Sisters of Blood and Spirit
Page 57
“Oh, hell,” Wren said with a scowl.
“Well,” I said with fake bubbliness, “at least we have it narrowed down to two spots. That’s better than the entire graveyard.”
“These spots are at opposite ends of the graveyard,” she pointed out. “The breathers will never make it from one to the other before Bent kills them.”
“Breathers?” I echoed. Wow, that wasn’t like her to be derogatory. “Hey, I’m one of them.”
She shot me a dirty look. “Please. You’re not.”
“Do I need to kick Kevin’s ass?” I asked. “Because you are not you right now, and if he is responsible I need to hit him.”
Her shoulders sagged. “No, don’t hit him. Well...” She smiled slyly. “You could maybe give him a sharp pinch next time you see him. And no, I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now. He was right— I just don’t like it.”
I might not have been a genius, but I wasn’t completely brainless. Kevin had taken what I’d said to him to heart and ended things with Wren.
I hugged her—hard. I’d wait to tell her about Ben. It would be cruel not to, and I needed some time to accept that it was real. There was a part of me—a paranoid, suspicious part—that expected to go to school on Monday and find out it had all been a joke.
“Sorry about whacking you with that bar,” I said. “I was terrified Bent was going to grab you again.”
“It’s okay,” she replied. “I’m sorry about giving you a hard time about that police officer.”
“No, you were right.” I opened the book and looked at his photo again. He’d been hospitalized for “delusional” behavior, whatever that meant. Ghosts didn’t keep the same kinds of records that the living did, I guess. “That’s going to come back to bite me on the ass someday, but I can live with it for now.”
“I was thinking...”
She wasn’t looking at me, but out the window. That was never a good sign when Wren couldn’t make eye contact. “Yeah?”
“Maybe after we get rid of Bent I should start spending more time in the Shadow Lands. There’s so much I don’t know about what I am.”
It was like a punch. I wanted to protest. I wanted to order her to stay here with me. “You really want to do that?”
She turned her head. “I need to have some friends of my own—ghost friends. Young ghosts, not just Iloana.”
Fucking Kevin. Well, this was my fault, too. I might not like it, but it felt like the right thing for Wren to do. She had to have a life—or death—of her own, and so did I.
“Can I meet them?” I asked.
She looked alarmed. “Of course! Lark, you’re my best friend.”
I blinked back tears. “Okay, then. Just so we’re clear on that. It probably would be good for you to spend more time there. Besides, you cramp my style.”
She frowned. “What does that even mean?”
I shrugged. “I think it’s a polite way of calling someone a cock-blocker.”
Her frown deepened. “I’m not sure I understand that, either.”
I laughed. “I love you.”
My sister grinned. “I love you, too.”
Were all sisters this way? Could you go from anger to annoyance, then sadness and betrayal, then to acceptance and happiness in the span of seconds? Or was it just us? Every once in a while I wondered if maybe we weren’t two halves of the same whole. That somehow, we shared a soul.
She crawled into bed with me a little while later. It was so late, and I was exhausted.
“Hey,” I said, half-asleep. “Who was that white-haired woman at Haven Crest?”
“I don’t know. She’s the one who helped me find the book in the Shadow Lands.” I sensed, rather than saw her frown. “She said her name was Emily.”
“So, she just popped up?”
“Yes. She said she was from here. Maybe she’s one of Bent’s victims?”
“Hmm.” Maybe, but why not say so? I was too tired to think about it. “Maybe she’s our ghostly godmother.”
“That would be nice,” Wren said. “Now go to sleep.”
So I did.
* * *
My cell rang at ten. I picked it up but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“It’s Ben.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to call, and he made me grin like a stupid idiot—a fact not lost on my sister, who suddenly sat up straight and took great interest in my conversation. “Hi.”
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“No, I’m up.” God, it was still the weekend. Twenty-four hours hadn’t even passed since the séance.
“So you’re not in bed?”
Okay, I didn’t embarrass easy, but my cheeks burned. Wren raised her eyebrows in silent question—one I was going to have to answer later. “No.” I cleared my throat. “Just got out of the shower.”
A low chuckle vibrated in my ear and raced all the way down my spine. “So, if I came over in about fifteen minutes you could be ready to go?”
Hells yeah. “Go where?”
“Hospital. We’re all going to go see Gage.”
Not quite what I’d hoped for, but still a good thing. I wanted to see how Gage was doing, too. “Make it twenty. I need to grab breakfast.”
