Sisters of Blood and Spirit
Page 21
She looked sheepish. “Earlier tonight. It must have been when you got hurt. I felt you were in trouble and I couldn’t stop it.”
Well, crap. I hadn’t even worried about that. I’d seen her do her crazy-ass ghost thing before, but that was just it—I had been there with her. I should have realized it could happen without me present. Hell, it probably happened easier without me around.
“Are you okay?” I asked first. And then, “Did anyone get hurt?”
She shook her head, vibrant hair bouncing around her shoulders. It wasn’t fair her having that hair. Maybe I could dye mine. Mom would never let me, but Nan might. “No. A lightbulb blew up. That was it.”
Okay, that was a relief. When I was in the hospital I once saw her take out a couple of windows. An orderly got pretty cut up. I wasn’t too upset about it—I wasn’t upset at all—but it had been pretty freaky to witness. I’ve never been afraid of Wren, but sometimes I was afraid for her.
“The glass almost hit Kevin,” she confessed. She looked wrecked over it. “I could have hurt him.”
“But you didn’t,” I reminded her. Something in her expression bothered me. She looked way more upset about this than I figured she ought to be. Usually she only looked this way when she’d done something that affected me.
Oh, hell. Someone should really smack me in the head. The guy had been looking after her grave the entire time I was gone. You didn’t do that for a random ghost you met once. That was a caring gesture. That was something you did for someone you cared about.
God, she was so freaking good about forgetting to mention things. But this was big. This was part of her life she’d purposefully cut me out of. That hurt. A lot.
“How long have you been seeing him?” My voice was hoarse around the huge lump in my throat.
She didn’t try to deny it. “As often as I can. Most of the time he doesn’t even know I’m there. But tonight, when I manifested? He saw me then.” Was she about to cry? “He actually saw me.”
I didn’t know how to feel about this. Oh, I knew how I felt—sad, happy and slightly afraid. Angry, too. I wanted to rant and rave about being locked up in that place while she flirted across dimensions, but how could I do that when flirting was something I could do anytime I wanted and she was the one trapped and unable to reach out? And why was I so afraid that she would abandon me for Kevin, when she couldn’t abandon me?
So maybe what I was feeling was worry. Nothing good could come of this. They could chat and flirt and do whatever it was they were doing. He might tell himself that he couldn’t hurt her because she was dead. They might even tell themselves nothing could come of it, but someday Kevin was going to meet a living, breathing girl and break my sister’s heart.
I was still pissed that she hadn’t told me about him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She sat back down on the bed, barely disturbing the blankets. “Haven’t you ever wanted something just for yourself?”
“Not really,” I replied. “I’ve always had you, so I didn’t need another secret.” I’d thought that I was enough for her, too. Just me and Wren against the world, right?
Wren smiled. “Kevin’s the only person other than you who ever heard me.” Then her smile faded. “Those times when you shut me out, or were too drugged to acknowledge me, I went to him. You’d never left me before—not like that. He made me feel less alone, and he made me believe that you would come back.”
Great, so now I owed him for that. More important, I owed Wren. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “I didn’t mean to leave you, I just let them make me forget for a little while.” Lame.
“And then you wanted to protect me from the ghosts.”
I nodded. “Then that.” Several of the more malicious ghosts in Bell Hill had decided that they wanted Wren to join them, become one of them. There’d been a time when I’d been terrified they would succeed, and that she would leave me forever to be a vicious, hurtful thing. It wasn’t something I liked to think about. That was why the vision of her with the eyeballs had really freaked me out.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.” I meant it. Maybe I was jealous or whatever, because even my dead sister seemed to be able to get a guy, but I wasn’t mad.
Cool fingers curled around mine. “How are your hands?”
I opened them up so she could look. The cuts weren’t so angry anymore and were already scabbing over.
“You could have gotten hurt.”
“Nah,” I argued. “Not during the first dance. It just wanted to check me out. I don’t imagine Haven Crest has seen anything like us before.”
“Do you suppose anyone has seen sisters like us before?”
“I don’t know. Probably?” I mean we were pretty freaky, but we couldn’t be the first or only ones. Could we? “I mean, there have been twins in dad’s family before.”
Wren tilted her head. “I wonder...” Apparently that was all she was going to say.
“Mmm.” I glanced at the clock. It was getting late. “I should do a little research on Haven Crest.”
“Can I help?”
“You can rub my feet.”
