《Eve's Guide to Ghost Removal》


 Chapter 1: Eve and the Henge

    Eve stood on the pebbled beach of Blackwater Lake, watching the last dregs of color and light fade from the sky. Her bag weighed heavier on her shoulder than it had when she¡¯d gotten to the North Henge park, off Route 23, that afternoon. She¡¯d spent hours in the summer sun copying down the henge runes from the standing stones, a cool breeze from the lake making the heat bearable. When the light had faded too much, she¡¯d stuffed her notebook back into her backpack, along with her empty energy drink can.


    And okay, maybe a few rocks. One or two. Who was going to stop her from picking up some pretty rocks, the stone police? Fuck off.


    The park was nice. Quiet. The water of the lake, black with tannins, was still and calm, a mirror of the pine-covered slopes surrounding it. It smelled pleasantly of dead leaves and fresh water, and despite all of this, almost no one else had been there all day.


    It was technically tourist season, but the Blackwater Henges had never been that popular. Which was stupid, because the henges were freely accessible and had some of the best examples of henge runes out of any of the sites in the area. Eve wouldn¡¯t complain, though. It meant that no one had bothered her while she was working.


    As nice as the park had been during the day, it was a lot creepier at night. Now, the dark water of the lake seemed to suck in the glow from the streetlights. The temperature had dropped quickly from the heat of day, and goosebumps pricked up on Eve¡¯s bare legs and arms. She clenched her jaw to keep from shivering and scanned the tall pines that surrounded the park and the road. She narrowed her eyes at the moonless sky visible between them. The stars were brighter out here than she was used to, but they didn¡¯t make up for the lack of moonlight. A breeze twitched the trees into rustling and swaying in her peripheral vision.


    Eve yawned and pulled out her keys. She hadn¡¯t expected the light to fade so quickly, but that¡¯s what being in a valley was like, apparently. She looked at her phone. It was nearly ten. That would explain the yawns.


    She started toward her car, parked as close as possible to the henge in her perpetual laziness, and then hesitated. It looked spooky in the darkness, like the shadows were thicker there than anywhere else. They dripped down the stones and pooled in the slight hollow where the henge stood.


    After a second, she shook her head. She was being stupid. It was the same set of stones she¡¯d climbed all over only an hour before. It hadn¡¯t suddenly become cursed or something. She strode toward it purposefully.


    And then someone screamed. Like, in-agony, despairing-of-ever-being-heard, screamed. Eve stopped, her shoulders pulling up toward her ears. The scream trailed off slowly and left the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She took one step forward and looked around. She couldn¡¯t see anybody nearby, certainly nobody close enough for that scream, which had sounded like it was coming from inside the henge.


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    Eve almost took the long way around and left the screamer behind. A mystery scream coming from the tenebrous, rune-covered henge, with no visible person to cause it? That was exactly the kind of spooky shit she did not put up with. That was the kind of mystery shit her parents liked to study, the kind of thing Eve¡¯s customers loved.


    But.


    But there were a few blind spots in and around the stones. It was possible someone was hidden behind them, someone who was quite suddenly dying horribly. She stepped closer, almost an arm¡¯s length away from the nearest standing stone, and then she stopped again. Digging through her backpack, Eve pulled out the pink-coated brass knuckles Aunt Jessie had given her when she¡¯d started college. She pushed them over her fingers and made a fist. Then she nodded to herself. It was probably too late to save whoever had screamed, but she¡¯d be damned if she¡¯d be an easy kill for whatever axe murderer liked to hang out there.


    Just in case they weren¡¯t dead, though, Eve stepped through the trilithon. ¡°Hello?¡± she called. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The park was silent, even the rustling trees stilled. She took another tentative step in and raised her fists. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    When she got no response, Eve lowered her hands and walked more briskly through the henge. At the center stone, she paused and peeked around the side of it. Nobody. She would go, then, and leave the screamer to their fate.


    A small whimper came from somewhere nearby, along with a whistling sound. Eve straightened quickly and glanced around. The whimper happened again, and with it came a low fog rolling across the grass like incense smoke.


    Fuck this, Eve thought, turning to leave. The fog caught at her feet, and she tripped, hands and forearms slamming into the center stone.


    For a brief second, the air lit up with a light that was somehow shadowed, a thin veneer over darkness. And then the world went back to night. Eve blinked over and over, the glowing spots in her vision proof that there had been a light. There were no more whimpers.


    Eve pushed herself off of the stone, and the runes running in a spiral around it, now glowing, dimmed to black. She blinked at it for a moment, but the runes didn¡¯t do anything interesting. She scowled at the stone, at the henge in general, and for good measure, she scowled at the lake, too.


    This time, nothing interrupted her walk to the car. Eve turned on the lights and scanned the backseat, and when nothing was there, she sighed into the driver¡¯s seat. That was just great. What better way to explore her new home than to have some kind of weird hallucination at one of the local henges?


    Because it had, of course, been a hallucination. If that had all been real, Eve would be pissed. What fucking right did some stupid paranormal shit have to drag her into it? Absolutely none. She had moved to Blackwood to stop getting involved in her parents¡¯ paranormal-folklore garbage. She wasn¡¯t about to let some stupid death-by-screaming ghost fuck up her new life of not being bothered.


    She did not feel like anything was following her as she drove home. That was part of the hallucination. And if someone or something had been in the car with her, she would have seen it by now. So that feeling, like someone was watching her, was fake, too.


    She didn¡¯t look in any of her mirrors until she¡¯d turned several corners and thick forest separated her and the henge. Still, the feeling that something was following her persisted until she stepped into her apartment, locked the door behind her, and leaned her head back against it.


    That night, Eve dreamed of moving pines, their arms swaying as they screamed and cried, as they begged her to help them. She woke once, cold and sweaty, with her sheets on the floor. She dragged them back over herself and fell into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 2: The G-Word

    At dawn, Eve opened her eyes and squinted against the bar of light that fell across her face. Curtains. That was another thing she needed to buy, along with rugs to cover the old, creaky hardwood floor. She curled her toes against the slight chill as she swung her legs out of bed and stood. A few bruises showed red and purple on her forearms where she¡¯d hit the center stone the night before, and she rubbed them gently.


    Eyes nearly closed, she yawned and stepped from the bedroom into the rest of her new apartment. It was nice, much nicer than she¡¯d expected from the price. Brick walls, wide windows, a tiny balcony with french doors. A one-bedroom like this would have been way out of her budget in Raven Falls, where her parents lived. But that was the appeal of Blackwood: low cost of living and nobody she knew nearby to get in her business.


    A thump came from the living room, and Eve frowned. The feeling of something following her home from the henge came back to her, and her heart beat hard against her ribs. Another thump. She moved down the short hallway past the bathroom. A loud yowl greeted her in the living room, and she frowned harder. Something large and fluffy and dark brown skittered behind the stripy-yellow couch. Eve¡¯s eyes widened, and she crouched beside it. A cat stared at her from behind a box full of books and squeaked.


    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± Eve asked, laughing slightly as her pulse began to slow. The cat sat down and swished its tail around to cover its paws. It watched her with orange eyes, focused but calm. She held out a hand to let it sniff her fingers, but it pushed its large head against her hand and started purring. ¡°Do you have a collar?¡± She rubbed one hand over its head and reached into the thick fur around its neck with the other. No luck. The cat stood and pressed closer to her.


    The scream from the night before echoed in her head, and she thought of the way the henge runes had glowed. She narrowed her eyes at the nearly corgi-sized cat. It looked like a perfectly normal, non-magical cat. It meowed and looked disdainfully at her, the way only a cat can, as if it knew what she¡¯d been thinking. Eve huffed and crossed her arms.


    Standing, she looked around the room. The front door was fully closed, as were the doors to the balcony. Cats could fit through the tiniest openings, though, right? The cat in question twined around her ankles and meowed more insistently until she leaned down. It rose on its back legs and all but forced Eve to pick it up. Once in her arms, it climbed into what she assumed was its favorite position: slung over one shoulder like a dish towel. She left it there, one hand on its butt to keep it secure, and stepped into the kitchen.


    The renter before her had left almost all the furniture and equipment a person could need, and plenty of food, too. As weird as it was¡ªwho would buy all that and leave it behind?¡ªEve wasn¡¯t going to complain.


    She searched the kitchen for something to eat. Something easy, that wouldn¡¯t require fresh foods or lighting up the ancient, terrifying-looking gas stove. One cupboard held split peas, moldy bread, and several cans of creamed corn. She pursed her lips. In the next cupboard, spices were lined up in labeled, glass jars.


    Before she could close the door, all the cupboards and drawers opened at once. She shivered in a sudden patch of cold air as the image of shadows dripping from the stones of the North Henge rose in her mind. She desperately wanted a cup of coffee; it was far too early for this shit.


    Taking a breath, Eve scanned the shelves. A box with cats printed all over it sat in one, full of canned cat food. As she looked at it, the other doors slammed closed, nearly clipping the side of her head in the process. This time she sighed deeply. Maybe if she pretended it didn¡¯t exist, whatever this was would stop happening.


    ¡°Do you live here?¡± she asked the cat. It purred and rubbed the side of its face against hers. ¡°I¡¯ll give you breakfast at least, poor baby.¡± She reached in and blindly grabbed two cans. ¡°Do you want ¡®salmon dinner¡¯ or ¡®chicken morsels?¡¯¡±


    The cat didn¡¯t seem to have a preference, so she shrugged and opened the chicken morsels. At the sound, it leaped off her shoulder and started twisting around her feet again. Eve grabbed a little plate and emptied the can onto it. As she set it on the wood floor, the cat dug in and purred louder.


    She went to throw the can away under the sink, and the recycling bin fell over. Rolling her eyes, she looked over the can. The bottom was stamped with a recycling symbol. As she moved to toss it into the bin, the kitchen tap turned on at full blast. She pressed her lips together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do, bitch,¡± she muttered. Still, she rinsed the can, turned off the water, and tossed it into the bin.


    She needed to go somewhere else for a while, she decided. The henge incident had made her paranoid, clearly, and she needed some time away from whatever was going on with her kitchen. Maybe the apartment wasn¡¯t level. Maybe the cat had left a window open and it was freak gust season in Blackwood. Hanging out with the mystery cat and the self-opening cabinets would only make her more paranoid, and she might even start thinking the g-word. She gagged and opened the map on her phone. She was acting like her parents. Pushing the thought aside, Eve found a diner down the street from the hardware store her apartment sat on top of.


    ¡°Okay, cat. I¡¯m leaving for now. You can do whatever you want,¡± she said, putting on a t-shirt and shorts and grabbing her backpack. The cat watched her with half-lidded eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want anybody touching my things, though,¡± she added, louder than necessary. She glared around the living room to make sure she was understood and left.


    ***


    WaffleHenge was the kind of dated, deserted diner that seemed right for a town like Blackwood¡ªa sleepy little lake town with not much going for it but its proximity to Lakeside University and occasional occult tourism. The door chimed when she pushed it open, and a woman about Eve¡¯s mom¡¯s age straightened up from the counter at the back. Her blue-painted fingernails tapped once on the laminate.


    ¡°Welcome to WaffleHenge. You can take a seat wherever you like, and I¡¯ll bring you a menu in a minute,¡± she said. Eve nodded and sat in a booth near a sunny window, the cracked vinyl creaking under her and sticking to her thighs. The diner was one small room, with a dozen tables and a handful of customers, and despite the name, it looked extremely normal. The only concession to tourists was a large poster on one wall detailing the various henge locations around Blackwater Lake.


    Eve pulled her notebook out and set it in front of her. The woman, whose name tag read ¡°Donna,¡± came over with a laminated breakfast menu and a pot of coffee. She brushed some of her shoulder-length curly hair away from her face.


    ¡°Coffee?¡± she asked, lifting the pot.


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    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a bit to look that over.¡± Donna turned to leave but stopped when Eve straightened.


    ¡°I know what I want to order,¡± she said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got a stack of pancakes?¡±


    Donna nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll bring that out to you in a few.¡± As soon as she was gone, Eve flipped her notebook open to the start of her notes from the day before. She¡¯d gotten good copies of most of the distinct henge runes, except the ones that were higher up on the trilithons. There were, of course, other examples of henge runes that were already on the internet, and she¡¯d seen many of them. But she¡¯d wanted exact copies of the passages carved into the Blackwater Henges.


    She looked at the page and blinked, flipping back and forth. Her notes weren¡¯t there. She went back a few pages. All of her previous work was there. The penmanship exercises she¡¯d done a few days ago were the last things she¡¯d written before the runes, and they were still sitting on the paper. But the page where her notes should have been was blank.


    Her notes had been in pencil, and when she looked closely, she could see that the henge runes were still there. They were faint, though, almost completely smudged away. She brushed over one with the tip of her finger. It left graphite on her skin.


    Eve sat back against the over-filled booth cushion, poured six creamer packs into her mug of coffee, and took a slow sip. It looked like someone had done a bad job of erasing her work. Only, there were no rubber marks or dust. She narrowed her eyes and took another drink. It looked more like the graphite had faded over years of exposure and wear.


    Donna came back after a few minutes with a plate of golden pancakes. When she set them down in front of Eve, she lingered for a second. ¡°There you go,¡± she said. When Eve nodded, she took that as a sign to start a conversation. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around here before. What brings you to Blackwood?¡±


    Eve cleared her throat, her fragile hope of being able to eat in peace dying before her eyes. ¡°I just moved here,¡± she said, her tone not inviting further questions.


    Sadly, as with most persistently nosy people, the tone didn¡¯t deter Donna. ¡°You¡¯re that girl that moved into Chelsea Horton¡¯s old place.¡± She was suddenly, heartbreakingly, more interested in Eve than she had been before. ¡°You notice any strange occurrences in that apartment?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Eve said, like a liar. She eyed the pancakes desperately. They were perfectly round and fat, the golden brown color begging to be shoved by the forkful into her mouth. Her stomach grumbled.


    ¡°Silly me, you probably don¡¯t know anything about poor Chelsea.¡± Donna settled in for a long talk, placing the coffee pot she¡¯d been carrying on Eve¡¯s table and resting a hand on the back of the other seat. Eve pressed her lips together. ¡°The town still isn¡¯t over what happened to her,¡± Donna said, shaking her head.


    Eve did not ask what had happened to poor Chelsea. Donna continued anyway. ¡°She went missing a couple of months ago, left behind her parents and her boyfriend. Didn¡¯t even take her wallet. Police think she¡¯s probably, you know.¡± She made a sound like ¡®bleh¡¯ and drew her hand across her neck. ¡°Only, there¡¯s no body, and the parents don¡¯t want to believe it. They¡¯re devastated.¡± Eve stared at her, and Donna decided that was her cue to keep talking. ¡°They gave up her apartment. And Pearson, the owner, was saying he heard some odd bangs and cries from above. Apartment¡¯s probably haunted now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Eve took a long drink of her coffee and glanced down at her empty mug. Donna refilled it. ¡°That explains why it was so cheap.¡±


    Donna chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m Donna.¡± She looked expectantly at Eve.


    ¡°Eve,¡± Eve said. ¡°Hey, did Chelsea have a cat?¡±


    Donna shrugged. ¡°Enjoy your breakfast.¡±


    Helpful, Eve thought and dug in.


    ***


    When Eve opened the door to the apartment, she half-hoped the cat would be gone. But as she dropped her grocery bags on the floor of the kitchen, it appeared on top of the fridge.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she said. The cat didn¡¯t seem to care. It stared down at her before leaping off and landing silently on the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything for you.¡± It sniffed at her frozen pizza and watched, unblinking, as Eve put the food away. Staring at the old stove, she wondered for a second if it was even safe to use. She shrugged. Only one way to find out.


    Eve started preheating the oven before heading over to the desk Chelsea, apparently, had left behind. It was long, but not as deep as she preferred. It would work, though, and she set up her laptop, drawing pad, and scanner on the birch-themed particle board.


    As she plugged in cords under the desk, the oven beeped. Something hit her feet and jingled as she scooted back. She narrowed her eyes.


    A bright yellow collar lay on the floor. Eve ignored it for a moment to open up one of her pizzas and stick it in the oven. She was bent over waves of hot air when another jingle sounded behind her. This time when she turned around, the collar was on the kitchen floor. The cat lounged on its back in a patch of summer sunlight and didn¡¯t appear inclined to move any time soon. Eve sighed and picked the collar up.


    ¡°Harvey,¡± she read from the heart-shaped tag. The cat lifted its head and blinked at her. ¡°Come here, Harvey.¡± With a squeak, he rolled over and trotted to her. He let her clasp the collar around his neck, where it was almost buried under his thick fur.


    Eve looked up from the cat and scanned the room. She stood and inspected the cabinet doors, opening and closing them over and over. They closed fully, and there weren¡¯t any hidden strings or hinges she could see. Magnets? Maybe, but that seemed too involved.


    What would be the point in convincing her there was a ghost in her apartment? In staging some elaborate fake haunting? She pulled a chair over and checked on top of the cupboards for cameras or secret panels. Nothing.


    If someone was trying to scare her, surely they¡¯d go for the classics instead. Spooky noises, smashed glass, messages in a fogged-up mirror. Not a reminder to rinse recyclables before putting them in the bin. Eve decided to ignore it for now. The ¡®presence¡¯ wasn¡¯t doing anything too annoying, and Harvey was very soft.


    Plus, she had orders to finish and send out. Shame about the henge runes, though. She¡¯d been looking forward to making a few sample spells with the original phrasing on them; that was the kind of arcane shit her customers ate up. Now she¡¯d have to go back to the North Henge, with a camera this time.


    Cracking her knuckles, she sat on the yellow-cushioned desk chair and opened her email. The first order that caught her eye was a custom message in Latin, handwritten in the glow-in-the-dark ink on the fancy fake-aged fake parchment. Sometimes she wondered about the people who ordered from her. And then she looked at the requested message and made a face. It was a curse, which either meant a high-schooler going through a witch phase or an extremely petty adult with too much money. Seriously, Latin? How basic could they get? At least it was easy to write neatly.


    She reread the message and raised her eyebrows. Maggots, that was nice. Eve added a ¡®not¡¯ to the curse as she worked out the translation and snorted at herself. As if any of it was real.


    At the beep of the timer, she checked on the pizza. ¡°You could at least haunt the oven so it doesn¡¯t burn my food,¡± she said to the air as she pulled it out, the crust and cheese dark brown and crisp. There was no response. She took a piece anyway.


    As she ate, she looked up the Blackwood Review¡¯s¡ªBlackwood¡¯s only newspaper¡ªwebsite. It looked like it had last been updated a decade ago, but the search bar worked well enough to find a couple of articles when she searched ¡®missing person,¡¯ at least. The most recent was from a little over two months ago¡ª¡°No New Leads on Missing Blackwood Woman.¡± Eve skimmed the article, written by Ezra Park.


    Chelsea Horton had disappeared sometime overnight on the 11<sup>th</sup> of May and missed her classes at Lakeside University, where she was studying to be a nurse. Police had found all her belongings in the apartment, with no sign of robbery. A few drops of blood were found near her bed. Most importantly, according to Park, the bed had been stripped, and the sheets had gone missing, too. Eve paused on that piece of information and chewed for a minute. Suspicious.


    And unfortunate. If Chelsea had died in this apartment, which sounded more and more likely, there was a chance¡ªeven thinking this made Eve¡¯s chest tighten in indignation¡ªthat the ghostly occurrences were, in fact, caused by a ghost. She pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for a roommate,¡± she said experimentally. ¡°Maybe you should, like, move on?¡±


    The standing lamp next to the desk flickered briefly. She eyed it and sighed around another mouthful of pizza. This was going to be annoying.

 Chapter 3: Nosy Reporters and Nagging Ghosts

    Eve stretched back in her chair after several hours in the same hunched-over position. She reached her arms overhead and stretched her fingers and wrists, too. Work didn¡¯t normally make her so tired, but even at a little after 3, exhaustion was starting to make her head ache. Still, she¡¯d managed to get her long list of orders down to a handful, and the pile of large envelopes on the corner of her desk had grown to precarious levels.


    Harvey stood up from behind Eve¡¯s computer and stretched into an arch, his face scrunching. Eve patted him on the head and pursed her lips. What was she supposed to do with this cat? She¡¯d posted about him on the online Blackwood message board the day before, but no one had claimed him yet. He didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere; he¡¯d taken to subtly following Eve around the apartment and somehow always ending up in the same room as her, lounging casually like he¡¯d been there first, like it was a coincidence.


    And, considering the collar, the food, the cat toys he¡¯d dragged out from under the couch and other hiding places, this had probably been his home.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you stayed,¡± Eve said. He opened one orange eye to look at her. ¡°Che¡ªher parents might want you, though.¡±


    Harvey yawned, showing off his long teeth, and turned it into a meow at the end. Eve looked over at her pile of finished orders. There was a post office a handful of blocks away, and it was still open for a few more hours. So was Pearson¡¯s Hardware. Pearson might know how to contact Chelsea¡¯s parents, considering they¡¯d have been the ones to pack up her personal things.


    She cracked her neck and chugged an energy drink before gathering her envelopes and heading down to the alley. The sun shone high and hot between the close brick walls, and Eve wished she¡¯d put her sunglasses on before loading up her arms. The breeze off the lake cooled the sweat already forming on her face as she made her way around to the front of the small store.


    She pushed open the glass door to Pearson¡¯s with her shoulder and pressed the envelopes close to her chest. The store was crowded with tall shelves that formed aisles barely big enough for one person to walk down. To the left of the door, the counter stood in an oasis of open space. As she turned to face it, she stopped short. A person stood in front of it, talking to Pearson himself. Pearson was old, unsmiling, and seemed to only say a handful of words at a time. She loved it. Finally, someone in this nosy fucking town that didn¡¯t give a shit about her. It was all she¡¯d ever wanted.


    ¡°Your order,¡± Pearson said to the younger man in front of him, voice gruff and monotone. His gaze strayed to the small book of crossword puzzles that sat to the side on the smooth, wooden counter. Eve was pretty sure he¡¯d made the counter himself; a shelf behind him held a handful of small, half-finished woodworking projects, and the counter had a kind of careful look about it, like someone had put effort into making it perfect.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the younger man said, glancing around the store, briefly noticing Eve. He looked to be in his early 20s, with black, curly hair, and was pulling a huge, untidy pile of chains toward him across the counter. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Pearson sniffed and nodded. ¡°$57.97,¡± he said.


    As the customer dug through the pocket of his khakis, he cleared his throat. ¡°These, uh,¡± he said, eloquently, ¡°these will be good for, um, storage.¡±


    Pearson stared at him, a look of complete disinterest on his face. Still, the guy kept talking, stumbling over his explanation of what, exactly, he was planning on storing with his many feet of chains. Eve raised an eyebrow as he mumbled, ¡°For, you know, things in my garage, and, ah, securing my garbage bins.¡± For about half a second, she was tempted to consider whether this dude was a serial killer. She dismissed the thought immediately. The guy was taller than Eve, in a gangly way, and looked like the epitome of nerd-hood. For fuck¡¯s sake, he was wearing a short-sleeved button-down shirt tucked into his khakis, complete with a pen in the breast pocket. Not that nerds couldn¡¯t be serial killers, but this guy definitely wasn¡¯t. Eve got the impression he didn¡¯t even like to kill spiders in his house.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Pearson.


    The customer laughed a quick, nervous laugh and clutched the chains to his chest before stepping back against the rows of shelves to let Eve approach the counter. She eyed him and the chains. Those had to be 40 pounds at least, and he didn¡¯t even seem to notice the weight, despite how scrawny he looked. As she walked up, he began stuffing them into a weathered black backpack.


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    Eve nodded to Pearson, who nodded back. ¡°Question about the apartment,¡± she said. ¡°It came with a cat.¡±


    Pearson blinked, and the chain guy dropped his backpack on the tile floor with a loud thump. Eve ignored him and his second round of nervous laughter.


    Then Pearson nodded and frowned under his thick mustache. ¡°The last girl had a cat,¡± he said.


    ¡°You know how I could contact her family?¡± Eve asked.


    Pearson sighed, grabbed a scrap of receipt paper from under the counter, and wrote out a phone number. He handed it to her without speaking.


    ¡°Is there pet rent?¡± Eve asked as she tucked it into the pocket of her shorts.


    ¡°Does the cat have a job?¡±


    Eve snorted, and Pearson¡¯s mustache twitched in what was probably the closest thing to a smile she would ever get from him.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, waving once as she headed for the door. Pearson nodded again and opened his book of crosswords.


    Chain guy had been waiting near the door while Eve talked to Pearson, and as she went to leave, he perked up and followed her out. She scowled as she emerged onto the awning-shaded sidewalk.


    But instead of hitting on her, or being creepy, he pulled a notebook out of his pocket. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Ezra Park, with the Blackwood Review,¡± he said. It sounded practiced. ¡°You¡¯re Blackwood¡¯s newest resident, aren¡¯t you? Would you be willing to give an interview for my ¡¯New in Town¡¯ column? It¡¯s a weekly piece I write about current events in Blackwood. Less breaking news and more like what you¡¯d hear from your grandma at Sunday dinner.¡±


    Eve stared at him. She recognized that name from somewhere, but couldn¡¯t place him. He avoided looking at Eve straight on. He was the sort of person who had been considered unattractive in high school and, even after adulthood had given him cheekbones and made him hot, hadn¡¯t gotten over it.


    She pursed her lips, readjusted her armful of envelopes, and sighed. ¡°Fine, whatever. As long as you can keep up. I have shit to do,¡± she said. Ezra nodded eagerly and kept pace as she walked in the direction of the post office, even with his backpack full of chains. They passed a few other people on the wide, cracked sidewalk, including a group wearing matching shirts that said ¡°Johnson Henge Tour¡± and had a screen-printed image of a henge on them.


    ¡°Would you tell me your name and age?¡± Ezra asked.


    ¡°Eve Donnelly, 19,¡± Eve said.


    Ezra dutifully took note and asked the next question without looking up. ¡°What brought you to Blackwood?¡±


    ¡°Low cost of living.¡±


    He blinked and faltered for a moment before his next rehearsed question. ¡°Okay. And what do you do? For work or hobbies.¡±


    ¡°Pass.¡±


    Eve could practically hear the ellipses as Ezra took a breath and moved on. ¡°How are you liking Blackwood so far?¡±


    Shrugging as well as she could with her arms full, Eve said, ¡°I like the lake and the henges. But I could do without the ghost in my apartment.¡± Ezra stopped walking for a moment and rushed to catch up to Eve. ¡°That was off the record, by the way.¡±


    But he was fixated now. It was odd to watch his face change from uncomfortable and awkward to this intent, sharp-eyed focus. ¡±Chelsea Horton used to live in that apartment. What was it you said about her cat?¡±


    Eve frowned and looked him over. The missing woman investigation, that was why his name was familiar. ¡°Nothing. Speaking of, I read your article,¡± she said. ¡°How did the police not have any suspects? What about her parents? Partner? DNA?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not police, so I can¡¯t answer that. Chelsea¡¯s boyfriend, Kyle, was dismissed early on from the investigation. Her parents were cleared later on.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like shitty investigative work.¡± Eve sniffed. ¡°Young, capable woman, promising career, it¡¯s always the boyfriend that killed her. Did they even look for DNA? Did they search the dude¡¯s house? Anything?¡±


    ¡°This is supposed to be me interviewing you,¡± Ezra said, frowning. ¡°Not the other way around.¡± Eve stared at him, waiting, and he cracked quickly. ¡°Fine. I was also suspicious of Kyle. Like, you¡¯re right, it normally is the boyfriend. The police wouldn¡¯t say why they had discounted him as a suspect. He spent barely ten minutes at the station before walking out looking like nothing was wrong.¡± Ezra shook his head, his face tight. Eve paused in front of the post office, a small, white-painted brick building wedged between a dry cleaner and the chamber of commerce. ¡°What makes you think your apartment is haunted?¡±


    ¡°That was off the record.¡±


    He stared at her. ¡°Do you know who the ghost is? If it¡¯s Chelsea¡¯s spirit, maybe we could talk to her, ask what happened to her.¡±


    ¡°You wanna do a seance in my apartment?¡± Eve asked, crossing her arms. ¡°No thanks, I don¡¯t know you. And why do you care so much?¡±


    Ezra frowned at her. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, shaking his head a little and not answering her question. ¡°I¡¯ll write up a small piece about you for this Sunday¡¯s paper. Minus,¡± he added when Eve opened her mouth, ¡°the ghost stuff. Not like the Hortons need to be reminded about that possibility. By the way, they probably won¡¯t want Harvey back.¡± He shook his head again and left, crossing the road and disappearing down a side street.


