And how many times had I caught one of them in Daniel's room and I'd chased it out. All of it was taking a rather large toll on me.
And I'd finally seen it in the bathroom mirror a little while ago.
"Let's go see these Shadow Folk," Dags said and he got up and went to the coat closet by the front door to retrieve the pea-coat he'd been wearing earlier.
Mom hugged me. Really hugged me and I squeezed her back as hard as I could. She put her hands on my face and smiled at me. Blue eyes to brown. "Eat, Zoë. I'm not used to seeing you so skinny. And I worry. Okay? Me and Jemmy are gonna do a bit more research on Dr. Bonville. You go investigate the Folk."
I nodded and smiled. Sniffed. When had I started crying?
I disengaged myself and followed Rhonda from the table. As I passed her I scribbled on my board and handed it to her. U MAKE 1 CRACK ABOUT CRY & I SUC UR SOUL THRU UR NOSE.
She stiffened but didn't say a word as we grabbed coats and left the Botanica and Tea Shop. Until we got outside.
"You do realize your spelling is starting to look a lot like LOLcats, don't you?"
Bite me.
*****
CHAPTER THREE
We took Mom's car. It was either that or somehow squeeze three people in Rhonda's Beetle (not comfortable) or Dags' truck. Of course once we got in the car, Rhonda and Dags sat in the back and started talking about weird stuff. Ghosts, spirits, the different planes, and me.
Not so happy with me being the subject. I was driving which takes up my hands. Retorting was out of the question unless we wanted to end up on the side of the road.
The weather was so-so. Overcast. Cold. Rainy. Sort of reflected my mood. I did not want to do this. I checked my watch. I wanted to get to the hospital, grab my snacks and sit in my chair in Daniel's room. I was still terrified he was going to wake up and I wouldn't be there. I wanted to be the first thing he saw when he opened those eyes.
Hrm...might consider a facial. All the blubbering and bad eating I'd been doing was taking a toll on my skin.
The Livery Bar and Restaurant was in Roswell, a quaint little historic town up north of Atlanta. About a forty-minute drive with traffic. Less than ten minutes if Mom's driving--but then she thinks she's descended from Speed Racer. Eh...what did that make me? Spridle or Chim-Chim?
I took the more scenic route--not because I wanted the scenery but because I really wasn't paying attention, my radar on autopilot. I drove Elizabeth up Roswell Road which became Atlanta Road as we entered the city limits just over the river as a wild wind blew a lot of debris over the street. Roswell Square came into view real fast.
The Square was an actual square, complete with a sort of park in the center. Shops surrounded the park--from antique places to a camera shop on the corner near the Restaurant. As we drove in, the park was on my left and the Livery was on the right, nestled beside the Roswell Chamber of Commerce.
The square was filled with green grass, picnic areas, classic southern gnarled oaks and a gazebo to the right, directly across from the Livery. I pulled the car up to the curb on Dags' suggestion, in front of the restaurant. It wouldn't open for official business for another three hours, and parking at the curb would be okay for now.
He had a key and we went inside the front door.
The fun stuff about old buildings in Georgia in general was usually their history--which leant itself to all sorts of crazy stories.
"This building started out as a general store, back during the Civil War," Dags said as he took his coat off and stepped in ahead of us. "The main business was taken care of down here," he pointed to the steps that obscured the view of the rest of the lower dining area. "Up there was where all the grain and supplies were stored."
The place did have an odd shape to it. Aged brick made up the walls all around. There was a mini-bar to the right a ways in, and a path that lead to the bathroom. I assumed it lead to the kitchens as well. Looking up, just to the right of the stairs, was a hole in the ceiling, a cut-through that allowed desert diners up stairs to gaze down on the dinner people below.
But what made it fun was all the Christmas decorations. Silver and red tinsel was wound around every banister or pole visible to the eye. A tall, skinny tree decorated in white and gold ornaments and surrounded by presents sat to the right. I was sure when it was turned on it had only white lights too.
And I could smell it. It was a real tree!
