Spiritus, a Paranormal Romance (Spiritus Series, Book #1) (24 page)

“I told you this would happen.” Ashley said with a superior smirk.

I looked at her, so perfect and condescending, and knew that she was the one to tell Jonah about me and Alastor that morning. I felt bad enough about what happened to Jonah without her complicating things further.

There she stood, looking down at me and enjoying my misery. At that moment, I hated her.

Before I knew what was happening, both my hands flew out and shoved her. I was surprised myself and hoped she would be too worried about her manicure to retaliate.

After staggering backwards a few steps, Ashley threw her books down and glared at me.

“You bitch!” Ashley cried, “You’re going to pay for that.”

She came at me then, shoving me back into the lockers and knocking the air out of me. I felt the back of my head hit one of the doors in a loud metal crash.

I winced and slapped at Ashley, just then realizing that she towered over me by at least four inches. I lowered my head and rushed at her, tackling her and sending us both sliding scross the floor.

She pulled at my hair, but I was able to backhand her one more time before she somehow managed to get on top of me. Before I could defend myself, she drew back her fist and—

Bang!

Ashley froze as all of the locker doors flew open one after another. Before she could recover from that shock, Principal McGuiness pulled her off of me. He demanded to know what was going on.

She squirmed in his grasp while I struggled to my feet. Even with a teacher holding her back, Ashley tried to reach for me.

The fluorescent lights overhead exploded then and rained shard of glass down on us.

“You girls get to class.” Principal McGuiness ordered, looking down at the remains of the bulb. “I don’t have time to deal with you. This school is falling apart around us.”

Ashley picked up her books and walked off in the direction of the Science labs, trying to smooth her tangled hair. I glanced at the small crowd and saw the panicked confusion on their faces. I couldn’t take it. I slipped out the nearest exit.

On trembling legs, I ran from the school and out into the pouring rain. I ran and ran, not caring where I was going. I was off school grounds and back on Capitol Avenue before I realized it.

Finally I stumbled to a halt. I was cold and soaked to the bone. I couldn’t go home yet. Dad would be there and he would be furious I wasn’t at school.

Standing on the stone steps of the old capital, I looked around. There was a part of me that expected someone to come out and order me back to school, but no one did.

Across the browning lawn, stood the white gazebo at the heart of the town square empty and forgotten. During the summer, small concerts were performed there, but in the autumn rain it looked dreary and forlorn. I stepped up into it and going to a far corner, crouched down to wait until I could go home.

Alastor appeared, kneeling beside me in a shadowy form, almost immediately.

“Are you alright, my love?” Alastor asked. “Are you hurt?”

I turned away from the vision of him. I couldn’t be with him right then, not with the memory of Jonah’s angry face so fresh.

“Leave me alone, Alastor.” I commanded.

He moved closer to me, the cold air that always surrounded him, making me even colder.

“Are you angry with me?” He asked.

“Do you have to ask?”

Alastor spread his arms wide, “What have I done to displease you?”

I looked over at him, amazed he could even ask.

“Go away and leave me alone.” I ordered as I shivered and wrapped my arms around my knees.

Alastor’s image wavered in the foggy light, “Becca, I—“

“I said go away!”

He said nothing else. He exploded into a powerful gust of cold air and was gone.

I curled up and pressed myself against the rails. The rain blew leaves into stick to the white boards and the tops of my shoes. I was lonely and miserable without Alastor, but I couldn’t be near him at the moment.

What were we doing? Without meaning to, I dragged Jonah into this mess and then Ashley had come along and made things even more complicated.

The rain slacked off to a soaking mist by the time I started seeing other people my age walking on the sidewalks. I stood and brushed the wet leaves off my damp clothes. Guessing that it was safe to go home, I stepped out of the gazebo and headed down Capitol Avenue.

As I walked up the stone walkway, I could see Dad through the first floor windows. The glow of the lamps silhouetted him as he paced back and forth, talking on the telephone.

I broke out in a cold sweat, what if someone from the school called him? He would be furious at me for skipping classes and getting into a fight. It would be bad enough to face his wrath, but if he was to mention how disappointed my mother would be, I would lose it. I knew I couldn’t take that today.

I stepped inside and let the wooden and glass door bang behind me. The foyer was grey in the light of the misty afternoon. I could hear Dad talking on the telephone near the piano in the other room.

“How soon can you get me on the schedule?” He asked whoever he was talking to. “My gutters are full of leaves; I need it done as soon as possible.”

Stepping around the corner, I waved to him and planned to go straight up to my room, but he motioned for me to stay. I tried to look innocent as I leaned against the casement and tried to think of plausible excuses for my behavior.

“Well call me back as soon as possible.” Dad said and hung up the phone with a smile. “So how was your day?”