    Eve roughly pushed the post office door open and sighed in air-conditioned relief. A small line of people waited on the squeaky tile floor, and she took her place behind the last person. The reporter had known Harvey¡¯s name. How? Eve narrowed her eyes briefly and then pushed it out of her head. She was here to mind her own business, not deal with nosy reporters or nagging ghosts. No matter how weird he or the ghost were, she wasn¡¯t getting involved. Absolutely not.

 Chapter 4: Things Go South at the North Henge

    Wednesday morning dawned clear and bright, and Eve only knew that because Harvey had perched on her back and snuffled in her ear until she woke up. Now he sat on her sheet-covered legs looking smug as she sat up, bleary-eyed.


    Since she apparently had a cat for the time being, and since that cat liked to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn, she would have to stop going to bed after midnight. She grimaced with her eyes closed and nudged at Harvey until he moved off her legs. The cat trotted happily behind her as she went to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee. Chelsea had left behind a kettle¡ªyellow, of course¡ªbut no coffee maker. Eve filled it up and set it down on the stove with a heavy clunk.


    While she waited, she made a bowl of cereal and stepped over to the living room. Her few boxes of books, calligraphy supplies, and random fake plants and knickknacks were open and halfway unpacked, but she ignored them to perch on the desk chair. She picked an order off her list at random¡ªa tattoo design written in the elven language from an extremely popular fantasy book. She sighed and turned to a new page in her notebook. It would¡¯ve been easier if they¡¯d just wanted an English phrase written in the elvish script, but no. They wanted it translated and then written in the script.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ nerds,¡± Eve mumbled as she got to work.


    After a few minutes, the kettle began to whistle. Eve ignored it, finishing up the word she was working on. When the whistling slowed to a stop, her head snapped up. She stared across the room into the narrow kitchen. Harvey was still on her desk, and the open plan of the apartment left no hiding spots for anyone over the age of 8 with a body. Eve scowled and slapped her notebook closed.


    The stove had been turned off. She stood in front of it, glaring at the knob as if it might change positions if she bullied it hard enough. It had been on, and now it was off. Eve crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter. She¡¯d been trying, with moderate success, to pretend nothing was happening, to put the thought of ghosts and ghostly occurrences out of her mind. It ruined the effort when the ghost made it impossible to keep pretending.


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re also going to make coffee for me, I don¡¯t need you to do shit like this,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my shit.¡± She ignored the fact that the kettle and stove were, technically, not hers.


    There was no response. Eve sighed and opened the cupboard to pull out a mug. She set it on the beige counter with more force than necessary and set about making her instant coffee.


    As she sipped, she packed her notebook and camera in her backpack, then went back into the kitchen. She wanted to go to the North Henge again, though this time she would be prepared.


    Eve made another coffee in her thermos and watched the creamer billow up like clouds in a night sky. She was still so tired, even after sleep and caffeine. It felt like she¡¯d slept badly for weeks instead of one night.


    Harvey followed her around the apartment as she got ready to leave. He clung to her like her shadow, occasionally mewing and looking up at her with huge, orange eyes. When she went to leave, he stood in front of the door like a furry doorstop, blocking her exit.


    ¡°Harvey,¡± she said. He stared up at her. She sighed and leaned over to scoop him up. He went willingly, purring as she held him to her chest and carried him over to the couch.


    ¡°You got separation anxiety or something?¡± Eve asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡±


    Harvey gave one last, high-quality meow, which sounded a lot like the plaintive wail of a Victorian orphan child, and then flopped down onto his side.


    ***


    Eve yawned as she turned off the car and sat in the early morning quiet of the North Henge park. The henge looked completely normal in the daylight. Nothing spooky about it. The stones stood in their wide ring, sunlight making the blue in the blue-gray rock stand out. She couldn¡¯t see the intricate, engraved spiral pattern of runes from the parking lot.


    She eyed it for a few seconds, daring it to do something weird or magical, and got out. Slinging her bag over her shoulder and sipping from her thermos, she walked through the dewy grass near the henge toward Blackwater Lake. She dodged the dog walkers and joggers that littered the tree-shaded park paths and stepped onto the pebble beach. The cold, tannin-heavy water of the lake lapped at the rubber soles of her sneakers, and a breeze trailed along her neck like fingers.


    Eve looked for a place to sit among the bleached white driftwood and larger rocks dotting the beach. Pebbles crunched under her feet as she walked until she came across a seat-sized chunk of driftwood.


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    As she sat on the wide branch, she looked out at the water. It moved oddly around a large, submerged boulder. Long, stringy strands drifted in the gentle waves around it.


    Eve stared at the thing for a long moment, ignoring her coffee. Then she stood and stepped closer. That was not a rock. Rocks didn¡¯t have long hair or the nasty, bloated skin of a water-logged corpse.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Eve said.


    ***


    The police arrived faster than Eve had expected. She¡¯d barely had time to wonder what to do now before people in uniforms and protective equipment had swarmed the beach. Now she stood off to the side, near the edge of the grass, and watched as what looked like a TV crime drama played out in front of her.


    As a couple of people came up and started dealing with the body, she looked away, meeting the eyes of a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and a trench coat. She was watching Eve as she spoke to a police officer, and now that Eve had looked at her, she said something to the cop and strode toward Eve.


    ¡°Hi there,¡± she said, sticking out her hand. Eve shook it briefly, feeling like a child playing grown-up. ¡°Detective Ishida. You found the body?¡± Her voice was low and raspy.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Eve said. ¡°Eve Donnelly.¡±


    ¡°I know you gave your statement to one of the officers, but would you mind telling me again what happened?¡± Ishida patted several of her pockets before finding a notepad and pen.


    ¡°I was trying to find a good place to sit and drink my coffee.¡± Eve held up her thermos, half-full. She hadn¡¯t much wanted to drink it, what with the body and all. ¡°And there it was.¡± She hesitated, but curiosity won out. ¡°Is that the girl who went missing?¡±


    Ishida leaned to the side to get a better look behind Eve. She grimaced, and Eve turned to look in time to see the body laid out on its back on the shore. It was pale and dead and horrible to look at, but more importantly, the neck and chest area was a wreck. It looked like something had taken a bite or two out of her. Eve winced and turned back.


    The detective smiled sympathetically. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure until we get confirmation, but yeah. That¡¯s Chelsea.¡±


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Eve said.


    Ishida nodded. ¡°But what brought you to the park this morning?¡±


    Eve looked at Ishida, trying to decide how much she wanted to talk to a cop. ¡°I came to check out the henge, but I wanted to drink my coffee first.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°And you live in Chelsea Horton¡¯s old apartment, yeah?¡± Ishida asked.


    Eve sighed. How did literally everyone know that? ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen anything strange in the area since you moved in? People lurking around? Odd things about the apartment?¡±


    ¡°Conveniently bloodstained, hidden knives?¡± Eve said. Ishida snorted but gave her a look. ¡°Nope, nothing. I did find her cat, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Pam Horton know,¡± Ishida said. ¡°Do you happen to go to Lakeside University?¡±


    Eve shook her head. She¡¯d dropped out of college halfway through her first year. Who needed student loan debt for a linguistics degree that didn¡¯t matter? Not like her customers cared, as long as they got their translations and bullshit spells.


    Detective Ishida rubbed the curved bridge of her nose and sighed. ¡°Thanks for your time. If you think of anything else or see anything that might be relevant¡ª¡± she paused, searching her pockets again. Finally, in the back pocket of her dress pants, she found a business card and handed it to Eve. ¡°Give me a call. Even if it¡¯s small, it might be what we need to get a lead.¡±


    Eve nodded noncommittally, turning to leave, and the detective wandered over to the body, now sealed in a body bag and loaded onto a stretcher. It¡¯d probably be a while before Eve could get some privacy at the North Henge. That creepy feeling was back, too, the shadows under the stones of the henge thick and almost solid-looking.


    A crunching on the rocks approached her, and Eve looked up. It was the reporter, the one who looked like he¡¯d stepped off the cover of Nerds Weekly. He had out his notepad, and a lanyard reading ¡°Blackwood Review¡± and his name hung around his neck. He looked more official this time with a tie tucked into his bland sweater vest and his nearly chin-length hair¡ªonly an inch or two shorter than Eve¡¯s¡ªbetter groomed than the last time she¡¯d seen him. The whole ensemble was remarkably gray.


    ¡°Look dude,¡± Eve sighed, ¡°I just want to go home. Can¡¯t we do this later? Somewhere that doesn¡¯t smell like bird shit and dead people?¡±


    Ezra stared at her, hazel eyes hard and searching. ¡°How did you know she was dead?¡± he asked. When Eve stared back at him, he continued. ¡°The other day you said, ¡®It¡¯s always the boyfriend that killed her.¡¯ How did you know she was dead?¡±


    He¡¯d actually flipped back and referred to his notes from their conversation for the quote. Eve scowled. ¡°Not a huge fan of the tone, Groutfit,¡± she said. Ezra¡¯s face scrunched in confusion. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was assuming, based on it being fucking obvious.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± he asked quietly, more to himself than Eve.


    ¡°Groutfit? It means gray outfit,¡± Eve said.


    He blinked and glanced down at himself. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± he mumbled before clearing his throat. ¡°Anyway. You also said your apartment was haunted,¡± he said with finality, like he¡¯d presented the winning piece of evidence at the nerd debate.


    ¡°That was off the record.¡± Eve crossed her arms.


    He shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t just say that to make me stop talking about it. That only means I can¡¯t print it. Also, you¡¯re supposed to say that before the thing you want to leave off the record, not after.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡± Eve walked back to her car. ¡°She¡¯s dead, and there¡¯s her body, and I¡¯m not going to give you an interview about it. Bye.¡±


    Ezra followed her, a tight, pinched look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t care about an interview,¡± he said. Eve tried to take longer steps to outpace him, but the guy had infuriatingly long legs. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out what happened to her. I¡¯m trying to get justice.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Eve stopped and looked at him. ¡°Optimistic,¡± she said. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    This time when she walked off, he didn¡¯t follow her.

 Chapter 5: Kyle, the Boyfriend/Delusional Rando

    As soon as Eve walked into her apartment, Harvey was on her, twining between her legs and begging to be picked up. He meowed, long and loud. Eve¡¯s shoulders crept up closer to her ears as tension settled on her skin. It was like she¡¯d walked in on someone getting the worst news of their life, which was a bit of a downer on an already shitty day. Shockingly, dead bodies weren¡¯t all that fun to find.


    ¡°Can you chill?¡± she asked the room. Harvey meowed again, and a cool rush of air washed over her. ¡°Not what I meant.¡± She leaned down to let Harvey climb over her shoulder, and he purred in her ear. She hugged him tight to her chest. ¡°This town fucking sucks, babe.¡±


    Eve stepped over to her desk. If she was translating, she couldn¡¯t think about bodies in lakes, or ghosts, or what that specific body in the lake meant. If there really, truly was a ghost in her apartment, and if that ghost was Chelsea Horton, what exactly was Eve supposed to do about it?


    She worked for a while, drinking her leftover coffee and grabbing an energy drink when that didn¡¯t relieve the tiredness weighing her down. And every so often, she looked over her shoulder expecting to see someone. She kept thinking about dark lakes and the things that could hide under the water. Like dead bodies.


    How was she supposed to get any work done when there was a murder victim¡¯s ghost floating around, making her sad and anxious? Eve stood abruptly and left the apartment, grabbing her phone and wallet as she went. It might have been a hot July day, and the air might have been so full of humidity that walking felt like swimming, but at least it wasn¡¯t full of the tragic emotions of a life ended too soon, or whatever.


    Outside wasn¡¯t much better, though. A storm cloud sat sulking over Blackwood, only instead of rain, this cloud was heavy with the knowledge of whose body had just been found. The people out and about moved in hurried, muted bursts. No one wanted to break the silence before the storm.


    More coffee was going to be required if Eve was going to deal with this. Even if ¡°dealing with this¡± meant ignoring it. At the very least, it couldn¡¯t make things worse. Pulling up the map on her phone, Eve found the nearest cafe and started walking. Blackwood had high hopes of being a tourist town, so city planners had designed the downtown area to be walk-and-bike friendly, with a bunch of supposed-to-be-charming buildings and local history placards. Too bad the only people who wanted to visit were weirdo occult fanatics.


    The Blackwater Coffee House stood next to an imposing stone building with a sign out front that said ¡°St. Jude¡¯s Catholic Church.¡± Eve stepped inside the air-conditioned cafe and shivered slightly as she adjusted to the temperature. The Blackwater was modern and minimalist, with a dozen light, wood tables spread throughout the room and a tiny succulent on each. A handful of people sat and drank out of rustic-looking ceramic mugs. One weirdo, attractive in a bland, white bread way¡ªlike the male lead in a direct-to-TV romance movie¡ªwatched everyone else while he sat at a table, not drinking his coffee.


    ¡°Welcome to the Blackwater Coffee House,¡± the barista said. She kept looking away from Eve, her gaze sliding away and snapping back again. Eve looked over her shoulder and accidentally met the eyes of the weird guy. ¡°What can I get you?¡±


    ¡°A medium roast coffee. Large, please,¡± Eve said. ¡°And can you leave room for cream?¡±


    The barista nodded and smiled, all while looking at the weirdo. ¡°I¡¯ll get that right now for you.¡± She turned and grabbed a huge mug. As Eve watched her pour, someone came up next to her. She turned her head just enough to side-eye whoever it was.


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    Weirdo stood uncomfortably close. ¡°You''re the one who found Chelsea¡¯s body, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked. He smelled strongly of way too much cologne. ¡°I saw you there with the police.¡± The barista turned at the sound of his voice.


    ¡°You did? That¡¯s awful,¡± she said. The mug overflowed and spilled onto the counter before she noticed it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Kyle. I know you were holding out hope.¡±


    Weirdo-Kyle sighed and nodded. ¡°Do you think you could give¡ªuh, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Eve weighed the consequences of not answering and then begrudgingly said, ¡°Eve. But don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Eve this coffee on the house?¡± he continued, talking over her. Eve narrowed her eyes and curled her fingers around the edges of her wallet. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank her for helping the police with the investigation.¡± He simpered¡ªEve hadn¡¯t ever seen someone actually simper before, but this guy actually simpered¡ªat the barista, who nodded quickly, and then at Eve, who shook her head.


    ¡°No,¡± she said.


    ¡°I insist,¡± Kyle insisted. The barista wouldn¡¯t take Eve¡¯s money, even when she held it out to her. Eve clenched her jaw and let it go. It was free coffee. Whatever. She took the mug, full to the brim, to the end of the counter to load it up with cream and sugar. Kyle hung back with the barista for a second before tagging along. ¡°I¡¯m Kyle,¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Eve didn¡¯t look at him, but she could see him blink a few times in confusion out of the corner of her eye. When she¡¯d fit as much as she could into her mug, she carefully carried it over to a table on the opposite side of the cafe from Kyle¡¯s. He followed her anyway.


    ¡°It must be terrible to move to a new town and get pulled into a murder investigation,¡± he tried again. Eve didn¡¯t answer. She pulled out her phone and opened a cat-collecting app. ¡°What did you tell the police?¡±


    This time she looked up at him incredulously. He gave her a sad look, his dark brown hair remaining perfectly sculpted even as he hung his head. ¡°I wish I could have been more helpful. Maybe I could have kept Chelsea from getting killed.¡± Eve rolled her eyes. So this was Kyle, the boyfriend, then. Lovely.


    ¡°I found her on the beach,¡± she said. ¡°Not much else to say.¡±


    ¡°Did they tell you how she¡¯d died?¡± Pulling out the padded chair across from her, Kyle sat down and leaned forward. ¡°Were there any wounds?¡±


    Eve stared at him. The hell kind of question was that? ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could sit down. And shouldn¡¯t you be asking the police about that?¡±


    Kyle ignored the first part. ¡°But were there, like, any bite marks on her?¡± he asked.


    Eve frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a weird question.¡±


    He tilted his head and looked at her strangely before smiling. ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Eve tasted her coffee and grimaced. Not nearly enough sugar. Kyle squinted and then, oddly, reset himself. He sat back, blinked a few times, and leaned forward again.


    ¡°I have a theory about how she died,¡± he said. Looking exaggeratedly from side to side, he raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice. ¡°Someone in Blackwood is a werewolf, and I think they killed Chelsea,¡± he stage whispered.


    Eve couldn¡¯t help it. She laughed before she could process the statement.


    ¡°Ooookay, dude,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s for sure the most logical explanation.¡±


    ¡°Think about it,¡± he said, glancing around again, though he wasn¡¯t pretending to be quiet this time. ¡°She was covered in bite marks, and she went missing on the full moon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say there were bite marks,¡± Eve said, narrowing her eyes even more.


    Kyle faltered. ¡°I think you did, though.¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t.¡±


    He hesitated, and then let it go. ¡°Can I get your phone number? So we can keep each other up to date on the investigation?¡± Oh, that was great, the delusional rando was using his girlfriend¡¯s death as an opening to hit on her.


    Eve clicked her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t have a phone.¡± She tapped at the screen of her phone to take a picture of the rare cat that had visited her virtual garden. Kyle frowned and stared at her, but didn¡¯t say anything until she looked up at him, intending to tell him to fuck off now.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked. She would¡¯ve assumed it was sarcasm, but he sounded sincere. She raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Can you go away? I¡¯d like to drink my coffee in silence now,¡± she said. ¡°Alone.¡± For some reason, he paled at that, and a look of confusion crossed his face as he stood and walked away. Eve basked in the long-awaited quiet, drank her under-sweetened coffee, and wondered what the fuck was wrong with the people of Blackwood.

 Chapter 6: Just...Stuck

    Eve tugged once on the hem of her blue t-shirt and let go. Harvey circled her feet as she leaned against the kitchen counter and tapped her fingers. She wasn¡¯t nervous, so why was she acting like it? It was a public memorial service/candlelight vigil, not a funeral. She checked her phone again, pulling up the post on the Blackwood message board. Set to start just before sunset, the memorial would be held at St. Jude¡¯s, the church Chelsea Horton and her parents went to.


    ¡°All are welcome,¡± it said. Which was good, because Eve knew exactly no one involved. She spun around and leaned her elbows on the counter. So why was she going?


    As nice as the cold patch of air that followed her through the apartment was on hot days, Eve was getting sick of having a ghost roommate. Especially the ghost of someone so sad and miserable and naggy all the time. Sure, poor Chelsea had gotten the worse end of the stick, but Eve hadn¡¯t asked for this, and she didn¡¯t want it. So despite how weird it was to go to a memorial service for a dead girl she hadn¡¯t known, she was going.


    And maybe that would be enough. Maybe Chelsea would feel fulfilled by the outpouring of love and blah blah blah, and she would leave. Pass on, or whatever. It was worth trying, at least, because if Chelsea didn¡¯t move on, Eve had no idea what she would do. Live with the constant ghost bullshit and moping? Move back in with her parents? Eve grimaced and stood up straight. She liked living alone, not having to think about anyone else. She liked Harvey, she liked the henges, she liked the way the surrounding ridges reflected on Blackwater Lake like a dark mirror. But she didn¡¯t want to be involved with Chelsea and her murder investigation and her all-consuming, ghostly despair.


    ¡°Fucking ghost,¡± she muttered, kicking the cabinet with her bare foot. Her toes stung, but the chilly, reproachful silence that followed was worse. She glowered at the floor as she put on her shoes and grabbed her phone.


    She speed-walked away from her stupid, ghost-infested apartment, slowing as she got closer to the crowd that lingered in front of St. Jude¡¯s. A police car and barricades blocked off the roads leading to it, and Eve slipped past them and into the murmuring crowd as seamlessly as she could. That tense, heavy feeling from the day before lingered. People spoke in low voices, dread and anticipation rising through the hushed susurrus. The air was clear, and golden sunset light hit the stained glass of the church in thick rays. For some reason, Eve felt her chest clench.


    The murmurs cut off abruptly, and Eve looked up. A red-eyed couple in black stepped up to a podium and mic, connected by extension cords to the church. Behind them stood a priest, a handful of people in formal clothes, and Detective Ishida.


    ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± the man said. ¡°Thank you all for coming to honor our daughter, Chelsea, and giving us your support tonight.¡± The woman brought her hands up to her face and started crying quietly. Eve blinked and looked away. ¡°Obviously, this wasn¡¯t what we¡¯d hoped would come of the investigation into her disappearance, but she¡¯s in a better place now. She¡¯s not hurting anymore.¡± He frowned and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Chelsea was a helper, ever since she was little,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°She was studying to be a nurse for that reason, to help as many people as possible.¡± Mrs. Horton cried harder, and Mr. Horton reached out to hold his wife¡¯s hand. Eve turned her head to watch the sun setting red and pink. The crowd stood still and quiet, apart from sniffling and the soft sounds of crying.


    Eve hated this. She shouldn¡¯t have come. All of these people had known Chelsea or at least known of her. They were grieving with each other and with her parents, and now Eve was there, an intruder on their pain. She had none of it to add, and watching felt invasive.


    Mr. Horton was still speaking about Chelsea when Eve turned back toward the church. ¡°And I know that if she were here, she¡¯d ask us all to take that on in her name. She would want her life to influence the people around her to do what she always hoped to do: help.¡±


    He stepped back from the mic and looked at his wife. Mrs. Horton clutched her husband¡¯s hand tightly, looked out at the crowd, and sobbed. She shook her head slightly, and Mr. Horton nodded. He looked back at the priest, young-looking and somber, and at Ishida. Ishida took a deep breath and switched positions with the Hortons, taking their place at the podium. It was hard to tell from so far away, but Ishida looked even more rumpled than she had the day before. She passed a hand over her wavy hair.


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    ¡°First of all, I wanted to say thanks to the community as a whole for your efforts in helping us try to locate Ms. Horton,¡± she said in her raspy voice. ¡°They say it takes a village, and you all did your best to help this young woman out.¡± Eve huffed a breath out her nose. And how much had that helped Chelsea? She looked away, swallowing around the thick lump in her throat. ¡°Even though, in the end, it didn¡¯t work,¡± Ishida continued. ¡°We didn¡¯t save her, despite our best efforts. But we tried, and that¡¯s what we should go forward with. We can¡¯t undo the past. We can¡¯t go back in time and save Chelsea.¡± Both parents were crying now, off to the side. Eve could hear others in the crowd crying, too, their soft breaths and sobs. Even Ishida¡¯s voice grew thick, and she paused for a moment to swallow. ¡°But we can go forward knowing that we did what we could, knowing that we tried. I¡¯ll go into tomorrow knowing I failed, but that there is a chance, still, for me to find who did this and bring her justice. That if I keep trying, I might be able to stop a killer. In the end, that¡¯s what counts: trying. All we can ever do is try.


    ¡°This world can be terrible,¡± she said. ¡°And it can feel hopeless, knowing that even if you try, you won¡¯t always succeed. But we can only do good things if we try. St. Jude was known as the patron saint of lost causes. I¡¯m hoping he¡¯s willing to give us a little help in remembering that a cause is only lost if no one is willing to try for it.¡± Ishida paused and cleared her throat. ¡°Father Thomas, if you would,¡± she said, beckoning the priest, all in black, over.


    ¡°Thank you, Detective Ishida,¡± he said. His voice was deep and soft. ¡°You¡¯re right, we have no assurance that our efforts in this life will come to fruition, that justice will come to those who deserve it. But we do know that our Father in Heaven is¡­¡± Eve stopped listening as he started his sermon.


    Trying was what made someone good? Was that what Ishida was saying? Eve huffed. If a person tried to help someone and failed, then they may as well have not even tried. All they would get out of the effort was¡­nothing. The label of ¡®good person.¡¯ What was the point? One person alone hardly ever made enough of a difference to matter.


    Looking up, Eve stared at the church. She knew about St. Jude. The clement, the merciful, friend to the desperate. And what had he gotten out of it? Martyrdom, mostly. Eve didn¡¯t want that. She didn¡¯t want to care about Chelsea, or anybody else. She looked around at the crowd, full of people who cared about one specific person, even if only a little. At the Hortons, who cared about that person a lot. It had brought them nothing but pain. Eve sniffled and gritted her teeth as she wiped furiously under her eyes.


    She stepped away from the crowd, around to the alley between St. Jude¡¯s and the Blackwater Coffee House. The alley was home to a pretty little garden, with a wooden bench and a stone birdbath and potted flowers in shades of pink and white. And Ezra Park, the reporter. Eve stopped when she saw him sitting on the bench, but he¡¯d already spotted her.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know anyone was here.¡± She started backing away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave,¡± he said. ¡°The memorial is kind of a lot.¡± Breathing in, he blinked and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his button-down shirt. Eve looked away and frowned at the stinging in her eyes.


    ¡°How did you know her?¡± she asked.


    Ezra sniffed. ¡°We went to Lakeside University together.¡± He paused and closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°She was kind. A good person. She helped me when I had no one else.¡± Eve had no idea what to say. She¡¯d gone there to avoid all the mourning, not to comfort someone.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said.


    Ezra nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡­expected this from the beginning.¡± He was silent for a few seconds. ¡°Is she really haunting your apartment?¡±


    Eve pursed her lips. Part of her wanted to lie, but even the thought of it felt like a betrayal. Of who, she didn¡¯t know. ¡°I think so. Hard to tell for sure.¡±


    ¡°I would hate that,¡± Ezra said. ¡°When you die, how awful would it be to be stuck here, watching everyone you love deal with your death? Being murdered but not able to tell anyone who killed you. Can¡¯t leave, can¡¯t stay. Just¡­stuck.¡±


    Sighing, Eve leaned back against the brick wall of the coffee house. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    ***


    Eve stepped into her dark, silent apartment, slipping off her shoes. She sat on the couch next to a sleeping Harvey and hugged a decorative pillow with a pineapple on it. Not exactly her taste, but whatever. There was a stirring in the air, the smell of ozone in a thunderstorm. Her windows were wide open, but the breeze that shifted her hair came from inside the apartment.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, so softly it didn¡¯t even wake the cat. ¡°I¡¯ll help you move on.¡±


    Every light in the apartment turned on at once, the lamps in the living room glowing so brightly that Eve had to close her eyes. A shattering sound made her open them again to total darkness.


    ¡°You have to stop doing shit like that,¡± Eve said, shaking her head. In the darkness, Harvey brushed against her arm and purred.

 Chapter 7: Ghost Investigators

    Every light bulb in the apartment was smashed, leaving shards of glass scattered in rings across the floor. In the light of day, Eve was more annoyed about it than she¡¯d been the night before. She shook her head at Harvey as she swept up the glass.


    ¡°Do not step in any of this,¡± she said. ¡°It will hurt your paws, and I don¡¯t know where the nearest vet is. Inconsiderate fucking ghost.¡± Chelsea was well on her way to making Eve regret what she¡¯d said the night before. If she were slightly less bothersome, Eve probably wouldn¡¯t have said it at all. She was already more involved than she¡¯d wanted to be. But she wanted her life to go back to normal, and she wanted to stay in Blackwood, which meant she needed to get rid of the ghost.


