“What happened?” I looked up at the road and saw five familiar silhouettes. One was holding a kid on his hip. I wasn’t too surprised to see them. I was oddly calm, my mind quiet. I gestured toward the road.
“How’s the kid?” I asked my voice rough.
“He’s okay, some bumps and bruises but he’ll be fine.” Rory answered stepping to the side and wrapping his hand around my arm. I looked down and saw blood covering my hands up to the middle of my forearms. Oh, I wouldn’t want to touch me either. I started walking toward the road, Rory helping me around the sharper rocks. Rory ended up climbing up to the road and reaching down to grab my upper arm, he gave me a tug as I pushed to climb up the steep embankment. I stood up straight and walked over to the little boy. He couldn't have been more than four years old. He had chubby cheeks and pretty blue eyes. He clung to Asher as if he was his new favorite toy. I looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile.
“Josh, you’re Mom asked me to tell you something.” I said gently, keeping my voice soft. He looked down at me, his eyes big and scared. “You’re Mommy loves you very much, she’s going to be okay.”
“Lexie you can’t-” Rory bit out.
“This time I can.” I looked over at him. “This time I know. She’s not leaving him.” I suddenly felt disgusting. I looked over at the guys. They were all watching me with different levels of curiosity and concern.” Is there any way to get this blood off me?” I asked my voice rough again. Rory nodded and brought me to the back of the second ambulance. It was empty; they were bringing the woman up the embankment. It took everyone, even the guys pitched in. Asher kept holding Josh. Rory handed me big antiseptic wipes. I took them and began scrubbing the blood off of me.
“How did you learn about the crash?” Rory asked his voice quiet. I tossed a now useless wipe into the trash and opened another one.
“Her soul came to me at Miles' house.” I told him honestly, just starting to really think about it. “She kept fading in and out, like a radio signal. I took off enough protection to get a bit of what she was feeling.” I shrugged, a bit bewildered myself. “I felt her heartbeat, and I knew she was alive.” I kept wiping my arms trying to get them clean. “I don’t know how the fuck it happened, but she found me. Ran right through the wall in front me.” I threw away another wipe and opened another one; I almost had one arm clean. Though I was seriously thinking of wiping down with bleach when we got back to Miles' house. Rory’s brow drew down.
“Has this ever happened before?” I scoffed, fighting back tears. I swallowed hard and looked around at anything but him. I kept cleaning my arms.
“I see the dead Rory; by the time they get to me there is nothing left to save.” I admitted to him and to myself. I was death’s clean up crew, I swept up the souls that got left behind or refused to leave. It wasn’t fun, it didn’t feel good, and it wasn’t even something I wanted to do. But it was my reality, my life.
“Not any more apparently.” Rory pointed out, he had a small smile on his face.
“Yeah, it was nice to help someone before they died for once.” I admitted. This one felt good, and I really needed that today. I kept cleaning my arms. When I finally had all the blood off my arms and out from under my nails. Thank you paramedics that stayed behind. Asher gave Josh to Rory. He looked at me then at Rory and back again. Apparently we looked enough alike that he didn’t mind being held by him. Asher drove back to the house. The others following behind us. I was still thinking about the woman in the car when Asher got my attention.
“Ally, that was pretty amazing.” He said his voice sounding impressed. I looked out the side window feeling my face grow warm.
“That’s never happened before.” My voice rough. I didn’t know why it kept sounding like that. “I’ve never seen anyone who was alive before, their soul I mean.”
“Not that Ally.” Asher’s baritone was earnest as we pulled up to the gate. He leaned out and punched in the combo. The gate started moving. “That woman was slipping away, and you made her stay.” I kept my gaze out the window.
“Her son kept her here, not me.”
“Ally, I heard you.” He told me simply. “She was slipping away, and you reminded her of what she had to live for.” I swallowed hard around the knot in my throat; I didn’t understand where he was going with this. It put me on edge. He pulled the Blazer into the driveway and parked. “Remember what we were talking about before the ghost came in?”