“Fine.” I said, not wanting to give anything away until I was sure what he knew.

He turned his back to me and went over to the piano where the open phone book lay.

“That’s good.” He said, flipping through the pages.

I couldn’t be sure, but he seemed perfectly ordinary. It didn’t seem like the school called him.

“Well, I’m going to go upstairs.” I said, testing him further. “I need to get out of these wet things.”

Dad glanced out the window surprised, “Is it still raining?”

“Yeah, it’s still raining.”

He was already distracted and dialing another telephone number.

I breathed a sigh of relief and escaped up the stairs. Safe in my room, I took a shower and did what homework I could since most of my books were still at school in my locker. The ones I did have were damp, so I laid them out on the floor near the radiator to dry while I worked.

My room was too quiet and empty without Alastor chattering in my head, but I didn’t call him back to me. I listened to a few CDs and watched a couple of forgettable television shows, none of it very fun without Alastor’s distractions. I was grateful when Dad called me down for dinner.

As usual, he was full of his plans for the house. He talked on and on about the iron fence that used to surround the property and if he should replace it.

“I was thinking about going to look at a few samples in Indy tomorrow,” he said. “Would you like to play hooky tomorrow and come with me?”

Under normal circumstances I would have jumped at the opportunity, but after today there was no way that I could.

“I better not. There’s a lot going on at school tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Dad said, looking like a disappointed little boy. “I understand.”

I escaped up to my room as soon as Dad began clearing the dishes, claiming I had more homework to do. I felt bad leaving him with the mess, but I just couldn’t stand it any longer. The silence inside my head was starting to wear on my nerves.

Upstairs in my room, I closed the door behind me and leaned back against it.

“Alastor?” I called out into the emptiness. “Are you there?”

I felt the air stir above me.

“Yes.” Alastor said in his secret voice, but more overly polite and formal than the tone he usually used with me.

“I’m sorry that I sent you away.” I whispered.

“No you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.” I argued. “I was just angry.”

“With me?”

“Yes,” I confessed. “But mostly with Ashley.”

Alastor said nothing, but I could feel him swirling closer to me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into the nothingness. “Can you ever forgive me?”

I could feel him very near me, gathering energy, almost touching me, but not quite.

His velvety voice teased my ears, “I have forgiven you for killing me, how could I not overlook a little tantrum?”

I smiled, feeling him brush up against my face.

“I love you.” I whispered.

“Always, my love.”

Chapter 16

I kept Alastor near me as I walked to school the next day. I had my fill of being without him the day before. He never made himself solid, but I knew he was there.

As we walked to school, I kept thinking of Jonah and running different scenarios through my head. I didn’t know what I was going to say or do, but I couldn’t just leave things as they were.

Alastor moved closer, hovering somewhere over my left shoulder.

“Why don’t you leave the boy alone and let him lick his wounds in peace?” He suggested.

I hated discussing Jonah with him, even more so when he was right about things. Nodding, I resigned myself to doing nothing and giving Jonah some time to sort it out.

I expected to find myself the center of attention after the whole mess with Jonah and the fight with Ashley, but as I walked up to the school, no one even noticed.

Thunder rolled in the distance and a few random raindrops began to fall, but little groups ignored the weather and gathered on the sidewalk and lawn.

I passed a few of Ashley’s cheerleading minions and even they were disregarding the rain and whispering among themselves. Normally, the slightest change in the weather would send them screaming inside for their hairspray. Whatever it was that had everyone talking, it must be something big.

Spotting Billie and Ally near the entrance, I went over to them.

“What’s going on?” I asked, shivering as Alastor moved closer and chilled the air around me.

“Haven’t you heard?” Ally asked in an excited whisper. “Everyone is talking about it.”

“I just got here.” I said, zipping my jacket up.

“It’s Ashley.” Billie said wide eyed.

I rolled my eyes, “What about her?”

Billie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, “I don’t know where to even begin.”

“What?” I demanded, getting colder by the minute.

Billie opened her mouth to speak, but Ally was quicker.

Ashley fell down the stairs after cheerleading practice and nearly died!” She blurted out.

I stared at her, open mouthed, struggling to form words.

“What?” I asked, still not sure I heard her correctly.

Ally danced around me as if this was the juiciest gossip she had ever told another person. “Yeah, she fell down the stairs and now she’s in the hospital talking all this nonsense about hearing voices and stuff.”

“It sounds like she really lost it.” Billie added in agreement. “Are you oaky? You look a little funny.”

I nodded, but was struggling to breathe. I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be what I thought it was but then there was a sudden emptiness around me and then I knew…Alastor.

It was impossible to go through the day pretending things were normal. I listened to the gossip, trying to catch every detail, but the story was the same each time. Ashley heard imaginary voices and it frightened her so bad that she fell down the stairs.