Trying To Live With The Dead

by B. L. Brunnemer

  “She’s already scheduled three climbing lessons a week for the next three months.” Asher said to the room. “She really liked climbing.” Ethan looked around at us, with a strange look on his face.

  “What she needs to do is link to the Veil. We need to find out how she’s supposed to do that before anything else.” He reminded us.

  “More meditation exercises.” I offered. Then I realized how much was really there. “We’re going to need to help her make a schedule. Schedule some recreation time around all this too.”

  “She also needs to eat right.” Zeke said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Serena said taking care of herself was not an option. She needs to eat right and sleep eight hours at night.” Everyone else cursed. I sighed.

  “She never sleeps eight hours.” Isaac snapped. “Hell, last night she was screaming after two.”

  “Then again after another three.” Ethan added his face dark. “Isaac said she stopped whimpering when he touched her.” He looked up and around the room. “Maybe that’s the answer.” The others were silent. I started thinking about a different solution, but there was another issue we needed to talk about before Lexie finished talking to Rory.

  “I know everyone cares about Lexie, but right now we need to know how much?” I asked a bit distracted. Everyone glared at me, Zeke looked downright hostile. What did I say?

  “We aren’t bailing on her.” Zeke growled at me. Oh, that’s what it sounded like?

  “I’m not trying to say we should.” I looked around at each of them and tried again. “I mean, how do you guys feel about her? How does she fit in our group? She’s a girl, and that’s going to change the dynamics a bit.” The room was quiet.

  “I don’t want to watch romantic girly movies.” Isaac groaned. Ethan laughed.

  “You won’t. Have you seen the movies she likes? Deadpool is a favorite. Monty Python and The Holy Grail is another. Oh, and Tremors, one, two, and three. Not to mention Star Wars.” Everyone chuckled.

  “She fits.” Zeke admitted. “I noticed it the first night studying at Rory’s.”

  “Me too.” Isaac nodded. “It’s like she’s been with us for years.”

  “Like puzzle pieces and we didn’t know we were missing one.” Ethan added.

  “She already feels like family.” Asher agreed. “Like she’s always been here.”

  “Then we should have a no dating Lexie rule.” I told them seriously. They all looked surprised.

  “Do we really need one?” Ethan asked; his face puzzled. “Anyone want to date her?” No one answered. I sighed, no one was going to fess up now if they did.

  “We’re all going to be spending lots of time together. She’s new, different, she’s funny and well, she’s…”

  “Cute the word you're looking for is cute.” Isaac supplied then frowned at me. “Because if you call her hot I’m going to smack you.” I sighed and tried to explain again.

  “I just want to cut off trouble before it starts.” I swallowed and tried again. “Imagine if she dated one of us and it didn’t work out. How would she still be able to hang out with us? Be friends with the rest of us? Or worse what if one of us starts dating her and someone else liked her too?” Everyone started thinking about it. The room was quiet for a time.

  “I see where you’re going.” Zeke said.

  “That makes sense.” Isaac mumbled.

  “I can get on board with that.” Ethan chimed in.

  “You do realize you guys are assuming she’d want to date one of us?” Asher pointed out. That made everyone stop and think. “She canceled on Dylan last night, but he’s still very much on the radar.”

  “What did she end up telling him?” Ethan asked, rubbing an eyebrow.

  “She told him a relative died and she won’t be able to see him for a couple weeks.” Asher replied. “I backed her story up to him; I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

  “So, this whole thing might not even be necessary.” Zeke pointed out.

  “I still think it is.” I told them honestly. “I make a motion to have no dating Lexie policy, within the group.” Ethan sighed.

  “Seconded.” Ethan’s voice told me he clearly didn’t see the point of this.

  “Third.” Asher agreed distractedly as he pulled out his cell phone.

  “Motion passed.” I said. “No dating Lexie.” Asher tilted his head to the side.

  “They’re done talking.”

  Epilogue

  Rory let me stay at Miles’ over the weekend and into the week. He understood that I couldn’t see Tara just yet. I spent a lot of my time at Miles’ sleeping and talking to the guys. It took a lot of conversations but I realized I wasn’t the only one who felt guilty over Mary Summers. That the guys thought themselves responsible too. I didn’t want them to be right, so I talked to Serena about what happened. It was an awful conversation. She said everything comes with a price, I paid that price. But we were all responsible. I’m still working on believing that. But the guys all keep saying the same thing. We should feel guilty but it was an honest horrible mistake. All we could do is make sure it never happened again.

  My time sleeping at Miles’ wasn’t so great at first. If I was alone, I’d wake up screaming with Mary Summers’ face as she died fresh in my mind again. The guys were never far away. Though on the second night after I had woke everyone up again Ethan said ‘Fuck it.’ and climbed into bed with me. When I slept through the night that became our norm. One of the twins would sleep next to me and the other the next night. It made going back to Rory’s harder. I still wake up at night, though I’m able to stop myself before I start screaming now.

  Jessica’s photo of me in the locker room had unexpected consequences, for her. It was the Tuesday after the game and pictures of Jessica changing in the locker room were sent from person to person. She broke the rules of the locker room and faced the consequences. I thought it was rather funny. Asher didn’t like it, but he also thought it was poetic justice.

  Dylan and I are having trouble getting our schedules to sync up for a date. Someone quit at their hardware store, Dylan is having to pick up the slack. We’re still talking or texting every day. And we have a break coming up from school so we’ll meet up sometime. No, he isn’t my boyfriend.

  Zeke was right about the repercussions from the big screen photo. I get catcalled and harassed any time I’m in the hallway now. I’m thinking of getting a middle finger sign and putting it on the back of my jacket just to save me some time. Miles isn’t handling it well, but I’ve managed to keep him from hitting anyone.

  I’m still looking for anything on the Veil and how to control this ‘gift’ of mine. Not to mention how to open the Veil for spirits again. But I keep coming up with nothing. I sent Claire out of town; I didn’t want the extra energy messing her up the way it did Mary Summers. She had a few leads she wanted to try anyway. It’s going to take her awhile. Ghosts don’t really travel fast.

  The dead still come to me every now and then. But the lulls between are getting smaller. They are finding me somehow. I tell them why they can’t move on. I listen to their lives and talk to them if they need it. I still draw their portraits in my sketchbook, with their stories. I put Mary Summer in there too. Someone should remember.