“Yeah, I remember.” I mumbled hoping he’d drop the subject. I didn’t really want to think about my issues with centering. I just wanted to go inside and pass out.
“I don’t think you have to worry about finding out you’re anything bad, Ally.” He said his voice gentle. “You have too big of a heart for that.” That feeling of being cared for washed over me again, bringing tears to my eyes. Oh, I really needed to get used to this. I couldn’t keep tearing up every time someone shows that they cared. My voice was thick when I finally answered him.
“Thanks Ash.”
Chapter 17
The guys let me go to bed without too many questions though I did take a shower and scrub my arms for a good half hour before I was done. The next morning I woke up earlier than usual. I took a shower and did my usual morning routine. Today I wore my usual boot cut dark blue jeans, and a black boyfriend shirt. I made sure to put all my cleaned bracelets back on. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and headed into the kitchen. I woke up early enough that we could have a real breakfast today so I pulled out eggs and a big slab of bacon. By the time the guys started coming downstairs, I had a huge plate of eggs and a huge plate of bacon waiting. I was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar finishing my last piece of bacon when Miles came into the kitchen. He wore dark blue jeans, black converse and a white shirt with a large picture that looked like it was taken from the Hubble telescope. That I now kind of wanted to steal, I liked the colors. He looked around then over at me.
“You are my favorite person today.” He declared as he headed to get himself a cup of coffee.
“Did I make enough?” I asked worrying, the guys ate so much I didn’t know how much to make. Miles looked over the counter.
“Yes. That should fill up every one, even Isaac and Zeke.” I got up and washed my plate then sat back down. It wasn’t long before the others walked in. Asher looked around and grabbed a plate. Today he was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a green and gold football jersey with the number six on his chest. It didn’t do much for his eyes.
“Who cooked?” He dumped a big spoonful of eggs on his plate. Mile pointed at me while he took a drink from his mug. Asher’s eyebrow rose. “When did you get up?”
“I’ve been up an hour.” I shrugged then gestured at his shirt. “What’s with the jersey?” It looked odd on him, not his usual style. He came and sat down on the other side of me.
“All the football players wear their jersey on games days, well when we have home games.” He explained before he began eating. Huh, I’d never heard of that, then again I’d never paid much attention to what was going on around the other schools I attended. Zeke came in next, his hair wet but combed. He had actually shaved this morning. It made him look more, scary guy next door rather than his usual menace to society look. For the first time since I met him, he wore dark blue jeans and a scoop neck long sleeved black t-shirt. The neckline showed the dip between his collarbones at the base of his throat. I wondered if it was laundry day and he was out of black jeans. He raised an eyebrow at the food.
“Did Asher cook?” He was looking wearily at Miles.
“Ally did.” Asher answered before biting into a piece of bacon. Zeke raised an eyebrow at me and then eyed the food wearily.
“It’s not as good as Asher’s cooking, but it’s food.” I told him honestly. Zeke grabbed a plate and dished up his breakfast. Ethan came in next; his midnight black hair was wet and tucked behind his ears, the ends resting on his jaw line. The silver earrings against the black of his hair, as always,
they caught my eye. Today he wore a faded black Metallica shirt, and his usual black jeans. When his chocolate eyes saw the eggs, they lit up.
“Food!” He hurried over, avoiding Zeke who ate with his back leaning against the sink. He was dishing himself up when he paused. “Did Miles cook?” Ethan’s voice was filled with dread.
“Lexie did.” Zeke supplied. Ethan looked at me and blew me a kiss.
“Thanks Beautiful.” He dished himself up and stood at the end of the breakfast bar, his plate on the counter. I heard stomping down the stairs.
“Very fucking funny guys!” Isaac shouted. He turned from the stairs and stormed into the kitchen still wet from the shower, wearing only a towel around his waist. The guys burst out laughing while I took the time to ogle him a little. The muscles in his broad shoulders caught my eye, which then ran down to his defined chest. He didn’t have Zeke's mass, but he did have more muscle than most guys did. Then there were his abs, he had the definition everyone wished they had. His Adonis belt was defined, making the v that disappeared into the white towel. The guy had definition all over. I forced my eyes back up at his face, which was scowling at the other guys. “Where are my clothes?” The guys burst out laughing. Isaac just shook his head and waited it out.
