Talking to Dead (The Banshee Series Book 1)

by Amaris Marx

  ****

  “Shh…” Azalea shushed Anny when Anny accidently tripped over the tools in Ruby’s garage.

  “Sorry,” Anny apologized and they slowly tiptoed towards Ruby’s room. They didn’t tell anything about the plan to Ruby since they knew she couldn’t keep a secret from anyone. Ruby’s parents were downstairs cooking dinner so they had to be really quiet.

  Opening the door of Ruby’s room they saw Ruby sleeping on her bed. Azalea sneaked towards the bed and from the jeans pocket pulled a bandana. While Anny lifted Ruby’s head Azalea knotted the bandana over Ruby’s mouth. Azalea knew for a fact that Ruby was a heavy sleeper that could sleep through any storm and that helped with their kidnapping.

  Since Azalea had started taking martial arts and self - defence classes she’d developed some muscles and that helped moving Ruby to their car. They lifted Ruby and quietly but quickly moved around the house. Once they were in the car with Ruby still unconscious on the back seat they giggled quietly. They’d had a lot of luck since no one had caught them and Ruby hadn’t woken up. Azalea drove home and when they arrived they thought about waking Ruby up but decided against it.

  They carried Ruby to Azalea’s room and laid her on Azalea’s bed. Franz and Leticia were just taking a walk and that meant no awkward explanations for their actions. Azalea untied the bandana and that’s when they woke her.

  Confused and shocked Ruby yelped when she saw two faces staring at her but once she saw who they were she calmed down. Not a second had passed before Ruby got confused again. She didn’t even notice she wasn’t in her room anymore.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked and Azalea chuckled.

  “You mean in my own bedroom?” Azalea asked and that’s when Ruby looked around the room and noticed she wasn’t where she was before she fell asleep.

  “How did I come to your room?” Ruby asked Azalea and Anny giggled.

  “We kidnapped you!” she exclaimed and then giggled some more.

  Confused Ruby looked at Azalea silently asking if it was true. Azalea nodded and chuckled.

  “Your house has a crappy alarm system and your parents didn’t even notice us coming and going,” Azalea said laughing.

  Realizing what they’d done and how they’d done it, Ruby laughed and soon Azalea and Anny joined. After they stopped laughing Ruby smiled thankfully.

  “Thank you for doing this. I was bored to death these two days and I was trying to figure out how to escape but never did I think I’d get kidnapped,” Ruby said and then hugged both of them.

  “So what now?” Ruby asked and Azalea just shrugged but smiled secretly.

  ****

  “Ruby! Nice to see you here. When did you come? I thought you weren’t allowed to come?” Franz asked when he returned from the walk and saw the three girls sitting in front of the TV eating popcorn.

  “Franz! Hi! I was kind of kidnapped by your granddaughter and now I’m here,” Ruby said and Azalea slapped her forehead.

  “You were not supposed to tell him that!” Azalea whispered but Franz just grinned.

  “I was expecting something like that,” Franz said and chuckled. “I’m glad to see you here. My granddaughter and her friend were getting bored without you.” Ruby laughed and nodded.

  “I’m the one who usually entertains them,” Ruby said and smiled.

  “Have fun girls!” Franz said and left the room.

  ****

  The night dragged on and at some point Lucas appeared at the front door. Everyone was surprised but they asked him in. Midnight rolled in and everyone held a Champagne glass when the counting began.

  “Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!” Everyone yelled and hugged. But what Lucas did surprised everyone. He pulled Azalea closer and suddenly his lips were on hers.

  Chapter Fourteen – Five Minutes of Shame

  Gasps filled the room and Azalea finally realized what was going on. She quickly pulled away from the awkward kiss and looked at Lucas in confusion. Lucas also realized what he’d just done and stepped away from Azalea like he was disgusted with her. Azalea also noticed his reaction and expression and hardened her glare.

  “Why did you do that?” She demanded from him and Lucas sniggered.

  “I’m sorry I did it but it was kind of unintentional and on the spur of the moment,” He said with disgust clear in his voice. “I can assure you I won’t do it ever again,” he said rudely and looked away.

