by Jo Ho
“Did you hear back from them?”
“No, not yet,” Tyler replied. “I just came to get my bag.” She pointed to Cassie’s bed, where her bag sat undisturbed, somewhat relieved to see that it was still closed. At least Cassie hadn’t been going through her things. Picking it up, she made her way back to the door.
“You’ll let me know if you hear anything?” Tyler asked.
“Sure,” Cassie replied quickly, unable to shake that caught expression on her face. Tyler hesitated, wondering what to do. On the one hand, Cassie was obviously up to something. Then again, it looked harmless enough. Biting her lip, she shot Cassie a small smile before heading back to her room.
It really wasn’t any of her business what Cassie did with Marley’s clothes. She had her own problems to worry about without making new ones.
Taking out her card, she paid for Ally’s bag then moved on to the next item on her mental to-do list.
Sighing, she pulled up Google, typing “part-time jobs” into the search bar.
Chapter 15
T he walk back to the dorm felt like forever.
Marley shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she hurried down Main Street.
In the dim light of dusk, distorted shadows crawled along the sidewalk creeping ever closer to her. As if she were a child playing the floor is lava, she made sure they never quite reached her feet. Though she knew they couldn’t harm her, she also knew unpleasant things liked to lurk in the dark, whether those things were supernatural serial killers or not. Her eyes darted every which way, watchful for another unwanted appearance from her ghostly visitor.
This time, it wasn’t Christian she was worried about.
Marley felt more vulnerable than she’d ever been in her life. Even with all the episodes she’d experienced, she’d never been attacked by someone before, let alone a ghost. The experience left her shaken and very scared. There was a coldness inside now that no amount of heat or clothing would abate. There was the terrible realization too that the woman wanted something from her… which meant she would be back. She heard a strange chattering sound before she realized that it was her own teeth.
“We’re almost there,” Christian said, appraising her with his eyes.
His shoulders were tensed. He kept looking around them, watchful for anything out of the ordinary. Marley had expected Christian to berate her for being alone at the reservoir — it was a stupid thing to do after all — but he’d only tightened his lips into a straight line, urging her back to college. It was almost as if he were afraid. This frightened her more than anything else. He was dead after all, so if he was scared, then it didn’t bear thinking about.
He walked quickly beside her, his shoes making a soft sound as he went. Marley found this detail strange as he wasn’t a physical being anymore. His feet could not connect with the ground, even if they looked like they could, so how could he make walking sounds. She wondered if it was a figment of her mind, similar to how when people lost a leg they could still feel their toes moving.
Seeing how carefully he scouted the area for danger, for the first time since they’d met, she felt an immense gratitude towards him. Torn by having left her alone, he was determined to see her back safely, even though she had insisted she’d be fine on her own. They weren’t in the remote reservoir now. It was early enough that couples and families walked the streets, contemplating which restaurant they wanted to dine in. Their chatter and excitement filled the air offering some small comfort. At least while they were around, she didn’t feel so alone.
The familiar red-bricked buildings of BU finally appeared before them as they approached a signpost pointing to her dorm. On a whim, Marley changed directions, moving towards another building.
“It’s this way?” Christian pointed, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“I’m not heading back to the dorm yet. I’m… going somewhere else.”
“Where?” he asked, but Marley didn’t tell him. She didn’t want him to dissuade her from what she wanted to do.
“It’s OK. I won’t be long,” was the only reply she would give. Christian followed, clearly concerned. He didn’t say anything until they crossed into the history building. Marley swiped her student pass on the reader, waiting for the doors to swing open. Stepping inside, she found herself in an area with several glass offices. Two corridors flanked either end of the room. There were signs with names attached to each of the offices though none contained the name she wanted. Racking her brain, she tried to remember where he said his office would be. Was it in the East or West?
“What are we doing here?” Christian asked. When she didn’t answer he swerved around her until he blocked her path. Marley just stepped through him.
“Oh, that’s cold. You’re just going to walk through me now?”
“Only when you get in my way,” Marley responded, finally deciding that The West Wing sounded more familiar. She headed down the hall, past offices that were mainly closed now, until she saw one at the end that was still open. Welcoming light streamed out, illuminating the corridor. She moved towards it quickly, filled with the urge to see the one person in the world who would know what to do. Knocking on the door, she stepped inside.
“Hey, Dad.”
Paul looked up from his computer, a wide smile on his face. He sat in front of an antique painting that Marley recognized immediately. An old family heirloom that had been passed down for hundreds of years, it showed a woman sunning herself along a river on a warm day. The familiar sight of it made her feel comforted somehow. Christian paid the painting no attention, however. Having no idea that her father worked here, his face was shocked.
“Hey hon, so you decided to check up on your old man’s first day after all?”
Shame wracked her body as Marley realized she hadn’t even given her dad’s new job a second thought. She wasn’t the only one who was having first days and new experiences. Her dad was only really here so that she could live out her dream of studying here even though that was fast becoming a nightmare.