    Part of her wanted to talk to Ezra Park. If she was going to try to help a ghost ¡°move on,¡± she wasn¡¯t going to do it alone. A nosy reporter could be helpful. He could be annoying, too. Still, he¡¯d believed her, and he seemed to want Chelsea to move on as much as Eve did, though for different reasons.


    Popping open an energy drink, Eve sat at her desk and opened the Blackwater Review website again. The artificially sweet liquid tingled as she swallowed, carbonation fizzing up. The Review had a main number, but not a specific line to Ezra. Bleh. Until their business hours started, she searched for ghost lore and sipped her drink.


    There was a lot of it online, mostly in the form of those stupid ghost hunter shows. The veracity of their information was¡­questionable. There wasn¡¯t exactly a well-documented, peer-reviewed way to deal with a ghost. Eve wanted evidence, control groups, statistically significant results. As a last resort, she sent a text to the family group chat, ¡°Know anything about ghosts?¡±


    Her dad responded only a minute later, first with a sunflower emoji, and then with, ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Which culture?¡± her mom asked.


    ¡°Ours, I guess,¡± Eve texted.


    ¡°Are you getting involved with the local paranormal scene? :) :)¡± came shortly after, from her dad.


    ¡°No, my apartment is haunted.¡±


    ¡°Oh no :(¡°


    ¡°Many people believe burning sage can cleanse a home.¡± Her mom was warming to the topic, and Eve sighed. ¡°Though if you¡¯d like to use sage, I would recommend looking into its use by Indigenous cultures and finding an ethical source.¡±


    Eve sent them a thumbs up and put her phone down. That had been about as helpful as she¡¯d expected. Though her parents were folklorists and professors, they were also, well, themselves. The same people who couldn¡¯t remember to pay their bills unless Eve nagged them and routinely ignored the mundane affairs of regular human life to hide in their lore and myths. They knew a lot, but if Eve was honest, they were useless in the real world.


    Harvey jumped up into her arms and settled himself on her shoulder as she stood and walked to the kitchen.


    At 9:13 AM¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to seem too eager¡ªEve called the Review and told them that she wanted to let Ezra Park interview her about finding Chelsea Horton¡¯s body. The person who¡¯d picked up transferred her, and she waited, staring into her freezer and debating what to have for breakfast.


    ¡°Ezra Park, Blackwood Review. How can I help you?¡± he said. The practiced line was much smoother than the way he normally spoke, and Eve coughed a little to cover a laugh.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Eve Donnelly,¡± she said. He made a sound of recognition as she continued. ¡°Do you still want to talk to the ghost in my apartment? We can team up and try to ghost-investigators this shit.¡±


    There was a pause. ¡°Oh, um, okay,¡± he said. ¡°Like, now? Or do you have stuff to do? Or¡­¡± he trailed off, and Eve stepped in.


    ¡°I mean, my job is pretty flexible, and I¡¯d like to get this taken care of ASAP. Last night all my light bulbs exploded.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ezra hummed, and Eve heard a papery sound on his end of the call. ¡°Uh, well, I¡¯m available all day today?¡± His voice went up at the end like he was asking. Quietly, he spoke to someone else. ¡°It¡¯s research for a story,¡± he said, muffled slightly.


    ¡°You can also interview me about finding the body if that helps,¡± she said. He was quiet for a second, and Eve was about to ask if he¡¯d heard her when he spoke.


    ¡°Sorry, I was nodding and forgot you can¡¯t see me.¡±


    This time, Eve did laugh. ¡°Do you want to meet somewhere? I have to pick up lightbulbs first.¡±


    ¡°Uh, do you like coffee? Or tea or something? The Blackwater is pretty good?¡± Ezra kept ending all of his statements with that questioning tone, and Eve closed her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, sounds good. 10?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ezra asked. ¡°Oh, yes, 10 works for me.¡±


    ¡°See you then.¡±


    Eve hung up and closed the freezer. She set Harvey on the counter and patted his head.


    ¡°Watch the apartment for me,¡± she said. He meowed. ¡°And don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± The cat blinked once at her, and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°And don¡¯t let the ghost break all my shit.¡± A cold breeze moved over her bare arms and neck, and Harvey meowed again.


    ***


    Eve headed to the Blackwater Coffee House after picking up ten boxes of light bulbs from a disinterested Pearson, whose only remark was a gruff, ¡°If the electricals need fixing, let me know.¡± The same barista, whose name tag read Maria, was there, though this time she didn¡¯t get distracted and left enough room for cream in Eve¡¯s large mug of coffee. It was a little before 10, but that was fine. It gave Eve a chance to enjoy the quiet, with no one trying to talk to her or acknowledging her existence in any way. Sunlight spilled into the cafe from the wide windows and lit up the pale tables, the soft green accents, the plain white mugs and their rising steam. Eve hated to admit it, but in the bright morning light, even modern and minimalist decor looked good. Could have used a few pretty rocks, though.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    At 10 exactly, Ezra walked in, scanning the room. Eve wondered if he¡¯d been waiting outside. She nodded when he met her eyes, and he looked down. His hair, normally down to his chin and almost the same length as Eve¡¯s, was half pulled back in the same style as hers. At least it wasn¡¯t the same color.


    ¡°Small Earl Grey, please,¡± he said at the counter. When he had his mug, he came over to Eve and stood by the open seat. ¡°Is it okay if I sit here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Where else would you sit?¡± Eve said. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ezra folded his gangly self into the chair and jiggled one of his legs. He glanced at her and looked away when he saw she was watching him. He chewed one of his fingernails.


    Eve didn¡¯t let him suffer for too long. She¡¯d met weirder people at the folklore conferences her parents had taken her to, and one socially awkward reporter wasn¡¯t enough to faze her.


    ¡°Why do you believe me?¡± Eve asked, to break the silence. If some random had told her their apartment was haunted by the ghost of a recently murdered woman, she would have called them a liar.


    Ezra blinked and looked off to the side. ¡°Oh, I just, uh,¡± he said eloquently. He shrugged and looked at her like he was specifically not saying something.


    Eve narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to work with me?¡± he asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t even want to talk about it before.¡±


    ¡°I want to un-haunt my apartment.¡± Eve pursed her lips. ¡°And you want to help her, right?¡± Ezra nodded but didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Speaking of, I met Kyle the other day,¡± she said, with emphasis on the name. ¡°He¡¯s¡­interesting.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t for the life of me understand why so many people love him,¡± Ezra said, finally looking at Eve and shaking his head. His eyes widened, and he stammered, ¡°That is, uh, you don¡¯t like him, do you?¡±


    Eve laughed and leaned back in her chair. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Ezra laughed a little, breathlessly, and calmed down. ¡°He asked for my number directly after talking about how sad he was about his dead girlfriend, so I think he¡¯s a creepy fuckboy.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Also, dude thinks a werewolf killed Chelsea.¡± Eve laughed again. Ezra¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°He said she went missing on a full moon, and that she had bite marks on her, so that¡¯s why he thinks it was a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ezra said slowly. He was gripping the handle of his mug so hard his knuckles stood out, pale and bony. ¡°Those are both true.¡±


    ¡°What made him think she was bitten?¡± Eve asked.


    Ezra scratched his forehead. ¡°She was, though.¡±


    ¡°But Kyle didn¡¯t see her body at the beach,¡± she said. ¡°And he specifically asked me if she¡¯d had bite marks on her.¡± Ezra¡¯s mouth opened slightly and he raised his eyebrows. ¡°I told him that was a weird thing to ask.¡±


    Nodding, Ezra sat back. ¡°Unless he had a reason to believe that already.¡± He looked around as he thought. ¡°He¡¯d only know for sure if he¡¯d seen the body before you found it.¡± Ezra met her gaze. ¡°He has to know more than he¡¯s telling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible he¡¯s just legit delusional and made a lucky guess that supports that delusion, but it seems more likely he¡¯s involved and is trying to deflect attention in the stupidest way possible.¡±


    ¡°You should tell Detective Ishida,¡± Ezra said. ¡°She gave you her card, right?¡±


    Eve made a ¡®bleh¡¯ sound but nodded. ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± She finished off her coffee. ¡°Anyway, we should figure out what to do vis-¨¤-vis the ghost.¡±


    ¡°Would it be alright if I checked out your apartment?¡± he asked. ¡°It might be easier if I see first hand what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°First though, give me your phone.¡± Ezra pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and handed it to her with a questioning look on his face. Eve texted herself and handed the phone back. ¡°Now I don¡¯t have to call the newspaper to talk to you.¡±


    He blinked and accepted his phone. ¡°Okay.¡± Downing the rest of his tea, he stood and took a deep, steadying breath. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ***


    Eve unlocked her door to the sound of Harvey yowling and turned to Ezra with a long-suffering look. He glanced around the living room and kitchen curiously but stayed by the door.


    ¡°Has your tap been on this whole time?¡± he asked, glancing at Eve. She sucked her teeth and kicked off her shoes before heading in to turn it off.


    ¡°I fucking told you not to do that,¡± she said to the air. She looked back at Ezra, carefully taking his shoes off and setting them neatly by the door. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. At least, I didn¡¯t leave it on.¡± This was said accusingly as she glared into the corners of the room. Harvey flounced over to Ezra, still standing in front of the door, and sniffed his ankles.


    Ezra smiled hesitantly at the cat and leaned down. ¡°Hi, Harvey,¡± he said, his voice high-pitched and sweet with familiarity. Harvey pushed his face into Ezra¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Right, you already know him,¡± Eve said, watching them interact. Ezra straightened abruptly and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°Chelsea mentioned him a few times.¡±


    Eve stared at him for a second. That level of familiarity was more than just ¡°mentioned a few times.¡± She didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°You can come in, you know,¡± she said, beckoning him closer. ¡°Do you want anything to eat or drink? I have¡­¡± she paused, looking through her fridge, ¡°energy drinks, water, or instant coffee.¡±


    ¡°Water is fine, thank you.¡± Ezra inched closer until he stood near the kitchen table. ¡°I¡¯m a little sensitive to caffeine.¡±


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Eve said, and she handed him a cup. ¡°Lately I feel like I wouldn¡¯t be able to function without caffeine. You can look around if you want. She doesn¡¯t do much, but like I said, last night she made all my lightbulbs explode.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t an, uh, electrical issue?¡± He leaned down to look at an outlet.


    ¡°Could be.¡± Eve ripped open a box of lightbulbs and screwed one into the standing lamp in the living room. It lit up immediately, and she turned to Ezra. He hummed. ¡°Yo, ghosty,¡± Eve called. ¡°Can you make it flicker or something?¡± She frowned and added, ¡°Gently, please.¡±


    The light flickered.


    Ezra¡¯s eyes widened, and he inspected the lamp. ¡°Huh, that is¡­interesting.¡±


    ¡°Mostly she just nags me,¡± Eve said. ¡°Been otherwise chill so far.¡± Ezra took a deep breath and straightened up. He swallowed and blinked rapidly.


    ¡°Ah, okay. That¡¯s, hmmm,¡± he said. His eyes widened more at a jingling sound coming from Eve¡¯s bedroom. A sparkly, mouse-shaped cat toy with a bell on the end floated out, pulling its dangle-stick behind it. Harvey leaped at the toy, knocking it out of the air.


    ¡°What, you want me to play with him more?¡± Eve asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it, Miss Telekinesis?¡± A patch of chill passed through the room, and Ezra shivered.


    ¡°Have you tried talking to her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I talk to her all the time,¡± Eve said. ¡°She¡¯s annoying as shit and keeps fucking with my stuff. But she¡¯s never talked back.¡±


    Ezra frowned at her. ¡°This is the only way she has to communicate,¡± he said. ¡°I¡±m sure she finds it annoying, too.¡± Eve scoffed, and Ezra let it go. ¡°But maybe we can give her another way to talk to us.¡±


    ¡°Like what, a spirit board?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°That could work, right? Or we could try doing a seance.¡±


    Eve rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°Spirit boards work because of unconscious, involuntary movements,¡± she said. ¡°And seances rely on ¡®mediums¡¯ who are very, very good at reading people and those people¡¯s brains connecting dots that aren¡¯t there.¡±


    Ezra tilted his head. ¡°How do you know all that?¡±


    Pursing her lips, Eve looked away. ¡°I just do.¡± She paused and then scowled. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll need lots of candles and whatever Chelsea¡¯s favorite food was.¡± She paced along the length of the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯ll do it at night, for the proper ¡®atmosphere¡¯¡ª¡° here she moved her fingers in scare quotes¡ª ¡°and see what happens.¡±


    ¡°I can get the food and candles,¡± Ezra said, raising a hand.


    ¡°Great,¡± Eve said. ¡°Then meet me here at 10 tonight, and we¡¯ll give this shit a shot.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ezra said, his earnest enthusiasm and tiny little fist pump washing over Eve in a horrible wave of positivity. ¡°We can do it!¡±


    Eve ushered him out quickly, taking the empty cup from him and all but pushing him out the door. She closed it behind him and let out a long sigh.


    ¡°This is all super fun,¡± she said, leaning back against the door. ¡°Thanks so much for haunting me.¡± The only response to her sarcasm was a gentle stirring of cold air near her hands. It felt like nothing so much as soft, intangible fingers intertwining with hers.

 Chapter 8: Operation Ghost Chat

    Eve tried her best to work on orders in the hours until Operation Ghost Chat, but between Harvey, desperate to sleep in her lap, and the ghost, desperate to be a nuisance, she couldn¡¯t focus. Seriously, the flickering lights were fine, if annoying, but the disappearing pens and faucet turning on constantly were a bit much.


    Giving up, she got some food and watched a few episodes of Ghost Hunters Inc. with Harvey. He kneaded her stomach with his paws, and Eve reminded herself to pick up clippers for his sharp little needle claws.


    And then she woke up. Harvey stood on her chest, his paws four points of pressure, and meowed in her face. Eve took a breath and blinked. The high arm of the couch stretched her neck to an uncomfortable angle, and despite the residual heat from the day all around her, she was shivering. Her phone¡¯s clock read 8:53 PM.


    She sat up, bleary-eyed and trying to process how much time had passed. She¡¯d been asleep for hours but felt as exhausted as she had that morning. Slowly she stood and stepped over to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Maybe if she started now, she could be ready for more spooky bullshit and Ezra¡¯s awkward sincerity by the time he arrived.


    Ezra arrived, once again, at exactly 10. This time Eve was positive he¡¯d waited to be precisely on time; she¡¯d watched Harvey stroll to the door at 9:57 and sit down like he was waiting. Ezra looked hopeful and determined when she opened the door for him, and this time, he stroked Harvey softly on the head before standing back up.


    ¡°I brought what you said we needed,¡± he said. He yawned as he set his backpack down on a kitchen chair and shook his head out like a dog after a bath. ¡°Sorry. This is later than I usually stay up.¡±


    ¡°¡¯S all good,¡± Eve said. ¡°I¡¯m tired, too.¡± Harvey meowed at her and jumped up onto the counter, and then the fridge, where he watched the proceedings intently. Ezra began pulling candles out of his worn black bag. They were all different ages and sizes, most partially used already. He had more than a dozen stashed in there, along with a long-handled lighter.


    ¡°Why do you have so many candles?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°For emergencies,¡± Ezra said, like it was obvious. ¡°In case the power goes out, I want to be able to see.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips and started setting the candles up around the edge of the table, which was conveniently circular. She sniffed them as she did, expecting a wide array of scents, but they were all unscented.


    ¡°You sensitive to fragrances or something?¡± she asked. Ezra¡¯s back stiffened, and he carefully set the candle he was holding down.


    ¡°Yeah, they irritate my nose,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t look at Eve, and she moved on to end the weirdness.


    ¡°Okay. Anyway. Technically we¡¯re supposed to have at least three people for this. But I don¡¯t know anyone else in this town, so whatever.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Ezra said. He started lighting the candles as Eve set them down.


    She glanced at him. ¡°How long have you lived here?¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°Ah, about a year. I¡­only talked to Chelsea.¡±


    Eve grunted and kept setting out the candles in silence. Once she¡¯d completed a circle with them, she straightened up and looked over the table. With the candles, it almost looked appropriately mystical. Eve scowled at it.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the food?¡± she asked. ¡°We should set it up in a bowl on the table.¡±


    Ezra lit the last candle and set the lighter down on the counter. He dug through his backpack for a moment before pulling out a bag of spicy cheese puffs. Eve stared at it for half a second, considered the absurdity of trying to lure a ghost with spicy cheese puffs, and pulled a large bowl out of a cabinet.


    ¡°These were her favorite,¡± Ezra said, shuffling from foot to foot as he held the bag like it was full of cat poop. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, they¡¯re garbage for you. But um, I figured that wouldn¡¯t matter, with, ah, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°It works,¡± Eve said, cutting him off before he could work himself into an awkward spiral. ¡°I mean, probably. I¡¯ve never done this before.¡±


    Blinking at her, Ezra handed over the bag. ¡°But you seem to know so much about it. And you seem so comfortable with the thought of a ghost.¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°Unfortunately. A ghost can¡¯t do shit to me. What¡¯s she gonna do, blow cold air in my face?¡± A cool breeze ruffled the stray hairs that had escaped from her ponytail.


    ¡°I guess,¡± Ezra said, glancing around the room.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Eve sat in one of the chairs at the table and gestured for Ezra to sit opposite.


    He hesitated. ¡°What, right now? Just like that?¡±


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    ¡°Ya.¡± Eve pointed at the chair, and Ezra sat delicately in it, perching at the edge. ¡°Theoretically, all we need to do is focus our wills, or whatever.¡± As if that shit worked. Eve held back an eye roll as she stretched out her hands to Ezra. Why, if the ghost was already hanging out in her living room, did she need to ¡°focus her will¡± to get Chelsea to talk? It smelled like some bullshit. Especially considering how most mediums worked, which involved more social media research and clever suggestion than ghosts.


    Ezra tentatively took her hands and watched closely as Eve closed her eyes and ¡°focused her will.¡± Ridiculous.


    ¡°Yo, Chelsea, if you¡¯re there, could you say something?¡± Eve said. The apartment was silent beyond the crackle and hiss of the candles. Even Harvey was quiet, perched on top of the fridge and watching them intently. Eve cracked an eye open to see Ezra doing the same.


    ¡°Is it working?¡± he whispered.


    Eve rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t have to whisper, dude.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how this works,¡± he said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m just following your lead.¡±


    ¡°How would I know if it¡¯s working or not?¡± Eve frowned back and closed her eyes again. ¡°We know you¡¯re there, Chelsea. There¡¯s not much point in pretending. Say something.¡±


    Once again, nothing happened. Eve sighed loudly.


    ¡°Be patient,¡± Ezra said. ¡°How long is it supposed to take?¡±


    Eve pursed her lips and held back a second sigh. ¡°Every time I¡¯ve seen it, the medium spoke for the ghost pretty much immediately. Probably because it¡¯s bullshit.¡±


    She dropped her hands, and Ezra released them.


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s BS, why are we even doing this?¡± he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. ¡°Also, how can it be BS when you admit your apartment is haunted?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts can be real without all the accompanying psychic bullshit also being real,¡± Eve said. She reached into the middle of the table, took a handful of spicy cheese puffs, and shoved them into her mouth. ¡°If you don¡¯t talk, you don¡¯t get any snacks,¡± she said with her mouth full. Ezra made a face at her. She chewed and swallowed, and then took another cheese puff. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try, at least.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try the spirit board?¡± Ezra said, leaning forward. ¡°She¡¯s here, right? I saw her moving things around earlier. So she should be able to communicate with us that way, at least. We just have to keep trying.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eve stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab it.¡± She stalked down the hallway to her bedroom and dug through the box with the dumb shit her parents had sent with her when she¡¯d moved out. She paused for a moment to yawn. When did she get so old and exhausted?


    A voice drifted in from the kitchen, and she stopped in case Ezra was talking to her.


    He was talking, but not to Eve. ¡°Chelsea?¡± he said faintly. There was no response. He kept talking anyway. ¡°It¡¯s weird, being here without you. Everything¡¯s weird now. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m trying to figure out what happened to you. Whatever it was, I¡¯ll do my best. I¡­¡± he broke off briefly, and Eve thought she heard him take a shuddering breath. ¡°Just tell me what to do, and I¡¯ll do it.¡± And then, much more quietly, so quietly that Eve felt bad for listening, for holding her breath to hear, ¡°I wish you were alive still. I don¡¯t think I can do this without you.¡±


    Eve¡¯s heart squeezed horribly. She opened and closed her drawers loudly, making sure each footstep slapped hard against the wood floor before hefting the spirit board box into her arms and stepping out.


    ¡°Found it,¡± she said as she walked into the kitchen. Ezra had moved some of the candles around so he could sit next to Eve. She looked at him closely, trying to be subtle about it, but he didn¡¯t look upset. Not that she would¡¯ve known what to do if he was. ¡°Let¡¯s give this another shot.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ezra said. He smiled at her and sat down in the seat next to hers as she unpacked the spirit board. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen these in movies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got instructions,¡± Eve said absently as she pulled everything out. The board unfolded into an array of letters and numbers, and the little wooden triangle thing glided smoothly on top of it.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to put our fingers lightly on the, uh, ¡®planchette¡¯ together,¡± Ezra read off the back of the box. ¡°And move it around for a bit to ¡®warm it up.¡¯¡± He made a considering face and set his fingers, the nails bitten short, on the planchette and looked up at Eve.


    Sighing, she followed suit and settled the tips of her fingers around the edge. Together, they moved their hands around the board in circles until Ezra nodded.


    ¡°You should ask the questions,¡± he said, ¡°since she¡¯s haunting your apartment.¡±


    Eve frowned. ¡°Chelsea, are you here?¡± she asked.


    Nothing. The planchette wiggled and meandered around the board, guided by the involuntary movements of their hands, but it never landed on anything, and it certainly didn¡¯t lead to ¡°YES.¡±


    Eve gave the planchette a little wiggle, but when she stopped, it stopped, too. Ezra stared at the board like it might move at any second. He had that same focused look on his face as when he¡¯d interviewed her.


    His hand flexed a little as he moved it in a small circle, too. Again, nothing happened.


    Eve tried again. ¡°If you¡¯re there, Chelsea, have you considered saying ¡®yes,¡¯ or something?¡± And again, the planchette refused to move in any purposeful manner. Chelsea could move things around, so why wasn¡¯t she?


    Eve tried again. Ezra tried, too. She ate more cheese puffs to remind Chelsea of what she was missing. And regardless of what they asked, how they asked it, and how long they waited, the planchette never moved beyond tiny, directionless twitches.


    Ezra looked up at Eve. Dejection didn¡¯t look right on his face; he was supposed to look earnest and determined.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s working,¡± she said, giving voice to their thoughts. She closed her eyes briefly. Her eyelids were so heavy, her eyes dry and stinging.


    She stood suddenly and flopped onto the couch. What was it about pushing around a little wooden triangle that was so hard? Especially when nothing had happened?


    ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± she said. She blinked slowly and leaned her head back against the couch.


    Ezra sat next to her, though again he perched on the edge like he might have to get up at any second. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I didn¡¯t know what to expect when you called me. Thank you, by the way,¡± he added with a sincerity that Eve found embarrassing. She nodded and looked away. ¡°But if Chelsea won¡¯t¡ªor can¡¯t¡ªtalk to us, we might need professional help.¡±


    ¡°Like a priest or something?¡±


    He nodded and tilted his head. ¡°Maybe a ghost investigator or medium.¡±


    ¡°At least a priest believes what he¡¯s saying,¡± Eve muttered. ¡°Mediums are scam artists. But I¡¯d be willing to talk to a ghost investigator.¡±


    Ezra huffed out a small laugh. ¡°You literally live in a haunted apartment,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe mediums aren¡¯t scamming as much as you think.¡±


    Eve side-eyed him. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    He laughed again.

 Chapter 9: Professional Help

    It was easier than Eve had expected to meet with a priest. The morning after Operation Ghost Chat, she called St. Jude¡¯s and told the bored-sounding secretary she had a spiritual matter she needed to discuss with a priest. And now she had an afternoon appointment with Father Thomas.


    At half-past 12, Eve headed out, texting Ezra to meet her for ¡°ghost shit¡± as she walked. Sweat was already starting to build up over Eve¡¯s skin and at her hairline by the time she got to the Blackwater Coffee House. She was glad she¡¯d pinned her hair back from her forehead, though that did make little tufts of it stick out straight like mouse-colored pieces of hay. She bought an iced coffee and stepped outside into the shade of one of the green-striped awnings to wait.


    Ezra showed up quickly, looking positively casual in jeans instead of khakis. At least this time they didn¡¯t have matching hairstyles. The sun beat down heavily on the concrete as Eve stepped out from the shade to meet him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work sometimes?¡± she asked, sipping her iced coffee.


    ¡°Normally, yeah, but it¡¯s a Saturday,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°Though sometimes I end up working on Saturdays if we need more content for the Sunday edition.¡± He grinned wider at her, an earnest, friendly smile that Eve found very nearly contagious. Thank goodness she had a great immune system. ¡°But this week I had an exclusive interview with our newest resident, so I¡¯m in the clear.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Don¡¯t remind me.¡± Eve sipped her coffee loudly. ¡°Want to get a drink before we get started?¡± she asked. He shook his head, and she nodded. ¡°¡®Kay. Then let¡¯s go.¡± She walked diagonally across the wide pavilion that separated St. Jude¡¯s from the street.


    ¡°Wait, St. Jude¡¯s?¡± Ezra said, slowing to a stop.


    Eve glanced back at him and stopped to wait. She squinted against the sun and impatiently beckoned him closer. ¡°Ya. I told you we were doing ghost shit. I made an appointment with a priest.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Ezra swallowed and started walking again. Eve eyed him and started up the wide, stained-gray steps.


    ¡°You were the one who suggested professional help,¡± she said.


    ¡°I was.¡± Ezra sounded like he¡¯d consigned himself to a horrible fate. He looked up at the tall, stained-glass and stone face of St. Jude¡¯s as they got closer. He took a deep breath and squeezed his hands into fists again and again.


    A rush of cool air washed over them as they walked in, and Eve sighed. The church was empty and still, with a kind of quiet that was hard to find outside of early, snowy mornings or cow pastures far from busy roads.


    Eve straightened up a bit. Maybe it was the cold air or the iced coffee, but she felt more awake now than she had all day. Footsteps echoed off the stone floor and walls as the young priest from the memorial service appeared out of a side hallway.


    ¡°Ms. Donnelly?¡± he said, glancing at the two of them and holding his hand out for Eve to shake. His voice was deep and calm, and soothing enough that Eve was pretty sure if she ever attended church at St. Jude¡¯s, she¡¯d fall asleep halfway through despite the uncomfortable-looking wooden pews.


    Eve nodded and shook his hand. ¡°Father Thomas.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, smiling widely at them. He was shorter and wider than Ezra and had sandy blond hair combed neatly into order. ¡°And Ezra Park, right?¡±


    Ezra coughed abruptly as Father Thomas smiled and stuck his hand out. Ezra smiled back tremulously and shook his hand. He hadn¡¯t responded yet, so Eve elbowed him gently.


    He swallowed and blinked. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Chelsea Horton mentioned you a few times to me,¡± Father Thomas said. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise to see you here,¡± he added. ¡°You¡¯re welcome any time, of course, but Chelsea seemed to believe you wouldn¡¯t set foot in a church.¡±


    Ezra laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.


