The Ghost Files 3 (10 page)

The endearment causes me to smile for a second, but only for a second.
“Tell me there is a way to keep demons out of my house.”

“Demons? WHY?” he
barks, sounding more wigged-out than
me
. “What happened?”

“Silas was here,” I tell him and shudder. “I don’t want him popping in and out of my bedroom, Eli, whenever he wants. He could hurt Mary or her mom.”

“
Silas
just visits you whenever, wherever?” He pauses. “Hang on. Why was Silas in your
bedroom
?”

“Like I would invite him. How should I know? It’s not like he called first and said, ‘Hey, Mattie, do you wanna hang out for a while?’ He just showed up
, so don’t yell at
me
!”

“Calm down, okay? Or at least try. Hilda, you attract all kinds of trouble
—this one’s a doozy.” Eli sighs. “Let me grab Caleb and we’ll be right over. There are things we can do to keep demons away from your house.”

“Thanks a bunch,” I say a bit belligerently.

“See ya in a few.” Click.

I stare at the phone and shake my head. That boy is so gonna get hurt. With a long suffering sigh, I drag myself off the bed and into the bathroom. As much as I want to hurt him, I also want to look nice when he gets here. My curly hair is a fly-away mess right now.

The bathroom Mary and I share is accented with purple. Mary really needs to get over the purple. She’s even got little purple butterflies stenciled on the walls in here. Other than that, I really love this bathroom. The double sinks ensure I have enough space for my stuff and the big, deep tub is sheer pleasure to the eyes. A shower takes up one corner. Mary and I both share a love for a good bathroom. It’s the only reason I can forgive her for the purple explosion in here.

I turn on the tap in the sink and splash my face with cold water. It wakes me up just a bit. I’ve felt fuzzy since Silas pricked my finger. I wonder if there’s some kind of sedative in his claws?
The bath beckons me. It’s what I’d started to come in here for, anyway. I turn the water on and let the tub fill up. If Eli shows up, he can wait. I go back into my room and grab a comfy pair of pajama shorts and a tee-shirt before going back to see if the tub has finished filling up.

“Tick tock…”

I still, aware that I’m not alone anymore. Why didn’t I realize the room had gotten colder? Silas must have really thrown me. The mirror is starting to frost over and I shiver as the cold seeps into me. Can’t I even have something as simple as a bath without a bleedin’ ghost barging in?

The bathroom door slams shut. Okay, so maybe the ghost can barge in if he or she wants to. The room is freezing and the steam coming off the water in the tub starts to thicken, swirling in the enclosed space. I can barely see more than a few inches in front of me. The sound of dripping water becomes louder than the sound of the water pouring out of the tub’s spout. I hear it everywhere. It’s like a beating drum in my head, causing pain to throb behind my eyes.

“Who’s there?” I whisper, my hands cupping the sides of my head. The lights flicker and I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn in that direction, but see nothing.

“Goes the clock…”

It sounds like a girl, but I can’t be sure. The moisture in the steam surrounding me makes me colder and my teeth start to chatter. “Hello?”

“The clock ran out and Mattie fell down…”

Okay, officially freaked out here. I hate ghosts. “This isn’t funny anymore!” I shout.

“Who knows, maybe she’ll drown…”

One of the lights above the mirror goes out with a loud pop, then another, until only one lonely light remains, the night light that comes on in the absence of light. The room is plunged into semi-darkness, the steam causing it to feel sinister.

“Tick tock, goes the clock. The clock ran out and Mattie fell down. This time she will drown!”

Someone grabs me by the hair and yanks me backwards. My head bounces off the back of the tub and then I’m submerged. I open my mouth to scream, but water floods it. I cough and then remember to close my mouth and stop breathing.
My eyes burn and I blink. A figure stands above me. It’s a girl, her mutilated face bloated and full of rage. She’s holding me down and I can’t get up. This must be another one of the girls who blame me for their deaths.