“Exactly,” she lied. Plastering on an equally big smile, she hoped he wouldn’t see straight through her.
“It went pretty much as expected. Students are the same everywhere during their first week, more concerned about where the best parties are than what’s on their syllabus. Speaking of which, have you been to any?”
“Any what, parties?” Marley asked. Here it was. This was the opening she needed. She could spill out the whole sordid story right now and he would help her to make sense of it all, just like he’d made sense of all the other difficulties she’d endured. As long as he knew the truth, he would have her back. It was the two of them against the world.
“You can’t tell him anything. If you do, you’ll be putting him in terrible danger.”
Christian’s words came at her like a thunderbolt. He stood beside her dad looking deadly serious with no sign of his usual attitude.
“You have powers, Marley. He doesn’t. If you reveal what’s been happening, he’ll either think you’re crazy or he’ll try to protect you, neither of which will help you in any way.”
He paused, spreading out his hands beseechingly. There was a softness in his eyes she had never seen before like he knew how much he was asking of her. “I know this is hard, but you can’t tell him.”
“Marley?” Paul asked, his eyes crinkling with concern.
“Sorry, I was just thinking of something, but no. No parties or any other news to report. I’ve been super boring, not getting up to anything much at all. I have made three friends though,” she added, relieved she could tell him something that was true. Lying to her father wasn’t something she’d done very much in her life, and she wasn’t feeling good about doing it now. It felt like she was betraying his trust.
“Well that’s great news,” Paul said, making her feel even worse about herself. He had always been her biggest cheerleader even when she didn’t deserve it. Like now. Beside him, Christian gave her a small support
ive smile then left the room to give them some privacy.
They shot the breeze after that as Paul talked about his new students and run-ins with other professors. All in all, it sounded like he was having a blast. At least one of them was. She gave a brief rundown of the other girls, omitting any of the stranger details.
When she eventually looked at her phone to check the time, she was shocked to see that it had run out of charge long ago. Bidding Paul goodbye, she feigned excitement for the days ahead, hurrying back to the dorm where she knew the girls would be worried sick by now.
As soon as Marley was gone, the smile left Paul’s face. Marley had never been a good liar, and he had always known when she wasn’t telling the truth.
Like now.
He stared at the empty space where she had been just moments before, worry clouding his features.
Chapter 16
C ity lights blinked into the night.
The streets were filled with the kind of silence that only came with the lateness of the hour, though not everyone was tucked up in bed sleeping.
From his hiding place behind a bank of rose bushes, Fink stared across Copley Square towards the hulking Trinity Church. Michael had given him strict instructions to scope out the area. He was to let him know if the place was empty so he could continue with the task that he was so rudely interrupted from completing the night before.
Unfortunately, though the yellow tape that had been on the ground earlier that day had finally been removed, a pair of plainclothes cops patrolled the area.
He knew what they were the minute he saw them.
He saw it in the way they both walked as if they owned the place, with the kind of swagger that only those who wielded power had. Michael was the same. Fink had tried to move in the same way himself, but inevitably he would look as if he had pulled a muscle in an unfortunate region. This kind of swagger only came to some naturally. Even more telling than their walk, however, were the redhead’s shoes, the men’s shoes she wore for long days patrolling the city so her feet wouldn’t hurt. Those were a dead giveaway.
And then there was the smell.
With one sniff, Fink could tell that before she had come to work, she had played with a long-haired dog with his favorite ball. He knew the dog was a male as they had a weaker scent. It was something to do with nature and female dogs needing to attract a mate. The ball was made of a strong rubber that had already lasted a good while which he knew from the many layers of dried dog saliva on it. Fink also knew that like any good cop cliché, the redhead had breakfasted on coffee and donuts. She had combated that later with a chicken salad for lunch.
It was because of Fink’s incredible sense of smell and smarts that he had become Michael’s right-hand man. After last night’s mess, he had wanted to give Michael some good news. It didn’t seem like that would be the case, however. He’d been watching the cops for over three hours now yet they showed no signs of retiring.
Steeling himself with the idea that he’d probably have to go back to let Michael know that their plan would have to wait and the rage that would inevitably follow such an announcement, Fink cracked his knuckles as he moved out from his hiding place. He studied the police who were oblivious to his scrutiny. Tonight was meant to be a recon mission… though maybe he could alter the plan, take the cops out of the picture?
The male cop might have a few pounds on him, but Fink was much stronger than he looked, and he was good at killing people, especially women. They were usually so frightened when they saw him that it rendered them almost helpless. He grinned to himself, feeling his mouth watering as he pictured the female cop turning on his specially made spit roaster at home. She was a little older than he usually liked them, but he was sure she would still taste good. She would go great with that honey glaze he had swiped from the market earlier. Almost dancing with the anticipation of his upcoming meal, Fink moved forward when two other figures approached the cops. Snarling with frustration, he darted back behind the bushes.
Who were these two now?
He knew the answer within moments when the redhead greeted the others warmly.
Wonderful. More cops.
