Beyond - Volume 1 (YA Paranormal Romance) (22 page)

Lillian snorts
, and Emma sighs, but neither of them wants to acknowledge Jianyu.

“Hey, Raven, want to go to the movies tonight?” Emma asks.

I’m surprised she just ignores Jianyu like he’s not even there. She hasn’t looked at him once since he sat down here. Like she refuses his existence.

“Yeah, there’s a really cool movie right now, about a couple fighting for their
lives,” Lillian says as she takes her cell phone out of her bag. She looks at the list of films at the movie theater in Piney Hollow. “Look, this one.” She shows me the movie, but I’m only partially listening. I’m still watching Emma pretend that Jianyu isn’t here, and he doesn’t seem to care either, finishing his lunch.

“Sure,” I say. Even though I don’t like
cliché movies, I could use the distraction after last night. My mind is still haunted with the memories of last night, the fear reflected in Damian’s eyes as he looked at the ‘person’ he saw in the gym. What makes him so scared? And why does he want to go after it?

“Do you mind if I tag along?” Jianyu asks. The girls pull their eyebrows up
, and the fork in Lillian’s hand snaps in half. I’m even surprised he asked. Jianyu wants to go to the movies with a bunch of girls who don’t even acknowledge his existence?

“Why? What are you doing here?” Lillian asks. She can be so rude.

“Why can’t I? It’s just for fun, isn’t it?” Jianyu puts on a cheesy smile and sticks out his hand to them. “The name’s Jianyu.”

Neither Lillian
nor Emma greets him.

“Do you guys mind?” I ask them and put my hand on Jianyu’s shoulder to cheer him up. “Come on, it’s going to be fun.” Honestly, I don’t know what to think of Jianyu, but I like his attitude. I’m not putting up with this bitchiness
, so I’ll take them on for Jianyu.

Lillian heaves a sigh and shrugs. “Whatever.” She waves her hand and then resumes ticking on her mobile phone. Emma doesn’t even respond.

“I’ll pick you up in my car, so you don’t have to ride your bike,” Jianyu says. He’s thoughtful, even though I don’t like cars.

But why is he putting in so much effort? Is it because he wants to get to know me, or is he up to something?

From the corner of my eye, I can see Lillian grating her teeth. Fortunately she keeps her growl inside. I don’t get why she’s acting like this.

“Well, we’re going
in my car.” Lillian points at Emma and herself.

***

At home, I do my homework quickly, so it’s done for tomorrow, because I won’t have any time to do it tonight. I’ll be too tired after the movie, and I can’t gather any energy to do it anyway. It’s not long before I smell the stench of my mom’s cooking. Time for dinner.

I hobble downstairs and scoot a seat back, while my mom puts the pots and pans on the table. The plates, silverware and cups filled with water are already placed.

“Bon appétit!” she says with a smirk and then sits down as well. Sweat is on her forehead, but she stays energetic, as if she doesn’t want to give in to her exhaustion. I wonder where she gets all the enthusiasm.

Reluctantly, I scoop up some of the droopy food that lands on my plate like bubbling sludge. Every time I take a bite, I glance at my mo
m, who gazes back at me like nothing’s wrong.

Between two bites she asks, “So … wh
o’s that boy? What’s his name?”

“Who?” I ask.

“The one you keep scurrying off with.”

“How do
you know about that?”

“Did you think I didn’t notice? Is it the same boy you went out with at Billy’s? Or is it the boy you went to the dance wi
th? Or are they both the same?”

My mom’s fake smile and
glare create a disgusting feeling deep inside of me, and I can’t help but say, “It’s none of your business.”

Maybe she’s only interested in my life, but it feels like she needs to know every tiny detail about me
, and it’s freaking me out.

She looks
flabbergasted, like she didn’t see that coming. The meatball on her fork falls down on her plate and lands in a puddle of juice, splattering it all over the table.

“Well, of course it’s my business. I’m your mother
, and I want to know who’s sneaking around with my daughter.”

“No, it’s my life. It’s my business. Keep out of it!” I yell.

“Where is this coming from, Raven? We used to share everything! When I dropped you off at Billy’s, you told me you were going to tell me all about it, and now you’re being mysterious.”

“Why should I tell you everything if you can’t even tell me the reason you’re bein
g so paranoid all the time?”

“What are you talking about?” My mom throws her napkin on the table.

“Have you already forgotten what you put me through, having to move every single year, because of your stupid fears?”

Her eyes almost spew fire. “Raven, enough! Go to your room!”

Then the doorbell rings.

For a moment, we’re both silent, glaring at each other with fire burning in our eyes. Her fists are clenched
. My arms are folded.

I stand up, angry at her. I’m not hungry anymore. She’s always meddling
in my life but never tells me anything about hers. With a hard push, I shove my seat back and storm out of the room, but then I realize I still have something to say.

“I can’t do anything normal girls do, but you still have to know everything I do like you’re some goddamn detective. You only think about yourself!” I’m furious.

My mom’s eyes fill up with tears. “You don’t know what I’ve had to sacrifice for you. If only you did …”

A sobbing sound is the last thing I hear before I s
lam the door behind me. I’m not going to my room. I’m going to the movies, and she can’t stop me.

In front of me is Jianyu Cheng. He looks at me with widened eyes while I bolt outside and stop right before him.

“Hi,” I say, knowing I sound crude.

“Is everything okay in there?” Jianyu asks.
From the way he puts his hand on my shoulder I can tell he’s worried.

“No.”

“Oh, did I come too soon? I can wait, you know. I’m sorry if I got in your way.” He’s so polite. I don’t get why he’s not the slightest bit annoyed by my attitude.