"When this place was a funeral parlor," Dags continued, after tossing his coat on a nearby chair. All the tables were square, made of dark-polished wood. "They kept the coffins upstairs and that hole is where they would lower them down."
I looked up again. Ew.
"Are there any actual stories about ghosts with this place?"
"Oh you bet," Dags smiled. "Civil War Romeo and Juliet. The owner of the general store had a daughter, who fell in love with a soldier from the North. They carried on a torrid affair for a long time, until they were discovered. He was hung in the square for treason and it was reported she took her own life in the attic."
"She hung herself?" Rhonda asked.
Dags shook his head. "No one knows, really. Some say she threw herself off the top of the building, some say she hung herself. But it's up there where the real freaky stuff happens." His smile vanished. "Be careful, okay? This is where Jamie Reed had her accident and the jerk manager won't pay for workman's compensation." He looked away. "This is also where I last saw Maureen."
Yikes. I immediately started looking around for Maureen's ghost. They seemed to follow me around lately--but there didn't seem to be any sign of one. In fact, I wasn't seeing anything weird.
"But you said she disappeared." Rhonda frowned at him. "You're thinking disappeared is dead?"
Dags nodded. "She's dead. It's just the last time she was seen was here--I saw her. And then she was found dead in the square."
"When you say you saw her here," Rhonda said, leaning her head toward him. "You mean you saw her ghost here before she was found dead? Or you saw her alive here before she was found dead."
He frowned at her and blinked. "The first one. Only, I didn't know she was dead, 'cause she looked alive to me. But they said she'd been dead for twenty-four hours, which meant she'd already been dead."
There was a very odd pause. No one said anything.
I waved at him to get his eyes off of Rhonda (and because word problem always gave me a headache) and pointed upstairs. Are we okay to go upstairs?
Dags nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go on up."
I nodded and looked up the steps. Well, so this is where the oogies hang out--let's go see.
The stairs were a straight, slanted shot up. I could just make out the back end of a baby-grand on the way up. As well as the back of a brick wall and a gold-framed landscape picture. Another tree--only this one was decorated in blue and green--gleamed at me against the far wall. The air felt different up here--not warmer like I expected 'cause you know--warm air rises. But more like...
Cold.
Just as I topped the first step something slammed hard into my right shin. I let out a silent whoosh of air much like a scream--only--not. I did tumble forward into the edge of the piano and knocked it with my weight.
"Zoë!" Dags was up the stairs and beside me, his hand on my arm.
"Did you see that?" I heard Rhonda say in a more than excited voice.
No I didn't see a damned thing. Though my shoulder connected pretty hard with the piano leg. Ow. That sucked. I could hear Rhonda behind me, her weight making the hardwood creak. But as I pushed myself up to be on hands and knees with Dags trying his best to be helpful but instead getting in my way, I did catch something--well--dark and fuzzy--out of the corner of my eye.
Now--seeing smoky, blacky, whispy things out of the corner of my eye had become a norm since changing into a Wraith--or whatever. I saw them all the time. Mostly it was always in the shadows of a place--though not in my home or my Mom's. I did see them a lot in old buildings, and in hospitals.
Sheesh. Hospital. Another name for Grand Central Station.
I rarely saw these things in the daylight–and trust me--with the time of day and where the Livery's front faced--there was direct sun streaming into that loft. So I made sure that I stood up slowly, and cautiously, because whatever it was, it'd wasted no time trying to shove me into the piano.
"There it goes again!" Rhonda almost squealed with delight.
Well, I was glad someone was having a good time. Me? Not so much. I was getting a little unnerved by the whole thing. I didn't get the whole "wee.. we're chasing ghosts" fun that Rhonda was high on.
I straightened up and stood in front of the piano, the window behind me on the opposite side of the baby grand, the staircase down to my right. The cut-through was just a few feet away as well, surrounded by a waist high mahogany banister.
Taking in more of the place, smaller tables were spaced out evenly about the area, though I could see where they could all be placed facing the piano. You know, just in case Billy Joel showed up.
