by Apryl Baker
Cecily is my sister, and I love her more than anyone. She’s super sweet, and the fastest way to get on my bad side is to do something to her. I’ve thrown down more than once against girls twice my size because they were bullying her. I’ll protect her with everything I have. Doesn’t change the fact that I feel less than when I’m in the same room with her.
“Yo, yo, yo!” Eli calls as he comes through the door. He’s wearing basketball shorts, a slouchy tank, and high tops.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry. Gramps needed help in the garden. He’s currently in a war with chipmunks.”
“Chipmunks? They’re so cute!”
“Tell that to Gramps. They’ve destroyed his garden, and he thinks he hears them under the house now.”
“He’s not going to hurt them, is he?”
“Prolly not.” He flops down on the couch next to me. “Did your mom make that chicken stuff I love?”
“She did last night.”
“Did your dad eat all the leftovers?”
“No, Mom saved you some.”
“I’m glad she loves me.”
“You’re the only boy we ever brought home that she loves.”
“Speaking of boys you bring home, aren’t you and Matt going out tonight?”
“That’s the plan, unless your coach decides on more crazy Saturday evening practices.”
“If the idiots on the team wouldn’t get drunk, then he wouldn’t almost cause us to puke our guts out the next day.”
“I hope you guys had a talk with them.”
“Oh, we had a talk, all right.” He grins, and I have a feeling talking didn’t play much into it. “But you want to get out of here? There’s some stuff I want to talk to you about. College being one of them.”
“Yeah? You hear from scouts already?”
“Not me, no, but Coach said WVU will be at our first game next month.”
“That’s awesome. Do they have a good football program?”
“That’s part of what I want to talk about. You up for getting out of here?”
“Sure.” I almost jump up but then remember I need to keep pretending.
“Nope, Shortcake. When I’m around, you get piggyback rides.” He squats in front of me, and I climb on without hesitation.
“Thanks, Eli.”
“Not a problem, Shortcake.”
“I need to grab my purse!”
“Not today, you don’t.” He heads out, pausing long enough to turn the bottom lock on the door, and then sprints out to his Jeep.
I missed him this week. Football has kept him so busy that he’s barely checked in with me. After talking to him every single day for the last few months, I’m not gonna lie, it hurt my feelings a little bit. I felt sort of abandoned. As soon as I felt like that, he called me. It was minutes later, and he took off from practice to call. I played it off as feeling alone because my family doesn’t want to admit that I’m a reaper. Still not sure he bought that, though.
It takes us about an hour to reach this park with hiking trails. Once again, I hop on his back, and he jogs up three different trails and we finally come to a stop at a log cabin that looks like it’s seen better days.
“Uh…where are we?”
“Someplace we won’t be overheard. This place has wards against listening devices.”
“Considering how creepy this looks, I believe it.”
Inside is not really much better than the outside, but at least there’s a clean-looking bench to sit on. Everything else is covered in dirt and dust. Broken pieces of furniture are scattered throughout the one-room building.
“Okay, Shortcake, we need to talk about Matt.”
“Matt? Why?”
“He’s a shifter.”
“You already told me that.”
“Yes, but I didn’t tell you what it meant, and I should have before I encouraged you to give him a chance.”
“This doesn’t sound good.”
“A shifter mates for life.”
“Uh…I think we’re far, far away from that.”
He laughs. “No, goof. When you are a shifter, there is one person you’re meant to be with out of the entire planet. When you find that person, it’s instant. You know by their scent, and there’s no denying it. Matt and I talked about this. His cat feels something for you, and it’s possessive, but he doesn’t think you’re his mate. If you get close and his mate comes along, he’s not going to want to hurt you, but there is no denying that bond.”
“So, you’re saying I could get attached, even fall in love, and if this mate person comes along, it won’t matter how he feels about me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I just want you to go into this with your eyes open. Do I think he’s going to find that mate any time soon? No. I think if you want to have some fun, Matt’s a great guy who can protect you if he has to. I just want you to be careful and remember this conversation.”
“Do you think I should even try, then?”
He looks torn, but then his face clears. “Ella, you need to stop worrying about the what-ifs in life and reach for the here and now. If you wait for the perfect situation, you’re going to be waiting until you’re in the ground. Live for the moment. Don’t be afraid to take a chance.”
“Yeah?”
He bumps his shoulder into mine. “Yeah.”
“So, college? You wanted to talk about that too?”
“Yeah, I need to know where you want to go to school so I can try to scope out their football program.”
“Why?”
“Shortcake, where you go, I go. You’re too new to this, and I’m not tossing you out there where I can’t get to you quickly. It might be too late if we’re across the country from each other.”
“Eli, after everything you’ve done for me, there’s no way I’m letting you screw up your chances with the NFL. I’ll go to whatever school picks you up. I’ve thought about this a lot, and you’re not changing my mind.”