    Eve slurped down a large, noisy drink of coffee, and Father Thomas blinked and brought his hands together. ¡°Follow me, and we can discuss your spiritual issue.¡±


    He led them down a narrow hallway lit by fluorescents, a long, grandma-floral rug covering the stone floor. About halfway down, he stopped at a door and opened it, gesturing Eve and Ezra inside. The office was cramped with a cluttered desk and a bookshelf filled with books titled things like ¡°100 Daily Devotions¡± and ¡°Finding the Spirit in a Secular World.¡± In front of the desk sat two plush chairs in scratchy, dark brown fabric.


    ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± Thomas said. He waited until they both sat before he did as well. ¡°What is it I can do for you?¡± He looked back and forth between them. ¡°Ms. Donnelly, you said you had a spiritual issue? Are you looking for relationship counseling?¡±


    Eve sank back into the cushy chair and shook her head. Ezra made a choking sound next to her. ¡°Nope,¡± she said. ¡°No, we¡¯re not together at all.¡±


    Thomas blinked. ¡°My apologies.¡± He waited for one of them to speak.


    Eve started since Ezra was still being weird, staring wide-eyed at the priest and flexing his hands on his knees. ¡°I have a ghost problem,¡± she said. Thomas settled into his straight-backed chair and frowned thoughtfully. ¡°My apartment is haunted. We were hoping there was some advice you could give us about how to deal with that. Or if you had any contacts in the ghost-investigator world.¡±


    Father Thomas leaned forward now, resting his elbows on the desk. One of them came down perilously close to the edge of a crucifix. ¡°There are some small things I can do in the case of spirits,¡± he said. ¡°Blessing the home, holding a mass for the soul, that sort of thing.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°What about, like, exorcisms?¡± Eve asked. Thomas¡¯ wide face turned serious, and he took a deep breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a bit more complicated. I¡¯m unable to perform an exorcism,¡± he said. ¡°If that¡¯s what you need, I can put you in contact with someone from the International Association of Exorcists.¡±


    Ezra finally spoke up. ¡°Do we need to exorcise h¡ªthe ghost?¡± he asked Eve. He turned to Father Thomas. ¡°What if the spirit is a lost soul?¡±


    ¡°In that case I would, as I said, hold a mass for the soul.¡± He looked at Eve. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never done something like that before. I would want to consult with the bishop, maybe get someone more experienced in this kind of thing to lead the mass.¡±


    Eve frowned. They¡¯d already held a service for Chelsea¡¯s soul. Doing it again didn¡¯t seem like it would be helpful.


    Thomas continued at her frown. ¡°However, if you¡¯d like to go a more secular route, I may know someone from seminary who could help you.¡± He paused and looked up at the ceiling before continuing. ¡°He isn¡¯t an ordained priest, but he has an interest in the spiritual. I believe after he left seminary, he started his own, ah, ghost consulting business.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s legit?¡± Eve asked. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Jon Beck,¡± Thomas said. ¡°He¡¯s been interested in the paranormal¡ª¡° Eve may have rolled her eyes, just a little, though she did try to hide it¡ª¡°since he was quite young. I¡¯ve never seen him in action, but he¡¯s a very determined person.¡±


    Eve hummed at that. That sounded like someone trying to come up with a positive-but-honest adjective for someone who didn¡¯t have much else going for them.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°One moment, and I¡¯ll get you two his number.¡± Father Thomas stood and nodded at them before slipping out the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± Eve said as soon as she was sure Thomas was out of earshot, turning fully to face Ezra. ¡°You¡¯re acting weirder than usual. Is it cause the priest is hot? If so, my dude, I think you can relax. He¡¯s married to God, or whatever.¡±


    For a moment, he just looked confused. And then his face darkened in embarrassment and he frowned at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said, voice striving for dignity but not quite making it. ¡°And I certainly wouldn¡¯t know if Father Thomas is hot or not. I wasn¡¯t paying attention to that. Also, it¡¯s nuns who are married to God.¡±


    Eve didn¡¯t make a face, but she wanted to. The only way Ezra could¡¯ve made it more obvious is if he¡¯d said ¡°Oh no, he¡¯s hot,¡± when they¡¯d walked in.


    She held up her hands. ¡°Chill, I¡¯m not gonna tattle on you. Just wanted to know why you¡¯re panicking. If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, I¡¯ll drop it.¡±


    Ezra relented and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t love being in a church,¡± he said. ¡°It makes me¡­anxious.¡± He swallowed and tugged at the buttoned-up collar of his nerd-shirt. And then, very obviously wanting to move on, he said, ¡°I hope this consultant can be subtle. We don¡¯t want the whole town knowing about the ghost.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Eve said. ¡°If it¡¯s just him, I think that would be fine. One ghost hunter is less obvious than a whole team.¡± She paused. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m not waiting around with a spooky roommate for a few weeks while the priests get their shit together.¡± Ezra shushed her and waved a hand at her like the walls would catch her swearing. She made a face at him. ¡°If I wanted a roommate, I¡¯d get one that paid rent.¡±


    ¡°How much do ghost consultants charge?¡± Ezra chewed on a fingernail that was already chewed short. ¡°I can¡¯t chip in a ton on that.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± Eve pursed her lips. ¡°But we can give him a call at least.¡± Ezra grimaced, and Eve rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Or I can if that¡¯s your problem.¡±


    The door creaked open, and Father Thomas stepped through. He held a slip of paper in one hand and smiled brightly as he sat down. ¡°I found the number,¡± he said, passing it across the desk.


    Eve took it. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. Then she stood. ¡°That was it. See you around, Father.¡±


    He blinked up at her and nodded. ¡°Certainly. If you need anything else, I¡¯m here to help. Maybe I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, at mass?¡± Ezra nodded, and Eve shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. They left the office, and it was only once they¡¯d gotten back into the main space that Ezra decompressed. He covered his face with his hands.


    ¡°I should not have agreed to that,¡± he mumbled into his hands. Eve snorted, and he dropped his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not the ¡®mass¡¯ type. Kind of a persona non grata.¡±


    Eve shrugged. ¡°Sucks for them,¡± she said with as much sincerity as she could stomach. Ezra looked over at her and gave her a small smile. ¡°Do you want to call this consultant now? Or do you have other plans?¡± They stepped out into the heat of the midday sun and Eve glared up at the sky.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any plans. As long as I finish my assigned columns by the deadline, I¡¯m free whenever.¡± He glanced at Eve, tilting his head. ¡°What about you? Do you have plans or work? What is it you do, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡­run an online store, translating custom messages,¡± she said, squinting as she looked around. She started walking toward the square, green park she could see a few blocks away. It took up a whole block and was bordered by thick trees that spattered the paths in dappled sunlight. Ezra followed like a puppy, all earnest and graceless.


    ¡°What kind of messages? And what languages?¡± he asked.


    Eve sucked her teeth. ¡°Mostly ancient languages: Latin, Old English, Sanskrit, that kind of thing. But I¡¯m in a similar boat; as long as I get my orders filled, I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t have much else going on.¡±


    In the center of the park stood a large, plain fountain, and around it various paths spiraled out toward the edges. Eve stopped at a wooden bench along one of the paths, under the shade of a wide-branching tree. Ezra looked around as if he¡¯d just noticed them relocating.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna call the ghost guy now,¡± Eve said, pulling out her phone as she sat. ¡°Anything you want me to ask him?¡±


    Ezra shook his head and then stopped. ¡°Ask about the price,¡± he said. Eve nodded once. ¡°And maybe we should ask him to be discrete?¡± She nodded again. ¡°I think that¡¯s it.¡±


    A tinny ringing sounded in her ears for a few seconds until a man breathlessly answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hi, uh, is this Jon Beck?¡± Eve asked. ¡®Unprofessional,¡¯ she mouthed at Ezra. His mouth shifted into a moue of distaste.


    ¡°Yes, yes, it is.¡± Jon took a second to catch his breath before continuing. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Sick. My name¡¯s Eve, and I have a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jon said. ¡°And you need a consultant to help you deal with this ghost?¡±


    Eve blinked slowly. ¡°Yep. I¡¯m in Blackwood, do you work in this area?¡±


    ¡°Blackwood, Blackwood,¡± Jon said. His voice faded away from the phone for a moment. ¡°I can get there in three hours. Is that alright?¡±


    Eve gaped at the air in front of her.


    ¡°Or I could get there faster?¡± Jon kept talking when she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I could probably cut it down to two and a half.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Eve said. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± In the background of the call, she could hear someone moving around and rummaging through things. ¡®Three hours,¡¯ she mouthed to Ezra. He looked as confused as she was. ¡°What do you charge?¡±


    ¡°Charge?¡± All the rustling stopped. ¡°You¡¯re technically my first client.¡± He trailed off. ¡°Maybe I can give you an estimate after I assess the situation?¡± Every word was more unsure than the one before it.


    ¡°Sure. I can¡¯t spend a ton, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident I can work within your budget,¡± he said, his voice returning to its previous state of abundant enthusiasm. Eve shrugged at Ezra, who waited for the price with his pen hovering over his notepad. He frowned at her.


    ¡°Great. And this is kind of a private matter, so¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m super low-key,¡± Jon assured her. Eve gave Ezra a thumbs up. ¡°Where should I meet you?¡±


    ¡°The WaffleHenge in Blackwood.¡±


    Ezra waited until she¡¯d hung up before he sat, too. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He said we were his first clients,¡± Eve said, considering. ¡°But he¡¯ll work within our budget and be here in three hours, apparently. And he¡¯s ¡®super low-key,¡¯¡± she added, air quotes included. Ezra squinted at her, and Eve shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, dude. Let¡¯s just meet him and see what he¡¯s like.¡±


    Ezra pressed his thin lips together and nodded.

 Chapter 10: Its Not Carbon Monoxide

    Eve and Ezra sat in a booth by the window at WaffleHenge. Donna, the only waitress the diner seemed to have, lurked near their table with her coffee pot and unconcealed curiosity. And while Eve was happy to have a steady supply of coffee¡ªEzra mentioned something about Eve having coffee for blood¡ªshe didn¡¯t particularly want a gossipy waitress listening in on her conversation with a ghost hunter. Especially after Donna had suggested that Eve¡¯s apartment was haunted. It was, of course, but she didn¡¯t want Donna to know that.


    Ezra nervously sipped his cup of water and rotated between staring out the window at the parking lot across the street, glancing at Eve, and watching as Donna not-so-subtly watched them.


    ¡°Why is she staring at us?¡± he whispered, leaning across the table. His bitten fingernails tapped against the worn laminate.


    Eve sighed and crossed her arms. ¡°She¡¯s nosy as hell, that¡¯s why.¡± She turned to look directly at Donna, who averted her eyes and pretended to wipe down a table that was already clean. One of the other customers, sitting at a table in the middle of the diner straightened and got Donna¡¯s attention, and finally she left Eve and Ezra alone.


    Checking her phone, Eve sat back against the squeaky vinyl. As she did, the door opened with a chime, and a man walked in. He was tall, maybe mid to late twenties, with pale stubble on his defined jawline, and looked like he was packing some serious muscle under his black leather jacket. He looked around the diner and perked up when he saw Eve looking at him. He adjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder as he approached, smiling widely at her and Ezra. He had a dimple in one cheek.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jon,¡± he said. ¡°Are you Eve?¡± She nodded and gestured for Ezra to scoot over so he could sit down.


    ¡°This is Ezra,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks for coming out to talk to us.¡±


    Ezra swallowed and scooted over to the window. ¡°Hi,¡± he said faintly. Jon beamed at him and sat down, sticking his hand out to shake. After Ezra tentatively shook it, he turned to Eve and shook her hand. The three of them sat for a moment, looking at each other, and Jon smiled like it was his default expression.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he said, just as enthusiastic as he¡¯d been on the phone. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you. And I¡¯m happy to answer any questions you might have.¡± He slid the duffle bag strap off his shoulder and set it on the floor near his feet. ¡°I brought in my equipment, in case you want to see what I typically use.¡±


    Donna came up to the table then, order pad out and ready. ¡°Can I get you anything to eat?¡± she asked, eyes lingering on Jon in all of his edgy-aesthetic glory. When she left them again, disappearing into the kitchen, Eve leaned forward.


    ¡°You said I¡¯m your first client,¡± she said. ¡°Have you done any ghost investigating before?¡±


    Jon nodded enthusiastically. ¡°You¡¯d be my first solo client, but I¡¯ve worked with ghost-hunting groups before. Mostly exploring known haunted locations and trying to get decisive proof of the ghosts there.¡± He paused and took a long drink of the water Donna had brought him. ¡°But I¡¯m not as interested in proving they¡¯re there. I want to help people and spirits that need it, not just revisit the same haunted spots everyone knows about.¡±


    ¡°So you started your own business,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°That¡¯s brave,¡± Ezra said. He briefly glanced at Jon and then away, as if he¡¯d be blinded if he looked too long. ¡°I¡¯d be too scared I wouldn¡¯t make any money.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jon said, scratching at the short hair at his temple. ¡°I have not technically made any money. Yet. But I¡¯m confident business will pick up soon.¡±


    Jon, even though he looked like he could and would kill someone, spoke with a perpetual exclamation point.


    ¡°And how do you go about ghost-consulting?¡± Eve asked. She gulped down more of her now-cold coffee and crossed her arms. This guy could be a literal golden retriever of wholesome confidence, but that didn¡¯t mean he was any good at his job.


    He straightened up and looked seriously at Eve. ¡°I¡¯ll start by checking out the haunted location and getting witness testimonies. I assume that would be you two?¡±


    Eve nodded, and Ezra did too, reluctantly.


    ¡°Sometimes what we think is a ghost is really something more mundane, something explainable, like uneven settling of a house, or some kind of problem with the wiring. It could even be something like a carbon monoxide leak. So I like to rule those things out first, and make sure the phenomena you¡¯re witnessing is truly from a ghost.¡± He smiled apologetically.


    ¡°Good,¡± Eve said. ¡°Makes me think you¡¯re not completely crazy.¡±


    ¡°Eve!¡± Ezra said. Jon blinked, but his mouth twisted up at the corners like he was trying not to smile.


    ¡°What? I want someone who doesn¡¯t just blame ghosts for every little creak. I want science. I want evidence. I am not interested in mystical shit, I am interested in results.¡± Eve glared at Ezra and he glared right back at her.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should be rude to the person who drove three hours to help us,¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay, Dad,¡± Eve said. She turned to Jon, who was openly smiling again. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you¡¯re not as crazy as the rest of them,¡± she said with a saccharine smile at him and Ezra.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jon said, laughing. ¡°I know the impression a lot of people have of this business. And I imagine that if someone like you is looking for help, you must really need it.¡± Ezra, slightly mollified, crossed his arms. ¡°If the phenomena is truly ghostly, I¡¯ll set up my equipment in the haunted location and do an all-night observation. You wouldn¡¯t have to be present, but it could be helpful if you were.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s my apartment,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°Great, you should definitely be there. The three of us can keep each other awake all night.¡± Jon hesitated as Donna approached the table with their food. When she¡¯d set it down and retreated to what she must have considered an unobtrusive distance, he continued. ¡°I can show you my equipment, too, and let you know how it all works. After spending a night gathering readings, ideally we¡¯ll know a lot more about the ghost; how it¡¯s manifesting, what it wants, who it used to be. That can give us more to work with when we move on to actually removing the ghost.¡±


    ¡°And how do you normally do that?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°It depends on a few things,¡± he replied. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with that when we get to it.¡± Eve narrowed her eyes but nodded.


    They ate, then, with less negotiating and ghost-talk. Ezra relaxed as he ate his salad and slowly shifted to sit normally, not pressed against the glass like Jon might bite him. Jon, for his part, was nice in a way that actually felt genuine.


    As she finished up her pancakes, Eve brought the conversation back to business. ¡°The big question,¡± she said. ¡°What do you charge?¡±


    Jon chewed a fry and swallowed, looking off to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for the cost of food while I¡¯m in town,¡± he said after a second.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Eve and Ezra stared at him. ¡°Seriously?¡± she asked. ¡°You just said you¡¯ve never made any money from this. We can¡¯t pay you in food.¡±


    ¡°And a testimonial, if you¡¯re happy with my services,¡± he added, as if he was trying to sweeten the deal for them. Donna approached again with the bill, and as she set it down on the table, she looked over the three of them with clear interest.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Eve said, when she¡¯d lingered a little too long. Donna nodded and reluctantly retreated once again.


    Ezra glanced at Eve, and she looked back at him. ¡°For now, we can at least agree to cover your food,¡± she said.


    Jon pumped his fist and whooped quietly. ¡°You won¡¯t regret working with me, I promise!¡± he said.


    ***


    Harvey gave Jon a thorough sniffing at the door before he stepped aside, his fluffy tail swishing gently.


    ¡°Hi kitty,¡± Jon said as he crouched to hold out his hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s Harvey,¡± Eve and Ezra said at the same time. Ezra glanced away and cleared his throat as Eve narrowed her eyes at him.


    Jon looked curiously between them. ¡°Do you live here, too?¡± he asked Ezra. There was a note of appraisal in his voice.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ezra fumbled with the neck of his sweater vest before he dropped his hands and clasped them together. ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Jon nodded and smiled. ¡°Have you had the same experiences with the ghost? Actually, if you two wouldn¡¯t mind giving me your accounts, now would be a good time to do it.¡±


    Eve kicked off her shoes and walked further into the apartment. ¡°Sure. You want some water?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Jon said. He set his duffle bag down on the floor near the door and opened it, rifling through for a moment. While Eve grabbed a glass for him, he stepped over to the kitchen table, situated between the island counter and the living room, and set a voice recorder down on it. ¡°Do you mind if I record our interview? I can cut things out if you decide you don¡¯t want them saved, but in general I like to keep detailed accounts of my investigations.¡±


    ¡°Go for it,¡± Eve said. She passed him the water and sat down. Ezra inched his way closer to the table and sat in one of the other chairs. He looked around the apartment as he chewed his lip, his long limbs tense with nervous energy.


    Even Jon seemed to notice, though he didn¡¯t say anything to Ezra. ¡°Eve,¡± he said, sitting opposite her and leaning forward as he turned on the recorder, ¡°tell me a bit about when you first started to notice the haunting.¡±


    ¡°The day after I moved in,¡± she said. ¡°Which was, like, a week ago. Harvey appeared in my apartment first¡ª¡° she paused and scooped him up from the floor. He squeaked but let her hold him like a baby. ¡°And then the ghost started up with the nagging.¡±


    ¡°Nagging?¡± Jon asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Eve sighed and leaned back. ¡°She keeps nagging me about chores and stuff. Not,¡± she added, ¡°with words. Oh no, she won¡¯t talk to us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, she won¡¯t talk to you?¡±


    ¡°Ezra and I tried to talk to her, and she wouldn¡¯t talk,¡± Eve said. A strong, cold wind blew Eve¡¯s hair forward and knocked her open notebook off her desk. ¡°Thanks, babe,¡± she said. ¡°Other than the nagging, it¡¯s been the usual bullshit: flickering lights, taps turning on by themselves, cold patches, cabinets opening and closing. And she exploded all my lightbulbs when I told her I would help her pass on, or whatever.¡±


    Jon took a second to take that all in, blinking and staring at Eve. ¡°And what makes you think the ghost is a she?¡±


    Eve looked over at Ezra, who licked his lips nervously. ¡°There¡¯s some important background info you should know,¡± she said to Jon. He nodded. ¡°This apartment used to be rented by a woman named Chelsea Horton who went missing, like, two months ago? Harvey was her cat, and after she was found, dead, it seemed obvious the ghost was Chelsea. Who else is going to tell me to play with the cat more often?¡± Eve shrugged.


    Jon sat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He was still wearing the leather jacket¡ªEve would give him props for maintaining an aesthetic¡ªeven though her apartment did not have central air. ¡°I have to say, this isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve seen before. For a ghost to manifest in such clear ways and be identified, but be unwilling to speak when given the chance¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Have there been any other significant events?¡± he asked Eve.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, grimacing, ¡°I did find Chelsea¡¯s body on the North Henge beach.¡±


    The overhead lights in the kitchen flickered and Jon tilted his head back to look up at them intently. ¡°Hmm,¡± he said. Then he turned to Ezra. ¡°Ezra, can you give me your account next?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure,¡± Ezra said. He wiped his palms on his thighs and then clasped his hands together on the table in front of him. ¡°Eve told me her apartment was haunted before she found the body,¡± he started. ¡°And then, after the memorial service, we decided to work together to help Chelsea move on. The first time Eve invited me here, the kitchen tap was on when we walked in, which Eve blamed on Chelsea. Eve asked her to make the lights flicker, which she did, and then I saw a cat toy float out of the bedroom.¡± Jon nodded encouragingly, and Ezra continued. ¡°We decided to try communicating with her, via spirit board and seance, neither of which worked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very detailed account, thanks,¡± Jon said.


    Ezra cleared his throat and glanced at him, and then away. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m a journalist, so I try to recount events as accurately as possible.¡±


    ¡°A journalist?¡± Jon said, leaning forward onto his elbows. ¡°That¡¯s so cool, what kind of stuff do you write about?¡± He¡¯d turned to fully face Ezra now, and Ezra sat in his chair, clasping his fidgeting fingers together and looking completely unsure of what to do with Jon¡¯s full attention.


    Eve coughed to get their attention, and while Ezra looked sheepish, Jon smiled at Eve like she was the person he¡¯d been flirting with.


    ¡°What is your connection to all of this, Ezra?¡± Jon asked. ¡°How did you get involved?¡± Ezra swallowed and leaned ever so slightly backward.


    ¡°I, ah, knew Chelsea,¡± he said. His eyes darted around the room. ¡°And I want to help her.¡± He gave them both a weak smile.


    ¡°So are you two friends, then? Is that why you decided to work together?¡± Jon asked, glancing between Ezra and Eve. Ezra blinked and looked to Eve.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Eve said, ignoring the earnest little smile that lit up Ezra¡¯s face at her answer.


    ¡°Hmm, okay,¡± Jon said, rubbing at his cheek. ¡°Is there anything else about the ghost I should know?¡±


    Eve pursed her lips and shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ezra said, pulling out his notepad and flipping through it briefly. After a second, he closed it and shook his head, too.


    ¡°In that case, I would love to take some measurements of the space and work on getting my equipment set up,¡± Jon said, glancing at Eve. ¡°If that¡¯s alright with you?¡±


    Eve waved a hand. ¡°Do what you need to do.¡±


    Jon nodded once and stood, shutting off the recorder as he did. From his duffle bag, he pulled a tape measure, a level, and a thing that looked like a grocery store scanner.


    ¡°What kind of equipment do you have in there?¡± Ezra asked.


    Jon looked up from where he was crouched. ¡°Oh, a bunch of stuff. I have some more standard tools, for testing wiring and floor tilts and things like that. But I also have my recorder, an infrared thermometer¡ª¡± he waved the scanner-thing¡ª ¡°a camera with night vision, EMF meter, that kind of thing.¡± He stood and walked to the middle of the living room, placing the level on the floor and making a note on his phone. He moved to the kitchen and did the same there.


    ¡°Sounds expensive,¡± Ezra said. He watched intently as Jon moved throughout the apartment, making notes and measuring things that seemed completely random, like the distance between the island and the counters.


    Jon looked over his shoulder at Ezra. ¡°It was. But ghosts, paranormal stuff, that¡¯s been my hobby for years. I¡¯ve been collecting my equipment since I was a teenager.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to ask earlier,¡± he said as he opened the cabinet below the sink and stuck his head under. ¡°Who referred you to me?¡±


    ¡°Father Thomas, the priest at St. Jude¡¯s.¡± Eve twisted in her chair and released Harvey.


    Jon tried to straighten, bumped his head on the pipes, and then pulled it out to look at her. ¡°Reed Thomas?¡± he asked. Eve shrugged, but Ezra nodded. Jon sat back on his heels. ¡°I¡¯ll have to stop by and say hi. I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡±


    ¡°You two went to priest school together?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°Seminary,¡± said both Ezra and Jon at the same time. Eve pretended they hadn¡¯t. Jon continued, ¡°He was a couple of years ahead of me, but yeah. Before I¡­quit, he was one of the people I admired most. Really looking to help people and all that.¡± After a second, he brightened again, like the sun coming back out from behind a cloud. He ducked his head back under the sink for a moment, and then emerged again.


    He stood and came back over to the table. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not carbon monoxide or uneven floors. I think you are, in fact, haunted,¡± he said. The cabinets rattled. Eve rolled her eyes at the air.


    ¡°So what now?¡± she said. Jon was looking at the cabinets curiously, and now he turned to Eve and Ezra.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set up my equipment, and we¡¯ll see what happens tonight. In other cases, it can take a few nights of observation to get enough information. But since your ghost is so¡­active, I think we¡¯ll be able to gather what we need in one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ezra said. ¡°I normally have work pretty early in the mornings.¡±


    ¡°Are you working on any stories right now?¡± Jon asked, leaning in toward him again.


    Ezra laughed a little, all nerves, and nodded. ¡°I always have something. I wrote a story about Eve for tomorrow¡¯s paper, actually.¡±


    Jon turned his focus to Eve and leaned toward her, a charming little smirk on his mouth.¡°Really? About Eve? Interesting.¡± She raised one eyebrow and stared back at him just coldly enough to squash the flirting before it started. He grinned at her and sat back in his seat, taking her point quickly. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s get set up for ghost watch!¡±

 Chapter 11: A Terrible Thought

    Ezra followed Jon around the apartment as he set up the equipment. Eve watched from the kitchen counter with Harvey, where she¡¯d sat to observe the progress.


    Jon turned to Ezra, camera and voice recorder in hand. ¡°Can you put this in the kitchen? Pick a spot that¡¯s open on most sides and close to the living room.¡±


    Ezra nodded and took the voice recorder. He looked around the kitchen, glancing at Jon, who moved over to the small table next to the door and carefully placed the camera on it. As he leaned over to check the angle and adjust it as he saw fit, Ezra placed the recorder on the kitchen table, right in the middle.


    ¡°Should I turn it on?¡± he asked, turning.


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it run out of battery overnight?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s designed for this kind of thing. It can run for nearly 24 hours. Same for the camera.¡± Jon waved his hand in front of the camera once more, and he grinned up at Eve when she waved, too.


    He straightened and stepped back over to his bag. From it, he pulled a heavy-looking box and hauled it over to the table. Ezra trailed him again, and when Jon started plugging cables into the box, he handed a bundle of them to Ezra to hold.


    ¡°This is a spirit box,¡± Jon said as he set it up. ¡°It emits radio waves that a spirit can use to ¡®speak¡¯ if they aren¡¯t able to manifest enough to do so on their own.¡± He looked down at the box, squinting at it and the last two cables he held. Ezra leaned over the box and scanned the cables. ¡°I think¡­this one?¡± he said, pointing to something on the back. Jon plugged it in and lit up when it fit perfectly.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°The goal is to record whatever sounds a spirit might make with those radio waves,¡± he continued as he finished up. ¡°Though, considering how strongly your ghost can manifest, I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll need it.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips. Jon dug through his bag once more and pulled out the hand-scanner thing again, along with a small device that looked like a Gameboy.


    ¡°EMF meter,¡± he said, holding up the Gameboy-thing. ¡°It detects changes in electromagnetic fields. Ghosts and spirits can disturb and emit EM radiation, but so can appliances, cell phones, stuff like that. This model filters out the most common frequencies from man-made sources.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Eve said. Jon set the EMF meter on the table and held up the thermometer in front of himself.


    ¡°Now that the stationary equipment is set up, I¡¯ll check for any cold spots in the apartment. They¡¯re not conclusive proof of a ghost, but sometimes if one tends to linger in one spot, or follow a set path, it can give us insight into what the ghost wants.¡± He began walking around the apartment, turning left and right to look for said cold spots. He hummed as he walked, seemingly captivated by his findings.


