The Ghost Files 2 (The Ghost Files - Book 2) (16 page)

I know he has a point. When I look back at all the bad times in my life, at all I’ve suffered, I sometimes wonder the same thing, but I can never convince myself that there
isn’t
someone up there. Maybe it’s because of all the bad things that happened in my life that I believe. My old Sunday school teacher once said that God only throws things at you he knows you can survive, that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. I believed it then and I still do. I know He’s there even if I don’t see Him. Faith. No matter what’s happened in my life, I’ve never lost my faith. I might have learned to rely on my own ingenuity instead of depending upon the divine, but I believe in a higher power. Call it God or whatever you want, but I believe in it. Always will.

“What, not going to try to convince me otherwise?” Eli asks after a minute.

“Nope,” I say and stand up. “If you don’t believe there’s no point in buggering you about it. Everyone is entitled to his own beliefs.”

“I wish Caleb and Dad would leave me alone about it,” he says darkly before standing himself. “They think I should just accept that we come from angels and are on some kind of epic holy mission to fight the battle between heaven and hell.”

“So what do you believe?”

He shrugs. “You’ll laugh.”

“Ghost Girl here,” I say and point to myself. “Trust me, I won’t laugh.”

He smiles and I can’t breathe. His whole face lights up when he smiles and that queasy feeling starts in my stomach again.

“I think we’re like the X-Men, genetically mutated or something so we can see things on a different plane of existence than other humans can.”

Such a guy thing to say. I bite back a laugh. What guy wouldn’t want to be a superhero with powers to save the world?

“So which X-Man would you be?” I ask.

“Wolverine, of course.” He looks at me as if to say, ‘well, duh.’

“I like Storm. She has some wicked abilities, much better than mine.”

“I’ll give you Storm,” he agrees. “Halle Berry was hot in that movie and she kicked ass.”

I roll my eyes. Leave it to Eli to go straight to the hot chick scenario and forget all about Storm’s ability to control the elements.

“So, Mattie, what do you think causes us to be the way we are?”

I shrug. I have no idea. “Who knows?”

“Do you buy into the whole God thing and the greater purpose?”

“I think that we all have free will to make our own choices, Eli, but yeah, I do believe in the whole God thing.”

“Why?” His face is a mask of curiosity as he stares down at me. I feel tiny next to him. He towers over me, even sitting. “From what the Doc said, you’ve had a pretty crappy life. How can you believe in a God after everything you’ve been through?”

“Did you ever just know something, Eli? You couldn’t explain it or maybe even understand it, but you knew it deep in your gut?”

He nods slowly.

“That’s how I know God’s there. Yeah, I’ve had a pretty bad life, but there have been good spots in it, too. I met my social worker, who cares what happens to me. I met Dan and his dad, who taught me that I’m worth something, and I met Mary and her mom. They gave me a home, knowing what I can do and not caring. As many bad things that have happened to me, I’ve been given gifts, too. Even I’m not so screwed up that I don’t realize a blessing when I get one.”

“So you really believe there’s this being bigger than life just watching over us?”

“Yup.”

“Hmm…”

“I guess I should get back to my room,” I say after a few minutes.

“Yeah, I guess you should,” he agrees, but neither of us move.

His eyes are glowing in the dark, the aqua color mesmerizing. There’s almost a light shining out of them. Looking into those eyes, I firmly believe he’s been blessed by God even if he doesn’t. He can only see evil, but I can see everything and there’s nothing but a pure goodness living inside him. He can be a complete jerk at times, but he has the light of heaven around him.

“Would you hit me again if I kissed you?” he asks, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Probably,” I tell him.

“I think it might be worth another black eye,” he muses and leans closer.

My heart rate speeds up and my breath catches. I’ve been wondering all day what it would feel like if he kissed me. Just the thought has me near hyperventilation. I’ve never ever in my life reacted this strongly to anyone, ever.

His breath whispers across my face and the queasy feeling intensifies. Maybe this is not such a good idea.

“I wouldn’t,” I blurt out, embarrassed.

“Why not?” he asks, pushing me against the wall with his body.