The entire back wall was a bar. And I mean a nice bar. The wall was covered from ceiling to --well--it might go to the floor. The bar obscured it for me. Trimmed in shiny brass--it was impressive.
"Nice, eh?" Dags said as he moved away from me and then continued to the bar. "This is where I work most shifts. Maureen never came up here. Refused too--said there was something up here that gave her the creeps."
I snapped my fingers at Rhonda to get her attention and motioned for her to hand me a pen and paper. Okay–so--yeah I should carry my own. But I hated carrying bags, much less a purse. Rhonda liked backpacks.
And she was organized. She kept a small notepad and pen in an outside pocket and handed them to me.
"You really should consider sign language," Dags said.
I scribbled. YOU KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE?
He nodded. "Sure."
Scribble, scribble. HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE YOU KNOW USE SL?
He pursed his lips. "Good point. But--if you learn it and Rhonda learns it, then it's easier for her to interpret for you."
'Scuse me? Rhonda interpret? Hell no! She'd PG me!
"Interpret huh? I like that," Rhonda said with a smile. She moved away from the stairs, which made me feel a little better. "Maybe then I could get on a real payroll."
Phhhttt.
I turned the page. Scribble. SO--YOU SEEN THE BROWNIES UP HERE?
"I'm not buying the Brownies angle," Dags said. "But I've seen them out of the corner of my eye--just like a few seconds ago. There is no reason to trip up that step, Zoë. But you're not the first to do it. Almost everyone that's new up here does it. Customers are almost used to it happening. It's like a game."
I was watching him. I scribbled again. BUT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S A GAME TO THE BROWNIES?
He shook his head slowly.
"So, did you see it, Zoë?" Rhonda asked as she neared us. "When it tripped you?"
I shook my head, and then frowned. I pointed at her and Dags got what I was indicating.
"Good point," he said. "Why didn't it trip Rhonda?"
"Maybe because I saw it?"
I pursed my lips. Maybe--but I wasn't buying that. Instead I moved away from the two of them and started looking at the walls and the ceiling. There were a couple of shadowy places to the right, where the banister of the cut-through met the brick wall. And there was another one on the opposite side where a part of the brick stuck out further than the main wall.
Oh, and there was always behind the bar.
My heart pounding in my chest, I moved slowly to the bar, my hands out at my side and I braced myself against the bar before looking over the side.
Nothing. Though it was shadowy.
"Hey Zoë," Rhonda called out. "Why don't you go OOB and take a look? For all we know they're right here and we can't see them."
Good point. Only--why did I suddenly have stage fright?
Maybe it was because even though I was now weird, I didn't like things weird. The Phantasm I'd met a few weeks back was the icing on the cake to a constant stream of poltergeists (back in October), succubus, and symbionts.
Oh yeah. My life. Want one?
I looked around the area and decided on a nice, open spot where I could snuggle my body up behind the piano, braced by the wall, but not as easy to get too. I nudged myself in there and lay down.
"What is she doing?" Dags asked.
"You'll see."
And in seconds I was out of my body and standing up. I sieved through the piano--wood wasn't so bad--and moved closer to where they stood.
Dags' eyes widened until they looked as if they were going to explode. His mouth was perfect O. I smiled at him and nodded. So--is this what you saw that day at Fadó's?
He nodded. "Yeah--" he looked me up and down. "I don't remember the bunny slippers though."
I glanced down at my black bunny slippers and tapped my feet. Yeah, this is apparently the uniform my subconscious likes to put me in. I could look just like I look right now if you like?
Dags shook his head. "No. The bunnies work for me." He looked at Rhonda. "OOB. Out of body."
She beamed.
He beamed.
I stuck my tongue out and shoved my finger inside of my open mouth. Gross you two. Get a room so you can geek in private.
So--I looked around--concentrating on the shadows. Oh, I saw things. Gray images of faces, eyes, things that looked like that classic painting of The Scream. But little Shadow People? Or wee men in brown suits? Nope.
