Cheating Heart, A Lost Souls Novel: A Lost Souls Novel (12 page)

“Do you see that?” James asked.

Vienna tried to respond, but the words weren’t coming out, so she just nodded.  They stood there for a moment watching it.  The shadow slowly morphed into a darker more human shape.  She was afraid to move.

“What
is
that?” James asked.

Vienna cleared her throat
before answering.  “Um…a ghost.”

“Seriously?” he asked.
  “A ghost?”

“
Um, yeah,” she said.  “But this one is different.”

“I wonder what
will happen if I touched it.”  He let go of Vienna and took a few steps toward it.  He slowly extended his arm.

“Don’t!” Vienna said, putting her hand on his shoulder
, stopping him.  “Please, don’t touch it.” 

The darkness began to grow
, stretch and expand.  The garage lights flickered on and off and the air around them became colder.  Vienna wondered if that was why she’d been chilled to the bone most of the night.  The ghost had been closer to her than she’d realized. 

“What’s it
doing?” James took a step back, keeping his eyes glued to the dark shape.

“I don’t know.”

Suddenly a bone chilling breeze began to pick up and the darkness began to swirl like a black whirlwind kicking up dust and scattering debris through the air.  A few pebbles flew past them and clinked, hitting a car parked next to them.  Vienna shielded her face with her arms, protecting herself.  The darkness widened and lengthened and stretched some more.  The sinister shadow was creeping closer to them, threatening to devour them into its negativity. 

Vienna was
still too afraid to move.  Any sudden movements could cause it to pounce.  She’d seen a ghost filled with negativity once before.  It had been a man that was trapped in his past, reliving his death over and over again.  For the most part he’d been unaware of what was going on around him.  Every once in awhile he’d have a lucid moment and reach out for help.  That’s how he’d attached himself to her energy.  She questioned this ghost.  Was this ghost similar?  Was it also living in the past?  Her gut told her that he wasn’t.  That he was more in control of what he was doing.  She wanted to help him, but the fear that radiated from his negative energy turned her stomach.  How could she help someone she was terrified of?  Sooner or later, she knew she was going to have to gather her courage and face it.

James grabbed Vienna’s hand
and yanked.  He pulled her to his bike.  He carefully rolled it out of the space.  “Get on,” he whispered; hoping that the ghostly figure wouldn’t understand his intentions.

Vienna shook her head and then looked at the big dark shape blocking her from getting to her car and out of the garage.  “I don’t like bikes.”

“Come on!” he urged, waiting for her to hop on the back.  “We need to move.  Now!”

“I don’t have a helmet,” she whimpered
, climbing on the back of his bike and wrapping her arms around his waist.  Her fear of motorcycles was outweighed by her fear of the ghost.  Her stomach leapt up into her chest.  Her heart thudded in her ears.  James’ bike roared to life.  The sound of his exhaust system thundered throughout the cement structure.  Vienna peeked over her shoulder at the ghost.  The darkness formed a human head that stuck out of the whirlwind, opening its black eyes.  It seemed to be staring at them, even though they were blank and empty.  An arm suddenly formed and reached out at them longingly.  Its fingers stretched and bent in a claw like manner.  James punched the gas and sped up the ramp to the 4
th
level of the garage.  Vienna closed her eyes, pushed her head to his shoulder and clung to his body for dear life.  She wondered if Jack would help to contain the darkness.  She criticized herself for telling him to go away.  It was her own fault that she’d asked him to leave her alone.  Maybe that’s just what he was doing.  He was giving her some privacy.  Not that he’d ever listened to her before.  It figured that now would be the first time he’d actually take her advice and disappear.

Vienna was worried not only about the ghost, but the motorcycle. 
Being an inexperienced rider, she wasn’t sure what to do.  She didn’t want to lean with all of her weight into the turns and make them fall over, but she didn’t want to counteract James’ movements either by leaning the opposite way.  She worried that she’d throw them off balance.  What was she supposed to do?  Instead of doing either, she tried to just cling to him.  She tried to picture her body melting into his and let him make all the moves he needed, to get them away from the ghost.  Thankfully it wasn’t too long before the bike came to a stop.  She could breathe again. 

James looked around.  There was nowhere else to go.  The parking garage wasn’t very l
arge and they were now at the top.  There were only a few cars left scattered on the 4
th
level.  He kept the bike running and maneuvered it so that he was facing the direction in which they’d come.

“Do you think it’s still there?”

“I don’t know,” Vienna replied, softly.  “That display he was putting on was taking a lot of energy.  I don’t know how long he can do that for.”

“Maybe we should just make a run through it
,” James suggested, “and get the hell out of the garage.”

“
Um, I don’t know.  Maybe…or maybe we should wait for a bit.”

“What do you think it wants?”

