Shadow Bound (Wraith) (9 page)

“Connor’s downstairs.”

I balled up a shirt and threw it at the basket. The red and green shirt missed and sailed behind my desk chair. “I don’t want to see him.”

“I know you don’t,” she said. “But I think you should.”

I looked at her in surprise. “You’re defending him?”

“No, but I believe in dealing with things head-on.”

I started to laugh and rolled my eyes. “History has proven you do not believe that.” If there was one thing my mother and her family were good at, it was pushing things under the rug.

“Just talk. I don’t want fighting and crying and avoiding phone calls. Break up with him. Or don’t. Make things clear. It’s up to you. But avoiding him isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Fine,” I said. I picked up my entire suitcase and dumped it all in the laundry basket before following her down the stairs.

“He’s on the porch. He didn’t want to come inside in case you didn’t want to see him.” We stopped in the foyer. I hesitated by the door and she asked, “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. I’m okay.”

She gave me a quick hug. “Growing up stinks.”

I tried to smile, but couldn’t and just opened the door. Connor sat on the porch swing, rocking it back and forth with his long legs. He jumped up when he saw me.

“Hey.”

I did not reply.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The purple bags under his eyes looked worse than before and his eyes were wide and intense.

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“It was stupid. Completely stupid. I don’t even know what I was doing.” He was being kind of weird. Hyper.

“Right. Like tagging private property isn’t against the law. That carries serious jail time. I can’t believe you would risk everything for a rush.”

I sat on the swing hoping he’d join me and calm down a little, but he continued pacing.

“I’m serious, I didn’t know what was happening. One minute I’m drawing on my bed, and the next I’m being pushed face first into a brick wall. Ask the cops. I didn’t put up any kind of fight.”

“What are you talking about? You expect me to believe you transported down there or something?” I started to laugh, even though there was nothing funny about this. “You know I’m open-minded, but I’m not dumb. It would have been nice if you had waited until after our trip.”

He stopped pacing and kneeled before me, reaching for my hands which I crossed over my stomach.

“I’m serious. I was on my bed. Sketching. My bag was packed. I went to bed early so I could get up and get down there. I didn’t want to waste another minute. Then I just got really inspired. This drawing. It was amazing. Wings and red and I couldn’t wait to show it to you. I admit it, I was planning on painting it down at the ruins when I got back, but not that night. And not on the side of some real estate office downtown. Trust me on that.”

He ran his hands over his head, making his hair as wild as his eyes. “I want to,” I told him.

“Then believe me.”

We stared at one another for a minute and I considered just forgiving him. Telling him what he wanted to hear. Instead I said, “I know about the meds.”

His back straightened. “What meds?”

“Your meds. You aren’t taking them. And you haven’t been for weeks.”

“How?” he narrowed his eyes. “You went through my stuff?”

“God, Connor,” I said, jumping off the swing. “It’s not about how I found out. You can’t even deny it. Did you stop because of her? You did, didn’t you?” He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Don’t lie to me,” I said and he clamped it back shut before speaking.

“I know she’s been trying to contact you. How? Because she told me when she showed up in my room the other night. I don’t know what she needs, but that girl isn’t finished with this side of the world.”

That got his attention. “You saw her?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? We had a deal. We tell each other when we see them.” The frantic look from before was turning increasingly manic.

“Water tower,” I said.

He whispered back, “Water tower.”

“I was going to tell you. At the beach. Where you never showed because your skinny ass was locked up. Again.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing of importance.”

“Tell me. What did she say?”

“Nothing. She was confused or lost or something. She said she couldn’t reach you, but you already know that. There’s no way she would come to me first.” I stared at him. “Unless you’re both lying.”

“I haven’t seen her!” he yelled. “What did she look like?”

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked, but I knew he was dead serious. “You really can’t see her? Even off the meds?”

“No, but…”

“But what?” I asked. He stared at his shoes. It didn’t matter. I could see the truth written all over his guilty face. He had secrets about all of this he refused to share.

“Whatever. You need to leave.”

“No, I need to know everything that happened between you two.” He tightened his grip my arm, but I twisted loose.

“Go home. Go to bed.” I brushed the angry tears off my face.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to go home. Not alone.”

“Then you should have thought about that before all of this.” He stepped toward me again. “Don’t make me call my dad.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” I told him. “Look Connor, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but that’s because you won’t tell me. You’ve shut me out and I’m flying solo over here. But I can promise you one thing,” I said, grasping onto the door knob, “you need to get yourself together. See the doctor, listen to your parents or otherwise you’re going to end up back in the hospital.”

He stood across from me stone-faced, but I could see the red rims of his eyes.

I stepped into the house and said, “You’re also going to end up alone.”