“Upstairs linen closet.” Ethan and Asher told him still laughing. Isaac turned and headed off to get dressed.
“Why did you guys do that?” I asked making a mental note to lock the door next time I take a shower.
“Isaac pranks us so much, that when an opportunity to mess with him comes up, we take it.” Asher explained as he took his plate to the sink. It wasn’t long before Isaac came back downstairs fully clothed. Wearing his usual jeans and sneakers. Today he wore a green long sleeve shirt, and a his blue hoodie.
“Who made food?” He asked already grabbing a plate and dishing himself up.
“Lexie.” Miles and Zeke answered at the same time. Isaac looked over at me then gave me puppy eyes.
“Marry me?” I rolled my eyes as the other guys threw wadded up napkins at him. Isaac smiled at me before biting into a piece of bacon. I ignored the proposal and finished off my coffee.
“So, is everyone coming back here after school?” Zeke asked putting his plate into the sink and leaning against the counter near it.
“I won’t, I have to stay after to get ready for the game.” Asher announced, taking his coffee mug to the sink.
“Wait, are we still only taking one car?” I asked looking around the group. The guys shook their heads.
“Last night I checked everyone's car out, and then Ethan salted everything. So we should be good.” Zeke said rolling his neck; I heard it crack from here.
“I’ll probably stop by my house to pick up a change in clothes; I’m meeting Kristina at the game.” Ethan announced. “Then hopefully to the party.”
“Have you asked?” Isaac asked.
“Not yet, but I’m sure she’ll say yes.” Ethan boasted. I rolled my eyes. Ethan did have charm I couldn’t deny that.
“I should pick up some clothes then too. We can get ready for the party here.” Isaac thought out loud. It made me think about the party tonight. What did I have in my closet that would look good? I got to my feet and headed toward the sink with my empty mug.
“Well hell, if everyone else is getting pretty.” I muttered as I stepped past Zeke and put my mug in the sink. “I might as well too.”
“You don’t have to.” Zeke pointed out shrugging. “I’m not changing.”
“Guys don’t have to look pretty Zeke, but girls, it’s kind of our thing. So I’m going to do the girly thing tonight.” I kept my voice matter of fact before turning and leaning against the sink.
“Are we going to see Red in a skirt?” Isaac exclaimed his face lighting up as if it was Christmas. I laughed sarcastically.
“No.” I told him flatly. His face fell. I looked over to Miles. “Miles, do you mind if I use that big tub in the master bath tonight? Cause it’s kind of calling my name.” I asked sweetly. He smiled at me.
“Of course.” I smiled cutely at him.
“Thank you.”
“You might want to add a layer today Ally, it’s going to be cold.” Asher advised taking his mug to the sink. I looked around at the guys.
“Okay, who has an extra hoodie I can steal?” I asked them. I could probably get away without one, but I really didn’t want to be cold. Cold was really cold up here in the mountains. The guys looked at each other expectantly.
“I don’t have one.” Zeke announced. “Even if I did, it would be huge on her.”
“I’ve got a red one, but it smells from band practice.” Ethan admitted apologetically.
“Same here, from football.” Asher added.
“I’ll get her one.” Miles announced, narrowing his eyes at the guys. “The girl needs a hoodie not an appendage.” I raised my eyebrows at that as he left the kitchen to go upstairs. The guys laughed when he was out of earshot.
“What did you guys do?” I asked suspiciously.
“We just annoyed Miles.” Isaac explained. “He’s a big believer in chivalry. You know treating girls like ladies and all that.” I smiled. That did sound like Miles. “Besides, he’s the one closest in size and his hoodie will still be big on you.” Made sense to me. Miles came back down stairs and handed me his gray hoodie. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you Miles.” His ears turned pink as I pulled away.