Vienna knew what it wanted.  She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. “Me,” she said her voice barely audible.  “It wants me.”

Vienna could feel James’ shoulders
straighten and tense as his muscles tightened.  She knew that he had a lot of questions, but for the moment was keeping them to himself.  She was grateful for his silence.  She didn’t quite know how to answer his questions or just how much she should tell him. 

***

Jack was relieved to see that Vienna was all right.  He wasn’t too happy to see her being so intimate with another man, but was happy to see her moving to safety.  He’d been invisible to Vienna, trying to give her the space that she’d asked for.  He knew she’d been upset and felt that he was ruining her date.  And in a way, he was.  Yes, he was there to protect and guide her on her life path, but he was also there out of jealousy.  He didn’t like seeing Vienna with another man.  It bothered him. 

In all honesty, he
could be there for Vienna without her knowing about him.  He could protect and guide her without her ever knowing he existed.  But he just couldn’t help himself.  He couldn’t stay invisible.  He wanted her to know he was there.  He wanted her to feel his presence. 

R
ubbing his astral hands together, Jack generated an electric charge that glowed brightly from his palms.  He then held his hands out to the heavens and pulled energy from the atmosphere, soaking it into his body.  He could feel the electric charge fill him with warmth, power, and strength.  Spinning white light enveloped his soul creating crackling pops and sparks of white light surrounding him. 

The darkness spun and turned and stretched.  It felt Jack’s pr
esence growing behind it.  The black looming cloud began to take shape into human form. 

Jack stood and watched as the being
morphed into a man.  It was still wispy and see-through in places, but Jack could make out some of the facial features from when the being was human.  The creature had been a man, a handsome man with a strong chin, and thick jaw-line.  He had high cheek bones, broad shoulders and was over 6 foot tall.  His dark eyes shined in the translucent ghostlike face.  He stared at Jack.

Pulling himself into solid form, Jack wanted to make sure the ghost could see him
clearly.  He wanted the ghost to know that he could match his strength.  “What do you want with her?”

The dark formed tilted his head to the side.
  His black eyes still staring, unblinking.

Jack tried again.  “What do you want with Vienna?”

The ghost didn’t move.

“Can you speak?”
When he got no answer, Jack decided to try a different question.  “Can you communicate with me?”

The ghost reached
an arm toward Jack.  A dark hand formed within the wispy cloud.  Its fingers uncurled and stretched.  Jack took a step back.  He wasn’t sure if he was a strong enough match for the negative energy seeping out of the darkness.  He could feel sickness and despair trying to penetrate the ring of white protective light surrounding him.  He needed to be careful not to let it take over.

Closing his eyes and pulling in as much energy as he could from the atmosphere, Jack held out his hand. 
The darkness was about to take hold when a loud roaring echoed throughout the garage like thunder.  The ghost spun around just as Vienna and James raced toward them.  The ghost dissipated into what looked like a black storm cloud and Jack jumped out of the way as the motorcycle raced directly through the dark lingering mass.  In that moment, as he’d jumped aside, Jack and Vienna locked eyes. 

Jack watched as James and Vienna zoomed out of sight.

Moments later, what was left of the darkness disappeared. 

Chapter 8

Vienna had been relieved to see Jack.  That meant that he’d been there protecting her.  He hadn’t abandoned her when she needed him most.  She pressed her head to James’ shoulder and kept her eyes closed.  After a few turns, they were safely out of the garage.  She wondered where James was taking her, but was afraid to open her eyes or move her body for fear of causing them to crash.  After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality were only a few minutes, the bike came to a stop.  Vienna forced herself to open her eyes.  They were sitting at a stop sign by the beach, near the pier.  James turned to the right and Vienna closed her eyes again.  After a few more minutes, the bike came to another stop.  This time the engine turned off.

Lifting her head, Vienna looked around.  The ocean was to the left of them and they were parked in a neighborhood in front of some beach houses.  She let go of James’ waist and sat up.  She slid off the bike and stood on wobbly legs.

“You okay?” he asked.

Not able to form words, Vienna nodded.
  She crossed her frozen arms over her chest.  She’d forgotten all about being cold until now that she was off of the bike.

“
I didn’t want to ride too far without helmets, but I wanted to get you away from the garage.”  James put his arm around her and led her across the street.  They stepped over the curb and onto the sandy beach.  They took a few more steps and stopped in front of a fire pit.  “The last thing I
need
is a ticket!” 

Vienna sat down on a large log that had been strategically placed near the pit.  The
embers still glowed as if someone had just finished using the pit recently.  She was cold, but too numb from the fright they’d just experienced to really feel the full affect of it.  She wondered why James’ voice was so harsh.  She knew the ghost had frightened him, but he sounded more angry than frightened.