    After a few minutes, he walked back into the kitchen, focusing on the display of the thermometer. ¡°There are a few cold spots that seem significant. One is in your bedroom, Eve. Another is right here,¡± he said, stepping over to an open spot between the TV and the kitchen table. ¡°And,¡± he said, turning and pointing the thermometer at Eve, ¡°around you.¡±


    Eve stared at him, the perpetual chill making her shiver as a small layer of dread settled over her.


    ¡°Me?¡± she said. ¡°What does that mean?¡± She slipped off the counter.


    ¡°Hard to say conclusively,¡± Jon said. He bit his lower lip in concentration and switched out the thermometer for the EMF meter. ¡°Let me check again for variations in the EM field. We¡¯ll see if the cold spots match up with any.¡±


    He paced the same path he¡¯d taken before, this time with the EMF meter in hand. When he made it back to Eve, and the lights along the side of it flashed at her the way they had at the other cold spots, he lowered it.


    ¡°Do you have your phone on you?¡± he asked. Eve shook her head and glanced at it, over on the kitchen table. Jon hummed and circled her with the meter, the lights flashing over and over again. Eve stood still and let him, making eye contact with Ezra across the island.


    Without warning, Jon poked her arm, hard.


    ¡°Ow, what the fuck?¡± she said.


    He squinted at her. ¡°Are you alive?¡± he asked. Eve suppressed the desire to call him a dumbass.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said instead, only looking at him like he was a dumbass.


    He leaned back and cupped his chin. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Last time I checked, I was.¡±


    Jon didn¡¯t seem to hear the icy annoyance in her voice. ¡°Hmmm. That¡¯s odd. Could you move over to the living room?¡±


    Eve stalked over to the living room, trailed closely by Harvey. She stood in front of the couch and waited for Jon to scan her again. The same thing happened with the flashing lights, and Eve threw her hands up.


    ¡°Is your thing broken?¡± she asked.


    He tapped it and looked it over. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It seems like you¡¯re a focal point for the ghost to manifest around. I wanted to check in here because there wasn¡¯t a cold spot here before, or any odd variations in the EM field, so we know that the ghost is following you. It seems to be latched onto you.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ezra asked, his face drawn tight with concern A terrible thought crept into Eve¡¯s brain and settled dreadfully in her chest. She hoped very much that the answer would have nothing to do with henges and screams and runes.


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    ¡°My first thought was the Eve was the ghost,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jon looked closely at her again, as if inspecting her. Eve scoffed and sat down on the couch. Harvey jumped immediately onto her lap and began to knead. ¡°But if you¡¯re not the ghost, then that means the ghost has somehow latched onto you. She¡¯s able to manifest so strongly and frequently because she¡¯s drawing energy from you.¡± He stepped back and put down the EMF meter. ¡°Have you picked up anything recently that could have allowed her to latch onto you? You never knew her, right?¡±


    ¡°Like a cursed necklace or something?¡± Eve asked, voice sharp and derisive in the wake of the Terrible Thought. ¡°No, only beach rocks. And no, I never knew her.¡±


    Jon looked at her. ¡°Hmmm.¡± He stared at her for another moment. ¡°Okay,¡± he said finally, shrugging.


    Eve narrowed her eyes. Jon didn¡¯t seem the type to give up easily. The apartment was quiet for a moment. Ezra stood near the table, hands clenched into fists and staring at Eve.


    In the quiet, the Terrible Thought poked its stupid head up and demanded her attention.


    ¡°Y¡¯all wanna get a pizza or something?¡± she asked, to block it out.


    ¡°Do you ever eat any actual food?¡± Ezra asked. ¡°Or do you only subsist on caffeine and carbs?¡±


    Eve glared at him. ¡°Pizza is actual food.¡± Then she gestured to Jon. ¡°Plus, our consultant wants pizza. We can¡¯t say no.¡±


    ¡°We do need energy for tonight,¡± Jon added, winking at Ezra and smirking at Eve. She blinked, unamused, as Ezra spiraled into nervous fidgeting.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said after a moment, ¡°but I¡¯m vegetarian.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, no meat,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°All pizza is good pizza,¡± said Eve.


    Twenty minutes later, the heavenly scent of bread and cheese filled the apartment. They ate and chatted for a few minutes, Harvey sniffing around the box until Eve pushed him away with her foot.


    ¡°Damn,¡± she said suddenly to Jon, ¡°we never told you about the weird shit.¡± She paused and squinted. ¡°Well, the weirder shit.¡±


    Ezra frowned, confused. ¡°What weird stuff?¡±


    ¡°Chelsea¡¯s weirdo boyfriend and his werewolf theory, for one,¡± Eve said.


    Jon leaned forward. ¡°Werewolf theory?¡± he said.


    Eve waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s stupid. Kyle, Chelsea¡¯s boyfriend, does not act like someone whose girlfriend¡¯s body just washed up on the beach. He hit on me the same day, not even hours after I found her.¡±


    ¡°Yikes.¡±


    Eve started to continue when the living room lamps flickered and the pizza box jiggled. Eve rolled her eyes, Jon watched intently, and Ezra looked around the room with a worried sort of set to his face.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Eve continued, ¡°after I found the body, Kyle told me about his stupid werewolf theory.¡± She side-eyed Ezra. ¡°Which is stupid.¡± Ezra did his best attempt at an innocent expression, but Eve narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°And he asked me specifically if she¡¯d been bitten¡ª¡°


    ¡°Which she was,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°Sure. But he didn¡¯t know that. And I didn¡¯t tell him. That¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°He started saying she¡¯d gone missing on a full moon. He wanted me to believe his theory, and that I¡¯d told him she had bite wounds.¡±


    ¡°Which he should have only known about if he¡¯d seen the body before the police got to it,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°Or killed her, and tried to make it look like a werewolf,¡± Jon said. ¡°Maybe Kyle is the werewolf,¡± he continued, liked he¡¯d had a revelation.


    Eve sighed. ¡°What makes you think anyone is a werewolf and that this isn¡¯t a delusional guy trying to shift the blame for his crime?¡±


    Ezra fidgeted and avoided her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve reported on some strange occurrences on full-moon nights,¡± he said. ¡°People have seen an animal running away from town, the Fridley¡¯s chickens were killed one time. Also, howling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a fox,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°Howling? And on the full moon?¡± Jon asked. ¡°Sounds like a werewolf to me.¡±


    Eve stared off to the side in exasperation. ¡°Is there something in the water here?¡± she asked them. ¡°Some weird-ass ergot-infected-rye delusion?¡±


    Jon blinked at her. ¡°I have no idea what you just said.¡±


    ¡°Ergot poisoning happens when people ingest grains that have been infected with a fungus,¡± Ezra said. ¡°There¡¯s a theory that infested rye caused the Salem witch trials because it can cause hallucinations. But also it¡¯s a pretty nasty infection with gangrene and¡­bleh.¡± He grimaced.


    Eve gestured towards Ezra and nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we grow rye in this area,¡± Jon said.


    Eve fully closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her temples for a second. ¡°That is not the point.¡±


    ¡°And that theory has gotten a fair amount of criticism from historians,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°That is also not the point. Look, ignore the werewolf theory for now.¡± Eve sat back. ¡°Think about Kyle. He one thousand percent killed Chelsea.¡±


    Ezra swallowed thickly and set down his plate. ¡°Maybe,¡± he said quietly. He kept his eyes down. ¡°You know, it¡¯s weird. With her ghost around, it almost feels like she¡¯s still¡­¡± He stuttered on the last word and quickly glanced up at the air. A gentle breeze passed Eve and Ezra blinked as it reached his face. His eyes filled with tears, and Eve looked away.


    They sat for a moment in silence.


    After a minute, Jon held up a pack of cards and wiggled it. ¡°Anyone up for a game?¡±


    ***


    By midnight, Eve¡¯s cheeks ached from smiling. She pushed her mouth into a frown and shifted. Ezra kept sneaking looks at Jon when he thought no one was paying attention, and Jon was blatantly looking at Ezra, though Ezra didn¡¯t seem to get it. Eve wanted to die.


    Except she was having fun. Jon was funny and easy-going, and Ezra was sweet and earnest in a way that Eve found less annoying the longer she spent with him.


    Chelsea was being quiet, too. Occasionally the lights would flicker, or Harvey would meow at the air or walls. Once, Chelsea pushed the scattered playing cards into a neat pile for Eve to pick up from the floor. If she was always like that, Eve thought, it wouldn¡¯t suck so much. What would Chelsea have been like, she wondered, if they¡¯d ever met? If they¡¯d been real roommates? Would she have been as annoying alive as she was dead? Or was it only the limitations of her link to Eve that made her frustrated and annoying?


    The thought made Eve¡¯s chest feel sort of tight and squeezed, so she stopped thinking about it.


    Eventually, Eve and Ezra ended up on the couch, while Jon sat on the floor and talked about some of the previous investigations he¡¯d been on.


    Eve yawned so wide her jaw cracked, and she winced, rubbing at her cheek. Harvey bumped his head into her calves and meowed, looking up at her.


    ¡°I think Harvey wants you to go to bed,¡± Ezra said, smiling softly at the cat, who was head-butting Eve with more force now.


    Eve breathed out a short laugh. ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± she said, yawning again. She could barely hold her eyes open. ¡°But why am I so tired? When did I become an old person?¡±


    ¡°It is nearly 2:00 in the morning,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°See?¡± Eve gestured at Ezra. ¡°Old person.¡±


    He frowned at her, an exaggerated expression that he soon dropped for a smile. ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs 5 coffees and 3 energy drinks a day to function.¡±


    Eve stretched backward. ¡°Not normally. I¡¯ve just been so exhausted lately, and no amount of sleep or caffeine seems to help.¡±


    Jon snorted, and Eve looked over at him, sprawled out on the floor with a couch pillow under his head. ¡°And you have no idea why that might be?¡±


    Eve paused for a second, and then realization hit. Chelsea was using her as a battery, and Eve was running out of juice. She scowled at the air and crossed her arms. ¡°This is stupid,¡± she said. ¡°Has she done anything so far?¡±


    Jon sat up. ¡°Nothing we haven¡¯t seen before.¡± He rubbed at his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know why. She¡¯s obviously able to manifest, so we should be seeing activity.¡±


    Eve sighed and leaned back against the couch.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s because we¡¯re watching?¡± Ezra asked. Eve closed her tired eyes, and his and Jon¡¯s voices faded to murmurs, blending into a low burble.

 Chapter 12: Friends and Coffee

    Eve woke up shivering, upright on the couch and covered with the sheet from her bed. Harvey lay on her lap, and he chirped when she looked down at him. Ezra had curled his long limbs into a complicated-looking pile on the other end of the couch, and Jon was spread out on his back, starfish style, on the plush yellow rug.


    And the living room was a mess. Eve sat forward, dislodging Harvey, and stared around at her apartment. Loose papers, pens, and other stationery from her desk were scattered across the floor, some of it on top of Jon, some as far as the kitchen. Knickknacks and rocks she¡¯d collected from the beach had been knocked off the bookshelf and coffee table. The couch cushions not in use were strewn about the room.


    Leaning forward, Eve pressed her chin into her hands and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Chelsea, what the fuck?¡± she whispered.


    As she stood and gathered the sheet up to take it back into her bedroom, her eyes landed on a patch of floor between the living room and the kitchen, right in front of the door. The floorboards were dull, dark brown in the morning light, scuffed and dirty, but nothing other than dust touched them within a rough rectangle of space.


    Eve emerged from her room feeling slightly more awake and started heating the kettle for coffee. She was tempted to clang things around so Ezra and Jon would wake up and she could ask them about the sheet and why, exactly, everyone had fallen asleep.


    She didn¡¯t need to. Harvey was already on top of the couch, batting at Ezra¡¯s head with one large brown paw. Ezra huffed and swatted weakly at him, only waking up when Harvey jumped down on top of him and meowed in his face. His long, fluffy tail smacked Ezra in the mouth. Eve snickered quietly. At least Harvey didn¡¯t only do that to her.


    Ezra sat up slowly and looked around, blinking. He yawned and closed his eyes. ¡°Chel, will you make me a cup of green?¡± he mumbled. Eve looked away and rubbed at her chest.


    ¡°I can make you coffee,¡± she said quietly. Ezra took an audible breath and then the couch creaked as he moved to stand.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, and Eve looked at him. He was blinking quickly and staring at his socked feet. ¡°Forgot for a second.¡±


    ¡°S¡¯all good,¡± she said. Sometimes, while she was busy being annoyed about the ghost-shit and everything, she forgot that Ezra¡¯s friend had been found dead a few days ago. She swallowed and looked at the stove. ¡°Offer for coffee stands, but I know you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Ezra took a second to answer, but when he did, he looked normal again. ¡°If Chelsea¡¯s parents left her food here, I know where her tea stash is.¡±


    Eve blinked at him as he opened one of the drawers in the kitchen and pulled out a box of bagged green tea. ¡°Oh,¡± she said.


    Ezra smiled and pulled out a mug like he lived there. ¡°She didn¡¯t like tea either, said it made her feel jittery like coffee, but she kept a few kinds for when I¡­¡± he trailed off as he made a cup. ¡°For when we hung out.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Eve said reluctantly. She stared at the cup of beige coffee in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dude.¡±


    Ezra looked up at her, tears gathered in the corner of his eye but not falling, and he smiled. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°Most people don¡¯t even know we were friends. Maybe Kyle, and Chelsea¡¯s parents.¡±


    ¡°Was that on purpose?¡± Eve asked.


    He sighed. ¡°No, I just never talked to anyone other than her. I don¡¯t know many people outside of my job.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips and nodded. He took a sip of his tea and grimaced.


    ¡°Bagged, bleh,¡± he said. ¡°Not that the tea at Blackwater or WaffleHenge is any better.¡± He took another drink and sat down at the kitchen table. The chair legs scootched along the floor. ¡°If you ever want to try real tea, let me know. Seven Steepings over on 1st does excellent loose leaf, and I have a decent stash myself.¡±


    Eve laughed and nodded. ¡°Sure. If I ever want something less good and less effective than coffee, I¡¯ll hit you up.¡±


    Ezra snorted. ¡°How very like a coffee drinker,¡± he said.


    A grumble came from the living room floor, and Eve and Ezra leaned over to peer around the TV. Jon lifted himself onto his forearms as Harvey jumped off of his chest.


    He tilted his head backward and smiled sunnily at Eve and Ezra.


    ¡°Coffee?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, yawning. Slowly, he stood and made his way over to the table as Eve made him a mug.


    ¡°What happened last night? And did one of you put a sheet over me?¡± Eve asked as she sat down again.


    Ezra blinked and shook his head, while Jon took a deep drink of coffee.


    ¡°No,¡± Ezra said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have gone into your room. The last thing I remember is you falling asleep, and then waking up just now. I don¡¯t remember falling asleep myself, though.¡±


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    ¡°Same,¡± Jon said. ¡°I remember you being asleep on the couch, and then,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I must¡¯ve fallen asleep, too.¡± He frowned a little.


    ¡°Maybe Chelsea thought you were cold and covered you,¡± Ezra said to Eve. He stared into his tea and picked absently at his nails. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing she would do.¡±


    ¡°How did I fall asleep?¡± Jon was mumbling to himself. His hair was rumpled where it had been pressed into the cushion, and he rubbed a hand through it. ¡°I¡¯ve never fallen asleep on a job before.¡±


    Eve shrugged. ¡°Maybe ghostie knocked us all out?¡± she said. ¡°At least your equipment was running.¡±


    Jon nodded and took another deep drink. ¡°Let¡¯s hope something happened while we were asleep,¡± he said as he stood. ¡°If the spirit is tethered to you and this apartment, it seems feasible that she would be able to borrow energy from anyone inside, too.¡± He started gathering up the various pieces of technology from their spots around the apartment and packing them away.


    ¡°We should get breakfast and figure out what happened,¡± Eve said.


    Jon nodded and kept packing up his equipment. ¡°I have to transfer the video and audio to my computer, then we can take a look together. I can edit it down to a more reasonable length later.¡± His voice was rough and low from sleep, and he yawned. ¡°Also, I need to become human again. Meet you guys at WaffleHenge in two hours?¡± Jon said, scrubbing a hand over his face and scratching at the light stubble on his jaw. Ezra was too busy being flustered to answer, so Eve nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll grab a table,¡± she said.


    After Jon left, the apartment was quiet. It felt emptier without him, like his presence took up more space than one person should. Eve''s eyes strayed to the bare patch of floor and shivered.


    Ezra leaned over the back of his chair and looked at Eve. ¡°Can I ask you something embarrassing?¡± he asked.


    Eve blinked. ¡°I mean, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Did you mean it when you said we were friends yesterday?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be so formal,¡± she said. ¡°But yeah, you¡¯re alright.¡± Ezra smiled again, this tiny, hopeful smile. They sat for a moment in silence, and Eve considered regretting agreeing to be friends. Gross. She glanced at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a great friend, by the way,¡± she said. She stretched and leaned back. ¡°Chelsea was probably better than me. But I am available for confiding in, including about the hot ghost-man.¡±


    Ezra groaned and pressed his forehead into the back of the chair, looking like he was considering being a butt about it.


    But¡ª¡°He¡¯s so cool,¡± Ezra wailed. ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be interested in me. He¡¯s probably not even into guys.¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking with me?¡± Eve said. When Ezra frowned with downturned eyes, she relented. ¡°Jon is cool, but you¡¯re a snack, too, dude.¡±


    He did not look enlightened by that. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°What are you, 80?¡± Eve said. ¡°It means you¡¯re cute, even if you do dress like an elderly accountant.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ezra looked down and tugged at the collar of his shirt. ¡°Thank you, I think.¡±


    ¡°Also, Jon is absolutely into guys. I can find out if he¡¯s available for you.¡±


    Ezra straightened up and shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°definitely don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Eve waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m extremely subtle. And if anything, he¡¯ll think I¡¯m interested in him.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Ezra asked. He looked terrified she might be.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ezra relaxed and dropped his hands to rest on his thighs. ¡°But still don¡¯t.¡±


    Eve raised her eyebrows. ¡°Sure, whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you don¡¯t mean that,¡± Ezra said. Eve grinned.


    ***


    Two hours later, Eve grabbed a table at WaffleHenge and drank a full mug of coffee before Ezra or Jon arrived. Donna seemed to be getting used to her now, as she arrived at Eve¡¯s booth with a full pot of coffee and an extra tray of creamers only a minute after she¡¯d sat down.


    ¡°Are your ¡®friends¡¯ going to be joining you today?¡± Donna asked. Eve could hear the air quotes around ¡®friends¡¯ and squinted ever so slightly. What was that supposed to mean?


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said. She poured herself a mug of coffee, and Donna got the hint and walked away. The privacy almost certainly wouldn¡¯t last once the guys arrived, but for the time being, it was nice to not be perceived by anyone. It was, again, literally all she¡¯d wanted from moving to Blackwood.


    As she poured her second cup, Ezra and Jon walked in at the same time. Eve watched as Donna¡¯s eyebrows shot up and sighed into her mug.


    The guys sat down, Ezra next to Eve and Jon across the table, and Eve ignored Donna¡¯s watchful gaze.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she said.


    Ezra nodded, and Jon grinned, as usual.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said. ¡°Good news. We got some good stuff on camera last night.¡±


    As he spoke, Donna approached with menus, as if she had a sense for when someone was saying something that could be misconstrued.


    Eyes wide with interest, Donna passed over the menus and lingered. ¡°Can I get you two anything to drink?¡±


    ¡°Hot tea, please,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°Just water for me.¡± Jon sat up straight and beamed a smile that could literally blind at Donna. She nodded and wandered away, stunned by the force of it.


    Eve pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. So much for ¡®low-key.''


    Jon pulled a laptop out of his bag. ¡°I have things to show you, though I haven¡¯t been able to process all the data yet. I can work on that today and report back as soon as I¡¯m done.¡± Opening the laptop, Jon tapped at it for a few seconds before standing and moving over to sit on the same side as Eve and Ezra. Eve wound up squished against the window as Ezra sat very still in the middle and Jon perched at the end of the booth seat. He turned the laptop and set it in front of them, then pressed play on the video.


    He set the speed to 10x and the night sped along. The three of them flitted around the screen for several hours. ¡°There¡¯s not much, but let me know if you see anything. I may have missed something in my first watch.¡±


    While they watched, Donna came by with their drinks, and they ordered food. She eyed them, gaze lingering on the places they were touching, but left without comment.


    Eve drank more coffee as they watched. On screen, she stopped moving first, followed shortly by Ezra, and finally, Jon. Nothing happened for a few minutes until a slight movement caught her attention.


    In the video, the curtains fluttered and flapped as if a strong breeze was blowing through. At the same time, all the unoccupied couch cushions were tossed around the room, followed by the things on Eve¡¯s desk and bookshelf. It was after 3 AM by the time everything settled.


    Moments later, Eve¡¯s sheet floated into the living room from her bedroom. Nothing appeared to be on it, but the sheet pressed against the floor in an oblong line approximately 5 and a half feet long. Eve¡¯s stomach sank.


    The sheet stopped on the suspiciously clean spot between the kitchen and living room, and the half not weighed down by an unseen shape dropped to the floor. As it dropped, Eve could¡¯ve sworn she saw it fall onto a woman¡¯s body, just for half a second. And then it settled on the floor, and Eve swallowed. Jon scanned back a few seconds and slowed the video to half-speed.


    Eve shivered as she watched, cold again. This time she was sure: the sheet covered an invisible body before it folded on itself.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said and chugged the rest of her coffee.

 Chapter 13: Tethered

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 Chapter 14: Considering the Legitimacy of Magic

    Eve sat on the trunk of her car, feeling a cool breeze from the lake brush along her sweaty neck. The sun sat high in the sky and pressed heat into her skin. She stared at the henge, at the runes that covered the standing stones, and pressed her lips together.


    Jon and Ezra were talking in front of her, but she kept hearing the scream from her first night in Blackwood and the scream that had just pierced the air and sucked the breath from her lungs. They rang in her ears while Ezra¡¯s mouth moved silently. His shirt was buttoned up to the neck, his long sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and for a moment all Eve could think over the screams was how hot he must be all the time.


    ¡°I know why she¡¯s attached to me,¡± Eve said, and speaking made the noise fade until she could hear again. Ezra and Jon looked at her.


    Gentle waves sloshed against the pebble beach as she gave them a recap of her first encounter with the North Henge and a scream, including her collision with the center stone and her missing notes the following morning.


    ¡°For the record,¡± she said, looking at Ezra. He sat on the curb of the parking lot and looked up at Eve and Jon, and he rolled his eyes at her. ¡°I do not believe in magic. I¡¯m not a witch; I cannot cast spells.¡± Jon opened his mouth to argue, so she held up a hand. ¡°But. I don¡¯t see another way this could have happened, so I will temporarily consider the legitimacy of magic.¡±


    ¡°This is great,¡± Jon said. Eve looked at him, failing to see how any of this could be great. It was bad enough she was caught up in all this bullshit; to know it was her own fault was even worse. ¡°Now that we know how you became her tether, it¡¯ll be easier to figure out how to untether you. We need to talk to Chelsea.¡±


    Eve sighed and leaned back on her hands. ¡°Sure, go for it,¡± she said.


    ¡°You two tried a spirit board and a seance, right?¡± Jon asked.


    Ezra nodded. ¡°Neither had any results.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cause both are bullshit.¡± Eve tilted her head back and breathed in the lake air. She didn¡¯t want to think about ghosts for a second. What she wanted to think about was what, exactly, she¡¯d copied down from the henge. Something about the skin of the world? Ugh. She was going to have to retranslate the runes. With any luck, there would be a secret, ghost-be-gone clause and she could bury a rock in the sand on a new moon night or whatever, and she¡¯d be free.


    Jon tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth. He closed it for a moment and opened it again.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°Have you considered that you made it not work, Eve?¡± he asked. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Listen, I think¡ªhold on before you get mad¡ªthat you might be more powerful than you realize,¡± he said. ¡°We already know you bound Chelsea¡¯s spirit to you.¡±


    ¡°Allegedly,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°And we don¡¯t know the results of the spells and curses you sell, but I¡¯d guess they¡¯ve been more effective than you intended.¡± Eve glowered at him, but he was undeterred. Was she getting less scary? Or were Jon and Ezra simply too enthusiastic and earnest to be dissuaded by it? Eve didn¡¯t like either option.


    Jon continued, ¡°My point is, if you went into your attempts to communicate believing they would fail, it¡¯s possible you made them fail. Chelsea appears to be more than capable of communicating outside of this specific instance. So the question is, why can¡¯t she now?¡±


    ¡°How would I do that?¡± she asked, pursing her lips.


    ¡°Good question,¡± Ezra said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this kind of thing.¡±


    Jon rubbed his hands together and grinned at them, warming to his subject. ¡°It¡¯s all about power and perception. We know ghosts can manifest in places that were powerful to them, but they can also manifest in places that are spiritually significant in a general sense. Churches, beautiful or frightening landscapes, mountain peaks, temples, henges, ley lines. Any place that makes people feel. Because what makes those places powerful is the collective belief that they are.¡±


    Eve straightened. ¡°You¡¯re saying that public perception of something as powerful makes it so? Sounds fake, but okay.¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡± Jon asked. He smiled slightly at her. ¡°It makes sense to me; it¡¯s the power people give to those places that make them significant. If no one cared about them, they wouldn¡¯t be powerful.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Eve said. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that¡¯s true and real. What does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, Eve, you¡¯re a witch¡ª¡°


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡ªso you¡¯re more able to influence that perception. If you believe something strongly enough, it becomes more true. Also, yes.¡± He grinned wider as she scowled at him. ¡°If you were able to bind Chelsea¡¯s spirit to you, you¡¯re a witch.¡±


    ¡°Eve can make things happen just by believing they will?¡± Ezra said. He¡¯d pulled out his notebook and was writing furiously in it. Jon nodded, and Eve sighed and crossed her arms.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± she said.


    ¡°It makes sense, though,¡± Ezra said, shrugging. ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve seen Chelsea do, she should¡¯ve been able to move the planchette on the spirit board. But if you believed strongly enough that it was BS, then it makes sense that she wouldn¡¯t have been able to.¡±


    ¡°Especially since you¡¯re her main power source,¡± Jon added, nodding. Eve sucked on her teeth and said nothing. ¡°We should try again,¡± Jon continued, ¡°and maybe Eve could try to not sabotage it with her extremely powerful brain?¡±


    She made a face at him and then half-nodded. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll believe super hard that it will work.¡±


    Jon beamed at her and Ezra. ¡°Great! Then we should try it tonight. I still need to compile the data we got from last night and work on condensing it, so I might even have more info by then.¡±


    Ezra grimaced. ¡°I think, as long as we don¡¯t go too late, I can do that? I usually get to work pretty early in the mornings.¡±


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    ¡°Right,¡± Eve said. ¡°It¡¯s Monday tomorrow.¡± She blinked and stretched, tension lifting from her neck. ¡°I suppose I can put off my totally-real actual-magic orders until later in the day so we can hold a proper seance.¡± She shuddered dramatically despite the heat of the sun. ¡°I¡¯m going to barf if I have to keep saying this shit.¡± Hopping down from the hood of her car, she dug the keys out of her pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s meet back up at my place tonight then?¡±


    ***


    Eve sat at her desk and stared at her notes, comparing them to the photographs she¡¯d taken of the henge runes that afternoon. After dropping Ezra off in town, she¡¯d gone back to the parkand copied down the runes again. She¡¯d made extra sure not to touch any of the stones and tried to ignore the buzzy feeling running up her body while she worked. Now, she ignored the creeping chill that had become part of her every day. She couldn¡¯t concentrate on translating when she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about ghosts, and witches, and henge runes. She stood and paced through the apartment. The cold trailed along behind her like a pet.


