Ghostly Encounter (Ghostly #1) (Ghostly Series)

by Daniels, Suzannah

  He continued, “But using the energy shield is not the same as touching someone. I can use it to stop someone from falling, but I cannot use it to hold someone’s hand. It’s not the same.”

  Mia started. “To stop someone’s fall? It was you, wasn’t it? In the tower?”

  “It was.”

  “You followed me?” she asked incredulously.

  “I wasn’t trying to pry. I couldn’t help myself. He’s right you know. The gentleman who accompanied you in the tower.”

  “Josh?”

  “You are beautiful.”

  Mia stared at him in disbelief. He was in a transparent state, but she could still feel his gaze upon her face.

  “I would give anything if I could have been in his place that night,” Benjamin whispered breathlessly. “But alas, it was not my fate.”

  “Benjamin?”

  “Yes?”

  “What’s it like? To die, I mean?”

  Benjamin looked alive and once again, he looked just as real as Josh or Jennie, she thought. “For me, the dying part wasn’t so horrible. I was only in pain for a few moments before death arrived. For me, the difficult part was having so many things that I had yet to experience, leaving behind people that I cared about. I wasn’t through living.”

  Mia glanced at the time on her cell phone and realized that she needed to leave. Her mother would have to be at work soon. “I have to go,” she said.

  “Did I scare you?”

  “No,” she whispered, shaking her head, her voice sounding weak even to her own ears.

  “Will you come back? Tomorrow morning?” he asked.

  Mia nodded her head. She wasn’t sure why she was standing in the middle of the park telling a ghost that she would come back and see him in the morning. All she knew was that she couldn’t stay away from Private Benjamin Alexander Richards if her very life depended on it. “I’ll be here,” she said.

  He grinned, and it seemed as if his eyes were a little bit brighter. “Until the morrow then.” He bowed. “Good day to you, Mia Randall.”

  “Goodbye, Benjamin.”

  He vanished before her eyes, and she turned to hurry down the earthen path to the car.

  An hour later, she was home alone, pacing the length of her bedroom. What had just happened? She had decided that it definitely was not a dream. Her memory of Private Benjamin Alexander Richards’ face was too real. She could hear the gentleness in his voice as he had begged her not to be frightened. She could see the adoration in his eyes. A ghost? She had been smitten by a ghost in a matter of one morning?

  She felt her forehead, wondering if she was running a fever, if this was some kind of delusional fantasy. Had she created the perfect Southern gentleman to replace the hole that Matt had left in her heart?

  She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She started to call Jennie, but she was undecided on whether she should. What would she tell her? That she happened to run into a ghost this morning?

  First of all, she didn’t think it was happenstance. She felt as if Benjamin’s soul was calling to her. That was why he was in the tower to catch her fall. That was why she woke up this morning knowing that she had to go to the park. But the whole theory sounded absurd, didn’t it?

  She was a logical person, yet none of this was logical.

  Frustrated, she fell across her bed and snatched up a zebra print pillow, clutching it to her chest. This was just her luck. She met someone who definitely took her mind off Matt, someone who she was eager to get to know, someone who seemed genuinely interested in her, and he was a ghost. She laughed out loud at the incredulousness of it.

  The longer she lay with thoughts of ghosts swirling in her mind as she stared blankly at the ceiling, the more she thought that she really needed to call Jennie. What if this morning’s whole episode was in her mind? She would need someone to snap her back to reality, wouldn’t she? If this had all been her imagination, did she really want reality? Speaking to Benjamin this morning had exhilarated her. Josh had given her a nice break from the monotony of being an ex-girlfriend, but he was a friend. Nothing more. That had been confirmed on the second kiss. But just looking at Benjamin made her heart flutter.

  She glanced at the clock and realized that it was not even eight-thirty. Jennie would definitely not be awake. She sent Jennie a text message to call her the minute she read it. The thought of going back to sleep occurred to her, but her mind was actively replaying her conversation with Benjamin this morning, and she knew that sleep was not an option. She needed to find something to occupy her until she could talk to Jennie.