Dear God, she’s really going to drown me.

Chapter Nine

The water disappears and I’m standing in front of a mirror, only I’m not looking at myself. A young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, is brushing her mahogany mane of hair. Her green eyes twinkle at me out of the mirror. She’s trying to decide how to wear it. Will he prefer it up or down? Curly or straight? Nervousness claws at her stomach. All she wants to do is impress him. The imp in her wants to make him mad with the need to kiss her, but she’s not sure if she should be so forward or not.

Her sister always tells her that she shouldn’t show all her cards up front, but she wears her emotions on her sleeve. She can’t help it, she’s too outgoing. I’m too outgoing…
no, no, no
, I try to tell myself, but like before I’m sucked into the memory and it becomes mine.

With a wicked grin on my face, I slide into my favorite pair of skinny jeans and a dark green tee shirt that makes my eyes a vivid green. I look good, better than I have all year with my new tan. Mom yells from downstairs. Lacey, my best friend is
finally here. We’re going to be late to Amber’s party. I hope to see him there. He’s been flirting with me for a couple days now. Since he’s only in town visiting, I plan on hooking up with him before he leaves. I’ve never met anyone before that can make my heart beat
so
fast with just a look.

We’re going to the lake, where Amber’s dad lives. Since he’s out of town for the weekend…party time!
Plus, they live farther out than some of the other properties on the lake, so the cops probably won’t get called until at least midnight. Excitement blooms within me. Lacey hasn’t noticed. She’s too busy going on and on about Robbie, her latest crush. With enough luck, she and Robbie will get buzzed early on and I can find
him
without worrying about Lacey finding me. I’ve kept him a secret since Lacey says he’s not the kind of guy to go after, he’s a bad boy as she calls him, but I don’t care. I
like
bad boys.

The party already feels a little out of control. Some of the guys want to start a bonfire along the shore. If it’s far enough away from the trees, nothing should catch fire. But
, it takes only one nosy lakefront owners to see the fire and call the cops. So what? I don’t care one way or the other. Where is he? God, I feel like a balloon that’s just been deflated when I don’t see him.

Time for a drink. I find the coolers and grab a beer. I normally don’t drink, but tonight I’m in a mood. I’m not getting plastered because I already know Lacey will
, and I’ll have to drive us both home. As usual. Not that I mind normally, I mean she’s my best friend and I love her, but I want to see
him
! I’d told him several times about the party. Did he go home already?

A whoop goes up and I see the bonfire being lit. Kids swarm it and the music cranks up. Laughing, I shake my head and am tempted to join in the drunk dancing. Jordan is already dancing and he’s cute enough. He’s been crushing on me since before winter break. Might as well go dance and have a bit of fun with Jordan since my bad boy hasn’t bothered to show.

Why not? I toss down my empty beer bottle and stand. Time to join Jordan’s version of some weird dance. Just watching him makes me laugh. He’s so drunk. I’m about halfway there when I stop.
He
is here—just in the light of the fire. My mouth goes dry. He’s not wearing a shirt. I’m subjected to the absolute perfection of his ripped abs. His toned and tanned body glistens in the firelight. I close my mouth and hope I’m not drooling. How embarrassing would that be?

He sees me and smiles. It’s the smile that makes you know he has naughty things on his mind and you melt. He’s the kind of guy that makes a girl want to do naughty things in the dark. I’m just lit enough from the beer to
obey when he motions with his head for me to follow.

I head for
the tree line, set back a ways from the shore. There aren’t many people this far from the main party, only couples looking for privacy. I giggle while stepping over a girl who laughs when her boyfriend snags her bra. When I reach the tree line, I look around, but don’t see him. He whispers my name…there he is. I walk into the trees. It’s darker here, the tree limbs make a canopy and block out the moon. I stumble, but before I fall, he catches me and helps me up. I laugh and follow when he takes my hand and leads me further into the woods. Soon, the sounds of the party dim and fade altogether. We are utterly and completely alone.

