《Fire and Magic (The Jadori Book 1)》


 Chapter 1 - Not Now

    I was getting out of here today. I needed to believe that.


    My plan had to work; I¡¯d been careful. I¡¯d been on my best behaviour.


    Right now, I needed to keep busy so I wouldn¡¯t keep stressing about what the doctor would say or do or think.


    Looking around the large rec room, I thought about watching TV for a while, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to sit still.


    My nerves were jangling, but I managed to set the balls up on the pool table in the corner.


    Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply and let it out slowly. Concentrated on projecting calm. A scene at the beach played through my mind. A place Mum took me to when I was twelve.


    I opened my eyes and hit the cue ball, watching the balls scatter. Seeing the randomness of the first shot always fascinated me.


    Jim was watching TV with a silly grin on his face on the other side of the rec room.


    Maria was looking out the windows at some pigeons on the lawn. She loved the birds. Said they didn¡¯t talk back.


    Melanie was sitting quietly in a corner lounge, staring at the TV. She was always quiet, but I couldn¡¯t blame her with the trauma she¡¯d suffered. The staff said she¡¯d be alright, in time.


    Mrs Dawson was staring at her knitting. I wasn¡¯t sure whether she was off with the fairies or if she was deciding what to make next. Her fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Nellie, sat on the floor at her feet, just happy to be spending time with her.


    Her true dedication made me smile.


    Quiet music played through the speakers in the ceiling and fake plants sat either side of the four-foot fish tank, giving everything a false sense of normalcy.


    But this was anything but normal and I didn¡¯t belong here. The urge to escape grew stronger each day.


    Mr Jones gave me two thumbs up. Mrs Carpenter gave me words of encouragement. I allowed myself a small smile and totally ignored them both.


    They walked out into the garden together, smiling and waving. I didn¡¯t look at them directly and didn¡¯t respond, but inside, my heart swelled. They understood how important the next hour was to me.


    Turning my attention back to the table, I tried to decide which ball I would go for. It was hard to concentrate, but I managed to make it look like I was just taking my time to pick the perfect shot.


    The smell of beef and onion wafted to me from the kitchen and made me wish it was dinner time already.


    Jim laughed at something on the TV, making me jump.


    A voice in my mind whispered that my plan wouldn¡¯t work, that I¡¯d never get out of here.


    I shook my head.


    Focus.


    The butterflies in my stomach were having a party. The clock on the wall told me it was almost two o¡¯clock.


    I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.


    Mrs Dawson started to moan and I cringed. Her knitting was on the floor and she rocked back and forth. ¡°Nellie? Where¡¯s my Nellie?¡±


    No. Not again. Not now.


    I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with this; I had other things to concentrate on. I needed to keep my head clear.


    She started to cry. ¡°Nellie?¡±


    I laid the pool cue across the table carefully and retrieved her knitting from the floor. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mrs Dawson. Nellie isn¡¯t here today,¡± I told her. I tried not to look at Nellie while I said it.


    ¡°I want my Nellie. She said she¡¯d be coming to see me. Where¡¯s her mother? I¡¯ll give that woman a piece of my mind. How could she not bring Nellie in to see me?¡±


    I wished I could explain, but that would just make things worse. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll bring her soon.¡±


    ¡°No. She won¡¯t. She never does.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s your knitting.¡± I put her half-made scarf into her hands and put a hand on her arm. Nellie put her hand next to mine and Mrs Dawson seemed to calm down. It was as if she could sense her there.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now,¡± I whispered. ¡°Nellie loves you. She wishes you well.¡± I looked sideways at Nellie. ¡°Nellie wants you to be happy. She doesn¡¯t want you to be upset.¡±


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    Mrs Dawson looked up at me. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Nellie sniffed, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Nearly time.¡±


    I flinched at the sound of Nurse Janice¡¯s voice and resisted the urge to say something snarky. I had to be nice. Even to her.


    I stood and attempted a casual smile. ¡°Yep.¡±


    She was the last person I wanted to see right now.


    She looked down at Mrs Dawson. ¡°She having another tantrum?¡±


    I scowled. ¡°No. She does not have tantrums. She¡¯s just pining for Nellie.¡±


    The smirk on her face grew. ¡°Like I said. Tantrum.¡±


    I pressed my hands to my thighs to keep them from clenching into fists. How could she be so cruel?


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± she said, and I was thrown by the sudden change in subject. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to fool him, you know. You¡¯re not fooling me. You¡¯ve just been telling us what you think we want to hear and I don¡¯t believe you for a second.¡±


    And with that, she turned on her heel and left.


    My heart pounded out a steady drumbeat. I had to remind myself that she wouldn¡¯t have seen anything suspicious as I didn¡¯t actually say anything directly to Nellie.


    But what if she was right about Dr Calthorpe? What if none of them were fooled? What if I¡¯d been caught talking to imaginary people out in the garden? What if¡ª?


    Calm down. She¡¯s only trying to rile you. You got this.


    I took some more deep breaths.


    This had to work. I had to get out of here. I had a life to get back to. Admittedly, I no longer had a job, but I could get another one.


    I missed Mum. I missed Alina.


    Mrs Dawson had gone back to her knitting and I sighed heavily.


    I looked at the clock on the wall again. Almost time. The hands were moving so slowly that I wanted to break the glass on the front and make them move faster. I just wanted this over with.


    I wanted to go home.


    Things would be difficult at first because Mum had supported their decision to put me in here. I hadn¡¯t quite forgiven her for that, but that awkwardness would still be better than being stuck in here.


    Anything was better than being stuck in here.


    I didn¡¯t belong.


    If I really was delusional, this would be the perfect place for me. The therapy sessions I¡¯d had with Dr Calthorpe were designed to help me deal with seeing things that weren¡¯t there as well as dealing with the trauma of being hit by a car and the injuries and scars left behind ¡ª and they had really helped me with those things ¡ª but these people I could see were real.


    I didn¡¯t need any medical help; it was an ability I had and no amount of therapy or antipsychotic drugs would make it go away. I should know. They¡¯d tried it all.


    Another look at the clock told me it was time. One of the nurses should be calling my name any second.


    Sweat beaded on my forehead. I tried to slow my breathing.


    This was it.


    This was my chance. I had what I was going to say planned out in my head.


    The tingling sensation I always felt whenever a spirit was near ramped up a few notches, which meant that Nellie wasn¡¯t the only one here. Someone started yelling somewhere out in the hall. My stomach clenched and I spun around to see what was going on. It was a male voice I didn¡¯t recognise. I frowned.


    His frantic voice grew louder. He was calling out to people and asking if they could see him or hear him and my heart sank.


    No¡­


    He was a newbie.


    I closed my eyes and sucked in a huge breath. No, no, no, no, no. Not now¡­


    I hated it when the newly-departed were panicking because they didn¡¯t know they were dead. They ran around trying to get people¡¯s attention and it was almost impossible to ignore them. I felt for them, but at the same time, if I talked to them, I got myself into trouble.


    And talking to this guy would get me into a buttload of trouble right now. I had gone to great lengths to prove I wasn¡¯t delusional.


    I had to ignore him.


    Somehow.


    I walked back to the pool table and tried to act natural. Picked up my cue stick. Which ball could I go for? There was a clear shot into a corner pocket at the other end of the table, so I moved around there, conveniently putting my back to the rec room door. That way I wouldn¡¯t be tempted to look at him as he entered.


    As I leaned over the table, I could feel his presence as goosebumps broke out on my skin and the tingling sensation increased.


    I took a deep breath and lined up my shot, gritting my teeth against the urge to look. I needed to see him. I couldn¡¯t help myself. Curiosity was eating at me, resonating through every fibre of my being.


    Every second that passed was torture. I was dying to look. I had to see.


    He called to Mrs Dawson, who kept on knitting. I could see them in my peripheral vision and kept my eyes on the gardens outside.


    Nellie didn¡¯t respond to him either. Maybe she didn¡¯t want to be the one to break the news to him.


    He moved on to Jim and I tensed up some more. He was getting closer. I closed my eyes. I had to be strong.


    I opened them again and focused. Lined up the shot. Hit the ball. Watched it roll across the table and slowly make its way to the pocket. It was going to hit the cushion and¡ª


    ¡°Maddelyn?¡±


    I spun around at the sound of Nurse Holly¡¯s sweet voice and came face-to-face with a dark-haired guy around my age with intense brown eyes and I sucked in a breath.


    He was staring straight at me, and he was gorgeous.


    And young. Too young to die.


    My heart squeezed in my chest and tears stung my eyes, but I quickly looked away, focusing on Holly¡¯s face. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± he called. ¡°You looked at me! You can see me!¡±

 Chapter 2 - Dont Look. Dont Answer

    Holly¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Doctor Calthorpe will see you now.¡±


    I tried to smile back and kept my eyes locked on her face. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I stepped to the side and hoped it didn¡¯t look like I was stepping around an imaginary person as I headed to the doctor¡¯s office.


    ¡°Hey! I know you saw me. Where are you going? Don¡¯t ignore me! I need your help. No one else can see me.¡±


    I cringed, but kept walking.


    Not now, not now, not now.


    He was going to ruin everything.


    I followed Holly down the hallway with the ghost trailing behind, trying to get my attention, but I couldn¡¯t let on that I could see him or hear him. Everything depended on the next few minutes.


    I tried to calm my nerves. Took a deep breath. Let it out slowly.


    Spirits looked like regular people to me, but they gave off a different energy than the living. This guy¡¯s energy was completely different to anything I¡¯d ever felt before. I couldn¡¯t explain it.


    I tried to act normal, like my emotions weren¡¯t trying to swallow me whole. Like he wasn¡¯t about to ruin everything I¡¯d spent so long cultivating.


    Holly¡¯s smile faded a little. ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. You got this.¡± The smile went back up to full brightness.


    I gave a half-smile back. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    As I entered Dr Calthorpe¡¯s office, Mr Newbie followed me. He would¡¯ve been able to just walk through the closed door anyway, but he wouldn¡¯t know that if he didn¡¯t know he was dead.


    Dr Calthorpe smiled. ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. How are you today?¡±


    He gestured for me to sit down in one of the comfy chairs in front of his desk.


    I lowered my butt into the seat. ¡°Hi, Doc. I¡¯m good. How are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you.¡± His response sounded automatic, like he was bored already.


    Mr Newbie stood with his back to the desk and his body was blocking half of my view of the doctor. ¡°Stop pretending you can¡¯t see me!¡±


    My eyes stayed glued to the doctor¡¯s face.


    ¡°I wanted to speak to you about your progress,¡± Dr Calthorpe said. I swallowed the lump in my throat. ¡°We¡¯ve seen good results from you, especially in recent weeks,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been pleased with what I¡¯ve seen and what I¡¯ve heard from the staff.¡±


    Mr Newbie inched closer to my leg. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why won¡¯t you look at me? What¡¯s going on? Why won¡¯t someone tell me what¡¯s happening?¡±


    I tried not to react.


    Don¡¯t look at him. Don¡¯t look at him.


    Those tears threatened again. It was sad that someone so young was dead. I was reminded of how fragile life was. How easily it could be snuffed out.


    I tried to concentrate on what the doc was saying, but it was almost impossible.


    Mr Newbie moved toward the far wall of the office and ran a hand through his hair, then turned to look at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to me. I don¡¯t know how I ended up like this. I can¡¯t remember anything. I can¡¯t even remember my own name. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just some weird spell. I don¡¯t know of any cloaking spell that mutes sound as well¡­¡±


    Weird spell? Cloaking spell? What?


    Dr Calthorpe frowned. ¡°You¡¯re very quiet. That¡¯s not like you.¡±


    Yeah. He had a point. I usually talked about anything and everything when I was in here. Maybe because I always felt like I was under a microscope.


    I tried to keep focused on the desk in front of me. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just nervous.¡±


    The doctor rubbed his chin. ¡°Yes. You said that, but there¡¯s no need to be nervous. It¡¯s all just standard procedure.¡±


    I tried to remember what I¡¯d planned to say. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling a lot better these last few weeks and Nurse Holly has been very understanding and has helped me with my anxiety over my scars. The staff here are amazing and I¡¯ll miss them and the patients when I go home.¡± I paused to gauge his reaction, but got nothing. ¡°I feel I¡¯m ready to go home now. I want to work on my relationship with Mum and look for a new job.¡±


    All of it was true, except that there was one staff member that was so far from amazing that I cringed just thinking about her. I would not miss her.


    Mr Newbie stepped forward. ¡°Talk to me!¡±


    Your eyes are naturally drawn to movement, especially in your peripheral vision. It¡¯s a self-preservation thing. So I nearly blew it.


    I was proud of my self-control.


    He lunged forward and waved a hand in front of my face and I flinched. ¡°Look at me!¡±


    No. Don¡¯t do it. Just concentrate. You got this.


    If I did look, I knew the anguish in his eyes would be too much. I felt the sting of tears again and looked toward the wall of certificates next to me. It was safer to not look at either of them.


    ¡°Please. You gotta help me. If you know what¡¯s going on, just tell me. If you can see through the cloak, do you know how to remove it?¡±


    What is he talking about?


    Dr Calthorpe leaned forward. ¡°How are you feeling right now, Maddelyn?¡±


    How am I feeling? Like my head¡¯s going to explode. ¡°Ah, good, thanks.¡±


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    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very sure.¡±


    That¡¯s because I¡¯m not. ¡°I¡¯m good. Really. It¡¯s cool.¡±


    I tried to keep my breathing even, but I was failing.


    Just a little longer. I just need to concentrate on the doctor. On what he¡¯s saying.


    Dr Calthorpe asked me a few more questions and I was able to answer them in between Mr Newbie¡¯s outbursts, but it was getting more difficult by the second.


    Mr Newbie finally sat on the seat next to me. I could see him put his head in his hands in my peripheral vision.


    I wanted to help him ¡ª it was almost like a compulsion ¡ª but I couldn¡¯t risk it. I couldn¡¯t help him right now. Not without messing everything up for myself. Why did he have to show up right now?


    ¡°Maddelyn?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I mean, pardon?¡± Dr Calthorpe must have said something and I didn¡¯t hear it. Damn.


    ¡°You seem distracted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you¡¯d spoken to your mother recently.¡±


    There was a pang in my chest. ¡°Oh, yeah. I spoke to her yesterday. She¡¯s doing well, I suppose. It¡¯s been hard for her without me. It¡¯s always been just the two of us and we¡¯ve never been apart.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s had a tough time of it, especially right after the accident. She¡¯s handling things a lot better now.¡±


    That was true, but she also seemed more distant than ever. I wasn¡¯t sure what I could do to get our relationship back to where it used to be. I knew I would forgive her for letting them put me in here. It would be good again. I just had to get home.


    Mr Newbie walked over to the corner of the room near the window, his back to me, his broad shoulders hunched forward.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you seem to be handling things better now, too.¡±


    Mr Newbie hadn¡¯t moved.


    From the corner of my eye I saw Dr Calthorpe lean back in his chair. ¡°Do you think I should buy a cowboy hat?¡±


    Mr Newbie really looked defeated. The guilt was eating at me. A little voice in my head was telling me to help him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    My heart was like a heavy stone in my chest as I imagined how bad he must be feeling. And I was a bitch for pretending I couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sure, Doc.¡±


    ¡°I suspect that you¡¯re telling us what you think we want to hear so we will release you.¡±


    Oh, crap.


    That got my attention.


    It dawned on me that I¡¯d been sitting there openly staring at Mr Newbie and I dragged my eyes away from him. ¡°Oh, I would never do that.¡±


    ¡°What were you looking at?¡±


    My eyes were drawn back to the heart-wrenching sight. Mr Newbie¡¯s last hope draining out onto the floor. ¡°Your terrible decor. When did you last update? Nineteen-seventy?¡±


    Mr Newbie suddenly turned around as if he¡¯d felt me looking at him. ¡°You can see me! I knew you could. Please help me! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The anguish on his face nearly did me in and my eyes darted back to Dr Calthorpe. Mr Newbie was going to get me in trouble, but he looked so lost and broken.


    He stepped forward. ¡°Why won¡¯t you help me? You¡¯re the only person who has acknowledged my existence since I woke up and found myself in this nightmare and you¡¯re just gonna sit there?¡±


    Don¡¯t look. Don¡¯t look. Don¡¯t answer.


    I bit my lip so I wouldn¡¯t speak and stared at the desk.


    ¡°Maddelyn? Are you feeling okay?¡±


    My eyes snapped to the doctor¡¯s face. How was I going to get through this? ¡°Um, yeah. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Mr Newbie suddenly strode over and leaned down in my face again. ¡°Talk to me, dammit!¡±


    I instinctively shrank back away from him. My mouth opened, but no words came out.


    ¡°I need your help,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t work out if this is a cloaking spell or something else. I¡¯ve lost my memory. I don¡¯t even know who I am.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°What¡¯s your ability? Can you see through cloaks and glamours? Do you know how to reverse this spell so I can at least be seen and heard?¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡±


    Maybe he¡¯d been a patient here because he wasn¡¯t making an ounce of sense. He had to be delusional if he thought magic was real.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± He frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what you are.¡± He ran a hand down his face and squeezed the bridge of his nose. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening.¡±


    I saw movement in my peripheral vision.


    Uh, oh. My eyes flicked to Dr Calthorpe and my heart thudded in my chest. I¡¯d blown it. There was no way of explaining this that made sense.


    I could see it in the doctor¡¯s eyes. That look of pity that says I¡¯m broken and he can help me.


    ¡°Will you help me? You¡¯re the only person who can see me.¡± Mr Newbie¡¯s eyes were pleading. His lip trembled.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± I whispered. Help you.


    The doctor was saying something to me. I couldn¡¯t make out the words, but the look on his face said it all. I¡¯d seen that look before. And I knew what it meant. I wasn¡¯t going home.


    I glanced from one man to the other and stood. ¡°I¡­¡±


    I rushed to the door and flung it open.


    Dr Calthorpe got to his feet. ¡°Maddelyn! Come back. Let¡¯s discuss this.¡±


    Too late.


    I ran down the hall and through the rec room and out into the garden with tears blurring my vision, cursing myself for messing up and cursing the ghost for pushing me to it.


    I didn¡¯t stop until I¡¯d reached my usual spot, nestled in amongst some small bushes that hid me from the view of anyone inside or out on the verandah. It was where I usually sat when I talked to Mr J and Mrs C.


    That¡¯s when the tears really started and I sat on the grass with my knees up to my chest and my arms wrapped around my legs.


    I was never getting out of here.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mr Newbie had followed me, because of course he had.


    I didn¡¯t answer him. I couldn¡¯t.


    All my plans had slipped away into the ether.


    All this time I was so careful not to be seen talking to people who were supposedly figments of my imagination. And it was all for nothing. I¡¯d blown it in less than ten minutes.


    How was I ever going to get out of here? They would never believe me now, even if I spent the next six months pretending that I couldn¡¯t see the spirits of the dead. This had made going home impossible. He had just sentenced me to a life of a quiet, controlled existence in a mental institution when I wasn¡¯t even crazy.


    I could really see spirits. I knew I could. I wasn¡¯t delusional like they believed. Right?


    The thought of spending another six months in here made me cry harder. I couldn¡¯t stand it for one more day. I had to get out of here now.


    Mr Newbie was still talking, but I wasn¡¯t listening.


    How could I fix this?


    There was no way to fix this. I had to give up on my dream of freedom. Of a normal life.


    Heat rose in my chest and I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°This is all your fault.¡±


    ¡°What? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve just damned me to a lifetime of being stuck in a mental institution when I¡¯m not crazy!¡±


    ¡°What? How did I do that?¡±


    ¡°You talked to me. You made me talk back. I was trying to prove I wasn¡¯t crazy and you had to come running in and ruin it. Now they think I¡¯m being delusional again and they¡¯ll never let me out!¡±


    ¡°Delusional? What are you talking about? Why does seeing me make you delusional?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re dead!¡±

 Chapter 3: Ill Never Go Home

    He jerked back as if I¡¯d slapped him and my chest tightened. I didn¡¯t mean to be so harsh, but it was too late. I couldn¡¯t take the words back.


    It was a horrible way to find out that you¡¯re no longer alive.


    I felt bad, but instead of saying sorry, I buried my head in my arms again and let the tears fall.


    He¡¯d just ruined everything.


    Mrs Carpenter¡¯s gentle voice cut through the silence. ¡°Maddie dear, what¡¯s happened?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer.


    There was a sharp intake of breath, then Mr Newbie¡¯s voice. ¡°You can see me? I¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You must be new, dear,¡± Mrs C said.


    ¡°She¡­ told me I¡¯m dead, but you can see me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Spirits can see each other. Normal humans can¡¯t see us, but very young children and those with the gift of Sight can.¡±


    I kept my head down and spoke quietly. ¡°Gift? It¡¯s a curse. It has completely ruined my life.¡±


    I felt Mrs C¡¯s cool hand on my back. ¡°It is a gift, you mark my words. It may not feel like it now, but you¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±


    There was more silence as all the arguments against that flashed through my brain. I needed to tell her how wrong she was.


    Mr Jones¡¯s voice startled me. ¡°Tell us what happened, dear.¡±


    Mrs C¡¯s hand rubbed small circles on my back, but I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have gone well, Fred ¡ª she¡¯s crying.¡±


    ¡°I can see that, woman.¡±


    ¡°Tell us what¡¯s wrong, Maddie.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t talk.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mr Newbie said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What did you do, son?¡± Mr J asked.


    ¡°I was scared because no one could see or hear me, and when I realized that she was the only one who could, I tried everything to get her to acknowledge me. I didn¡¯t know what was happening and when she finally did talk to me¡­¡±


    ¡°The doctor now thinks she¡¯s seeing things again,¡± Mrs C finished for him.


    I looked up. ¡°I will never get out of here now.¡±


    Mr J leaned down toward me. ¡°Don¡¯t give up. We¡¯ll work something out.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll never believe anything I tell them now. Janice already said she thought I was just telling them what they wanted to hear, even before I proved to them that she¡¯s right and I¡¯m delusional. I¡¯m stuck here. I think I might really go crazy if I have to stay here any longer.¡±


    Not because of the people in here ¡ª although  Nurse Sourpuss Janice was hard to deal with ¡ª it was just that I didn¡¯t belong and I¡¯d tried so hard for so long to convince them that I was a normal eighteen-year-old and that I didn¡¯t have this curse of being able to see every spirit that walked my way. I just wanted my life back.


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    I stood. I needed some space and I didn¡¯t want the new guy to be looking down at me. I walked away from my hiding spot, but he followed me. Of course.


    My life had been fine until the accident. Everything was normal. Then after I¡¯d come out of an induced coma, I could see people all over the hospital that no one else could see.


    Mr Newbie ran a hand through his hair and I couldn¡¯t help thinking he looked like Johnny Depp¡¯s doppelg?nger. ¡°I want to help you.¡±


    I started to tell him to go away and realized that Nurse Holly was out on the back verandah talking to Jim. I walked casually back behind the bushes and the new guy followed close behind.


    I looked up into those deep brown eyes with the thick, dark lashes that most women would kill for and scowled. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. There¡¯s nothing you could possibly do to help me now.¡±


    His eyebrows shot up. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know what my actions would cause. I want to make things right. We can fix this.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening?¡± I whisper-yelled. ¡°This can¡¯t be fixed. Everyone thinks I¡¯m crazy and that I¡¯m in the right place where I can get some help ¡ª even my own mother!¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°I have to pretend to take the pills they give me so I won¡¯t be walking around in a daze twenty-four seven. I have to talk about my feelings with the doctor and pretend I¡¯m fine. I was supposed to be going home to my mother. You destroyed my chances and there¡¯s nothing anyone can do to fix it. Just go away and leave me alone. You¡¯ve completely ruined the rest of my life.¡±


    Several leaves were blown around the small clearing by a sudden gust of wind as I said those last words and I tensed.


    He opened his mouth, closed it, then turned on his heel and stalked off.


    Mrs C shook her head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice, Maddelyn.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. He just ensured that I¡¯ll never go home.¡±


    She tried to explain how desperate he must have felt when no one could see him and every word had the guilt eating at my insides, but it was drowned out by the heat surging through my veins.


    The wind picked up again and panic shot through me. I clamped down on my temper. I had to get this under control. Sometimes when I was angry, strange things happened around me. Things that were hard to explain. Sudden gusts of wind. Things falling to the floor. Once, I¡¯d even popped a light globe.


    I hadn¡¯t told anyone about this. Not even Mum.


    I took some deep breaths and tried to listen to Mrs C¡¯s calming voice. The wind died down and I relaxed a bit.


    I peeked through the bushes and watched Nurse Holly and Jim. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even bother hiding to talk to you guys anymore.¡±


    Mr J stepped forward. ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea, Lass.¡±


    I turned to him. ¡°There¡¯s no point pretending anymore. They know. I might as well enjoy your company wherever I am.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± they both said at once.


    Mrs C put a hand on my arm. ¡°Maddelyn, we¡¯ll figure out a way for you to get out of here. There¡¯ll be a way to fix it. But don¡¯t you go making it impossible. You keep pretending you can¡¯t see us, you hear me?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    We were quiet for a long time and I laid back in the grass, closed my eyes and soaked up the sun while a magpie sang a happy song nearby.


    A shadow fell against my eyelids and my eyes sprang open. I jerked away from Nurse Janice¡¯s smirking face, which morphed into a condescending smile.


    ¡°What do you do all day out here in the garden?¡±


    I sat up. ¡°Enjoy the peace and quiet and the song of the birds.¡± And get away from you.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Who were you talking to?¡±


    ¡°No one. I wasn¡¯t talking just now.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    Her smile faltered a little. ¡°I don¡¯t believe what the doctor says. I know that you belong in here.¡±


    Here we go again. I¡¯d had enough of her attitude.


    I got to my feet so she wouldn¡¯t be towering over me and bit back all the things I wanted to say to her. I didn¡¯t need more trouble right now. Then one of them slipped out. ¡°Why do you hate me?¡±


    Her eyes narrowed, and she didn¡¯t deny it. Of course. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me. You think you¡¯re better than all of us. Well, you¡¯re not. None of you are.¡±


    None of you?


    The heat returned to my veins. I had no idea what she was talking about, but her behaviour had to stop. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m better than you, but if you don¡¯t back off, I¡¯m going to report you to Doctor Calthorpe. I¡¯ve seen how you treat the other patients and it¡¯s not right.¡±


    That smile was back and I so wanted to smack it off her face. ¡°I can do what I want.¡± She stepped into my personal space, her grey eyes boring into mine. ¡°You¡¯re just another loony. No one will believe you.¡± She grabbed my upper arms and my chest clenched. ¡°I have all the power here. No one will take your word over mine. Do you understand?¡±


    Leaves blew around our feet as I fought for control. ¡°I understand perfectly. You don¡¯t like this job and you want me to tell Doctor Calthorpe so he¡¯ll sack you.¡±


    My hair flew around my face as the wind picked up.


    Her fingers dug into my flesh, but I didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°Shut up! You will not tell him anything. I can make your life hell in here, so you will listen to me and do as you¡¯re told. Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 4: Who Are You Speaking To?

    Her eyes were wild and her breathing ragged. She seemed to become unhinged before my eyes. Maybe she was on the wrong side of the equation here. Maybe she should have been one of the patients.


    That realization hit me in the gut and I forced myself to back down. She held all the power ¡ª like she said ¡ª and if she was as unstable as she seemed, she really could make my life hell. I had no idea what she was capable of.


    And there was the fact that I was afraid of what I might accidentally do to her if I didn¡¯t calm the storm inside me.


    I took a few deep breaths and the wind died down.


    It took a lot for me to nod my head and pretend she¡¯d won.


    She let go of my arms and I resisted the urge to rub them. There would probably be bruises there later.


    While I waited and hoped she¡¯d calm down, Mrs C came over and put a soothing arm around my shoulders. ¡°You did good.¡±


    I ignored her and she smiled.


    Mr J put a calming hand on the middle of my back. ¡°It¡¯s okay, darlin¡¯. You got this.¡±


    I appreciated their support more than they could ever know.


    Janice watched me for a long while and when it looked like she¡¯d gotten herself under control, she scowled. ¡°Now we understand each other. You will tell no one and I won¡¯t taze your ass.¡±


    I glanced at the pocket she kept her taser in. I wasn¡¯t too sure about that. A mental picture of me writhing on the ground and her laughing hysterically flashed through my mind. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to taze my ass.


    She must have seen the fear in my eyes; she laughed loudly and put her hands on her hips.


    I clenched my teeth. Just go before I do something I¡¯ll regret.


    I put my palms against my legs so I wouldn¡¯t clench my fists. Seeing me do that might have set her off again.


    She looked me up and down and opened her mouth, closed it again, then turned on her heel and walked back toward the door to the rec room.


    ¡°I¡¯m watching you, freak,¡± she called over her shoulder as she swung her hips all the way to the door. Who was she hoping to impress? Jim? The trees?


    Mr Newbie threw his arms in the air. ¡°Oh, my God! What is her problem?¡± He started pacing around in a circle. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be working in a place like this. Maybe she should be a patient instead.¡±


    I tore my eyes away from the door and sat back down in the grass. ¡°She¡¯s getting worse,¡± I whispered.


    Mr J joined Mr Newbie with his pacing, but he walked back and forth near the bushes I was hiding behind. ¡°Something has set her off lately.¡±


    Mrs C lowered herself gracefully on one of the park benches. ¡°Maybe she has problems in her life outside of work. She is so quick to anger these last few months, but especially the last few days.¡± She tucked a stray lock of curly blonde hair behind her ear. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be extra-careful around her. She would just love to catch you talking to us for real.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    What I really needed to do was get out of here, but that was just a pipe dream now.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    ¡°Dr Calthorpe will see you now,¡± Nurse Holly said with a cheery smile. A genuine smile.


    Those were the words I¡¯d been dreading. I didn¡¯t know what he was going to say to me after yesterday¡¯s total stuff-up.


    But I¡¯d decided that no matter what, I was going to report Janice.


    Mrs C slid her arm from my shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay, dear.¡±


    I was so grateful for her support and wished I could look at her to let her know how much it meant to me. I took a deep breath and followed Holly.


    I had no real plan for what I was going to tell him when he asked me who I was talking to. What could I possibly say that wouldn¡¯t sound like I¡¯d lost it?


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    Dr Calthorpe smiled as I entered and gestured for me to have a seat. ¡°How are you today, Maddelyn?¡±


    ¡°Much better, Doc. How are you?¡±


    His smile stayed in place. ¡°Very well, thank you.¡±


    I braced myself for the barrage of questions, but they didn¡¯t come. He waited till we were both seated and smiled again.


    Oh, great. He was waiting for me to talk.


    Okay. If that¡¯s what he wanted. ¡°Before you say anything, I want to know what the procedures are for reporting a member of your staff.¡±


    The smile dropped as his bushy eyebrows shot up. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°How do I report someone for mistreating patients?¡±


    Those brows rose higher. ¡°May I ask who you are referring to?¡±


    There was no backing down now. ¡°Nurse Janice.¡±


    His expression was unreadable as the silence stretched.


    ¡°She is mean to the patients and she threatened me yesterday. Then she told me not to report it to you because you wouldn¡¯t believe me because I¡¯m a loony.¡±


    His face was turning red. ¡°These are very serious allegations, Maddelyn. Are you sure there isn¡¯t just some misunderstanding?¡±


    Great. He wasn¡¯t going to believe me. Maybe because he witnessed me talking to an imaginary person in here yesterday.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no misunderstanding.¡± I wished the bruises had stuck around so I could show him, but I was a fast healer. ¡°She grabbed me by the arms yesterday and basically said she could do whatever she wanted and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She said I was a loony. She calls us all loonies. She is rough with poor Mrs Dawson and is abusive to all of us when no one¡¯s looking.¡±


    The expressions playing out across his face would have been amusing if it wasn¡¯t for the seriousness of the situation.


    He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you or anyone else said anything before now?¡±


    ¡°She has all the power. She told me if I told you, she would make my life hell in here.¡±


    It was already hell, so bring it on.


    It looked like he was trying to pull himself together. I could feel the anger rolling off him. Maybe he did believe me. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So, how do I officially report her?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll sort this out. You¡¯ve told me, and that¡¯s the first step in the process.¡±


    He went on about the forms he would get me to fill out, but then swung the conversation back to my big blunder.


    I opened my mouth to answer, but I still hadn¡¯t thought of anything that would get me out of trouble, then jumped when an elderly woman appeared beside him. I forced myself to look at him, but his wide eyes told me he¡¯d noticed.


    No¡­ Not again.


    This could not be happening again. I felt like screaming. I couldn¡¯t talk to her. I had to ignore her. Otherwise, my case against the nurse from Hell will go down the toilet too.


    The doctor cleared his throat. ¡°So, can you tell me about yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± What could I do? ¡°It was all a joke. I didn¡¯t see anyone. I just didn¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± Which didn¡¯t make an ounce of sense. He knew how badly I wanted to go home.


    He frowned. ¡°Miss Johnson, this is no laughing matter.¡±


    ¡°I think maybe they messed up my medication. I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°I assure you that you are on the correct dosage of meds, Maddelyn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, Doc. I felt kind of out of it.¡±


    The woman reached out a hand toward his face. She looked anxious. Did she know she was dead? Was she going to cause a scene like Mr Newbie?


    I quickly diverted my eyes in case she saw me looking. I did not want a repeat of yesterday.


    Maybe she was his grandma.


    I looked him in the eye. ¡°I was kinda dizzy before I came in here.¡±


    His eyebrows crept down lower. He was getting annoyed with me. Good. Maybe he¡¯d send me out of his office and I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this. Or the old lady. Maybe he¡¯d give up on me.


    Not likely. He actually cared about his patients and tried his best to help them. Unlike a certain person.


    His eyes were almost pleading. ¡°Why won¡¯t you give me a straight answer?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re never gonna let me out of here, so why should I come to these sessions anymore? Why should I bother with any of it?¡±


    I got up out of my chair, tempted to just run out again, but opted for pacing the room instead.


    ¡°Sit down and let¡¯s talk about this. Why do you think you¡¯ll never leave here?¡±


    I kept pacing. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for the rest of my life, and by then I probably will be crazy for real.¡±


    My face heated and my eyes stung with unshed tears. A pen on the desk rolled onto the floor and I stopped and stared at it. I had to get a grip on my emotions, or I could put myself in a lot more trouble. Trouble I couldn¡¯t even hope to talk my way out of.


    Dr Calthorpe picked up the pen and placed it neatly on his desk and seemed to think nothing of it falling randomly to the floor and I let out a breath.


    The woman turned her attention from Dr Calthorpe and I could see the moment she realized I was looking directly at her. ¡°You can see me?¡± She smiled widely. ¡°That¡¯s great! I need your help. This here is my grandson, Ivan.¡±


    I snorted a laugh. ¡°Ivan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I need your help because I died this morning and no one knows where I¡¯ve hidden my treasures. It was my heart, I think. I woke up, but my body didn¡¯t.¡±


    My smile faded. His name being Ivan was funny; her being dead wasn¡¯t funny in the least.


    I opened my mouth to respond to her, but clamped it shut. Dr Calthorpe ¡ª Ivan ¡ª was looking at me expectantly, eyebrow raised.


    Crap.


    ¡°Who are you speaking to, Maddelyn?¡±

 Chapter 5: How Did You Know?

    Oops. I¡¯d said his name out loud.


    ¡°Ah, um, no one¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you listening?¡± The woman waved a hand at me impatiently. ¡°This is important. There¡¯s a stash of money and jewellery and rare coins in a hiding spot in my house and it¡¯s worth a lot of money, and if no one knows where it is, they¡¯ll clear out my house and sell it and no one will get it. Or maybe the new owners might find it. I can¡¯t let that happen. You have to tell him where it is.¡±


    Dr Calthorpe cleared his throat again. ¡°Maddelyn? Are you okay?¡±


    Did I tell him his grandmother was here and risk him thinking I¡¯ve lost my mind? Do I ignore her?


    I didn¡¯t think that was possible. She looked like she was going to dive across the desk and throttle me if I didn¡¯t help her.


    I looked the doctor in the eye. ¡°Can I be honest with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± he said, a slight frown creasing his brow.


    ¡°These delusions. They¡¯re not delusions. I can see the spirits of people who have passed away.¡±


    His brows crept upwards.


    ¡°The guy yesterday had just died and he was confused and upset.¡±


    ¡°Get on with it, dear,¡± she urged. I cut her a look.


    His face hadn¡¯t changed. Was that a good sign? Probably not. I pushed on.


    ¡°And now there¡¯s someone else here. She says she¡¯s your grandmother.¡±


    His eyebrows slammed back down again. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± he scoffed. ¡°My grandmother is very much alive.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± she said. ¡°Tell him my name is Ethel.¡±


    ¡°She says her name is Ethel,¡± I said.


    ¡°How did you know that? Have you been stalking me online or something?¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s here. She says she passed away this morning.¡±


    His face went pale. It took a few seconds for him to compose himself.


    He straightened his back, his mouth a straight line. ¡°Maddelyn, this isn¡¯t funny. Death is not something to joke about.¡±


    ¡°Tell him you can prove it. I¡¯ll tell you some things only I would know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Doc. I can prove it.¡±


    He folded his arms across his broad chest. ¡°Okay. Prove it to me.¡±


    I looked at Ethel and raised my eyebrows.


    ¡°Tell him that my name is Ethel Margaret Calthorpe. I have two sisters and one half-brother.¡±


    I repeated what she¡¯d said and his face paled some more. ¡°You could have found out that information with some digging.¡±


    ¡°Tell him that I was in love with Cary Grant when I was young¡­ and I¡¯ve always been too afraid to drive a car.¡±


    I told him.


    ¡°You could have asked someone else in my family.¡±


    ¡°Okay. When he was little, we used to pick up fallen banksia flowers and gum nuts for him to play with because he loved the story of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.¡±


    This one sounded like something he wouldn¡¯t have told anyone.


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    ¡°My mother knows about that.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°How do you suppose I was able to contact your mother while being locked up in here?¡±


    ¡°You could have help from someone¡­ Your mother.¡±


    ¡°How¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she said. ¡°He has a large mole on the back of his left knee and a weird birthmark on his right shoulder that looks like a little bird. The last time he came to visit, we ate carrot cake and talked about my home town of Terrigal and how I miss the beach.¡±


    Once I¡¯d repeated this information, he faltered. ¡°Would you excuse me, Maddelyn?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    He left the room and Ethel followed, leaving me alone in his office. My mind was a mess. I went from hoping he would let me go home to panicking that I¡¯d just blown my chances forever.


    Surely he would release me once he found out that his grandmother had died.


    But¡­ ice slid down my spine. What if she wasn¡¯t dead? What if her spirit wasn¡¯t really here? What if I really was delusional?


    Stop. Just stop.


    I took some deep breaths while logic pushed its way into my brain. If I¡¯d just imagined her here, the ¡°facts¡± would be wrong. He would have told me outright that I was wrong. Instead, he had run out to see if his grandma was really dead.


    I wanted to be right, but I hated the fact that to find out I was right meant that he was finding out that his grandmother was gone. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath in. There was nothing I could do about her.


    When he returned about ten minutes later, his eyes were glassy and his face was red. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    His voice was almost a whisper.


    I lifted my chin. ¡°I know because she¡¯s here. In this room. She told me what happened. She wants me to help her. She has something to tell you. It¡¯s important.¡±


    He looked around the room. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Standing to your left.¡±


    He looked to his left and loosened his tie. ¡°What does she want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°There are some rare coins, money, and jewellery hidden in her house. No one knows where they are. She is worried that they will never be found.¡±


    He swallowed hard. ¡°Where?¡±


    I looked to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a loose floorboard under my bedside chest. There¡¯s a nice little cavity there and I¡¯ve jammed it full of goodies.¡± She beamed at me like a kid who just won a medal.


    I repeated her words and watched his face. Did he actually believe me?


    ¡°Thank you, Maddelyn. I¡­¡± He loosened his tie some more. ¡°¡­ I will need to check this out, you understand?¡± I nodded. ¡°I think our session for today is over. I would like to see you tomorrow. I¡¯ll make the appointment with Melinda.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about your grandma.¡±


    He seemed a bit dazed. I took his silence as my cue to leave.


    Ethel smiled at me. ¡°Thank you, dearie. You did good.¡±


    I smiled back and left the room.


    Warmth blossomed in my chest, followed by a chill. Did he believe me? Would he find her treasures? Questions filled my head.


    Three sets of eyes looked at me expectantly when I reached my spot in the garden.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Mrs C asked. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    How was I going to explain this? ¡°Well, Doctor Calthorpe¡¯s first name is Ivan.¡± I giggled. Their frowns made me want to laugh out loud. ¡°Okay. So, Doctor Calthorpe¡¯s grandmother popped into the room while we were talking.¡±


    Her face fell. ¡°Oh, no. Not again. How did you avoid looking at her while you spoke to the doctor?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t. She wouldn¡¯t let me. She had something important to tell him.¡±


    ¡°So what did you do?¡±


    I hesitated. ¡°I told him I could see ghosts and that she was there.¡±


    All three of them talked at once and I held up a hand to stop them.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t believe me at first because he didn¡¯t know she¡¯d passed away this morning, but she told me some personal stuff that convinced him. He went and made a phone call and found out that she really had died, so I told him her message. She had some money and stuff stashed under a floorboard and was worried no one would find it.¡±


    ¡°So, what happened after that?¡±


    I pushed some hair behind my ear. ¡°I think he believes me now. He wants to see me tomorrow. I guess he¡¯ll go and check out her hiding spot tonight.¡±


    Mrs C sat on the grass and tucked her legs under her. ¡°Well. I guess we have to wait till tomorrow then. This could be good, Maddelyn. If he finds the money, he¡¯ll know you¡¯re not delusional.¡±


    Mr Newbie was quiet. Maybe because he knew I was still angry with him. Mrs C had had a long conversation with him at some point yesterday and he still couldn¡¯t remember his name ¡ª or anything else.