  She went to the kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal. Since her mother had left for work, the house was extremely quiet. Mia loaded the dishwasher and started it, welcoming the soft hum of the machine. She unloaded the washing machine, throwing the load of towels into the dryer. Then, she washed a load of her mother’s uniforms. Two hours later, after she had wiped the kitchen counters, swept the kitchen floor, cleaned the bathroom, and was just beginning to dust, her cell phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “I got your text,” Jennie explained, wasting no time on trivial greetings. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve got something I want to talk to you about.”

  “So talk,” she said easily.

  “Well, it’s a little…,” Mia paused, searching for the right word.

  “Matt didn’t call you, did he? You better stay away from him, Mia. He’ll only break your heart again.”

  “No, it’s not Matt.”

  “Then what?”

  Mia struggled to find the words.

  “Is it Josh?” Jennie prodded.

  “No, it’s not Josh, either. It’s Benjamin.”

  “Benjamin?”

  “Yes, Benjamin.”

  “Tell me all about him,” Jennie urged. “Where’d you meet him? Does he go to our school? Is he cute?”

  Mia laughed. “Why don’t you come over?”

  “Give me thirty minutes,” Jennie said, “and I’ll be there.”

  Nearly an hour later, Jennie arrived.

  She gave Mia a quick hug as she rushed into the living room and sat down on the couch. Jennie patted the couch beside her. “Come. Sit. Tell me all about Benjamin. Is he cuter than Josh?”

  “Jen,” Mia scoffed. “It’s not about who’s cuter.”

  “I know,” Jennie answered easily, “but I still want to know.”

  Mia tossed off her flip flops and sat down next to Jennie, curling her feet around behind her. She looked at her best friend and wondered if Jennie would think that she was destined for an insane asylum.

  “Well?” Jennie asked, growing impatient. “Are you going to keep me in suspense?”

  “I met Benjamin last night at the reenactment. Then, I saw him in Chickamauga Park again this morning.”

  “What about Josh?”

  Mia smoothed her ponytail. “I consider him a friend, but that’s all.”

  “No sparks?” Jennie asked.

  “Not one.”

  “How about Benjamin? Any sparks with him?”

  “I just met him yesterday, but when I’m near him, I can barely breathe.” Mia shifted, wondering how to broach the fact that he was a ghost.

  “That’s a promising sign,” Jennie said. “That’s exactly how I feel when I’m with Tyler. We should double-date.”

  “I think double-dating is a great idea,” Mia agreed, “but it’s not an option.”

  Jennie’s brows furrowed. “You’re going to have to explain that one to me.”

  “Well, you see,” Mia began, and then paused as she fidgeted with her ponytail. “Benjamin’s different.”

  “Different?” Jennie asked. “Different how?”

  “Keep an open mind, okay?”

  “An open mind?” Jennie repeated, looking completely baffled. “This can’t be good.”

  “See, you’re already making judgments,” Mia accused.

  “If it wasn’t something really bad, you wo
uld have already told me by now.”

  “I just want you to let me explain before you say anything, okay?” Mia asked. She took a deep breath. She didn’t realize until this very minute how frightened she was that Jennie would think she really was crazy. “Remember the photo I took? The one with the apparition in it?”

  “Of course, I do, but what does that have to do with Benjamin?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The person in that photo was Benjamin. At least, I think it was.”

  “Okay, I’m really confused now,” Jennie announced, staring intently at Mia.

  “Benjamin’s a ghost,” Mia blurted.

  Jennie’s tinkling laughter filled the living room as she leaned back against the sofa.

  “I’m not kidding, Jennie. He’s a ghost.”

  Jennie’s laughter died, her smile quickly replaced with a look of concern.

  “I know what you’re thinking. I am not crazy.”

  “You’re serious?” Jennie asked, sitting up straight.

  “Yes, I’m serious,” Mia answered emphatically. “Benjamin is a ghost.”

  Jennie placed her palm on Mia’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay, Mia?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You actually talked to…to…Benjamin?”

