Page 9 of Edge of Wonder

“Alice—”

“Please, Sebastian. I—I need your help.”

He drew in a reluctant breath, conflict waging a war behind his eyes. A long moment passed before he raked a hand through his hair and cursed. His bag dropped to the floor. “This is a huge mistake, and I’m sure I’ll regret it, but all right, I’ll stay.”

Relief hit me, but it faded on his next words.

“You have till the end of the week. If we can’t complete your unfinished business by then…” He trailed off, and visions of that bright light sucking a ghost from the sky filled my mind. I had to gather the courage to ask him to finish.

“What happens, then?”

His jaw tightened, and determination squared his shoulders. “We’re switching to the hard way.”

Chapter 4

Sebastian

“What’s the hard way?” Alice asked.

The triumph that flashed across her face when I agreed to stay had vanished. In its place was suspicion. Not that I blamed her. The public relished the dark side of ghost hunting, even if those cases were rare. Harsh tactics were reserved only for malicious poltergeists and the occasional evil spirit. The majority of cases were more investigative with the intent to help the ghost cross over peacefully into the afterlife. But those cases didn’t sell papers.

I shook my head, enjoying the air of mystery. “If you’re still here, ask me again at the end of the week. But trust me, you want to cooperate as much as possible.”

She scowled at my answer, but the way her mouth turned down was almost cute.

“Your pout needs work, princess.”

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped, balling her fists.

My gaze lowered to my bag, and her eyes widened. A silent count passed where she visibly relaxed and tried again through gritted teeth. “I told you, my name is Alice.”

“And I told you, I’m not fond of that name.”

She smiled sweetly, feigning patience. “Why? Did you have a vindictive ex-lover with the same name? Is it too much to hope she’ll come barging through the door seeking revenge? Because I’d be agreeable to that.”

I leaned in and gifted her with a smile. “Seeing as I’ve never had any trouble inthatdepartment before, I wouldn’t count on it.”

Her eye twitched, irritation bringing forth the involuntary movement. A muscle memory, not even a ghost could suppress. I swallowed a burst of laughter. Showing enjoyment would only agitate her further.

It was true living girls had never been a problem for me, but I didn’t need a dead one turning vengeful. Especially one cursed with the dreaded name Alice. I’d already tempted fate enough.

“Insufferable lowlife,” she muttered under her breath.

My next laugh was harder to contain. “All right, now that we’ve gotten all the variations of our names out of the way, I suggest we get started. A few days is a blip in the timeline of a ghost. Technically, we’re already behind schedule.”

A schedule I intended to keep and not a day longer than I’d agreed to. Even if I had to bring in a replacement. I already felt the noose tightening around my neck. My freedom was a luxury only so long as I stayed ahead of fate, and consequently, my mother’s mirrors. I already had my hands full with one ghost. I didn’t need a ghost from the past showing up on my doorstep.

“Fine, I’m ready when you are,” Alice conceded. She floated along the edge of the room and peered out a window into the dark. Her long wavy hair brushed the small of her back, and from a distance, she looked years younger. An odd sense of déjàvu settled over me.

Maybe it was because of the shared name or simply because the past had been on my mind, but I couldn’t help but remember the young orphan I’d met as a child in my mother’s shop.

That was the first time I’d met Alice Montgomery. The memory was hazy, and I only recalled reaching for the girl’s hand and feeling a connection. I was too young to understand what it meant, but as I grew older, I realized the truth.

My future wasn’t my own. It belonged to someone else. I had no free choice or control over my decisions. In an instant, the mirror had decided my future, and the certainty of it was suffocating.

Regardless of my fate, I promised myself I’d find a way to prevent it. Then, one day, when no one was looking, I made my escape. And I never saw Alice Montgomery again.

I’d been running ever since. Free to go where I wanted and to build a life that wasn’t already mapped out in some mirror.

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