Page 54 of Haunted Hearts
But the misty, swirling light is lifting me up, raising me to my feet. Nudging me toward the office. I can actually feel the pressure of an icy hand on my back, its dainty fingers pressinginto my jacket in a way that feels completely real. Because itisreal. And it blows my fucking mind.
“She’s, like… pushing me,” I call over my shoulder to Benji and Zeke as I stumble toward the office. I barely even need to walk, so determined is Sophia to get me where she wants me to go.
“Just let her,” Benji says. “I’m still on her wavelength. This is what she wants.”
The knob of the office door turns on its own—or rather, the gorgeous, shimmering mist that is Sophia Chandler turns it—and I’m shoved inside. Not slowing down for a second, Lydia’s mom continues to push me, icy hand on my back, toward a stack of boxes in the very corner of the room, next to Nancy’s desk. It’s dark in the office, but in the silvery half light Sophia casts around the room, I think I can make out the scrawled handwriting on the side of the box:Special editions.
Before I even know what’s happening, the box on the top of the stack topples down, spilling books all over the floor.
“Jesus,” I mutter under my breath. I hope Lydia’s mom didn’t see me flinch.
Another box crashes to the floor. And another.
“What the fuck are you doing in there, Will?!”
I can tell by Zeke’s voice that the loud crashes and thuds have him worried, but he’s trying to play it off like it’s funny. I hear Benji tell him to shut up, so I don’t answer. I need to focus on what Lydia’s mom is trying to show me.
I’m standing in a sea of half open books and bent covers. I’m pretty sure if Lydia saw this mess of books she’d have a heart attack, especially if these things are really special editions. But I’m not about to second-guess the ghost of Sophia Chandler. She clearly knows what she’s after, and hey—shewasthe librarian here.
The box opens, and books go flying. They’re hitting the walls, covers flapping, thudding to the floor. It’s a whole fucking storm of books, and Ireallyhope I won’t have to clean all this up, but?—
It stops. The crashing goes silent. Sophia urges me forward toward the box, and I lift the flaps, reaching inside it. On the bottom lies a single book. I lift it out, feeling the smoothness of the worn cover in my palms.
It’s a Nancy Drew book.The Secret in the Old Attic.
“Okay…” I say aloud. I’m not even sure Lydia’s mom can hear me, or if I’ll be able to hear her if she answers.
The book cracks open in my hand. A silvery breeze ripples through the pages as they flutter to the title page, where a small, flat envelope has been pressed between the pages. When I turn the envelope over in my shaking hands, I can see that Lydia’s name has been written across the front in beautiful, flowing script.
“Is this… for Lydia?” I ask.
“Planchette says yes,” Zeke calls from beyond the door.
“And the book…?”
The envelope slides back into place and the book slams shut.
“The book’s for her, too?”
“That’s a yes,” comes Zeke’s voice again.
Wasting no time, the spirit of Lydia’s mom shoves me back out into the foyer and the office door clicks shut. But she doesn’t push me back into the circle with Benji and Zeke. She keeps her firm, yet still gentle hand between my shoulder blades and guides me toward the front door.
“Guys, she’s not letting up,” I hiss over my shoulder.
Benji grins at me from behind the still flickering candles. He flicks a hand at me. “Don’t worry about us. You do what you need to do.”
Sophia leads me out of the library and into the chill, night air. As she nudges me down the sidewalk and toward my truck,the hazy glow of the full moon streams down to light our way. Between the cold of the night and the icy mist of the spirit hovering around me, it’s absolutely freezing. But my heart is racing, the blood is pumping through my veins, and I feel more alive than I have in a long, fucking time. And when Lydia’s mom opens the door of my pickup and practically shoves me up into the cab, I look down at the book that I’m still holding in my hands.
This time, I don’t need Benji to tell me what I’m supposed to do. I know. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I know exactly what Lydia Chandler needs from me.
And goddamnit, I’m going to come through.
twenty-nine
LYDIA
Will: Lydia.