    Mr J¡¯s eyes were bright. ¡°He¡¯ll have to let you go home if he knows you¡¯re not crazy.¡±


    I¡¯d already come to that conclusion, but I was desperately trying not to get my hopes up. ¡°Yeah. I hope so.¡±


    The butterflies in my stomach wouldn¡¯t quit. I had to slow my breathing so I wouldn¡¯t get light-headed.


    All I could do now was wait.


    I couldn¡¯t help thinking that maybe the thing that put me here in the first place could be the thing that got me out.


    Mr Newbie turned to me with a scowl. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Are you out of your damn mind?¡±

 Chapter 6: You Were in a Panic for Nothing

    My mouth dropped open. ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡±


    His scowl deepened. ¡°You¡¯re such a hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the worst in the world for talking to you and making you look delusional, but then you deliberately talk to his grandma right in front of him!¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t going to let me ignore her when there was the chance her money was going to be lost.¡±


    He rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°So that makes it alright? I can¡¯t believe this.¡± He took a deep breath in through his nose. ¡°So basically, I ruined your life and she saved it by doing the exact same thing.¡±


    ¡°This was diff¡ª¡±


    ¡°How? It¡¯s exactly the sa¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! She was able to give me evidence to prove to him that I can really see ghosts. Private things that only she would know. You couldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    He stepped forward as I looked up into those gorgeous brown eyes that were glaring daggers at me. The wind picked up around us, but I barely noticed.


    He leaned down and I resisted the urge to step back. ¡°You treated me like crap for nothing.¡±


    I squared my shoulders. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. You did ruin everything. I was set to stay in here for the rest of my life. Now I might have a chance to get out.¡±


    ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    My heart clenched. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back where I started. Where you put me. Doomed to stay here forever.¡±


    Tears stung my eyes thinking about that, but I would not cry in front of him.


    Mrs C stood and stepped between us. ¡°Bickering like this is not going to help anyone. You both need to calm down.¡±


    Some of the wind went out of my sails. She was right. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. The wind died down and I cringed. I had to be more careful about doing that, but he¡¯d had me so riled up that I couldn¡¯t think straight.


    Mr Newbie ran a hand through his messy dark curls and stalked off into the trees at the bottom of the garden.


    Relief settled over my shoulders as I watched him disappear. And I was totally not checking out his broad shoulders. Or his butt.


    Mrs C had a strange expression on her face when I turned back around and my face heated. ¡°What?¡±


    She smiled knowingly. ¡°He¡¯s a handsome one, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Yes, but¡­ ¡°He¡¯s okay, but he¡¯s a jerk.¡±


    Her smile grew and she nodded as if she were saying, ¡°Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.¡±


    I think my face must have been as red as my hair.


    It always seemed to be that the good-looking guys knew they were man-candy and acted like jerks.


    Mr J stood and stretched his legs. ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    The change of subject threw me. ¡°Uh, we wait till tomorrow and see what the doc says.¡±


    I sighed. I hated waiting.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Despite the activities that the staff always had planned, time dragged on and it was hard to concentrate on anything.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I¡¯d immersed myself in a couple of movies the night before, but the morning was hard to deal with.


    We¡¯d played some card games, but no one wanted to follow that with a long, drawn-out game of Monopoly, so we¡¯d gone outside for a walk in the sunshine. Then we¡¯d played Charades. I wasn¡¯t very good at it, but it was fun seeing how ridiculous we looked while trying to act out the clues.


    After lunch, we¡¯d had some quiet time where most of the patients watched TV and I¡¯d gone outside for more sunshine. And conversation. Knowing that I could be going home tomorrow made it hard to keep my mind on anything.


    Waiting was torture.


    When I¡¯d made my way back inside, they had moved on to making Halloween decorations and I almost laughed out loud when Holly asked me if I wanted to cut out paper ghosts.


    After I¡¯d made a few ghosts, my eyes were drawn to the window where Mrs C made a get-back-to-work gesture and smiled.


    She¡¯d told me to keep busy and she was right. Time would pass faster if I immersed myself into the activities provided. And it was better than pacing up and down in my room or out in the garden.


    As I started cutting again, a sharp pain made me drop the paper.


    Dammit.


    Blood dripped from a v-shaped cut on the side of my index finger onto the tablecloth and I grabbed the first thing I laid eyes on to stem the bleeding ¡ª a wad of cotton wool that was going to be used for spider webs.


    I sighed. That¡¯s all I need.


    The pain and the amount of blood meant that it was deep. I hoped it didn¡¯t need stitches.


    I stood quickly and called to Holly. The blood was seeping through the cotton wool. I was going to need something else fast.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you sorted out.¡±


    I began to feel lightheaded. I shouldn¡¯t have stood up so fast. She took my arm gently and led me to the treatment room, talking to me all the way. I sat on the seat she indicated as she quickly grabbed a clean cloth; the blood was now dripping between my fingers and onto the floor.


    ¡°Hold this on the wound to help stop the bleeding.¡±


    The pain started to subside a little after a while and I tried to relax. I was never good with injuries.


    Holly smiled. ¡°That¡¯s it. Relax. Take some deep breaths. It¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±


    I did what she asked and started to feel better.


    Once she had things prepared to treat the wound, she pulled up a chair opposite me. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s see what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    I cringed before taking the cloth away. ¡°It¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


    My mouth dropped open as I stared at my finger. It looked like a shallow cut, not like the deep cut I saw only minutes ago.


    Holly raised her eyebrows, but took a closer look. ¡°Look at that. You were in a panic for nothing. It¡¯s not too bad. It doesn¡¯t look deep. You must have thought it was worse than it is.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡­ what about all the blood? That was not a shallow cut. What was happening? I¡¯d always been a fast healer, and I seemed to be able to heal even faster since the accident. But this was ridiculously-fast.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maddie. I¡¯ll clean it up and put a Band-Aid on it. You¡¯ll be right as rain.¡±


    I sat and let her go to work, but my mind was reeling. Did I imagine the cut being worse? That had to be the case, because no one could heal that fast. I was sure it had needed stitches.


    I looked at all the blood on the floor and knew there was something going on here.


    As I stared out into the hall, Mrs C peered around the doorway, eyebrows bunched up. ¡°What happened? Are you okay, dear?¡±


    I checked to see if Holly was looking, then gave her a small nod. Mrs C sighed and her shoulders visibly relaxed. ¡°Oh, good. I was worried.¡±


    She wandered off down the hall again and I turned to thank Holly.


    Her smile was genuine and I couldn¡¯t help comparing her to Janice. They were so different. Like night and day. And all those other silly clich¨¦d comparisons running through my head.


    I really needed to keep pushing for Janice to be fired and I cringed thinking about what she would do when she found out I¡¯d told Dr Calthorpe about her behaviour.


    Despite that, I had to speak up. I couldn¡¯t sit by and do nothing. Janice needed to be as far away from vulnerable people as humanly possible.


    When we returned to the others, Mrs Dawson asked how I was and wasn¡¯t entirely convinced when I told her the cut wasn¡¯t that bad. I caught Janice openly staring at me and turned away. I couldn¡¯t really blame her. The blood was still on the tablecloth and the smell of disinfectant and the wet patches on the floor told me that someone had cleaned up the blood.


    Things seemed to settle down after that.


    It was hard to eat my lunch. It felt like there was a large rock in my stomach. I had to wait it out till one o¡¯clock.


    Just before one, Janice walked up to me in the hallway and I tensed. What did she want?


    She gave me a fake smile. ¡°I wonder what the doc¡¯s gonna say to you today? I figured things didn¡¯t go well for you yesterday when you ran out of there like your hair was on fire.¡± She chuckled.


    So many retorts went through my mind, but I didn¡¯t put a voice to any of them.


    She smirked. ¡°Got nothin¡¯ to say?¡±


    Nothing that won¡¯t get me into trouble. And I¡¯m not risking my freedom for you.


    ¡°Well, you better make yourself comfortable. He¡¯s written up his reports and it looks like you¡¯ll be staying here a looong time.¡±


    My stomach sank like a stone. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not looking good, my girl. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll definitely be here for Christmas, so better get used to the idea that you won¡¯t be going home anytime soon.¡±

 Chapter 7: You Really Are One of Those Witches

    My heart pounded in my chest. He¡¯d said he was going to release me¡­


    She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and said, ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot. Doctor Calthorpe will see you now.¡±


    I wanted to slap the smirk right off her face.


    I was trying not to let the growing panic get to me. What had the doctor said?


    Wait. He didn¡¯t actually say he¡¯d release me. Oh, God. I¡¯d gotten my hopes up for nothing.


    I turned and slowly walked toward his office, my mind spinning and my breathing shallow.


    When I knocked and he called for me to come in, he seemed excited. ¡°Maddelyn, come in. Close the door.¡±


    I did as he said and as soon as the door closed, he said, ¡°It was there. The money. The jewellery. All of it.¡±


    My mouth dropped open and my heart raced, but I pushed my colliding emotions down deep. I had to see what he had to say.


    His smile turned hopeful. ¡°Is she here now?¡±


    I glanced around in case Ethel had popped in behind me. ¡°No.¡±


    His smile faded a little.


    ¡°She might have passed on ¡ª you know, gone into the light or whatever. Now that I told you what she wanted to tell you.¡±


    The smile faded some more and he nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°So, Doc, what happens now?¡± Surely he would let me go home.


    Ethel picked that moment to pop into the chair next to me and I nearly jumped out of my skin.


    ¡°Hello, dearie.¡± Her smile reminded me of a kid asking if they could have some ice cream. ¡°Did he find it all?¡±


    Dr Calthorpe cleared his throat. ¡°Maddelyn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡± I turned to him. ¡°She¡¯s back.¡±


    His reaction was comical. Relief and terror mixed together. I pursed my lips so I didn¡¯t laugh out loud.


    ¡°Does he believe you now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to know if you believe me now.¡±


    He hesitated. ¡°Yes. Yes, I do.¡±


    We spent the next half an hour in a weird conversation where I had to relay what she was saying back to the doctor, which provided him with more proof that I wasn¡¯t lying or hallucinating and it gave him a chance to say a proper goodbye to his grandmother, which brought tears to my eyes.


    ¡°I wish I could hug him one last time,¡± she said, then gave me a huge hug. ¡°Thank you, young lady. I can rest in peace now, knowing my family has found all my treasures. They deserve to have them all. And because I got to say goodbye to my favourite grandson. I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why I could touch spirits, but it seemed like I could interact with them as if they were still here in person. And although her touch was cool, the hug felt good. Better than good. Mum wasn¡¯t the ¡°touchy-feely¡± type, so hugs were not a common thing in our household.


    Ethel wiped her eyes, smiled at me, and disappeared.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±


    It was his turn to take a deep breath and his eyes shone with unshed tears. ¡°Okay.¡± He sighed. ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate this.¡±


    After a few moments, he seemed to pull himself together. ¡°Well, this is a difficult one. You have proven that you¡¯re not suffering from delusions, but it will be hard to put that evidence down into a report.¡± I tensed again. ¡°They¡¯d put me in the room next to yours if I told them what has happened.¡± I found myself nodding. ¡°So I will need to do some creative writing to change my report on Monday¡¯s incident and add in some more reports for you, but I think we¡¯ll be able to organise your release very soon.¡±


    Tears welled in my eyes and it was hard to keep the outward appearance of calm when my insides were an excited jumble. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Janice had been wrong. Maybe she had no clue and was just messing with me. My blood boiled a little.


    ¡°I must thank you, Maddelyn. Besides the sentimental value of my grandmother¡¯s items, the monetary value is significant.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°The family will be glad that she¡¯d told me before she passed where she¡¯d hidden her fortune.¡±


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    I smothered a laugh. That would be the best way to explain how he knew about her stash.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements, but don¡¯t let anyone here know that you know you¡¯re being released. It could look suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Doc.¡± He didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t tell the ghosts. Who were they gonna tell anyway?


    ¡°And just know that this process could take a while. A few days, or maybe even a week.¡±


    A knot formed in my stomach. ¡°Okay.¡± Just a little while longer. I can do this.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t have to tell you to make sure you are not seen talking to any spirits.¡±


    He definitely didn¡¯t have to tell me that. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    He dismissed me and I felt like I was floating on air as I headed out to the garden. Again, I was greeted by three anxious spirits.


    I whisper-shouted to them as I entered the small clearing. ¡°The money was there! He believes me. He¡¯s organising for me to go home!¡±


    They erupted into loud whoops and shouts.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want me to tell anyone and he has to change his reports, but I guess I¡¯ll have to wait it out.¡±


    Waiting was going to suck.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    The next day, I¡¯d tried to keep my mind occupied and failed miserably. All I could think about was getting out and going home. Back to my house. My room. My bed. I wondered if things would be weird between me and Mum and if I could possibly get my old job back. I doubted it. I probably shouldn¡¯t even try. They probably knew where I¡¯d been these past months.


    After breakfast, I headed to the garden for a while, but was still restless. I headed back inside to see if there was anything on the TV and wished Mr Newbie wasn¡¯t following me. I resisted the urge to tell him to go back outside.


    As soon as I stepped through the door and into the rec room, Nurse Janice looked up from where she was talking to Mrs Dawson. Her usual smirk crept into place and I groaned inwardly. I knew what was coming. She seemed to enjoy taunting me every chance she got lately. I wondered if she knew I¡¯d told Dr Calthorpe about her. Probably not. She would be so much worse if she knew.


    The smirk turned into a sweet smile as she ran a hand over her short hair as if checking that it was in place. ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. How did it go yesterday with Doctor Calthorpe?¡±


    My eyes narrowed. ¡°Okay,¡± I said slowly.


    ¡°What did you talk about with him?¡±


    ¡°The usual.¡± What is she up to?


    ¡°What did the doc say to you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s private and confidential. You know that, right? And it¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    The smile was gone in an instant. ¡°Brat.¡±


    Bitch.


    I almost said that out loud so I bit my tongue.


    She smirked again. ¡°Your plan¡¯s not working. I know you still see imaginary people. No one here believes you ¡ª not even Holly. She told me this morning.¡±


    I clenched my jaw. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Holly does believe me.


    ¡°You¡¯re just faking it so you can get out of here. Well, I¡¯m gonna make sure they find out and you don¡¯t get to leave.¡±


    I took in a breath. Don¡¯t do anything.


    Mr Newbie moved to stand by my side and I resisted the natural urge to look at him. ¡°Don¡¯t let her get to you.¡±


    She put a hand on her hip. ¡°You think you¡¯re special. You¡¯re all the same. You¡¯re just another weirdo. A freak.¡±


    My fists clenched at my sides. Shut up. I¡¯m not a freak!


    Mr Newbie took a step closer. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. She¡¯s just trying to bait you.¡±


    Mr Newbie had just turned into Captain Obvious.


    Janice was pushing my buttons and I knew I shouldn¡¯t react, but the need to punch her in the throat was strong. Heat pulsed through my veins. I couldn¡¯t do this. I had to get out of here. Now.


    Her eyes were lit up. She was enjoying this. ¡°I know your type. You think you know better than me. You think you¡¯re too good for this place, but this is exactly where you belong.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    She flinched, then movement to my right drew our attention and I turned to see a vase hit the floor and smash ¡ª dirt, leaves, and pieces of terracotta spreading out across the lino.


    Oh, crap.


    Was that me?


    That had to be me. It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d caused things to move without touching them. And now I¡¯d done it in front of her and Mr Newbie.


    She looked from the plant to me and took a step back, eyes wide. ¡°You really are one of those witches.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She spun around and rushed into the kitchen.


    Mr Newbie¡¯s eyes were also wide, but there was no fear there. It was like a spark of excitement. That didn¡¯t make sense. He should be afraid of me.


    I quickly looked around and it seemed that two of the people in the room had gone back to whatever they were doing, but Nellie stood open-mouthed, her eyes wide. I cringed inwardly, but at least she couldn¡¯t tell anyone what she¡¯d seen. Anyone living, that is.


    I looked back at the mess. Was I supposed to clean that up?


    There was no way. I headed to my room, but before I could reach the door, Holly called out to me. I froze. Had she seen what happened? Was I in trouble?


    It was refreshing to see a genuine smile on her face. ¡°Doctor Calthorpe would like to speak to you.¡±


    My jaw tightened. Was I actually in trouble? Did Janice run to him and tell him what I¡¯d done? Did I just ruin my chances of going home?


    My legs turned to jelly as I tried to smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As I entered the doctor¡¯s office, he smiled. ¡°Come in, Maddelyn. Close the door. Have a seat.¡±


    Maybe I wasn¡¯t in trouble. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Once we got the pleasantries out of the way, he didn¡¯t waste any more time. ¡°I have some news for you regarding your release.¡±


    My breath caught in my throat. This was it.


    ¡°I have made arrangements for you to be released tomorrow¡ª¡±


    My heart soared. ¡°Thank you¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand be taken to a place called Waratah Estate¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°¡ªout in a quaint little town called Angel Falls. Waratah is a halfway house for people who have been in a facility like this and it helps them to assimilate back into society.¡±

 Chapter 8: You Said I’d be Going Home!

    ¡°What? What are you talking about? You said I¡¯d be going home!¡±


    This couldn¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°I said I would organize for you to be released. This was the best I could do under the circumstances.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, it would look very suspicious if you¡¯d suddenly recovered overnight, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ but I still don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°The people at Waratah Estate are good people and they can help someone like you to get back on your feet. They will even help you find employment and you¡¯ll be able to support yourself. It¡¯s all part of giving you a helping hand.¡±


    I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What could I say? All my dreams of going home slipped away like sand through my fingers. He kept talking about the place and how fantastic it was and I felt deflated.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. I was supposed to be seeing Mum tomorrow. Going back to my room. Going back to my life. Spending time with Alina.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, dear. They¡¯re truly a nice bunch of people and they will help you tremendously.¡±


    What? When did I start crying?


    He placed a box of tissues on the desk and I took one to dry my tears. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Dr Calthorpe smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for Nurse Janice to drive you there tomorrow¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Not her. He blinked at me. Oops. ¡°Please. Not Janice. The things I told you about her are true. I can¡¯t be alone in a car with her.¡± Ice shot through my veins at the thought and I shuddered.


    He cleared his throat and looked embarrassed. He¡¯d probably forgotten I¡¯d reported her. ¡°Yes, well. Okay. I¡¯ll see if I can spare Nurse Holly for the trip.¡±


    My shoulders slumped in relief. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Early the next morning, I slipped out to the garden after breakfast. I didn¡¯t know if Mrs C and Mr J could go with me and I suspected that they probably couldn¡¯t.


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    I was bracing myself for disappointment as we were saying our goodbyes just in case.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine without us, dear,¡± Mrs C told me for the fifteenth time.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± I said. ¡°I want you to come with me.¡±


    ¡°I know. But it seems that spirits can only go to certain places. I¡¯ve only been able to go to wherever my loved-ones are and that other plane I told you about.¡±


    ¡°The waiting area thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what it seems to be. I can obviously be here too; I think it¡¯s because I died here.¡±


    I suppressed a shudder at the image of some crazy patient running a knife across her throat in a desperate attempt to escape and shoved it from my mind.


    I guessed that spirits could go to some places so that they could take care of their unfinished business or whatever they were supposed to do before they could cross over. All that meant for me at the moment was that it was more than likely that they couldn¡¯t go with me and I¡¯d be alone.


    ¡°Remember what I¡¯ve said about finding your families? Now that I¡¯m leaving, I think it¡¯s time you went to see them.¡±


    They both nodded, but didn¡¯t seem enthusiastic. They needed to face their families and their unfinished business so they could finally cross over. I knew they were afraid of what they might see. Afraid their families had moved on and forgotten them. But now they assured me that they would do it after I¡¯d left.


    I wondered if they would go through with it.


    Mr J had his back to me. I didn¡¯t want to embarrass him, so I let him have a moment. He¡¯d always said he hated goodbyes.


    Mr Newbie walked up from the bottom of the garden. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen with him. He¡¯d been to a lot of different places before he found me, looking for someone who could see him, so he didn¡¯t seem to be tied to a location. They were all going to get in the car with me when I was leaving, just to see if they could.


    The trouble was, we didn¡¯t know if it would actually work and I didn¡¯t really want the new guy to come with me. I still couldn¡¯t forgive him for the mess he¡¯d made for me.


    As I watched him saying his goodbyes to them in case he could go with me and they couldn¡¯t, I watched the muscles under his shirt stretch with the movements. His dark hair fell forward over his forehead as he turned to me. I sucked in a breath. He¡¯d just caught me checking him out. What was wrong with me?


    But I couldn¡¯t help myself. He oozed masculinity and reminded me so much of Johnny Depp; same colour hair and eyes. Same physique.


    He still couldn¡¯t remember his name and it annoyed me that I was stuck calling him the new guy or Mr Newbie.


    When he looked away, I just blurted it out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep calling you Mr Newbie or ¡®hey, you¡¯ all the time, so I¡¯m gonna call you Johnny.¡±


    He turned back. ¡°What? Why Johnny?¡±


    My cheeks heated. ¡°I was thinking you look like Johnny Depp.¡±


    His face kind of lit up, so I guess he thought that was a compliment. My face flushed even more. I hadn¡¯t thought of how it would make him feel. I just wanted a name to call him.


    ¡°Just till you remember your name.¡± I had a thought. ¡°I just hope your name isn¡¯t Benedict Cumberbatch or something.¡±


    He laughed at that, then turned serious. ¡°I hope so too.¡±


    There were hugs all round, then we turned to head up to the building. As I made my way around the bushes that hid me from sight, Holly was walking toward me. ¡°There you are. Have you finished saying goodbye to your ghostly friends?¡±

 Chapter 9: Welcome to Angel Falls

    My breath caught and I think my heart stopped for a beat. ¡°What?¡±


    Her smile was bright. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know all about them.¡± I still couldn¡¯t move. ¡°I suspect there¡¯s probably a lot of spirits here, considering the kind of place it is and its terrible history.¡±


    ¡°Terrible history?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All of the older institutes have a shameful past. The things they used to do to patients, thinking they were helping them¡­¡± She shuddered.


    I thought of Mr J. The electroconvulsive treatment that went wrong. There had been a power surge while they were giving him the treatment. That was in the forties. It was hard to fathom that he¡¯d been here all that time.


    I dragged my thoughts away from that and started walking with Holly. With three ghosts in tow.


    I said my goodbyes to the patients that I knew, and mouthed a silent goodbye to Nellie. Mrs Dawson would soon be going back to her nursing home now that things had settled down for her, and Nellie would go with her. She was a good kid. She wasn¡¯t going to cross over until Mrs Dawson was gone from this world, which probably wasn¡¯t going to be for a few more years yet.


    It was hard to say goodbye, but I also couldn¡¯t wait to get out that front door and breathe. Yes, I wasn¡¯t going to be completely free, but it would be a lot better than being in here.


    I saw Dr Calthorpe before I left and he thanked me quietly. Janice looked like she was actually sulking. Surely it wasn¡¯t because she liked taunting me that much that she would miss me? I didn¡¯t have time to worry about that now. I ignored her as we headed out to the staff car park.


    Holly and I got into her little red Ford and the others somehow slipped into the back seat. It still unnerved me when they passed through solid objects.


    We were quiet as she pulled out of the lot and I wished I had a rear-view mirror on my side so I could keep an eye on them.


    As we approached the end of the tree-lined road, Johnny cursed. I stopped breathing. I knew what that meant. I couldn¡¯t help it; I had to see for myself. I turned around in my seat. Johnny was sitting alone.


    Damn.


    ¡°Maddie? Are you okay? Did you forget something?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no. I just thought I saw a kangaroo in that paddock back there.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll probably see a lot of them where we¡¯re going.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help smiling too. It was great to see them at a zoo, but there was something about seeing them in the wild that gave me a little thrill.


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    We talked about a lot of different things on the way and that helped to relieve some of my anxiety.


    Apparently, she¡¯d driven another girl out there about eight months before. ¡°Her name is Kellie and she has been doing well since she got there. She landed herself a job in a local burger joint and is feeling a lot better about herself and her situation.¡±


    I could hear the pride in Holly¡¯s voice. She must have been very fond of her.


    I nodded absently, but I wasn¡¯t sure that this place would be good for me. I wished she was driving me home instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. They¡¯ll look after you, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    She smiled warmly as she stopped at an intersection.


    The place sounded great, and I would have been looking forward to it if that¡¯s what I wanted to do, but I had a life and I wanted to get back to it, not make a new one in some random town in the middle of the bush. But there was nothing I could do. I had to stay at Waratah Estate until I was cleared by the doctors.


    My mind wandered and my emotions were all over the place. Mum hadn¡¯t come out to see me before I left. She¡¯d spoken to me on the phone last night and apologised, saying she was busy with work, but it still stung. I thought she¡¯d make more of an effort to say goodbye in person before her only child was shipped off to Woop Woop ¡ª especially when she hadn¡¯t been able to visit since last weekend.


    I squeezed my eyes shut. I wouldn¡¯t cry. She promised she¡¯d try to come out on Sunday. I could wait two days.


    I can do this.


    Then my mind went back to Mr J and Mrs C. Then it switched gears when movement caught my eye. Johnny ran a hand through his hair and stared out the window. It seemed he didn¡¯t have any restrictions on where he could go.


    Why was he able to go with me, but the others couldn¡¯t? It wasn¡¯t fair. He was the one I didn¡¯t want along for the ride.


    We drove past a sign saying Welcome to Angel Falls and a minute or two later, the town appeared from out of the bush. I found that it was bigger than I¡¯d expected ¡ª there were shops and a town hall and a school, and there were definitely more houses than I thought there¡¯d be. That was actually a relief.


    We drove right through town and headed along a winding road that ran next to a river. A few hairpin bends later and we were crossing a bridge and my breath caught as a huge waterfall came into sight.


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s just beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it,¡± Holly said, and there was a smile in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s not too far out of town, so you¡¯ll be able to come here often.¡±


    The road wound around the mountain and soon we were parked on a viewing platform with a spectacular view of the waterfall.


    ¡°Welcome to Angel Falls. The waterfall that the town was named after.¡±


    We stepped out of the car and the smell of the water and damp earth and trees and flowers filled me with a sense of peace. It was heavenly ¡ª as long as I didn¡¯t go near the edge where I could see how high it was.


    We soaked in the view and the sounds of birds and rushing water, then headed back to the car. This would be a perfect spot to visit to relax and unwind. Now all I needed was a car.


    But that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    Once we headed back over the bridge and back through town, I was feeling a bit better about it all, but still longed for home.


    As we rounded a bend Holly let out a squeak and the car lurched forward, tyres screeching. My breath caught as we slid to a stop just inches from a man who was standing in the middle of the road.

 Chapter 10: Just Breathe

    He looked at us with wide eyes, but didn¡¯t say anything. Then continued walking to the side of the road, his wild locks of dark hair blowing in the breeze.


    We sat in stunned silence, then Holly came to her senses. ¡°Oh, my God.¡± She opened her window. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t move. My hands were clasped together in my lap and I couldn¡¯t do anything but stare at him. Visions of stumbling off the kerb into the path of an oncoming car and the explosion of pain as it knocked me backward and I hit my head on the road played on a loop in my head.


    He turned slowly and gave us a toothy grin that made his teeth look bleached white against his dark skin. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m good. Are you okay? You look a bit shook-up.¡±


    Holly put a hand on her heart. ¡°We are, but we¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He gave a little wave. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    And with that, he disappeared into the bush on the side of the road, totally unconcerned that he could have just died.


    ¡°That was just¡­ insane,¡± Holly said. ¡°It was like we didn¡¯t just almost turn him into roadkill.¡±


    She turned back to me and there must have been something in my expression that alarmed her. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± She pulled the car over onto the side of the road and killed the engine. ¡°Maddie? Are you okay?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t talk. My body felt numb. I reached up and touched the back of my head, then pulled my hand away, half-expecting it to be covered in blood.


    ¡°Maddie. It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe.¡± She put a hand on my arm and I jerked away from her. She touched my arm again and gently rubbed her hand up and down. ¡°Maddie. You¡¯re safe. We¡¯re safe. No one was hurt this time. Just breathe.¡±


    I took a deep breath and it might have been my first one since she¡¯d hit the brakes. She kept reassuring me that everything was fine and I finally relaxed. I thought I was over it all, but this just proved how wrong I was.


    Johnny was saying more soothing words from the back. I¡¯d forgotten he was there.


    Holly kept rubbing my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t let this set you back. You¡¯ve been going good. The nightmares have stopped. You can do this. I¡¯ve got your back.¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. And the people at Waratah Estate are good people. There¡¯s no one like Janice there.¡±


    I relaxed a little more. That was good to know.


    She looked into my eyes. ¡°Janice will be gone soon. Dr Calthorpe is organizing it as we speak. We were gathering evidence and your report will seal the deal.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I brushed my hair out of my face. ¡°I was worried for the others.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all taken care of. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her problem with me?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s actually jealous.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± What the hell does she have to be jealous of?


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve known all along that you were really seeing spirits, but had no proof. We¡¯d talked about it in our staff meetings. We had to wait for some real proof, and although it was sad that it had to be Dr Calthorpe¡¯s nanna passing away, we then had our proof.¡± I was speechless. They¡¯d known all this time? ¡°Janice didn¡¯t believe it at all. She was convinced that you were really suffering from delusions.


    ¡°She is angry that she was wrong and jealous that you have a gift and she doesn¡¯t.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°It¡¯s not a gift. It¡¯s a curse. It ruined my life.¡± Is still ruining my life.


    ¡°Take it from me. It¡¯s a gift. You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± She turned back to the steering wheel. ¡°It is an honour to be blessed with a special gift and you shouldn¡¯t disregard it.¡±


    I shrugged. I wasn¡¯t convinced. I don¡¯t want it. I don¡¯t want to be special. I just want to go home.


    Johnny leaned forward between the seats. ¡°She¡¯s right, you know.¡±


    I resisted the urge to scowl at him. They were both wrong.


    She started the car. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your new temporary home.¡±


    I cringed. I didn¡¯t even want to be there. And at that moment, I felt kind of shattered.


    I spent the rest of the drive putting myself back together and pushing all those emotions down where they belonged so I could face whatever awaited me.


    After another few minutes, we pulled into the long driveway of a large two-storey house with a verandah on both floors that looked like they wrapped around the whole building. Creeping vines grew up the side wall, adding to the effect.


    My heart rate sped up as we came to a stop. It was an old building and old buildings had long histories. And ghosts.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Holly said as she opened her door. ¡°I think you¡¯ll like it here.¡±


    I doubt it.


    I dragged myself out of the car and looked up at the house. An eerie feeling crept over me, but I shook it off. I had no choice. I had to make a go of it so they¡¯d release me.


    I can do this.


    ¡°Are you okay, Maddie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I wanted to tell her to take me back, or better still, take me home. I shook my head, grabbed my luggage bag out of the boot and followed Holly up the steps as she rang the doorbell. Johnny was suddenly behind me and I made sure I didn¡¯t look at him.


    Then the tingly feeling I felt whenever a ghost was around increased and I held my breath. This place was haunted.


    No.


    Not here. This would make living here really difficult. My eyes darted around looking for any sign of a ghost.


    Then I saw her. The spirit of a small child sat on the sun swing on the front verandah and she was looking right at me.

 Chapter 11: Enjoy My Stay? I Don’t Think So

    Those big, beautiful blue eyes crinkled at the corners as a huge smile lit up her face. ¡°You can see me?¡±


    I cringed. How could I avoid her? Kids didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Johnny said as he approached her. ¡°Hello there. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I turned my back while Johnny had her attention and prayed for them to hurry up and answer the door.


    Holly smiled. Did she suspect what was going on? Maybe.


    As I listened to the girl telling Johnny that her name was Jemma, I had to push down the emotions that bubbled up at the thought of her dying at such a young age. She looked to be about four years old.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t she talk to me?¡± she was saying.


    I didn¡¯t really hear Johnny¡¯s response. It was going to be nearly impossible to pretend I couldn¡¯t see her.


    A faint melody reached my ears when Holly rang the doorbell again and I listened carefully as footsteps grew louder, then the door swung open.


    A short, plump woman stood on the other side of the security door and a smile brightened her features. ¡°Hello. You must be Maddelyn.¡± She turned to Holly. ¡°Hello Holly. Nice to see you again. Come on in.¡±


    As we entered, she introduced herself as Anna-Marie. She reminded me of a teacher I¡¯d had in primary school, bringing back memories of her teaching us to sing and play percussion instruments.


    I could still hear the conversation outside as I walked further into the house and the smell of coffee found me.


    The house had an open plan with the lounge room at the front and the kitchen and dining room toward the back. My chest tightened and I looked away quickly when I saw another spirit pottering around in the kitchen, possibly the little girl¡¯s mother. My anxiety ratcheted up a few more notches. How many more were there? A whole family?


    My mind conjured up a family of eight and me finding a spirit in every room.


    Anna-Marie led us down the hall to a room on the right where a woman dressed in a black blouse and jacket sat behind a large wooden desk, smiling sweetly, and I wondered if she was wearing a pantsuit. It would suit the whole look she had going on.


    ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. Holly. Please, take a seat.¡±


    She gestured to the two seats in front of the desk. We exchanged pleasantries as we took our seats and the woman introduced herself as Ms Lyndria Grant. She was the doctor in charge of Waratah Estate and she made sure we knew that she¡¯d been running the household smoothly and efficiently for the last fifteen years.


    Okay. Was that a warning not to disrupt the smooth running of the place? Probably.


    Whatever.


    I just wanted to do my time here and go home. I wasn¡¯t planning on making any waves or causing any trouble.


    Do my time? Sounded like a prison sentence. It kind of felt like one too.


    Ms Grant made one of those fake throat-clearing noises. ¡°So, Maddelyn, I¡¯ve read all of the reports from Katoomba Hospital and Mirrabooka House and the last couple of months seem to show much improvement. That¡¯s good news. There must still be some doubt though, otherwise Doctor Calthorpe would have recommended that you be allowed to go home.¡± She paused to give me a fake smile. ¡°I expect you to do your best while you are here and I expect to see great improvements in a short period of time.¡±


    So she was laying down the law upfront. I guess I expected as much.


    She sat staring at me and I figured she was waiting for some kind of answer from me, so I smiled and nodded.


    That seemed to satisfy her and she went on to list the rules of the house. Keep your room clean. Help with household chores. No boys in your room. Be home by ten. No staying up all night. No loud music. You can have your own mobile phone and use the house¡¯s Wi-Fi, but Internet usage on the two computers in the corner of the lounge room was limited and you had to get permission first.


    If I got a phone from somewhere, I probably wouldn¡¯t need the computers. My head wasn¡¯t the only thing damaged when it hit the road in the accident and it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d had the chance to go shopping to buy a new phone since then. I¡¯d been hoping Mum would come through with one ¡ª even if it was secondhand ¡ª but it was like she hadn¡¯t even thought of it.


    She¡¯d been acting so weird lately and she seemed preoccupied every time I talked to her. She said she was busy with work, but it felt like there was more to it than that. I totally understood that a lot of extra work went into selling houses, but she¡¯d never been like this before.


    Ms Grant and Holly stood suddenly and I realized the interview was over.


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    We walked back toward the front door with Ms Grant and Holly turned to me with glistening eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll like it here, Maddie. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Take care of yourself and do your best and you¡¯ll be back home with your mum in no time.¡±


    I opened my mouth, but wasn¡¯t really sure what to say. She stepped forward and gave me a hug, which I returned after getting over the shock of being hugged by one of my nurses. And I wasn¡¯t used to being hugged.


    Before I was ready for it, Holly was out the door and I was left standing there with some woman I¡¯d just met in a house full of strangers.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    My chest felt tight, but I took a deep breath. Breathe. You can do this.


    Ms Grant didn¡¯t even look at me, just turned away from the door. ¡°Anna-Marie?¡±


    Anna-Marie¡¯s voice came from somewhere at the back of the house. ¡°Yes, Ms Grant?¡±


    She waited till Anna-Marie reached the foyer. ¡°Can you show Maddelyn around before lunch, dear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms Grant.¡± She looked down at my luggage bag, then smiled at me. ¡°Let¡¯s start with putting your bag away in your room.¡±


    My room. I groaned inwardly. My room was at home. In Katoomba.


    I followed her up the stairs and down a long, wide hall to the last room on the right. It was bigger than any bedroom I¡¯d ever had in all the different houses we¡¯d lived in.


    ¡°This will be your room while you¡¯re staying with us, darling. You have a nice view through the glass sliding doors, but be aware that they are locked every night for security reasons.¡± She waved a hand toward a door at the end of the hallway. ¡°Bathroom is at the end of the hall. There are five other residents here at the moment and you all have to share, so keep your showers short.¡± She gestured to the wardrobe on my left. ¡°All rooms have built-in wardrobes and queen-sized beds, but don¡¯t let the size of the beds fool you. You¡¯re meant to sleep in them alone.¡±


    I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at the serious tone and look she gave me. It was so comical.


    She seemed to be waiting for a response, so I gave a half-shrug. ¡°Okay. Got it.¡±


    ¡°Just leave your bag in here. I¡¯ll lock the doors for you, even though the other residents are all at work right now.¡±


    She locked the sliding door and the door leading to the hall and proceeded to show me around the house, which was a big country-style place with large bedrooms on the second floor. There was a common area near the stairs that had lounge chairs around the walls and a TV at one end.


    The ground floor had a huge open-plan lounge and dining room with a fireplace on the far wall. The country-style kitchen was big with plenty of cupboard space and bench space. There were a few other rooms I was told were off-limits, such as Ms Grant¡¯s office and her rooms. Then there was a large laundry out the back that was as big as the whole lounge room back home.


    My chest hurt as I thought of home. How long will it take for me to get back there?


    There was a smaller house in the backyard where Anna-Marie and the other nurse, Tracy, lived.


    A few sheds dotted the property and there was a chook shed somewhere out the back ¡ª I could hear them cackling as soon as she opened the back door. Could smell freshly-cut grass with a hint of chicken manure.


    Once we were back in the house, Anna-Marie led me to the kitchen where there were some mixed sandwiches on a platter in the middle of the table. She gestured for me to take a seat as a tall, blonde woman walked in. ¡°Maddelyn, this is Tracy. She is the other nurse here, but has other duties involving the running of the house, like I have.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Tracy. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    She gave me a wide smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, too. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.¡±


    Enjoy my stay? I didn¡¯t think so. All I wanted to do was hurry up and get out of here. I hadn¡¯t been home in months. I wanted to get back to my life.


    I forced a smile.


    They offered me a choice of drinks and I went with the orange juice, then they joined me at the table, making small talk as we ate. That was unexpected. The staff back at Mirrabooka House never ate their meals with us.


    When we were finished, I automatically joined them in cleaning up after the meal, earning smiles from them both. They probably thought I was trying to make a good impression, but it was just habit.


    Tracy handed me a key and told me I could go up and unpack my things and just chill until dinner, so I headed up the stairs and trudged into that room. I didn¡¯t want to call it my room, even in my head, but I knew I¡¯d have to accept the fact that I¡¯d be here a while. It had taken a long time to convince everyone at Mirrabooka that I was sane, so although I cringed inwardly at the thought, and how it had all gone south so quickly, I sighed and sat on the bed.


    It was still hard to believe that all this had started after going to a party and falling off a gutter into the path of an oncoming car. So much had happened since then that it seemed like a lifetime ago, but it was only like four months.


    I forced myself to unpack my things and sighed at how empty the wardrobe still looked. I hadn¡¯t had much with me at Mirrabooka House, but Mum had promised to visit me out here soon and bring some more clothes and personal effects. I wanted her to bring my things, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t. It would make this seem more permanent when all I wanted to do was run out the door.


    My eyes were drawn to the sliding doors. I wanted to go out onto the verandah, but the key they¡¯d given me wouldn¡¯t fit the lock. I felt the warmth of the sun through the glass and stood admiring the view of the tree-covered mountains in the distance.


    I eventually turned away and laid down on the bed, mostly because there was nothing else to do.


    I must have dozed off because I jerked awake when there was a knock at the door.


    Johnny peered around the doorway and my stomach clenched. I¡¯d forgotten about him. ¡°Hi. Mind if I come in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, but don¡¯t even think about sitting on the bed.¡±


    He crept in and sat on a chair in the corner, the muscles in his arms flexing as he put his elbows on his knees. ¡°How are you settling in?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering I don¡¯t even want to settle in, I¡¯d say, not too good.¡±


    I cringed when I remembered that to anyone walking past, I¡¯d be talking to myself. I closed the door and sat back on the bed.


