad’s hand.

  Charlie looks as if his head might blow off his shoulders. I put my hand on his arm.

  “Hello,” Dad says, looking between the two boys with a puzzled expression.

  “I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” I tell Mateo. I try keeping my voice from sounding shrill but fail miserably. My words come out so high pitched that I’m sure dogs a mile away are wincing.

  Mateo nods. “Okay. Bye, Jade. Bye, Mr. Irving.” He backs away to his car, keeping a wary eye on Charlie.

  Once Mateo’s in his car, Dad turns his attention to Charlie. “Well, this is a surprise.” Dad cocks his head to the side, clearly expecting some kind of explanation.