Page 6 of Edge of Wonder

“Sorry to disappoint,” she said, tossing my words back at me. “But I’m not going anywhere. This ismyhome. You’re going to have to catch me first.”

She winked, sent me a saucy smile, then vanished.

Chapter 3

Alice

The arrogance of that man!

I clenched my fists and rage floated across my small attic room. When I hit the end, I circled back, cursing the compact space.

The house was quiet.Too quiet.Somehow, the stranger downstairs was acting as if I hadn't just dropped the ghost gauntlet, threatened eternal haunting, and disappeared into thin air.

He was good.

He knew what he was doing.

Hell, he was probably kicked back in Julian's old armchair, eating another sandwich, while I over-analyzed every second of our conversation, including the startling fact that he could see me.

Pausing mid-float, my gaze landed on a dusty antique mirror. If only I could see myself the way he did. Unfortunately, the mirror remained clear of my reflection. All I could do was peer down at my stockinged feet and awkward outfit. From the way he’d stared, he probably thought I was as wild as the squirrels living in the rafters.

I made a face in the empty mirror, cursing that I cared so much. So what if I wasn’t the picture of refined beauty? None of it mattered. Mirrors were for the living.

And so was conversation.

I shoved aside the way his intense stare had pierced through me and went back to dissecting his remarks. So much time had passed since I'd exchanged words with another person that I wasn’t sure I remembered how. My ghostly presence had consisted of nothing more than years of endless boredom trapped inside a house full of clocks. Their metal hands marked every minute I remained invisible. Until the day no one was around to wind them, and then time became meaningless.

I had no memories of my life before becoming a ghost. However, there was one thing I knew for certain. Someone was coming for me. I knew it deep down with a fierceness that kept me going, and day after day, I waited. The promise ofsomethingwas stronger than the fear of nothing.

But no one ever came.

It was a lonely existence, and I often wondered if it was the fate of a ghost to remember nothing but to feel everything. Not in a physical sense, of course, but with a soul-deep familiarity.

Ironically, the only light in my dull existence had been Julian Granger. Sure, the old man was irritable and preferred clocks to people, but his gruff exterior never bothered me. We coexisted, and while he couldn’t see me or hear my endless chatter, he knew I was there. I was sure of it.

All that changed when he became ill.

His sickness had started slowly at first. A forgotten gear here, a lost wrench there. But soon his forgetfulness turned into long stretches of catatonic silence. His mind failed faster and faster. The shop fell into disarray, and his life’s work became nothing more than clutter on top of his worktable.

It wasn’t until his last day that he had a moment of clarity. I remember leaning over him, silently begging him not to go. His unfocused eyes found mine and a strange sort of recognition flooded his features.

His dry lips parted, and his voice cracked. “Ah, lass, you’re still here?”

Too choked to speak, I could only nod.

“They’ve made you wait far too long.” His mouth softened into the hint of a smile. “Wait a little more, Alice. It’s not too late. He’s coming for you.”

I froze at the name I hadn’t known was mine.Alice.Hearing it and seeing him acknowledge me made me feel real again. Like I mattered. But it didn’t last. A few moments later, he was gone.

Light shimmered from above as his soul left me behind, and I couldn’t understand why I still remained. Bitterness swelled inside me as the days and weeks passed and Julian’s promise was replaced by a new realization.

I’d been forgotten.

No wonder spirits turned vengeful, and when Julian’s nephew came sniffing around his new inheritance, I admitted that coexistence was for fools. It was time to make myself known. After a month of my most steadfast haunting, Andrew ran from the cottage, wailing his intent to hire a ghost hunter.

Of course, he hired one that took his sweet time getting here. Alice, the ghost, forever cooling her heels.

But arrive he did, and he wasn’t what I’d expected. Sure, he was handsome, with dark hair tumbling past his ears, and a swath of stubble covering his square jaw. He had a narrow nose and a pair of crystal blue eyes that glinted with wry amusement.

---