    ¡°Wait ¡ª how did you knock on the door?¡±

 Chapter 12: Imaginary Friends

    He smiled and I noticed that he had slight dimples in his cheeks. ¡°I worked out how to touch things, but it takes a lot of concentration. I can¡¯t do it all the time.¡±


    Why hadn¡¯t I noticed those dimples before? Why was I thinking about that now? I gave myself a mental shake.


    I¡¯d been told that it¡¯s hard for a spirit to move objects, so I was impressed that he¡¯d taught himself how to do it.


    He ran a hand through his messy hair and it still looked like he¡¯d taken the time to style it that way. ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re here, you should try to make the most of it.¡±


    I sighed. I don¡¯t want to make the most of it. I want to go home. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. You can come and go whenever you please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Well don¡¯t.¡± I stomped over to the window.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your knickers in a twist.¡±


    I turned to him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even be here if it wasn¡¯t for you. I¡¯d be at home right now with Mum.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°I said I was sorry. When are you gonna let it go?¡±


    ¡°Probably never.¡± I wrung my hands together. ¡°Why are you still here, anyway, if you can go wherever you want?¡±


    His brows pulled together and his mouth formed a thin line as he looked out at the view.


    I kept frowning at his profile as the light from the window cast shadows that highlighted his facial features. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hang around me. I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    His dark eyes met mine. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to go. I can¡¯t remember who I was or who my family was. How can I make peace or cross over or whatever I¡¯m supposed to do when I don¡¯t even know where to start?¡±


    ¡°But how is staying with me gonna help? This place is half an hour¡¯s drive away from where we were when you found me, so anything related to your life is miles away. How can anything trigger your memories? ¡ª if that¡¯s even possible.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, okay?¡±


    The hurt in his eyes made my heart ache. What was I supposed to do? It wasn¡¯t like I could help him. I couldn¡¯t go find his family. I had my own problems. I was stuck here for God knew how long, trying to make a good impression so they¡¯ll think I¡¯m perfectly sane.


    I cringed.


    Could anyone hear me in here talking to no one? I had to keep my voice down if I wanted to get out of here.


    My mind wandered and I thought about the spirits I¡¯d seen on my way in. ¡°So, do those two spirits live here?¡±


    Johnny was quiet for a while and I thought he was ignoring me. ¡°Yes. Victoria and little Jemma. They¡¯re nice. Jemma is such a smart little thing. She¡¯s a bit confused about the whole being a ghost thing, but Victoria understands. I explained your situation and they promised they wouldn¡¯t do anything to get you into trouble.¡±


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    ¡°Oh¡­ Thanks.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. That was a nice thing to do and he did it despite the way I¡¯d been treating him. A stab of guilt hit me in the gut. I should maybe give him a break.


    ¡°Did you find out how they died?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not something you ask people when you first meet them.¡±


    ¡°I know, but some of the spirits I¡¯ve met tell me pretty-much straight away.¡±


    ¡°I guess not everyone wants to talk about it. If I could remember what happened to me, I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t be telling everyone I meet.¡±


    I probably wouldn¡¯t either. Which got me thinking about what would happen when I died. I¡¯d been thinking about it often since I started seeing the dead.


    A memory popped into my head of me talking to more than one imaginary friend when I was a kid.


    I sucked in a breath. Did I have this ability when I was younger?


    Johnny turned toward me. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡­ I just remembered something from when I was little. I had an unusual amount of imaginary friends. Kids usually only have one. The other kids at school thought I was weird and teased me. Mum pulled me out of that school and we moved and I never saw any more imaginary friends after that. I¡¯d forgotten about it till now.¡±


    ¡°So you think you¡¯ve always had this ability?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know why it went away for years, though, or why it came back.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the accident triggered it somehow.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. They said I nearly died¡­¡±


    A replay of the car coming at me started to play in my head and I had to fight to replace it with the image of the ocean from the time we¡¯d gone to see The Great Barrier Reef when I was twelve. I closed my eyes until all I could see was the ocean and the sand.


    Johnny opened his mouth¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He closed his mouth again and we both looked out through the doors. The sun was heading toward the horizon and my stomach growled. They didn¡¯t say what time they¡¯d be serving dinner, but I hoped it was soon.


    I heard voices and the sounds of doors opening and closing and assumed the other residents were home. I was in no hurry to meet them, especially after meeting the patients at Mirrabooka. Most of them were pretty quiet, but some were downright scary.


    I¡¯d been put in a ward with the mild cases and hadn¡¯t even seen the other sections with the bars on the doors and high security. Mrs C had been murdered in one of those wards.


    I shuddered.


    These people couldn¡¯t be too bad if they were allowed out in the community like this, but that didn¡¯t mean that I had to be friends with them or anything.


    I heard Anna-Marie¡¯s voice down the hall. ¡°Tea will be ready in ten minutes!¡±


    No one called back, so I didn¡¯t say anything either.


    We spoke quietly for a while until Johnny spotted a mob of kangaroos outside in the paddock behind the house and pointed them out. They were casually grazing near the treeline as one of the older joeys hopped over to its mother and dived headfirst into her pouch. I waited as he turned around and stuck his head out. I hadn¡¯t seen that many kangaroos at a time for years. There must have been about thirty of them.


    ¡°Tea¡¯s ready!¡±


    I turned away and sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯d better go and meet these people.¡±


    Johnny gave me an encouraging smile. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    He stood. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Victoria and Jemma stay out of sight.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I had to admit that having him around might come in handy when it came to keeping ghosts away ¡ª which could mean getting to go home sooner.


    Just as I cracked my door open, I heard voices and paused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why we have to talk to her or be nice to her. Why was Ms Grant so insistent?¡± a girl with a kind of husky voice asked.


    ¡°Because she¡¯s a Descendant like us,¡± another girl answered. She sounded like she was much younger than the first.


    I froze. Were they talking about me? And what was a Descendant?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is,¡± the first one said. ¡°She hasn¡¯t done anything special. I saw her file. She¡¯s here because she sees things that aren¡¯t there. I don¡¯t want to have to deal with someone who actually has a mental condition. I have too much other stuff to worry about right now. I heard her in her room before talking to herself.¡±

 Chapter 13: But That Was Months Ago

    Oh, God. I squeezed my eyes shut. So much for proving my sanity; I¡¯d messed up on my first day!


    I had to be more careful.


    ¡°Did you ever stop to think that maybe she could have been on the phone?¡± the younger girl asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but I heard her say, ¡®don¡¯t look at me like that.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Um, there¡¯s these things called video calls.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help smiling at that. I liked this girl.


    ¡°Shut up. I know I¡¯m right.¡±


    The voices were getting closer so I quietly closed the door. I did not want to be caught eavesdropping.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about her. They¡¯ve never put anyone in here that actually has mental problems. They only bring in Descendants so they can be properly trained, so she has to be one of us.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t make out what the other girl said after that.


    An uneasy feeling crawled down my spine. What was a Descendant and what kind of training were they talking about?


    I waited till they¡¯d gone all the way down the stairs before I ventured out of the room. I¡¯d gotten off to a terrific start and I hadn¡¯t even met them yet.


    The wonderful smell of roast lamb hit me when I got halfway down the stairs and I picked up the pace as my stomach growled again. I didn¡¯t want to meet all these people, but the sooner I got it over with, the sooner I could eat.


    Everyone was already seated and Anna-Marie stood as I entered. ¡°Maddelyn, darling, I¡¯d like you to meet Kellie, Justina, Laynee, Mitch, and Kaydan.¡± She pointed at them as she said their names. ¡°Guys, this is Maddelyn Johnson. She¡¯s come from Mirrabooka House in Katoomba. You all remember what it¡¯s like being the new person; please make her feel welcome.¡±


    Kellie smiled warmly at me as she said hello and I recognised her voice as the younger girl in the hallway. She was a fair-haired girl who looked like she could pass for a fairy or a pixie.


    The tall, lanky guy next to her ¡ª Kaydan ¡ª lifted his chin and smiled in greeting.


    Justina, the girl with long blonde, curly hair and dark eye makeup sitting opposite them had stared at me with her mouth hanging open when I walked in, but now she looked me up and down and made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat as she looked away. She was probably the one who¡¯d said she¡¯d heard me talking to no one.


    Great.


    Anna-Marie frowned. ¡°Justina. Be nice.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I have to.¡±


    Yes. It was her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s common courtesy.¡±


    She picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of carrot, but Anna-Marie put her hands on her hips.


    Justina let out a huff and turned to me with a fake smile. ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. It¡¯s so nice to meet you.¡±


    I could fake a smile too. ¡°Hi.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to say that it was nice to meet her when she had that crappy attitude.


    With that awkward moment out the way, Anna-Marie switched places with me by moving her plate to the spot next to Justina and gestured for me to sit in the seat she¡¯d vacated. I thanked her and sat, feeling uncomfortable as all eyes ¡ª except for Justina¡¯s ¡ª were on me.


    The youngest girl with the jet black hair and black clothing that had touches of lace here and there smiled shyly and gave me a wave. Laynee, was it?


    The shorter guy with styled, blonde hair smiled, but it didn¡¯t look genuine. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    I guessed he was Mitch.


    None of them were really talkative, but I preferred it that way. No small talk. No annoying questions.


    Tracy smiled. ¡°Just help yourself, Maddelyn.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just Maddie. No one really calls me Maddelyn.¡± Except you and the staff at Katoomba Hospital and Mirrabooka House¡­ And Mrs C sometimes.


    That thought made me miss her more.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Now, dig in.¡±


    I put a bit of everything on my plate and it was so good, I had to make a conscious effort not to groan as I savoured the taste. Roast lamb and gravy, and some steamed veggies and baked potatoes. Mum wasn¡¯t really the best cook, so Sunday roasts weren¡¯t something we did. My taste buds were in heaven.


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    Considering it was a Friday, it seemed that they didn¡¯t only do roasts on Sundays. I was down for that.


    We made small talk while we ate so I couldn¡¯t really avoid it.


    Kellie was friendly and outgoing and her enthusiasm was contagious. There was no judgement. She seemed to treat everyone with genuine respect and just had a way of making you smile.


    Kaydan pushed a baked potato around his plate. ¡°So, have you always lived in Katoomba?¡±


    ¡°No. Mum and I move around a lot. We¡¯ve been to lots of places in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯d love to be able to travel. Have you seen any famous landmarks?¡±


    ¡°You mean, besides The Three Sisters that were just up the road at Katoomba? Yeah. We¡¯ve been to stuff in Sydney like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, but we¡¯ve also seen The Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast, the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple, both Luna Parks and we even saw Pharlap¡¯s heart in the museum in Melbourne.¡±


    His eyes were lit up like a kid in front of a Christmas tree and it made me smile. I was used to travelling around, but I guess if you¡¯d grown up in the same town and had never really seen anywhere else, it would be exciting.


    Laynee didn¡¯t say anything at all. I caught her looking at me a couple of times, but her food would become really interesting right at that very moment.


    Justina didn¡¯t say a word either and sat brooding in her seat the whole time. What was her problem anyway? How can you instantly dislike someone for no reason?


    Maybe she was like that to everyone. I decided to forget about it. If she wanted to be a bitch, I could easily ignore her.


    Tracy and Anna-Marie joined in with our conversations too, and neither of them acted like Nurse Janice. Some of the tension in my shoulders left me. I must have been more worried about that than I¡¯d realized.


    ¡°Are you on any socials?¡± Kellie asked, and I got the impression it wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d asked. I had to mentally kick myself for letting my thoughts wander.


    ¡°Um, I was, but I don¡¯t have a phone at the moment. It got smashed when I was hit by a car in June.¡±


    Kellie¡¯s eyes widened and Justina¡¯s eyes snapped to mine before they shared a look. I didn¡¯t need them making me feel worse about not having a phone.


    Wait ¡ª they probably reacted like that because it was confirmation that I¡¯d been talking to myself earlier.


    Damn.


    Kellie frowned. ¡°But that was months ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t exactly been able to go shopping since then. I was in Katoomba Hospital for six weeks, then I went from there straight to Mirrabooka House.¡±


    I felt a pang in my chest. I¡¯d given up waiting for Mum to buy me a phone, but I didn¡¯t want to ask for one either. I shouldn¡¯t have to. I should have my own money. I was eighteen and before the accident, I was working and had my own money. I¡¯d even passed my driving test, but things were all upside-down now.


    Kellie smiled. ¡°We have the two computers here. They¡¯re a bit slow and outdated, but they¡¯ll be good enough for surfing and socials.¡±


    I returned her smile. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Dessert was peaches and ice cream and I enjoyed every mouthful.


    I could get used to this.


    After dinner, we all pitched in to clean up, then as the others left the room, Anna-Marie went through the rules of the house again with me and took me to the laundry. She gave me instructions on how to use the washing machine and dryer and sent me off to my room.


    As I put my foot on the first step, I did a double-take. Jemma sat on the third step from the top, looking forlorn. I tried to keep my momentum going so that it wouldn¡¯t look weird to anyone watching me, but wondered how I was going to get past without having to talk to her or step around her.


    When she looked up, I smiled and gave the tiniest of waves. She tried to smile through her tears and as I reached her, I stopped and pretended to tie my shoelace and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to talk to you!¡± she wailed.


    I looked her in the eye. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    She followed me to my room and I closed the door behind us. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± I whispered.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to be overheard again.


    Jemma looked around, as if she was expecting something bad to happen. ¡°Can I talk now? Mummy said I can¡¯t ever talk to you. It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°You can ¡ª but only like this ¡ª when there¡¯s no one around. You can¡¯t just walk up to me when there¡¯s other people there because if I talk to you then, or even look at you, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m crazy because they can¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°But why can¡¯t they? I used to see ghosts all the time before I turned into one.¡±


    ¡°They say kids can see ghosts, but they usually forget how when they get older.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s silly. Why would I forget?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s what happens.¡±


    ¡°What about you? You can see us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I forgot how, but for some reason, I remembered again. I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you remembered. No one can see us and I have no one to play with.¡±


    ¡°Well. I won¡¯t always be able to play with you because I have to pretend I can¡¯t see you.¡±


    Her smile faded. ¡°Being dead sucks!¡±


    I tried not to laugh. ¡°Jemma! That¡¯s a bad word.¡±


    ¡°I know. Mummy won¡¯t let me say it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t let you say it either.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°So, how long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°I was born just after Mummy and Daddy moved here, Mummy says, but we¡¯ve been here for a long time. I¡¯ve been four for lots of years. I¡¯ve never even been to school. We¡¯ve had lots of people living in our house and they took my toys away and then I had to make up my own games with Mummy. Daddy moved away when we died and we don¡¯t know where he went. He was sad for a long time and we tried to tell him to be happy again, but he left.¡±


    I could feel the sting of tears, so I tried to think of something to say to change the subject.


    ¡°Jemma Watson!¡±


    I jumped and put a hand to my chest.


    ¡°Coming!¡± She turned to me with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get in trouble now.¡±


    ¡°Tell her I said it¡¯s okay. That you can talk to me when no one¡¯s around. So can she.¡±


    It was weird watching her walk straight through the wall. I could hear raised voices, then Victoria crept in after knocking on the wall and waiting for me to say she could come in.


    So Johnny wasn¡¯t the only one who could touch things.


    She began by apologizing profusely, but relaxed when I explained things. Then she thanked me and ushered Jemma out of the room through the door.


    I shook my head as they left. I probably would never get used to that.


    I sat down on the bed, regretting shaking my head. The room seemed to be spinning.


    When it wouldn¡¯t stop, I knew it wasn¡¯t just from shaking my head. The spinning increased until I thought I was floating and spinning. Darkness clouded my vision.


    Something was very wrong.

 Chapter 14: What’s Your Problem, Justina?

    The room blurred and I wasn¡¯t sure which way was up.


    I sunk into blackness for a while, then I could smell something like incense or a scented candle.


    There were people dressed in black, one of them holding a candle. There were crystals of different colours shining in the candlelight, reminding me of a glittering rainbow. People were talking in whispers, and then nothingness.


    Once I was aware of my surroundings again, I found that I was walking home from school on a wet day and as I started down the hill toward home, my shoe slipped on the wet grass and I lost my footing. I braced for the fall, but it never came. I¡¯d somehow bounced back up onto my feet as if it never happened. I checked myself over and hadn¡¯t even gotten any mud on me. I was stunned. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone else around, so I clenched the strap on my bag tightly and ran home.


    Things moved on at a faster pace. Other things that had happened to me. A cup falling to the floor without me touching it. My phone falling down between my bed and the wall and when my hand couldn¡¯t reach it, it suddenly jumping up to meet my fingers.


    A gust of wind coming from out of nowhere and nearly knocking me over when I was angry. Things I¡¯d kept secret for years.


    Then the blackness returned.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    I woke up, but lay in bed with my eyes closed for a while and listened to the birds singing outside. Why did I feel like I¡¯d hardly slept?


    My breath caught. Something felt different. I wasn¡¯t in my own bed. My eyes flew open and I looked around the unfamiliar room. It took a few seconds to remember where I was and I took a few deep breaths while I waited for my heartbeat to return to normal.


    This bed was a lot more comfortable than the beds at Mirrabooka and the hospital. I sighed. At least there was one good thing in all of this mess.


    I sat up slowly and tried to remember what I did before I¡¯d fallen asleep. I¡¯d talked to Jemma and Victoria and then my head started spinning. I didn¡¯t remember getting into bed or closing the curtains, but I must have done those things. Johnny had told me he could move stuff around, but could he move something as heavy as a floor-to-ceiling curtain?


    There were sounds in the hallway, so I wasn¡¯t the only one up.


    I yawned and stretched and threw the covers back. I was still fully-dressed. That was odd. Maybe I¡¯d been really tired from the long drive out here and the stress of being dumped with a bunch of strangers that I¡¯d be living with for the next whatever. I shrugged it off.


    I opened my door a crack and the smell of bacon hit me. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone around, so I darted across to the toilet. It was separate to the bathroom ¡ª thankfully ¡ª because it sounded like someone was in the shower.


    I was relieved to find an empty hall again when I came out, so I slipped into my room and closed the door.


    As I turned from the door, Johnny appeared in front of me with a dazed look on his face.


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    I jerked backwards. ¡°Johnny! What are you doing? You scared the bejeebers out of me.¡±


    He took a step back as he looked wildly around the room. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened. What time is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no clock in here.¡±


    ¡°I seem to have lost time or something. It was dark, but now it¡¯s daylight.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Did you go to that other plane that Mrs C and Mr J told us about?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He frowned. ¡°Well, at least, I don¡¯t think so. I just seemed to be nowhere. It¡¯s just a blank.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Are you okay now?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I think so.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°So, what are you up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs to see if I can get some breakfast.¡±


    He seemed disappointed, but a smile appeared on his full lips. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Stop staring at his lips!


    I waved and headed out. The smell of bacon hit me again and I picked up the pace. I hoped they were cooking enough for me too.


    Tracy looked up from the frypan as I entered the kitchen. ¡°Good morning, Maddie. I trust you slept well?¡±


    She remembered to call me Maddie. That was a good sign.


    ¡°Um, sort of.¡± She raised her eyebrows, but I just smiled. ¡°New place. New bed.¡± Her face relaxed. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright once I¡¯m used to the pillow.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to tell her I¡¯d spent the whole night having weird-ass dreams.


    Tracy motioned toward the kitchen bench. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of food, so just help yourself. The kettle is hot if you¡¯d like a tea or coffee or you could make yourself a hot chocolate.¡±


    I thanked her and grabbed a plate. Bacon. Eggs. Toast. Yum.


    Then I made myself a cup of tea.


    Yes.


    I could definitely get used to this.


    I found a spot at the table opposite Kellie and she started up an enthusiastic conversation that made me wonder where she found the energy first thing in the morning. I didn¡¯t do much talking as I was busy savouring my bacon¡­ oh, and the other food.


    ¡°We¡¯re going into town today if you¡¯d like to come,¡± she said as she practically bounced in her seat. ¡°I can show you around so you can get to know your way around. I¡¯m guessing Holly didn¡¯t stop in town before she brought you here.¡±


    I gave myself a mental shake and told myself that I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that she knew Holly. Holly had told me about Kellie in the car. That car trip seemed like weeks ago, or maybe it felt that way because I was tired.


    Surely it wasn¡¯t just because of the weird dreams and the long drive. Something felt off.


    Kaydan sat down next to Kellie and gave me a wave.


    I waved back. ¡°Hi.¡±


    I tensed up when Justina walked in. I hoped she was in a better mood this morning, but I doubted it.


    She trudged over to the fridge and grabbed herself a glass of juice and stood watching Tracy cook.


    I was waiting for her to say something, but hoping she¡¯d just ignore me. I¡¯d be fine with that.


    I tried not to look at her as she asked Tracy if there was any toast.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve run out, Honey. Maddie took the last two slices. You¡¯ll have to stick some more in the toaster.¡±


    I resisted the urge to look up. Thanks a lot, Tracy. Justina groaned and stomped over to the toaster. I imagined her grabbing the bread and shoving it into the toaster and slamming the lever down; the loud sound of the lever clicking into place confirmed it.


    Kellie cleared her throat. ¡°So, did you wanna come into town?¡±


    Oops. I hadn¡¯t answered her before. ¡°Uh, sure.¡±


    She beamed at me as Justina gave a dramatic sigh.


    Kellie turned toward her. ¡°What¡¯s your problem, Justina?¡±

 Chapter 15: There’s an Evil Lurking in This Town

    She crossed her arms. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, hurry up and get over your ¡®nothing¡¯ problem.¡±


    Justina opened her mouth, closed it again, and turned back as her toast popped up.


    She quickly buttered her toast and threw on some bacon and eggs and a truckload of tomato sauce, grabbed the plate and her juice, and headed out of the kitchen. As she reached the bottom step, Tracy reminded her of the rule not to take food and drink to her room.


    Justina kept walking. ¡°Bite me.¡±


    A few seconds later, a door slammed.


    Tracy didn¡¯t chase her up, but muttered something about putting it in her report.


    Kellie closed her eyes for a few seconds, then looked at me. ¡°Sorry. She¡¯s not normally like this. Well, not this bad, anyway. She¡¯s had a rough time of it lately ¡ª well, I guess we all have ¡ª so she¡¯s just acting out.¡± She put her fork down and started twirling one of her rings around on her finger. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll still come to town.¡±


    I looked into her pleading eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± What could I say? I wasn¡¯t going to let Justina ruin things for me.


    Kellie¡¯s smile returned at full brightness. ¡°Great! That¡¯s great.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    A large clock tower caught my attention as we reached the middle of town. I hadn¡¯t seen it the day before. It sat in the middle of a huge round-about, surrounded by well-maintained flower beds and trees. It was a pretty spot and it made me smile.


    Tracy parked the car in one of the diagonal parking spaces in the main street and we stepped out into the spring sunshine. I took a deep breath in when I smelled the wonderful aroma of freshly-baked bread.


    As we walked around, Kellie gave a running commentary of each of the shops and where the best places to buy food and clothing were, and pointed out a bookshop and a cute little business that sold all sorts of crystals and incense and dreamcatchers called Mystical Encounters.


    ¡°Ruby has the best dreamcatchers I¡¯ve ever seen and the range of crystals will make your head spin,¡± she told me as she fingered a pink pendant on a chain around her neck. ¡°I actually need to buy a couple of scented candles for my room.¡±


    Without another word, she headed straight for the door and pushed it open. The door chime rang out a pleasant tune as we followed her in.


    The first thing I noticed was the dreamcatchers and the crystal chandeliers hanging from the walls and ceiling. They were absolutely amazing. There was such an array of colours and shapes. I must have looked like a dork just standing there in the middle of the shop with my mouth hanging open.


    I turned in a circle to take them all in and a short woman with feathers and beads in her long purple hair stepped forward with a smile. ¡°Hello, girls. It¡¯s so nice to see you.¡± She turned to me. ¡°And I see you have a guest with you.¡±


    Kellie beamed at her. ¡°Hi, Ruby. This is Maddie. She¡¯s our newest resident.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you, Maddie. I hope you like it here in our little town.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Nice to meet you, too. So far the town is beautiful. And I love your dreamcatchers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. They are all handmade here in town.¡±


    Wow. That was so cool. There was always something impressive about a handmade work-of-art. It must have taken hours to make each one.


    I was given the grand tour of the store and felt a little overwhelmed at the wide variety of things on display. I really loved the large dragon figurine with the crystal ball in its mouth. It was about a foot tall and looked so realistic.


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    I wished that I could take it home, but who was I kidding? I didn¡¯t even have any money.


    Ruby moved up next to me. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Dragonia. I named her myself.¡±


    ¡°Dragonia. Nice name for a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought so.¡±


    Kellie stood on the other side of me. ¡°It¡¯s so real-looking.¡± She hitched her bag up onto her shoulder. ¡°Ruby, can you suggest a candle I can use that has a spring vibe to it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I continued looking around while Kellie bought her candles.


    Ruby made sure I agreed to come in if I ever needed anything or if I wanted to buy Dragonia. I promised her that I would as we walked out the door.


    I¡¯d seen the price tag. Dragonia would never be mine.


    We went into a few places and Tracy bought an alarm clock for my room. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. I hated not having my own money, but I hated not knowing the time. Of course, what I really needed was a new mobile phone, but I couldn¡¯t ask her to buy something so expensive. I¡¯d have to make do with the clock. I smiled and thanked her.


    By lunch time, we were all hungry, so we headed into the local hamburger place that had Herbie¡¯s Burgers plastered across the top of the awning in huge letters. The smell of hamburgers, chips, and kebabs immediately had my mouth watering.


    Tracy smiled. ¡°Best burgers in town.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t had what I called a ¡°real Aussie¡± hamburger in forever, so I went for one with bacon and egg. The others ordered their meals and I felt bad that Tracy had to pay for mine and for my drink.


    We sat down at a table to wait for our food and I picked a position that let me see out into the street.


    I could see the clock tower further up the road and was struck again by the fact that they had something like that in the town, like something out of a fairytale or a movie.


    The hamburger was delicious and I savoured the taste. There was nothing like a good Aussie burger ¡ª one that actually had beetroot on it. It was heavenly.


    Kaydan laughed when I told them how much I loved the food. ¡°Kellie works here during the week, so you know where to come to get a good feed.¡±


    I tried to imagine Kellie flipping burgers and laughed too.


    My smile faded when I spotted a lone figure approaching the clock tower. Even from here, I could feel the different energy of a spirit. I wondered what their story might be. Tracy had said that the clock was a war memorial for the ANZAC soldiers, so maybe they were once a soldier or knew one of the soldiers who¡¯d been killed.


    It still amazed me that I could suddenly see and hear these spirits. They¡¯d been there all along and everyone else was oblivious to them. It made me sad because it meant that these people had no way of communicating with the living. Couldn¡¯t tell their loved-ones that they were okay. At peace.


    I pulled my thoughts away from there and tried to follow the conversation around me. They talked about other parts of the town and I finished my hamburger and drink quietly.


    We finished up and as we walked down the street, we stopped to look in the front window of the bakery. If I wasn¡¯t full from lunch, I¡¯d be drooling over the custard tarts. I would have to remember where this shop was for next time.


    I couldn¡¯t help noticing that people were staring at me. I knew it was because I was a new face in town, but it was still unnerving.


    A tingling sensation almost made me groan out loud. Not another spirit. I looked up and down the street, hoping it was only Johnny, but an older guy shuffled along the footpath. Just before I looked away, he saw me looking at him.


    Great.


    I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with this everywhere I went. I tried to pay attention to what Tracy was saying about the Pavlovas, but he walked over and got right up in my personal space.


    ¡°I know you can see me. I saw it in your eyes.¡±


    I kept my eyes forward. The chocolate mud cakes were suddenly very interesting, but he was so hard to ignore. He was so close that if he was still alive, I would have been smelling his bad breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s not right that you can see us,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not natural. There has to be some kind of witchcraft here or it¡¯s the work of the devil.¡±


    I bit my lip so I wouldn¡¯t laugh. It sounded like a line out of a movie about the Witch Trials. Surely people didn¡¯t still believe that stuff? There was no such thing as magic.


    Tracy was talking about how Anna-Marie could make a better caramel slice than what they sold in the bakery and I smiled. I couldn¡¯t wait to test that theory.


    ¡°You can¡¯t ignore me,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s an evil lurking in this town. There has been for many years. And you¡¯re part of it.¡±


    I resisted the urge to look at him. What was he talking about?


    I took a deep breath and concentrated on listening to Tracy.


    ¡°Look at me. I know you can see me. Don¡¯t ignore me. That place you live in is part of it, they worship the devil.¡±


    I tucked my lips inward so he couldn¡¯t see the grin that was creeping onto my face. I couldn¡¯t help it. He really believed what he was saying.


    He leaned closer. ¡°I¡¯m watching you. I¡¯ll tell the others. We won¡¯t let you destroy this town.¡±

 Chapter 16: Alexandra

    What? Destroy the town?


    It took a lot of willpower to not react or ask him what the hell he was talking about. His words bounced around in my head; they didn¡¯t make sense. Maybe this guy belonged in Mirrabooka House.


    As we moved on from the bakery, the ghost tagged along. I wanted to groan out loud. How was I going to get rid of him? Telling him off or asking questions wasn¡¯t going to happen. That would involve talking to him in public.


    He kept ranting about how it¡¯s not right that I can see the dead and that I must be possessed by a demon or the devil himself and I wished I was anywhere but here.


    As I stepped around Tracy to try to pick up the pace, three women wove their way through the crowd toward us. Three more spirits.


    Great. Did no one ever cross over in this town? Maybe the dead outnumbered the living.


    I averted my eyes, but the ghost next to me called them over and they joined him in following me.


    I sighed.


    He told them what he¡¯d been saying to me. ¡°So now she thinks she can just pretend I¡¯m not here and I¡¯ll go away. Well, that ain¡¯t gonna work.¡±


    They started talking about the others like me destroying the town, but I still had no clue what they meant. Who were the others and how were we going to destroy anything? Maybe Johnny would know what this was all about.


    It was getting harder to keep up with Kellie and the others while pretending the four people trailing behind me didn¡¯t exist. Especially when they pointed out the different shops and businesses. I struggled to hear what they were saying.


    One of the spirits stepped in front of me, some of her long, curly hair escaping its ponytail. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore us, you rude child!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t side-step her without it looking totally weird to everyone in the street, so I didn¡¯t change course. I did that shoulder bump thing that people do when they want to piss someone off, just so I could keep walking in a straight line. It worked. She did get pissed off. Well, more pissed off than she already was.


    ¡°How dare you? Do not disrespect me like that!¡±


    Now I had all four of them yelling at the top of their voices and I wasn¡¯t sure how much longer I could deal with it.


    One of the women gasped. ¡°She touched you! She ran into you. How come she didn¡¯t walk right through you like everyone else? What kind of witchcraft is that?¡±


    Johnny appeared out of nowhere and his eyes widened once he¡¯d assessed the situation. ¡°Hey guys, you can¡¯t just yell at people like that.¡±


    The man turned to him. ¡°I can do whatever the hell I want.¡±


    They all stopped to argue with Johnny and I couldn¡¯t be more thankful for his timing.


    I heard Johnny¡¯s voice loud and clear. ¡°Why are you harassing this young woman?¡±


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    ¡°She and the others like her are what¡¯s wrong with this town.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear the reply as we walked further away and I was glad that nobody else could hear or see them. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I was so thankful to finally be free of them.


    I turned to see if they were still there, and when I turned back, I stumbled.


    Kellie spun around. ¡°Maddie, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just tripped.¡±


    She looked at the ground and a smile lit up her face as she pointed. ¡°On what? That flat piece of footpath?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    As we turned our attention back to Tracy, she had stopped to speak to an elegantly-dressed woman who was smiling sweetly as she fussed with her hair.


    The woman¡¯s voice was smooth and confident. ¡°Tracy, darling, how nice to see you. Who do you have with you today?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mrs Pierce. Nice to see you too.¡± She gestured towards us. ¡°You know Kellie and Kaydan, and this is our newest resident, Maddelyn Johnson. She is from Katoomba.¡±


    Mrs Pierce smiled and her eyes seemed to light up. ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. It¡¯s so nice to meet you. How do you like our little town?¡±


    I squirmed a little at the intense attention. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s nice to meet you too. The town is very nice so far, but I haven¡¯t seen much. I only arrived yesterday.¡±


    Her smile faded only a fraction. ¡°Oh, I see. Well, there¡¯s not too much more to see, but we love it small. I don¡¯t like big cities.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    Tracy stepped forward. ¡°Maddie, this is Mrs Pierce¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can call me Alexandra. I¡¯m on several committees here in town. I love to organise activities and fundraisers and the like. If you ever need anything done, I¡¯m your woman.¡±


    I kind of cringed a little at that. It sounded like a line from a TV show.


    I didn¡¯t think her smile could be any wider. ¡°I¡¯m also the wife of the local priest in our own little church here in Angel Falls: The Descendants of the Faith Church. I hope to see you there on Sundays. It¡¯s a lovely service and is just perfect for someone like you.¡±


    Someone like me? I was stunned silent for a few moments. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really go to church¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, dear. I¡¯m sure you will be wanting to soon.¡±


    She stared at me for what seemed like forever with her bright, blue eyes, completely ignoring the others and making me feel like I was under a microscope, then broke eye contact and smiled again. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll be seeing more of each other soon enough. Small town and everything. See you all later.¡±


    And with that, she gave a small wave and strutted off down the street, holding her head high and swaying her hips.


    Tracy let out a long breath through her nose. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    There were so many questions swimming in my head, but I kept quiet. I wasn¡¯t sure where to even start. She was such a strange woman, and so pushy. No one was going to force me to join their religion.


    I didn¡¯t have anything against religion, it was just that Mum had never been into the church and seemed to avoid them like dog droppings on the footpath. I¡¯d never given much thought to why. That was just another Mum Mystery I wasn¡¯t interested in cracking.


    We headed straight back to the car and piled in. Everyone else was pretty quiet, which gave my mind the chance to overthink things. There was too much to take in. So much had happened in one short trip, and the people in the car didn¡¯t know the half of it.


    I sighed heavily. Everywhere I turned, there were spirits of the dead, and they all seemed to be able to sense that I could see them.


    I mean, they probably couldn¡¯t, but it seemed that way right now.


    How can I do this? How can I prove that I¡¯m sane if there¡¯s a ghost on every damn corner?


    It was impossible.


    I was going to end up back at Mirrabooka House before the end of the week.


    Kellie looked over at me a few times on the drive, but didn¡¯t say anything and I was grateful. There was so much I couldn¡¯t tell her anyway.


    Once we got home, Tracy put the kettle on and offered to make us hot drinks. I asked for a cup of tea and went up to my room to put my handbag on my dresser.


    As the bedroom door swung open, the redhead lying on my bed scowled at me. ¡°Who are you and who gave you a key to this room?¡±

 Chapter 17: Hey. You Can See Me

    I crossed my arms, but I wanted to scream. ¡°I¡¯m Maddie. Who are you?¡±


    She sat up gracefully. ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡±


    Your room? ¡°It¡¯s my room now.¡± I sighed heavily. This is all I need right now.


    ¡°What? No. I¡¯ve been here for a year. Just ask Justina.¡± She turned to the open door. ¡°Justina!¡±


    I cringed, then remembered that Justina wouldn¡¯t hear her.


    She went out into the hallway and called again.


    Then I cringed for another reason ¡ª did that mean that I¡¯d have to break it to her that she¡¯s dead?


    I so did not want to do this right now. I just wanted to throw myself onto my bed and close my eyes for a while and shut the world out.


    I could hear her voice as she made her way downstairs and decided to just do it anyway. I closed my door and flopped down on top of my covers and sighed. It was such a relief to just lay back and chill for a while.


    I knew it wouldn¡¯t last. If the redhead didn¡¯t come back, it would probably be Johnny or Jemma next.


    I tried to relax and breathe deeply. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.


    In¡­


    Out¡­


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± My eyes sprang open. She was back already. ¡°That¡¯s my bed.¡±


    I sat up. ¡°Not anymore. I told you. I live here now.¡±


    Her face paled as she turned back to the door. ¡°I¡­¡± Her breathing became shallow. ¡°I just¡­ walked through the door, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Her head tilted to one side. ¡°I¡­ I remember now¡­ The spider¡­ I died and Justina and the others were so upset.¡± Her eyebrows drew together over those brown eyes that looked so much like mine. ¡°It didn¡¯t take them long to give my bedroom to someone else.¡±


    My hands shot up. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t blame me. I just got here yesterday. I didn¡¯t know anything about this.¡±


    I could practically hear the penny drop. ¡°Hey. You can see me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And hear me. Why? No one else can. I tried to talk to them for days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I can do. I don¡¯t know why. It just started happening one day, and now everyone thinks I have a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a bummer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I ended up here. They didn¡¯t think I was sane enough to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s kinda how it works. They get you here, then they keep you here.¡±


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    What was that supposed to mean?


    She stared out the glass door and the sunlight made her long hair look like it was on fire. It was almost the same shade of red as mine, but mine was from a bottle.


    I wanted to ask what she had been in here for, but you don¡¯t go asking people what brand of crazy they are.


    I scrambled for something else to say. ¡°I guess they can¡¯t really keep you here anymore.¡±


    Her eyes snapped to mine. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m supposed to go. Aren¡¯t I supposed to cross over or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know much about it all, but they always say that you can¡¯t cross over if you have any unfinished business.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what my unfinished business is, though. I saw my mum and dad and they¡¯re really sad, but are doing okay considering¡­ I think.¡± She ran a hand through her hair. ¡°How do you tell by just looking at them? I couldn¡¯t exactly ask them, you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It would be hard.¡± I fidgeted with the zipper on my jacket. ¡°What about other people? Family or friends. Do you have any brothers and sisters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My twin sister. Piper. My memory is fuzzy. I didn¡¯t see her when I went to see Mum and Dad. She still lives with them, so I thought she¡¯d be there. I stayed for a couple of days and she didn¡¯t come home.¡±


    She started to pace up and down and I wanted to join her.


    How could I live here with a ghost in my room? It was bad enough that there were two ghosts here already ¡ª besides Johnny, that is ¡ª and ghosts in town. How the hell could I prove to everyone that I was sane when half the people here weren¡¯t even alive?


    This was an impossible situation. I couldn¡¯t stay here. I had to get out.


    ¡°I gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I just need some air.¡±


    I headed for the stairs and didn¡¯t stop until I was out by the chook shed. I went around behind it, checked for spiders, then leaned my back against the wall.


    I sighed long and deep. I really had no idea how I was going to cope here.


    I took some more deep breaths and looked out across the paddocks, hoping to see some roos in the grass.


    Johnny stuck his head around the corner of the chook shed. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    I jumped and put a hand on my chest. ¡°No. And you just made me jump out of my skin.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Wanna talk about it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I saw a girl in your room just now. Is that what¡¯s upset you?¡±


    I moaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°They¡¯re everywhere! There¡¯s no escape. I can¡¯t do this. I can¡¯t be here. How can I ignore all of you? It was hard enough at Mirrabooka.¡±


    ¡°I can help you.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. No one can.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to them for you.¡±


    ¡°I know, but more keep popping up out of the woodwork. Why didn¡¯t someone tell me my room belonged to a dead girl?¡±


    ¡°I guess they didn¡¯t think it was relevant, not knowing you¡¯d be able to see her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t help me now, does it? I can see her and she¡¯s a pain in the ass! Says it¡¯s her room. Well, it¡¯s not her room anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her. Get her to see reason.¡±


    ¡°It still won¡¯t help.¡±


    I kicked a stone across the yard and it bounced off an old shed made of corrugated iron. The loud noise spooked the chooks and they started cackling louder and louder, which was my cue to leave. The last thing I needed was to be told off for scaring the chickens and affecting their egg-laying. Apparently, if they get a scare, it can stop them from laying an egg that day.


    I made it inside without anyone seeing me and headed for the kitchen. Besides the fact that I was avoiding my room, I was hungry.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t just grab a snack without drama; Justina was there. I was about to turn around when she got up from the table and left without a word.


    I¡¯d had enough of her rudeness. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±


    She whirled around. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know me and you¡¯re so hostile like I¡¯ve done something to you.¡±


    ¡°Get over yourself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here. I didn¡¯t ask to come here. I just wanna do whatever I need to to make them happy so I can go home. I don¡¯t need you in my face making my life crap, so just back off.¡±

 Chapter 18: Mum, it Wasn’t Her Fault

    Justina narrowed her eyes. ¡°Just shut up! You don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    She turned and stormed out the back door, slamming it hard.


    Living here was gonna suck big time.


    I took some deep breaths and tried to relax. I found some bread, butter, and Vegemite and made myself a sandwich.


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s a lot of Vegemite.¡±


    I turned to find Kaydan behind me and relief flooded through my veins. ¡°It¡¯s nice like this.¡±


    ¡°How can you stand it so thick? It¡¯s like a black blanket on the bread.¡±


    ¡°Easy. You should try it sometime.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. Too salty. I like it spread nice and thin. I like to be able to taste the bread and butter too.¡±


    I chuckled, which surprised me considering how crappy I¡¯d been feeling. I liked Kaydan even more.


    We talked about nothing much for a while as he made himself a Vegemite sandwich with such a small amount of it smeared across the bread that I told him he should just have bread and butter. It was relaxed and easy. He seemed like a nice guy.