“Being this near you…it uh…it makes me a little sick to my stomach,” I confess unhappily, my face ten shades of crimson.

Much to my chagrin, he laughs. “That’s a
good
thing, Mattie.”

“My wanting to barf all over you is a good thing?” I ask, flummoxed. Is he insane?

“Let me show you why it’s a good thing,” he breathes and before I can guess what he’s about, his lips are on mine.

Fire explodes. Literally explodes through my entire body. The queasy feelings go away and are replaced by the strongest sense of need I’ve ever felt. I want him closer, need him like I need air to breathe. My fingers twist in his hair and I pull him to me, my lips softening, giving in to this demand of his.

Eli deepens the kiss and for a few minutes we are both lost to feelings that overwhelm us. He groans and pulls away, his forehead resting on mine. His eyes are bright and dark at the same time. My ragged breathing matches his.

“Understand now?” he whispers.

Um, yeah, I do. I used to read the romance novels my foster moms would leave lying around. I read all about the desire that flared up between people. That’s what this is I feel around him. Desire. Not sure if I like it or not. It’s intense.

“I’ve wanted to do that since I met you,” he confesses.

“Even though I hit you twice?”

He laughs, his smile contagious. “Maybe not in those moments, but yeah, even though you hit me, Hilda.”

“Call me Hilda one more time and I really will hit you again,” I threaten half-heartedly. It’s hard to stay mad at him when he smiles.

“Come on.” He grabs my hand and starts leading me down the hall. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

“What if I don’t want to go back to my room?”

He stops and turns towards me. “What do you want to do?”

The ice creeps back up my spine and I stiffen, looking. We’re in the center of the hallway. Eli takes a step towards me, his swords swinging up at the ready.

Every door in the hallway swings open and slams shut, causing me to let out a startled scream.

That’s when I see him.

Standing at the end of the hallway, the man from the porch is staring at me. His eyes are harsh, hollow. I am exactly where he wanted me to be, in the house. With him.

He smiles.

Chapter Eighteen

“BOYS!”

Mr. Malone comes barreling up the stairs about the same time Dan and Caleb race out of my room. They all come face to face with the man from the porch.

“Mattie, you okay?” Dan asks me, a frown on his face when he notices I’m shoulder to shoulder with Eli.

“Fine,” I tell him, never taking my eyes off the man at the end of the hallway. When Caleb goes to flip the light switch, I stop him. “Don’t, Caleb. Leave the lights off.” I’m not sure why, but I know turning the lights on will cause him to leave and I want to know why he’s so eager to get me in this house.

The man cocks his head and looks at me, his gaze assessing. He’s dressed in a black suit and my mind immediately goes to
Poltergeist
with a twist of
Phantasm
. I watch way too many scary movies.

“Who are you?” I ask him.

“This is my home,”
he replies.
“Who are you?”

“This isn’t your home anymore,” I tell him softly. “You’re dead.”

“Yes,”
he agrees.
“It’s a very unfortunate state of affairs, isn’t it?”

“Mattie, I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to it,” Dan whispers in my ear. I hadn’t heard him move up behind me, but then I am a little preoccupied.

I give him my best exasperated look. True, this ghost scares the bejeezus out of me, but if I can talk to it, I might figure out what it wants from me. “He’s not an it, Officer Dan. He’s just a lost soul who needs some help.”

The ghost bursts out laughing. I glare at him, which only makes him laugh harder.

“Squirt,
I
can see it, which means it’s not the type of ghost you’re used to. That thing is not lost or in need of help. It’s something that has been warped and twisted, something that hurts others because it likes to.”

“Your beau is right about that, young one,”
the ghost wheezes.
“I love to hurt others. Always have.”

I can hear his intent to hurt me in his tone and I’m ever so glad no one else here can. They wouldn’t let me try to talk to him if they could. I need to understand why I’m so important to him. Even now, when I feel all his glee at the thought of causing me pain, I can feel his need to have me here. It’s very confusing.