“Wait, he lends you a hoodie, and he gets a kiss on the cheek?” Isaac scoffed his voice full of disbelief. I saw the mischievous gleam in his eye; he was messing with Miles or me.
“Damn straight.” Isaac chuckled.
“So classy Red.” He teased. I stuck my tongue out at him, everyone laughed. I put on the hoodie, it reached my mid thigh. I held my arms out and laughed.
“If I had leggings, I could wear it as a short dress.” I giggled at myself. The boys chuckled at how small I was. When it was time to go, we all made sure everyone had their charms on. I made sure to use my rosemary oil again. We decided to split into two cars; I was planning on riding with Miles, Isaac and Ethan. I pulled on my leather jacket over Miles' hoodie and stepped outside. Then immediately wanted to step back inside. There was actual frost on the windshields and my nose felt frozen already. “Holy, freaking, mother...it's cold.” I complained pulling the sleeves of Miles hoodie over my hands. The guys laughed at me as I hopped into the back of Miles' car.
“You still need a scarf and gloves Beautiful.” Ethan informed me as he got in the front seat.
“I haven’t exactly had time to go shopping.” I reminded him.
“Excuses, excuses.” He muttered. I narrowed my eyes at him then scooted up behind his seat. I took my freezing hands and shoved them down his back under his shirt and jacket. He shouted, wiggled and cursed.
“Oh look, I found a heater!” I taunted as he continued to complain. Miles and Isaac laughed so hard that we were almost late to school.
The morning went on as usual. In World Civ, the girls to my left talked to me again this time about the coming weekend. It was nice to talk to other girls for once. I was on my way to English when I got a text from Rory, looks like the woman, Emily Hanns was going to live and make a full recovery. It made my morning. I was sitting in English waiting for class to start when Eric sat to my left again.
“Hey Alexis, what are your plans for the weekend?” He asked flashing me that dimple.
Oh the usual, use my freaky abilities to beat a Bitch Ghost into staying away from my friends. I was even a smart ass in my head. Instead, I shook my head.
“I have a project I need to finish and probably a lot of sleeping in.” I shrugged “What is there to do in town?” I asked curious, he gave me a friendly half grin.
“Not much in the fall really. Mostly the movies, hiking trails or parties.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “There’s a party after the game tonight. Out at the Dotson’s, their parents are out of
town. If you want to go.” Was he asking me out? Or was he just letting me know?
“Yeah, I heard about that one. My friends were going to take me tonight.” I hedged as the teacher walked to the front of the classroom. Class started, and I was miserable. I hated Romeo and Juliet, the story, how other girls fawned over the tragic love story. I couldn’t see the appeal. A little communication and honesty on their part and the whole death thing could have been avoided. But judging by the way that the girls were gushing as they answered questions I was in the minority. When class was over Eric walked out with me.
“Which way are you headed?” Eric stopped and turned around. I pointed toward the east hall. He smiled.
“I’ll walk you.” He offered, already walking along side me. Okay, this was a first. The only people who ever walked in the halls with me were the guys. “This town doesn’t really have a lot to do in the fall, but after the first good snow there’s a lot more going on.” He told me about parts of the lake freezing over, the pickup hockey games that happened every Saturday. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be nice or if he was working his way up to asking me out. He was talking about going to the game with a group of his friends when Zeke and Asher found us in the hallway. They were walking along when Asher spotted me, saw Eric, grinned and said something to Zeke. Zeke smirked. Oh no. They made a beeline towards us.
“So if you want to go to the game...” Eric stopped talking and stopped walking when Zeke and Asher reached us.
“Hey Ally.” Asher greeted me before his eyes went to Eric. “Who’s this?” Zeke stopped in front of Eric and eyed him up and down, being obvious about it. His frown was very much in place. Great.
“Eric this is Asher and Zeke. A couple of my friends.” I gestured from the boys to Eric. “Eric’s in my English class.” Asher smiled his face open and friendly. Zeke was his usual frowning self. “We were just talking about the football game tonight.”
Trying To Live With The Dead Page 32