    Eve stopped on the spot Chelsea had dropped the sheet and stared down at the floor. There was nothing there. No stain, no markings, no creepy feeling. Nothing at all to suggest that Chelsea¡¯s killer had stood there, too. It was colder, though¡ªlike walking through a patch of freezer.


    A knock on the door startled her, and she yanked it open so fast that Ezra jumped.


    ¡°Ah, hi,¡± he said. ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± He clasped his hands in front of him and squeezed them together. He¡¯d clipped back the floppy hair that normally covered nearly half of his face.


    ¡°This is literally when we agreed to meet up,¡± Eve said, stepping out of the way so he could come in. ¡°I was just¡ª¡° she glanced down at the spot and cut herself off. ¡°Anyway, come in.¡±


    Ezra nodded and toed his sneakers off next to the door. He also glanced at the spot, and then looked back at Eve.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked.


    Eve waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, either.¡±


    Ezra sucked in a breath, his mouth a serious line and his hands tangling tighter together.


    ¡°Yes. I need to find out who killed Chelsea,¡± he said. He looked down at the spot again. ¡°If it was Kyle, then I need to make sure he¡¯s punished.¡± He paused and looked around the apartment. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t, then¡­then I need to get justice for her, no matter what that means.¡±


    Eve eyed him and pursed her lips. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    They set up almost the same as they had the first time, though this time Ezra made himself an herbal tea while he lit the candles and Eve dug the spirit board out. When she emerged from her room, Jon was leaning a hip into her kitchen counter and looking extremely cool about it. Ezra was cornered by the fridge, clutching his yellow mug with both hands like a shield. Jon leaned in and laughed at something Ezra said as Eve stepped out of the hallway. She cleared her throat.


    Ezra jumped, nearly spilling tea on his hands, and the shy smile that had been occupying his mouth faded slightly as he worked his way around Jon and over to the table. Eve stepped over to the fridge and pulled out an energy drink. Jon sighed, gaze following Ezra for a moment.


    Ezra eyed Eve as she cracked the can open, and she scowled at him. ¡°What? Your ghost friend is sucking me dry. I¡¯m gonna pass out if I don¡¯t drink something caffeinated.¡± Smoke and heat from the candles rose through the still air, and the light and shadows shifted in and out of each other.


    He grimaced. ¡°Ah, fair point. Sorry, I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for things that aren¡¯t your fault.¡± Eve turned to Jon. ¡°You find anything interesting today?¡±


    Jon shook his head. ¡°The spirit box and voice recorder didn¡¯t catch anything, and the rest of the data supported what we saw on camera.¡±


    ¡°What can we expect from Chelsea tonight?¡± Ezra asked. He seemed to have recovered his standard journalistic curiosity, though he avoided looking at Jon for longer than precisely one millisecond.


    ¡°As long as no one blocks her from using the spirit board,¡± Jon said, glancing significantly at Eve, ¡°we should get some responses. She might give us a clue about what she wants or needs to move on. She might give us a look at her mental state. Spirits can often get stuck in the emotions they were feeling at the time of their death, so that could help us determine who her killer is.¡±


    ¡°Maybe give us his full name and address?¡± Eve said, half joking and half hopeful. It would certainly make things easier.


    Jon laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not outside the realm of possibility, as long as she knew her killer.¡± The candles flared for a brief moment, and Jon raised his eyebrows. ¡°Looks like she¡¯s ready,¡± he said. ¡°What about you two?¡±


    Ezra swallowed and nodded once, determination firm on his face. ¡°Ready.¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Jon smiled at her as he flipped off the lights, and they were left in warm, flickering candlelight. ¡°All you have to do is put your fingers on the planchette and believe.¡±


    Eve rolled her eyes, but sat in one of the chairs and obediently put her fingers on one edge of the stupid little triangle. As she leaned closer, a light, cold weight rested on Eve¡¯s fingertips, and the planchette moved quickly around the board. Eve¡¯s fingers slipped off and she stared at the planchette, now still.


    Ezra and Jon hurried to take their seats and touch the planchette.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Jon said. ¡°We haven¡¯t even invited her to talk to us yet.¡± He grinned in excitement and glanced at Eve. ¡°Now are you freaked out?¡± he asked.


    Eve scowled and shook her head, reaching out to press the fingers of her hand into the space they¡¯d left open for her. As soon as she did, the planchette began to vibrate and jiggle slightly in place.


    ¡°Chelsea Horton, will you speak to us?¡± Jon asked. The planchette moved slowly over to the YES, and stayed there.


    ¡°Chelsea,¡± Ezra said softly, hesitantly. It sounded like the start of a prayer. He cleared his throat and blinked several times. ¡°Can you tell us anything about what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°B E T R A Y E D,¡± the planchette slowly spelled out. Ezra sucked in a wobbly breath and his face dropped. He swallowed like something was stuck in his throat.


    Eve and Jon glanced curiously at him, but he stared down at the board like it might bite him.


    ¡°What do you need to move on?¡± Eve asked impatiently.


    ¡°J U S T I C E,¡± the planchette spelled out, moving fretfully beneath their hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s super helpful, babe, thanks,¡± Eve said. The board and planchette flew off of the table, landing on the ground with a wooden thud.


    ¡°You could try being nice to her,¡± Ezra said after clearing his throat. ¡°She did kind of suffer a horrible death recently.¡±


    ¡°Literally no one has ever thought the word ¡®nice¡¯ about me.¡± Eve crossed her arms and glared at him. ¡°If she wanted nice, she chose the wrong person to haunt.¡±


    ¡°This is her apartment!¡± Ezra said, crossing his arms right back at her. ¡°She didn¡¯t choose you; you just happened to be here, and you gave her your energy.¡±


    ¡°Not on purpose!¡± Eve uncrossed her legs, feet hitting the floor with a loud smack.


    He shook his head and sat back. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°You are trying to help her, I know.¡± Eve¡¯s glare relented to moderate levels. ¡°I just¡­ Can you imagine what it must be like?¡±


    Eve looked off to the side and frowned at the air. ¡°Yeah. It would fucking suck. Which is part of why I offered to help her. I didn¡¯t offer to be nice at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jon said with a perky, placating grin as he picked up the planchette. ¡°We can try again,¡± he said, ¡°or we can call that good. ¡®Justice¡¯ makes sense¡ªshe wants her killer found and punished. And ¡®betrayed¡¯ almost certainly means her boyfriend. It would have to be someone close to her.¡±


    Ezra choked on the sip of tea he¡¯d just taken and coughed as Eve and Jon looked at him.


    ¡°Are you good?¡± Eve asked, and Ezra nodded. She narrowed her eyes but left it alone. ¡°Justice,¡± she said. ¡°So what, we¡¯re supposed to find her killer? ¡®Oh Eve, while you¡¯re hosting me and so graciously giving me all your energy, could you do me another teensy favor and solve my murder; you know, the one the cops couldn¡¯t figure out?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jon said, drawing the ¡¯n¡¯ out long. ¡°You¡¯re a witch, Ezra is a journalist, I¡¯m a paranormal investigator. The three of us can definitely solve the case!¡±


    Ezra nodded once and set his mug down. ¡°For Chelsea,¡± he said. He looked at Eve, making an uncomfortable amount of eye contact. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°For Chelsea,¡± Jon echoed, clapping one hand on Ezra¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Eve said. ¡°For Chelsea, so she can get off my ass.¡±


    Jon cheered, and Ezra shook his head, giving her a resigned smile. ¡°Close enough.¡±

 Chapter 15: Steamed Cauliflower

    Eve pressed her hands into her eyes and groaned quietly. Even with the smell of hot, sweet coffee and lemony cleaner in her nose, she was exhausted. WaffleHenge was starting to fill up with old people for the weekday lunch rush, and the hum and clatter created a pleasant distraction from the dancing runes behind her eyes and the headache she¡¯d had since Harvey had woken her up at dawn.


    This henge rune translation was not making any sense. Eve¡¯s notes were still on the page in front of her, thank god, but nothing in them mentioned anything about ghosts or spirits or binding. It read like some kind of sermon, talking about God and Judgement and shit like that. It was weirdly Christian, for a pagan henge.


    She sighed and looked at her phone. It was almost lunch, and the guys had agreed the night before to meet up at the diner for the next planning session. After they¡¯d left, and Eve was alone with Harvey and Chelsea, she¡¯d thought about what Jon had said¡ªif, and it was a big if, she had bound Chelsea¡¯s spirit to herself via some kind of spell, it would¡¯ve had to have been in the henge runes. And that meant she needed to translate them.


    She slapped the notebook shut and blew air out of her mouth. Stupid runes were pissing her off.


    Jon was there, anyway, walking in like he had a gently-blowing breeze and perfectly angled lighting on command. He beamed at Eve and sat down across from her. He was wearing plaid today, going for a rugged woodsman variation to his normal look. The seat creaked as he settled in.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked, gesturing to her notebook. ¡°Spells? Curses?¡± He grinned.


    Eve frowned, the furrow between her eyebrows feeling like a permanent feature. ¡°I¡¯m trying to translate the henge runes I copied the other day.¡±


    Jon¡¯s eyebrows lifted. ¡°The ghost ones?¡±


    ¡°The ones you think might have bound Chelsea to me. But I¡¯m not getting anywhere.¡± She shoved the notebook into her open backpack and zipped it closed. ¡°What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some hiking while you and Ezra are busy.¡± Jon stretched and gestured to his bag. ¡°Now that the data from the other night is all compiled, I don¡¯t have much to do during the day.¡±


    The door¡¯s bell jingled, and Ezra strode in with the confidence being in a hurry brings. He sat down next to Jon and barely glanced at him. He had on his press badge still and tugged it off, catching slightly on the fucking bowtie tied around his neck. Eve held her breath to keep from saying something that would hurt his feelings about his fucking bowtie and watched instead as he pulled out his notepad.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Jon said, leaning in on one elbow and smiling at him. ¡°You look nice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ezra said, touching the fucking bowtie. There, at last, was a hint of the normal Ezra¡ªhe laughed nervously. ¡°How are you guys? Sorry to be late; I didn¡¯t see Eve¡¯s text until a bit ago.¡±


    Eve waved the apology away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Annoyed, but fine.¡±


    ¡°So pretty different than normal?¡± Jon said, smiling brightly at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll curse you,¡± Eve said, narrowing her eyes. Jon just laughed, and Eve allowed a tiny upward tilt to show on her mouth.


    Ezra laughed softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he looked at her. Then he straightened and opened his notepad. ¡°I don¡¯t have a long lunch break, so we should get to work,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s go over everything we know so far. Chelsea used the word ¡®betrayed¡¯ in reference to her death, which we believe means she was murdered. Kyle, our primary suspect, seemed to know that Chelsea had been bitten when he shouldn¡¯t have. The police initially removed him from suspicion after a suspiciously short talk. The police have no other suspects, as both her parents had alibis and they don¡¯t know of anyone else with a motive.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Eve asked, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear them. The din of forks clattering and scraping against ceramic was loud enough to drown out their discussion, and Donna was too busy with the rush to lurk.


    Eve was pretty sure Ezra the vegetarian was the type to gently escort bugs outside rather than kill them and figured he was about as likely to murder someone as a particularly ornery toddler, but she was curious. He¡¯d said it could¡¯ve been him or Kyle in Chelsea¡¯s apartment at 3 AM.


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    His pen froze, and he blinked hard at his notepad. He did not look up at Eve or Jon. ¡°I was never questioned by the police,¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Eve said. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ezra scribbled something quickly in his notes and then looked up. A thick ray of sunlight broke through the cloud cover and shone into his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have an alibi, though, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I was alone at home that night.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t with your girlfriend or anything?¡± Jon asked.


    Eve rolled her eyes. ¡°Subtle,¡± she murmured.


    Ezra looked down. He shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Jon tilted his head and leaned in slightly. Ezra sputtered and coughed, shaking his head quickly. Jon smiled at him and Eve.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, we know it was Kyle,¡± he said. ¡°I mean, that comment about bite wounds on the body¡­¡± he made a face. ¡°Being alone that night doesn¡¯t make you a suspect.¡±


    Ezra smiled tightly. ¡°Yeah.¡± He flipped through his notepad again. He cleared his throat. ¡°Ah. So. We should decide what to pursue next.¡±


    ¡°If you were working on a story,¡± Eve said, ¡°what would you do?¡±


    Ezra seemed to relax on familiar ground and took a breath. ¡°We suspect Kyle, but the police don¡¯t.¡± He looked off in thought. ¡°I¡¯d try to figure out what he said to them. Did he give an alibi? Is he bribing the police? How is he getting away with that? Getting the medical examiner¡¯s report on the body would be helpful, though we almost certainly won¡¯t be able to. If the bites on her are animal, that kind of rules Kyle out.¡±


    ¡°But if they¡¯re human,¡± Eve said, ¡°which they totally are, then we can assume that he did that to support his bonkers defensive strategy of claiming a werewolf killed his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Unless Kyle is the werewolf,¡± Jon said, cupping his chin.


    Eve sighed. ¡°Or, crazy thought, there is no werewolf.¡±


    Ezra took a deep breath. ¡°I have reason to believe that there is, um, at least one werewolf in Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, how many times are we going to do this? Werewolves do not exist.¡±


    ¡°Yes they do,¡± Ezra said. It was one of the most confident things he¡¯d said the entire time she¡¯d known him.


    ¡°They definitely do,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°Agree to disagree, I guess.¡± Eve pressed her lips together.


    ¡°You bound a ghost to yourself with magic,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°Allegedly.¡±


    ¡°Ghosts.¡± Ezra said.


    Eve threw up her hands and then crossed her arms. ¡°I guess. How do you even find out if someone is a werewolf? Do you have any leads?¡± she asked Ezra. He fidgeted and shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost the full moon,¡± Jon said. ¡°That¡¯s the perfect time to investigate a werewolf.¡±


    Ezra startled, dropping his notepad into his lap. He laughed a little as he picked it back up. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? It seems dangerous¡ª¡°


    The door of the diner jingled as someone walked in, and Ezra¡¯s eyes went wide. Eve glanced back. Kyle stared at the three of them with a stupid smirk on his face. His hair was styled into ridiculous height and looked like it might collapse if someone breathed on it. He strode over to their booth like he was doing them a favor, and Eve could already feel her hackles rising.


    ¡°I heard you all were helping the police investigate Chelsea¡¯s death,¡± he said when he reached their table. Jon¡¯s face went from friendly to flirty with a speed that might have been comical if it hadn¡¯t involved Kyle, who was starting to be a massive pain in Eve¡¯s ass.


    ¡°Have a seat, handsome,¡± Jon said, winking. Eve mouthed ¡°the fuck?¡± at him, but his gaze remained glued to Kyle.


    ¡°Thank you, I will,¡± Kyle said, sitting in the spot next to Eve. Ezra stared wide-eyed and silent at him, worse than he¡¯d ever been around Jon or Father Thomas. ¡°Have you figured anything out yet?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Eve said. She didn¡¯t know why the guys were drooling over an average-looking fuckboy, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to sit there and let it happen.


    ¡°Yes. I want to know what information you¡¯ve come across,¡± he said, smiling at her. The smile thinned as she glared at him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ezra said, swallowing. ¡°Anything you want.¡±


    ¡°How sweet of you to help me,¡± Kyle said, reaching out to touch Ezra¡¯s hand. Jon glanced at their hands, envy plain on his face.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t telling you anything. Don¡¯t fall for that,¡± Eve said. ¡°He¡¯s not that hot, I promise.¡± Jon and Ezra blinked, looking confused.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Kyle said. He tilted his head and looked at her. Looked to see her, rather than to catch her attention. ¡°You should apologize.¡± He stared straight into her eyes. There was something odd about his eyes that resisted being seen. Like heat waves or the floaties in her eye¡ªit moved when she looked for it.


    ¡°I absolutely will not,¡± Eve said, staring right back. ¡°You should fuck off, you creepy bastard.¡±


    Kyle recoiled.


    Jon shook his head a little. ¡°Wait, what?¡± he said. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°This is Kyle, the weirdo.¡± Eve leaned toward him, poking a finger at his chest. ¡°But none of us are interested in his bullshit, are we? So he should go away.¡± Kyle winced and squinted at her. Ezra sucked in a breath and pressed his back into the booth cushion, leaning away from Kyle.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± Kyle started to say, and Eve was done.


    ¡°Listen, you nasty-ass, steamed cauliflower bitch,¡± she said. ¡°I know that¡¯s difficult with your scrambled egg brain, but we want you to leave. Your white-bread, D-tier romance lead face is annoying, so fuck off.¡± Kyle sagged back against the vinyl seat and brought a hand up to his chest, struggling to breathe. Without another word, he scrambled out of the booth and left the restaurant, the door slamming behind him.

 Chapter 16: Seeking Supernatural Sources

    Eve glared at the door and Kyle¡¯s retreating back. She felt drained, like when Chelsea was manifesting. Like she¡¯d just spent the last eight hours studying one of the more annoying dead languages and her brain felt like a squeezed out lemon. Something in her head throbbed in time with her pulse, and she pressed her hand to her forehead. Right in the center, where it ached.


    Jon looked around the diner, blinking slowly. ¡°That seemed harsh,¡± he said. His voice was slow and thick, almost drunken. Ezra sat beside him, eyes wide and stunned, swaying ever so slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not normally, like, nice to people who probably killed their girlfriend,¡± Eve said. The venom in her voice was half for him, half for Kyle.


    He blinked again and nodded. After a second he asked, ¡°What happened just now?¡±


    Eve glanced between him and Ezra, a quiet twist of worry in her stomach. ¡°Kyle came in and tried to figure out how much we knew,¡± she said. ¡°You two were all over him.¡± Ezra was still staring into space, and Eve turned her attention to him. ¡°For someone who doesn¡¯t like the guy, you sure acted like you liked him.¡±


    Ezra frowned and looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡± He stared at his hand on the table, the one Kyle had touched.


    Eve slouched back against the cushion, her head heavy. ¡°Something weird is going on. You were both acting like¡­¡± she stopped, remembering the barista at Blackwater, so totally focused on Kyle that she¡¯d spilled hot coffee on her hand and not cared. ¡°He did this before,¡± she said. ¡°When he talked to me the other day, the barista at Blackwater was acting exactly like you two. She wouldn¡¯t look at me, barely spoke to me, she only cared about Kyle. He told her to give me a free coffee and she did.¡±


    Jon frowned, his face and voice clearing. ¡°I want to say I wasn¡¯t going to tell him anything. But I was, and I don¡¯t remember why.¡±


    Ezra nodded and finally looked at Eve. ¡°I have never liked him. He¡¯s ignored me every time I¡¯ve met him, and he walks around like an entitled jerk.¡± He cleared his throat and rubbed his shoulder where it met his chest. ¡°But that didn¡¯t seem important anymore.¡± There was a pause filled with the chatter and clink of the rest of the diner. ¡°You really called him a steamed-cauliflower b-word.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly plan out a roast for him; I had to improvise,¡± Eve said. ¡°More importantly, Kyle is obviously more involved than he¡¯s pretending to be.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably not a werewolf,¡± said Jon. He rubbed his thumb along the top of his water glass, making a high ringing sound that poked and scratched at Eve¡¯s tired brain. She clenched her jaw.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Ezra¡¯s hands had moved to grip the edge of the table.


    ¡°Werewolves, as far as I¡¯m aware, don¡¯t have notable powers of persuasion.¡± Jon cupped his chin and sat back. ¡°Maybe a vampire?¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of summer. If someone was a vampire, they¡¯d be hibernating right now. Also, vampires aren¡¯t real. Maybe he¡¯s just a normal dude with some kind of hypnosis training.¡±


    ¡°Hypnosis doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Jon said. ¡°And vampires are as real as werewolves.¡±


    ¡°Glad we can agree on that,¡± Eve said, crossing her arms. ¡°Whatever Kyle¡¯s doing must be why the police ignored him as a suspect,¡± she said, frowning.


    Ezra slowly shook his head, not in answer to her question. ¡°What did he do to us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something else we should look into,¡± Jon said. ¡°What is Kyle, exactly, and what is he doing? And, is there also a murderous werewolf running around?¡±


    Ezra swallowed. Eve rolled her eyes.


    ¡°We could do some research,¡± Ezra said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we could find plenty of sources about supernatural beings, if that is what he is.¡± Eve stared out the window at the cloudy sky. She knew where they could get quite a lot of information about supernatural beings, but that would involve Professors Donnelly.


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    Eve imagined how incredibly annoying her parents would be with Jon and Ezra and shuddered. Still, if it would get Chelsea and Kyle off her ass, it was probably worth it.


    ¡°I might know a couple of the folklore professors at Raven Falls College who could help identify whatever Kyle is,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool,¡± Jon said. He straightened up. ¡°Can you introduce me? Raven Falls has such a great folklore program, if I hadn¡¯t gone into philosophy I would¡¯ve loved to join it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like an hour away, we don¡¯t wanna have to drive that far, right?¡± Eve said. Visions of her father and Jon enthusiastically talking about some paranormal bullshit plagued her.


    ¡°That¡¯s not that far,¡± Ezra said. ¡°I¡¯ve driven farther for a story.¡±


    Eve sighed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll set it up for tomorrow if that works for you?¡±


    ¡°I have nothing else going on, so I¡¯m happy with anything,¡± Jon said.


    Ezra thought about it for a second. ¡°As long as it¡¯s after noon, that should be fine.¡±


    They finished up eating and left WaffleHenge, stopping outside near a postbox.


    Eve pulled out her phone and made sure neither of them could see her screen as she picked ¡®Dad¡¯ from her favorites and called him.


    The phone rang, and she looked around, never lingering on anything long. ¡°Hi peanut,¡± her dad answered.


    ¡°Hey, I have a question for you,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of about my ghost problem?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I have some help uh, investigating, and we need to know more about ¡ª¡° she sighed heavily¡ª¡°various supernatural creatures.¡± Her dad made a noise of agreement, and she continued. ¡°Do you have some time tomorrow to talk about it? Office hours or something?¡±


    ¡°You want to meet on campus? I don¡¯t have any classes after 3.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Eve said. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay Sunflower, I love you.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Hanging up, Eve turned back around. Jon and Ezra were looking at her. She tried not to look like she had a secret.


    ¡°Are you a student?¡± Jon asked.


    Eve shook her head. ¡°I used to be.¡± Ezra turned his focus on her, and she did her best to move the conversation away from herself. ¡°Anyway, the professor said he¡¯d be fine with us dropping in tomorrow. Figure out what you want to ask, and meet me at my apartment at 1 tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Jon said. ¡°Will you send me your translation of the henge runes? Maybe I can find out more about what is binding Chelsea to you.¡±


    Eve nodded once.


    Ezra nodded, too, though he was more absent about it. He¡¯d pulled out his notepad and was making quick notes. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll come up with some questions. See you then.¡±


    ¡°I need to go back to the henge.¡± Eve sighed and rubbed her face. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a pain in the ass trying to figure out what the fuck those runes say, and I need to make sure I get the whole text. Hope I don¡¯t get taken by the fairies or something this time,¡± she said. Jon laughed, and Ezra looked torn between amusement and concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± he said. ¡°What if you did?¡±


    ¡°Then the fairies would have to deal with my bullshit instead of you.¡± Eve stared calmly at him. Jon laughed harder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that either!¡± Ezra looked appalled.


    Eve smiled. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and waved to the guys as they split off in different directions.


    ***


    The desk fan blew tepid night air into Eve¡¯s sweaty face, and she half-wished Chelsea would come bother her, if only for the free air conditioning. She sat at her desk, knees up to her chin, as she focused on the transcribed runes. They¡¯d stayed firmly on the paper this time, so she didn¡¯t even need the pictures she¡¯d taken. Harvey snored behind her computer as she scoured the internet for pre-Christian henge runes to compare her notes to.


    ¡°This is stupid,¡± she said to Harvey. He cracked one orange eye open. She was on page 3 of the search results and had found one paper by an Associate Professor Murphy, published in some obscure journal with a paywall. ¡°Why is nobody studying this? There¡¯s only one occult nerd out there interested?¡± She reached out to scritch under Harvey¡¯s chin.


    Eve emailed Murphy, who responded to her in minutes with a copy of the paper and an excess of gratitude for her interest, and got to reading.


    And, despite the bloated, rigid academic style, Eve could appreciate the core of Murphy¡¯s work. They guessed that the majority of the words hadn¡¯t been redefined, only the words Christian monks would take issue with. Murphy spent a fair amount of time explaining the historical and religious context, which Eve didn¡¯t give a shit about, but they also singled out specific words they suspected had been altered. Eve skimmed the paper for those words, writing them down in her notebook along with what Murphy theorized were the original definitions.


    By midnight, she¡¯d found the sources Murphy had used in their paper¡ªspecifically, the pre-Christian henge runes translated into other languages than English¡ªand started a working dictionary to translate the altered words. She stood, Harvey jumping down to follow, and stepped over to the kitchen. As she pulled another energy drink from the fridge, she thought of Jon¡¯s video, of the weighted sheet. She imagined being awake when Chelsea¡¯s invisible body was dragged out into the living room. She put the drink back into the fridge.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± she said to the air. The living room lights flicked off as she stepped into the hallway, Harvey padding quietly behind.

 Chapter 17: Fuck Magic (it was magic the whole time)

    It was the next day, and despite the open windows and the resident ghost, Eve was hot as hell and twice as mad. The air in the apartment was stifling and seemed to seethe along with Eve as she worked on her henge rune translation and got progressively angrier.


    At a knock on the door, she slammed her notebook shut on the stupid runes and their stupid meanings, shooed at the air where a cold and questioning presence lingered, and opened the door with a rough yank.


    Jon blinked at her, fist raised to knock again, and gave her a blinding smile. ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°These goddamned runes are ruining my life,¡± she said, stalking back to her desk. Harvey luxuriated in a sunbeam by the french doors, pretending neither of them existed.


    Jon closed the door behind him and dropped his bag nearby. ¡°Need to talk it out?¡±


    The translation was like a half-finished jigsaw puzzle. The edge pieces were all in place, and the shape of the image was there, but there were large holes that Eve had been working her way into from the sides. Like the word she¡¯d always thought meant something like ¡°the power of god.¡± According to Murphy, the real meaning was power of the magic, non-godly variety. And that word, ¡°Magic,¡± was sprinkled all over the North Henge runes she¡¯d copied down her first night in Blackwood.


    ¡°Fuck magic,¡± Eve muttered. She tapped her pencil against the edge of her desk and glared at her notebook. Jon paused by the door and looked at her.


    ¡°Is that a curse, an intention, or a category?¡± he asked as he came to sit on the couch.


    Eve snorted and twisted in her chair to look at him. ¡°Curse,¡± she said. ¡°The henge might have magic spells written on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh,¡± Jon said. ¡°The stones are powerful gates between the living and the dead.¡± A Chelsea-shaped breeze brushed Eve¡¯s bare shoulders.


    Eve stared at Jonfor a second before giving in. ¡°Apparently. Anyway, if this,¡± she tapped on a rune that had the suggestion of spiraling about it, ¡°means what I think it means, we can conclusively blame this on magic.¡±


    Jon raised his eyebrows at her like he¡¯d known it was magic the whole time. Which, he had, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Ezra¡¯s hesitant knock saved Eve from having to respond to Jon¡¯s¡ªperhaps justified¡ªsmug look.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Eve called. Ezra slowly opened the door and peeked around it. When Eve beckoned him in, he stepped inside. His sweater vest was dark blue this time, and his face was pinched and nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t you get hot in those?¡± Eve asked. She crossed her arms over her dark blue tank top. How the hell did they keep ending up matching?