“He’s not my beau,”
I reply, switching to an internal chat so no one else can hear what we’re saying. Dan is a lot of things to me, but my beau he isn’t. Nor does he want to be. He chose Meg. It was
easy
with her. That still stings, I realize. More than stings, it hurts down to depths of my soul. I can’t dwell on it now though, so I push it aside.
“Why do you want me here?”

The ghost sighs. He looks much older than he had when I first saw him on the porch upon my arrival.

“You are special, girl. There are only a handful of people with abilities even close to your own, but none quite like you. I felt you when you entered the city, knew you were on your way to me. With you, I can cement my control over all of them.”

“What do you mean?”
I ask
.

“My souls, they have been growing stronger over the decades, some almost as strong as I am. I will not lose control of them, child. Your soul will give me the power I need for an eternity. Your light will feed me until I grow so strong, nothing can hurt me.”

I take a step back at the malice and determination in his voice. Dan is a solid wall at my back and I lean into him. The ghost in front of me is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s so sure of itself. Most ghosts are lost, unable to move on because they either don’t realize they’re dead or plain old refuse to admit the fact of their demise. This one relishes being dead, he loves the power he gains from the souls around him. It’s disturbing.

“You okay?” Dan whispers.

I nod, even though I’m not. Just being in this ghost’s presence is draining. He saps all the energy out of me from over a hundred feet away.

“Can we just kill it?” Eli asks, his voice bored. “Why talk to it?”

“This is her thing, let her do it,” Dan tells him, his voice sharp. I roll my eyes. He’d just asked me why I was talking to it not five minutes ago.

“That little stick of his can’t hurt me,”
the ghost whispers.

“He says it can,”
I counter.

“Let him try,”
the ghost smirks.
“You need to understand that no one can save you from me.”

“He says your sword can’t hurt him,” I tell Eli hesitantly. I’m not too sure I want Eli anywhere near him.

“Really?” Eli laughs and saunters towards the ghost. The man grins wider, but doesn’t move as Eli swings…and swings…and swings. The sword slashes again and again, but to no avail. Eli stares at the man, dumbfounded. I can sympathize. It’s how I’m feeling right now. If a holy blade can’t kill it, how can we hope to?

The man laughs and suddenly Eli is airborne, flying backwards. He crashes into me and Dan. We all go tumbling backwards. I frantically try to free myself from the mass of limbs, but Eli is too heavy.

I blink and the man is crouched down in front of me. His blue eyes are hard, a killer’s eyes. He traces his hand down my cheek and I shudder. His touch freezes the blood in my body, my bones scream in protest. My teeth start to chatter and I push backwards, but Eli is completely unconscious on top of me. Dan is working to push himself up, but I can’t help. The ghost in front of me has all my attention.

“You see, girl, there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Before this night is out, I will have you.”
He stands up and looks over to where Caleb and Mr. Malone are standing.
“Tell them to leave this place now and I will spare all of them. You’re the only one I want.”

With that he vanishes.

Chapter Nineteen

I stare at the room Eli picked for himself. The walls are a dark gold and the furniture all dark mahogany wood. The bed clothes are done in shades of cream and chocolate. It’s a very masculine room. It also has its own en suite. Leave it to Eli to find one of the few rooms with its own bathroom.

The boy in question lay on his bed, unconscious. His father and Caleb had moved him here and then they’d gone back out into the hallway to argue about the best course of action. Doc had finally showed up as well. He said he’d been watching from the control room and had gotten all sorts of readings. Here we’d all been facing a possible hostile situation and he’d been recording data. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I thought he’d have at least been concerned enough about me to come help.

As kind as Doctor Olivet has been to me, I guess he’s like everyone else. When it comes right down to it, it’s all about him. Never mind anyone else.

I laugh at my own bitter statement. Over the last couple months, I’ve grown completely jaded and bitter. I know it and so does everyone around me. I can’t help it. After everything I’ve been through, I have every right to a good sulk. Even Dan turned out to be less than the perfect guy I thought him to be. Why can no one ever just put me first? Why can’t I have someone care about me so much the only thing that matters to them is me? I just want someone to love me like that and I don’t think I’ll ever have it.