Seething with resentment, Fink watched as the redhead and her partner were replaced by two other duty cops, both men this time. While he could do away with them easily enough, two dead cops was going to bring a lot of heat this way. Fink knew it would be the last thing Michael would want.
With his hand over his now rumbling stomach, Fink made his way back to the sewers. They would have to wait one more day to move on with their plan.
Chapter 17
T hunder rumbled overhead, waking Tyler in her bed. Beads of rain littered the window like crystal drops. Usually, the sight and sound of them would relax her, but a flower of apprehension opened up inside her chest.
The last time there was rain, she had turned it into a weapon.
She fought to control the shiver that crept up her spine, drawing the sheets around her. The sky outside was a gloomy gray that matched her mood perfectly. Tyler kept her curtains opened as she couldn’t sleep in the suffocating darkness. This was a new phobia she had developed after her parents had died. She knew she should see someone about it, but it had never seemed that important in the grand scheme of things.
She had hoped for an early night last night so she could catch up on sleep, prepare for what she knew had to happen today, but of course, they had been up well into the night again as Marley had had to relay her terrifying ordeal when she returned.
It was funny: if you had asked her only three days ago if she believed in ghosts, she would have laughed and said no, but now…
Things could change so fast.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Tyler looked at the calendar on her bedside table. One of the dates had been circled with stars and exclamation marks, courtesy of Ally. Although she would never forget her sister’s birthday, Ally liked to make a game of marking the date on all of her calendars. It amused her to do it, so Tyler had never stopped her, even when her Gmail account had spammed her with a reminder every hour the day before the date last year. Ever the prankster, Ally had entered it into her online calendar multiple times. She’d been particularly proud of herself for that one.
Thinking about her took some edge off, and at least she didn’t have any classes today. That brought a little relief too.
Climbing out of bed, Tyler slipped into her flip-flops, grabbed a towel, her wash bag, and ID card. Leaving her room, she went down the hall to the communal bathroom passing one or two other sleepy students on her way. She gave each a small smile of greeting but didn’t speak to them. Stepping into the bathroom, fogged up mirrors and wet floors greeted her. Although it was pretty early, some of the dorm’s early risers — probably the two she had just passed — had already washed up. Finding an empty cubicle in the corner, Tyler showered, allowing herself to gradually wake under the warm water.
A little later, she was dressed in a smart Bardot top and an A-line skirt, as ready as she’d ever be for the task ahead. She’d even forgone her usual Converses for these sensible-looking pumps. Armed with copies of her resumé — such as it was, as Tyler had never worked before — she hit the streets to look for a job.
Her online search yesterday had proved fruitless. Most of the jobs required that she either have experience or more hours to spare than she had. Figuring that her best chance was to make a face-to-face impression, Tyler headed to the main retail and food areas. There were a few signs on the door asking for help, but Tyler didn’t rely on just those. Having found a Reddit thread yesterday that suggested she would have better luck enquiring in person rather than relying on For Hire signs as they tended to be inundated with job-hunters, she was determined to go the extra mile.
So she went into coffee bars, sandwich and salad shops, clothes and shoe shops, asking at every one, but all came back with nothing. It seemed that while they were busy killing Christian and learning about their freaky powers, other students had gott
en there before her.
As luck would have it, the early morning rain had gone, leaving behind blue skies and bright sunshine. After hours of pounding the sidewalk, with sweat gathering at the base of her neck, Tyler arrived at the Star Market, a large grocery store popular among the students. Of all the places she had visited, this was the least glamorous. Sighing, not really expecting anything, Tyler stepped inside and asked to speak with the manager.
Moments later, she was greeted by a smarmy guy in his forties. He wore hipster glasses that seemed out of sorts with his too-long face and puffy lips. He wore the striped red shirt that was the uniform of the store, which strained over his protruding stomach. The name on his badge said WILLIAM, Store Manager. Taking matters into her own hands, Tyler introduced herself, explaining why she was there as William peered over the tops of his glasses, assessing her shrewdly.
“You have no experience?” he asked, making this sound as if it were a crime.
“No, but I’m a fast learner and I’m keen,” Tyler intoned. This might’ve been the twentieth time she had said this exact same sentence today.
“So you really need this job?”
Did he want her to beg? How was she supposed to answer that?
“Yes, I really do. I’m happy to fit in more hours too as necessary, so long as I can still go to class and get my work done. Do you have a job going right now? I didn’t see a sign but thought I’d ask any way…”
“Well, yes we do,” William said, licking his lips in a way that made her skin crawl. “I actually take on many students like yourself, so we’re very used to creating a schedule that works for us all.”
“If you give me the chance, I promise you won’t regret it,” Tyler said, a flare of hope rising in her chest.
William smiled at her but for some reason, it left her feeling queasy. He reached out and took a resume out of her hand, his fingers brushing against hers as he did so. Uncomfortable at the contact, Tyler had to fight the urge to back away, not wanting to give him any reason to take offense. She stood there, bottling her unease as he read over her information.