“You mean that?”
“You’re my best friend. Of course I mean that. Besides, who else is going to get you up and to practice on time? Gramps does it now. If left to your own devices, you’d get dropped from the team by the second week.”
“Hey, now, watch it.”
I laugh. “Can we get out of this creepy place?”
“Sure thing, Shortcake. Just think about what I said about Matt, okay?”
“I will, I promise.”
“Good girl.”
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
I take my cane he hands me, and we start to walk slowly down the mountain, him telling me about the different schools he hopes try to scout him. I make a mental note to check out their academics programs. I hope he doesn’t go to a party school, because unlike him, I’m not six-five and ripped with pure, raw football talent. I have to find a career path I can use my brain to achieve. That, and good old fashioned hard work.
We’re finally at the bottom when my phone starts working again and I get six chirps. Who the heck was calling me? My mother has left me three messages and two voicemails. There’s even a text from Dad. What’s wrong?
Mom picks up on the first ring. “Oh, my God, Ella, where are you?”
“I’m with Eli.”
“Is your sister with you?”
“No, she hadn’t gotten back from Sherry’s when we left. Why?”
“Because she’s not with Sherry. I tried to call her earlier, and when it went to voicemail three times, I called Sherry’s mother. Cecily was not there last night.”
“What?” She never told me anything about being anywhere except Sherry’s.
Eli stops when I do, his entire stance going into fight mode.
“Do you know where she might be?”
“Maybe with Derrick?”
“Do you have his number?”
“No. She never gave it to me. She did tell me his name is Derrick Cassidy, and he works at the Ace Hardware store in Bluefield.”
“Mom, I gotta go.”
“Stay with Eli. Go to his house so your father and I know you’re safe.”
“Yeah, okay.” I don’t even say goodbye, just hang up.
Is it a coincidence that this ghost is here when my mom was talking about Cecily missing? Probably, but I’m not going to dismiss the possibility.
“What’s going on?”
“Cecily’s missing. She was supposed to be staying over at Sherry’s last night, but according to her mom, she never showed up and now she’s not answering her phone.”
“Derrick.”
Anger vibrates off Eli.
“She’d never not answer her phone, Eli. It’s a rule in our house. No matter what, you answer your phone. She had her phone taken from her the one time she didn’t answer. She’s never done that since. Boy crazy or not, she’d answer Mom’s call, and she’d sure as heck answer Dad’s. He took the phone from her before.”
“What do we do?”
“Mom wants me to go to your place and stay there.”
“But?”
“But we’re not going to do that. Remember the ghost that was under my porch?”
He nods.
“She’s here. She showed up when I was talking to Mom.”
“Do you think she knows something?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Squaring my shoulders, I head to where she’s waiting.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ella
The woman actually looks worse in the light of day. Her hair is matted with blood, and her wounds are even more pronounced. My heart suffers for her.
“Speak in your head, Ella, in case we have an audience.” I jump at the sound of Eli’s voice right next to my ear. He’s right, though.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
The woman cocks her head, staring at me in a creepy manner.
“My name’s Ella, and I want to help you.”
Still nothing. She just stares at me.
Maybe her mind is gone. She’s suffered through what looks to be a lot of torture.
“What’s going on?” Eli’s whispered words send a shiver down my spine I try my best to hide from him, but it’s hard since he’s basically pressed against me.
“Not talking.”
“How do I help?”
“You can’t.”
I step away from him and take several steps toward the woman. “Did you come because you heard me talking about my sister going missing? Did someone take her? The same someone who did that to you?”
She opens her mouth, and that same screeching scream echoes around us, but only I can hear it. The sound sends spirals of pain through my head.
“Easy, that hurts.”
The screaming stops.
“Did you see my sister? Did someone take her?”
“That’s not the question you should be asking.”
Selene. Of course it is.
“You shut up. She came when she heard me talking about Cecily.”
“That’s not your job, Ella. Your job is to convince her to move on.”
I whirl and come face to face with my would-be tutor. “This is my sister we are talking about, and if you tell me one more time what my job is, I will never help another ghost for as long as I live. Do you understand me, you coldhearted monster?”
Anger flashes in her eyes, but it’s there and gone so fast, I would have missed it had I not been staring right at her.
Not bothering to wait for an answer, I stride over to the ghost who’s starting to look afraid.
“Don’t mind her. She’s not important. What happened to you is important. Did someone take you and hurt you?”
She nods tentatively.
“Was it the same person who took my sister?”
Her eyes flicker to Selene, but I step to the side so she can’t see the reaper.
“Did he take my sister?”
She nods.
I knew this wasn’t a coincidence. “Can you help me find her so she doesn’t die? I promise I’ll make whoever did this to you pay. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
She nods, her own anger flaring to life in her expression.
“Help me find her, and you’ll be free to move on to somewhere that’s nicer than here, where there’s no more pain.”