  Since the room was full of people, everywhere he turned he saw a judging look on their faces. But his sister’s expression hurt him the most. She was glaring at him in anger and disappointment. Lucas always tried to look as good as he could in his sister’s eyes but now he’d failed big.

  “What’s wrong with you Lucas?” Anny asked disappointed. Lucas tried to contain his poker face and just shrugged.

  “Nothing,” he said rolling his eyes. “Like I said… It happened on the spur of the moment and it doesn’t mean anything.” Anny sighed and shook her head.

  “I’m very disappointed in you Lucas. I thought you’re a good guy but clearly I was wrong,” Anny said and Lucas never felt more ashamed. He didn’t show it though. He just straightened himself a bit and smirked.

  “It’s not like Azalea likes me, right Azalea?” He asked and Azalea nodded in agreement. “See? She doesn’t care I just kissed her without any meaning and she knows I don’t actually care about her. I actually can’t stand her.”

  Those words didn’t just leave a mark on Azalea; they left a mark on Anny, Ruby and even Franz. Azalea felt hurt, Anny felt betrayed while Ruby and Franz felt angry and felt the need to protect Azalea.

  "Why don't you leave?" Anny said to Lucas and Franz agreed. He didin't want to look at Lucas's face knowing he had hurt Azalea.

  "Fine," Lucas huffed and quikly left the room. He was ashamed of his actions and even though he didn't show it he wished he hadn't done it.

  The door closed and everyone took a deep breath calming themselves.

  “Well… That was interesting,” Ruby said and smiled cheerfully. Everyone looked at her strangely and Anny shook her head.

  “How can you smile right now? Didn’t you see how my brother acted towards your best friend? Do you even care about Azalea’s feelings?” Anny asked Ruby. Ruby just shrugged and looked at Azalea.

  “You’re not upset about what Lucas did, are you?” Ruby asked sarcastically and Azalea was getting seriously annoyed at her behaviour. She was acting like she didn’t even care how Azalea felt.

  Still Azalea didn’t want Ruby to notice she actually felt hurt so she just agreed with Ruby and looked away. Ruby grinned in satisfaction and hugged Azalea.

  “Happy New Year,” Ruby said to Azalea and stepped back.

  “Thanks,” Azalea thanked her and looked at Anny. Anny looked disappointed and shook her head.

  “I’m going home too. I’m tired and my parents are probably wondering where I am,” Anny said, hugged Azalea, thanked Azalea’s grandpa for having her and disappeared. After Anny left, Ruby left and Azalea went to sleep.

  ****

  A few days after the New Year’s Eve party the school started again and Azalea hated that fact. Ruby returned to her normal self and apologized for how she had acted. While Anny was still suspicious.

  Lucas was still the same, though. That cocky and arrogant attitude was still sticking to him and he obviously wasn’t letting it go.

  “So… What did you do on New Year’s Eve?” Lucas’s best friend asked Lucas and he just shrugged. “So you did nothing?” he asked again and Lucas shrugged again. His mind was somewhere else at that moment and he barely saw what was going on.

  Daniel – his best friend – was getting slightly annoyed and glared at his friend.

  “What’s going on with you?” Daniel asked Lucas. Lucas finally registered what his friend was saying.

  “Nothing’s going on,” Lucas answered and Daniel rolled his eyes.

  “Seriou
sly man, you’re acting like a love - struck puppy.”

  “I’m not in love!” Lucas stated irritated.

  “Then why are you looking at nothing with that stupid grin on your face?” Daniel asked grinning.

  “I don’t have a stupid grin and once again, I’m not in love,” Lucas replied and frowned. “I just feel guilty about something I did.” Daniel looked surprised by that sentence.

  “What did you do?” he asked and Lucas’s frown deepened.

  “Don’t want to talk about it,” Lucas muttered and stood up.

  Leaving the cafeteria he skipped class and returned home.

  Chapter Fifteen –Meeting Daniel

  Another body found in the middle of the forest

  A young woman was found dead in the middle of the forest by a man who was out jogging in the early morning hours. The police confirmed that the woman had been raped before the killers murdered her. Unfortunately, the killers didn’t leave any evidence that could show us the suspects. The police will continue the search and won’t stop until the killers are found.