    The ghost in my room kept entering my thoughts. What had happened to her? How long ago did she die? Why was she still here? I thought that maybe Kaydan would be the right person to ask, so I just came straight to the point.


    ¡°You must get a lot of people coming and going in this place.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Some. Why?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering who was in my room before me.¡±


    His face went pale. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Oops. I hadn¡¯t thought of a sane reason for wanting to know. ¡°Uh, I just feel a sort of negative energy sometimes.¡±


    That was lame.


    His eyebrows rose. ¡°Oh, are you into all that feng shui stuff?¡±


    ¡°Um, kinda.¡±


    It was a good enough reason and I probably wouldn¡¯t have thought of it myself. I thanked him silently.


    He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You might not want to stay in there.¡±


    I crossed my arms and stuck out a hip. ¡°Try me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He scratched his chin and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ¡°The girl that was in there died recently ¡ª but don¡¯t worry, she didn¡¯t die in the room.¡±


    His eyes glistened with unshed tears and I felt a pang in my chest.


    Me and my big mouth. I hadn¡¯t thought this through. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±


    Why don¡¯t I just twist the knife some more? Why don¡¯t I think before I speak?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He looked out the window. ¡°Her name was Kassandra. She was a friend of ours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°She was bitten by a Funnelweb spider and didn¡¯t get to a hospital in time.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s terrible.¡±


    She¡¯d told me about the bite, but hearing it from Kaydan felt more intense. More real. Funnelwebs were kinda everywhere, but it was rare for someone to be bitten and even rarer for them to die. There was antivenom available that could be administered pretty quickly.


    It was like he read my mind. ¡°She had a heart condition, so there wasn¡¯t anything they could do¡­¡±


    I was lost for words and my mouth hung open, but I was saved by the bell. Literally. The doorbell.


    I heard voices as someone answered the door and as they got closer, I recognised Mum¡¯s voice and rushed to meet her as she entered the kitchen.


    ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. I¡¯ve brought some of your things¡­¡±


    I wrapped my arms around her and felt a tinge of panic when she didn¡¯t return the hug for a second or two, but then she pulled me closer. Why did she call me Maddelyn and not Maddie?


    I breathed in the scent of her perfume and felt like I was home. I didn¡¯t realise how much I¡¯d truly missed her until that moment. I didn¡¯t want to let her go.


    We stepped back from each other and she looked around. ¡°How are you settling in? Are they feeding you?¡±


    Kaydan said a quick hello before excusing himself and slinking out the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, so far. And yes, they¡¯re feeding me. Tracy and Anna-Marie are wonderful cooks.¡± I could see her smile falter a little and kicked myself. She wasn¡¯t the best cook in the world. In fact, she was terrible. We had take-away dinners more often than not. I scrambled to change the subject. ¡°We went into town today and I had a good look around. It¡¯s a nice place and the clock tower in the main street is awesome.¡±


    Her smile returned. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve read about that one. It¡¯s a war memorial for the ANZACs.¡±


    Thinking about that only reminded me of the ghost I¡¯d seen standing near it.


    I pushed it from my mind. ¡°Do you want a cuppa? I was just about to make one.¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.¡°Yes. That would be great. Do they have any chamomile?¡±


    I had no clue because I didn¡¯t drink the stuff. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    A quick look in the pantry and I could see that they had chamomile, jasmine, green tea and rose tea, as well as just the ¡®normal¡¯ black tea that I liked.


    ¡°Here we go.¡±


    As I turned to put the kettle on, there was a cup of tea already made sitting on the bench. My stomach dropped. Tracy had made this for me and I¡¯d totally forgotten about it.


    I couldn¡¯t tip it out ¡ª I felt guilty ¡ª so I made Mum a fresh cuppa and reheated mine in the microwave, then we sat down at the table.


    Mum showed me what she¡¯d brought; clothing and shoes and a few of my things from home. My heart ached. I missed these things, but I didn¡¯t want them brought here. I just wanted to go home.


    ¡°Thanks, Mum.¡± I smiled, but felt a little teary. I wasn¡¯t going to cry over some clothing and knickknacks.


    Mum looked like the cat that ate the pigeon, but I knew better than to ask her what she was hiding. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to wait too long to find out what she was bursting to tell me.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± She pulled a wad of cash out of her purse. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you some money. You¡¯ll be needing it till you get your own money sorted properly.¡±


    ¡°Is my money finally sorted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can get Sickness Benefits now and be able to buy new clothes and get your hair done.¡±


    Finally. I wasn¡¯t sure why they hadn¡¯t been paying me ¡ª we¡¯d applied for a payment months ago ¡ª but now I¡¯d have some money and would be able to pay my way. I¡¯d pay Tracy back for the clock and lunch as soon as I could.


    She reached into her bag again and pulled out a box. A box with a picture of a smart phone on it. My heart leapt. She¡¯d bought me a new phone?


    ¡°Here you go,¡± she said again. ¡°It¡¯s secondhand, but I knew you wouldn¡¯t mind. I knew you¡¯d need one now that you¡¯re all the way out here in the sticks.¡±


    This was hardly the ¡°sticks,¡± but whatever. Tears welled in my eyes. My heart was all over the place. I didn¡¯t know whether to be thankful to her for getting me a phone or to tell her off for not buying it months ago when I really needed it to keep in touch with friends and the outside world. ¡°Thanks, Mum.¡±


    She pushed it across the table at me. ¡°Don¡¯t go mushy on me now. It¡¯s just a phone. You need it.¡±


    I wanted to rip the box open like a kid at Christmas, but took my time with it.


    ¡°I charged it for you and put a new SIM card in it. It¡¯s ready to go. Do you remember your ID and password?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I pressed the power button and waited and tried desperately not to think of what had happened to my old phone. I pushed those thoughts aside once the phone booted up and the word hello came up on the screen.


    Mum just sat quietly while I ran through the setup process, then smiled once it was done. ¡°This is your new phone number and here¡¯s mine.¡±


    I put them in and tried to remember Alina¡¯s phone number, without success. The middle three digits were too fuzzy in my memory. ¡°Do you have Alina¡¯s number?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Can you give her my new number when you see her, please? I¡¯d love to catch up when she¡¯s not working.¡±


    Mum looked reluctant. ¡°Okay.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Mum, it wasn¡¯t her fault.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. It was Alina¡¯s idea to go out to a nightclub that night, but she didn¡¯t cause the accident.


    We took my things to my room and talked while I showed her around, but she seemed preoccupied. I tried not to let it bother me. Instead, I asked her how things were going with her and with work.


    ¡°Oh, you know. The usual. Work is stressing me out right now. But I¡¯m doing fine. I¡¯m managing.¡±


    I relaxed a bit. So it was work. Not me.


    She left just before dinner and I wished I could get in the car with her. I wanted to tell her how much I hated it here already, but what was my reason for wanting to leave? I missed my mummy? Justina didn¡¯t like me? I¡¯d sound like a petulant child. And I couldn¡¯t tell anyone all the ghost-related reasons.


    So I watched her drive away with tears burning behind my eyes.


    I wiped my eyes as I headed into my room to start installing apps on my new phone. As I reached the door, I could hear voices inside and I stopped, the key halfway to the lock.


    ¡°I¡¯ve let her down. If she wasn¡¯t at home for days on end when I went there, then that means she¡¯s still missing. How can I help find her now?¡±

 Chapter 19: We Were Like Sisters

    What the hell? That sounded like Kassandra¡¯s voice. I unlocked my door and flung it open to find Johnny and Kassandra sitting side-by-side on my bed with Johnny¡¯s arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him with tears streaming down her cheeks.


    I remembered to close my door before asking them what was going on.


    Johnny¡¯s eyes glistened with tears. ¡°Kassie has just remembered that she was sitting in that leaf litter because they were looking for her missing sister. They thought they¡¯d tracked down the person that took her and they were watching his house to see if they were right. As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t him.¡±


    My heart clenched. That was horrible. I didn¡¯t have any brothers or sisters, but I knew it would be devastating. But thinking about that was too much. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to face it after today. I had my own problems to deal with.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s really bad, but why are you in my room? I thought you said you were going to give me some space.¡±


    Kassandra turned to look at me with teary eyes as Johnny¡¯s eyebrows drew together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think about anyone but yourself?¡± he scowled. ¡°You think we no longer have feelings? Well, they¡¯re just as intense as when we were¡­ alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not being selfish. After the day I¡¯ve had, I just wanted some peace and quiet¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get your peace and quiet,¡± Kassandra yelled as she stood abruptly and stormed right through the wall.


    Johnny stood. ¡°I know you¡¯ve had a rough day, but Kassie is hurting right now.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± I frowned. ¡°You seem to be very chummy with her now. You¡¯ve only just met her and she¡¯s been nothing but a pain in the ass to me, but you¡¯re comforting her like you¡¯ve been mates for years.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not ¡®chummy.¡¯ She¡¯s just had to come to terms with the fact that her sister is probably still missing and she can¡¯t do anything about it. Jeez, Maddie, have a heart.¡±


    My chest tightened more with each word. I did have a heart. I was just having trouble feeling sympathy for her right now with everything else just piling up on me. I felt like I was drowning. ¡°Just get out of my room.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡±


    And with that, he walked through the wall too.


    I let the tears that had been building up for what seemed like forever fall as I sat on the bed, right where they¡¯d been sitting close together. Was it too much to ask for to have a little peace? Did they have to be having a heart-to-heart on my bed? They could¡¯ve been anywhere else in the house or on the property.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I realised that I was clenching my fists and tried to relax them. Why was I so upset about them being in here?


    Because he said he was going to keep her away. Because I was upset and tired and stressed out. There couldn¡¯t be any more to it because I didn¡¯t even like him.


    I sighed and let my mind wander as I tried to relax. It must suck to be dead.


    I tried to imagine what it would be like if I found that I was dead and didn¡¯t even remember how it had happened. It was bad enough that I couldn¡¯t remember half of what had happened when I¡¯d been hit by that car.


    I felt sorry for him, for all the ghosts I¡¯d met, but I had my own problems. I had to look out for my own interests. I had to behave and prove I was sane, otherwise I¡¯d never get out of here.


    I felt abandoned and it felt like Mum didn¡¯t care. Well, I didn¡¯t care anymore, either. I was just going to look out for me from now on.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Justina kept glaring at me at the dinner table and I kept ignoring her. I couldn¡¯t let her get to me. I couldn¡¯t afford any trouble.


    I talked a little with the others, but my mind was elsewhere.


    Afterwards, I climbed the stairs to my room, looking forward to checking out my new phone and installing the apps I was planning to install earlier. I¡¯d already gotten the Wi-Fi password from Tracy.


    As soon as I entered the room, I knew I wasn¡¯t going to get anything done. Again. Kassandra was sitting on the edge of the bed, fire in her eyes. ¡°Why were you yelling at Justina?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe she was back after what had happened before dinner.


    ¡°Why are you back in here?¡±


    ¡°This is my room.¡±


    ¡°Not any more. I told you already. It¡¯s my room now. And Justina deserves anything she gets. She¡¯s being a bitch for no reason, so I told her to stop it. She didn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ Look, go easy on her. She¡¯s had a crappy life, and then I¡­¡± She gulped. ¡°I died and left her with no one.¡± She looked up at me. ¡°We were like sisters.¡±


    My chest ached. It must be so hard for her, watching her friends suffer and knowing she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse for her to be such a bitch,¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t need this. I just wanted to relax and play around with my phone. There wasn¡¯t much to do around here and I desperately wanted to catch up with Alina on social media. It dawned on me that I didn¡¯t need Mum to give Alina my number. I could do that myself. Duh.


    ¡°She¡¯s just acting out,¡± Kassandra told me. ¡°She¡¯s hurting.¡±


    ¡°Well, she needs to pull her head in. I¡¯ve done nothing to her.¡± My voice was rising along with my irritation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kassandra, stop defending her! I¡¯m angry about being here, but I don¡¯t go around sneering at people and treating them like crap. I¡¯m not going to put up with it.¡±


    She tried to argue some more, but I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut and hoping she didn¡¯t walk through it.


    Justina was standing outside the door to her room, tears falling down her cheeks. ¡°I suppose you think that¡¯s funny.¡±

 Chapter 20: You Just Watch Yourself

    ¡°What?¡± What was she talking about?


    ¡°Pretending to talk to Kassandra. Trying to hurt me. You really are a bitch, aren¡¯t you? How did you find out about her? It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She stepped forward, shaking with rage. ¡°That¡¯s such a low blow. I guess you think it¡¯s funny to torment me about my dead friend. Well, if that¡¯s the way you want to play it, I can make your life here a living hell!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! I heard you.¡± She leaned closer. ¡°You just watch yourself.¡±


    And with that, she strode into her room and slammed the door.


    I continued downstairs and stomped out to the back verandah. I wanted to keep on walking, but it was dark and I imagined stumbling around in the darkness and possibly running into an orb spider¡¯s web. I shuddered and plonked my butt down on the top step.


    I resisted the urge to scream into the night. This day was just getting better by the minute.


    Johnny chose that moment to walk up the steps and my head felt like it would explode.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said. ¡°I saw what happened. Are you okay?¡±


    When I didn¡¯t answer, he didn¡¯t go away like I¡¯d hoped.


    I sighed. ¡°Of course not.¡± I looked up at him. ¡°I can¡¯t do this. I can¡¯t handle all this crap and prove to them I¡¯m not crazy.¡±


    As soon as I said it, I realized I was talking openly to a ghost and anyone could see and hear me.


    Damn it.


    I closed my eyes and tried to rein it in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Kassandra. I¡¯ll make her understand that she can¡¯t stay in that room and harass you like that.¡±


    ¡°I doubt she¡¯ll listen,¡± I said quietly.


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    He walked back inside and I sat stewing until he returned and told me it was all sorted.


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°I kinda hinted that she couldn¡¯t cross over if she did bad things to the living.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can be sneaky when I wanna be.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°So you should be able to go to bed now.¡±


    Well maybe, but what could I do about Justina? How could I convince her that I wasn¡¯t trying to hurt her in such a cruel way?


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    We sat in silence for a while before Johnny changed the subject and we just talked about nothing in particular until I was ready to go inside. It was like a balm to my soul to forget the day¡¯s chaos for a little while.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    I tossed and turned all night. I couldn¡¯t see a way out of this mess. It was only a matter of time before they saw me talking to myself ¨C if they hadn¡¯t already. I had to get away from this place.


    After Johnny had cleared my room, I¡¯d used my new phone to work out the best way back home from Waratah Estate, just in case.


    It occurred to me early the next morning that Mum had just given me the way to do it. Maybe that was why she¡¯d given me the phone and the money in the first place.


    I recounted our conversation, looking for any kind of hint from her. Did she say anything that could have meant that I should use the money to run away from here? Would she be packed and waiting for me?


    The thought made my heart race. Were we going to move to escape our problems? That¡¯s what we¡¯d always done ¡ª maybe this was no exception.


    I had to calm my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t get my hopes up. I might have been reading too much into her actions. But as the day went on, I was almost convinced that that was her plan. All I had to do was get there and we could leave.


    The thought of leaving Alina made my heart ache, but I couldn¡¯t stay here.


    After lunch, I went for a walk out in the front yard and looked up the bus timetable on my phone again. I could do this.


    I looked around. There was no one outside. I casually walked toward the front of the property and out the front gate. I could probably make it to the bus stop before the next bus was due.


    I didn¡¯t look back. Just kept walking, trying to act like I was supposed to be there. My heart was beating out of my chest, but I kept going.


    Each car that passed had me cringing and waiting for someone to call out to me to stop, but they passed without incident. I was getting paranoid. I needed to calm down.


    The bus stop came into sight and I wanted to run to it.


    After a short wait, the bus pulled into the bus stop and I waited impatiently for the people to get out. I told the driver which street I was headed to and paid for my ticket, my heart in my throat.


    I can do this.


    I sat in the middle of the bus and took some deep breaths. All I had to do was get home and get myself packed.


    I planned to ask Mum to move if she wasn¡¯t packed and ready to go. We could do it. She was always packing up our lives and moving us to another town ¡ª usually out in the country somewhere. Normally, I would be complaining about moving and starting at a new school, but this time, I wanted to get as far away from here as I could.


    It wouldn¡¯t solve my ghost problem, but at least I could go somewhere else where they didn¡¯t think I was crazy and start my life over.


    Mum will help me. I know she will.


    I hoped she would.


    There would be a lot for her to organise first, but maybe I could hide when someone came to the door, or hide out at Alina¡¯s place. I was sure that she¡¯d help me out.


    Maybe I should have talked to Alina first. Planned ahead. We could have arranged things and worked out how I could avoid being taken back to Waratah Estate or Mirrabooka.


    It was too late for any of that now. I was on a bus heading for Katoomba and I wasn¡¯t going to turn back and try again later.


    Maybe I was right and Mum was just waiting for me to arrive. I imagined her asking what took me so long.


    I tried to relax on the trip and looked out at the scenery, but my stomach was in knots and it felt as if there was a band around my chest, trying to crush me.


    I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I started some relaxation techniques to try to relax different parts of my body.


    I can do this.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

 Chapter 21: What Are You Doing Here?

    I jumped at the sound of Johnny¡¯s voice and managed to stop myself from making an embarrassing squeaking noise. How did he find me?


    A few people turned and stared so I pretended to be shifting position as I opened my bag and looked inside. They soon went back to whatever they were doing.


    ¡°Maddie, you can¡¯t go back home. They¡¯ll just send someone to take you back.¡±


    I gave a small shake of my head as I moved the stuff around.


    ¡°You know they will. The doctor has to sign off on you going home.¡±


    I pursed my lips together. It was so hard not to answer him.


    ¡°They will make you stay at Waratah House even longer.¡±


    Not if Mum and I could book it out of town tonight. Or in a day or two. I could hide till then.


    Seeing my phone in my bag gave me an idea. I pulled out my headphones and put them on, plugged them in and pretended to make a call. ¡°Hi, Johnny. How are you?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± He smiled. ¡°Good idea. You¡¯re a genius.¡±


    I tried not to smile when he said that. I had to focus and get back to the subject at hand. ¡°You can¡¯t talk me out of this. I¡¯m going and you can¡¯t stop me.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°No, I can¡¯t, but I was hoping to talk some sense into you.¡±


    ¡°The only sensible thing to do is go home. Justina is out for my blood right now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She heard me talking to Kassandra and thinks I was doing it to taunt her.¡±


    ¡°She thought you were pretending to talk to her dead friend just to torment her?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡­ We¡¯ll figure something out. We¡¯ll find a way to show her that you didn¡¯t do it to hurt her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to do that.¡±


    Pretending to be on the phone worked perfectly. No one gave me a second glance. My stop was coming up, so I grabbed my bag and made my way to the front of the bus. Johnny followed me and I ignored all the things he said to get me to take the next bus back to Waratah Estate.


    I couldn¡¯t get off fast enough. I walked as quickly as I could, but I didn¡¯t want to draw any attention to myself.


    I didn¡¯t have a key, but Mum was home. She opened the door and her jaw dropped. ¡°Maddelyn! What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I took a bus and I¡¯m not going back.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just run away from there. They¡¯ll only come and take you back.¡± She looked around and waved me inside, closing the door behind us.


    I followed her down the hall to the kitchen and was hit by the aroma of coffee and burgers and chips. The green doors on the cupboards that I¡¯d never really liked were a welcome sight. ¡°We can move and they won¡¯t be able to drag me back.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just move. And I have no authority over them. You can¡¯t be released until the doctors say you¡¯re well enough.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing wrong with me!¡±


    ¡°Honey, you were talking to people who weren¡¯t there¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t!¡±


    How could I explain when she¡¯d never believed that I could see them? Ugh, this was hopeless.


    She gave me one of her fake smiles. ¡°We can¡¯t move. I have my job¡ª¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s never stopped you before¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve started seeing Martin again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s getting serious. We¡¯re going on a date tonight.¡±


    ¡°Martin? The guy you said you¡¯d never date again because he has no class?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just upset. He¡¯s not so bad.¡±


    ¡°Mum!¡± The urge to stomp my foot like a child was strong. ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an adult now. I can¡¯t help you. You¡¯ll have to go back before they realise what you¡¯ve done and send someone here to collect you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. She wasn¡¯t going to help me. It wasn¡¯t the reason she¡¯d given me a phone and money. I felt stupid for even thinking it. But I couldn¡¯t understand why she wouldn¡¯t help me now that I was here.


    My face flushed hot and my fingers tingled. My stomach roiled. Maybe I was coming down with something, but that was odd because I never really got sick. Johnny looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept quiet.


    Was it something I ate, maybe? I¡¯d have to just push through it. I had to convince Mum to get me out of this town.


    For as long as I could remember, Mum would suddenly say we were moving and be packed up and gone before my head stopped spinning. She¡¯d always have some lame excuse why we couldn¡¯t stay in that town anymore and we¡¯d be gone. Her job was getting boring. Her latest man was too possessive and refused accept that she wanted to end it. She got the travelling bug again.


    And now she couldn¡¯t move?


    What was going on here?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Maddelyn. You can¡¯t just run away from your responsibilities like a child. You can¡¯t up and leave.¡± Look who¡¯s talking. ¡°It won¡¯t matter where you go. They keep records. The government departments are all linked by computer nowadays. They¡¯ll know you ran away. You have to wait till the doctor says you¡¯re well enough, then we can take it from there.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    I wanted to run. I wanted to hit something. Her eyes told me she was serious. She really wouldn¡¯t help me.


    I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door. I threw myself onto my bed and punched the pillow. The heat had spread from my face to my neck and chest.


    The sight of my room and the smells and the comfort of the bed brought it all crashing down on me. I missed this place. I missed my life. And I missed Mum.


    I let the tears fall. I couldn¡¯t hold them back any longer.


    Once my sobs slowed, I was disappointed that Mum hadn¡¯t come in to talk to me like she used to when I was younger. I was thankful that Johnny hadn¡¯t followed me in here. I didn¡¯t want to talk to him.


    The house was silent. Did she even care?


    I still felt too hot, but I picked myself up off the bed and went to search for her. Maybe she wasn¡¯t even home. I tried to remember what she was wearing. Did it look like she was getting ready to go out?


    I couldn¡¯t remember. I¡¯d been too upset. And I still couldn¡¯t understand why she wasn¡¯t willing to move to help me.


    Surely she didn¡¯t just go out and leave me here.


    Maybe she was right. Maybe there was no escaping this. I padded down the hall, not sure why I felt the need to be quiet.


    Where was she?


    ¡°Mum?¡±


    Silence.


    There was a buzzing feeling just under my skin. I¡¯d never felt anything like it before. The kitchen was dimly lit by the light on the rangehood, but I could make out Mum¡¯s silhouette in the semi-darkness.


    ¡°Mum?¡±


    ¡°You have to go back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡± I stepped closer, the buzzing intensifying, but she didn¡¯t move. ¡°I missed you.¡±


    ¡°I was there yesterday. You saw me then. I even gave you a phone and some money.¡± She shifted position, but it was clear she didn¡¯t want me coming any closer. ¡°If I¡¯d known that this is what you were going to spend the money on, I wouldn¡¯t have given you a cent.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan this. I just had enough. I¡­¡± I¡¯d been about to tell her about all the craziness with the ghosts, but I couldn¡¯t. She already thought I was crazy and she¡¯d always insisted that I just had a lot of imaginary friends when I was a kid.


    I could see Johnny standing in the doorway and thought that it either proved I could see spirits or proved I really was crazy.


    Her frown deepened. ¡°You are so ungrateful. After all I¡¯ve done for you, you go and pull this stunt.¡±


    I took a step back. My head spun a little. She only pulled out the adoptive mother card when she was really angry with me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to take you on as a baby, you know, but I did, even though you were such a difficult child and Henry left me. I deserve a medal for all I¡¯ve been through.¡±


    She would never elaborate on what I did that was ¡®difficult,¡¯ but she never let me forget it.


    ¡°This is how you repay me? By getting locked up and then escaping from the authorities?¡± She huffed. ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon, I expect.¡±


    ¡°What? How do you know? Did you call them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to. Where do you think they¡¯ll look first? You¡¯re not very smart, girl. This is the first place they¡¯ll look, and they¡¯ll probably send someone to Alina¡¯s place at the same time.¡±


    She shook her head.


    I opened my mouth to speak and jumped at the sound of the doorbell ringing out its merry tune.


    ¡°That will be them now,¡± she said. ¡°You want to answer the door, or will I?¡±

 Chapter 22: She’s in The Kitchen

    My heart sank. I was in trouble now. The buzzing became more intense.


    What was I thinking? I should have known that Mum wouldn¡¯t help me, but I honestly thought she would. Especially after all the times we¡¯d up and moved, sometimes in the middle of the night. I¡¯d often wondered if she was running from something.


    I was frozen to the spot, feeling like I was standing in an oven.


    ¡°You gonna answer the door?¡±


    No.


    I couldn¡¯t help jumping the second time it chimed.


    I was stuck. Should I just hand myself in? Should I try to run?


    Mum strode across the kitchen, turning the light on and heading for the front door.


    The light suddenly seemed too bright and I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust. Johnny seemed frozen too. He was looking at me too intently.


    It was no use. There was nothing I could do. I hung my head.


    ¡°Hi, Missus Johnson¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms Johnson.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Ms Johnson. I¡¯m Tracy. I¡¯m from Waratah House¡ª¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in the kitchen.¡±


    Don¡¯t beat around the bush, Mum. Jeez.


    ¡°Oh, okay. Can I come in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Kitchen¡¯s through there.¡±


    Tracy appeared in the doorway and my heart sank further. ¡°Hi, Maddie. How are you?¡±


    I opened my mouth to give the usual ¡®not bad¡¯ response that comes automatically when someone asks that question, but I wasn¡¯t fine. Far from it. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know how I am. Upset, I guess. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay to feel that way. It¡¯s all a bit much to take in and takes a lot of getting used to.¡±


    Mum leaned on the kitchen bench. ¡°This wasn¡¯t my idea. She just turned up here unannounced. I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s in trouble, Missus¡ª Ms Johnson. It¡¯s okay. I just want to talk to Maddie.¡±


    Mum nodded and looked out the window into the darkness as if she was disgusted with the whole thing.


    How could I even begin to explain anything to her? Without me mentioning the problems with the ghosts, especially the irate one in my room, my excuses for why I ran away were pretty lame.


    I told her I missed Mum, which was true. I told her about Justina ¡ª surely she¡¯d noticed how hostile she was towards me ¡ª and that I was just homesick and needed a break from it all.


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    I felt trapped there, even though there were no locks on the doors, but I didn¡¯t tell her that part.


    ¡°And all the locals were staring at me,¡± I added. ¡°They knew where I was from. They all think I¡¯m crazy.¡±


    The buzzing seemed to decrease after I¡¯d gotten all of that off my chest


    Johnny stepped closer. ¡°I think you should go back with her.¡±


    My eyes flicked to him automatically and I quickly dragged them back to Tracy. Then he just disappeared.


    Tracy smiled. ¡°It¡¯s normal to feel the way you do. It¡¯s often overwhelming for new residents. You¡¯ll get used to it in time.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to get used to it. I just want to be home. I just want my life back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that now,¡± Mum said. ¡°Your life will never be the same again and you just have to deal with it and move on.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks, Mum,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±


    Why was she being so horrible? I couldn¡¯t understand it. I turned away from her and tried to think more clearly as the buzzing increased again.


    Tracy said she would talk to Justina.


    I whirled around. ¡°No! That will make it worse. She¡¯ll be angry with me for telling you.¡±


    ¡°We can deal with it without her finding out that you¡¯ve spoken to me. I¡¯ve seen enough of her behaviour towards you to warrant another warning.¡±


    Another warning?


    I opened my mouth, but Tracy¡¯s phone rang. She put up a finger and answered the call.


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s at her home. Yes. She¡¯s a bit upset, but calm enough. No. Yes. I will.¡±


    She frowned and turned away from us, walking to the other side of the room.


    I couldn¡¯t really hear what was being said on the other end, but I was pretty sure it was Ms Grant I could hear.


    ¡°Yes. Will do. No.¡± She ran a hand over her hair and down the length of her ponytail. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. No.¡± A long pause. ¡°No. But¡­ Surely¡­ Okay.¡± She paced up and down a few times. ¡°Okay. Yes. Bye.¡±


    I was getting a weird vibe from her. Something had changed.


    She turned to me, eyebrows raised. ¡°That was Ms Grant.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m to bring you back immediately. No more questions. No more discussion. No excuses.¡±


    No!


    I¡¯d been thinking that I should go back with her till she said that. Maybe it was because the order came from Ms Grant. Maybe it was because there was no longer any negotiating. No more choice for me. It was do it or else.


    The heat I¡¯d been feeling seemed to consume me. I felt like I was burning up and the buzzing was stronger than ever.


    I felt cornered. All I wanted to do was run out the back door and keep running.


    Tracy saw it in my eyes. She knew what I was thinking. ¡°Maddelyn. Don¡¯t do anything you¡¯ll regret later.¡±


    I can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m not going with you.


    I shifted my weight, trying to work out the best way to get to the door before her. Johnny picked that moment to appear in front of me and the way it made me jump seemed to spur my body into action before I was ready and I dodged to the side and headed for the door, a cold feeling passing along my arm.


    As I ran, I realized that my arm had passed through Johnny, which wasn¡¯t usually possible, and before I had gotten five paces, something slammed into me and knocked me to the floor.


    I was so busy freaking out about my arm passing through Johnny¡¯s body that it took a moment to realise that Tracy had crash-tackled me to the floor like a football player.


    I was dazed for a couple of seconds, then tried to get free of her strong grip. I flailed around on the floor, but it was no use.


    ¡°No! Let me go!¡±


    ¡°Maddelyn! You¡¯re making this harder for yourself. Just let me take you back.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t come with me, we¡¯ll have to involve the police.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    This had gotten out of hand fast, and it had to stop. I relaxed and as soon as she loosened her grip, I kicked my legs and managed to shove her to the side and scrambled to my feet.


    As I took my first step toward freedom, she grabbed my ankle. I twisted around and threw my hands out toward her, as if that could somehow stop her, and suddenly there was a flash of light and I was thrown backwards. I hit my head on something and was dazed for a few moments.

 Chapter 23: She Doesn’t Know What She Is?

    Someone was yelling and when I managed to pull myself up to a sitting position, Mum was bent over Tracy¡¯s prone form on the other side of the room. ¡°What have you done, Maddelyn?¡± She reached out a hand toward Tracy¡¯s throat. ¡°She better be alive.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Mum turned toward me and I shrunk back at the look in her eyes. Was that hatred, or disgust? Definitely anger. I didn¡¯t understand what had happened. How did Tracy end up over there? Was it some kind of electrical thing? It was like an electrical appliance blew up in our faces, but there was nothing nearby. No burnt remains, although there were black marks on the carpet and the back of the lounge.


    ¡°Mum? What happened?¡±


    ¡°You could have killed her, you stupid child.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. There was a flash of light¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    I had no idea how I was going to end that sentence. My mind was reeling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it,¡± she said. ¡°It was like lightning coming from your hands or something, but that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Mum, you¡¯re not making sense.¡±


    ¡°Get me a cloth to stop the bleeding.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s bleeding? Where?¡±


    ¡°Just get me a cloth!¡±


    I scrambled up off the floor and rushed to the linen press, grabbed a towel and rushed back. My arms and legs were jelly. My heart racing.


    Mum yanked it out of my hands and put one end to the back of Tracy¡¯s head. There was a pool of blood seeping into the carpet. She must have hit her head on the wall, but I still couldn¡¯t understand what had happened.


    I wanted to ask Mum what was going on, but as I opened my mouth, Tracy asked the question for me.


    Mum kept the towel in place. ¡°She hit you pretty hard, but it looks like you only got a bump on the head. How are you feeling?¡±


    She looked dazed. ¡°Um, I think I¡¯m okay.¡± She tried to sit up, but Mum told her to lie still for a bit longer. She attempted to smile. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have a headache for a while, I think.¡±


    How could they be so casual about this? What was I missing?


    Tracy looked past Mum and gave me a small smile. ¡°Kay¡ª uh, I was told that your magic was blocked, but I guess my source was wrong.¡±


    Mum¡¯s eyes snapped to Tracy with an unreadable expression.


    Magic? What was she talking about? She must have hit her head hard. She was delusional.


    I looked back to Tracy. ¡°What?¡±


    Something changed in her expression. ¡°Oh. You didn¡¯t know, did you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know what?¡±


    She turned to Mum. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what she is?¡±


    Mum¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I guess I¡¯d better explain.¡± Tracy turned to me and winced in pain. ¡°You possess magic, Maddie. You always have. You¡¯ve probably never shown it until now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I possess magic?¡±


    ¡°Exactly that. Magic exists and there are a small number of people in the world who have the power to wield it, but most people are oblivious. You have that power. I have that power. I¡¯m lucky to be alive after you hit me with a blast of raw magic like that. I used a shield, otherwise my skin would be burnt where you hit me.¡±


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    Burnt? What?


    This was too much. The buzzing had died down and my body had cooled down, but I was lightheaded.


    Now the buzzing increased tenfold. The room tilted to the side and the floor came up to meet me.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    My head was pounding even before I opened my eyes and a beige-coloured wall came into focus. It took a few seconds to recognise the wall and to remember that I was in my room at Waratah Estate. I was suddenly wide awake.


    Why was my head pounding? Why did I feel like all the energy had been drained from my body? I struggled to remember what had happened before I went to sleep until the memories hit me.


    I¡¯d gone home. My own mother wouldn¡¯t help me. Tracy had tried to take me back.


    What had I done to Tracy? Was she alright? Guilt slammed into my gut, but I tried to push it away, telling myself that it couldn¡¯t be my fault if I had no idea I could hurt her like that.


    I pushed my blankets back and sat up, but my head pounded so much, I had to lie back down. Carefully.


    What was wrong with me?


    Panic crept in. I¡¯d never felt like this before. In fact, I didn¡¯t remember ever getting sick. Even after the accident, I seemed to heal quickly. The doctors and nurses often commented on it.


    I raised a hand to my forehead and my arm felt so heavy. My body felt as if it was made of lead.


    There was a light knock on the door and Anna-Marie entered cautiously. ¡°You¡¯re awake. That¡¯s good.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯ve been hit by a truck.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s quite normal, but don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t last. You¡¯ll be back to normal in no time.¡±


    Normal? I wasn¡¯t normal. Far from it.


    ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s normal?¡±


    Her eyebrows drew together. ¡°You used a huge amount of magic and your body is depleted. It takes time for your strength and your magic to build back up again. Is this the first time you¡¯ve used so much power?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I didn¡¯t even know I could¡­ do that¡­ I¡¯m a little lost.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I see. We thought that might be the case.¡± She stepped closer. ¡°So, you¡¯ve never used magic before?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it existed.¡± I tried again to sit up, but Anna-Marie told me to stay put. My head pounded, so I did what I was told.


    Trying to get up had been a dumb idea. The pounding had receded, but now it came back full force. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths.


    ¡°Now, you probably have a lot of questions, but before we get into it, I think you should drink this.¡± She walked over to my bedside table and lifted a cup with a straw in it. ¡°It might not taste the best, but it will do wonders for that headache.¡±


    I rolled over and took the cup from her, cringing at the sour taste.


    ¡°Drink it all up. It really is good stuff.¡±


    It took some effort to get it all down and I wondered why I was even drinking it, but before I was done, the pounding was already starting to ease.


    She waited a while, then took the cup and asked if I felt any better.


    ¡°Yes. The pounding has stopped, but my head is still aching.¡±


    She smiled as she sat on the chair that had been moved to my bedside. ¡°Give it some more time.¡±


    She had a slight accent that sounded Italian. It completed the package. Short. Dark, curly hair and long eyelashes. Curvy figure. Not too curvy. Friendly smile.


    I didn¡¯t know why I was suddenly thinking about this stuff. Maybe because my brain didn¡¯t want to focus on what had been bothering me.


    I had to ask, but I was afraid of the answer. ¡°How is Tracy?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine now. Just a big bump on the head. The doctor told us she¡¯d be okay, and she is.¡±


    I still felt guilty, but also couldn¡¯t believe what had happened.


    ¡°Anna-Marie, I don¡¯t know what I did or how I did it.¡±


    She put a hand on my arm. ¡°It¡¯s alright, darling. You must have gotten quite a shock.¡± She paused, then seemed to come to a decision. ¡°I should probably start from the start. As you now know, magic is real. There is natural magic all around us all the time. Some parts of the world have concentrations of magic, and crystals and gemstones contain different qualities that can enhance or dampen or change the magic. They are used widely to help us wield magic for different purposes.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stand to be lying down anymore. I had to get up. To my surprise ¡ª and immense relief ¡ª the headache was almost gone, so I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position and I felt a lot better once I was vertical and Anna-Marie wasn¡¯t looming above me.


    All this couldn¡¯t be real, though. It was like something out of a book or movie. Maybe I had finally become delusional after all this time.


    A thought struck me and my stomach sank. What if I¡¯d been delusional the whole time? What if all those strange things happening to me for years were all in my head? What if I couldn¡¯t actually speak to ghosts? What if I really was crazy?

 Chapter 24: Descendant

    Anna-Marie frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. It¡¯s not that bad. For those of us who can harness the magic around us, life can be wonderful.¡±


    My breathing was shallow. It didn¡¯t help that Johnny chose that exact moment to appear behind Anna-Marie. The worried look on his face disappeared when he saw me and he waved enthusiastically like a small child.


    It was hard to not laugh at him.


    Anna-Marie smiled warmly. ¡°Take some deep breaths, darling. You¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    I had to ignore him. I concentrated on her face. ¡°I¡¯m still having trouble believing it.¡±


    ¡°Well, believe it. You released a large amount of raw magic the other night and¡ª¡±


    ¡°The other night?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes. You¡¯ve been asleep for two days.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± I could see Johnny nodding in my peripheral vision and I glanced at him.


    ¡°Like I told you, you released a huge amount of raw magic. It takes a lot out of you, especially the first time. You¡¯ll have to be careful from now on. Don¡¯t go using up so much energy at once.¡±


    ¡°How can I stop myself? I don¡¯t even know what I did or how I did it.¡±


    She put a hand on my arm and smiled again. ¡°You¡¯ll need some training to help you to control your emotions, which will help you control any uncontrolled bursts of power. Then we¡¯ll train you to use your magic, which will give you more control. Then you¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    Fine? How can I be fine?


    ¡°How can I do it? ¡ª use magic, I mean.¡±


    ¡°There are a number of people on Earth who are what we call Descendants. It is said that some beings from another dimension entered our world centuries ago through magical portals. There is debate as to who or what they were. Some say they were witches and warlocks. Some say they were elves. Others say they were faeries ¡ª as in fae ¡ª not tiny fairies with wings. Whatever they were, over time, some of them fell in love with humans and chose to live among us and we are their descendants.¡±


    Witches? Faeries? Elves? Really?


    My mind reeled. This couldn¡¯t be real. She was pulling my leg. She just pulled that story out of a book somewhere; a book of fairytales.


    Johnny was staring at nothing as if deep in thought, then a smile crossed his features, but I found nothing amusing about this. I turned my attention back to Anna-Marie. ¡°You must be joking.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not.¡± She looked me in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re skeptical and that¡¯s understandable. You¡¯ll need a demonstration.¡±


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    She looked around the room and nodded as if she¡¯d made an important decision, then turned and made a sweeping motion with her hand. I gasped as the curtain slid across the rod to let the sunshine in.


    She waved a hand at the cup that she¡¯d put on my bedside table and the straw danced around inside it. Another wave and the cup lifted into the air and floated over to me.


    ¡°Open your hand,¡± she said.


    I put my hand out, palm-up, and the cup gently landed on it. This was weird. This was amazing.


    An image of a tall boy with dark hair holding a necklace above his head popped into my mind ¡ª the silver chain that was hanging from his pudgy fingers shining in the sunlight. He smirked as I demanded that he give it back, then he laughed and waved it close to my face before dancing out of reach. I wasn¡¯t fast enough to grab it. I could hardly see it through my tears.


    It was a silver chain with an amethyst pendant that was surrounded by blue and white gems. My mother had given it to me when I was five. I hadn¡¯t taken it off in five years. The boy had ripped it from my neck and broken the chain.


    My face heated and the warmth spread all over me. I had to get it back. I¡¯d never felt so angry, so panicked. What if I couldn¡¯t get it back?


    I raised both arms as I screamed for him to give it to me and suddenly there was a flash of light and he was flying backwards. He hit the trunk of a tree in the park and slumped to the ground. I didn¡¯t get to find out how badly he was hurt because the world faded to black.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Where did that memory come from? How could I have forgotten something so important? So unbelievable?


    It didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Do you believe me now?¡±


    I shook off thoughts of the boy and the necklace and looked from the cup to Anna-Marie¡¯s face. ¡°Yes.¡±


    My brain couldn¡¯t keep up. I¡¯d always been told that there was no such thing as magic. Mum had always been so adamant about it and if I ever questioned her answer, she¡¯d get angry. I¡¯d never understood it, especially after the weird stuff that happened around me sometimes. Magic explained all of those strange occurrences.


    And now this memory of me basically doing the same thing I¡¯d just done to Tracey at age ten. I didn¡¯t know what had happened straight after that, but I did remember moving away from that town not long after.