  “Yes. Look, I know it sounds unbelievable, and I would have never believed it myself if it hadn’t happened to me, but he’s real…well, kind of…he’s a real ghost.”

  Jennie’s jaw dropped open as she stared incredulously at Mia. “Do you hear what you’re saying?”

  “I can prove it to you, Jennie. I’m going to meet him again tomorrow. Come with me.”

  “You want me to come with you tomorrow to talk to a ghost named Benjamin?”

  Mia smoothed her ponytail, questioning her judgment. Maybe she should have waited until she had talked to Benjamin a few times before she told Jennie, just to make sure that he was real, that he didn’t fade away after a conversation or two. “I know it sounds crazy, but if you’ll just come with me tomorrow, you’ll see for yourself.”

  “Let’s suppose that this is all true,” Jennie said. “I’m really not sure that I want to talk to a ghost. I mean it’s kind of creepy, don’t you think?”

  “I promise you won’t find him creepy. He’s actually very sweet.”

  “How well could you possibly know him? Maybe he was sweet today, but who’s to say that he won’t be haunting you next week.” Jennie smacked her palm against her forehead. “Heavens to Betsy, what am I saying? Now I’m talking crazy.”

  “Come with me, Jennie.”

  Mia watched Jennie’s expression. It was as if she could see the thoughts tumbling through Jennie’s mind.

  “He’s not going to haunt you. Will you come with me?”

  “Okay. I’ll come, but not because I expect to see a ghost. I’ll come because you’re my best friend, and I don’t know what you thought you saw this morning, but I’m sure it wasn’t a ghost. I’ll come because I want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Thank you, Jennie.” Mia didn’t blame Jennie for thinking that she was a bit loony. If Jennie had told her two days ago that she had spoken to a ghost, Mia would have thought Jennie’s last functioning brain cell had fizzled out. But Mia knew that come this time tomorrow, she and Jennie would be having a very different conversation.

  The next morning Jennie was exactly thirty minutes late, which was why Mia had instructed her to come at six-thirty instead of seven. Mia waved to her as she stood up from the bistro chair on the front porch. She smoothed her lime green blouse and pulled her black belt, which matched her shorts and flip flops, a little tighter. Her hair was brushed to a shiny gloss, and she had worn it loose, cascading over her shoulders. She jogged to the blue Ford and hopped in the passenger seat.

  “Good morning,” she greeted Jennie.

  Jennie did not look happy.

  “What’s wrong, Jen?”

  Jennie yawned. “Did we really have to do this so early in the morning?”

  Mia laughed. “Feels too much like a school day, doesn’t it?”

  Jennie shot her a look of disdain.

  “Sorry, Jen, but he didn’t really say what time he would meet me, so I wanted to go about the same time I was there yesterday.”

  Jennie backed out of the driveway and began the short drive through East Ridge, Tennessee and Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia to Chickamauga Battlefield Park. “And if you don’t see this ghost today, then what?”

  “He’ll be there.”

  “Mia, I’m worried about you.”

  Mia smiled and reached over and patted Jennie on the shoulder. “I appreciate your concern, but you’ll soon see that I am not crazy.”

  “Did you know that Kaylie’s father is a writer?” Jennie asked.

  “No.”

  “He was researching a book a couple of years ago in Chattanooga. That’s when he fell in love with the city and moved his family here. You know what his book was about?”

  “The Civil War?”

  “Nope.”

  Mia tried to think of another topic that would be appropriate, but was coming up empty-handed. “Then what?”

  “Ghosts.”

  That got Mia’s attention. “Ghosts?”

  “Yes, ghosts. He was researching a ghost story. Apparently, a room in a downtown hotel is haunted. It’s also supposed to be the same room that Al Capone stayed in when he was on trial. I can’t remember what year that happened, but it was a really long time ago. Have you ever been to Kaylie’s house?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  Jennie chatted excitedly now. “Her father loves a good ghost story. That’s why Kaylie knew all about the ghosts at the battlefield. Her dad is always telling stories like that.”

