Page 102 of Ghostly Touches

Willow sighs, “Sorry, it’s not you. It’s them.”

“Them?” I repeat. Did Viktor or Kwil do something?

Willow waves her hand. Suddenly, the room is full of spirits. Most of them are yelling and crying at the top of their lungs. Some are pleading with Willow to help them. A few are getting in her face as others pace. I gasp as I stare at everyone. They don’t seem to notice me. Apparently, Willow is their sole focus at the moment.

“Who are these people?” I look around not recognizing any faces. Being at a Ghost’s safehouse, I assume one or two would be someone who’s supposed to be here, but not a single face looks familiar. I do take note that their clothes look relatively modern, as do their haircuts and mannerisms of speech that I pick up.

“Spirits who don’t understandpersonal space,” she answers as she whips around to face them, slamming the refrigerator door behind her to glare at the spirits. “Alright, alright already! I thought I’d eat before I addressed your concerns, butclearlyyou guys are on a tight schedule.”

With that she stomps out of the room. I watch as all the spirits chase after her. When I can’t hear her anymore, I go back to searching the drawers for maps. Spirits are Willow’s problem, not mine.

Chapter28

WILLOW

“The Ghosts here aren’t good people,” a young woman says as the others step through the Veil. “I’ve been here for… I don’t know, awhile, I guess. I’ve seen these hooded people come and go. Some come here often, and they give me the creeps. You shouldn’t be hanging out with these guys.”

Great, more problems.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“Good luck, and thanks for this.” The young woman smiles at me. “I hope my husband is still waiting for me.”

“I’m sure he is.”

As she steps through the Veil, my frown deepens. I’m exhausted but learning that the guys who frequent this place are seedy doesn’t make me want to get too comfortable here. Luckily, we’ll be out of here shortly. As the Veil begins to shut, my reaper appears. I hesitate, keeping the portal open a moment longer. The room isn’t very big, and with massive piles of rocks, there’s hardly any space for me to move around. But I do have space to move towards the familiar figure, so I do.

I get close to the Veil. As I do, the air grows colder. Stopping just a few feet away from the whirling mass of darkness, I stare at my reaper. His dark hood doesn’t move, but I can feel cool air pass through the realms. He raises his hand to greet me.

My heart twists. I just want a friend, and my reaper is the only constant in my life.

Suddenly, he drops his hand down and shakes his head. Confused, I look down to find my hand moving forward through the portal. Shit, I drop my hand right away. The living can’t cross over to the Realm of the Dead. I know that. Tears well up, and all I want to do is let them fall. Maybe I’ll go find a room to cry my frustration out before I go make dinner. I start to close the Veil, but my reaper raises his hand once more. Instead of waving, he brings his gloved hand up to his hood where it pauses for just a moment before he allows it to fall open, palm facing up. And while I can’t see it, I know that he just blew me a kiss.

It’s so unexpected, and sweet, that I laugh. My tears fall down my cheeks as I reach up and grab the kiss he’s sent me. I bring it to my heart and smile at the reaper before shutting the Veil. I stand there for a moment smiling like a goof and appreciating the small gesture. I wish I knew his name.

Feeling a little better, I leave the room and head to the kitchen. Just before I enter, I hear whispering. Slowing down, I listen to Theo and Viktor speaking softly to one another.

“—here and here. Since when have there been ripples in these places?” Viktor asks. “Our post on the other side isn’t too far from here. We would have noticed active ripples.”

“What I want to know is why they’re marked differently? The main ones are marked in red. These ones are marked in black and so subtly I would have missed them if I hadn’t been looking so hard,” Theodon says, with a hard edge in his voice that worries me. “Since they’re marked, the Ghosts who have been here before know about them. Do our superiors know? And what of the crystals here in the house?”

One of them grunts. I’m pretty sure it’s Viktor.

“Who knows? It’s not like we’re in a position to start asking questions.” Viktor’s words are followed by the sound of shuffling feet.

“Something is going on here.” Something slams down on the table. “And we can’t solve it in the position we’re in.”

“The fucking necromancer—”

“—andJonah,” Theodon adds. There’s a sigh. “You should be resting.”

“How can I sleep when all I can think about is how they’re going to get us killed? It’s just a matter of time. I can’t wait until we’re done with them. As of right now, they’re like two nails in our coffins.”’

“If I could—”

“You’d take care of them, I know.” Is thataffectionin Viktor’s voice as he talks about Theo potentiallykillingus? My face warms as anger blossoms in my chest.

I think back to the spirit of a young woman who just warned me that the other Ghosts who stayed here weren’t good people. I suppose these guys aren’t too great either.

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