    I pushed those thoughts away. I would have to try to make sense of them later. ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    Before she could answer, Kellie burst into the room. ¡°I heard she was¡ª oh, Maddie! You¡¯re finally awake! That¡¯s great! How are you feeling? I hope you¡¯re not too exhausted still. Dinner is ready and you¡¯ve just got to come downstairs and have some. Tracy has cooked her signature roast lamb and baked veggies. You must be starving right now.¡± She turned to Anna-Marie. ¡°Can she come to dinner?¡±


    Both of them turned to me and Anna-Marie put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°What do you say? Are you feeling well enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t realized how hungry I was until Kellie mentioned food.


    The smell of roast lamb and rosemary hit me before we reached the kitchen. It was heavenly.


    I was apprehensive as we went in, but Tracy smiled when she saw me. ¡°Hi, Maddie. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Uh, a lot better now. Thank you.¡± I shifted my weight to the other foot. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hurt you. I really didn¡¯t mean it. I didn¡¯t know I could do that.¡±


    At least, I didn¡¯t remember at the time that I¡¯d actually done it before¡­ This stuff was messing with my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I understand.¡± She wiped her hands on her apron. ¡°Now sit down and I¡¯ll grab you some food.¡±


    Relief flooded through me and I took my seat while my mouth watered with the scents of the lamb and baked potato.


    Kaydan was at the table and just as we said hello to each other, Justina walked in and darkened the room.

 Chapter 25: What Do You Think You’re Doing?

    Justina glanced at Tracy and said a quick hello to everyone ¡ª including me ¡ª before sitting at the opposite end of the table.


    That was fine with me. I didn¡¯t want her sitting near me anyway.


    They must have told her to play nice. Whatever. As long as she pretended to get along, then sit way over there, I could deal with that.


    Pity they couldn¡¯t fix all my other problems so easily.


    As I was enjoying the flavour of the meat and gravy, Tracy turned to me. ¡°So, as Anna-Marie has told you, you¡¯ll need to be trained to control your magic so that you don¡¯t hurt yourself or anyone else. We can help you with that.¡± At my puzzled look, she added, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everyone here is a Descendant, and they all possess the ability to use magic.¡±


    I looked around the table at everyone with fresh eyes.


    That conversation between Justina and Kellie suddenly made sense. Kellie had said something about me being a Descendant and at the time I had no idea what she was talking about.


    Kellie smiled. ¡°It¡¯s great that you know what you are now. You¡¯ll be able to train with us. It¡¯ll be fun. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    Fun? I wasn¡¯t too sure about that.


    ¡°In the meantime,¡± Tracy said, ¡°try not to let yourself get too emotional.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s gonna be impossible.


    ¡°That¡¯s the main trigger that can release your magic. We will teach you how to keep your emotions from bringing out your power and you¡¯ll no longer be a threat.¡±


    ¡°A threat?¡±


    She gave me a pointed look. ¡°Yes. You need to take this seriously, Maddie. You are very powerful. If I didn¡¯t block you, I could have been seriously injured or killed.¡±


    My stomach sank and my dinner sat heavily like I¡¯d swallowed a rock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. It shouldn¡¯t take long for you to learn control.¡± She put a hand on my arm. ¡°You can see now why I had to bring you back here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    All I could do was nod.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    ¡°Take some slow, deep breaths in through your nose, then out through your mouth.¡±


    Tracy and I were sitting in the middle of the lounge room floor on cushions while she tried to teach me how to relax and meditate. Everyone had gone upstairs after tea, so there would be no distractions.


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    I followed her instructions and tried to relax my body, but I¡¯d never done this in front of someone before and I felt silly.


    She spoke slowly and evenly. ¡°Relax your shoulders. Relax your facial muscles. Relax your mind.¡±


    Lay back and groove with mine¡­


    I gave myself a mental slap. This was no time for singing.


    I focused again, but then my mind wandered. How was I going to learn to control this magic when I didn¡¯t even know how I¡¯d made it happen? How did they expect me to do it on command? It seemed like such an impossible task. I was still finding it hard to believe that this was all real. It was hard enough to deal with seeing ghosts, and now I find out I¡¯m some kind of magical being too? How do I even process that?


    And what was I going to say to Mum?


    My eyes flew open. ¡°What about Mum? She saw what I did. She¡¯s always told me there¡¯s no such thing as magic. How is she dealing with it?¡±


    Tracy looked me in the eye. ¡°We thought it best to erase that incident from her mind.¡±


    ¡°What? How is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find that a lot of things are possible with magic.¡± She gave a casual wave of her hand. ¡°There are limitations, of course, and we have to stay under the radar. We can¡¯t let anyone know the truth. There would be chaos.¡±


    My mind painted some pretty gruesome pictures of people reacting badly to the knowledge that there were magical beings among us. Riots. Looting. Panic. I shuddered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we made your mum forget. It¡¯s safer that way. All she knows is that I came to get you and you got upset, but then you agreed to return with me. The evidence was erased and your house is back to normal.¡±


    I sat with my jaw hanging open. It was a lot to take in.


    How many ¡°incidents¡± were being covered up all around us every day that we were all oblivious to?


    Tracy put a smile back on her face. ¡°Time to get back to our relaxation lesson.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Sorry.¡±


    I knew how to do some basic relaxation, but Tracy wanted me to be able to take it a step further and meditate.


    She went through the instructions again for relaxing each part of my body. Then she said to imagine a relaxing scene like the waves crashing on a beach. That was easy to do. Keeping that image in my mind was the hard part.


    Once the kookaburras outside stopped distracting me with their cackling laughter and I refocused, I could feel myself loosen up and the stress left my body. I was surprised at how much better I felt.


    We¡¯d been at it for a while and I was sure Tracy deserved a medal for her patience. I was so thankful that she¡¯d stuck with me. Being able to keep calm and in control would be so helpful. The thought of me hurting someone else was something I had to constantly push to the back of my mind, but it kept creeping back in. Especially since the person I¡¯d already hurt was sitting in front of me.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she whispered. ¡°Keep going.¡±


    I jumped at the sound of a child¡¯s delighted squeal and my eyes opened automatically. I heard an angry shush sound, followed by Victoria telling Jemma to be quiet.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Tracy asked.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. I thought I heard a car outside.¡±


    My face flushed red and I hoped she push it, because I couldn¡¯t tell her the truth.


    We¡¯d barely started again when someone giggled and when I opened my eyes this time, Kassie was staring at me with a smirk on her lips. I looked away quickly, wishing I could tell her to go away.


    I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, but I could hear a soft laugh coming from the corner of the room.


    I glared at her, hoping she¡¯d get the message, but that just made her laugh harder. I wanted to slap the smile right off her face.


    Johnny strode into the room and just as he was ushering her out, a voice behind me made me almost leap off the floor.


    ¡°Maddelyn Johnson! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

 Chapter 26: You Were Goofing Off

    I spun around so fast, I was surprised that I didn¡¯t damage the muscles in my neck. Ms Grant stood in the doorway with a scowl darkening her features. I hadn¡¯t seen her since my first day here and somehow she seemed a lot taller. A lot more intimidating. Me sitting on the floor probably had a lot to do with that, so I got to my feet. It didn¡¯t really help much.


    My brain tried to catch up. ¡°We were¡­ Tracy was teaching me how to meditate.¡±


    She glared at me. ¡°That¡¯s not what it looked like to me. It looked like you were goofing off.¡± I opened my mouth to protest. ¡°You were goofing off.¡± She raised a finger. ¡°Now, I need you to listen to me. The level of magic you shot at my employee is not something trivial. It is very dangerous. Deadly. You could have killed her.¡± I cringed. ¡°You could have set the house on fire. You have to learn control as quickly as possible so this does not happen again. You first need to learn to keep your emotions under control. Do you understand?¡±


    My mouth had gone dry. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then make sure you take these lessons seriously.¡± A stray lock of hair fell from her perfectly-styled ponytail and she pushed it behind her ear. ¡°You need to make it your top priority to learn. Are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She turned to Tracy. ¡°The sooner she gains control of her magic, the safer everyone will be.¡±


    Tracy nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Ms Grant stared intently into my eyes for a few long moments, gave an almost imperceptible nod, turned on her heel, and disappeared down the hallway to her office.


    I let out a breath as my stomach churned. I knew I had to concentrate. I knew it was important. It wasn¡¯t my fault the spirits in this house were out to drive me insane. And Ms Grant didn¡¯t have to be such a bitch about it.


    I sighed. Why did these ghosts have to make everything twice as hard?


    I made a move toward my cushion, wondering how the hell I was going to get back into my relaxed state.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for now,¡± Tracy said, putting up a hand. ¡°Cuppa?¡±


    Relief washed over me. ¡°I¡¯d love one.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    After we¡¯d had a cuppa and ¨C me having tea and Tracy having black coffee ¨C we practiced some more. This time, there were no distractions. No kookaburras. No squealing children. No smirking teenagers. And best of all, no glaring woman hellbent on making me feel like nothing but the crap on the underside of her shoe.


    This time, I did much better. She told me to shift my focus from the beach scene to a single object. It could be anything. A flower. A crystal. A butterfly. A swirly pattern. I chose Dragonia, the little dragon in Ruby¡¯s shop. I wasn¡¯t sure why. I guess it was just something I found beautiful.


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    I was able to relax and breathe deeply and as I sat there with my eyes closed, picturing the dragon¡¯s scaled skin and shining eyes, Tracy talked about how I could use this technique in a quiet, relaxed environment, but would need to be able to connect to this peace within my mind at any time and in any place in order to calm my thoughts and emotions and stay in control.


    That wouldn¡¯t be as easy to do, but I promised that I would try my best and I would practice these skills.


    I didn¡¯t have much choice. I had to get this right. There was no room for mistakes. Someone could get seriously hurt if I didn¡¯t keep things under control.


    We stayed there for maybe another hour, and I was ready to tell her I¡¯d had enough. Before I could say anything, she announced that I could stop.


    Once we¡¯d picked ourselves up off the floor, Tracy gave me a smile. ¡°You did good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it.¡± I was still feeling guilty.


    She smiled. ¡°I think you¡¯re ready for your first magic lesson.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Right now?¡±


    My chest felt tight. I wasn¡¯t ready to just start throwing magic around.


    She laughed. ¡°No. Tomorrow. We have a lesson in the afternoon that I¡¯m taking Kellie and Laynee to if you¡¯d like to join them.¡±


    Relief coated my insides and I took a deep breath. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. It¡¯s settled. Now, go get some rest and I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±


    I headed back upstairs and stopped short when I saw Victoria standing outside my door. She bit her lip and fidgeted with the hem of the upper section of her dress. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Maddelyn. Can I speak to you for a moment?¡±


    I gave her a quick nod and we went into my room. She waited till I closed the door.


    ¡°I am so sorry about Jemma earlier. She gets so excited and forgets that she has to be quiet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Kids will be kids.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you were trying to learn and to concentrate. I¡¯d like to tell you it won¡¯t happen again, but kids are so unpredictable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. Please don¡¯t be too hard on her. She¡¯s too young to understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the frustrating part. She has been four-years-old for so many years that I have lost count.¡±


    I winced. Most kids grow up and grow out of childish behaviours. Jemma was stuck. She needed to cross over.


    I opened my mouth, but closed it again. That would have to be a conversation for another time. I was too exhausted to delve into that one right now.


    After I assured her that everything was fine, she said goodnight and walked through my door.


    Would I ever get used to that?


    I doubted it.


    I didn¡¯t think Kassie was going to appear and apologise anytime soon. I sighed and tried to push thoughts of her aside.


    I slowly changed into my pjs, happy that the nights weren¡¯t too cold now. I was looking forward to summer. I wandered over to the sliding door and as I pulled the curtain open, I gasped in surprise. Johnny was outside on the verandah.


    I put my hand on my heart. ¡°You scared me to death,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Sorry. Can I come in?¡±


    I nodded and he walked through the door, knowing I couldn¡¯t unlock it to let him walk in.


    ¡°How long have you been there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe about half an hour.¡±


    A thought occurred to me and ice slid through my veins. ¡°Oh, my God ¨C were you watching me get dressed?¡±

 Chapter 27: Is This the New Recruit?

    His eyebrows shot up. ¡°What? I would never do that. How could you even think I would do that?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know the answer to that. The question had just popped into my head and I¡¯d blurted it out without thinking. Yes, the curtain was drawn and both doors were locked, but he could walk through them.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know you, do I? You just showed up out of nowhere. I don¡¯t know what to think. You can walk through walls and go wherever you like. You could watch people shower¡­¡±


    My mind went to all sorts of bad places after that. What if he¡¯d been watching me shower this whole time? I suppressed a shudder.


    Johnny¡¯s face turned red. Was he actually guilty?


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d think I would do that to you.¡± He started to pace and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Okay, I know you don¡¯t really know me, but I thought you¡¯d know me well enough to know I would not abuse this situation like that.¡±


    Oops. Me and my big mouth. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry, but you kind of freaked me out standing outside my room like that.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go stand somewhere else.¡±


    And with that, he stomped off ¡ª right through the wall.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    I hesitated out the front of the Angel Falls Community Centre the next day and Kellie gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I tried to return her smile, but my nerves were jangling. If they were expecting me to do whatever I did the other night, they would be disappointed. Because that wasn¡¯t going to happen. I had no clue how I did it and no desire to repeat the experience. Everyone had been insisting that I had to learn control and that was the only reason I agreed to come here.


    The image of Tracy lying in a crumpled heap with blood spreading out across the floor beneath her head flashed into my mind and I squared my shoulders and started up the steps.


    They¡¯d told me that to the Normals ¡ª the non-magical people ¡ª this was just a class on the different properties of crystals and gemstones, and because they were widely used in magic, we had to learn about them for real. Angel Falls wasn¡¯t too far from a gemstone mine, so no one questioned having a course like this in the local community centre. What they didn¡¯t know was that we also learned how to wield magic.


    When we entered, Tracy steered us toward the large reception desk where a woman dressed in a beige business suit with her blonde hair neatly pulled back into a bun waited expectantly.


    Tracy gave her a warm smile. ¡°Good afternoon, Yvonne. How are you?¡±


    Yvonne returned the smile. ¡°I¡¯m well, thank you.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Is this the new recruit?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is Maddelyn Johnson. She¡¯s from Katoomba.¡±


    I fidgeted with the handle of my bag.


    We exchanged pleasantries, then Tracy led us to a room that looked like a school science lab with large desks and stools, a whiteboard at the front, and shelves that were covered in crystals and candles and other paraphernalia lining three walls. It reminded me of Ruby¡¯s shop.


    There were about fifteen people in the room already and I assumed they were other students.


    I turned to Tracy. ¡°Does Yvonne know what¡¯s really going on in here?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s a Normal, but she¡¯s cool with it all. It would be hard to hide it from her when she runs the admin section.¡±


    Yep. It would be near impossible without having to erase her memories every other week. I suppressed a shudder at the thought that they could mess with people¡¯s memories.


    Tracy ushered me to a desk near the front, but not in the front row. Just like school. Kellie sat on the other side of me and Laynee skulked over to the back corner away from everyone.


    All chatter in the room stopped when Ruby entered dressed in a long, flowing dress with many chains around her neck and bracelets jangling at her wrists. The smile on her face looked genuine and she gave a small nod when she saw me.


    I smiled too. As she greeted us, I thought how fitting it was that she was teaching this stuff after seeing what she sold at Mystical Encounters.


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    Tracy stood. ¡°Time for me to go. I¡¯ll pick you guys up after class.¡±


    We said goodbye, then she said a few quiet words to Ruby before leaving the room.


    Ruby turned to us, the feathers in her hair moving around slowly. ¡°Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you¡¯ve been keeping well. We have a new student today, Maddelyn Johnson. I hope you will make her feel welcome.¡±


    I hated being the centre of attention and lowered my head, hoping she¡¯d move on and not do the introduce-yourself-to-the-class thing.


    Ruby smiled again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not the only beginner in the class.¡±


    Thank God for that.


    ¡°I will be taking the beginner class today and Malcolm will take the more advanced students.¡±


    As she spoke, a tall man with short brown hair and a scruffy, almost-beard entered the room. She introduced him as Malcolm Sussex.


    She moved on to talk about the importance of control. It was obviously for my benefit. They¡¯d probably all heard it before.


    ¡°Once you learn proper control, you can perform more advanced magic. Healing, for example, takes a huge amount of concentration. Most people can transfer some of their magic into a wound and the magic helps with the healing, but to truly heal, to knit bones back together and draw the flesh together, takes true skill. Not everyone can master it.¡±


    I shuddered at the mental picture that painted for me. Sometimes I cursed my vivid imagination.


    After she finished speaking, she turned to me. ¡°Malcolm is one of the teachers here and takes classes for me if I¡¯m tied up at the shop.¡±


    He smiled and said hello to me. His smile seemed genuine and his three-day-old beard look gave him an ¡°art teacher¡± kind of vibe. The collared shirt and skinny jeans added to the picture.


    Ruby left him to take the more advanced students while Laynee, me, and another young girl with short, blonde hair followed Ruby into the next room that basically looked the same as the first one. We sat at separate desks.


    Once Ruby had established that I knew nothing at all about magic till I blasted Tracy into a wall and was a complete newbie, she told me that it was nothing to be ashamed of. ¡°I assume your parents aren¡¯t showing any signs of being magical?¡±


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s only me and Mum,¡± I told her, not really wanting to talk about it here in front of the others. ¡°And I was adopted, so maybe Mum didn¡¯t tell me about magic because she¡¯s just a normal human.¡±


    Ruby was nodding her agreement. ¡°It seems very likely.¡± She pushed a lock of purple hair behind her ear. ¡°My guess is that one or both of your real parents are Descendants.¡±


    She had a faraway look in her eyes, like she could somehow see who my parents were if she concentrated enough.


    She looked back at me and smiled. ¡°Never mind. We¡¯ll discover what your levels are and what you can do as we go through these lessons. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I cringed inside. I was afraid of what I could do.


    She launched into a lecture on how to focus on our power in order to use it. ¡°You need to search within your very core until you feel it there. It usually feels like it¡¯s at the centre of your chest.


    The others had probably done this a million times before. I felt guilty for making them sit through it again, but had to remind myself that I hadn¡¯t set this class up to have me, a clueless beginner, put in with people who had probably grown up all their lives knowing magic existed.


    We each had an empty cup on the desk in front of us. The first thing we were told to do is to use our power to move the cup. It seemed simple enough, but impossible at the same time.


    Ruby told us to close our eyes and take some deep breaths and told me to focus on finding that spark within. I pictured Dragonia in my mind. Her scales. Her wings. The crystal ball in her mouth. It helped me to centre my thoughts.


    I searched for the spark Ruby said was there. I concentrated on my chest. I reached deep inside myself.


    Nothing.


    There was nothing there.


    My eyes flew open. How was I supposed to do this?


    ¡°Once you have found the spark, concentrate on making it bigger. Stronger. Bring it out of its hiding spot and feel it travel down your arm and into your fingers. Now use it to nudge the cup. Maddie, are you having trouble?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I can¡¯t find the spark.¡±


    I heard the sound of a cup hitting the floor and we turned to see Laynee picking it up. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Her red face peeked out from behind a curtain of long, dark hair. I could relate to not wanting to be the centre of attention.


    ¡°Well done, Laynee. And Shauna too.¡±


    Shauna¡¯s cup was near the edge of her desk. They were probably bored with doing such basic magic. I felt like I needed to apologize.


    Ruby turned her attention back to me. ¡°Now don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t find it the first time you try. It¡¯s not always easy. Let¡¯s try again while the other girls see if they can make their cups fly.¡±


    I felt a little out of my depth, especially with the others succeeding so easily.


    Ruby sat next to me and spoke in a quiet voice. ¡°Okay. Close your eyes and use the relaxation techniques Tracy taught you. Take your time. There¡¯s no hurry. This isn¡¯t a test.¡± I did as she said. ¡°Relax each part of your body. Focus inward by picturing the image you decided to use in Tracy¡¯s lesson. Concentrate on it and on my voice. Breathe slowly. That¡¯s it.¡±


    I felt more relaxed with her talking me through it.


    ¡°Great. Now, draw your focus into a sharp point. Move that point to the middle of your chest. Search for something that feels similar to the feeling you felt the other night when your magic was released.¡± I sucked in a breath. I didn¡¯t want to relive that. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. In this calm setting, you won¡¯t have a repeat of what happened the other night. You won¡¯t hurt anyone. Keep concentrating. You can do this. It¡¯s there. Find it and just keep it there.¡±


    Who was I kidding? This wasn¡¯t going to work. Mum was right. Magic didn¡¯t exist. Maybe I still needed to be back at Mirrabooka House. It all seemed so unreal.


    But then I felt something deep in my chest. Down low. Like it was coming up from my gut.


    Maybe that¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to be feeling and finding.

 Chapter 28: They Knew?

    The thought that the power could be released and could blast someone or blast a hole in the wall made my blood run cold. I stopped searching, opened my eyes and stood up.


    ¡°Maddelyn? What¡¯s wrong, dear?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t do this.¡±


    I walked to the front of the room and ran a hand through my hair, but I wanted to run out the door.


    Ruby followed me, but didn¡¯t come too close. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re okay. You¡¯re safe.¡±


    She kept eye contact with me, like I was a wild animal cornered in her classroom. Like I was going to bolt at any moment.


    Was I?


    Should I? No. That wouldn¡¯t help. That wouldn¡¯t solve anything. I had to face the fact that the magic was inside me, whether I wanted it to be there or not. I had to learn to control it, whether I wanted to or not. There was no other choice here.


    Ruby smiled. ¡°You need to understand that we can work together to keep that power contained and under control. It¡¯s nothing to be scared of.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to be scared of? I could have¡ª¡± I sucked in a breath, ¡°I could have killed Tracy. She told me herself.¡± I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to scream. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can control it.¡±


    She took a tentative step forward. ¡°You can and you will. We¡¯ll face it together.¡±


    I found myself staring at her sandals and her many toe rings.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably enough for you for one day, but I¡¯d like you to stick around. Just observe. We were going to try lighting a candle today, so you can watch. You will get an idea of what you can do with magic and see how it¡¯s done. Then we have some theory stuff after that, okay?¡±


    I thought I could handle doing that. I took a deep breath and nodded.


    Ruby smiled warmly. ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Laynee and Shauna each took a candle and holder from a shelf and placed in front of them on their desks.


    Ruby asked us all to sit at the same desk at the front of the room and we gathered together eagerly. I had to admit that I was excited. Probably because I wasn¡¯t going to be using my magic.


    ¡°Now, I want you to bring your magic out as usual, but pause to imagine the magic turning into a flame inside you. Push it down your arm and into your hand, then down one finger and bring your finger to the candle. Push the flame out and onto the wick. Then let the magic recede inside you.¡±


    Shauna got it on the third try and Laynee managed it after about six attempts. She didn¡¯t seem to be frustrated when it wasn¡¯t working. She sat quietly and kept trying. She had more patience than I did.


    Ruby praised their efforts and got them to repeat the task several times till they could get it on every attempt. It seemed so easy, but I doubted I¡¯d be able to do anything like that anytime soon.


    I sighed. I had a lot of learning and practicing to do and it was clear that I wasn¡¯t going home for a long time.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    After we¡¯d had a short break for a cuppa and some biscuits, Ruby turned to Laynee and Shauna as we entered the classroom. ¡°You girls are well aware of our history and I don¡¯t want to bore you, so today you get an early mark. I¡¯ll see you both on Monday.¡±


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    Both girls packed up their belongings and said their goodbyes as they left.


    As they opened the door, I saw the ghost of an old man in the hallway and tore my gaze away as quickly as I could. Did he see me? Did he know I could see him?


    I cringed. I did not want him ruining this lesson. I wanted to learn everything I could about how it all happened. How magic came to be in our world. How I ended up with the ability to see ghosts and how I could wield magic. Even with all the evidence, I was still struggling with magic being real.


    No ghosts came marching through the closed door, but I was sure I¡¯d seen recognition in his eyes.


    Once we¡¯d sat down, Ruby clasped her hands together. ¡°What do you know of the history of the Descendants?¡±


    ¡°Only what Anna-Marie told me. She said that beings from another realm came through a portal, but there are different theories about who or what they were.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°They were definitely fae. There are groups of people even today who think that we are witches and have started covens and practice what they believe is witchcraft, but they¡¯re wrong. They¡¯re not wrong about our magical abilities, just about where that magic comes from.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Does it even matter?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It matters a great deal. It is important to know as much about our history and the origins of our power as we can so we know how to wield the magic properly.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really understand how knowing who or what they were could have any real effect on how we use magic. But what would I know?


    Ruby took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯re getting a bit side-tracked. The fae that came into our world lived among us and some of them ended up falling in love with humans. Their offspring usually possessed magic, although most were not as strong as their fae parent. After many generations, their descendants¡¯ magic weakened and the fae were worried about eventually losing it altogether, so they sealed the portals and we were left to deal with our magical abilities on our own. So of course, things got out of control.¡±


    I tried to imagine it. It couldn¡¯t have been good. ¡°The Witch Trials?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s one of the more well-known outcomes.¡± She picked up one of the pendants around her neck and fidgeted with it. ¡°The Council of Descendants was formed to lead us. They created a Guild similar to the Fae Guild in the fae realm, dedicated to keeping law and order among the Descendants. They protect Normals and Descendants and make sure the Normals do not know that magic exists. The chaos that would cause is just ¨C let¡¯s just say it wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±


    So we had our own government and police, basically. That made sense.


    My thoughts wandered back to the diluted bloodlines. ¡°So, are there Descendants that don¡¯t have any magic at all?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And it¡¯s becoming more common. There are still some powerful Descendants, but some are only capable of some very basic, low-level magic, like what we were doing today.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that maybe Shauna or Laynee or I might not be able to do more than what they did in our lesson?¡±


    ¡°It is possible, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case with you girls ¨C especially you and Laynee.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I get the feeling Laynee has more power and talent than she lets on. Or maybe she doesn¡¯t know how powerful she is, like you.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying I¡¯m powerful, but how do you even know?¡±


    ¡°A lot of us can feel the power within another Descendant if it¡¯s powerful enough ¨C and if it¡¯s not blocked. There are also ways of gauging someone¡¯s power levels using different spells and crystals to enhance them, and there are some Descendants that have a heightened sense. They can feel someone¡¯s power levels even if they are really low.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is that how you knew about me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who has that ability?¡±


    ¡°Kaydan. He is quite talented and his ability is strong.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He was the one who told us your power was blocked, but I guess something happened to break that block down and your magic burst out of you.¡±


    I cringed at the reminder. I didn¡¯t think I could ever forget what happened.


    I also didn¡¯t know how to feel about Kaydan sensing my magic and telling them about it. Then again, if I had that ability, I¡¯d use it too. I was sure something like that would come in handy.


    Ruby put a hand on my arm. ¡°The staff at Mirrabooka House weren¡¯t sure what was happening with you ¨C probably because your magic was blocked ¨C but they knew you needed to come here because of your ability to See spirits.¡±


    ¡°What? They knew?¡±

 Chapter 29: Are You Allowed Out?

    ¡°Yes. We have an agreement with them that if any of their patients show signs of possessing magic, they are to send them here to be trained.¡±


    My head spun. All the time I was at the mental institution, they knew that I was most likely a Descendant and that I probably wasn¡¯t delusional.


    Emotions swirled in my gut. I didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. I wanted to laugh, cry, yell, and kick something. All those months of hiding my ability, of trying so hard to be ¡°normal¡± so they¡¯d let me go home. It felt like it was all for nothing.


    Tears stung my eyes and I clenched my fists.


    Ruby squeezed my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t feel like they betrayed you. They actually saved you. If you were taken to another hospital, you could have ended up staying there permanently. You are so lucky that Doctor Calthorpe has agreed to help us find Descendants who don¡¯t know what they are and have had some uncontrolled outbursts of magic. It¡¯s our aim to find you all and give you your lives back by getting your power under control and keeping you safe. You have no idea how many Descendants end up in mental institutions each year.¡±


    I shuddered, remembering the frustration I¡¯d felt at being in there when I didn¡¯t belong and thinking that I would never get out. At least this way I had a much better chance of going home. I just had to learn control as fast as I could.


    I tensed. ¡°How many people know that I can see ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Just the staff at Mirrabooka and Waratah, and me.¡±


    I let out the breath I¡¯d been holding. It would take me a while to get used to them knowing what I could do.


    ¡°We won¡¯t tell anyone. Confidentiality and all that. We¡¯ll leave it up to you if you want to let your Descendant friends know. Probably not a good idea to tell any Normals.¡±


    I nodded. I was still trying to get my head around the fact that they had known all this time.


    Ruby smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, but you¡¯ll be alright.¡± She stood. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for today. Don¡¯t want your head to explode. I will see you again on Monday.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk during dinner, my mind lost in thought. Kellie was being weird again and avoiding eye contact and I knew it was because of what had happened with Justina and Kassandra. I would have to talk to her and try to fix things between us. She¡¯d been nothing but nice to me since I got here and I didn¡¯t want to ruin our friendship.


    I also needed someone to talk to about all the stuff I¡¯d learned today, but I wasn¡¯t ready to tell any of them I could see ghosts. I needed to talk to Johnny. It was weird, usually he was the last person I wanted to spend any time with.


    But he knew what had been happening with me. He understood.


    As I let myself into my room, I found it empty and it bothered me that I was disappointed.


    I kicked off my boots and sat on the bed. I¡¯d missed a message from Alina asking if I was free tomorrow. She wanted to come out and visit me. My heart leapt. Excitement warred with a fear that once she saw me out here, it would somehow change things between us. That was stupid because she¡¯d already seen me in the mental hospital and she was fine with it. Well, she seemed fine with it. She hadn¡¯t treated me any differently.


    But I just couldn¡¯t help worrying.


    I told her I was free and that I couldn¡¯t wait to see her.


    We texted for a while, but I was still restless. I pocketed my phone and wandered outside. I stood on the verandah and took in the beauty of the sunset. The reds and oranges creating a beautiful effect that would be an artist¡¯s or photographer¡¯s dream.


    I thought I saw movement down by one of the sheds. ¡°Johnny?¡± I whispered.


    No answer. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. He was probably still angry with me. The thought of him not talking to me again or leaving altogether caused a strange ache in my chest.


    All those thoughts were forgotten when he walked out of the shadows and gave a slight nod.


    I gave a little wave and headed down the steps. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry about what I said. That wasn¡¯t fair,¡± I whispered.


    He nodded again. ¡°Just because I can do those things, doesn¡¯t mean I would.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just ¡ª it¡¯s still hard to be here and deal with all of this stuff, you know? Ms Grant had just chewed me out because I wasn¡¯t taking my lesson seriously, but I had all those distractions to deal with.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thanks for getting rid of Kassandra for me.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°She can be a pain in the ass sometimes, can¡¯t she?¡±


    I returned the smile. ¡°She sure can.¡±


    I looked around, half expecting her to show up and tell me off. When that didn¡¯t happen, I headed away from the house and Johnny followed.


    I found myself telling him about my lessons with Ruby and what she¡¯d told me about Kaydan sensing my magic and the fact that Mirrabooka was set up like some kind of magic detecting outpost.


    He rubbed his chin. ¡°That¡¯s a really good idea to have that setup in place. That would be the first place someone claiming to possess magic would end up. It¡¯s brilliant.¡±


    That hadn¡¯t been my first reaction, but I had to admit that he was right and found myself nodding.


    A smile crept across his face. ¡°And Kaydan¡¯s ability is awesome. He could help track down Descendants that are lost and don¡¯t know who they really are. Can you imagine him going into Mirrabooka and just saying yes or no for each patient? How much easier would it be to help them?¡±


    He had a good point.


    We talked some more and as I headed back inside, I was in a much better mood than I¡¯d been all week.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


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    Now that it was almost time for Alina to arrive, I grew nervous. I started pacing my room, aware that it was probably annoying Johnny, but I couldn¡¯t sit still.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re worrying about things changing between you two,¡± he told me. ¡°You said yourself that she¡¯s a genuine friend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but even best friends have their limits, you know? This might just be too much.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s driving all the way out here to see you. That¡¯s gotta count for something.¡±


    I nodded, but still wasn¡¯t sure. I looked out to the paddocks behind the sheds, hoping to see that mob of kangaroos again to distract my brain. There was no sign of them, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t out there sitting in the long grass.


    ¡°Relax. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly. Then a second big breath. My muscles started to unwind.


    I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me and I kind of lost myself in those beautiful brown eyes. What am I doing? ¡°I do feel better. I¡ª¡±


    The doorbell chimed and my heartbeat started to race. My body moved toward the door on autopilot. I could hear voices as someone answered the front door.


    I looked at Johnny. ¡°Stay here.¡±


    ¡°But I want to meet her.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be meeting her. She can¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°I know. You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll distract me. Stay here.¡±


    ¡°Woof.¡±


    I tried not to laugh as I made my way down the stairs, my heart still pounding. I wanted this to be normal. For Alina to be okay with me being here after I¡¯d told her that I would be going home from Mirrabooka a week ago. Or was it longer? I couldn¡¯t remember.


    As I approached the bottom step, I looked to the doorway and Alina stopped talking to Anna-Marie mid-sentence when our eyes met. A smile lit up her face and relief washed over me.


    She strode toward me, her conversation forgotten. ¡°Maddie! It¡¯s so good to see you. How are you?¡±


    She wrapped me up in a bear hug and I returned it, my eyes stinging.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I said into her hair. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you could come and visit.¡±


    She released me, then looked me up and down. ¡°Have you lost weight?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡ª¡±


    ¡°I would have come sooner, but work has been so busy.¡±


    I directed her toward the kitchen for a cup of tea as she updated me on how things were going in the supermarket and who was dating who. A warmth spread through me. It was almost like old times. Alina was a checkout chick and I¡¯d been the ticket girl who put up all the price tags on the shelves. We¡¯d met when I started working there after Mum and I moved to Katoomba.


    We chatted for a while and Anna-Marie made sure we had some biscuits and cake to go with our tea.


    Alina looked me in the eye once we¡¯d finished. ¡°Are you allowed out?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Out of this house? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Show me this little town of yours. I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Excitement bubbled up in my chest. ¡°I¡¯ll just check with the staff. Be right back.¡±


    Once I¡¯d gotten the okay from Anna-Marie, I grabbed my phone and wallet and we were out the door. ¡°Wow. Is that a new car?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, new for me. It¡¯s not this year¡¯s model or anything. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It looks great. I never thought you¡¯d buy a Ford.¡±


    ¡°I needed something bigger, but not a fuel-guzzler if I¡¯m gonna be driving out here regularly to visit you. It¡¯s diesel and it doesn¡¯t use much fuel.¡±


    I paused. I was kind of honoured that she would buy a new car just to visit me. ¡°Alina, this isn¡¯t permanent. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna be here that long.¡±


    There was a strange look in her eye. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe you¡¯ll like the town enough to stay after you move out of this place.¡±


    I frowned. Why would I want to do that? ¡°I¡¯ve been dying to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know. But you¡¯re eighteen now. You should be thinking of moving out on your own.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s always been just me and Mum.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you can¡¯t live with her forever.¡±


    ¡°I know that. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Think about it.¡±


    I gave her a half-shrug. I could think about it. Then tell her no.


    Once we¡¯d made it into town, I told her we were lucky there weren¡¯t too many turns to get into town. ¡°If there were, I wouldn¡¯t have remembered how to get there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she told me. ¡°The GPS on our phones wouldn¡¯t let us get lost.¡±


    I¡¯d been without a phone for so long I¡¯d forgotten how handy they were.


    Alina was excited to see all the shops in town, as well as the clock tower and the town hall. It was pretty big for a country town. In one of the other places I¡¯d lived, the town had a school and a little shop that sold a wide variety of goods, but you had to go to the next town about ten minute¡¯s drive away for the pub and the post office.


    Both were the kind of town that if you blinked while driving through, you¡¯d miss them. At least, that¡¯s what Mum always said.


    I was glad that Alina was showing such a keen interest in the town, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she was genuinely interested or if she was just trying to be nice.


    We stopped at Herbie¡¯s Burgers for lunch and Kellie served us. I introduced her to Alina and she smiled warmly. ¡°Pleased to meet you. I hope you like our little town.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I love it. It¡¯s so ¡®country¡¯ without being in the middle of nowhere. It¡¯s great.¡±


    We sat at one of the tables and Kellie brought our food out. The Aussie hamburgers and the milkshakes served in tin cups were a flashback to Australia¡¯s past. The place was even decked out in a country style. It was relaxing.


    ¡°I need to find a job,¡± I told Alina as we ate. ¡°I don¡¯t want to just sit on my butt and get bored out of my mind, and I want to be able to pay my way.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°This place is not as small as I thought it would be, so at least you have some options.¡±


    She was right about that. ¡°I was planning on starting my job hunting tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to do or what kind of jobs were available, but I really needed to have money of my own.


    We chatted for a while longer about possible places to look for work, then waved goodbye to Kellie as we left.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    As we walked back into Waratah Estate, I was thinking that I¡¯d finally been somewhere without seeing any dead people ¡ª that I was aware of anyway ¡ª but then Johnny was standing to the side of the main foyer, which made me gasp.


    I tried to turn it into a sigh on the exhale so Alina wouldn¡¯t think I was weird and when she didn¡¯t react, I thought that maybe I¡¯d pulled it off.


    Johnny mumbled an apology, but I ignored him. ¡°Do you wanna see my room?¡± I asked Alina. ¡°It¡¯s upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. Lead the way.¡±


    As we entered, she took it all in. ¡°Not bad. I thought it would be a dinky little room with just a bed, but this is pretty cool. And I love that you have a view of those mountains.¡±


    She stood at the sliding door a long while as if she was drinking in the atmosphere. I couldn¡¯t blame her. I¡¯d done it lots of times since I¡¯d arrived.


    ¡°I often see a mob of roos down past the sheds,¡± I told her. I strained my eyes, hoping there were some down there now. No such luck.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    ¡°And I think there¡¯s a family of possums in those trees on the left.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    Her eyes lost their focus for a few moments and I felt a tinge of panic. Was she alright?


    She squeezed her eyes shut, then looked at me with a strange expression on her face and it occurred to me that I¡¯d seen her do that before. More than once. Maybe she was epileptic. Maybe she¡¯d just had a mild seizure or something.


    She took a deep breath and there was fear in her eyes. ¡°I think you need to¡­ You need to¡­¡±


    Her eyes became unfocused again and my heart pounded. ¡°Alina? Are you okay?¡±

 Chapter 30: What Did You Do to Her, You Bitch?

    She stood still for a long moment, then seemed to snap out of it. ¡°What was I saying?¡±


    I stepped forward. ¡°Is everything alright? You were kind of zoned out.¡±


    Her cheeks flushed. ¡°Oh. Sorry. It happens sometimes.¡± She ran a hand down her arm and took a deep breath. ¡°Nothing to worry about. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yep. All good.¡± She turned back to the glass door. ¡°Oh, look. The kangaroos are out there.¡±


    Way to avoid the subject. Okay, if that was what she wanted.


    I could see a big male standing guard while the others grazed. A few joeys that were big enough to be seen over the top of the tall grass were hopping around.


    We watched them for a while, but I was still worried about her. I couldn¡¯t stay silent.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? It looked like you had like a mild seizure or something. Do you have epilepsy?¡±


    She kept watching the roos. ¡°Yeah, something like that. It¡¯s all good, though. I¡¯m on medication to keep it under control.¡±


    That was a relief. ¡°Do you need a glass of water? Do you need to take any medication right now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She turned to me with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s all good. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I tried to smile, but it was difficult to brush it aside.


    She clasped her hands together. ¡°I was thinking that maybe I want a change of scenery.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, like a new job?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and a new town. I think this place would be perfect.¡±


    This was unexpected. ¡°I thought you loved living in Katoomba.¡±


    ¡°I did. I do. But there¡¯s no one there for me. I mean, the girls at work are great, but you¡¯re not there.¡±


    I was touched. ¡°But I¡¯ll be back home soon. As soon as the doctors give me the okay, I¡¯m outta here.¡±


    I knew I was going to be here for a long while, possibly months, but I didn¡¯t want her to uproot her whole life for me ¡ª especially for such a short period of time.


    She raised her eyebrows. ¡°We don¡¯t know how long you¡¯ll be here, and as I said before, you need to think about cutting those apron strings. Time to get out there and live your life. I need a housemate and you¡¯d be perfect.¡±


    I allowed myself to imagine living here in a house in Angel Falls with Alina. No parents. No curfew. No rules. No worrying about Mum¡¯s latest tragic relationship or whether she was going to drink too much tonight. But I forced that image away. I couldn¡¯t abandon Mum like that. She needed me. She wasn¡¯t coping on her own. I could tell. She always sounded so despondent on the phone or when she visited.


    ¡°I just want to go home,¡± I told her. ¡°So many things have changed since the accident. I¡¯ve lost so much of what I¡¯d built since moving to Katoomba. I just want my life back.¡±


    She looked down at her feet. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say you¡¯re sorry! It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°But I dragged you to that party. You didn¡¯t even want to go.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t push me in front of a car. Stop blaming yourself.¡±


    She fidgeted with her bracelet. ¡°Your mum thinks it¡¯s my fault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on her. I¡¯ve told her a million times.¡± I ran a hand through my hair. ¡°She can be so stubborn sometimes.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°You know, maybe things can¡¯t go back to the way they were. Things have changed. You have changed, and I don¡¯t mean that in a bad way. You¡¯ve kind of grown up. I don¡¯t know how to explain it without it sounding like an insult. But you¡¯re a better person now. Stronger.¡±


    I found that hard to believe, but I stayed silent.