“Looks like I can still relight this,”
he said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket.  He cupped his hand, blocking the cold breeze, igniting the lighter.  After a few tries, the fire pit came alive.  Vienna held her hands out to try and absorb the warmth.

“I didn’t know you smoked,”
she said, eyeing the lighter.

“
Why?” he asked.  “Is that a problem?”

“Um, no.”
  She wondered why he just snapped at her.  Did she say something wrong?  She didn’t mean to upset him.

“Obviously, there’s a lot about
you
I don’t know, either.”

His words stung and Vienna couldn’t help but flinch
at how sharp they were.  “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said.  “I just didn’t smell cigarette smoke on you…”

“I’m a social smoker,” he said
abruptly.  “I’m gonna text Steve and let them know where to meet us.”

“Okay,” Vienna whispered.

“And then you and I need to have a talk.”

“Sure.” 
Vienna’s stomach tied up in a knot.  She hated the words
need to have a talk
.  Those words were never a good thing.  No good has ever come out of
needing
to have a talk with someone.  Besides, what was she going to talk to him about?  Ghosts and the paranormal?  She really and truly didn’t want to talk about what just happened in the garage. But at the same time, there was no obvious way around it.  What was she going to say to him?  Something like,
I see
ghosts.
  Would he believe her?  Would he believe in her psychic abilities?  Half the time, she didn’t believe in them herself, and she was the one experiencing all of the strange phenomena.   How was she going to make him believe?  Psychic stuff was all so crazy and weird.  Where would she even begin?  She wondered if James believed in ghosts.  And worst of all, would he think she was a nutcase? 

James turned his back to her as he texted Steve.
He then turned around and sat in the sand a little ways away from her still staring at the screen of his phone.

“There’s room here,” she said, patting the log she was perched on.  “You don’t have to sit on the sand.
”

James shook his head.  “No, I’m fine.”

Not a good sign,
Vienna thought. 
He’s keeping his distance from me.
  “Okay…” she said, not knowing what else to say.  She felt a pang of hurt at him for not wanting to sit next to her.  Did he think she had paranormal cooties?

James fiddled with his
phone for a moment before making eye contact.  His brown eyes examined her as if he was laying eyes upon her for the first time.  “It’s just…well…I don’t even know how to begin asking this.”  He shook his head and chuckled.  “It’s so ridiculous.  You and I have been talking on and off over the last few months and I thought I knew you.  I thought we were becoming friends, possibly more.  But now, I’m realizing I don’t know you.”  He shrugged.  “I really don’t.”

Vienna gnawed on her bottom lip.  She awaited his dreaded question
s about the ghost and her psychic abilities and why the ghost wanted her.  She was still trying to figure out the approach she was going to take.  She decided the direct approach would be best.  She’d explain to him about her horrible dreams and then tell him about the ghost causing them. 
Yes,
she thought. 
That should work.
 

“Why?” James
finally asked.  “Why is
he
here?”

“Um,
well,” Vienna said while rubbing her hands together, “ghosts are attracted to me.  I know it’s all kind of strange and I really wasn’t sure how to explain this to you…”

“Ghosts?” James asked
, throwing his hands up in the air.  “What ghosts?  What in the world are you talking about?”

“You know,
ghosts
, like the one that appeared in the garage.  That big black scary looking one.  The shadowy looking thing…”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about!  I’m talking about
that
guy!  You know,
your
supposed friend, the one from Vegas?”

“
You mean, Jack?”  Vienna’s heart began to race.  Why was he asking her about Jack?  She wasn’t prepared for this.

“Yeah, Jack!
  Crazy bastard!  Why was
he
in the garage?  Was he trying to scare us?  I mean, that was a pretty big display he put on just to scare me away from you.”

“What?” Vienna gasped
, pressing her hands over her heart.  This wasn’t at all what she’d expected.  Now she knew she wasn’t the only one who was able to see Jack on the way out of the garage.  How in the world was she going to explain his appearance?  She wasn’t ready to deal with this kind of question.  Suddenly she felt backed into a corner with no real way of explaining who and what Jack was and why he was there. 

“Is he stalking you?” James continued to probe
.  “I mean, first he just happens to show up in Las Vegas at a bar that we’re at, and now here in Oceanside?  Don’t tell me it’s just a coincidence.  I won’t buy that excuse again.”

“Yeah, well…it’s
sort of complicated,” she said softly.

James didn’t wait for her to finish.  He continued to blow off steam
, his voice growing louder, “Come on, the guy is obviously going all out.  That was some fricken show he put on.  I mean, what’s his deal anyway?  Is he some sort of psycho?”

“Um, well…
no…”

“
You
told me that you’re just friends!  But, I mean, come on, Vienna.  I’m not an idiot!”

