by Joy Elbel
“I’m so sorry about the house, Dad. I’ll get a job—I’ll give you every last cent to pay for fixing it!” I threw my arms around him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. But there’s something you didn’t tell me, either.”
The look he gave me said he knew exactly what I meant by that. But he asked me anyway. “What do you mean, Ruby?”
“That day in the hospital—I know you chose to save me instead of Lee. I know you think you killed him.”
He hung his head and for the second time that day I saw my dad cry. “I’m so sorry, honey. I never wanted you to know. Everyone said I made the right choice but I didn’t think you’d see it that way. How did you find out?”
“I almost died tonight, Dad, just like that night. I remembered things I didn’t know I knew. I watched you cry in the ER. Lee and I watched you.”
“Lee? You talked to Lee? What did he say?” Dad said, sniffing back the tears.
“He said it was his time to go, that he was gone long before he made it to the hospital. He didn’t blame you at all.”
“He didn’t?” Dad heaved a sigh. “Thank God! You have no idea how horrible I felt about everything. There were times I felt so guilty, I could barely even look at you.”
“I know. Lee said I had a choice that night. I want you to know I came back because of you.” I squeezed my Dad’s hand and turned to Zach. “And for you.”
“Me? But you didn’t even know me then.” He held out his hand and I took it.
“But Lee told me I would meet you. He said I would meet the love of my life. And meeting you would come as a great shock.” I winked, knowing he would get the hidden meaning of that.
He returned the wink. “I take back all of the bad things I ever said or thought about him. If it weren’t for Lee, I wouldn’t have you in my life.”
I released my grip on Dad and Zach. “And I take back all of the bad things I ever thought or said about you, Shelly.”
Surprise filled her face. “It’s okay, honey. I understand why you didn’t like me.”
“I don’t. You’ve been nothing but nice to me. I never knew my mom, but I can’t imagine she could have loved me more than you do.”
More tears. This time Shelly and I both cried as we hugged. After the teary eyed confessions were over, everyone wanted to know what happened. It turned out that the people there whom I didn’t recognize were S.P.I.R.I.T. members and they were eager to hear every word I had to say. Rita, however, just looked troubled by it all. Looking at the destruction, I’m sure she thought Zach and I ignored her warnings and finally had sex.
I explained how I found Levi’s body and the wrath that was unleashed as a result. I remembered that Coco was in the garage, so Zach ran to get her for me. Dad took one look at my leg and announced that a trip to the ER was immediately necessary.
“Only if Zach can come with me.” I didn’t want to be separated from him ever again.
“Of course he can, as long as Garrett and Diane don’t mind. And something tells me they won’t.” Dad nodded his head in their direction. “Any objections?”
Diane answered for them. “As far as we’re concerned, you’re already part of the family, Ruby. We wouldn’t dare to stand in the way of true love.”
True love. That’s exactly what it was. Deep inside, I’d known it all along. But I would never get tired of hearing it.
Rachel agreed to watch Coco while I was at the hospital, so we all walked back to the main road together. With one exception—my leg was a hot mess so Zach carried me the whole way.
As we walked along, he hung back away from the group. “What did you mean when you said it was finally over?”
I couldn’t believe it. Rachel didn’t see the entity that night in my room and now Zach didn’t see Scarlet and Levi’s kiss in the rose garden. “They’re gone. The ghosts are gone. I saw them behind you as we kissed. They were kissing too and then they just disappeared. Scarlet finally got what she wanted.”
“And so did I.” He leaned down and kissed me, soft and sweet. “But I guess spending the night together is no longer an option.”
“Maybe not.” I replied mysteriously. I had an idea. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was worth a try. “Leave it to me.”
“Anything you say, Ruby, anything you say.” He smiled and tickled my nose with his. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Zach. Thanks for saving me.”
“Oh, about that, I think I had a little help. You remember that crow we saw at the mausoleum? He’s the one that led me here just in time.”
Lee. It had to be Lee. It was comforting to know that I not only had Lee’s sharp eye looking out for me but Zach’s strong arms ready and waiting to save me if necessary. They made a good team.
“And I think Levi was the one that helped me pull you out of the fountain. I’m strong, but not that strong. I definitely had some help with that one.”
“Everyone in the world could have helped you, but you’re the real hero in my eyes. Now we can be together without any fear.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all night.” He kissed me one more time as he lifted me into the back of my dad’s SUV and then slid in beside me. I leaned into him and he held me close the whole way to the hospital.
Once my leg was stitched and we were leaving the hospital Shelly raised the question that was on everyone’s mind. “The house is a wreck. Where are we going to stay tonight?”
“Shelly and I can stay at a hotel for a couple of nights until we can get someone in to do some repairs.” Dad looked into the rear view mirror, his eyes making contact with Zach’s. “But after everything Ruby’s been through, I think she might be more comfortable at your house, Zach. Your Mom and Dad have already said its okay.”