    She gave me a hug. ¡°It¡¯s been really great catching up, but I need to get going. I have an early shift tomorrow. Think about what I¡¯ve said.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I nodded. ¡°I will.¡± We hugged again. ¡°It¡¯s been so good to see you.¡±


    I walked her to the front door and watched her drive off down the long gravel driveway.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Kellie had spoken to me a little at dinner, but I could tell the thing with Justina was bothering her. At least, I thought that was the problem. I was determined to sort it out with her, even if it meant telling her that I could see spirits. I needed to fix things.


    As we were heading upstairs after tea, I called out to her. ¡°Hey, Kellie. Can I talk to you for a minute?¡±


    She stopped for a few seconds with her back to me and I thought she was going to walk away, but she turned around. ¡°What is it?¡±


    My nerves were making me want to run from the room. ¡°Can we go somewhere more private?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±


    I followed her to her room, which for some reason I expected to be pink given her bright, bubbly personality, but it was decorated with a nice mix of pastel colours. She shut the door and I was grateful. I didn¡¯t want anyone to hear ¡ª especially Justina or the other residents. She raised her eyebrows.


    Here goes.


    ¡°I know you think I was deliberately trying to hurt Justina, but I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    She grimaced. ¡°It sure looks that way to me.¡±


    ¡°I can explain.¡±


    ¡°Explain why you were being so cruel?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being cruel.¡±


    She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.


    I took a breath. Just do it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t pretending to talk to Kassandra. I was talking to her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You know she¡¯s dead, right?¡± Her voice broke on the word ¡®dead.¡¯


    ¡°I was talking to her. I can see spirits.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just insulting my intelligence.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m serious. I had an accident a few months back. I was hit by a car. When I woke up from an induced coma, I started seeing spirits walking around the hospital, and believe me, there¡¯s a lot of them in there.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°So they did bring you here because you¡¯re delusional.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re telling me sounds like the plot of a B-grade movie.¡±


    Actually, it did sound like the plot of a B-grade movie. But how could I prove to her that it was true? I didn¡¯t care what Justina thought of me, but it was killing me that Kellie thought I was a nasty bitch.


    Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Kassandra walked through the door. ¡°You told her? What did she say?¡±


    I looked from her to Kellie and my first instinct was to pretend she wasn¡¯t here, but I thought that this could be the proof I needed.


    I spoke directly to Kassandra. ¡°She doesn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Kellie frowned again and looked around the room. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±


    ¡°Kassandra.¡±


    Tears welled in her eyes. ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not doing it to me.¡± She took a step back. ¡°This is not funny.¡±


    ¡°No, wait. Kassandra, tell me something only you and Kellie would know. Please?¡±


    Kellie turned toward the door. ¡°I think you should leave.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a huge Led Zeppelin fan.¡±


    ¡°She said that you¡¯re a big Led Zeppelin fan.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything. Justina and Kaydan know that.¡±


    I looked to Kassandra.


    ¡°She had a crush on a boy in primary school named Jack. He had freckles and rode a dark-green pushbike. She told him how she felt and he laughed in her face. Then he told all his friends that she had been begging him to go out with her. She was humiliated and furious with him.¡±


    I repeated what she¡¯d said as Kellie was turning the doorknob and she spun around.


    Tears glistened in her eyes. ¡°How¡­? No one knows that¡­¡±


    ¡°Except me.¡± Kassandra looked like she was going to cry too.


    Now I was getting emotional. I could only imagine what it must be like for these two friends.


    Kellie looked around, then back at me. ¡°Is she really here?¡± she whispered.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s been driving me crazy because she doesn¡¯t want me living in her room.¡±


    Kellie laughed through her tears. ¡°She never wanted anyone to touch her stuff.¡±


    ¡°Looks like she hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    Kassandra walked closer to Kellie with tears in her eyes. ¡°Tell her I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I resisted the urge to ask why. I was just the messenger. ¡°She says to tell you she¡¯s sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°For being so stupid. I should have known better. When you¡¯re sitting in amongst some leaf litter in the dark and something bites you, you gotta pay attention. You gotta get help straight away.¡±


    I relayed what she¡¯d said and Kellie burst into tears. ¡°Oh, my God. I wish¡­ I wish I could¡¯ve helped you. I felt so helpless. All I could do was watch as you got worse¡­¡±


    I put my arms around her as she sobbed quietly. I didn¡¯t know what else to do.


    I¡¯d read up on the symptoms of a Funnelweb¡¯s bite after talking to Kassandra and it was not pleasant. Nausea, sweating, and muscle spasms were just the ones I could remember. It really was a terrible way to die.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to do now, but at least Kellie knew that I wasn¡¯t deliberately being mean to Justina.


    The door burst open and Justina strode in. She took one look at Kellie¡¯s tear-streaked face and turned to me. ¡°What did you do to her, you bitch?¡±

 Chapter 31: No One Can Do That

    ¡°Nothing. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me.¡± She looked at Kellie. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Kellie sniffed and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. ¡°She really can talk to spirits¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall for her crap¡ª¡±


    ¡°She can! She was just talking to Kass right here. Right now.¡±


    Justina put a hand on her hip. ¡°Don¡¯t be daft. No one can do that. She¡¯s making it up.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°After all the magical stuff I¡¯ve seen and done and learnt about since I got here and you¡¯re scoffing at someone talking to ghosts? You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Her expression was unreadable. ¡°Even if it¡¯s possible, you¡¯re just faking it to have your sick, twisted fun. You¡¯re enjoying torturing us.¡±


    Kassandra wrung her hands as she watched Justina. ¡°You need to make her believe. She needs to make peace with herself.¡± She rubbed her upper arms as if trying to comfort herself. ¡°She blames herself for my death because it was her idea to ¡ª never mind. It was her idea to be outside at night.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Tell me something only Justina would know.¡±


    Justina gave a huff and looked like she was going to punch me.


    Kassandra tried to smile. ¡°I was the only one who called her Jussie.¡±


    I looked back at Justina. ¡°She said she was the only one who called you Jussie.¡±


    She crossed her arms. ¡°Kellie knew that. She could have told you before I walked in here.¡±


    Kellie clenched her fists a couple of times. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    There was a look of concentration on Kassandra¡¯s face. ¡°Okay, well, she likes guys on motorbikes and has a secret crush on Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Um¡­ And she thinks¡­ I¡¯m trying to think of stuff that won¡¯t be too bad if I tell you. Like she won¡¯t get too mad at me for telling you. There¡¯s a lot of private stuff. Oh, she hates cutesy things like Hello Kitty.¡±


    Justina went pale once I repeated all of that. ¡°No. There has to be another way you knew that.¡±


    Kassandra said a few more things.


    I hoped I could just get Justina to see that it was real. ¡°No. There isn¡¯t. She is here and she says she¡¯s sorry for not telling anyone she was bitten that night. And that you told her you wanted to get a tattoo of a dragon on your right ankle.¡±


    Justina spun on her heel and bolted from the room.


    I called after her, but Kassandra said to let her go. ¡°She needs to deal with it her own way, then she¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


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    I helped Kellie talk to Kassie for a while, but then I had to get out of there. The emotions were running high and it was pretty intense. I went for a walk outside ¡ª just in the yard ¡ª and breathed in the fresh air. I loved the bush. There was something about nature that relaxed me.


    I jumped as a screeching noise pierced the silence and a couple of fruit bats flew overhead. I always loved watching them fly across the sky in the darkness. They were kind of cute up close, but I¡¯d read too many vampire stories and watched way too many movies to be comfortable around bats. Plus the fact that they could carry the Hendra Virus.


    I suppressed a shudder and headed back inside.


    I sat up against the headboard on my bed and used the house¡¯s Wi-Fi to get on social media.


    Johnny knocked on my door and asked if he could come in. I sighed. I just wanted some peace and quiet for a while.


    Besides, knocking wasn¡¯t going to work. How could I tell him to come in without the other residents hearing me? Yes, I¡¯d just told Justina and Kellie that I could see spirits, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted the whole house to know.


    I heard him say, ¡°Oh,¡± then he appeared out on the verandah, so I guess he walked through a couple of walls. I waved him in.


    ¡°I was trying not to scare you or upset you, but realized that you can¡¯t call me in without everyone hearing you.¡± He looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°So, how are we gonna work this?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°You could just not knock. Not come back.¡± The look on his face was priceless. ¡°Just kidding. Knocking on the wooden door obviously isn¡¯t practical. And I couldn¡¯t really tap a code back or anything to say it¡¯s okay to come in¡­¡±


    ¡°What if I approached the part of the glass doors that is always covered by the curtain and knock on the glass, then if it¡¯s okay to come in, you can move the curtain enough to wave me in. Or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe that could work.¡±


    He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I wanted to see you to ask a small favour.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what he could possibly want, but I thought it couldn¡¯t be too bad. ¡°Okay, shoot.¡±


    ¡°Can you put your phone on the bed? I want to try something.¡±


    I frowned and put it down in front of me. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to see if I can use it. I¡¯ve been practicing moving stuff, but I¡¯m not sure if I can do something useful like call or text someone.¡±


    I turned it around so it wouldn¡¯t be upside-down to him as he approached the bed with a look of concentration on his face.


    ¡°Can you unlock it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Sorry.¡± I unlocked it and put it back down.


    He tapped an icon with a cautious finger and the screen went haywire and my first thought was that he¡¯d just killed my phone, but the display went back to normal. My heart was in my throat.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! That was too much. I need to dial it back a bit.¡±


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    This time when he tapped the icon, the screen was fine and the app opened with no problems.


    ¡°Yesss!¡± He pumped the air with his fist. ¡°I knew I could do it!¡±


    I had to admit that it was pretty amazing.


    ¡°You gave me a heart attack. I thought you¡¯d fried my phone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sorry about that. I need to use a lot of energy to move something, so I overdid it.¡± He was still grinning wildly. ¡°Can I see if I can type a text message? I just want to see if I can keep control enough to do more than open one app.¡±


    I nodded. I couldn¡¯t see why a ghost would need to use a mobile phone, but he was so excited, I couldn¡¯t say no.


    He was so elated when he¡¯d successfully typed up a message that I couldn¡¯t help feeling his happiness. It was contagious.


    Then he sank into the chair in the corner. ¡°Wow. That really drains my energy. I¡¯ll have to be more careful.¡±


    That reminded me of me using too much magic. I hoped he didn¡¯t pass out or fade away on me. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do for him.


    He apologised again for being in the foyer, then asked about my trip into town with Alina.


    I told him about what we got up to and he seemed to regain some of his energy.


    But then he suddenly looked ill. ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look well.¡±

 Chapter 32: So, You’re New in Town?

    He took a deep breath. ¡°I feel weird.¡±


    The fact that he was a ghost and he was taking a deep breath was weird. ¡°Describe weird.¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯m kinda floating.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny. A floating spirit.¡±


    He gave me a look. ¡°Har har.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°You walked right into that one.¡±


    He closed his eyes for a few long moments and I started to worry, then he reached out a hand as if he could see something in front of him and when his eyes sprang open, we both gasped at the same time.


    ¡°Johnny?¡±


    He looked at me. ¡°I remembered some stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! What did you remember?¡±


    ¡°My mother. I saw her face.¡±


    My mouth fell open. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s progress. What does she look like?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful. Long black hair and greenish-blue eyes that seem to see right into your soul.¡±


    That¡¯s beautiful. ¡°Can you remember anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have a father and a sister.¡±


    This was good, but it made my heart ache. I wondered if his family knew he was dead. Were they missing him? Had they had a funeral yet?


    I pushed those thoughts aside: Johnny was happy to have remembered them.


    Maybe if he talked about them, some memories might come back. Now I was getting excited about it, but I needed to keep quiet.


    He stared out at the view, but he was seeing something else.


    ¡°There was something I had to do. Something important, but I just can¡¯t remember¡­ And something to do with the letter D. I keep hearing or thinking about D.¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°This is so frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Just relax. Don¡¯t force it. Take some deep breaths.¡±


    I thought he might get angry for telling him what to do, but he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. I took my own advice and tried to relax while I waited to see if he could somehow shake some more memories loose.


    After a few minutes, he screwed up his face and opened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s no good. I saw a large house with a nice garden, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    I could practically feel his pain. ¡°Okay. Maybe leave it for now and try tomorrow. You did say using the phone wiped you out.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like it, but he agreed that it was a good idea.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll leave you alone now,¡± he said. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    The minute he disappeared, I checked to see if he¡¯d done any damage to my phone. Everything seemed to be running perfectly and I sighed in relief.


    Now to try to sleep while I was pumped and full of questions about Johnny¡¯s life.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    The next morning at breakfast, I wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Justina was avoiding me. Kellie was full of conversation and she spoke to Kaydan and I about what she was planning to wear for Halloween. She was going as a fairy. Another thing that didn¡¯t surprise me. She looked like one. Well, I didn¡¯t really know what a fairy looked like ¡ª or even the fae kind ¡ª so I had to go by what Hollywood and story books have told me.


    Justina kind of huffed at that, but didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Laynee and Mitch didn¡¯t join the conversation. He seemed uninterested, but she never really wanted to speak to anyone. I shrugged.


    I wanted to find a job while I was stuck here so that I had my own money and so I wasn¡¯t sitting around all day with nothing much to do while the others were at work. I thought that this would be a good time to ask the others about what kind of jobs were available in Angel Falls.


    Kellie smiled. ¡°Although this is a small town, you¡¯d be surprised at how many jobs come up. I¡¯ll ask Herbie if there¡¯s any chance he¡¯s looking for someone.¡±


    I returned her smile. ¡°Thanks. That would be great.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I could flip burgers and make sandwiches. Not the greatest job out there, but I wasn¡¯t aiming high and I didn¡¯t want anything long-term. I only needed to work until I could get out of here and go back home.


    Kaydan turned to me. ¡°I do some work for the local council and churches in the area doing their gardening and mowing their lawns. Is that something you¡¯d want to do?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m not into gardening. I think I have a black thumb.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Okay. I didn¡¯t think so, but thought I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    As we finished up and they went to get ready for work, Tracy turned from the kitchen sink. ¡°I could take you into town today if you want to ask around the shops.¡±


    My heart leapt at the thought of her offering to help me out. ¡°Really? Thank you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have some things to do in town anyway, so I¡¯ll just dump you in the main street.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get ready.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    After Tracy dropped me off in the main street, I set out determined to find a job today. I didn¡¯t have a copy of my resume with me; I¡¯d have to get it from Mum, but I didn¡¯t want to let that stop me now. I was on a mission.


    I looked at the list of businesses that Tracy had written out for me and chewed on my bottom lip. Where to start?


    I decided not to go to Herbie¡¯s Burgers; I¡¯d let Kellie ask Herbie for me. I would also skip the bottle shop. Smelling alcohol all day long was not my idea of fun.


    Angel¡¯s Restaurant sounded like a nice place to work and it was only half a block away.


    As I started walking, it felt good to be outside in the real world doing something I wanted to be doing. My eyes stung a little. I may not have been back at home, but I definitely had some freedom now.


    I strode into Angel¡¯s Restaurant feeling confident and optimistic and asked if there were any positions vacant.


    ¡°Sorry, Darlin¡¯,¡± the waiter told me, ¡°but this is a family business. We only employ family members.¡±


    Next I tried the pet shop. By the time I left the shop, I was glad they¡¯d said no. I didn¡¯t think I could put up with the noise and the smell.


    The next thing on my list was an old antique store and I thought that maybe I could deal with that. It might even be fun.


    As soon as I walked in, a woman approached me with a smile. ¡°Hello, dear. Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m just looking,¡± I answered automatically.


    I mentally scolded myself. I was supposed to be asking about a job.


    The woman smiled. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Let me know if you need any help.¡±


    It was then I realised that as she¡¯d moved closer, I could feel the tingles I got when a ghost was near. She was a spirit. My chest tightened. I looked around, but no one was there to hear me talking to myself and I let out a long, slow breath. I needed to be more careful, but she¡¯d thrown me. I wasn¡¯t expecting a ghost to be serving me in a shop.


    I wandered around and kept stealing glances at her from the corner of my eye. She knew her way around the place. She must have worked here when she was alive. As I admired an old Victrola gramophone, I wondered how she had died.


    She made her way over to me. ¡°Beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    A quick glance around told me we were alone, but I kept my voice down anyway. ¡°Yes. It always amazes me how they can get sound out of a needle on vinyl or Bakelite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the technical side of things, but it changed the world when people were able to listen to music in their own homes instead of having to go to the theatre.¡±


    ¡°Hello, there. Can I help you?¡±


    I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was the woman who actually worked here. The one that was still alive. ¡°Oh, you scared me!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    The ghost looked at her with disdain. ¡°This is my customer, Sheryl. Go away!¡±


    I had to force myself not to react. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I should have been paying attention. I was daydreaming while looking at the record player.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s anything I can help you with, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was wondering if you had any jobs available at the moment.¡±


    The woman and the ghost both shook their heads. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Honey. There¡¯s barely enough money coming in to pay me,¡± Sheryl told me.


    ¡°And she doesn¡¯t pay me at all!¡±


    That¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t know you exist! ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not good,¡± I stammered. ¡°Thanks anyway.¡± I turned toward the door. ¡°I better get going. It was nice meeting you.¡±


    ¡°You too. Take care now.¡±


    I tried to make eye contact with the ghost for a split second while I waved to let her know I was saying goodbye to her too, and I couldn¡¯t get out of there fast enough.


    What was I thinking? It would totally suck working there with a ghost who thinks she¡¯s alive.


    I took some deep breaths and looked around for another place to go and spotted the local bookshop. I loved reading, even though I didn¡¯t read as often as I¡¯d like. It could be interesting working in a shop full of books.


    As I walked in and stared at the wall-to-wall bookshelves, I was greeted by a stout woman with a beehive hairstyle and glasses on a chain around her neck. As soon as I asked if there were any positions vacant, her smile brightened.


    ¡°Well, as a matter of fact, my assistant has just told me that she will have to go on maternity leave early, so if you could write down your name, address, and phone number and give me a copy of your resume, I¡¯ll see if we can work something out.¡±


    My smile grew wide. ¡°Thank you! That would be great.¡±


    She looked me in the eye. ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll still need to be interviewed.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    She gave me a pen and paper and I wrote down my details. I had to check my phone for my number. I was still getting used to having a phone again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have my resume with me right now as it¡¯s still at my mum¡¯s house, but I can get it to you in the next day or so, if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s fine.¡± She smiled again. ¡°So, you¡¯re new in town? I haven¡¯t seen you around before.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve only been here for about a week.¡±


    ¡°Did you move into the old farmhouse on Wattle Street?¡±


    She knew which houses were being bought and sold in the town? Must be the town gossip. I bet she had four cats at home. ¡°No. I¡¯m out on Bluegum Road.¡±


    I handed her the paper and pen and she gasped. ¡°Oh. No. I¡¯ve made a mistake. I can¡¯t give you a job.¡±

 Chapter 33: It’s Just as I Thought

    ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re from that place.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. We don¡¯t employ people like you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I knew exactly what she was talking about. People from Waratah Estate. The halfway house for crazy people.


    She placed the paper down on the counter and glared at me. ¡°I think you need to leave.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have to tell me twice. Before I turned around, I swiped the paper off the counter and stuffed it in my pocket. If she was going to be a rude bitch, I didn¡¯t want her to have my personal details.


    ¡°Hey, give that back!¡± she shrieked.


    There was no way; I kept up a fast pace till I was a few shops away before slowing down. I was shocked that someone would be so hostile because of where I was staying. It wasn¡¯t like I was dangerous or contagious.


    I sighed and tried to push it out of my mind. I wasn¡¯t going to let her ruin my day or crush my confidence.


    After a while, I found myself standing out the front of Mystical Encounters, admiring the large candelabra in the front window. I headed inside. I couldn¡¯t resist. There was just so much to see.


    Ruby smiled in greeting as I entered. ¡°Hello, Maddie. It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Hi Ruby.¡±


    We talked a while about the nice weather we were having and how I was settling in, but avoided the subject of me finding out I wasn¡¯t entirely human.


    As we were speaking, I was checking out a display of crystals with a huge clear crystal in the middle that was almost as big as my fist. I pointed at it. ¡°Is that clear quartz?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I put it in the centre because I love the shape of it and the size.¡±


    It was beautiful. ¡°Is it true that a clear quartz is the strongest crystal for healing and for storing power?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is widely used for healing by many different people, Normals included, and Descendants can use it to store magic so that it can be used at a later time for healing and other things. This makes healing someone even easier because you can do it without using up a large amount of your own magic at once. This is one of the things you will learn how to do in our lessons.¡±


    The thought of using magic to heal someone or heal myself sounded like something out of a book or a movie. How could I convince my brain that it was real?


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Ruby picked up the quartz. ¡°This one is the perfect size to store enough magic to heal broken bones.¡±


    I stared at it in awe.


    Then out of the blue, a vision of me nursing a broken arm popped into my head. A memory?


    Only, I didn¡¯t remember ever breaking my arm.


    My friend, Fiona, had been teaching me how to ride when I was nine and I¡¯d fallen off her horse. Her dad had called Mum to pick me up and she was so angry with me when she arrived, but I couldn¡¯t work out why. She drove me to the hospital and they set it in plaster.


    After the hospital, we didn¡¯t go home. She¡¯d called her friend, Samantha, and told her we were on our way. I¡¯d never really liked to visit Samantha. The herbal tea she always gave me wasn¡¯t very nice, and it was so boring there that I fell asleep every time and would wake up in the car at home, just as Mum was pulling into the driveway.


    This time, Samantha had a bunch of crystals in a circle on the coffee table with lit candles all over the room. It was quite pretty.


    As soon as we walked in the door, Samantha sat me down on a cushion in front of the coffee table and began to light incense and chant while holding a clear crystal over my arm.


    ¡°Mum, what is she¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Shh! Be quiet! Let her finish.¡±


    I was so stunned that she had practically yelled at me that I sat in silence until she was finished.


    After a while, the dull ache in my arm disappeared. In fact, it felt as if it hadn¡¯t been broken at all. I wanted to ask how it was possible that all that chanting could do what the doctors couldn¡¯t, but I was afraid I¡¯d get yelled at again.


    As Samantha was finishing up, she said a few words I couldn¡¯t understand and ran a finger from the top of the plaster to the bottom and it split and fell off my arm. I wanted to scream at her; the thought of going through getting plaster put on again was more than I could handle right then. I wanted to run from the room, but I was stuck in place.


    ¡°There,¡± she said. ¡°All healed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She looked at me. ¡°Hush. You¡¯re healed. No more broken bones. Now, sit still a while longer.¡±


    I was too stunned to speak.


    She took the tea Mum had given her and told me to drink up. I grimaced. I didn¡¯t like her teas. They always tasted funny.


    ¡°Drink it!¡± she shouted.


    I did as I was told. She watched me until I¡¯d drank every last drop, then she said a few more words that didn¡¯t sound like English.


    Mum thanked her and paid her some money, then we left as I started to feel sleepy.


    I woke up to the sounds of Mum packing the car with our belongings and telling me to get my things. We were moving again.


    ¡°Maddie, are you alright?¡±


    I opened my eyes and it took me a few seconds to realise I was lying on the floor. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ruby was kneeling next to me, holding my hand. ¡°You fainted. I think. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    Johnny was standing behind her with a worried look on his face.


    How could I explain it? ¡°I¡­ it was like I was dreaming, but I think it was a memory. I had broken my arm, but I don¡¯t remember ever breaking my arm.¡±


    She gasped. ¡°Do you mind if I put my hand on your forehead? I need to check something.¡±


    ¡°No. Go ahead.¡±


    She placed a warm hand on my forehead and closed her eyes. My mind felt a little fuzzy for a while. What was she doing to me? Should I be worried?


    After about a minute, she sighed and opened her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your memories have been tampered with. More than once.¡±

 Chapter 34: Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Know?

    ¡°What? But why? How? Who would do that?¡±


    ¡°That woman in your memory.¡±


    I sat up. ¡°Samantha? I don¡¯t understand. Why would she erase my memories? Why would she erase a memory of me breaking my arm?¡±


    Ruby helped me up from the floor. ¡°Because you¡¯re a Descendant. You heal faster than a Normal and that would draw too much attention. It makes sense that your mother would get Samantha to heal you and then move away, so no one at the new place or the old place would know you no longer had a broken arm.¡±


    I let that sink in. ¡°But that means that Mum knows I¡¯m a Descendant. Jeez. Am I the only one who didn¡¯t know?¡±


    A feeling of betrayal settled over me. It was like my life was just one big lie. How did Mum know what I was? How did she find out? How did she react? I mean, what do you do when you find out your adopted daughter has magical abilities?


    ¡°Wait ¡ª she always told me that there was no such thing as magic.¡±


    My eyes stung with unshed tears. What the hell, Mum?


    ¡°She was probably trying to protect you. If you didn¡¯t know you could do magic when you were really young, you wouldn¡¯t have tried to do it in front of Normals. What would¡¯ve happened if your friend had found out you were descended from magical beings from another realm?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have believed me.¡±


    ¡°What if she did and she started telling everyone? What if she had some kind of proof? How would you talk your way out of that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we are keeping our existence secret to protect us all.¡±


    That made sense, but it didn¡¯t make me feel any better. My hands balled into fists and my breathing became shallow. Why didn¡¯t she tell me?


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I wouldn¡¯t have told anybody. She could have told me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why she didn¡¯t tell you once you were old enough. You¡¯d have to ask her. Maybe it was easier to keep things the way they were because your magic hadn¡¯t shown itself. Maybe she thought you wouldn¡¯t believe her because she wouldn¡¯t have any proof.¡±


    ¡°I was seeing ghosts. That should have been proof enough.¡±


    ¡°Some Normals can see ghosts too, so it wouldn¡¯t have been proof of the existence of magic.¡±


    ¡°You mean I¡¯m psychic as well?¡±


    ¡°Possibly. There¡¯s a thin line. It¡¯s hard to tell with a Descendant if it is magic or a psychic ability.¡±


    Great. Now I have to deal with being both.


    ¡°How common is it for a Descendant to have psychic abilities?¡±


    ¡°It is more common than it is for Normals. And some of us have extra magical abilities that aren¡¯t common to all Descendants.¡± She let that sink in. ¡°Then you have elemental magic as well. Earth, air, water, and fire. Some Descendants have an affinity with one or more of the elements and can wield them with greater power than other Descendants.¡±


    My mind was reeling. There was so much that I didn¡¯t know about this new world I¡¯d stepped into. More like fallen into.


    Ruby smiled. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot, but don¡¯t worry, my dear. We¡¯ll teach you what you need to know and work out which element is yours.¡±


    I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea till I have control.


    She told me that most Descendants had the ability to manipulate the existing element, but some could actually create the element. Like making fire appear out of nothing.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    We also talked about the crystals on the shelf, then she stopped and nodded to herself. ¡°Do you have any experience in retail?¡±


    That was an abrupt change of subject. ¡°Yes. I had a job in a supermarket before the car accident. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I have an idea. How would you like to work here in the store? It would only be part time. When it¡¯s not busy, I could give you some magic lessons so you could catch up in class, and you would be helping me out. I have a few people working for me, but Sacha has just left me short by moving to Queensland.¡±


    My mouth dropped open. I was not expecting this; I¡¯d forgotten that I was job-hunting before I¡¯d been drawn into the shop. I looked at all of the beautiful things around us ¡ª and at Dragonia ¡ª and tried to imagine working here.


    ¡°That would be wonderful. Thank you so much. I¡¯ve actually been asking around town about a job half the morning, so this is just what I¡¯ve been looking for.¡±


    Johnny was grinning over in the corner. I quickly looked away.


    She gave me a warm smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled then.¡± She motioned for me to follow her. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s get the paperwork done. I¡¯m not busy tomorrow morning so I¡¯ll have time to get you started. Can you start at nine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can get the bus from Waratah.¡±


    She led me into her little office in the back and we got most of the paperwork done. I just needed my Tax File Number, which I could bring from home tomorrow.


    When did I start thinking of Waratah as home? I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about that. It was my temporary home, nothing more.


    I left the shop with a spring in my step. I pulled out my phone to find out where Tracy was.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Johnny was practically bouncing as he walked. ¡°This is great. I can¡¯t believe she just offered you a job like that.¡±


    I smiled as I pretended I was alone and typed a message to Tracy.


    ¡°Ruby seems like a wonderful person. And she will be a big help for you while you¡¯re learning about magic.¡±


    I waited till there was no one near me and whispered, ¡°The fact that magic exists didn¡¯t seem to be a shock to you. How do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I just do. I¡¯d forgotten a lot of stuff, but not that.¡±


    I remembered what he¡¯d said when he first came into the rec room. He was talking about cloaking spells. I put the phone to my ear as if I was on a call. ¡°You were talking about it when you ran into the room at Mirrabooka.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I forgot. I thought maybe it was a cloaking spell¡­ Maybe it is a cloaking spell and I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    My heart kind of leapt at the thought of him not being dead, but then logic kicked in. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The chances of me having the ability to see ghosts and see through cloaking spells too are pretty slim.¡±


    I could see his shoulders sag from the corner of my eye. I hated to be a the bearer of bad news and all that, but we had to look at the facts.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± he finally said.


    We walked along in silence until I met up with Tracy out the front of a pizza place. We went in to have lunch as I told Tracy about my new job and her face was beaming.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! It¡¯s not every day that a job falls into your lap like that,¡± she said as we sat down.


    ¡°I know, and I hadn¡¯t even asked her yet.¡±


    ¡°It will be good if she can teach you some extra stuff. It¡¯s hard to teach a class when some of the students are way ahead or way behind. The other two beginners will be grateful, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was feeling bad for them, having to sit through the basics again.¡±


    We chatted while we ate and I was glad that things weren¡¯t awkward between us after me blasting her with magic. Then she insisted on paying for my lunch, even though I had my own money this time. I felt like I owed her more than the money.


    As we left the pizza shop, I bumped into a man blocking the footpath and talking loudly into his phone. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why I was the one saying sorry. Force of habit, I guess.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± he said to me, then hung up his phone. I¡¯m not sure if he even said goodbye to whoever he was talking to.


    He looked from me to Tracy and back again.


    Tracy smiled. ¡°Hello, Father Jericho. This is our newest resident, Maddelyn Johnson.¡±


    He smiled as his eyes seemed to light up. ¡°Just call me Jericho, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He turned to me. ¡°Hello, Maddelyn. It¡¯s such a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m the local priest with the Descendants of the Faith Church.¡± He stepped to the side and gestured to someone standing behind him. ¡°And this is my son, Blake.¡±


    A guy with bleached-blonde hair stood with his back to us with a phone to his ear.


    Jericho frowned. ¡°Blake?¡±


    He spoke into the phone. ¡°Gotta go. I¡¯ll call you back.¡± He shoved the phone into the pocket of his jeans and turned his head to the left. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I have someone I¡¯d like you to meet.¡±


    When he turned around and his hazel eyes locked with mine, I took in a slow breath and tried to act like I wasn¡¯t affected by his natural good looks and casual smile.

 Chapter 35: Blake

    Jericho gestured in my direction. ¡°This is Maddelyn Johnson. She is new in town and I want you to make her feel welcome.¡±


    Blake¡¯s eyes snapped to his father¡¯s and they shared a look before he turned his attention back to me. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Maddelyn. I hope you¡¯ll like it here in our little town.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too. I haven¡¯t been in Angel Falls long ¡ª only a few days ¡ª but so far it¡¯s nice here.¡±


    There was a dimple in his left cheek that made an appearance when he smiled. ¡°Have you been out to the Falls yet?¡±


    ¡°I saw it as we drove by the other day. It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to take you sometime. It really is a breathtaking site ¡ª especially from the top of the waterfall.¡±


    Yeah, nah. Ain¡¯t gonna happen.


    I didn¡¯t know him, so I wouldn¡¯t be getting in a car with him anytime soon. And I couldn¡¯t think of anything worse than standing at the top of a waterfall and looking down. Just the thought of it set my heart racing. I gave a little involuntary shake of my head and tried to smile, hoping he wouldn¡¯t think I was being rude. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I blamed the image of me splattered on the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.


    I struggled to keep the smile plastered in place while my mind scrambled for something to change the subject.


    Johnny strode over and stood next to Blake like he was sizing him up. ¡°Check out the designer label clothes. He¡¯s loaded.¡±


    I ignored him and tried my best not to look in his direction. What was he doing?


    Blake winked at me. ¡°Think it over and get back to me.¡±


    Overconfident, much? I guess when you¡¯re good-looking and rich, you could get away with it. The other girls in town might like it, but I wasn¡¯t going to be swooning over him.


    ¡°Maybe I could show you around town, then?¡±


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    This guy was too insistent. We¡¯d only just met. I bit back all the smart-ass responses that came to mind. ¡°Thanks, but Kellie and Tracy have already shown me the town.¡±


    Only a small part of it, but he didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Johnny frowned at Blake and stepped into his personal space. How was I supposed to ignore him?


    Blake¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter; the dimple still in place. ¡°Okay then. There¡¯s plenty of time. There¡¯s lots of things to do in town. We have an outdoor cinema that shows movies twice a month. There¡¯s two pubs. There¡¯s even a Chinese restaurant. And I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other soon.¡±


    He winked again and Johnny rolled his eyes. I pressed my lips together so I wouldn¡¯t laugh. I¡¯d wanted to roll my eyes too, but I had to be polite. I guess that was one advantage to being a spirit.


    Jericho slapped Blake on the shoulder. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve taken up enough of your time, Maddelyn. We¡¯ll leave you to get on with your day.¡± He smiled at each of us. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    We said our goodbyes and Johnny mimicked Blake¡¯s casual wave as he sauntered away.


    I held back a laugh, then scowled at him and mouthed the words, ¡°Stop it.¡±


    What was Johnny¡¯s problem with Blake? He was acting like he was jealous.


    Surely that wasn¡¯t it. I¡¯d just met Blake. And it wasn¡¯t like Johnny and I were a couple¡­ It would be kinda impossible anyway. That would require both of us to be alive.


    I suppressed a shudder.


    Once they were out of sight, we started walking again and Tracy was unusually quiet.


    But I was curious. ¡°So, was that Alexandra Pierce¡¯s husband?¡± I remembered her saying her husband was a priest.


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s also Blake¡¯s mum. They¡¯re well-known in Angel Falls and very well-off. What she said about all the fundraisers and such is true. She¡¯s probably bored at home.¡±


    I imagined that being married to a priest would be kinda boring.


    Tracy picked up the pace. ¡°Blake is a popular boy in the town, and he¡¯s single right now.¡±


    What?


    The last thing I wanted was for someone to be playing matchmaker. The last thing I needed right now was a boyfriend. I had more important things to do. The job would help with the money side of things, but I needed to really work hard to learn this magic stuff and then get the hell out of dodge.


    Okay, that was two ¡®last things,¡¯ but whatever.


    I had to keep my head on straight and not get distracted. The ghost thing was hard enough to deal with. So what if Blake was like a younger version of Chris Hemsworth? I could pretend he didn¡¯t exist. I doubted I¡¯d be seeing him anytime soon anyway.


    I was so focused on the thoughts spinning in my head that I barely noticed that we¡¯d walked past Herbie¡¯s Burgers. Kellie would be in there right now, but Tracy kept going. Good. I wanted to get home.


    As we turned a corner to head to the car park, I could see a man walking from the direction of the clock tower, covered in blood.

 Chapter 36: That’s Jade

    I froze and Tracy kept walking.


    As the man came closer I could see that the blood was mostly down one side and he was cradling his right arm, but it was sitting at an odd angle. He didn¡¯t seem to see me. He must have been in shock. Blood covered his chest and the right side of his face and his right thigh looked wrong. Was it broken too?


    My stomach churned ¡ª the gory details coming into focus as he approached ¡ª but I couldn¡¯t pull my eyes away. I was vaguely aware of Tracy talking to me and of Johnny heading over to get a closer look at the guy. I knew he was a spirit and I knew that he hadn¡¯t been dead for very long. Spirits always manifested with the injuries from whatever caused them to die. It faded after a while; sometimes days, sometimes after a week or more. And it meant that I had to deal with it till then.


    I finally looked away as my mouth filled with saliva and I fought the urge to throw up.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Maddie? You look like you¡¯ve seen a¡­ oh, have you?¡±


    I flinched, then remembered that she knew about my so-called gift. I just nodded.


    ¡°Really? Where?¡±


    I pointed discreetly. ¡°Over there. He¡¯s in pretty bad shape. Car accident, maybe.¡±


    She winced. ¡°I imagine there would be a few fatal accidents on this road over the years.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but this one is¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to use the word fresh. ¡°He looks like it just happened.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? How can you tell?¡±


    I explained how they carry their injuries and she cringed.


    I gestured toward the people around us. ¡°Everyone is walking toward the clock. It must have just happened. It must be down there.¡±


    Tracy took a few steps in that direction, but there was no way I wanted to see this guy¡¯s body for real. ¡°I¡¯m not going down there,¡± I told her. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I understand. I just want to see if there is anything I can do to help. I have some healing crystals in my pocket. Can you wait here till I get back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I sat on a bench on the footpath and listened as Johnny explained to the ghost that he was dead and about the kinds of things he could do in order to cross over. I didn¡¯t want to look and I was relieved that the ghost was too dazed to realize I was looking straight at him earlier.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Once we finally got home and trudged up to my room, I remembered the silly things Johnny had done when I¡¯d met Blake. All I wanted to do was kick off my shoes and relax, but I had to set this annoying spirit straight first.


    He leaned back in the chair in the corner. ¡°What a day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It went from bad to hellish, but you could have made things easier. You just decided to make my life a living hell.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? How did I do that?¡±


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    ¡°What you did with Blake. I can¡¯t believe you did that. What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crap. Were you trying to make me look crazy in front of the local priest and his son?¡± I glared at him. ¡°It was nearly impossible to keep a straight face and concentrate on what they were saying. How can I ever get out of this place if they think I¡¯m nuts?¡±


    Johnny was silent. I sat on the edge of my bed and kicked off my boots. He looked like I¡¯d just kicked his puppy, but even if he was feeling bad about it, it didn¡¯t excuse what he did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Maddie. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Johnny. You know how much I need to get home.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to me.¡±


    He looked at me with those soulful brown eyes and I softened. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    He gave me a scouts¡¯ salute and crossed his heart. ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny.¡±


    ¡°I know. Sorry.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    I looked at my phone¡¯s screen. 8:50 am. I was ten minutes early for my first day of work and my nerves were jangling. Having nothing to do on the bus trip didn¡¯t make me feel any better. It gave me plenty of time to think.


    I¡¯d been disappointed that I didn¡¯t get a chance to tell Kellie about the job because she¡¯d slept over a friend¡¯s house last night. I had no idea where the others were this morning and Justina was being weird again. She¡¯d kind of said hello, then ignored me.


    I was also disappointed in my lack of progress in my short magic lesson after dinner. I pushed those emotions down. I had to concentrate today.


    Ruby smiled as she unlocked the door from the inside and switched the sign to ¡®open.¡¯ ¡°Come in.¡±


    She told me where I could put my bag and showed me where the break room and the toilets were. Then there was the usual basic intro stuff and she made sure I knew how to use the cash register. It was hard to concentrate when my mind kept wandering back to the bloodied ghost yesterday. I wanted to talk to Ruby about it, but I didn¡¯t even want to think about it. Weird, I know, but my emotions were all over the place.


    My dreams had been filled with visions of the dead man and all that blood, but I was determined to do well in this job, so I pushed thoughts of him out of my head. Again.


    At about 9:30, Justina walked in and her eyes went wide. She looked at Ruby with a question in her eyes.


    Ruby smiled and said, ¡°Hey, Justina. Maddie is our new assistant ¡ª Sascha¡¯s replacement.¡±


    Oh, my god! Justina works here?


    ¡°I will also be teaching her some stuff so she can catch up to the other girls in her class.¡±


    Justina looked like she wanted to scream and hit something and I think my mouth was hanging open. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s good.¡±


    Liar. She didn¡¯t think it was good. Neither did I.


    Ruby turned to me. ¡°Justina usually works in the office with our online sales. She¡¯s the techy one, so it¡¯s a huge relief now that I don¡¯t have to deal with all of that stuff anymore.¡±


    I relaxed a tiny bit at hearing that. Maybe we could keep out of each other¡¯s way.


    Justina smiled and slipped into the office and Ruby continued with my orientation. A few customers came in and browsed around and Ruby served them while I watched.


    A woman with long, dark hair wandered in after lunch and seemed to totter around like an elderly woman, but couldn¡¯t have been much older than me.


    Ruby saw the concern on my face. ¡°That¡¯s Jade,¡± she whispered. ¡°She lost her first child ¡ª he was stillborn ¡ª and she had some kind of breakdown. Loses touch with reality. Poor thing.¡±


    My heart felt heavy in my chest as I watched her. I¡¯d spent some time with people with different mental problems the last few months and some of them had terrible stories, and this story made me feel infinitely sad.