  N. P.

  When Franz put the newspaper down he frowned. Obviously when Azalea helped the police catch the killer that kidnaped Anny the story wasn’t over. There were still other killers on the loose. He wondered if Azalea dreamed about it. If she did then she could tell how many people were there and maybe even saw their faces. Just as he was thinking about that Azalea skipped down the stairs and entered the kitchen.

  “Morning grandpa!” she greeted cheerfully. When she noticed his concern and the frown on his face she quickly sobered up and stopped in her tracks. “What’s wrong grandpa?” she asked and Franz smiled sadly.

  “Did you have any Banshee dreams lately?” Franz asked and caught Azalea by surprise.

  “Why do you ask?” She asked concerned. Even though she didn’t want to admit it she did have those kind of dreams and they scared her big time.

  Without answering her, Franz showed her the newspaper. Azalea looked at it and when she noticed the article and scanned through it her eyes widened.

  “They found her only now?” Azalea asked not even thinking about what she said. Franz was shocked to hear those words and coughed quietly.

  “What do you mean only now?” Franz asked and Azalea realized what she just said. Clearing her throat she told her grandfather how she had dreamt about the murder three days ago and she also described how it happened. Franz was a bit disappointed that she hadn’t told him before so they could have found the young woman’s body earlier and solved the case faster.

  “Anyway… I have to go to school. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about those dreams earlier but I’m still scared every time I have them,” Azalea explained and Franz understood how she felt. He nodded and waved for her to go to school. She quickly went to school and met Ruby by her locker.

  ****

  “So did you hear about another murder that has happened?” Anny asked Azalea and Ruby when she sat down and put her plate on the table. Azalea looked up at her and frowned.

  “I didn’t just hear about it, I saw it vividly,” Azalea grumbled and sighed. Anny just giggled at her response and Ruby rolled her eyes.

  “I still can’t believe you actually can dream about those murders,” Ruby muttered, annoyed.

  “Yeah me neither. I still get scared every time I dream about it and sometimes I swear I can see people on the street and once I look away and then back the person is gone,” Azalea said and Anny looked surprised.

  “So you can see ghosts?” Anny asked and Ruby sniggered.

  “You really believe she can see ghosts? No wonder you’re only a freshman, you’re still acting childishly. Azalea probably sees people walking home or something and when she looks away they walk away,” Ruby said getting even more annoyed.

  “Why are you being like that?” Anny asked, glaring at Ruby. Ruby shrugged and rolled her eyes again.

  “I can handle creepy dreams but ghosts? Really Anny?” Ruby asked. Anny felt offended by the words but ignored them.

  “I think Anny’s right. I can see ghosts and it scares the crap out of me,” Azalea said sticking up for her friend. Even though even she could hardly believe it, she did. And it bothered her how Ruby was acting.

  "Fine, you're seeing ghosts. Can we just stop talking about it now?" Ruby asked admitting defeat.

  ****

  "So I know it's been a while since the new girl came here but don't you think she's hot?" Daniel asked Lucas and the question surprised him.

  "You mean Azalea? My sister's best friend?" Lucas asked hoping that Daniel hadn't asked about her but some other girl. But since luck wasn't on his side it turned out Daniel really meant her. "Dude, no. She's my sister's best friend and a total nerdy freak," Lucas said trying to change his best friend's mind about how hot she was.

  "Lucas, she is really hot and I don't care if she's a nerd. I would totally bang her," Daniel said looking at her. Lucas made a face and shook his head.

  "I recommend you not to do that, because I can tell she probably sucks in bed. She can't even kiss properly," Lucas said still grimacing. Daniel was a bit surprised by the sentence Lucas said to him and raised his eyebrows.

  "How would you know how she kisses? It's not like you two kissed, right?" Daniel asked and when silence followed he understood what it meant. He choked on his saliva a bit and couldn't help but ask how and why.

  "How did this happen, man? And why did it happen?" Daniel asked and Lucas rolled his eyes.

  "It's not like I planned on doing it. It just happened when everyone was counting down the seconds till New Year and once they came to one I just kissed her. She didn't even return the kiss and once I realized what I was doing I stopped and went home," Lucas explained. Daniel frowned and grumbled something under his breath.