“I’ll take care of her, I promise.” He wrapped his arms around me and held on tight.
Apparently my little talk with Shelly while the guys weren’t looking worked. I kissed them both as they dropped me off at the Mason house and left for the hotel. Zach and I walked into the house arm in arm.
Everyone was just finishing the repairs on the kitchen window when we stepped inside. After some well needed showers, we all shared stories about the night’s excitement until one by one everyone but Zach and I had gone to bed. He got the comforter from his bedroom and sat down in our favorite chair—the one we spent so much time in together. He flicked off the lights.
“Come here.”
I slid into the chair beside him and he pulled the handle to make it recline. I snuggled close as he covered us both with the blanket. He kissed me there in the dark.
“I love you, Ruby.” He pulled me close and I laid my head on his chest.
“I love you, too, Zach. But I have one question. As you were pulling me out of the water, why were you smiling?” It seemed like a strange reaction for someone who just found his girlfriend drowning in a fountain.
“When I found you, I thought you were already dead,” he said as he softly stroked my hair. “In an instant, my life slipped away. I just wanted to lift you out so I could hold you one last time. But as I reached for you, you blinked. And suddenly, I had my life back—I had you back.”
“And you’ll never lose me again,” I replied with certainty.
Snuggling close, I fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating the same rhythm as mine. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. Now that the haunting was over, we could all rest in peace.
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Book Two
Phantoms of Fall
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1. The Results are In
“We’ll have the results of your test in about three minutes. Until then, have a seat in the waiting area,” the old lady at the front desk said gruffly. “I’ll call you when they’re ready.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled back. I was so damn nervous and the fact that she was utterly emotionless about the whole thing grated on my last nerve. She dealt with kids in my situation every day�
�a little bit of compassion would have been appreciated. Thanks—thanks for nothing.
I walked across to the waiting area where Zach was seated and flopped into the chair beside him.
“Well?” he asked, his leg bouncing up and down nervously.
“I don’t know yet—I won’t have my results for about three minutes.” Glancing at the clock on the wall, I watched the second hand tick slowly around second by second. “But I don’t have a good feeling about this.” My chest tightened as I said the words.
Zach took a deep breath and reached for my hand. “You have to think positively. I came here with Rachel last year. She had a bad feeling about it, too. But she was wrong and everything was fine. I’m sure you’re wrong, too.”
“I hope you’re right. But there are so many reasons why I think this is going to end badly.” My bottom lip quivered, signaling that I was on the verge of tears. “Maybe I wasn’t ready after all. Maybe I should have waited a little while longer.”
Zach swallowed hard. “It’s too late to think about that now, Ruby. Let’s talk about something else.”
But as I looked around, I couldn’t think of anything to say. I stared at the cold, impersonal décor thinking how much easier this would be if I at least had a comfortable chair to sit in or a TV to watch—anything to ease my nerves. “I really don’t want to talk right now. I just want to get out of here.”
There were two other girls in the waiting area looking just as upset as I felt. One sat to my left nearly hyperventilating as her mother tried to calm her down. The other sat to Zach’s right, her father lecturing her about the mistakes she’d made. Dad and Shelly insisted on accompanying us, but they were busy pacing back and forth at the back of the room—at least I had Zach by my side.
Two minutes ticked by on the clock when I announced, “I have to pee.” I rose out of my chair only to have Zach pull me gently back down.
“No, you don’t—you just went not long ago, remember? It’s only nerves. You don’t want to miss it when they call your name, do you? I know you’re scared, but dragging it out will only make it worse.”
He was right—rationally I knew that. But part of me wanted to hightail it out of there and pretend like I’d never even walked in that door. Most kids do it the second they get the chance and without a single worry. I wait for what seems like forever and yet here I sit scared to death. It just didn’t seem fair.
The lady at the desk peered around her computer and called, “Johnston.” The girl with the critical father stared up at her like a deer caught in the headlights but remained glued to her seat. “Johnston,” she called again, more impatiently this time.
I watched as the girl walked slowly to the front. I couldn’t hear a word of their conversation but I didn’t need to. She was at the desk for no more than twenty seconds when she turned around and walked back to her father, tears gushing from her eyes. My heart sank as I watched her slink out the door. Would I be in her shoes a minute from now?
The woman peered around her computer yet again. “Matthews.”
I stood up on wobbly legs, took one step toward her desk, and turned to Zach. “Will you come with me?”
He gave me a smile as he put his arm around me. “Absolutely, I won’t make you do this alone.”
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dad and Shelly had stopped pacing and were now anxiously watching us as we went to get the results. We must have been moving too slowly for Ms. Personality at the desk because she called “Matthews” again in an irritated tone. And me—well, I threw up in my mouth just a little bit. My life may or may not be about to change in a big way.