Her hand reaches out, and before I realize what she’s doing, her cold fingers press against my forehead.
An image flickers to life. A large room comes into focus, the paint on the walls peeling. Windows are broken, and the scent of old paper fills the air. Dark stains cover the floor, and in the middle of it all, I see the body of the woman standing next to me. She’s crying.
Arms wrap around me and pull me back, the image dying with it.
“Why did you do that?” I demand.
“Because if I didn’t, you’d feel every single thing she did as she died.”
“What?” I whisper.
“Your Guardian is right. It’s why I warned you to only focus on your job. You are not mentally equipped to deal with that trauma yet. Keep your distance from them, or you’ll suffer the consequences.”
“I’ll accept the consequences if it means finding my sister.”
“And if she was raped?” Eli asks bluntly. “You’ll feel every second of it, and it’s not a memory easily forgotten.”
“I…” Blinking, I look at the girl. “Were you raped?”
She nods, and I can feel the color drain from my face.
“She was, wasn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“No more, Ella Grace. We’ll work with what you have. If I have to forcefully remove you from the situation, I will.”
“She doesn’t need to suffer through that again, Ella.” Selene moves closer. “Help her find peace.”
She’s right. This poor thing is trying to help me, and I’m supposed to be helping her. Eli is going to have to be right.
“It’s okay now. You showed me enough so we can find my sister and your attacker. We’ll make sure he pays for what he did to you. I promise.”
Selene steps forward, and the ghost shies away.
“No, it’s okay. This is Selene. She’s here to take you to a place where it won’t hurt anymore. You can trust her.”
At least I hope she can.
Selene stretches out her hand. “It’s time to go.”
The woman takes it, and something happens that I hadn’t noticed the last few times I helped a ghost. The woman’s entire appearance changes. Her wounds disappear, and color comes back into her face. She looks like she’s dressed to go out to dinner.
“This is what happens when the soul finds peace,” Selene explains. “They become a reflection of who they were in life.”
“Why didn’t that happen before?”
She actually smiles. “Before, you were only concerned with getting them away from you as soon as possible. You’ve grown. You’re willing to see their pain and understand their suffering is as important as your own.”
Sometimes she sounds like she’s not a clone of a soulless robot, but I know better. I saw her anger earlier.
When they disappear, it leaves me and Eli standing there. He doesn’t waste a second.
“Hop on, Shortcake.”
We make it to the Jeep in record time, and I’m fairly sure he breaks every speed limit between here and Jacob’s Fork.
The sheriff is waiting with Gramps when we arrive. Mom’s car is parked right next to the sheriff’s SUV.
“Thank God.” Mom grabs me and hugs me the second I walk through the door. “Where were you?”
“We went exploring some of the mountain trails.” Eli throws his key into the small bowl on the table. “We didn’t get any of your messages until we came back down the trail.”
“Ella, can you tell us anything about this boyfriend we don’t already know?” Ethan gets right to the po
int.
“No. She never told me more than I told Mom on the phone.”
Ethan sighs.
“But I have information.”
His head snaps back up. “What?”
“The ghost I saw at the house the day the snake bit me, she showed up again today while I was on the phone with Mom. I thought it was too much of a coincidence, so I asked her if the person who did that to her also took my sister. She said yes.”
Ethan’s eyes narrow. “What did she look like?”
I give him as much information as I can, and he starts swearing. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because you were only focused on Elaina, and when I said the picture wasn’t her, you forgot about it.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He sighs. “How does this help us, though? We never found Jasmine’s body, so I don’t even know where to start looking.”
“She was in a large, rundown room that smelled like old paper.”
“How do you know that?”
“She showed me. I could smell it.”
“The paper mill,” Gramps says.
Ethan nods and pulls out his phone as he runs toward the front door.
Everything in me wants to follow him, to go find Cecily.
Eli hauls me against him, understanding what I want.
“Not yet, Ella. You’re not equipped to go against a possible serial killer. One day, you will be, but until then you have to sit here with all of us and wait.”
“But we could have gone and found her. She might not be there now. We should have gone as soon as I told you about the paper smell.”
“One, I didn’t know about the old paper mill since I didn’t grow up here. Two, I would never have let you put yourself in danger. I know how much Cecily means to you and that you’ll throw down for your sister, but you can’t help her if you get caught. Let the police handle this, Ella. I’ll be right here with you.”
I know he’s right, but I feel so helpless.
“Where’s Daddy?”
“I don’t know. I left him multiple messages, but he hasn’t returned my call yet.”
“Come on, Shortcake. Let’s go into the den. We can all wait there.”
Gramps nods, and we all follow him into the most comfortable room in the house. It’s deathly quiet as we sit and wait. Mom keeps trying Dad, and all I can do is sit here and think of everything I could be doing instead of sitting here.