    Ezra rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Haha,¡± he said, ¡°sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Are you two ready to go, then?¡± Eve asked. ¡°We¡¯ll get in, get out, be back here before anybody starts giving a lecture about fairy law or something.¡±


    Jon laughed from his spot on the couch. ¡°Cool, I¡¯ve always wanted to learn about fairy law.¡±


    Eve shoved the notebook of terrible runes into her bag and rubbed Harvey¡¯s sun-warmed, exposed belly before grabbing an energy drink out of the fridge.


    ¡°How do you have kidneys still?¡± Ezra asked


    Eve cracked the can open with a satisfying hiss. ¡°This is what kidneys are for,¡± she said. She ushered the guys out in front of her and called out as she shut the door, ¡°Bye Harvey. Bye Chelsea.¡±


    They emerged from the building in the alley, the air thick and smelling like someone had stuffed a rotting fish and some bird poop into the dumpster. Eve¡¯s car was parked in the alley that ran behind the row of stores, next to Pearson¡¯s truck.


    Ezra went to take the front seat, then looked back at Jon. ¡°Do you want the front seat?¡±


    Jon waved his hand. ¡°No, you take it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t mind sitting in the backseat?¡± The two of them looked earnestly at each other, locked in a battle of politeness.


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    Eve snickered from the driver¡¯s seat, almost-cold air blowing into her face from the A/C. ¡°Whoever sits in front has to navigate and do my bidding unquestioningly.¡± Jon and Ezra looked at her and then back at each other. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Jon take shotgun because you¡¯re taller.¡±


    They were taking Route 23 north, Blackwater Lake shining beside them. The pines were dark, thick green against the sky, so bright and cloudless it hurt to look at. And there Eve was, trapped in a car with two of the biggest nerds she¡¯d ever known and almost-working air conditioning. They were probably going to want to talk and make friends some more. Ugh.


    The sweet silence lasted all of the thirty seconds it took Eve to pull onto the road.


    ¡°Did you go to Raven Falls College, Ezra?¡± Jon asked. He turned his head to look as they passed a couple wearing full hiking gear and holding a book with a picture of a henge on the cover.


    Ezra¡¯s bouncing knee stopped for a second, then bounced faster. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°Lakeside University has a better Journalism department, so I went there.¡±


    ¡°Journalism? That¡¯s so cool.¡± Jon turned halfway around in his seat so he could see both Eve and Ezra. Ezra looked down and tried to suppress his smile. ¡°What about you?¡± Jon asked Eve.


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°You said you used to be a student?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. An expectant silence filled the car. She could feel Jon and Ezra looking at her. She stared out the windshield at the hot, black road and still pines while they waited, and the silence grew fingers and started poking uncomfortably.


    ¡°I was for a year,¡± Eve continued. ¡°And I figured out it¡¯s a scam. I don¡¯t need a linguistics degree to do what I want.¡± How much did she want them to know? She usually didn¡¯t volunteer information like that, but here she was. Making friends.


    She didn¡¯t know what would happen once they solved the ghost problem. Jon didn¡¯t live in Blackwood, and why would Ezra want to hang out with her if he wasn¡¯t helping his actual friend get justice?


    She frowned. It was stupid. She hadn¡¯t come to Blackwood to make friends. She¡¯d moved there for the exact opposite reason. And that was why she¡¯d asked Ezra for help in the first place¡ªshe wanted to be left alone, not stuck with a roommate and her mega-nerd friend.


    ¡°Linguistics?¡± Ezra said. ¡°I would¡¯ve assumed folklore since you seem to know this professor pretty well.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips, already regretting what she¡¯d said. ¡°Nope, I was never into folklore. Why journalism?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ezra said, eloquently. He fidgeted a little. ¡°I used to want to work for The Herald and report on the really important stories, the kind of stories that change peoples¡¯ lives.¡± He paused. And yet here he was, writing pointless gossip for a shitty little local paper. The words sat on the tip of Eve¡¯s tongue. She looked at Ezra in the rearview mirror and swallowed them. Ezra blinked a little and then straightened up. ¡°Local news is a good place to build up some experience. It gives me time to work on my own investigations,¡± he said, smiling at Eve and Jon.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Jon said. ¡°This is more fun with good company.¡± Ezra flushed and looked down, his hair sliding over his face.


    Eve snorted. ¡°Your standards are too low.¡±


    ¡°Is this a bat?¡± Ezra asked, reaching down into the depths of the car. Jon, who¡¯d been about to argue with Eve, stopped and turned to see. Eve bristled. Ezra pulled the softball bat out from under Jon¡¯s seat.


    ¡°You play?¡± Jon asked. He was much too interested now¡ªhe¡¯d found enough of a glimmer to start digging.


    Shrugging, Eve kept her eyes on the road. ¡°I was on the softball team in high school,¡± she said, looking away. ¡°Now I have it in case someone tries to fuck with me.¡± Ezra made a face and held it further away from his body.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Jon said, reaching back to tap on it. ¡°Aluminum?¡±


    ¡°Ya.¡± Eve sniffed. Her hesitation to share any information about herself was fading the longer she spent with these two. As much as she wasn¡¯t looking for friends or anything like that, Ezra and Jon seemed chill. And for some stupid reason, she liked them both, even though she barely knew them. They seemed¡­good, in a way she couldn¡¯t pin down.


    Ezra looked at Eve closely, like he was studying her, and she scowled at him in the mirror.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have pegged you for a sporty type,¡± he said, tilting his head slightly.


    Jon gripped the bat between Ezra¡¯s hands and smiled. ¡°You could fuck someone up pretty well with that,¡± he said, sounding more impressed than concerned.Eve raised her eyebrows briefly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m not.¡± She glanced at Ezra. ¡°I just played to pad out my college applications. But it turns out I like hitting shit with a bat, so I ended up doing it for all four years.¡±


    Jon laughed and Ezra looked like he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to be intimidated or amused. He settled for an only-slightly nervous chuckle.


    ¡°Very glad you decided you wanted to work with me,¡± he said, ¡°instead of hit me.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips. ¡°I prefer verbal assaults to physical.¡±


    ¡°You did call me Groutfit that one time,¡± Ezra said, giggling. He didn¡¯t seem like the giggling type, but there it was. Jon looked at Ezra, a soft smile slowly growing on his face, then glanced over at Eve.


    ¡°Groutfit?¡±


    ¡°Can we get over the groutfit?¡± Eve said. ¡°I called you Groutfit because you were wearing all gray and annoying me. You¡¯re less annoying now, so¡­¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°Less annoying?¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°Literally everyone is annoying, don¡¯t take it personally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been annoying in my life!¡± Jon loudly declared, pressing a dramatic hand to his chest and flinging the other into the back seat. He winked at Ezra, and then at Eve.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she said, smiling. The drive passed quickly after that.

 Chapter 18: Sunflower

    ¡°So this is Raven Falls,¡± Jon said as Eve led him and Ezra through the tree-shaded campus. The usual crowds of students moving like ants were gone, leaving only the occasional summer-term student and the landscapers to drift along the winding brick pathways. Summer was Eve¡¯s favorite time at Raven Falls because she didn¡¯t have to wade through randoms to get anywhere. The wild roses sprawling across the grounds were alright, too.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice here,¡± said Ezra. He was looking around with his journalist-face on, observing everything. Eve¡¯s upper back itched under the scrutiny, but Ezra kept whatever thoughts he was having to himself.


    Eve hummed, breathing in the smell of grass and rose. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    The Folklore department, and her parents¡¯ offices, were wedged in the basement of the English Literature building. Lush ivy grew up the red brick of the building, clinging close to the windows, and, Eve knew from experience, blocking out most of what light made it into the basement offices. She remembered sitting in her mom¡¯s office, a book in her lap and vending machine snacks in a pile beside her, looking up at that green-tinted light and imagining a tunnel, a path to somewhere else¡ªfairyland, maybe, or maybe just anywhere that wasn¡¯t a stuffy academic¡¯s office.


    The basement was too-bright and as stuffy as ever, and Eve pulled at the neck of her tank top. It was a maze down here, but her parents¡¯ offices hadn¡¯t moved since they¡¯d been hired, so Eve could probably have walked it in her sleep. She stopped at her dad¡¯s dark, wooden door. It had several printed-out memes taped to it, as well as a plaque with his name on it.


    ¡°Listen,¡± she said, spinning to face Ezra and Jon. Ezra quickly shifted his gaze away from Jon and looked guilty, while Jon let his linger on Ezra and looked shameless. ¡°Professor Donnelly is weird but knows his shit. I¡¯m sure he has a lot to do, so let¡¯s just figure out what the fuck is up with Kyle and go.¡±


    Jon protested. ¡°No fair, I want to talk about folklore.¡±


    ¡°Donnelly,¡± Ezra was murmuring, ¡°how do I know that name?¡±


    ¡°Talk to Ez about werewolves on the way back, then.¡± Eve knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± her dad called. Eve pushed the door open, and he looked up from the book he was reading. ¡°Sunflower!¡± he said, beaming at Eve so hard his eyes nearly closed. His hair, the same mousy-brown as Eve¡¯s, was sticking up in different directions from where he¡¯d scratched his head while working. A pen was clamped onto the collar of his t-shirt, but he held a different one in his hand. His office was cluttered with random knickknacks and more printed memes. Papers in haphazard stacks covered the desk, with books acting as precarious paperweights against the swiveling fan in the corner. Smoke from a snail-shaped incense holder gently wafted around the room.


    Eve smiled back at him, making sure Jon and Ezra couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. Her dad came around his desk to hug her and smiled at the guys. ¡°This is Jon Beck and Ezra Park.¡±


    He shook their hands. ¡°Alex Donnelly. Are you two helping my Sunflower with her ghost problem?¡±


    ¡°Professor,¡± she scolded. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Sorry, sweetheart.¡±


    Ezra laughed nervously and pretended to dig through his pockets for his notepad and pen. Jon¡¯s smile tightened a little. He glanced at Eve and narrowed his eyes slightly. Eve ignored them both.


    ¡°Have a seat, have a seat,¡± Alex said, sitting down and gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. ¡°Caroline isn¡¯t teaching a class this term, so hopefully I can answer your questions well enough without her expertise.¡±


    ¡°You know more about supernatural shit than her, anyway,¡± Eve shrugged. ¡°And we need to know what supernatural shit might have persuasion powers.¡± Ezra sat with his notepad on his bony knee, already taking notes.


    Alex looked up as he thought. ¡°Persuasion. Can I assume we¡¯re limiting it to Western European and North American creatures?¡± Eve turned to Ezra and Jon.


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    ¡°Most likely,¡± Jon said. An easy smile stretched his mouth, and he leaned forward to talk. Eve had a sinking feeling that he and her parents were going to get along too well. ¡°It¡¯s located in this area, so it would have to have some cultural consciousness to give it power.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Alex said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°My first thought is vampire, though they don¡¯t have that ability in every iteration.¡±


    ¡°Not a vampire,¡± Eve said. She didn¡¯t look at him, instead looking around his office. He had a few new thrift store decorations, probably ones her mom had deemed ¡®cursed.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s been outside in the sun.¡±


    Alex hummed and steepled his fingers. ¡°Even you¡¯ve seen this being, Eve? That¡¯s new.¡± Eve pursed her lips and looked even further away. ¡°But, sunlight wasn¡¯t fatal for Dracula in the Stoker novel. Have you tried spilling a bag of rice in front of him?¡± He swiveled in his chair and scanned one bookshelf for a moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­think so?¡± Ezra said. He glanced at Eve, tilting his head slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t carry around bags of rice to test for arithmomania,¡± Eve said. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± she said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll table that line of thinking for now.¡± Alex pursed his lips as he grabbed a book with medieval art of a humanoid creature with horns on the cover. ¡°Tell me more about this being. Does he have any interesting defining features?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s extremely boring looking.¡± Eve sniffed. Ezra and Jon looked at her, surprised.


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± Ezra said. ¡°He¡¯s objectively one of the most attractive people in Blackwood.¡±


    Eve gaped at him. She squinted. ¡°What the fuck?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, the one time I saw him, I would not call him boring-looking.¡± Jon raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°He literally looks like a bag of uncooked rice,¡± Eve said. Then she frowned at the looks the guys were giving her.¡°But everyone else does act like he¡¯s hot shit, so maybe I just have better taste than everyone in Blackwood.¡±


    Ezra scribbled something in his notepad and brought the pen to his mouth, nibbling on it as he gave Eve an appraising look.


    Alex glanced between them and brought his hands up to his chin. ¡°Appears attractive to most people, persuasive. Does he react at all to holy symbols?¡± Eve and Jon turned to Ezra, who shrugged. ¡°Did he say a specific phrase? Was it that you suddenly want to do what he wants or was he controlling you physically?¡±


    Jon crossed his arms as he thought, his jacket squeaking as he moved. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to have any kind of activation phrase or spell. It was like I was in a daze¡ªI can barely remember what he said. But he wanted something, and I wanted to make him happy.¡± He glanced at Ezra as if to confirm. Ezra nodded slightly and looked down at his notepad, clearing his throat.


    Alex frowned and met Eve¡¯s eyes. He looked like he wanted to ask her a question, but instead, he looked at her for a moment and gave her a small, encouraging nod. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for sure. He could be some kind of demon, most likely an incubus. And if he¡¯s a fairy, that¡¯s a whole different matter depending on the lore.¡±


    ¡°What about werewolves?¡± Ezra asked. The fan ruffled the pages of his notepad and he smoothed them down, not looking at anyone.


    Eve pressed a hand into her face.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible,¡± Alex said. ¡°Though they¡¯re not known to be especially attractive.¡±


    Ezra frowned a little and then scratched his cheek to push it away.


    ¡°Speaking of werewolves,¡± Eve said, narrowing her eyes at him. She did try not to sound like she thought it was bullshit, but she could only act so well. ¡°How would we know if someone was one? And how would we stop one, if one¡­existed?¡± Ezra and Jon weren¡¯t going to give it a rest until the werewolf problem was dealt with, so she might as well deal with it.


    ¡°The easiest way would be to observe them on the night of the full moon.¡± Alex thought for a second. ¡°They might become more frenzied or wolf-like in the days leading up to it. A transformed werewolf wouldn¡¯t be able to enter hallowed ground; they may not be able to while ¡®human¡¯, either. You could also see if they react to silver or wolfsbane.¡±


    Someone knocked once on the open door and walked in. ¡°If you use wolfsbane, please be very careful, Sunflower,¡± Eve¡¯s mom said, her voice soft.Her floaty, patchwork maxi dress swished around her ankles as she paused and looked at Jon and Ezra. ¡°Oh hello.¡±


    ¡°Light of my life!¡± Alex said, standing and smiling at her, all dopey and lovestruck. Eve scowled and scuffed the toes of her sneakers against the tile floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been more than two weeks since I¡¯ve seen my daughter,¡± she said. Pale hair hung long down her back, moving in the fan¡¯s breeze, and Eve¡¯s neck sweated just looking at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re Eve¡¯s parents,¡± Ezra said, smacking the bottom of his fist into his other palm. ¡°That¡¯s where I know the name Donnelly from.¡±


    Jon blinked and looked between the three of them, recognition dawning with an, ¡°Ohhhhh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, our Sunflower likes to call us Professor on campus so no one will know. I¡¯m Caroline, nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Jon Beck,¡± Jon said, standing and shaking her hand. ¡°I¡¯m a paranormal investigator assisting Eve with her ghost problem.¡±


    Ezra clutched his notepad in one hand and shook Caroline¡¯s in the other. ¡°I¡¯m Ezra Park with the Blackwood Review,¡± he said automatically. Then he blinked. ¡°Ah, sorry, I¡¯m also working with Eve.¡±


    ¡°Sunflower, I didn¡¯t realize your haunting had gotten so serious,¡± Caroline said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Eve snapped. She crossed her arms, fingers digging into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my love.¡± Caroline moved to stand behind Alex¡¯s chair. ¡°But it is your name.¡±

 Chapter 19: One Way to Cure Lycanthropy

    ¡°Sunflower?¡± Jon said, his voice rising into several question marks. He glanced at Ezra and they shared a look.


    Eve clenched her jaw and glared at them. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking call me that.¡± Ezra wouldn¡¯t, he was too nice. But Jon was thinking about it, weighing the pros and cons. After a second, he surrendered, raising his hands. The glint of mischief in his eyes didn¡¯t fade, and Eve knew he hadn¡¯t really let it go.


    ¡°Anyway, as I said: be careful with wolfsbane. Aconitine is a potent poison.¡± Caroline paused. ¡°Or did you want it for poison? ¡±


    Ezra¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°No we don¡¯t want it for poison,¡± Eve said. ¡°We might have a werewolf on our hands, though the evidence is inconclusive.¡± She tried to sound objective about it.


    ¡°It would be hard to tell if someone was one outside of the full moon,¡± Alex said. ¡°Though they might have a visible scar where they were bitten.¡±


    ¡°You could try giving them wolfsbane,¡± Caroline shrugged. She made a considering face. ¡°If you use it in a small enough dosage it shouldn¡¯t completely stop their heart. And it is traditionally one way to cure lycanthropy.¡±


    ¡°In some lore, all you had to do was say the werewolf¡¯s name to turn them back into a human. Or give then a good scolding,¡± Alex offered.


    Eve looked at him, one eyebrow raised. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Ezra said quietly. He wrote in his notepad quickly. Eve saw in bold letters, ¡°EVE SCOLD WEREWOLF?¡± It was underlined three times.


    ¡°What do werewolves have to do with your ghost?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°We believe the spirit may have been killed by one,¡± said Jon.


    Eve didn¡¯t want to talk about werewolves anymore; if Kyle wasn¡¯t one, which he definitely wasn¡¯t, there was no point. ¡°How could we tell if a person is a vampire, demon, or fairy?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Spilling rice, or something?¡± Ezra said.


    Alex nodded. ¡°Vampires traditionally have arithmomania, which means that they¡¯ll compulsively stop to count the grains of rice, or salt, or any other small but numerous thing if you spill it in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Like Count von Count from Sesame Street,¡± Jon said excitedly. Eve pressed her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°You could also try to sprinkle them with holy water. Vampires, demons, or the undead would react negatively to that.¡±


    ¡°I would also react negatively to someone sprinkling water on me, to be fair,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t be burned,¡± Alex said. ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t be burned by iron, either, unlike a fairy or demon.¡±


    Ezra sat there nodding along, taking notes and looking serious.


    ¡°Okay, great,¡± Eve said, standing. ¡°We know what to do now, so let¡¯s go.¡± She didn¡¯t want the guys and her parents to get too friendly with each other; there was too much potential for embarrassment down that road.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to stay for dinner?¡± Alex asked. He blinked and looked sad. Eve looked out the green-covered window.


    ¡°We need to go,¡± she said. ¡°Plus, I drove the guys here.¡±


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    ¡°Your friends are welcome to dinner, of course,¡± Caroline said.


    ¡°Another time,¡± Jon said. He smiled warmly at her and Alex. ¡°It was wonderful to meet you, though.¡±


    Ezra nodded, made a noise of agreement, and stood. He was only half paying attention.


    Finally, Eve hugged her parents and they left, heading back to the car. Afternoon sun had turned the interior into an oven, and Eve sat carefully on the edge of the driver¡¯s seat to start the car before rolling down all the windows and waiting.


    Jon had taken off his jacket and slung it over one shoulder. Ezra barely even noticed. He was too busy biting his thumbnail, like he had been since they¡¯d left the Folklore Department, and thinking about whatever he was thinking about. Eve narrowed her eyes at him.


    ¡°I kind of love your parents,¡± Jon said slowly. He looked at Eve like he¡¯d just had an epiphany.


    Eve sighed. ¡°Join the fucking club. Every year there¡¯s some dumbass English Lit kid who gets obsessed for some reason.¡± Because her parents were young, and cool, and casual with the students. Because they liked memes and weed. Eve didn¡¯t fucking know, and she didn¡¯t care. She flung open her car door and sat inside, keeping her arms away from the steering wheel. She closed the windows and pointed the a/c vent at her face.


    Jon sauntered to the car, jacket slung over one shoulder, and Ezra trailed behind him.


    ¡°They really know a lot,¡± Ezra said as he sat down. He slowly pulled out his notepad and opened it, staring at one particular page.


    Eve made a face as she started driving. ¡°Yeah about this kind of thing. Ask them to do taxes or remember to get the oil changed and you¡¯re fucked.¡± She took a breath. ¡°But if you really wanted to get them talking, you¡¯d have to ask my mom about textile arts, and my dad about how memes are modern folklore.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Ezra asked. He was finally paying attention, and he seemed¡­not happier, necessarily, but maybe more hopeful than he¡¯d been that morning.


    Eve nodded. ¡°Seriously.¡±


    Jon twisted in his seat to see Eve and Ezra. ¡°What are our next steps? Ezra, you were taking notes, right? Can I see them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ezra said slowly, drawing it out as he looked over the pages frantically. When he apparently didn¡¯t find anything too objectionable, he handed the notepad to Jon. He coughed to cover a squeak when Jon very purposefully brushed their fingers together.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jon said, smirking. Eve rolled her eyes. ¡°We have a few possibilities: vampire, demon, or fairy.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips as he read. ¡°What are we supposed to do if we discover he is one of those things? That doesn¡¯t make it easier to prove he killed Chelsea.¡±


    ¡°She might not need legal justice to move on,¡± Jon said. ¡°If we stop him from killing others, or expose him, that might be enough for her.¡±


    ¡°God, have you thought about how crazy that sounds?¡± she asked. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this killer, who is maybe not human, from killing more people. What if he kills us?¡±


    ¡°We have each other,¡± Ezra said. ¡°He can¡¯t kill us all.¡±


    Luckily they¡¯d just pulled up to a red light, so Eve could fully turn around and look at him.


    ¡°¡®He can¡¯t kill us all¡¯?¡± she said. ¡°He literally might.¡±


    ¡°He was able to get to Chelsea because she trusted him,¡± Jon said. ¡°None of us trust him.¡±


    ¡°If we all look out for each other, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Ezra insisted.


    Eve glanced at him through the rearview mirror. He looked as earnest as ever, and she scowled. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m still down,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not about to let this asshole go around mind-controlling people, including you two, so if that means we have to catch him, so be it.¡± She was quiet for a second. She should have just moved away. That would¡¯ve been the smart thing to do. Now she was going to have to be worried not only for herself but for these nerds. ¡°But I don¡¯t want the actual murderer murdering us.¡±


    Ezra nodded and took his notepad back, then looked down at the floor of the car. ¡°He might not be a murderer, though,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Is this about the werewolf again?¡± Eve asked. Some of her annoyance bled into her voice. ¡°We already know Kyle isn¡¯t one, and we know he killed Chelsea.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Ezra said. He closed his notepad and stared at the cover. ¡°We don¡¯t know he¡¯s the one who killed her.¡± Jon glanced back at Ezra, his face thoughtful.


    ¡°Who else could have possibly killed her? Why in the world would this ¡®werewolf¡¯ have even been able to kill her?¡± Eve¡¯s voice rose a little as she spoke.


    Ezra swallowed hard, and he looked up at her, then, through the rear view mirror. His expression was pained. ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure it was Kyle. And if it wasn¡¯t, if she was killed by a werewolf, or even if Kyle is a werewolf, we need to know for sure.¡± He paused, voice sounding choked.


    Eve squeezed the steering wheel and glanced back at him. Fuck. He was gonna cry again, and it was Eve¡¯s fault.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Jon said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chelsea will get her justice.¡± He reached back and patted Ezra on the shoulder.


    Ezra, head bowed and pressed into his hands, nodded once. ¡°Right,¡± he said, voice muffled and despairing, for some reason. ¡°No matter who it is, we¡¯re going to get justice.¡±

 Chapter 20: The Henges, Again

    Eve squinted as Blackwater Lake flashed mirror-bright in the afternoon sun. She pushed her sunglasses higher and glanced at Jon. ¡°Hey, you need me to drop you anywhere?¡±


    They were nearing Blackwood, and the pines had thickened along the road. Jon leaned back comfortably in his seat. ¡°Nah, I left my bike at your place.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been staying, anyway?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been camping out in the parks.¡± ¡°The parks¡± being the Henge Parks, a network of parks spread out around Blackwood and Blackwater Lake, connected by hiking paths and swaths of forest.


    Ezra looked up from the backseat, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the safest if there¡¯s a werewolf around,¡± he said. Eve sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned until the full moon,¡± Jon said. ¡°And if it is a problem, I¡¯ll be prepared.¡±


    Ezra stared at him, mouth open. ¡°Are you at least near other people?¡±


    Jon looked back and smiled at him. ¡°Thanks for being concerned for me,¡± he said, making Ezra flush a little and look away. ¡°But I do this all the time. I set up camp somewhere off the trail and sneak into the paid campsite to shower,¡± he said. ¡°The lands are public, and if I¡¯m being responsible, I should be able to use them. I do have a park pass, so I don¡¯t feel too bad about it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ezra said, sounding even more appalled than he already was. ¡°That¡¯s not allowed.¡±


    Jon shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t have the money to pay $20 a night for a legit site.¡±


    Eve quickly looked over to glare at him. ¡°But you were gonna let us pay you in food for your help?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said. He leaned back and beamed at them. ¡°I¡¯m having tons of fun. Plus, this gets me off of my friend¡¯s couch, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s happy about that.¡±


    Not wanting to sound like a mom, Eve didn¡¯t say ¡°Fun doesn¡¯t pay the bills,¡± but she did think it. She met Ezra¡¯s eyes in the mirror, and he was thinking it too.


    ¡°Well, now we¡¯re going to at least pay you something,¡± she said. Jon looked like he was going to politely refuse, but Eve steamrolled right over him. ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind. Get over it.¡±


    Jon shut his mouth and smiled. Then he opened it again. ¡°When¡¯s the next full moon, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Ezra said. His teeth clicked as he quickly shut his mouth.


    ¡°Great! Then we can set something up quickly to investigate the werewolf idea.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to investigate the werewolf idea anymore.¡± Ezra wrapped his arms around his middle. ¡°Since we know that Kyle isn¡¯t a werewolf.¡± Jon turned to look at him, and Eve waited for a stoplight to do the same.


    ¡°You were the one pushing werewolves,¡± Eve said.


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    ¡°Your parents said Kyle probably isn¡¯t one,¡± Ezra said. He seemed to be aiming for a calm and analytical tone, but it came off as nearly desperate. ¡°And since you¡¯re sure Kyle is the killer¡­¡±


    Jon cupped his chin. ¡°Just because Kyle isn¡¯t a werewolf doesn¡¯t mean nothing will happen on the full moon. I think we should do a stakeout. Set up cameras or a trap. Whether there¡¯s a werewolf or not, Kyle¡¯s invested in making people believe there is one. I think he might try to set something up during the full moon.¡±


    ¡°And then later point at it and go, ¡®see I told you a werewolf killed her.¡¯" Eve tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m down.¡± She could feel Ezra staring at her. Then he turned to the window and swallowed again.


    After an awkwardly quiet several seconds, he cleared his throat. ¡°Hm. Where, uh, would you set up your stake out?¡± he asked.


    Jon tilted his head. ¡°We could just stake out Kyle¡¯s home,¡± he said. ¡°But that leaves blind spots; what if he isn¡¯t the killer after all? Or, what if there really is a werewolf?¡±


    Ezra forced a little fake laugh.


    ¡°And,¡± Jon continued, ¡°if there is a real werewolf, they might be able to help us prove Kyle¡¯s involvement.¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°As dumb as I think the werewolf theory is, I agree with you.¡± She pulled into the alley behind Pearson¡¯s and parked, but the three of them made no moves to leave the car.


    ¡°But you¡ª¡° Ezra¡¯s voice cracked a little. ¡°We could get hurt,¡± he said.