    She eventually made her way up to the counter with some amethyst crystals in her hand and placed them gently on the glass surface.


    Ruby smiled. ¡°Hi Jade, how are you? I¡¯d like you to meet our new girl, Maddie.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Maddie, this is Jade.¡±


    We both said hi and when Jade looked at me, our eyes locked and it was like she was looking into my very soul.


    Her jaw dropped and she whispered, ¡°Adelina¡­¡±

 Chapter 37: Don’t Worry. It Doesn’t Hurt

    I couldn¡¯t look away. The way she said it just made the hairs all over my body stand on end. It was such an eerie feeling sweeping through me.


    Ruby cleared her throat. ¡°Jade? Are you okay?¡±


    Jade seemed to come back to her senses and shook her head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Ruby looked from her to me, and back again. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    Ruby was still frowning and I wondered what just happened. Did Jade have some kind of episode? I¡¯d seen some of the patients at Mirrabooka stare at a person or off into space for a bit, then act like it didn¡¯t happen.


    Ruby cleared her throat again. ¡°Was there anything else you wanted today?¡±


    Jade looked down at the amethyst crystals and it seemed like she was either counting them or trying to remember if there was anything else she wanted. Maybe both.


    She looked back up at Ruby. ¡°Oh, hi, Ruby. How are you today? Just these thanks.¡±


    Ruby acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°Hi, Jade. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Yes. Fine. The kids are fine. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Ruby smiled and told her the price and Jade gave her a card to pay. She looked up at me again and smiled. ¡°Oh, are you new?¡±


    Tears stung my eyes. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Maddie.¡±


    Her smile grew. ¡°Hello, Maddie. Nice to meet you.¡±


    She grabbed the crystals that Ruby had put into a bag and said goodbye as she left.


    Why was I reacting like this? Was it because there was a baby involved? Maybe that was it. Anything to do with babies or young kids and it made me more emotional.


    I wondered who Adelina was. Maybe I looked like her or something. I pushed it all back down into a corner of my heart and locked it away. I couldn¡¯t let myself get emotional like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I¡¯m not sure what she was talking about.¡±


    I tried to smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t fine.


    It was strange that I¡¯d had such a strong reaction to a stranger, but I brushed it off. The day wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    The shop closed at one on Saturdays, so once Ruby had shown me how to lock up, I grabbed a burger from Herbie¡¯s before jumping on the bus. It wasn¡¯t a bad first day, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Jade and the poor man from yesterday.


    It was a long walk up the driveway and I took my time and admired the countryside. I was surprised that the bus driver had dropped me right out the front when it wasn¡¯t actually a bus stop. I wasn¡¯t going to complain.


    Anna-Marie came out of the kitchen when she heard me coming in the front door and asked me how it went.


    ¡°It was pretty good. Ruby is really nice.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s the best ¡ª and a really great teacher.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to like it there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. You¡¯ll fit right in here, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    I tensed. I didn¡¯t want to fit right in. I was planning on leaving as soon as I was allowed to go home. Maybe I could still work at the shop and commute from Katoomba.


    As I was about to go up to my room, Anna-Marie put a hand on my arm. ¡°I wanted to invite you to come with us to church tomorrow.¡±


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    I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not really with any church.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is going¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even Justina?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine that. None of them seemed the church-going type ¡ª except maybe Anna-Marie and Ms Grant.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like any other church. It¡¯s actually not a religion at all. We don¡¯t pray or anything. It¡¯s for the Descendants. We use the church as a meeting place for all things related to our little magical community. It¡¯s the best front ¡ª the best reason for us to gather in a large group. The Normals don¡¯t suspect anything.¡±


    That made sense. But I still wasn¡¯t keen on the idea.


    ¡°It¡¯s called The Descendants of the Faith Church. It¡¯s kind of a play on words. Descendants of the Fae¡­th. Get it?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Clever.¡±


    So Jericho was the leader of this fake church? It seemed like something from a movie.


    ¡°So, are you coming?¡±


    I hesitated. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great place to meet other Descendants in the town and learn about all the happenings that relate to magic. It¡¯s really quite interesting.¡±


    What a great way to find out who in the town is actually a Descendant.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She smiled widely. ¡°That¡¯s great! We¡¯ll be leaving at around half nine.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    As we piled into Waratah Estate¡¯s minibus, I was amused to see Justina looking tired and Kellie bouncing around happily like they didn¡¯t get home at 1 am this morning.


    Kellie gave me a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re coming. It¡¯s a great way to catch up on everything that¡¯s happening in the magical community both here and around the world.¡±


    That made me pause. I¡¯d never stopped to think about that. There were obviously more Descendants out there than our little area of the Blue Mountains in Australia.


    ¡°How many portals were there?¡±


    ¡°We think there was five of them throughout the world. The one here in Australia isn¡¯t actually in Sydney. It¡¯s not far from here, in North Richmond. There¡¯s also portals in California, Newcastle in the UK, Germany, and South Africa. And, of course, those people have travelled around over the last few centuries. So there are a lot of Descendants spread out world-wide.¡±


    I thought about that for a while as we drove past paddocks full of sheep or cows. And trees. Lots of trees.


    When Tracy parked the minibus, I felt the flutter of nerves in my stomach. I wasn¡¯t sure why I was nervous.


    It was strange walking toward a church to attend a meeting that had nothing to do with religion. Everyone was just walking in, so I wondered how the security worked to keep them safe.


    I kept my voice low. ¡°How do they stop a Normal coming in here and seeing something they shouldn¡¯t?¡±


    Kaydan walked a bit closer to me. ¡°They¡¯ve secured the building with enchantments that block sound and only allow Descendants to enter. That way, they won¡¯t have a Normal just walk in and hear what we¡¯re talking about or witness any magic being performed.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    There was so much I had to learn about all of this stuff.


    Kaydan pointed to a woman waiting by the entrance. ¡°You¡¯ll need to see Nancy. She will make it so you are allowed in.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    He nudged my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was just messin¡¯ with ya.¡± He winked and guided me over to Nancy. ¡°Hi, Nancy. We have a newcomer. This is Maddie. She¡¯s a resident at Waratah.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Hi, Maddie. Pleased to meet you.¡± She pulled an expensive-looking pen from her pocket. ¡°Can you give me your left hand?¡±


    I looked to Kaydan and he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Go ahead.¡±


    I put out my hand and she held it between her cold hands. The symbols she drew on the back of my hand glowed for a few seconds, then faded away. My hand tingled, but looked perfectly normal.


    ¡°There you go, dear. Now you can enter the church whenever to need to. Welcome to The Descendants of the Faith Church.¡±


    I returned her smile and thanked her and we walked through the large wooden doors together.


    Kaydan bumped my shoulder. ¡°Told you it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    I bumped him back harder. ¡°Yeah, but when you said that, it made me think it would.¡±


    He chuckled to himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re a rat.¡±


    My eyes were drawn to the high ceiling and the artwork that spanned the whole surface, then to the stained-glass windows. It was beautiful. They¡¯d spared no expense.


    We found some seats fairly close to the front and as we sat down, Jericho approached the podium. He¡¯d even gone to the trouble of wearing a priest¡¯s garb. It was such a contrast to the casual clothes he was wearing when I met him.


    He straightened his robes and fixed his cuffs and cleared his throat before addressing the crowd. All talking immediately stopped and anyone who was still standing quickly found somewhere to sit.


    ¡°Welcome to our Sunday meeting. I hope you are all doing well. I¡¯d like to say a special welcome to our newcomers.¡±


    He looked directly at me as he spoke and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

 Chapter 38: It’s So Much Like What Happened with Piper

    Don¡¯t say my name. Don¡¯t say my name.


    I kept saying it over and over, willing him to move on with whatever he was going to be talking about. After a few long seconds that seemed like minutes, he continued on.


    I let out the breath I¡¯d been holding.


    He spoke about some of the good deeds the church had done for the community. One of the things had been some restoration work on the clock tower. I wondered what the ghost that was down by the clock the other day would think of their handiwork. Would he approve?


    Jericho went on to talk about some guy named Victor who often used his power and money and influence to help the town. He spoke of him with such reverence, like he was some kind of celebrity or god. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.


    It just seemed wrong to have the local priest fan-girling over some rich dude. Okay, fake priest, but it was still weird.


    Then the subject turned to the fatal car accident. Apparently, the guy that died was a Descendant.


    Jericho put on his serious face. ¡°I just want to remind you all to be careful. You all know we can withstand more injuries than a Normal. We are harder injure. Harder to kill. And we heal a lot faster. But that doesn¡¯t mean we are invincible. We can still be killed in a car accident or any other similar injuries. Poor Stan got himself a little too drunk and got a little too careless. He pulled out in front of that truck and paid the price. Please be more careful and look after yourselves and your loved-ones.¡±


    There were a few teary eyes around the room. A lot of people would have known him. Small town and all that.


    Nancy approached Jericho and handed him a note.


    He read it quickly. ¡°Okay. If anyone wants to attend Stan¡¯s funeral, Betty will let us all know the details when they are finalized.¡±


    Kellie was whispering to a girl who was sitting in front of us and I caught the words Sophie and missing. The girl¡¯s mother scalded her for talking and she turned back to the front. My curiosity was eating at me. I¡¯d have to ask Kellie what that was about after we got out of here.


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    There were a few more whispers in the crowd and I wondered if they were talking about Sophie too.


    Jericho must have opened the meeting up for questions while we weren¡¯t paying attention. A man near us stood up and Jericho nodded. ¡°Yes, Malcolm?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering about the rumours about how some Descendants have been displaying more power recently ¨C like, a lot of power. More than we¡¯ve seen in a century. Is it true?¡±


    Jericho cleared his throat. ¡°It is true that we¡¯ve had some powerful Descendants being discovered over the last year or two, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying they¡¯re more powerful than we¡¯ve seen in a hundred years.¡± He let that sink in. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be worried about this. We should be celebrating. We¡¯ve been worried about our levels of power receding with each generation. Maybe this is proof that our magic isn¡¯t fading into the ether.¡±


    There were a lot of murmurs and hushed conversations in the crowd. It was strange to be in the middle of this discussion when two weeks ago I would have heard this and said to lock these people up in Mirrabooka with me and throw away the key.


    ¡°I assure you that we are looking into why this is happening. It is a good thing and we need to know what¡¯s going on so we can possibly increase the occurrences. We also need to make sure that whoever displays a high level of power be properly trained immediately so they are not a danger to us or to themselves. And, above all, we need to make sure our secret is kept.¡±


    They were basically talking about me. I¡¯m one of the people who need to be trained asap. I¡¯m trying.


    Last night¡¯s magic lesson flashed into my mind. It ended up being more meditation instead. I was hopeless.


    Someone in the crowd said that maybe the portal had been reopened and the more powerful people were actually full-blooded fae that had come through.


    More murmurs went through the crowd.


    A few people disagreed. Jericho said he didn¡¯t think is was possible. ¡°They haven¡¯t been able to open the portal since it was sealed over a hundred years ago.¡±


    Nancy walked over with another note. Everyone fell silent.


    Jericho read it and his eyebrows drew together. ¡°I have an announcement. We have received word that young Sophie Vella is missing. She was due home Friday afternoon, but she didn¡¯t arrive. If anyone has seen her since about four o¡¯clock Friday, please let us know.¡±


    Everyone started talking at once, but no one piped up to say they¡¯d seen her. I felt a weight settle on my chest. That wasn¡¯t good. If she hadn¡¯t been seen by anyone here, the chances of finding her alive had gone way down.


    Kellie turned to us. ¡°Emily was just telling me that Sophie went shopping and never came home. Her mum is going out of her mind.¡±


    Tracy looked like she was ready to run out of the room any second. ¡°That¡¯s terrible. Do they know anything more? Has anyone seen her or her car?¡±


    ¡°No. Everyone is freaking out. It¡¯s so much like what happened with Piper ¡ª and the others,¡± she added with a shudder.

 Chapter 39: Concentrate!

    ¡°Piper?¡± Wasn¡¯t that Kassie¡¯s sister¡¯s name?


    Kellie nodded. ¡°Yeah. She was Kassie¡¯s twin sister. She left to go to her boyfriend¡¯s place one night, but didn¡¯t make it there. No one has seen her since and that was months ago.¡±


    I remembered the pain in Kassie¡¯s eyes. It was hard for me to imagine having a sister, let alone losing a twin. It must have been so hard for her.


    ¡°Kassie was devastated, but was determined to find her when the police came up empty-handed. We tried to help her.¡± Kellie¡¯s eyes misted over. ¡°After¡­ After she was gone, we tried so hard to find out what had happened to Piper, but we still don¡¯t know. We wanted to do it for Kassie¡¯s sake, you know?¡±


    I felt the sting behind my eyes, but blinked a few times and shook it off. I didn¡¯t even know Piper.


    ¡°Who were the others you mentioned?¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°I can¡¯t believe no one has told you yet. There have been other people going missing, especially over the last few years. It¡¯s not just here in Angel Falls. It seems to be more widely-spread.¡±


    ¡°Surely the cops can find some of these people.¡± They would have to have found at least some of them.


    ¡°None of them have been found. No one knows what¡¯s going on.¡± She leaned closer and lowered her voice. ¡°The strange thing is, Sophie isn¡¯t a Descendant.¡±


    My stomach sank. ¡°What¡¯s not being a Descendant got to do with it?¡±


    ¡°All the others that have gone missing are Descendants. It¡¯s like someone is rounding them up or something. Sophie doesn¡¯t fit the pattern. She¡¯s a Normal.¡±


    Jericho cleared his throat and all eyes snapped back to him. ¡°I¡¯m sure the authorities are doing everything they can to find Sophie. I¡¯m sure she will be found alive and well very soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.¡± I was sure he didn¡¯t believe what he just said about her being found alive and well, but it was important to keep everyone calm. ¡°Now, is there any other business before we finish today?¡±


    There were hushed conversations, but no one was getting up to talk. I looked out at the crowd and spotted Blake Pierce looking right at me. My breath hitched and I looked away. I didn¡¯t know whether to be flattered or creeped out.


    Jericho wrapped up the meeting and we all headed back to our cars with everyone talking about the possibility of the portal being open and what could¡¯ve happened to Sophie.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Everyone was throwing theories around at dinner about all the things that were discussed at church. They all had their own ideas, but my mind wandered. Knowing the portal was only less than an hour¡¯s drive away filled me with excitement. I wanted to go and see it.


    ¡°What does the portal look like?¡±


    Tracy stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. ¡°They won¡¯t let anyone near it, but I¡¯ve seen photos. It¡¯s a circle of flowers that sparkle, even in the dark of night.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s on the ground?¡±


    I had been picturing a big ring standing vertical on some sort of plinth. I watched too many sci-fi movies.


    Kaydan smiled as he cut up his roast pork. ¡°Yeah. Where do you think the myth of faerie circles came from?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± I hadn¡¯t thought of that. ¡°Don¡¯t they say that if you walk into a faerie circle, you are transported into the faerie realm?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I would never have guessed that there was any truth to the myths.¡±


    ¡°You better start believing. The world is full of all sorts of shit you¡¯d never imagine in your wildest dreams.¡±


    Every time I thought I understood things, someone would throw another spanner in the mix. Would I ever catch up?


    Once we¡¯d cleaned up after our meal, I found a couple of text messages from Mum and my stomach sank. She was asking how my day was going, but I couldn¡¯t answer. I still couldn¡¯t believe that she knew I was a Descendant and just covered it up, or that she¡¯d gotten someone to block it all from my mind.


    Tracy called me. ¡°Time to learn some magic.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to do this right now. I sighed. Might as well get it over with.


    When we¡¯d made ourselves comfortable on the cushions, Tracy told me to clear my mind, but that was impossible. I had so many questions tumbling over each other. The portal. Sophie. Piper. Other missing people. Poor Stan and his horrific injuries.


    Concentrate! I kept my eyes closed and tried again.


    ¡°Take deeper breaths. Hold each breath for four seconds before releasing it.¡±


    That helped, but it still took a long time to push away all of my thoughts. I finally managed it. For a while, anyway. I reached that state a few more times, then Tracy asked me to look at the smoky green crystal sitting on the coffee table in front of me. It was pretty, but the colour wasn¡¯t as intense as a ruby or sapphire.


    ¡°This crystal is fluorite. It¡¯s great for mental enhancement. It helps you to focus. Lift it up and place it in your left hand. Now put your right hand over it. Concentrate on the crystal and feel its energy. Can you feel it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think so.¡± It seemed to be emanating from the centre of the stone. Whoah¡­


    ¡°Good. Pull on that energy. Slowly pull some of it out and let it flow into your hands. Draw it up your arms and into your chest. Can you do it?¡±


    I did what she said and I could actually feel it travelling up my arms. I couldn¡¯t believe it was actually working. ¡°Yes. It feels strange.¡±


    ¡°Now let it spread out all over your body. It will help you to concentrate and your mind will be more alert. Can you feel it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± It was the weirdest feeling, but it felt good.


    I opened my eyes and the details in the room became sharper somehow. It wasn¡¯t that it improved my eyesight, but I noticed things that were just background stuff before. The books on the shelves. The brand name on the TV. The pictures on the walls depicting naked women in garden settings. They looked like some Normal Lindsay pieces. That was fitting when his art gallery was somewhere here in the Blue Mountains.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Everything is¡­ clearer.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°How? I¡¯ve never had this sort of thing happen with a crystal before.¡±


    ¡°You used your magic to draw out the energy that was inside the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Now, put it down on the table and lift it with your magic. Concentrate and lift it up and hold it in place.¡±


    It took a few tries, but I finally did it.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Keep it up till I tell you to put it back down.¡±


    I kept eye contact with it so I wouldn¡¯t slip up, then once I thought I couldn¡¯t hold it any longer, she told me to put it down ¡ª slowly. Gently.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. After the day we¡¯ve had, I really wanted to get you to put it all out of your head and still do this. This is a very important skill to have. You need to be able to concentrate under any and all circumstances so you can still use your magic. You need to be able to defend yourself.¡±


    What? ¡°Defend myself?¡±

 Chapter 40: Hello, Jackson

    ¡°Yes. There are Descendants out there that are not nice people. There are Normals out there that know about us and want to either destroy us or restrain us. They¡¯re scared of what we can do. So every single one of us needs to learn how to defend ourselves.¡±


    That was a scary thought. I wanted to be able to defend myself, but also hoped I would never have to.


    I tried to imagine what that would look like, and failed. ¡°How do I use magic to defend myself? Do I just blast people?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s only one way, but it¡¯s dangerous because it¡¯s harder to control and you could hurt bystanders and damage property. You will learn how to use magic in other ways to attack and defend.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too impatient. You need to learn control and learn the basics first.¡±


    I nodded reluctantly. She was right, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to like it.


    She got me to lift the crystal a few more times before ending our lesson. Using magic really took it out of me and left me feeling like I hadn¡¯t eaten all day, so I went into the kitchen to grab a cup of tea and a snack.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Monday morning was quiet at Mystical Encounters and I was starting to think that I would be able to run things without someone looking over my shoulder fairly soon. It was all pretty-much what I¡¯d done in the past. I¡¯d had a few different jobs  ¡ª mainly in retail ¡ª and every one of them I¡¯d had to leave unexpectedly when Mum decided to move. My resume looked impressive at first glance, until you saw how long I¡¯d been at each job.


    I spent my lunch time sitting by myself ¡ª but not by myself ¡ª as Johnny gave a silly running commentary on the people walking past. He made up names for them and told stories about where they worked and where they were going. I tried hard not to laugh out loud.


    I nodded at a guy walking on the other side of the road dressed in a business suit and carrying a briefcase.


    Johnny rubbed his chin. ¡°Okay. His name is Brian and he is late meeting his mistress in Room 21 in the town¡¯s only hotel. Her name is Sally and she is married to the local butcher. Brian is nervous. He¡¯s worried that if Sally¡¯s husband catches them, he¡¯ll lose some much-loved body parts.¡±


    I covered my mouth and hoped no one would notice my shoulders shaking as I laughed silently.


    ¡°He has a pair of Sally¡¯s knickers in his briefcase and he wants to give them back to her before anyone finds them.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡¯re terrible,¡± I whispered. Where does he get these ideas from? ¡°Maybe you were an author. You definitely have the imagination for one.¡±


    The clock tower struck one. Whoops! I shot up from my seat and shoved my rubbish in a nearby bin. I didn¡¯t want to be late.


    ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve made me late,¡± I told him, but I couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    I rushed back to the shop, cursing myself for not keeping track of the time.


    I needn¡¯t have worried. Ruby was a couple of minutes late. ¡°Sorry. The queue at the bank was almost out the door.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± As long as you don¡¯t know I was late.


    I felt the tingle of a spirit nearby as we entered, so I didn¡¯t look behind me. I needed to focus on work and not get drawn into somebody else¡¯s drama. I was thankful that they didn¡¯t come into the shop.


    We had some time later on in the afternoon, so Ruby took the opportunity to show me a crystal called smoky quartz. I loved the colour ¡ª some parts were white and they faded to a smoky dark grey.


    ¡°This crystal helps to ground you. It¡¯s good to have some with you when you¡¯re around negativity.¡±


    I almost laughed when I thought that it would have been handy to have at Mirrabooka whenever Janice was around. That made me wonder if they¡¯d given her the boot yet. I hoped so. It still made my blood boil thinking about how she treated the patients. I could handle her shit most of the time, but Mrs Dawson didn¡¯t deserve to be treated like something on the bottom of Janice¡¯s boot. None of them did.


    Ruby pointed to the big centre piece in the crystal display and reminded me how clear quartz was used to help with healing. She said we¡¯d be learning some basics on how to heal in our classes. She also said that we¡¯d be going through the different kinds of candles and the power of incense to bring out strong emotions and memories.


    I was curious and wanted to know everything, but I knew I¡¯d have to wait. I couldn¡¯t possibly learn all there is to know in one day.


    Ruby stood up and stretched her arms out. ¡°I need to do some paperwork in the office. Do you think you¡¯ll be okay for a while?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Call out if you need me. I¡¯ll leave the door ajar.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I parked my butt on the seat behind the counter. Johnny wandered in and sat on a chair in the corner and talked to me between customers.


    I was doing fine until Jade stumbled in. Johnny stopped mid-sentence. My heart hammered in my chest and I had to push my emotions down and smile.


    She didn¡¯t look at me, just turned left and wandered around. That gave me time to get my heartbeat to slow down.


    I tried not to look at her and carefully straightened a display on the counter that didn¡¯t need straightening.


    She grabbed a couple of boxes of incense and headed toward the counter. When our eyes met, there was no hint of recognition in her gaze this time. I¡¯d been dreading it, but now I felt disappointed.


    Jade smiled at me, then she appeared to be looking directly at Johnny. Her smile grew wider.


    Huh? Can she see him or is she just smiling at the dreamcatchers?


    She took a step toward Johnny. ¡°Hello, Jackson. How are you? I haven¡¯t seen you for such a long time.¡±

 Chapter 41: This One is Different

    My jaw dropped and Johnny sucked in a breath. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m doing well, thank you.¡±


    I tried to keep my voice low. ¡°You can see him?¡±


    She turned to me. ¡°Yes. They look just like regular people to me.¡±


    Whoah. She really can see ghosts. ¡°You actually know him?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Known him for years. And his mother, father, and sister.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Of course. His mum is a friend of mine.¡± She lowered her head. ¡°She¡¯ll be sad that he¡¯s passed on.¡±


    Johnny looked pale. The irony of a ghost looking pale wasn¡¯t lost on me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± I asked him. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    His eyes locked onto mine. ¡°She called me Jackson.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± She was probably delusional, but I didn¡¯t want to say that out loud.


    ¡°That¡¯s my name. As soon as she said it, I knew.¡±


    My eyes went wide. ¡°Your name really is Jackson?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Jackson. I wasn¡¯t sure I could get used to calling him Jackson after calling him Johnny all this time.


    I turned to Jade. ¡°Can you see other spirits?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re everywhere. I talk to them all the time.¡±


    No wonder people think you¡¯ve lost your marbles.


    She looked at Johnny ¡ª Jackson. ¡°This one is different.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He feels different. Don¡¯t you feel it too?¡±


    Yes. I had noticed it, but I didn¡¯t know what it meant. ¡°Why¡ª¡±


    I stopped talking when Ruby came in from the office.


    She smiled warmly when she saw Jade. ¡°Jade, how are you? You¡¯re looking well today.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They carried on talking and Ruby served her while Jackson and I were still trying to recover.


    Jackson. I would have to cement that into my brain. Somehow.


    Jade said goodbye to us and headed out the door and Ruby looked at me with a puzzled expression, but then her smile returned. ¡°She¡¯s always talking to people who aren¡¯t there. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Then she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s such a shame. She was such a bright, vibrant girl when she first moved here.¡±


    She walked back into her office and closed the door, leaving me speechless.


    To find out someone else could see ghosts was kind of surreal. It was like coming home. Like I belonged somewhere. It was like finding a family member.


    I had to just sit and let it all sink in. I didn¡¯t know what to say. The fact that she knew Jackson just blew my mind. What were the chances of meeting someone who could see ghosts and knew Jackson and his family?


    Jackson rubbed his chin. ¡°I wonder how she knows my mum.¡±


    ¡°You found me while you were wandering around in Katoomba, so maybe you didn¡¯t live in Angel Falls. But maybe your mum lives here.¡±


    He stood a little straighter. ¡°I wish Jade had told us what her name is. Maybe hearing it could trigger some memories.¡± He tapped the side of his head. ¡°Surely something to do with my mother would shake something loose inside my brain.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe. I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re not remembering more things by now. I haven¡¯t been doing this ghost thing for very long, but in my experience, and from what Mrs C told me, some spirits can remember everything straight away, like Mrs Calthorpe, and others take a day or so, maybe as much as a week. How long has it been for you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. About two weeks, I think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way longer than normal ¨C if you can call any of this normal. There has to be a reason for it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Jade knows more about it. Maybe I should go find her and ask her if she knows. I should at least ask her what my mother¡¯s name is. And my father and sister.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. She couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡±


    He said goodbye and walked through the door. I hoped he could get some answers. I¡¯d been wondering about all of those things and why he couldn¡¯t remember them and I had to admit I was curious.


    Just as I was looking around to see if any of the displays needed straightening, the door chimed and Blake walked into the store.


    He stopped and smiled and that dimple in his cheek appeared. ¡°Hey, Maddelyn. How are you?¡±


    I felt my eyes widen and tried to keep my composure. What¡¯s he doing in here? ¡°Hi.¡± I didn¡¯t really like being called Maddelyn. It always sounded like I was in trouble. ¡°Um, it¡¯s Maddie.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I prefer Maddie. Not Maddelyn.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. Sorry. That was just how we were introduced.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s alright.¡± This is awkward¡­


    His intense eyes felt like they could see all my secrets. I stared like a total dork, then remembered where I was and that he was a customer. ¡°Um, can I help you?¡±


    He seemed to remember why he was there. ¡°Oh, my mother sent me here to buy some things for her.¡±


    He didn¡¯t make a move to come closer.


    Okay, and what are they? ¡°So, what does she need?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, I have it written down.¡± He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of the front pocket of his jeans. ¡°Okay, she wants two pieces of fluorite and a black candle.¡±


    I tried to keep a casual smile on my face as I grabbed the things he wanted and he talked about trivial things like the weather. Why was I nervous? Why was he watching me so intently?


    As he was paying with a keycard, he smiled. ¡°Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?¡±

 Chapter 42: What could you possibly do to help?

    My eyes snapped to his. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to catch up tomorrow for lunch? I can show you the best place in town for a great meal.¡±


    No!


    I scrambled for an excuse. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t. I have plans. Sorry.¡±


    That was lame.


    His smiled disappeared. ¡°Oh, okay. No worries. Some other time then.¡±


    He probably wasn¡¯t used to girls turning him down. Well, there was a first time for everything.


    I nodded and tried to smile, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I achieved it. I sighed. ¡°No offence. It¡¯s just ¡ª I don¡¯t know you.¡±


    He put on a fake smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I was asking. So we can get to know each other.¡±


    Think of something! ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for a lunch date¡­¡±


    The fake smile stayed in place. ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I better get going. Think about it.¡±


    I mumbled something resembling a yes.


    He couldn¡¯t get out of there fast enough. I felt guilty for turning him down, but I wasn¡¯t about to say yes because he asked nicely or whatever. And it was just odd that the minute he met me, he was asking if he could show me around or show me the Falls ¡ª and now he wanted to go to lunch with me.


    It was too much too soon.


    I wasn¡¯t here in this rinky-dink town to find a boyfriend. Controlling my magic had to be my top priority right now. It was the only way I was going to be able to go home and I didn¡¯t need anything else distracting me.


    I didn¡¯t want to deal with all the crap that came with letting my guard down. The last time I did that, I ended up being at the wrong end of a cruel schoolyard prank.


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I would not let anything like that happen again.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find her.¡±


    I jumped, then put a hand on my heart as Jackson approached the counter. ¡°Oh, my God! You scared the living daylights out of me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. What were you doing sitting here with your eyes closed anyway?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just have a minute to myself to relax?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can.¡± He looked at me for a moment, like he thought maybe I wasn¡¯t feeling well. ¡°Anyway, I couldn¡¯t find Jade. I looked all over town, but maybe she lives close or has a car.¡±


    His shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can talk to her next time she comes in. She seems to be in here like every day.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


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    As I left the shop that afternoon, Jackson walked with me, but he was antsy. ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking about Jade. I really need to know more about my family.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here then?¡± I whispered. ¡°Go have another look around to see if you can find her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Go. I¡¯m just gonna be jumping on the bus. Nothing exciting.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Just go. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Okay. See ya.¡±


    And with that, he strode off down the street.


    A smile crossed my lips. I hoped he could find her. It must really suck to still not remember much of anything, especially after all this time.


    I headed toward the bus stop, taking in the quaint little shop fronts, the wide footpaths and the extra-wide main street. The streets were not as wide in the cities. Angel Falls had enough room on both sides of the street for 45-degree angle-parking.


    There weren¡¯t too many people about. A man dressed like a tradie with a high-vis shirt and a hard hat headed toward a small truck, a heavy toolkit in his hand. A woman who looked way too young to be dressed like something out of a movie set in the forties did a double-take when she saw me, then suddenly crossed to the other side of the road.


    I frowned as I watched her stride away with her nose in the air. It reminded me of the woman who wouldn¡¯t give me a job once she saw where I was living.


    What¡¯s her problem?


    I looked around, thinking that maybe there was someone behind me that caused her reaction, but I was alone.


    I huffed. Whatever.


    A lone kookaburra laughed in the distance as I started walking again and I imagined that he was laughing at her ridiculous behaviour.


    Looking toward the clock tower made me shudder as I remembered the bloodied ghost from the car accident. I turned away and picked up the pace.


    As I passed the town hall, a ghost came running toward me from the other side of the road, screaming at the top of his lungs as if he was being chased by the devil himself. He ran past me, back across the road, then turned into the driveway for the hall¡¯s car park. My mind was scrambling, trying to work out what could be wrong.


    I couldn¡¯t call out to him, but I could follow him. I waited impatiently for an old, grey Holden ute to pass before I could cross the road, worried that if I took too long, I¡¯d lose him. I kept telling myself that I shouldn¡¯t get involved ¡ª I should just go catch the bus ¡ª but I couldn¡¯t help it. I wanted to see if he was okay.


    I found him in the car park behind the hall, wandering around by himself. At least he¡¯d stopped the screaming. The sun was setting and the shadows were deepening, reminding me that I had a bus to catch.


    He turned suddenly, noticing that I was looking directly at him. ¡°What are you doing here? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He waved a hand around wildly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m alright! Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    ¡°You were running through the street screaming like you were being chased or something.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®so¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I can run through town screaming and yelling if I want to. No one can hear me. No one can see me. You shouldn¡¯t be able to, either.¡±


    I crossed my arms. ¡°Well, I can.¡±


    He crossed his arms as well. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I thought you needed help.¡±


    ¡°What could you possibly do to help?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve helped spirits before.¡±


    He let his hands fall back by his sides. ¡°Riiight. Now, go away and leave me alone.¡±


    And with that, he disappeared.


    Great.


    I sighed heavily and started heading back to the street, hoping I hadn¡¯t been seen talking to myself and hoping I hadn¡¯t missed my bus.


    I pulled my phone out and looked at the time.


    Damn!


    I had missed my bus. Now I¡¯d have to wait for the next one.


    I jumped at the sound of footsteps crunching on dry leaves coming from behind the car park, but before I could turn around, there was a bright flash and I felt like I¡¯d been hit with a bolt of electricity, then everything went black.

 Chapter 43: What Did They Do to Me?

    When I woke up, I was lying on my side on something cold and hard. My eyes flew open and in the darkness, I could see two shadowy figures standing nearby, talking in low voices. Two guys. What was going on?


    The urge to get up and run was strong, but I forced myself to lie still until I could work out what the situation was. Who were they? How did I get here?


    The memory of what had happened hit me full force. I couldn¡¯t feel any pain, but felt kind of numb, and that scared me.


    What had hit me? Was it magic like what I¡¯d accidentally thrown at Tracy?


    I wanted to try moving my arms and legs, but I didn¡¯t want them to know I was awake.


    ¡°Check her.¡±


    I closed my eyes as my heartbeat raced.


    Footsteps approached and I tried to keep my breathing even, hoping they would think I was still unconscious.


    ¡°She¡¯s still out cold.¡±


    I was relieved that I¡¯d fooled him, but this was so not good.


    ¡°Okay, do it.¡±


    Ice flooded my veins. Do what?


    I tried to pretend I was still out to it, but I also prepared myself to fight back if necessary.


    I waited, but nothing happened. No one touched me.


    Then the guy closest to me spoke. ¡°They were right. She¡¯s definitely powerful, but it¡¯s not off-the-charts powerful.¡±


    ¡°They said most of her magic is still blocked. Are you sure you can¡¯t dig deeper?¡±


    ¡°This is as good as it gets.¡±


    A heavy sigh. ¡°Okay. Maybe if we take some while she¡¯s out. Maybe he can help us check it further.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You got the stone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    What were they talking about? What were they going to take? My heartbeat sped up; I didn¡¯t think it could beat any faster than it already was. What were they planning to do to me?


    I felt something warm gently touch my forehead and my first instinct was to lash out, but I kept up the act. There was no way I could overpower them and escape.


    My mind became fuzzy and I couldn¡¯t think straight. The warmth spread all over and I was grateful to feel something besides the coldness of the ground. After a while, the warmth faded and a terrible cold seeped into me.


    ¡°What was she doing around the back of the hall anyway?¡±


    ¡°Who cares? It gave us the perfect opportunity.¡±


    Their voices faded away, replaced by blackness and an even deeper cold.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Someone was shaking my shoulder.


    ¡°Maddie? Are you okay?¡± It sounded like Kellie, but I couldn¡¯t answer. I couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Maddie?¡±


    She called out to someone and several footsteps approached. If it wasn¡¯t for hearing Kellie¡¯s voice first, I would be panicking about who was rushing toward me.


    There were people all talking at once.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wake her up and she¡¯s ice-cold.¡± Kellie told them.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I can help with the cold.¡± That sounded like Tracy.


    What was going on? Where was I and why was I cold?


    Someone¡¯s hands were on my back and my shoulder and I realized I was lying on my side, but whatever I was lying on was hard and cold, which only added to my confusion.


    Warmth radiated from those hands and I felt like I was thawing out from the inside.


    People were talking above me, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate on what they were saying.


    I remembered why I was lying on my side on the ground and ice slid through my veins. What did they do to me?


    In amongst the voices, I distinctly heard Kaydan say that my magic levels were dangerously low. I didn¡¯t know what that meant in terms of how it would affect me or if I could die from it, but panic seized me just the same.


    There was talk of healers and getting some reserves and getting me back to Waratah as I drifted in and out of consciousness.


    My eyes popped open when I heard Jackson¡¯s voice, asking me if I was okay. His face was lined with worry. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. Something was very wrong.


    The others noticed that I was awake and tried to talk to me, but their voices faded away again.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    When I woke this time, I was lying in a warm, comfortable bed. All the things that had happened started whirling around in my head as I opened my eyes to find that I was in my room at Waratah House. Jackson was slumped in the chair in the corner, but straightened up once he noticed I was awake.


    ¡°Hey. How are you?¡±


    I moved my arms and legs, testing to see how they felt. There was no more numbness or cold. ¡°Um, I¡¯m okay, I think. I feel kind of heavy¡­¡±


    ¡°Your magic levels were very low. I¡­ We were so worried. Do you remember what happened?¡±


    ¡°Someone hit me with some kind of lightning bolt.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a stunner spell.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is that what I did to Tracy?¡±


    Panic sliced through me. Tracy had said that if she didn¡¯t use a shield, I would have burned her. Was I burned?


    ¡°Similar, but your blast was uncontrolled. Just pure magic.¡±


    I started to feel my arms and face to see if I was okay. ¡°Did they burn me?¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t panic. It¡¯s okay. Stunners don¡¯t burn people. Just knock them out.¡±


    There was something heavy in the middle of my chest. My hand landed on a smooth stone and when I lifted it up, I recognised the clear quartz.


    ¡°Tracy left that on you to give you some energy. It needs to be replenished slowly, or the results are not good.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant by that, but I would just take his word for it.


    ¡°Do you remember anything else?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. When I woke up, there were two guys there.¡± I told him what they said and did. ¡°Then the next time I woke up, Kellie was there. And Kaydan. And¡­ I can¡¯t remember, but you were there too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I found you. Everyone was worried when you weren¡¯t on the last bus. Tracy was going to go look for you and Kellie and Kaydan wanted to help. She said no at first, but they pressured her into letting them come, saying that they could cover more territory that way.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think they cared enough to be looking all around town for me.


    ¡°I found you, then started knocking things over and making noises to lead them to you. It worked quite well. But then they couldn¡¯t wake you and Kaydan told us your magic levels were dangerously low. Lucky Tracy had some clear quartz with her. I think she always carries some. It helped to restore some of your magic till they could get you home.¡±


    I felt overwhelmed. They had all worked to find me and help me. My eyes stung.


    Before I could say anything more, Anna-Marie came in and smiled warmly when she saw that I was awake. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°A lot better, thanks.¡± I sat up slowly and leaned against my headboard.


    I had to go through everything again, while Jackson sat in the corner listening intently, like he was trying to get more information the second time around.


    Before long, Kellie, Kaydan, and Tracy came in and I cringed at the thought that I¡¯d have to relive it all again, but Anna-Marie took pity on me and explained it all. Then they all talked about what had happened, wondering who could have done this to me. I sat quietly, my mind racing. I was new to all of this, but they were throwing ideas around as to who would want to test my magic levels.


    Kellie sat at the foot of my bed with her legs crossed. ¡°What I don¡¯t get is why they would say they¡¯re going to take like a sample of your magic for testing, but then totally go overboard and take almost all of it.¡±


    Tracy ran a hand through her hair. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, unless they wanted to keep some for themselves.¡±


    I turned to her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The magic gets stored in the crystal and they could use it to boost their own.¡±


    The thought that someone took some of my magic to use for themselves just felt so wrong. I felt violated.


    The room erupted into conversation again and I leaned my head against the wall. This was wearing me out.


    The doorbell rang out its merry tune and everyone stopped talking.


    Anna-Marie started for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡±


    We waited and listened to the sounds of her answering the door and the voice of a woman met my ears. I tensed as two sets of footsteps climbed the stairs and approached my door. I did not want to talk to Mum right now.


    Anna-Marie stuck her head in the doorway. ¡°Maddie? Nurse Holly is here to visit. Would you like to see her?¡±

 Chapter 44: The Big Boss Lady

    My heart leapt. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Holly stepped into the room and greeted everyone with a smile, then turned to me. ¡°How are you? Are you okay? Anna-Marie told me what happened.¡±


    I nodded as I fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Tracy is good with this kind of stuff. It will just take some time to get your strength back.¡±


    I was uncomfortable with all this extra attention, so I changed the subject. ¡°How is everything at Mirrabooka? How is Mrs Dawson?¡±


    Holly¡¯s smile turned wistful. ¡°She¡¯s doing really well. She¡¯s been transferred back to her nursing home. She still has dementia, but she has family close by and loves the residents there. She¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Nellie would have gone back with her. It still made me feel warm inside knowing she was going to watch over her nan till she passed. It was amazing that her granddaughter cared that much.


    I opened my mouth to tell Holly about Nellie, but I hadn¡¯t told Kaydan about being able to see ghosts. ¡°That¡¯s good news. She¡¯s such a nice lady.¡±


    Anna-Marie cleared her throat. ¡°We might just go and let you two catch up.¡±


    The others made their exit and Holly promised Kellie she would see her later. Even Jackson left the room ¨C through the wall, of course. It was less crowded than the doorway.


    As soon as we were alone, I told Holly about Nellie.


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s so nice of her to be there for her nan like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think that sometimes Mrs Dawson could feel her there and it comforted her. Calmed her down.¡±


    We sat in silence for a while and Holly smiled. ¡°Some of the others have asked about you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Who?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Dawson before she left, Jimmy, and Melanie. And Dr Calthorpe said to say hello.¡± I was a bit shocked, but it made me feel good inside. ¡°Jimmy is about the same. Melanie is doing well. She has really opened up in her sessions with Dr Calthorpe. She will probably be okay to go home soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Tell them I said hi.¡±


    It made me wish I could go home.