“We are…I mean,”
Vienna said, trying to find the right words.  Her mind was drawing a complete and utter blank.  There were no right words.  “There’s nothing going on between us.  Not like what you think is going on, anyway.  It’s purely innocent.  I swear!  It’s not what you think.  Promise.”

“Really?” James asked.  “Then what is it?
  What
is
going on?”

“I, uh…”

“I want the truth,” James said, his voice softening.  “I think I at least deserve that.”

“Um, okay,” Vienna said, looking down at her hands.
  “You sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure!” James
looked at her incredulously while hopping up and throwing his hands up in the air.  He began to pace, kicking sand up with his feet.  “For once, I’m falling for a girl, someone who I really, really like and look what happens.  She’s got a psycho boyfriend!  And not even a normal psycho boyfriend.  She’s got one that hops on airplanes and follows her about…who does magic tricks…” 

“Jack’s
not
my boyfriend!” Vienna hopped up off the log, stuffed her hands on her hips and raised her voice to match his. “Settle down and I’ll explain.  I’m just trying to figure out where to begin.”

James stopped pacing.  “
If he’s
not
your boyfriend, then what
is
he?” he demanded. “I want to know.”

Vienna sucked in some air and then blurted out,
“He’s my spirit guide!  Okay?” 

“Your what?”

“Jack’s my spirit guide.”

“Your spirit guide,” James repeated
.  “What the hell?”

“It’s true!” Vienna prote
sted.  “And that dark form…the one I know you saw, too, was a ghost that he was protecting me from.”

“Oh, please!
” James glared at her in amazement.  “You’re as crazy as he is!”

“Don’t try and deny it!” Vienna was now feeling quite heated.  How dare he not believe the truth, no matter how lame it sounded? 
How dare he think she’s crazy!  “You saw it, too!  And I know you felt it!  It’s a ghost!” 

“
A ghost?  That’s your explanation for what happened in the garage.”  James tilted his head to the side.  “Do you really expect me to believe this?”

“
You asked for the truth and I’m giving it to you.  Do you want to hear it or not?” she spat.  “You told me you wanted me to be honest with you.  I am.  I’m trying to explain what happened.  I don’t like to talk about this kind of stuff with people.”

“Honestly,” he said
, shaking his head and chuckling.  “I really don’t know.  This is all too weird.”

“
Just listen and hear me out, okay?  If you decide you don’t want to talk to me anymore after this, then fine!  But at least I know I tried.  This is something
I
have to live with.  And if you don’t like it,
you
don’t have to be a part of it.  At least you can walk away from all of this weirdness.  I can’t!  I’m stuck with all of this paranormal crap!  I can’t even have a normal life!”  Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she voiced her reality.  She really couldn’t change this part of her life even if she wanted to.  Hearing the truth of the matter out loud really pulled at her heartstrings.  A lonely tear escaped the ones gathering in her eyes and rolled down her cheek.  Vienna sat back down on the log and swiped the tear away.  She didn’t want to start crying in front of James.  She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her.  At that moment, all she longed for was to tell James everything and have him tell her that everything would be okay.  That she had nothing to worry about and that he was willing to stand by her in this world of chaos and paranormal beings.  She really longed for him to sit next to her on the log and wrap his arms around her.  She needed to be comforted, not shunned.  But in all reality, she knew that being shunned, now that she had discovered her psychic abilities, would be a big part of her life for now on.

Noticing her pain, James’ voice softened, “Yeah, whatever.”  He
frowned and sat back down in the sand.  He crossed his arms over his chest.  Vienna wasn’t sure if it was because he was cold or if it was a defense against her words.  “Go ahead, explain.  I’ll listen.”

Vienna did her best to
put in plain words how she met Jack and the experiences that she’d had with ghosts since she’d found out about her abilities.  She explained also how she’d known a few things about James when they were in Las Vegas.  How thoughts and feelings just came to her.  And how sometimes spirits that have already passed over will come to her just to deliver a message like James’ grandfather appeared at the Marine Corps Ball. 

James
sat quietly and listened.  He remembered when she touched upon his grandfather that had passed away and how she had also made a comment about James’ problem with alcohol.  He remembered how he’d stewed over the things she’d told him in Las Vegas.  The things she’d touched upon were things that she couldn’t possibly have known.  He remembered how much it had bothered him that a total stranger knew these things about him.  He had wondered how many other people could read him like she had.  Was he really that transparent?  Did he wear his feelings on his sleeve for the entire world to see?  Were his problems and inner struggles in life that obvious? 

When Vienna
finished her story, Steve was pulling his motorcycle up to the curb across the street from the beach.  He parked his red crotch rocket just behind James’ Harley.  Vienna watched as Kim hopped off the back of Steve’s bike, crossed the street, and excitedly ran over to them while unclasping her helmet.