“Please, let’s just go. Fast,” I say
, walking toward his car.

***

It’s dead quiet in his car. I keep my mouth shut, afraid I’ll spill things I’ll regret saying. Besides, I’m not in the mood to talk about the fight I had with my mom. Jianyu is not the type to discuss these things with, I think. He’s not talking either, and the awkward tension between us feels uncomfortable, almost as if he doesn’t want to be here either.

We drive to the movies in the center of town
, and as we move up the parking lot, I see Emma and Lillian already waiting at the entrance. They’re looking at us when we get out, but only greet me. Lillian bites her lip spotting Jianyu, but I won’t allow her to scare him away.

We
each buy a ticket, some popcorn and a drink. The two girls walk up front, giggling and chatting about the upcoming movie, while Jianyu and I walk behind them. He’s slouching forward, looking through the windows to the outside world. He seems distant, as if he’s somewhere else in his mind.

It’s packed full. There are only two rows of seats left with a few chairs available, none of them big enough for four people.

“I’ll go sit by myself,” Jianyu says, and he walks toward a seat somewhere far away from the girls.

“Fine,” Lillian says
, and she continues in the opposite direction.

I s
tay put. “No. That’s not fair.”

When she hears me, Lillian turns around.

“That’s not cool for Jianyu, and you know it,” I say, looking at him.

“I don’t mind, really,” he answers. Lillian shrugs and sits down with Emma at the first row of seats.

“I’m not going to let you sit there all by yourself,” I say. “Scoot over.” I throw an angry look at the girls one last time, even though I know they’re not watching me.

“Okay,” Jianyu says, his voice dull.
He doesn’t seem to care.

When the movie starts, I grab my drink and take a few sips. I offer Jianyu my popcorn, but he refuses and slumps down in his chair. It’s time I enjoyed something fun, but I’m constantly distracted by Jianyu
, who’s looking at his watch every five minutes. I’ve just taken some popcorn and put it in my mouth when he slaps his hand in front of his mouth and yawns.

“D
on’t you like the move?” I ask.

He shrugs and looks around the room.

I don’t understand this guy.

Then his eyes focus on something
, and he squints. He shoots up from his slumped position and rests his elbows on his knees.

“Can I
get out?” he asks, pushing himself up from the chair. I nod and stand up, but get shoved aside by Jianyu. “Excuse me,” he mutters.

What’s gotten into him? He rushes through the room, ignor
es all the angry faces directed at him and runs out the door. I turn my head, trying to spot the thing he saw that made him jittery, and then I see it.

A ghost.

My popcorn drops to the floor, my muscles stiffening.

A huge plume of yellow smoke swirls around the room like a released gas bomb, right in front of the screen. In the midst, a ghost floats through it, even though this one isn’t nearly as clear as Damian’s ghost form.
This one looks like the ghosts I saw at the cemetery. This isn’t one that can come back to life.

I jump up from my seat and bolt after Jianyu. At the other side of the door I see a men’s room, the doors still clattering. He went inside.

I swallow away the lump in my throat.
I want to know if he’s going to do it. I want to see it.

At that moment I decide I won’t let anyone stop me, not even common etiquette, and I barge into the
guy’s bathroom.

“Raven!” His voice sounds ragged, as if he didn’t expect me to chase after him.
He’s lying on the floor. His shirt’s ripped open and falls to the side. Along his slender tall body hangs a box right on top of his heart, connected to the same watch he was looking at in the theater, just like the one Damian wears.

“What are you doing here?” He asks. As if he doesn’t know.

“I want to see it,” I say, and he heaves a sigh. “Don’t all those other people see that ghost?”

He sighs again. “No, there are only a few people who can see them. That’s why it’s so … special what we do.” From his pocket he fetches a metal box with wires attached to it. On top are some colorful buttons. It’s the same thing Damian brought to the basement at school and used against the black ghost.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“I made it. It’s a complex machine designed to emit static electricity
, which connects itself to the ghost. The contact erases the ghost. We always bring them with us during a mission.”

A mission. He talks about it like it’s some sort of secret operation ordered by the government.

Then he turns the buttons on the watch.

“So you’re really going to do it.
Here.” I can’t believe it’s happening again.

He nods and rests his head on the stone floor of the bathroom. The watch begins to beep. We don’t have anything here to monitor his heart and check if it starts beating again. There are no friends to assist him or to help him catch this poltergeist.
There’s no bed or chair to peacefully wake up in, only the cold hard tile below his back.

The buzzing sounds like an annoying mosquito I want to smack down. His body jolts up and down before his head drops to the floor
, and his eyes turn away.

Goose bumps run all over my body. I don’t know how many times I can witness this before I collapse. But then I see Jianyu’s ghost in front of me. A slender, smoky silhouette, glistening in the light of the lamp, pries the metal box from the limp hand of Jianyu’s body.

I crawl backward against the bathroom door, while he rushes off, right through the wall.

Man up, Raven. Come on.
I keep repeating it to myself. I take a deep breath, swallow and force myself up. I follow his spirit trail. I want to see it.

I storm out
of the bathroom and go into the theater again. Some visitors turn their heads to me, their faces thunderous, but they don’t know what I’m going through. Unknowing people enjoying their niggling amusements, while I stare into death’s eyes.

From the wall Jianyu’s spirit drifts into the room, floating about as if he’s being carried by a breeze of air.
The yellow ghost is still in front of the screen, gaping at people, but luckily enough, nobody can see him. Nobody except me and Jianyu.

Jianyu sneaks up on the ghost
, who seems oblivious. In his hands, Jianyu still holds the metal box he intends to place under the ghost to electrocute him. I’ve seen it before, at school, with Damian.