&

Upset over the way things went the night before, the next day, I hovered around Connor’s front porch, trying to gather the nerve to ring the doorbell. The outside of his house was nicer than the inside of mine. The decor invited a guest to stay for a while. They had a porch swing like we did, but it was massive, covered in plush pillows. I parked on the street before I covertly walked around back to see if his car was there. I cursed when I saw the ratty blue car parked next to the carriage house. Rationally, I knew I should just go to the back door, but I had never been here uninvited. Instead, I chickened out and now cowered by a potted plant near the door, freaking out with each passing minute.

I raised my hand to knock on the large red-painted door, but just before I made contact it swung open.

“Emma?” I said, in relief, seeing the little girl’s face.

“Hi, Jane.”

I wasn’t expecting her to be the one to open the door. I swallowed. “Is your brother home?”

She frowned and shook her head.

“Oh. Well, do you know when he’ll be back?”

“Um,” she floundered, her hands twisting.

Her awkwardness made me self-conscious. I should have called. I’d assumed he would be here and we could talk out our fight from last night. The way we left it made me uneasy. And worried. But I guess he didn’t want to see me. “It’s okay. I’ll come back later.”

I turned to leave, but Emma called her mother anyway. I walked back to my car, brushing the hot tears off my face. I wasn’t ready for this. The rejection. Before I made it to the sidewalk, I heard Mrs. Jacobs calling my name and her sandal-clad feet slapping on the driveway.

“Jane, wait,” she called.

I stopped and waited. I couldn’t exactly walk away from his mother no matter how hurt I felt.

She approached me and I could tell she was taking in my tears. To my surprise, she pulled me into a hug.

“Oh, honey. I was going to call you.”

“Did something happen? Something else?”

“He’s asleep. He had a really bad night and I gave him some sleeping pills prescribed by the doctor.”

“I figured he wasn’t sleeping well. He looks exhausted.”

“Things have been pretty bad since he was released. He barely speaks to us and, when he does, his words, or rants rather, make no sense. I caught him talking to himself more than once.” She paused. “It’s so similar to the last time this happened. But last night he was inconsolable.”

“He came over last night. He seemed lucid, but he was definitely upset.”

“He came over?”

“Yeah, he showed up a little while after we got home.”

I could see the worry lines at the edge of her eyes. It’s possible she may have aged since I’d last seen her. “He must have snuck out of his room. He’s not allowed to leave the house alone, not in his current condition. Did he scare you?”

I thought about the way he tightened his grip on my arm and the crazed look in his eyes. “No, he didn’t scare me, not exactly, but he wasn’t acting normal. I asked him to leave.”

“Good. He cares for you so much. I know he’d never want to hurt you.”

I found the courage to tell her what I should have a week ago. “He’s off his meds. I found out before the beach, I should have told you.”

“Oh, honey, this is not your responsibility. I went through his things while he was in detention and found the full bottles. He’s back on them – or supposed to be. Taking his medication is part of his release.”

“Are you sure he’s taking them?” I tried to control the panic in my voice. Now that I knew why he’d stopped, I was afraid he would fight any attempt for him to start again.

“We’re watching him. If he doesn’t take them here, then he’ll be admitted to the hospital again where they will enforce it. I know he doesn’t want to go back.”

“No, I don’t think he does.” Then he wouldn’t be able to see Charlotte, which seems to be his ultimate goal at the moment.

“He was doing so well. Until that friend of his died,” she said. “Do you know anything about that? Why this is bothering him so much?”

“No,” I lied. “I don’t really know anything.” I lied for him, which was wrong, but I was also lying for myself. No one could know we were still seeing the ghosts. That would get us both in trouble.

“When he wakes up, let him know I came by.”

“I will, dear. And you’re welcome by anytime. Just keep your visits here so we can supervise.”

“Sure,” I said, and walked way.

“T
hanks for coming
with me.”

“Of course,” Ava said. “I’m always up for an adventure.”

Little did she know that this adventure may just break my heart.

“Turn left up here,” I said, reading the directions off my phone. “That building over there, with the green awning. The realtor’s office.” She pulled into a deserted parking lot. “There it is.”

“It was Connor’s latest masterpiece. The one that sent him to detention. I craned my neck to see it through the window. “Holy crap, it’s huge.”

“Massive,” Ava agreed. The mural spread across the entire side of the building and what I saw shot straight through my veins like ice water.

“Wow. Legal or not, Connor is pretty talented,” Ava said after we were both out of the car. “What is that?”

“An angel, I think.”

I didn’t just think this, I knew. It was similar to the one on his wall, but this one had a face. One I knew well enough from when we met in my room last week.

“She’s beautiful but super creepy. She looks mean.”

I nodded. “She does.”

“I wonder who it is?”

I swallowed back the truth and said nothing. Instead, I took out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures.

“Well, whoever this scary girl is, Connor sure did a good job of capturing her.”

That, was exactly what made me feel sick to my stomach. The portrait showed Charlotte in all her glory. Even the malicious side I’d met in my room. Strangely, I got a better idea about what he meant by not having control over coming here. Charlotte controlled this. She wanted this version of herself for the world to see. Vindictive and harsh. “Okay, I just wanted to see it, we can go now.”