  "So does this mean she's taken or something?" Daniel asked still not caring if Azalea was a bad kisser. He really felt attracted to her and wanted to give her a chance.

  "No..." Lucas answered, hoping that his assumptions were wrong and Daniel would leave Azalea alone. But luck wasn't on his side and Daniel did just the opposite. He stood up and walked over to where Azalea was sitting.

  "Hi!" Daniel greeted her and Azalea looked up surprised.

  "Um...Hi?" she said but it sounded more like a question. Daniel grinned and sat next to her.

  "I'm Daniel and you must be Azalea," Daniel introduced himself and Azalea was quiet surprised that a popular guy was actually talking to her.

  "Yeah... That's me. So what do you want?" She asked him and Daniel's grin widened even more.

  "Well I've been noticing you around and I wondered if you want to go out with me sometime?" Daniel asked and with that question shocked everyone around the table.

  "Um..." Azalea muttered quietly and unsure.

  "Come on..." Daniel said pouting and at some point Azalea agreed.

  "You have a hot date soon!" Anny said excited and Azalea grinned finally letting it sink in.

  "Yes, I have," She said confidently.

  Chapter Sixteen – First Date

  “So where is he taking you?” Anny asked Azalea. She was getting ready for a date with Daniel. Honestly, Azalea was nervous about how it would go since she had never been on a date before and didn’t even know what you do on a date.

  “Don’t know, he said it was a surprise,” Azalea answered. She was trying to decide on what to wear. Daniel said to wear something warm and comfortable.

  “Well, did he say what you should wear?” Ruby asked closing the magazine she was reading and sat up. Azalea looked at her and nodded.

  “He said to wear something comfortable and warm. I suppose we’re not going to a diner or a restaurant,” Azalea answered.

  “For all I know, he could take you somewhere and kill you,” Ruby said jokingly not even thinking how those words could scare Azalea.

  “He won’t,” Anny snapped and glared at Ruby. “I’ve known Daniel since I was born and he may be a player but I ca
n assure you he won’t hurt Azalea.” Those words calmed Azalea and she smiled thankfully.

  “Maybe he’ll take you on a picnic or something,” Anny suggested and Ruby snorted.

  “Yeah, right… I doubt Daniel has a romantic bone in his body. He is a total player and I’m sure he won’t change just for one girl,” Ruby said and rolled her eyes.

  “Can you stop being so pessimistic and start showing some care for your best friend?” Anny demanded from Ruby. Ruby just sighed and looked at Azalea.

  “I do care about you, Azalea. I care so much that I don’t want you hurt and Daniel will do just that,” Ruby said with her emotions clogging her throat.

  Awkwardness shimmered through the air and no one knew what to say. Azalea and Anny were looking at Ruby with wide eyes and Ruby felt very uncomfortable under their stare.

  “What?” She asked trying to sound innocent. Azalea rolled her eyes and then focused her stare back on Ruby.

  “You know what. Where are these feelings coming from? Did something happen to you and we don’t know about it?” Azalea asked, really concerned about her friend.

  “It’s nothing,” Ruby answered and shrugged it away. But Azalea didn’t want to listen to her denying things.

  “Ruby… please tell me,” Azalea practically begged her. Anny nodded wanting to know about, too.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it,” Ruby answered but Azalea glared at her and finally she caved in. “I was hurt. That’s why I’m so dead set on preventing you going on that date. There was a boy. It happened before I moved here - about three years ago.

  “I was among the popular crowd in my old school and there was this guy. He was just like Daniel, a player that couldn’t help himself. He asked me out and, naïve girl like I was; I fell for his sweet act and agreed. After a few dates he invited me to this party and I went with him.

  “I thought that he wouldn’t try anything and he didn’t, at first. But after we left the party he drove me home but we stopped at a gas station and when he’d filled the tank and paid he returned. He tried to assault me and he almost finished but luckily I had my phone in my jeans back pocket and somehow called my mother. She answered and when she heard my muffled screams she called the police and then turned her GPS on to track me. They found me and locked the guy up. After that we moved here and now I try to stay away from guys. Especially ones like Daniel and Lucas,” Ruby finished and silence filled the air again.