  “Then you believe me?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Jennie retorted. “In fact, I asked Kaylie once if her father had ever seen a ghost.”

  “And?”

  “He’s seen some strange things. He’s felts some strange things. But he’s never actually seen a ghost. He thinks he may have, but he’s not certain enough to say that he has.”

  “That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

  “True, but if someone who chases down ghost stories for a living can’t say with certainty that he has seen a ghost….”

  “I understand why you’re hesitant,” Mia reasoned, “but just reserve your judgment until we leave the battlefield, deal?”

  “Deal.”

  When they arrived at Wilder Tower, Mia’s heart instantly started beating faster. The anticipation of seeing Benjamin again had her nerves all atwitter and excitement bubbled in her soul.

  Jennie got out of the car, closed the door, and hit the lock button on her key fob. “So where do we find Prince Charming?”

  Mia glanced around the park. It was extremely early, and once again, no one was there, except the two of them.

  “Yesterday morning he spoke to me near the tower. Why don’t we start there?” Mia pointed at the gray, stone tower.

  Mia and Jennie sauntered up the path to the tower. As always, Mia followed the tower with her eyes as it stretched into the skyline. It was an awesome sight and she tried to imagine what it must have been like to be one of the men who had actually built it.

  Ten minutes later, Mia and Jennie decided to sit on a nearby bench, facing the tower. Jennie fiddled with the hem of her hot pink blouse, and Mia could only imagine what she must be thinking.

  “Maybe we should take a walk down that path,” Mia suggested, pointing northward.

  Jennie stood up and grumbled, “I could still be in bed you know.”

  “He’ll be here, Jennie. I promise.”

  They strolled down the path that was now familiar to Mia. Canopied by treetops and serenaded by songbirds, Mia and Jennie paused by the spot where Mia had first seen Benjamin.

  “How are things going with Tyler?” Mia asked, breaking the silence.

  “Great. Tyler is everything I thought he wo
uld be: funny, charming, attentive. He’s the kind of guy I want you to find, Mia.”

  Mia said nothing.

  Jennie looped her arm around Mia’s. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know Matt dealt you a real blow when he broke up with you. You’re not depressed, are you?”

  “Do you mean am I delusional, hallucinating? That sort of thing?”

  “I worry about you, Mia.”

  Mia gave Jennie a quick hug. “I know, and I appreciate it. As much as Matt did break my heart, I’m fine. Really.” Mia glanced around the woods, searching for any trace of Benjamin. “He’ll be here. You’ll see.”

  Mia felt a quiver at the nape of her neck, and it shivered the length of her spine. She whirled around.

  “What is it?” Jennie asked, concerned.

  Mia rubbed the back of her neck. “Nothing,” she said, shaking off the odd feeling.

  “Benjamin?” Mia called into the thicket of oaks and pines. “Benjamin!”

  No response. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the underbrush.

  “Perhaps he couldn’t make it today,” Jennie gently suggested.

  Mia looked hopefully into the thicket, expecting Benjamin to materialize any moment. He had sounded sincere when he had asked her to return today. But where was he?

  Twenty minutes later, they still stood in the middle of the earthen path. Their idle chitchat that had filled the silence had long since died.

  Mia frantically scanned the woods with her eyes, searching for a sign. “Hello?” she hollered into the thicket.

  “Benjamin?” She had meant to call his name loudly, but it came out no more than a whisper. She could feel the hot tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Maybe she was crazy.

  Jennie placed an arm around Mia’s shoulders. “Come on, Mia. We should go.”

  Mia nodded her agreement, unable to speak as her tears flowed freely over the curve of her cheek. She allowed Jennie to lead her out of the forest and back to the car.

  “Why don’t we go to my house for a while?” Jennie suggested.

  “Sure,” Mia agreed, not wanting to go home to an empty house.

  He had seemed so real yesterday morning. A myriad of emotions churned within her. Had Benjamin been nothing more than a figment of her imagination? She exhaled deeply. Nothing made sense anymore.