She rolled her eyes at me, but that didn’t stop her from schooching down to the bottom of the bed and setting one of my feet in her lap. I sighed. Wren gave the best foot rubs.
Well, crap. I hadn’t even worried about that. I’d seen her do her crazy-ass ghost thing before, but that was just it—I had been there with her. I should have realized it could happen without me present. Hell, it probably happened easier without me around.
“Are you okay?” I asked first. And then, “Did anyone get hurt?”
She shook her head, vibrant hair bouncing around her shoulders. It wasn’t fair her having that hair. Maybe I could dye mine. Mom would never let me, but Nan might. “No. A lightbulb blew up. That was it.”
Okay, that was a relief. When I was in the hospital I once saw her take out a couple of windows. An orderly got pretty cut up. I wasn’t too upset about it—I wasn’t upset at all—but it had been pretty freaky to witness. I’ve never been afraid of Wren, but sometimes I was afraid for her.
“The glass almost hit Kevin,” she confessed. She looked wrecked over it. “I could have hurt him.”
“But you didn’t,” I reminded her. Something in her expression bothered me. She looked way more upset about this than I figured she ought to be. Usually she only looked this way when she’d done something that affected me.
Oh, hell. Someone should really smack me in the head. The guy had been looking after her grave the entire time I was gone. You didn’t do that for a random ghost you met once. That was a caring gesture. That was something you did for someone you cared about.
God, she was so freaking good about forgetting to mention things. But this was big. This was part of her life she’d purposefully cut me out of. That hurt. A lot.
“How long have you been seeing him?” My voice was hoarse around the huge lump in my throat.
She didn’t try to deny it. “As often as I can. Most of the time he doesn’t even know I’m there. But tonight, when I manifested? He saw me then.” Was she about to cry? “He actually saw me.”
I didn’t know how to feel about this. Oh, I knew how I felt—sad, happy and slightly afraid. Angry, too. I wanted to rant and rave about being locked up in that place while she flirted across dimensions, but how could I do that when flirting was something I could do anytime I wanted and she was the one trapped and unable to reach out? And why was I so afraid that she would abandon me for Kevin, when she couldn’t abandon me?
So maybe what I was feeling was worry. Nothing good could come of this. They could chat and flirt and do whatever it was they were doing. He might tell himself that he couldn’t hurt her because she was dead. They might even tell themselves nothing could come of it, but someday Kevin was going to meet a living, breathing girl and break my sister’s heart.
I was still pissed that she hadn’t told me about him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She sat back down on the bed, barely disturbing the blankets. “Haven’t you ever wanted something just for yourself?”
“Not really,” I replied. “I’ve always had you, so I didn’t need another secret.” I’d thought that I was enough for her, too. Just me and Wren against the world, right?
Wren smiled. “Kevin’s the only person other than you who ever heard me.” Then her smile faded. “Those times when you shut me out, or were too drugged to acknowledge me, I went to him. You’d never left me before—not like that. He made me feel less alone, and he made me believe that you would come back.”
Great, so now I owed him for that. More important, I owed Wren. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “I didn’t mean to leave you, I just let them make me forget for a little while.” Lame.
“And then you wanted to protect me from the ghosts.”
I nodded. “Then that.” Several of the more malicious ghosts in Bell Hill had decided that they wanted Wren to join them, become one of them. There’d been a time when I’d been terrified they would succeed, and that she would leave me forever to be a vicious, hurtful thing. It wasn’t something I liked to think about. That was why the vision of her with the eyeballs had really freaked me out.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.” I meant it. Maybe I was jealous or whatever, because even my dead sister seemed to be able to get a guy, but I wasn’t mad.
Cool fingers curled around mine. “How are your hands?”
I opened them up so she could look. The cuts weren’t so angry anymore and were already scabbing over.
“You could have gotten hurt.”
“Nah,” I argued. “Not during the first dance. It just wanted to check me out. I don’t imagine Haven Crest has seen anything like us before.”
“Do you suppose anyone has seen sisters like us before?”
“I don’t know. Probably?” I mean we were pretty freaky, but we couldn’t be the first or only ones. Could we? “I mean, there have been twins in dad’s family before.”
Wren tilted her head. “I wonder...” Apparently that was all she was going to say.
“Mmm.” I glanced at the clock. It was getting late. “I should do a little research on Haven Crest.”
“Can I help?”
“You can rub my feet.”
She rolled her eyes at me, but that didn’t stop her from schooching down to the bottom of the bed and setting one of my feet in her lap. I sighed. Wren gave the best foot rubs.