When we stop, I turn and he pushes me against one of the trees. Those lips are on mine in a heartbeat. My hands find his bare flesh and wander over him like a water-starved fiend. His kisses feel like a volcano, overwhelming me. I’m lost to the silk of his lips, the hard, demanding touch of his fingers as they glide up and down my back. Yes, this is what I have wanted since the moment I saw him.

He’s whispering things in my ear and I’m too lost to the sensations running through me to pay attention. I feel on fire, like I could burn if I get much closer to the sun that is him. He’s my world in this moment.

“Mattie, Mattie, Mattie…” he whispers. “That’s it, Mattie, just let go. You like that, don’t you?”

“Mattie?” I gasp when I can pull my lips away. “Who’s Mattie?” Nothing like hearing another girl’s name to throw a bucket of ice water on the mood. “My name’s…”

His hand grabs a fist full of my hair and slams my head into the tree trunk. Pain erupts and I try to scream, but his other hand is over my mouth. His body has mine trapped against the tree and I can’t move, can’t scream for help. All I can do is struggle as he slams my head once more into the tree.

“Shut up,” he hisses and smashes his lips against mine, his tongue invading my mouth. I try to move, but I can’t. I beat at his chest, but he only grabs my hands and holds them in one of his. Fear spirals through me. How could I be stupid enough to follow a guy I barely know into the woods? Tears track down my face as he flips me so I’m face first against the tree. His belt binds my hands together behind my back. “Scream and you’re dead,” he whispers against my ear.

He pushes me farther into the woods, but I can hear the gentle lapping of the water. If I can make it to the water, I might be able to get help. There were several boats out in the water when we arrived. A couple still have to be out. If I stay here, I’ll be raped or killed. Or both. No way. I
yank my arm and he’s startled enough to loosen his grip. I pull free and run towards the sound of the water. I hear him cursing behind me and it only makes me run faster. I can see the water through the break in the trees ahead and push myself faster, glad I’m in running shoes.

I scream when his hand latches onto my hair and hauls me backwards, causing me to fall. Pains lances across my face. I see the glint of steel in the moonlight creeping in. He’s cut me. My eyes water as pain splinters when he slashes my face again. He’s still muttering that Mattie girl’s name. What did she do to him? Why is he taking it out on me? I want to cry, to beg him to stop, but the rage on his face is too much. He won’t listen. I kick him just like my brother showed me to do and he grunts, letting go of me. I don’t think, I force myself to get
up and run. I make it as far as the water’s edge before he catches me again. I can see the boats in the distance and shout.

He hauls me against him and we tumble down, my head sinking into the water. He pushes me down, holding me under. I fight, kicking and splashing. I manage to break free of the water several times, but he sits on me and then forces my head under until my lungs burn with the need to take a breath. I open my mouth and lake water fills it. I gasp as the water travels downward into my lungs and I can’t breathe. The entire time he’s asking me, “How do you like that, Mattie Hathaway?”

It’s the last thing I hear before my vision blurs and goes black, until I succumb to the drowning. Mattie Hathaway…who is she and why did I die because of her?

***

“Breathe, Mattie, breathe!”

I feel my lungs expand
, then a pressure on my chest. Vaguely, I recognize that someone is giving me CPR. My lungs expand again with air and I gasp as water rushes up and out of my mouth. I cough and spit it out as it comes up.

“Thank God, thank God, thank God.”

The mantra is repeated over and over as I’m yanked off the floor and into a massive hug. Eli, of course. Mr. Heat, who takes the chill away! I know the feel of his arms and the heat coming off of him helps take the chill out of my wet body. I take a breath and more water pours out of my mouth. It’s choking me and I push him away so I can throw up. Drowning is messy and it hurts when all that water comes back up. It’s not just a simple mouthful of water like you see on TV, but a honking load of it. Eli holds me as I empty both my lungs and my stomach. It leaves me weak and woozy. I hate puking.