    Holly pulled the chair in the corner closer to the bed and sat gracefully. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m told you know about what we are now.¡±


    I took a deep breath. ¡°Yes.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I bet it was quite a shock.¡±


    I ran my fingers along the hem of the bed sheet. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It was for me too, when my magic first manifested.¡±


    My eyes snapped to hers. ¡°You¡¯re a Descendant?¡±


    Her smile was almost conspiratorial. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What about Dr Calthorpe and the others?¡±


    ¡°No. They¡¯re all Normals. They know about us so that we can keep an eye out for any Descendants and send them here to be trained. Can¡¯t have Descendants running around letting all the other Normals know we exist.¡±


    I was amazed that Holly was a Descendant. ¡°I guess not. How did you guys get involved in finding Descendants?¡±


    She raised a finger skyward. ¡°Oh, the request came from above.¡±


    ¡°What? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Above. You know, the woman herself. The big boss lady.¡±


    ¡°No. What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The leader of the Council of Descendants: Agatha Holloway.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I think I remember somebody mentioning her name when they were talking about the Council of Descendants and the Descendants¡¯ Guild. The Council is the ruling body and the Guild are like the police force. And the ¡°police¡± are called Guardians. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Holly twirled a ring around her finger absently as she looked out at the view. ¡°We are honoured to help any way we can. I know firsthand what it¡¯s like when your magic appears out of nowhere and you end up hurting someone, so I try my best. Plus, I love all of our patients ¡ª whether they¡¯re Descendants or Normals. It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    I smiled. I knew that was the truth. But that only made me think of Janice.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening with Janice? Is she still treating the patients like something that¡¯s stuck to the bottom of her shoe?¡±


    Her eyes met mine. ¡°Janice is gone. She was dismissed not long after you left. We finally had enough evidence to have her fired.¡±


    Tension left my shoulders and tears stung my eyes. ¡°Finally! She was so mean to Mrs Dawson. To all of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why was she such a bitch to everyone? I know you said she¡¯s jealous of me, but what about all the other patients?¡±


    ¡°The answer is simple. She is a vindictive, selfish, immoral person. Remember how I said she was jealous of your gift? Not only does she hate the patients, but she is jealous of anyone who is a Descendant too, because she¡¯s a Normal. She wants to have power and she sees magic as a way to be powerful. If she was a Descendant, the Guild would have to step in because I¡¯m positive she¡¯d use her magic against anyone for any reason.¡±


    I sat and digested that for a while, running my fingers over the stone against my chest.


    Holly shifted in her seat. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not upset that we kept the truth from you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a bit. This is huge, and I was the last to know about it.¡±


    ¡°You have to understand that we had to be sure. If we started talking to you about magic being real, you would have thought that we were the ones who should be the patients.¡±


    I laughed at that. ¡°Yes, I would have, for sure.¡±


    ¡°And if you were a Normal, then we would have been breaking our laws by telling you about our existence. And even if you were confirmed as a Descendant, but we couldn¡¯t confirm your Seer ability, we¡¯d still be dealing with a Descendant who was delusional, and that is just too dangerous.¡±


    That was a scary thought.


    ¡°You called me a Seer. What¡¯s that, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Someone who has the ability to See things that others can¡¯t. There are different types. Some Seers can touch something or someone and know stuff about them. It can be something from the past, present, or future. They are called Tactile Seers. Then there are Future Seers, who can See the future. Then there are Spirit Seers. That¡¯s you.¡±


    As if following some kind of cue, Jemma came running in through the closed door, a huge grin on her face. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡±

 Chapter 45: What is it That You Really Want?

    Jemma stopped when she saw Holly and her jaw dropped. ¡°Oh, sorry!¡±


    She turned on her heel and ran straight through the wall. I could hear Victoria¡¯s stern words and Jemma¡¯s apologies in the other room.


    I was cringing, but when I turned back to Holly, she was smiling.


    ¡°How many spirits are here at Waratah?¡±


    I was surprised that she wasn¡¯t freaked out about it. ¡°Um, there¡¯s four. A mother and daughter that have been here for maybe a century, a guy who can¡¯t remember who he was, and the girl that used to live in this room.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Kassandra?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did you know her?¡±


    ¡°She and her sister, Piper, didn¡¯t transfer from Mirrabooka, so I didn¡¯t know them well.¡±


    ¡°Is her sister still missing?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s so sad. Their parents must be so devastated.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. My heart ached for them, but there was nothing I could really do to help.


    Holly shook her head and sniffed. ¡°So, which spirit was in here just now? Was it Kassie?¡±


    ¡°No. Jemma. The little girl. She was only four when she died.¡±


    The sadness swept across Holly¡¯s face again. ¡°That¡¯s so young.¡±


    I blinked against the sting of tears, then changed the subject. ¡°One of the ghosts actually followed me here from Mirrabooka: the guy that has lost his memory.¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know they could travel like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either. Maybe it¡¯s not normal, though. Two other spirits that I¡¯d gotten to know pretty well tried to come with me too and they just disappeared out of the car.¡±


    Her eyebrows shot up. ¡°They were in the car with us?¡±


    I lowered my head. ¡°Yes. Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I felt guilty. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have told you.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just unexpected, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I relaxed. ¡°Okay.¡±


    I told her about Mrs C and Mr J and how Jackson couldn¡¯t remember his own name at first. It felt good to talk about it. Like a weight had lifted from my shoulders.


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    ¡°And the other ghosts are still at Mirrabooka?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I¡¯d been trying to get them to go see their families, so maybe they¡¯ll finally do it and find whatever they need to do to cross over.¡±


    ¡°I really think you¡¯d be great at helping people cross over. Like the Ghost Whisperer.¡±


    ¡°Nah. People will just think I¡¯m crazy and want to put me back in Mirrabooka.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a real risk, but we all know what¡¯s going on and we can help you.¡±


    A thought struck me. ¡°Does Dr Calthorpe and Ms Grant still have to sign off that I¡¯m not crazy before I can get out of here?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°No. We know you¡¯re not crazy or delusional. You¡¯re here to learn to control your magic. That¡¯s it. Once you¡¯ve done that, you can go home.¡± Relief seeped into my bones. ¡°Of course, the official paperwork will have to say that you¡¯re no longer delusional and are fit to go home. We can¡¯t have any Normals knowing the truth.¡±


    So there will still be people who think I lost it. There will be people who¡¯ll treat me like that woman in the library did when she saw where I was living.


    Well, let them. I didn¡¯t care what some random thought of me. I knew the truth. I¡¯d been worried about my own sanity for so long that, although the truth was beyond reality, it was still good to know that all of this was not just in my head and that I had people willing to help me deal with it.


    Our conversation moved on to more normal things, like what else had been happening, and I told her about my job and how I was going with my lessons.


    She was impressed. ¡°You¡¯ll be going home before you know it.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    I was angry at myself for how small and weak I sounded just saying those three words.


    Holly leaned forward. ¡°Don¡¯t be down on yourself. You will learn. You¡¯ll hone your skills. Then you can help people. Heal people with your magic. Even help people cross over with your Seer ability.¡±


    She kept pushing for me to help others, but she didn¡¯t know me well enough. ¡°No. That¡¯s not me. I¡¯m not the ¡®helping¡¯ type. I just look after me. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve always had to do. I have my own problems to deal with.¡±


    She fidgeted with the ring on her finger again. ¡°Okay. I can understand.¡± She paused. ¡°So, what is it that you really want? Magic can get you a lot of things.¡±


    I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. ¡°All I want is to go back to my mum and my life and just be normal. So far, this magic and Seer ability has kept me away from that, so, you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°You will get the things you want soon. You just have to be patient ¡ª oh, except the ¡®normal life¡¯ thing. That¡¯s never gonna happen.¡± She looked down. ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s true.¡±


    Her mentioning healing people made me think. ¡°Hey, did you heal me? Back at Mirrabooka when I cut my finger with the scissors?¡±


    Her gaze met mine. ¡°I was planning to help the process along because I could see how deep it was, but I didn¡¯t get the chance. That was all you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen someone heal that fast.¡±


    She let that sink in. I¡¯d been told that the more power someone had, the faster they healed. That couldn¡¯t be me. I could barely lift things with my magic.


    Holly stood up. ¡°Well, I promised Kellie I¡¯d catch up with her before I go, so I better get going.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for coming to visit.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure. I love seeing how all my ex-patients are going. It makes it all worth it, you know?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She leaned in and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and it warmed my insides. ¡°Get well soon.¡±


    We needed more people like Holly in this world.


    As she left the room, the doorbell rang again and my heartbeat started to race, the smile fading from my face.

 Chapter 46: Everything I’ve Done is to Protect You

    Mum¡¯s voice floated up to me from the front door and I groaned. As footsteps ascended the stairs, my chest tightened and I could only take small breaths. I needed to calm down. This was Mum. I used to be able to talk to her about anything.


    But this was big. I couldn¡¯t put it off forever. I needed to know why.


    Mum cautiously stepped into the room. ¡°Hi, Maddie. How are you?¡± She frowned. ¡°You look like crap. I thought you said they were looking after you.¡±


    Gee, thanks, Mum. ¡°It¡¯s okay. They are.¡±


    She put a hand on her hip. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Tell you what?¡±


    I glared at her. ¡°That I possess magic.¡±


    Her eyes widened and her hand fell back to her side. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know. You had to have known when you got Samantha to block my magic and erase my memories of it. Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°How¡­?¡± She looked like a cornered animal, and in true Mum style, acted accordingly. ¡°I was trying to protect you, you ungrateful child! I knew I had to keep it secret. You were six ¡ª too young to understand. You could have easily used magic accidentally and exposed yourself or hurt someone. I wanted to hide you away so the government didn¡¯t take you away from me and run tests on you, maybe even kill you and cut you open to see what makes you tick.¡±


    My face went cold. I ran a hand through my hair.


    Her face was pale as she continued. ¡°I found a woman who offered to block your magic and erase your memories so that you could have a normal life.¡±


    I sighed heavily. ¡°My life was never normal. All that moving around meant that I was always the ¡®new kid¡¯ and that sucked. And all those ¡®imaginary friends¡¯¡ª¡± I used air quotes, ¡°¡ªI had when I was little? They weren¡¯t imaginary. They were ghosts. And don¡¯t try to deny it. I know they¡¯re real. I have proof.¡±


    ¡°How do you have proof?¡±


    ¡°Dr Calthorpe. His grandmother died and her ghost showed up in his office in the middle of a session. She wanted me to tell him where she¡¯d hidden some money and jewellery in her house. Dr Calthorpe checked and it was there.¡±


    She had gone quiet.


    ¡°You knew.¡±


    She opened her mouth, probably to deny it, but then she nodded. ¡°I¡­ suspected. But that was before you did any magic.¡±


    ¡°Why did you dismiss it and make me feel like there¡¯s something wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you telling everyone and have them laugh at you and say you¡¯re crazy. You know how cruel kids can be.¡±


    I knew, alright.


    ¡°I was trying to protect you, like with the magic. Give me a break here!¡±


    ¡°But why did you let them take me to Mirrabooka?¡±


    ¡°What did you want me to do? Tell them you were really seeing ghosts? They would have locked me up too!¡±


    She was probably right, but that didn¡¯t make it hurt any less.


    She stepped closer. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve done is to protect you, can¡¯t you see that?¡±


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    I hung my head and nodded.


    ¡°Now, can we put this aside and just enjoy my visit?¡±


    I looked up and tried to smile. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    It was hard to concentrate on work the next day. I kept thinking about Mum¡¯s visit and what had happened to me. Tracy had told me I could have the day off as my magic was still a bit low, but I didn¡¯t want to sit at home by myself all day.


    So now I was sitting at work all by myself. Go figure.


    Jackson had been in earlier, but had gone looking for Jade again. I scanned the shelves and racks, hoping to find something out of place that I could straighten. Everything was perfect. Ruby was so meticulous with her displays, her pride showing in every piece that shone in the shop lighting and the candlelight.


    I jumped as the door opened and the bell chimed and Blake walked in. I tried to act like he didn¡¯t just scare the bejeebers out of me and managed a smile.


    ¡°Hey.¡± His voice was low and husky and my heart rate picked up. ¡°How are you?¡±


    I cleared my throat. ¡°Not bad. How are you?¡±


    My standard response for customers, but whatever.


    ¡°I¡¯m great.¡± He shifted his weight from foot to foot. ¡°I needed to bring these back.¡± He pulled the two pieces of fluorite from his pocket that he¡¯d bought the other day and placed them on the counter. ¡°Mum said I got the wrong ones.¡±


    I frowned at the offending crystals. I distinctly remember him reading out what was written on a piece of paper when he¡¯d ordered these. How could he get it wrong?


    I plastered the smile back in place. ¡°Okay. What did you need instead?¡±


    ¡°Mum said that she needed purple fluorite. These are green.¡±


    Duh, I¡¯m not colourblind.


    He rubbed his chin and scratched his ear. ¡°Is it okay if I swap them out? I didn¡¯t remember which colour she wanted. She reckons she told me, but whatever.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°They¡¯re not damaged or anything. She didn¡¯t use them.¡±


    The fluorite looked undamaged. I picked them up for a closer look and a wave of dizziness swept over me, making me drop them again.


    ¡°They¡¯re beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡± Blake stepped forward. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I grabbed hold of the counter and waited till the room stopped spinning. ¡°Yeah. I just got a bit dizzy. I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Maybe I should have stayed home. Maybe my magic level was still too low.


    He leaned forward, looking directly into my eyes. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    I managed to smile up at him. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I was able to find some fluorite with a deep purple colouring and Blake seemed happy with them.


    He smiled as he thanked me, but then he seemed nervous. ¡°Hey, would you like to have lunch with me today?¡±


    I frowned. Didn¡¯t he¡­?


    ¡°I have a nice place in mind. The food there is good.¡±


    His eyes were so blue. His face was so cute. How could I refuse? ¡°I¡­ um¡­ yeah. Sure. I¡¯d love to go.¡±


    His smile was infectious. ¡°Great! What time do you have lunch?¡±


    I glanced at the clock on the wall that had a black cat curling itself around the outside. ¡°At one o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll come back then.¡± He grabbed the bag with the crystals in it and turned on his heel, like he was in a hurry to leave.


    His jeans were tight and I enjoyed the view as he walked toward the door.


    When he opened it, Jade stood there with her hand out ready to push the door open. My heart jolted. She looked surprised to see him and stepped forward, thanking him for holding the door for her.


    Once she had passed and he continued out the door, I struggled to read his expression. Was that disgust?


    Jade smiled. ¡°Hello.¡± She ran a hand over her hair. ¡°You¡¯re new, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I forced a smile. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Maddie. How are you?¡±


    Her smile faded and she seemed to look past me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The boys are fine. Everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    That was an odd response. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t remember. I need Hunter. He¡¯ll know.¡±


    I wondered who Hunter was. Her husband, maybe.


    Jackson appeared in a corner of the shop and we both turned to him. His face broke into a smile as he said hi.


    Jade ran a hand over her hair again. ¡°Hello, Jackson. You¡¯re back. That¡¯s good.¡±


    He looked from Jade to me, then back again. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. I¡¯d like to ask you a few questions, if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think I will be any help. I don¡¯t know a lot of things. Hunter is the smart one. What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°You said you know my mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Does she know you¡¯re gone yet? Has anyone told her?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just it. I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t remember her. I can¡¯t remember who I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Jackson.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t remember her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a friend of mine. We are the same.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me her name?¡±


    ¡°Linetta.¡±

 Chapter 47: You’re Not Going to Ruin it for Me

    Jackson¡¯s face was pinched as he tried to search his mostly-empty mind. ¡°Linetta¡­ That doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡±


    Jade scrunched up her face. ¡°Of course not. You said you forgot.¡±


    I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.


    ¡°Yes, but I was hoping that if you told me her name, it would spark something in my memory.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope you find her. And I hope you get the job ¡ª you¡¯ll do well at it. And I hope you get the crystals and candles you want. Ruby sells everything you might ever need. She¡¯s the best. She¡¯s an expert in the field.¡± She looked around the shop, her eyes going wide. ¡°Where¡¯s Ruby? Doesn¡¯t she work here anymore?¡±


    My heart went out to her. ¡°Ruby is out today, but you don¡¯t have to worry. She still owns the shop.¡±


    She seemed to calm down at that. ¡°I¡­¡± She looked at the clock. ¡°I have to go home. It¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    She practically ran out of the shop and we just stood open-mouthed, watching her go.


    Jackson recovered first. ¡°Well, that was¡­¡±


    ¡°Sad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I turned to him. ¡°Well, at least now you know your mother¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s if Jade¡¯s remembering right. She might not know my mother at all. Maybe it¡¯s just a weird fantasy in her head.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but she did know your name.¡±


    He nodded. Scratched his head. Rubbed his face. ¡°I just can¡¯t match up the name, Linetta. I mean, as soon as she said Jackson, it just felt right. I knew that was my name. But Linetta doesn¡¯t spark anything.¡±


    ¡°That is odd.¡±


    I noticed the time on the cat clock. It was almost one. ¡°I need to go to lunch. I thought maybe Ruby would come back, or maybe the other lady, Garnet.¡±


    ¡°What do you do if they don¡¯t show?¡±


    ¡°Close the shop and put a sign on the door.¡±


    I found myself smiling just thinking about Blake coming to take me to lunch.


    ¡°What are you smiling at?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Blake is taking me to lunch. I guess I¡¯m just excited, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Blake? The rich dude? I thought you weren¡¯t interested.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Now I am. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t looking for a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t really like him.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°So why are you going to lunch with him?¡±


    That¡¯s a stupid question. ¡°Because he asked me and he¡¯s kind of sweet when you get to know him.¡±


    He crossed his arms. ¡°When did you get to know him?¡±


    ¡°He was in here before when you were looking for Jade.¡±


    ¡°You got to know him in twenty minutes?¡±


    Why do you have to be so annoying? ¡°Yes. What¡¯s your problem?¡±


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    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just a sudden change.¡± He ran a hand through his hair, his shirt pulling taut over his muscular arms. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s bad news, Maddie.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°I know the type. He¡¯s only after one thing.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all guys?¡±


    His eyes snapped to mine. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°How do you know his type if you can¡¯t remember anything?¡±


    He glared at me. ¡°I just know, alright! There are lots of things ¡ª life things ¡ª that I can remember. Like the existence of magic. Just not specific things about my life.¡±


    I remembered Jackson raving about cloaks and glamours when he first appeared at Mirrabooka. ¡°You¡¯re a Descendant too, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I must be if I remember magic is real. I also remember using magic.¡±


    ¡°You were talking about being cloaked when you first came to Mirrabooka.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    We stood there in silence for a while and I gave up on Ruby or Garnet coming to watch the shop. I would have to close up.


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna lock up. You¡¯re not going to talk me out of having lunch with Blake, and you¡¯re not going to ruin it for me.¡±


    It was his turn to sigh, then he walked out of the shop, right through the front window.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Blake leaned forward in his chair, fork still in his left hand. ¡°So, where are you from?¡±


    He¡¯d taken me to a fancy restaurant for lunch and I kept looking around at the modern furnishings and crystal chandeliers, feeling like I didn¡¯t belong. Soft classical music played through speakers in the ceiling and the smells from whatever they were cooking in the kitchen was divine.


    But this was the kind of thing that Mum liked. The thing that she always insisted on from all the guys she dated. This wasn¡¯t my thing.


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure really.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°How can you not know where you¡¯re from?¡±


    ¡°Mum and I have travelled around so much all my life that I don¡¯t even know where she was living when I was born.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay, well, I kinda meant where you were living before you moved out here to our lovely little town.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I felt silly. Of course that was what he meant. ¡°We were living in Katoomba. Mum¡¯s still there.¡±


    My face and neck heated. I was such a dork.


    He grinned as he moved a piece of almost-raw steak around on his plate. ¡°Okay. Katoomba¡¯s a bit touristy, but it¡¯s a nice place. Were you still at school?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯d been working in a supermarket as a ticket girl and was aiming to work my way up to manager.¡±


    I kept watching him playing with his food.


    ¡°And they made you quit your job to move into Waratah?¡±


    I looked up into those blue eyes. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t been there for months.¡± He frowned and I tried not to squirm. I didn¡¯t like to tell anyone about the accident. Didn¡¯t want to even think about it. ¡°I, um, was hit by a car. Ended up in hospital for two months. They gave my job to someone else.¡±


    He put his fork down. ¡°That sucks. But they can¡¯t do that just because you were in hospital. That¡¯s not right. You could go to the Department of Fair Trading. They could help you get your job back.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t about to tell him that they gave my job away because I was at the funny farm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I have a much better job now at Mystical Encounters, and commuting to Katoomba by bus every day would suck. Plus, there¡¯d be bad blood between me and my ex-boss if I got the law to make him give me my job back. No one wants to work in that kind of environment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±


    My life had changed so much since then. I tried to picture me hanging price tickets on shelves with a ghost trying to get me to help them talk to their relatives or something. It would be too hard. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to be able to work at this new job without sorting out my ghost problem first, but at least Ruby knew about it. That was half the problem solved.


    ¡°Maddie?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I zoned out.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t read his expression for a few moments, then he smiled. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I was just asking if the food was okay.¡±


    I looked down at my burger and chips. ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s good. Really good. Thanks again for the invite.¡±


    I meant it. The food was just perfect. Different from Herbie¡¯s Burgers, which made the best classic Aussie burger. This one had some caramelized onion on it, but no beetroot. Still so good, though.


    I looked across at his sirloin steak and vegetables and felt even more out of place. Maybe I should have ordered something else.


    As Blake started talking again, I felt a tingle and quickly looked around. There was a spirit nearby, and if it was Jackson, I was going to kill him. Okay, I was going to be furious with him.


    My stomach dropped. It wasn¡¯t Jackson.


    There was a waiter dressed in black with a handlebar moustache making his way through the tables in the restaurant, smiling to himself. I quickly looked away. The last thing I needed was for a ghost to ruin everything. Again.

 Chapter 48: Are You Dating Blake Pierce?

    What a cruel case of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Blake stopped mid-sentence. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°So, yeah. My mother loves to work on different projects around town. Her latest project is to raise money for a local swimming pool.¡±


    I stopped breathing for a second. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a big project.¡±


    The waiter was moving smoothly around tables and chairs, expertly dodging all the people walking around, almost like he was dancing. He held a hand out like he was balancing plates of food on it. Did he realize his hand was empty?


    ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s confident she can reach the target amount and get it all happening.¡±


    ¡°I love swimming. I¡¯d go there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. See, that¡¯s what I mean. Everything she does is for the community.¡±


    It was hard to concentrate. He was getting closer.


    I kept my eyes on Blake, trying to think of something to say. I hadn¡¯t been on a date before, so I was feeling out of my depth, and the ghost was making it so much harder.


    Wait, was this a date? He hadn¡¯t called it a date, but I guess it was. That made my anxiety ratchet up a few notches. And the fact that a ghost could potentially ruin it was making my breathing shallow. The need to run was overwhelming.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? You look a bit pale.¡±


    Dammit. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a bit tired, that¡¯s all.¡±


    A bit of a lame excuse, but whatever.


    ¡°Well, you need to make sure that you don¡¯t stay up half the night on your phone when you know you have work the next day.¡±


    What?


    He just automatically assumed I¡¯d been on my phone. He sounded like a parent. I opened my mouth to reply, but I wasn¡¯t going to tell him I was still recovering from being attacked and having my magic drained.


    I said the first thing that came to mind to change the subject. ¡°So. What¡¯s it like being the son of a priest?¡±


    He blinked. He obviously wasn¡¯t expecting the question. Well, neither was I. ¡°It¡¯s okay. People respect you, you know? They look at you differently. They expect you to be like your father.¡±


    I leaned forward. ¡°Are you like your father?¡±


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    I didn¡¯t know why I¡¯d asked that question.


    ¡°In some ways, but not in others. It¡¯s hard to explain. I¡¯m not going to become a minister, if that¡¯s what you mean.¡±


    I smiled. I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do. I was trying not to look directly at the ghost moving at the edge of my peripheral vision.


    I suddenly remembered that I only had an hour for lunch. I was the one who had to re-open the shop. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. ¡°Oh! I have to get back.¡±


    We headed to the register and I pulled out my wallet to pay for my lunch, but Blake stopped me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can pay.¡±


    Mum had always insisted that her date paid for everything ¨C and she would make sure she ordered the most expensive meals and the top-quality wines. I never wanted to be that girl.


    I wanted to pay my own way, but Blake insisted. I eventually gave in.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what else to say.


    He walked me back to the shop and I was glad I got away from the ghost waiter before he saw me. We arrived six minutes late and my stomach dropped when I saw that there was a customer waiting.


    Kellie was at the door and she put on a fake smile as she said hello.


    I smiled back, but my smile was genuine. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late. We were just having lunch and I lost track of the time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said, but I got the feeling it was far from okay.


    Blake said goodbye and I thanked him again as I unlocked the door and we walked in.


    As soon as we got inside, Kellie grabbed my arm. ¡°Are you dating Blake Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Um, no. We just went to lunch. Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Up until the other day, Blake was going out with Emily Pullman.¡±


    A slight chill ran down my spine. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    She let go of my arm, but glared at me. ¡°Emily is my friend. Blake was dating her ¡ª has been dating her for two years ¡ª until you moved here. Then he just dumps her out of the blue and asks you to lunch? That¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to that. There must have been a good reason for them breaking up.¡±


    Tears glistened in her eyes. ¡°Emily told me that there was nothing wrong. No warning. He just dumped her. In a text message. God, that¡¯s so lame and such a coward¡¯s way out. I¡¯d like to punch him in the throat.¡±


    My head was all over the place. I liked Blake and didn¡¯t know if I wanted to take things further with him. It was too soon. But I could feel a distance growing between Kellie and I and she¡¯d only known about me going to lunch with him for less than five minutes.


    She¡¯d welcomed me into the house and treated me like we¡¯d been friends since childhood. Good friends were so hard to find. I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had no idea.¡±


    She hitched her handbag up higher on her shoulder. ¡°I gotta go.¡±


    I watched her leave without buying anything and struggled to work out what I was going to do next.


    ¡°I told you he was bad news,¡± Jackson said.


    I turned to him. ¡°Don¡¯t start. I need to think. And that conversation was private, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯m worried about you. He¡¯s a player. He¡¯s all charm and charisma, but it¡¯s all fake.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know him.¡±


    ¡°Neither do you, and that¡¯s my point.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡±


    Our conversation was cut short by the door opening and my next customer wandering in.

 Chapter 49: You’re Not Ready Yet

    We never got the chance to finish our conversation, and that was fine with me.


    Ruby had returned and we spent some time going over the process of online ordering in the office, which meant that Justina had to show me how to do it. Yay.


    It didn¡¯t take too long, but Justina only spoke to me when she had to, making everything super-awkward.


    Knock-off time was a huge relief and I couldn¡¯t wait to go home ¡ª well, to Waratah Estate.


    So when I¡¯d walked into my room and Victoria had knocked on my door frame, I¡¯d invited them in. It was nice to talk to them both. Victoria was reserved and always felt the need to apologize. I wanted to get her to kick that habit.


    Jemma spotted my mobile phone on the bedside table and rushed over to take a closer look.


    ¡°Oooh!¡± She jumped up and down. ¡°Can I see your magic telephone?¡±


    ¡°Magic telephone?¡±


    Her smile was infectious. ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t have any wires and you can see tiny pictures on it. It¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. It might seem like magic, but it runs on electricity like the phones that you know, but it uses a battery. We¡¯ve now found a way to send the signals for the phone call through the air like radio. Do you know what a radio is?¡±


    She nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes. We used to sit around the radio and listen to stories and Daddy used to listen to the news of the whole wide world.¡±


    I nodded too. ¡°Yeah, so it¡¯s sort of like that, but the person on the other end can hear you and you can have a conversation with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bonza! But how does it work? There¡¯s no buttons and no place to talk and no ear thing to listen with.¡±


    I tried my best to explain how it all worked and could tell she was dying to try it, but when she put a finger near the screen, the image became pixelated, so I pulled the phone away. We thought it would be better if she didn¡¯t touch it, just in case. A new phone was something I didn¡¯t have the money for at the moment.


    Victoria put out a hand to Jemma. ¡°I think maybe we should leave Miss Maddie in peace now. Come on Jemma.¡±


    Jemma¡¯s face dropped, but she said goodbye and took her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you, Miss Maddie.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± I waved to them both. ¡°Have a good night.¡±


    As soon as they vanished through the door, my ¡°magic telephone¡± started ringing.


    My stomach dropped at the thought that it might be Mum calling, and I scolded myself. I shouldn¡¯t be feeling like that when my own mother called me.


    I was surprised to see that it was Alina. ¡°Hi, Alina. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m great! I¡¯ve been looking at a house for rent in Angel Falls and I¡¯m hoping that they will accept my application.¡±


    ¡°What? Really? I didn¡¯t think you were that serious.¡±


    ¡°I told you I wanted to move out there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± What was I doing? Why was I feeling guilty? I gave myself a mental slap. ¡°That¡¯s actually great news. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. I just fell in love with the town, and the waterfall is fantastic. Plus, I miss you. We¡¯ll be able to do stuff together when we¡¯re not working. It will be awesome.¡±


    I was sitting on my bed grinning like an idiot, but I was genuinely happy. I hadn¡¯t realised how much I missed seeing Alina nearly every day.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It is going to be awesome.¡±


    ¡°It will be like old times.¡±


    We talked for a while and she told me all about the house. Two bedrooms. One each. We could share the bills. It would be good. When I was ready.


    I tried to imagine it. The image I¡¯d had in my mind the last time she¡¯d suggested we live together became more vivid. More real. I pictured a housewarming party. Nights spent eating popcorn or Maltesers, watching movies and having fun.


    I could see it, but then I thought of Mum sitting home alone right now and the image dissolved into nothingness. I just couldn¡¯t do it. She needed me. I had to hurry up and get this training over with and get back home.


    Alina could hear the change in my voice. She knew what I was thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re not ready yet. I know. It¡¯s all good.¡±


    And that only made me feel guilty for disappointing her. This sucked. I wanted to stomp my foot or something equally childish.


    After telling me the latest gossip about the trolley boy and one of the checkout chicks, we decided to call it a night. She had to work tomorrow. I had a short shift, then a magic lesson, but I only mentioned the work shift.


    I wished I could tell her everything that had happened to me. The rules forbidding me from telling any Normals about magic were frustrating, even though I knew they were there to protect us. But this was Alina. I could trust her. She wouldn¡¯t tell anyone.


    I guessed that it wouldn¡¯t matter to the Descendants and the Guild. I would still be in deep trouble for blabbing.


    We said our goodbyes and as soon as I hung up, a yawn escaped me.


    I made myself get up and get ready for bed, and just as I walked in from the bathroom carrying my toothbrush and toothpaste, my phone rang again. Who could be calling at this hour? What could they want? Was something wrong?


    When I saw Mum¡¯s number, panic started to trickle through my veins. There must have been something wrong to be calling this late.


    ¡°Mum? Are you okay? Is everything alright?¡±

 Chapter 50: It’s None of Your Business

    ¡°Hello, Maddelyn, my darling daughter.¡±


    ¡°Mum? What¡¯s going on? Why are you calling so late? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not late. It¡¯s fine. I just wanted to talk to you. Can¡¯t a mother talk to her own daughter?¡±


    Her speech was slow and slurred and I realized she was drunk. I sank down onto the bed.


    ¡°So, is there anything wrong, Mum?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Very wrong. I miss my baby girl.¡±


    It was sweet that she missed me, but¡­


    ¡°Mum, it¡¯s almost midnight. You nearly gave me a heart attack calling so late.¡±


    ¡°I miss my baby. You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like for me here, living all alone. They took you away from me and now I can¡¯t get you back. You¡¯re lost to me. I¡¯m destined to be alone for the rest of my days.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. I¡¯m coming back when I finish my training. We¡¯ve talked about¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! They¡¯ll never let you go. That¡¯s how it works. They¡¯ll train you, they¡¯ll find a use for you, then there¡¯ll be some other reason you have to stay.¡±


    How could she possibly know anything about it? She was a Normal and didn¡¯t know anything about the Descendants and how things worked.


    She started to cry and I didn¡¯t know what to do with that. ¡°Come on, Mum. It¡¯s not forever. I¡¯ll be back. I promise.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never been apart. You don¡¯t know what that¡¯s like.¡±


    I ran a hand through my hair. ¡°Yeah. I do. I¡¯ve been apart from you too. At least you¡¯re still in your own home.¡±


    She sniffed. ¡°I¡¯ll be alone forever.¡±


    I was getting nowhere. She wasn¡¯t going to change her mind. ¡°Mum, it¡¯s late. Why don¡¯t you get some rest? You¡¯ll feel better in the morning.¡±


    There was no way I was going to tell her to sober up. I¡¯d only made that mistake once. The silence stretched on and I waited to see if I¡¯d made a mistake this time.


    Then she sighed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go to bed. In my empty house. By myself. Goodnight, Maddelyn.¡±


    I cringed. ¡°Goodnight, Mum. I¡¯ll talk to you soon.¡±


    After we¡¯d hung up, I looked at the time. It was well after midnight, but I was worried about her. I called her friend, Alice, and asked her to check on her for me.


    Alice didn¡¯t seem to mind me calling her in the middle of the night. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you so much. You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡±


    We said goodnight and I let myself fall back onto my bed. Guilt swirled in my gut and made me feel sick.


    I just wanted to go home.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    Blake wandered into the shop with a smile on his face the next day. It was quiet, so I was free to talk to him, but I was well aware of Jackson sitting in the corner behind the counter. Awkward much?


    Blake lifted his chin. ¡°Hey.¡±


    I could feel heat in my cheeks. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s business?¡±


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    ¡°A little quiet today, but it¡¯s okay.¡±


    He looked around as if he thought that a customer or two would pop out of the shelving and I was happy he couldn¡¯t see the ghost in the room. ¡°Ruby has so much stuff in here. It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she seems to have everything you could ever need.¡±


    He stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. ¡°So, how many days a week do you work?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not set in stone yet, but I think it was gonna be three shifts a week. I¡¯ve just been doing extra while I¡¯m learning everything.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Have you been out to see the Falls yet?¡±


    I frowned. The Falls again? ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll have to fix that. You just have to see them up close. It¡¯s spectacular.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are.¡± What could I say without actually telling him that I would find it terrifying? ¡°Maybe one day.¡±


    Maybe that would keep him happy and I wouldn¡¯t have to go.


    He stepped closer. ¡°I had a nice time when we went to lunch.¡±


    My cheeks flushed and I wished Jackson would disappear. ¡°Me too. It was good. And the food was great.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what else to say.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to get to know you better. What about dinner tonight?¡±


    I swallowed. ¡°Tonight?¡± I squeaked. ¡°I¡¯m busy tonight.¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡±


    I tried not to squirm. ¡°I have, um, lessons with Ruby.¡±


    How much did he know? How much was I allowed to tell him? Surely he took magic lessons too.


    ¡°Oh, yes. I know all about them. It¡¯s cool.¡±


    My shoulders relaxed a little and I let out a breath.


    ¡°So I can¡¯t go out¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a beginner, right? So you have an early lesson?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We can go out after that. I can pick you up. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Come on. It¡¯ll be fun. Think about it.¡±


    I just nodded. I honestly didn¡¯t know if I should. I was acutely aware of Jackson staring at me and it took all of my willpower not to look at him.


    Blake changed the subject and talked about the church meeting on Sunday and I finally looked in the corner. He was still there.


    I made a shooing motion with my hand when Blake was looking out the front window of the shop and Jackson just smirked. So I glared at him till he disappeared.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Damn. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Blake¡¯s frown deepened, then his smile slid back into place. ¡°So. I really like you. A lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. I¡­ like you too.¡±


    Well, that was super-awkward. Way to go.


    ¡°I want you to be my girlfriend.¡±


    What? Where did this come from? ¡°I¡­ um¡­ we only just met the other day.¡±


    ¡°So? I really like you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s too soon. We hardly know each other.¡±


    ¡°So we can go to dinner tonight and get to know each other. Come on. What do you say?¡±


    My mind was reeling. This was too much, too soon.


    He stepped closer. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.¡±


    I looked into his eyes and my worries melted away. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go. We can get to know each other better.¡±


    He smiled and it almost looked smug. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you then. I¡¯ll pick you up after your lesson.¡±


    He said goodbye and left the shop before I had a chance to catch my breath.


    Jackson must have been waiting nearby, because he appeared about thirty seconds after the door had closed.


    I jumped. ¡°Oh, you scared me. You gotta stop doing that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He stepped closer. ¡°So, what did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°That means you said yes.¡±


    I crossed my arms. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°I guess it isn¡¯t, but I¡¯m just worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be. I¡¯m eighteen and I can make my own decisions.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a dumb decision.¡±


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t. And why do you care, anyway? I¡¯m just someone you¡¯re stuck with till you can remember stuff and work out what you need to do to cross over.¡±


    That was exactly the wrong thing to say. I could see it in his eyes. I felt a stab of guilt, but it was too late now, and I wasn¡¯t going to say I was sorry.


    I clenched my fists. Why did he have to be so annoying? Why did he get me riled up like this? Why did I care what he thought?


    He moved closer to me. ¡°He dumped his girlfriend and now he¡¯s chasing after you. It doesn¡¯t feel right. I just want you to be careful, okay.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡±


    The sound of glass breaking made me jerk back and when I looked to the front of the shop, broken glass was splayed out across the floor.

 Chapter 51: Open Your Eyes

    ¡°Oh, my God! Did I do that?¡±


    Of course I had.


    Jackson rubbed his hands down the sides of his jeans. ¡°It happens. You¡¯ll learn control.¡±


    I rushed over and checked the displays. There was a small angel missing from one of the shelves. My heart sank. I would have to tell Ruby what happened and pay for the damage.


    I needed to be more careful with my emotions. Learning control was so much harder than I thought it would be. Going home was getting further and further from my reach when it was supposed to be getting closer each day.


    Some items started moving on the shelves and I clamped down on my emotions and thought about something else.


    Jackson reached a hand toward me, then dropped it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just relax. You got this.¡±


    I wanted to tell him to go away and leave me alone, but I had to think of a nice relaxing stream and the sound of magpies singing to distract me.


    Once I felt like I had control of myself, I trudged out to the office and grabbed the dustpan and broom to clean up my mess.


    As I was sweeping, Jackson piped up and said that when I learned to control my magic, I would be able to use it to clean up things like broken glass.


    I shook my head. ¡°Not here where Normals can see me through the shop windows.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you will learn it and can use it in private.¡±


    That would be an awesome ability, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood to daydream about what I would be able to do once I learnt control. I only wanted to focus on getting it done and getting home to Mum.


    ©¤©¤©¤ ??¡î?? ©¤©¤©¤


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    In our magic lesson that afternoon, Ruby swept into the room with an air of excitement. ¡°Today, we¡¯re going to concentrate on creating sources of light. We¡¯ll start with an orb of light and move on to lighting a candle again. I will help Maddie try it again and you girls can practice what you already know.¡±


    Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I was excited, but also nervous ¡ª especially after breaking that ornament earlier. Ruby was okay and very understanding about it, but what if something went wrong again now?


    ¡°Also, if you would like to observe some of the more advanced students while they do their practical assessments, they will be commencing straight after our lesson today.¡±


    Yes! That would be awesome.


    Ruby moved to the middle of the room. ¡°Take a seat on the cushions on the floor. Don¡¯t worry if you don¡¯t create an orb on your first try, or even if you don¡¯t get it at all today. Just relax into it and go with the flow. If that doesn¡¯t work, try some meditation and try again.¡±


    We sat cross-legged on the soft cushions and I tried to relax, with no success.


    Ruby spoke slowly with a steady, calm voice. ¡°Now, close your eyes and relax. Breathe deeply. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Cup your hands in front of you and rest your arms on your thighs.¡±


    I did as she said and concentrated on my breathing.


    ¡°Find your power within your core and coax it out. Reach down and bring it forth, channelling it down your arms and into your hands.¡±


    She paused to let us concentrate.


    I felt my power deep in my chest and worked to bring it out.


    ¡°Keeping your eyes closed, imagine your magic as light. Draw it up out of your hands and move it around in a circular motion until it forms a ball. Keep it swirling around and around and keep it steady.¡±


    My magic finally moved outward and then down my arms. My hands heated a little when the magic reached them. I could feel it obeying my commands, but I still doubted that I was actually doing it. I felt silly.


    ¡°Once you feel that you have created the orb, open your eyes.¡±


    I opened them, fully expecting to find nothing there. There was a small orb of light floating above my palms and I gasped. I couldn¡¯t believe that I¡¯d done it ¡ª and on the first try. It was amazing.


    The other girls had successfully created an orb of light too.


    Shauna¡¯s hands shook. ¡°How do I make it go away?¡±


    Ruby smiled. ¡°Simply will it away and loosen your hold on your magic so that it fades to nothing.¡±


    I turned my attention back to my orb. I could feel my power feeding it and giving it light. I watched it swirl around and sort of fold in on itself. It was a fantastic sight to see.


    As pride swelled in my chest, the orb grew bigger. I watched in awe, but then I worried about how I was going to stop it from growing. It kept getting bigger and panic seeped in.