Until--
"Zoë?"
I knew the sound of that voice. I turned from where I was at the bar and saw Dags and Rhonda standing near the stairs, just in front of the cut-through. They were looking at the opposite wall.
No--not really. They were looking at two very distinct images in front of the Christmas tree.
Dags, you see them?
He nodded. "I see something. It's not really people. More like.."
"It's a shimmering in front of the tree." Rhonda said. "Like heat coming off of hot pavement on a hot summer day--" she pointed. "Wait, did you see that?"
What I saw was something totally different. They did look like people--though very small people. No more than three feet high. They were reed thin in odd places. Instead of having thin arms and legs, they were thin in the torso, and a little wider along their arms--and their legs--they had no feet.
And no faces. Just--well--they looked like they were made of shadows. And also like we'd discussed at mom's. Like I wasn't quite seeing them all the way.
Well, you two don't look like Brownies.
And for some wacko reason, one of them paid attention, because it turned and looked at me.
Yow!
And it had eyes. Two pinpoints of lights and they were focused on me. And they looked--
Menacing.
I could have sworn I heard it hissing.
Oh no you di'n.
"Are they looking at your body?" Dags said.
My body. Oh good grief no--not again. Another entity wanting my body to ride around in like Rai had? I started forward and the one watching me vanished.
And it was in front of me. It didn't have a mouth per se--but it did have a weird oval shaped darker area where a mouth should be and the little fucker was batting at me with his hands.
It never actually touched me--and I almost laughed at it.
Until I heard Rhonda yell out.
I looked away from the tiny Brute trying to take me down to see the other one running at Dags and Rhonda. And too late I realized what it meant to do.
They were standing right in front of the cut-through. One good shove and it could knock one of them if not both of them backwards and over the banister. It would take a good physical knock--but then they had tripped me in my physical body.
I moved through the little bugger in front of me as it continued to hiss and flail. I had to get to the other one and knock it over somehow. I was sure Dags and Rhonda couldn't see
it clearly or they'd be getting out of the way.
Before I could get there a blinding light stopped me right in my tracks. And it was a painful light--close to a hundred suns against my skin. I put my hands up to ward it off and still felt it--almost as if it singed my astral skin.
I managed to look through the light as it faded--and my jaw dropped to the floor. The little shadow man that had tried to attack me was gone. So was the other one.
What I saw was Rhonda huddled down on the floor against the banister. And Dags--
Well Dags was standing with his feet spread wide, his right hand out, palm facing where the shadow person had charged him, almost as if he'd meant to push it away. A white light was dimming from the center of his palm.
WTF?
And then the light was gone. Dags stayed still with his hand straight out like that for a few minutes. On his palm I swear I saw glowing, spinning circles before he looked at me and gave me a very wan smile. Finally he shifted his weight and stood up straight before cradling his right hand against his chest.
"I guess I have some s'planin to do, huh Lucy?"
I glared at him. I don't know how I knew it, but I knew it. Maybe it was Mom's constant spouting off of things she knew, or maybe I'd actually stumbled on it in a book. But I knew.
I knew it for certain.
I pointed at him a la Body Snatchers. The only thing I didn't do was hiss. You're a magician!
*****
CHAPTER FOUR
Dags held his hands up. I just stood there in my all-together-astral with my mouth hanging down to my feet. And Rhonda?
She was looking at the bartender as if he were Brad Pitt--with a bugger hanging out of his nose.
"You're--" she twisted her already-peculiar expression into something else. "What are you?"
Dags sighed and lowered his hands. "Hey, I'm just like you. Flesh and blood, but with a little added suh-um, suh-um in the brain pan that lets me see things." He waved the index finger of his right hand in the air. "Weird things. Made for some pretty weird childhood adventures."
"So you see ghosts," Rhonda said. "And you can like--shoot light at them?" She held her arms out and up in a gesture of frustration. "I can see ghosts and I can't shoot light out of my hand."
Out Of The Dark Page 4
