Page 48 of Ghost of a Chance
“Your character is going to go to the real medium about this?”Aza queried.
“She is.”The same way that Kirsty was in real life.
“Well I’d say that the character probably has some raw talent that they might not realize,” Aza said.“Does that play a part in your story?”
Holy shit.Talent?Her?“Yes.So how would the character contact the voice again?”
“I’d suggest going back to where she heard it the first time.Have her do some meditation and reach out asking for more answers.The spirits require patience just like us,” Aza said.“I’ve got to go.Hope that helped.”
“Thanks, it did.Can I make an appointment to come and talk to you?I’ll pay for your time,” Kirsty asked.Aza had the knowledge she needed.She might have insight about Paul…and about the latent talents she mentioned.
“I have some time on Thursday at two.Would that work?”
Kirsty confirmed it would.After hanging up she flopped back on her bed.
Real psychic powers…was that possible?Or was this all just in her imagination?Did that mean going forward she’d get more ghosts trying to contact her?God, she really hoped not.This thing with Paul was pushing her outside her comfort zone.And that voice…it was going to be a long time until she didn’t hear it echoing in her head.
Her mom texted a midday smiley face along with a message that she’d contacted Aunt Lourdes and was making plans for Yule.Kirsty hearted it.Her mom might have some extra insight but that was not a conversation she was ready to have.So instead, she pocketed her phone, grabbed her peacoat, and headed downstairs to meet the guys.
Jasper sat on the bottom of the stairs putting on his tennis shoes.Glancing back over his shoulder he smiled at her with so much happiness.Her heart skipped a beat.You’d think she’d be used to seeing him, but it seemed each time they were together she noticed something else she liked about him.
Which didn’t help her not-letting-him-mean-anything-to-her plan.
* * *
It was one of those quintessential dark, rainy autumn afternoons, and Jasper was about to revisit the last place he saw Paul alive.
Dan left in his own car because he had to go home for a few days after they visited Jasper’s old apartment.He had all of the cameras in the Airbnb rigged to go off on timers once they were set up, and Jasper was going to manage keeping the batteries charged and downloading anything captured from the SIM cards.
He’d called ahead and the current tenants had agreed to let them take a look at the place and to film inside.Dan was going to get them to sign the necessary forms when they got there.
Kirsty sat quietly next to him, her fingers moving on the keyboard of her phone making more notes.He debated for a minute after he started the car, then finally put on the Dead Boys mix he had on his phone.
A look of pure joy on her face.“Figured you like their music.”
“You know I do.”
The driving beat and electronic riffs of the melody from “Hunting in a Killer Moon” filled the car, and some of the tension he felt about going back to that apartment eased.Not all of it.After all, he hadn’t been back in years.He moved out right after Paul died.Had in fact crashed at the frat house, sleeping on the sofa for the rest of the semester.
Their eyes met as they both started singing.
In the shadows, we move through the night.Soft whispers, cut like a knife.Your kiss like poison, your eyes on fire, dancing on graves we never tire.
“Crank it up for the chorus.”
Our eyes meet, promising that soon, we’ll go hunting in this killer moon.Facing our fears, chasing away doom.We go hunting in a killer moon.
“I needed this,” he said to her as the song ended.
He’d been so uncomfortable in the apartment by himself.Waiting for Paul to come out of his room.His mom had offered to come and stay, but that would have been worse.
Kirsty sang along to “Find Joy,” slightly off tune but he smiled and joined in, equally out of tune.For a minute they were back to that first night, two strangers who simply enjoyed the same band and were starting to like each other.
It was too easy to blame Paul for everything that happened next in his life.He never thought things through.Like with how he tried and failed to keep his distance from Kirsty since that night.
“How did you and Paul meet?”
Hadn’t he said they were cousins?He couldn’t remember.He definitely said they were like brothers.He’d always felt that way about Paul.“When I was a baby.He was my cousin.My dad’s sister’s kid.”