“Well,” I said with fake bubbliness, “at least we have it narrowed down to two spots. That’s better than the entire graveyard.”
“These spots are at opposite ends of the graveyard,” she pointed out. “The breathers will never make it from one to the other before Bent kills them.”
“Breathers?” I echoed. Wow, that wasn’t like her to be derogatory. “Hey, I’m one of them.”
She shot me a dirty look. “Please. You’re not.”
“Do I need to kick Kevin’s ass?” I asked. “Because you are not you right now, and if he is responsible I need to hit him.”
Her shoulders sagged. “No, don’t hit him. Well...” She smiled slyly. “You could maybe give him a sharp pinch next time you see him. And no, I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now. He was right— I just don’t like it.”
I might not have been a genius, but I wasn’t completely brainless. Kevin had taken what I’d said to him to heart and ended things with Wren.
I hugged her—hard. I’d wait to tell her about Ben. It would be cruel not to, and I needed some time to accept that it was real. There was a part of me—a paranoid, suspicious part—that expected to go to school on Monday and find out it had all been a joke.
“Sorry about whacking you with that bar,” I said. “I was terrified Bent was going to grab you again.”
“It’s okay,” she replied. “I’m sorry about giving you a hard time about that police officer.”
“No, you were right.” I opened the book and looked at his photo again. He’d been hospitalized for “delusional” behavior, whatever that meant. Ghosts didn’t keep the same kinds of records that the living did, I guess. “That’s going to come back to bite me on the ass someday, but I can live with it for now.”
“I was thinking...”
She wasn’t looking at me, but out the window. That was never a good sign when Wren couldn’t make eye contact. “Yeah?”
“Maybe after we get rid of Bent I should start spending more time in the Shadow Lands. There’s so much I don’t know about what I am.”
It was like a punch. I wanted to protest. I wanted to order her to stay here with me. “You really want to do that?”
She turned her head. “I need to have some friends of my own—ghost friends. Young ghosts, not just Iloana.”
Fucking Kevin. Well, this was my fault, too. I might not like it, but it felt like the right thing for Wren to do. She had to have a life—or death—of her own, and so did I.
“Can I meet them?” I asked.
She looked alarmed. “Of course! Lark, you’re my best friend.”
I blinked back tears. “Okay, then. Just so we’re clear on that. It probably would be good for you to spend more time there. Besides, you cramp my style.”
She frowned. “What does that even mean?”
I shrugged. “I think it’s a polite way of calling someone a cock-blocker.”
Her frown deepened. “I’m not sure I understand that, either.”
I laughed. “I love you.”
My sister grinned. “I love you, too.”
Were all sisters this way? Could you go from anger to annoyance, then sadness and betrayal, then to acceptance and happiness in the span of seconds? Or was it just us? Every once in a while I wondered if maybe we weren’t two halves of the same whole. That somehow, we shared a soul.
She crawled into bed with me a little while later. It was so late, and I was exhausted.
“Hey,” I said, half-asleep. “Who was that white-haired woman at Haven Crest?”
“I don’t know. She’s the one who helped me find the book in the Shadow Lands.” I sensed, rather than saw her frown. “She said her name was Emily.”
“So, she just popped up?”
“Yes. She said she was from here. Maybe she’s one of Bent’s victims?”
“Hmm.” Maybe, but why not say so? I was too tired to think about it. “Maybe she’s our ghostly godmother.”
“That would be nice,” Wren said. “Now go to sleep.”
So I did.
* * *
My cell rang at ten. I picked it up but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“It’s Ben.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to call, and he made me grin like a stupid idiot—a fact not lost on my sister, who suddenly sat up straight and took great interest in my conversation. “Hi.”
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“No, I’m up.” God, it was still the weekend. Twenty-four hours hadn’t even passed since the séance.
“So you’re not in bed?”
Okay, I didn’t embarrass easy, but my cheeks burned. Wren raised her eyebrows in silent question—one I was going to have to answer later. “No.” I cleared my throat. “Just got out of the shower.”
A low chuckle vibrated in my ear and raced all the way down my spine. “So, if I came over in about fifteen minutes you could be ready to go?”
Hells yeah. “Go where?”
“Hospital. We’re all going to go see Gage.”
Not quite what I’d hoped for, but still a good thing. I wanted to see how Gage was doing, too. “Make it twenty. I need to grab breakfast.”