    ¡°We can take precautions,¡± Jon said. ¡°Set up our stakeout somewhere that¡¯s guaranteed safe.¡±


    ¡°Guaranteed safe?¡± Ezra asked.


    ¡°My dad did say a werewolf wouldn¡¯t be able to enter hallowed ground.¡± Eve crossed her arms.


    Jon nodded. ¡°Hallowed ground is usually a Christian cemetery that¡¯s been consecrated. But any holy ground should do, and while there¡¯s a cemetery here in Blackwood, this isn¡¯t the best place for a stakeout.¡±


    ¡°Would the henges work?¡± Ezra asked.


    Jon nodded. ¡°The henges would be perfect. They might not be as potent as hallowed ground since there aren¡¯t as many people who still consider them holy, but they still have a lot of power.¡±


    ¡°The fucking henges again,¡± Eve muttered, and Ezra looked appalled.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll spend the night in one of the henges, set up bait by the cameras, and wait for our werewolf.¡± Jon nodded once, looking pleased with himself. ¡°What¡¯s the weather going to be like tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Clear,¡± Ezra said, voice soft with distraction. He was looking down at his lap, hair falling forward to hide his face. He clutched his wrist tightly with his other hand.


    Jon nodded and pulled out his phone, opening the map. He leaned over the center console to show Eve and Ezra his phone, but Ezra didn¡¯t look up. ¡°We can put cams here,¡± he said, zooming in on a few spots: the roads leading into and out of Blackwood, a random residential street, and Eve¡¯s alley.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Eve said, her eyes flicking over to Ezra briefly. He hadn''t moved.


    Jon also glanced at Ezra. ¡°We can pick up some dog treats or meat or something for bait. Would a werewolf like dog treats?¡±


    Eve glanced back at Ezra again. ¡°I dunno, maybe? We can try it.¡± She paused. ¡°Which henge do you think we should set up at?¡±


    ¡°Well, not the north one,¡± Jon said. ¡°It¡¯s pretty busy. If we¡¯re hoping to draw someone out, I think we¡¯ll want to go to a different one.¡± Shrugging, Jon tapped his fingers on his thigh. ¡°What if we used ourselves as bait?¡±


    Eve squinted at him and looked at Ezra like she expected him to protest. He still wasn¡¯t paying any attention, so she squinted harder at Jon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even think there is a werewolf,¡± he reminded her. ¡°And Kyle seems to be fixated on you, maybe because you''re immune to him.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Eve sighed. ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t be holed up in a henge all night.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jon agreed. ¡°But we should keep close to one in case there is something out there.¡± He pressed his lips together while he thought, and then turned to Eve with a sunny smile. ¡°I¡¯ll find the perfect spot for us to set up camp.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert,¡± Eve said, tilting her head.


    Ezra finally looked up. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. He seemed to have gathered his determination again. ¡°We¡¯ll have until sunset tomorrow to prepare.¡± He noticed Eve looking at him strangely and swallowed. ¡°Um, that is, a werewolf probably wouldn¡¯t, uh, turn until the sun was down, even if the moon was up before then¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds right,¡± Jon offered. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine while the sun is up, but once it sets¡­¡± Jon paused. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see what happens, I guess.

 Chapter 21: Honing In On The Ley Line

    ¡°I brought snacks,¡± Eve announced the next day, holding aloft a bag of precious carbs. She dropped it on the trunk of her car and dug through to grab a cinnamon sugar dusted donut out of the box. They were in the parking lot of Pearson¡¯s, and despite the sun being a terrible, overbearing ball of fire, the air was the kind of warm that summer dreams are made of. Wind smoothed over Eve¡¯s face and through her hair, pushing it into her eyes.


    Jon, leaning against Eve¡¯s car in a way that looked practiced, made an appreciative sound and grabbed a donut as well.


    Eve gestured into the backseat at a plastic bag. ¡°And some dog treats. Not as a snack.¡±


    ¡°I also brought snacks,¡± Ezra said. He looked positively casual in khaki shorts, though that could only last so long before the nerd within emerged. He set his bag down next to Eve¡¯s and pulled out a plastic bottle of water, which he handed to Eve. ¡°Please drink this.¡±


    Eve made a face at him, but she did take the water. He waited until she¡¯d opened it and taken a very purposeful drink before he moved on.


    ¡°Give me a break, Dad,¡± she said. The bottle was cool and slippery in her hands, like Ezra had pulled the pack from the fridge before coming over. A little rush of fondness almost made her smile. She ignored it.


    ¡°You¡¯re never too young to start taking care of yourself, young lady,¡± he said mock-sternly, shaking a finger at her. Jon nodded solemnly, and Eve watched as he practically inhaled the rest of his donut before Ezra looked at him. The innocent look was spoiled a bit by the powdered sugar all over his fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯re not that much older than me,¡± she said, ¡°even though you act old as fuck and don¡¯t know what it means to be a snack. How old are you, anyway?¡±


    Ezra choked on his water and coughed.


    Jon laughed a little. ¡°A snack, like a hottie?¡± Eve nodded, and Ezra coughed and desperately clutched at his water bottle like it would protect him from this conversation, and Jon speculatively looked Ezra over. Eve immediately wanted to leave. ¡°I agree, you should know what a snack is since you are one.¡± Grinning, Jon opened his own bottle of water. Poor Ezra, who had just braved another drink, started choking again. Jon frowned and patted him on the back.


    Eve looked up at the sky¡ªso blue it was almost blinding¡ªand whispered, ¡°End my suffering.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 23,¡± Ezra said when he stopped coughing. He stood stiffly, bottle clutched in both hands in front of his stomach.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jon said, leaning forward, ¡°how old are you, Eve?¡±


    ¡°19.¡± Eve took another drink of her water and then tossed it through the open driver¡¯s window.


    ¡°Babies,¡± Jon said. ¡°I¡¯m 26.¡±


    ¡°Old man,¡± Eve countered. ¡°We should have gotten some bran cereal for you.¡±


    ¡°Bran cereal is good,¡± Ezra said, and cleared his throat. Eve turned to look at him, weighing whether she should tease him or not.


    ¡°I mean, one of us is going to be healthy and hydrated, and the other is going to spend too much money on energy drinks and pizza,¡± she said. Then she exaggeratedly shook her head in sadness. ¡°Your loss.¡± Jon snorted. ¡°Anyway,¡± she said, changing the topic, ¡°this werewolf isn¡¯t gonna catch itself. Let¡¯s get these cameras up.¡±


    ***


    Eve decided after the third camera that she didn¡¯t like werewolf hunting. They¡¯d hidden a camera within sight of Kyle¡¯s house¡ªwhich Ezra provided the address of¡ªnear Eve¡¯s apartment, and on a tree by Route 23 where it left town. Each time they placed a camera, Jon had to link the camera and his laptop, and make sure the picture was coming through and showing what they were aiming for. He¡¯d done it before at her apartment, but now Eve had to stand around in the forest and listen to the whining buzz of mosquitos and flies.


    Now, they were at the Cliff Henge, a small park on a wooded ledge overlooking Blackwater Lake, and Jon had directed Eve and Ezra to stand at two points to gauge how much ground the camera would cover.


    ¡°Eve, scoot a few feet to your left,¡± he called. When she sighed and did so, standing on a twisted root that stuck up from the ground, he checked his laptop. He adjusted the camera within its hiding spot and then gave her a thumbs up.


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    The three of them converged near Eve¡¯s car. They were the only ones in the shaded parking lot, which was really just a flat gravel rectangle. The tips of the pines above them swayed in the wind, and Eve could hear the light slap of waves at the base of the cliff. The henge stood next to the cliff, pine boughs brushing over the tops of the trilithons. Something about the way the tree-shadows played over the stones caught her eye, and she stared.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably enough,¡± Jon said, clapping his hands together once. Ezra jumped. ¡°Let¡¯s find a good spot to set up for the night.¡±


    Ezra nodded, a small crease between his eyebrows, and Eve pulled her backpack out of the backseat of the car. Her childhood sleeping bag was strapped to the bottom, and the bag itself had dog treats, energy drinks, and her notebook inside.


    Jon was digging through his own bag, shuffling through his ghost-hunting equipment and his camping gear. Eve eyed the things he¡¯d brought along with the duffle bag: a short, sausage-shaped thing that he assured her was a tent big enough to fit 2-3 people and another sausage that was his sleeping bag.


    ¡°Do you always carry all that with you?¡± she asked.


    Jon looked up at her. ¡°Oh, all the camping stuff? Not all the time. I¡¯ve been set up in the forest just outside of Blackwood, and I normally leave my gear out while I¡¯m gone. No sense in packing it up when I¡¯m planning to sleep in the same place again.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips and caught herself almost asking if he¡¯d want help carrying everything. Instead she made a noise of acknowledgement and sniffed.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, pulling a steel rod with a black plastic handle out of his duffle bag, ¡°this is my dowsing rod, which is normally used for finding groundwater. But I use it to find the ley lines in an area. They often have places of spiritual power and frequent ghost sightings located along them, spots I call ¡®nodes¡¯. Follow me!¡±


    Ezra leaned to the side, closer to Eve. ¡°That¡¯s¡­literally a honing steel,¡± he whispered. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Like, for straightening knives.¡± They both looked at Jon, who was holding the steel out in front of him and concentrating as he led them into the forest. Gravel crunched under their feet as they moved farther into the shade.


    ¡°Do you think he knows?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°If we can find a node on the nearest ley line, we¡¯ll be able to set up camp and be safe overnight,¡± Jon said.


    Ezra¡¯s eyes widened, and he stopped moving. ¡°Camp, like outside? Overnight?¡± he said. His voice was loud in the forest¡¯s stillness.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Eve said. ¡°How else are we going to monitor ¡®werewolf activities¡¯? Also, we talked about this yesterday, weren¡¯t you paying attention?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the plan was ¡®sleep outside on a full moon and hope the werewolf doesn¡¯t get us¡¯!¡± he sounded distraught. ¡°I thought it was a car stakeout. You can¡¯t be outside. You¡¯ll get hurt.¡±


    Jon waved and scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said. ¡°The nodes on a ley line are powerful in the same way the henges are. If a werewolf comes out tonight, we¡¯ll be perfectly safe.¡± But Ezra kept shaking his head.


    ¡°No, no way. You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who keeps insisting that we look into the werewolf theory,¡± Eve said. ¡°If we don¡¯t do it now we have to wait. I am not waiting another month.¡± Ezra chewed on his fingernails and looked around at the pines as if they¡¯d give him an answer.


    Jon stepped back to Eve and Ezra, put an arm around Ezra¡¯s shoulders, and patted his arm. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried, but we¡¯ll be fine if we sleep inside a node.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Eve said. ¡°There¡¯s not gonna be anything out there, anyway.¡±


    Ezra glanced at her, his mouth twisted in a grimace. ¡°Maybe I can¡­¡± he said quietly, trailing off and looking into the trees. After a second he took a shaky breath. ¡°No. I¡¯ll just¡­stay home.¡± Eve eyed him. He¡¯d said as much yesterday. He was being weird, but he was always weird. ¡°But I¡¯ll help you two set up, at least until it gets close to sunset.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± Jon said. He smiled at Ezra and clapped his shoulder again before letting go. ¡°Let¡¯s find our campsite.¡±


    Eve pulled out her phone as they walked. It had just occurred to her that she should probably tell someone where she was, in case Jon turned out to be a serial killer, or there really was a werewolf.


    ¡°Remember Jon Beck¡± she typed, ¡°from the other day? I¡¯m going to be in the woods by the Cliff Henge Park alone with him tonight. If I die, I¡¯d look at him first.¡± She sent that one, and then frowned. She typed a second message: ¡°Also hi, I love you, and I¡¯m not just saying that because I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll get murdered.¡±


    Her dad sent a crying emoji and three hearts. Her mom said, ¡°You too. I¡¯ll kill him for you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really nice,¡± she texted back.


    ¡°Nice or not, your father and I will avenge your death.¡±


    Her dad sent a skull emoji, followed by, ¡°Come haunt us Sunflower.¡± Eve sighed. Ezra looked at her, and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°My parents are just¡­¡± she started saying, and then she shook her head. ¡°Never mind. They mean well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little envious,¡± he said after a second. ¡°You seem to get along well with them.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re good parents, but I got tired of being the only adult in the house.¡± Jon looked back at her and frowned sympathetically.


    ¡°Do you not get along with your parents?¡± she asked Ezra, even though it felt too close to a deep, personal conversation. That wasn¡¯t what she wanted at all. But Ezra suddenly looked sad and droopy, and Eve¡¯s chest squeezed a little.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to them in a couple of years,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Eve watched the ground, regretting asking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ezra offered a polite smile.


    The three of them walked in silence until Jon jumped a little and looked back.


    ¡°Here we go!¡± he said, grinning with all of the sunshine he could muster. ¡°I found a ley line.¡±


    Eve stepped forward, a tingle running between her shoulder blades and down her spine. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

 Chapter 22: Full Moon Pt. 1

    Half an hour later, light broke through the tree line as Eve, Jon, and Ezra approached a clearing. Ferns, moss, and wildflowers covered the ground between towering pines, and the chirps of bugs and birds got louder as they approached the clearing.


    Eve walked behind Jon, and as she stepped past the last tree and into the clearing, she sucked in a breath. A shock ran up her body from her feet, a full body tingle that almost hurt it was so strong.


    ¡°Woah,¡± she said. It subsided into a barely-there buzz in her feet as they stepped farther in.


    Jon lifted his honing steel above his head and spun around to face Eve and Ezra. ¡°Found a node!¡±


    Ezra winced a little and held his arms close to his body. ¡°Wow, that is really, uh, potent.¡± He shook his head once, and the little ponytail on top of his head¡ªblue hair band borrowed from Eve when he¡¯d gotten too hot on the hike¡ªwobbled.


    Eve rolled her shoulders and smiled. ¡°It feels good,¡± she said. Understatement. It felt intense, and powerful, and Eve very nearly wanted to try doing something, you know, magical, just to see if she could. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts instead. Jon tilted his head at her and Ezra.


    ¡°Wow, you two can feel it so strongly,¡± he said. ¡°I can only tell with my dowsing rod.¡± Ezra looked away and shuffled his feet.


    ¡°I mean, only a little bit,¡± he said.


    Eve took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Maybe it wasn¡¯t some kind of ¡°spiritual power¡± bullshit. Maybe it was how beautiful the clearing was, with the mossy ground and vivid green pines, the light streaming from between them. Maybe.


    Jon laughed ¡°Maybe Eve should have led us. Let¡¯s set up camp here.¡± He dropped his hiking bag near a flat spot in the middle and started pulling the straps off of the tent. ¡°Eve, since you can feel it so strongly, will you mark out the edges of the node with rocks or sticks or something?¡± Eve nodded and Ezra drifted over to help Jon set up the tent.


    Eve walked back the way they came until the electric feeling faded, and she pushed a rock over until it was in place. She picked her way around the clearing, marking a few feet from the tree line. The node was perfectly circular, although Eve¡¯s markers were a little uneven. As she pushed the last stone into place, biting her lip with the effort, Ezra gave a startled yelp and dropped the load of sticks he was bringing to Jon. Both Jon and Eve looked at him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jon asked. Ezra nodded, though he was shaking.


    Eve frowned and hurried over to them. ¡°Did you get a splinter?¡±


    Ezra swallowed. ¡°Yeah, I must¡¯ve,¡± he said.


    Jon took a step closer and reached out for him, saying ¡°Let me take a look, I can help,¡± but Ezra edged away and shook his head.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay.¡± He gripped his hand by the wrist and held it close to his chest. ¡°But, uh, I think I need to head back into town now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jon said. He gave a half smile. ¡°We¡¯ll miss you at our campout.¡±


    ¡°Another time,¡± Ezra said.


    ¡°Can you get back by yourself?¡± Eve asked. She dug through her pocket and held out her car keys. ¡°You can take my car back if Jon can give me a ride in the morning?¡± Jon nodded, and a little crinkle formed between his eyebrows as he watched Ezra.


    ¡°No, no you might need your car,¡± Ezra said, his words nearly slurring together he spoke so quickly. He was backing away and shaking his head. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll walk!¡± He ended up shouting the last part, as he was halfway to the forest by then.


    As soon as he disappeared through the trees, Eve turned to look at Jon. ¡°That was weird.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s okay?¡± Jon asked. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t make him uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± Eve said. ¡°It didn¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡± Jon nodded, but the downturn of his mouth didn¡¯t change. Eve patted his arm. ¡°We should finish setting up.¡±


    Jon took a breath and let it out. ¡°Okay. The tent¡¯s up if you want to put your sleeping bag inside. I¡¯ll get a campfire set up so all we have to do is light it when it gets dark.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡± Eve asked as she struggled to pull her sleeping bag out of its carrying bag. The tent floor rustled like a windbreaker. ¡°Do we stay here until Schrodinger¡¯s werewolf appears or doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°We could explore the forest a bit before dark and see if we can find any traces of activity.¡± He used a stone to scrape away a circle of moss from the ground and stacked the sticks into a little log cabin on the exposed dirt. ¡°Although anything would be a month old. Maybe we should start laying the bait in a line from here to the nearest henge.¡±


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    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Eve crawled back out of the tent. ¡°I¡¯m more hopeful for the cameras in town. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get some footage of Kyle being a fucking weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Me too, but this way we can confidently rule out werewolves from the investigation.¡± Standing, Jon brushed his hands on his jeans and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re all set here. Shall we?¡± Eve nodded, and Jon hoisted his duffle bag over his shoulder.


    They set the bait up as they walked, about every few minutes. Jon¡¯s plan was to wait for the werewolf to arrive at the node, at which time they would leave, sticking to the bait trail in the hopes that the werewolf would stop and eat the bait and give them time to make it to the henge. When they got there, they would trap¡ªsomehow, though Jon hadn¡¯t answered Eve when she¡¯d asked how¡ªthe werewolf. It would then transform back into a human when the sun rose.


    It was a terrible plan. The kind of plan only a real dumbass could come up with, like, say, a flirty himbo who seemed intelligent on the surface until you saw him hold up a honing steel and call it a dowsing rod, or who wanted his first ghost-hunting gig to be paid in food. The plan was so terrible, with so many ways to go wrong, that Eve would never have agreed to it if she thought for a second they might run into a real creature.


    Eve stuffed dog treats in hollow logs, next to rocks, and under bushes until the bag was nearly empty and they¡¯d emerged from the forest at the Cliff Henge. They stopped near the edge of the cliff and looked out over Blackwater Lake. Up on the cliff, the pines were so thick it was hard to remember that they were only a few miles away from Blackwood. The lake was choppy and dark below them. Eve took a deep breath of evergreen, lake water, and sun-warmed rock.


    ¡°The sun will set in a few hours,¡± Jon said as he checked his camera placement one last time.


    Eve stretched her arms over her head and sighed. ¡°We should get back, then. I¡¯m super hungry.¡±


    Jon led the way back, checking his dowsing rod to make sure they were on the ley line occasionally since they weren¡¯t following a path. Eve could have led the way if she paid attention to the little waves of tingles that lapped against her legs, which she did not.


    ¡°I brought foil dinners for us!¡± Jon said as they walked. ¡°It¡¯s too bad Ezra¡¯s not here, this would¡¯ve been even more fun with all three of us.¡±


    Eve shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but like I said, maybe we can do this again when he¡¯s not freaking out over werewolves?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jon said. His voice rang through the trees as he hopped down from a mossy rock. Eve laughed a little and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been dying to go camping with friends all summer, but the friend I¡¯ve been staying with is not interested in going outside.¡±


    ¡°Like, at all?¡± Eve asked. Rocks and branches littered the ground, and Eve concentrated on avoiding them.


    Jon tilted his head. ¡°Now that I think about it, yeah, I haven¡¯t seen him leave his place for at least two months, which was when he let me stay with him.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Anyway, now I have other people to camp with.¡±


    When they got back to the node clearing, Jon started a fire with a match and a stick he¡¯d shaved into ribbons with his knife. Eve crouched near him, watching the little bits of wood catch and glow.


    ¡°Were you a boy scout or something?¡± she asked. He looked up for a second, and then returned to blowing on the burning stick-ribbons.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve just camped a ton since I quit seminary,¡± he said. ¡°Hand me one of the small sticks, please?¡± Eve passed it over, and he went on constructing a fragile, glowing fire in the little hollow surrounded by rocks.


    They were quiet as they waited for the fire to grow. Jon pulled out his plaid blanket and laid it out length-wise, a little away from the flames. He and Eve sat next to each other, watching the fire crackle and spark, throwing orange embers into the sky. It was too warm on Eve¡¯s legs, but the heat was nice as the sun got lower, hidden behind the ridges and massive pines. Night fell with a breeze that chilled her exposed arms and legs, and Eve stood and pulled on a sweatshirt from her backpack.


    Jon was settling two foil lumps¡ªabout twice the size of a baked potato¡ªinto the hot coals at the base of the fire. The forest around their clearing was settling in for the night, cicadas buzzing and crickets chirping. Fireflies blinked on and off through the clearing. Eve smiled. Chelsea seemed to be sticking to the apartment, which Eve was grateful for. She was getting used to having a roommate, but it was still nice not to feel Chelsea¡¯s constant, ghostly presence hovering over her shoulder for a bit.


    Jon swallowed his first bite of dinner and broke the silence. ¡°Question. Why do you write spells for people if you don¡¯t believe in magic?¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just translating the shit people send me. I like learning languages, especially ones no one speaks, and there aren¡¯t that many jobs where you get to do that.¡± She paused and looked up at the sky, picking out the stars as they began to stand out against the black. ¡°It¡¯s fun, and I don¡¯t have to deal with people. Money¡¯s shit, though,¡± she said, looking at Jon.


    He laughed and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s not exactly a huge market for paranormal investigators, either.¡±


    ¡°Gotta move to a town in the middle of fucking nowhere and rent an apartment someone died in,¡± Eve said, grinning. ¡°It¡¯s all about the cost of living, baby.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the weirdest person I know,¡± Jon said in that good-humored way he said everything.


    Eve raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Sorry, whom? Me?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m the weirdest? For caring about my financial security? Not the almost-priest ghost hunter, or the reporter who¡¯s convinced a werewolf murdered his friend?¡±


    Jon lifted his hands in surrender. ¡°Yeah, okay, when you put it like that. But, you are also an accidental witch with a ghost roommate,¡± he said.


    Eve glared at him. ¡°One possible spell cast does not a witch make.¡± Jon looked at her like she was being ridiculous. She ignored him.


    The top of the full moon peeked up over the trees. Eve looked at it, all silvery and pale, surrounded by thick stars and a black sky. A howl sounded in the distance, low and melancholy, and Eve and Jon looked at each other in the following silence.


    ¡°That was probably a dog,¡± Eve said. Jon gave her that look again. ¡°Or a regular wolf,¡± she conceded.


    ¡°I guess we won¡¯t be using our sleeping bags much,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can take first watch if you want to try getting a few hours,¡± she said. She hadn¡¯t felt this awake since she¡¯d moved to Blackwood, and she certainly didn¡¯t feel like sleeping. ¡°That sounded pretty far away.¡±


    Jon nodded and stood, stretching. ¡°Thanks. Wake me up if anything happens, or if you get lonely.¡±


    ¡°I never get lonely,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± he said, crouching into the tent. After a few minutes of shuffling and noises, the tent was quiet, and Eve sat alone with the fire and the moon.

 Chapter 23: Full Moon Pt. 2

    Eve scooted closer to the campfire and shifted so her back was to the tent. She sat in the cooling, quiet night and watched the fire slowly lick the logs into ash. She¡¯d packed several energy drinks for the stakeout but hadn¡¯t opened any yet. It was late enough that even before this whole ghost debacle she¡¯d have been tired. But thanks to the node¡ªor whatever the hell was going on¡ªshe felt more awake than she had that morning.


    The tingling of energy had subsided into a gentle, swaying sort of warmth, like splotches of sunlight through the leaves of a tree. Eve put another few logs on the fire and stuck her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Her fingers found a smooth rock she¡¯d picked up from the beach at some point, and she rubbed it while she thought. She¡¯d made some progress in properly translating the Henge Runes, but it wasn¡¯t enough. To fully reverse the vocabulary changes the monks had made would take years, and she didn¡¯t want to spend years with Chelsea¡¯s ghostly despair hovering like a cloud in her apartment, or with the energy levels of a sleepy 80-year-old.


    At least there was a pattern, like Murphy the Occult Nerd with the paper had theorized; it was only the ¡®magical¡¯ words that had been changed. She could get some sense of whatever it was she¡¯d accidentally done. There was a binding, and the word she guessed was meant to be spirit, and Eve, the ¡®I¡¯ throughout the spell, had offered up something of herself to the spirit. Chelsea could only be there because Eve had offered some of her energy to her, which Jon had already guessed.


    There was another howl, still distant but closer than before. Eve held her hands out to warm them up and listened beyond the standard loud-ass bug noises of nighttime. A small thing rustled the brush to her left, but it was otherwise quiet until the next howl, coming from a different direction this time. It had started in the north, in the direction of Blackwood, and had moved south, toward the Cliff Henge.


    Eve frowned. It was probably not a dog, then. A dog would be stationary, howling from home. She shoved her hands back in her pockets and the frown turned into a scowl. It, unfortunately, probably wasn¡¯t a normal wolf, either, which would have a pack and chorus of howls.


    If an actual werewolf showed up, Eve was going to lose her shit. As if she didn¡¯t have enough supernatural bullshit to deal with. And she had been trying so hard to will it into not-being. Apparently, pretending things didn¡¯t exist still was not a valid strategy for dealing with things she didn¡¯t like.


    Eve sighed and thought about waking Jon up. But there was no point at the moment; if the howler was a werewolf, they needed it to come to the campsite node and follow them along the bait trail to the cliff henge. If they went out now they¡¯d have no idea where it was or if it was following them, and there would be a much higher chance of danger. They had to wait until it came to them, or the already terrible plan would fall apart.


    So Eve listened closely to the howls as they traveled down the coast of Blackwater Lake, and she hoped that it would just continue, making a circuit around the lake and avoiding them completely. As much as she wanted to get Chelsea to detach from her and go away, she didn¡¯t want to come face to face with a mythical, infectious beast.


    The howling drew closer and closer to the node, passing between the campsite and the lake. When the howls were slightly to the southeast, they stopped. Eve held her breath for a moment to listen, and when there was nothing but the normal sounds of night she let it out slowly. Maybe it was hunting something, something small and not-human and far away from them. Relaxing a little, Eve shook her head and poked at the fire with a stick. Staring into the glowing, changing embers, she spaced out for a while.


    And then something caught her attention, although later she wouldn¡¯t be able to say if it was a sound or a movement, maybe even a scent in the air, or if it was something else. But her head snapped up and she stared, stretching her eyes wider in a futile attempt to see, out at the forest. She saw two tiny spots of light at the edge of the clearing, so small they might have been more fireflies. But then they moved together around the circle of stones and Eve swallowed. As her night vision returned, she could just make out a shape that paced in the space between the node and the trees. It was a wolf, and it was huge.


    Eve hadn¡¯t ever seen a wolf before and had assumed it would probably be the size of a dog, maybe a lab or a husky or something. But Eve was startled to learn that in fact, wolves were like, fuck-off big. Bigger than people. Bigger than her, at the very least. And they normally had tails, she was pretty confident, though this one didn¡¯t.


    Eve stopped breathing and stared at it, waiting. It paced around the edge of the circle but never came any closer. She scooted back to the tent and unzipped it without turning around. Reaching in, she felt for some part of Jon to shake, and she landed on the foot of his sleeping bag.


    ¡°Jon,¡± she said, somewhere between a whisper and regular speech. ¡°Wake up. It¡¯s here.¡± Jon mumbled something but sat up quickly.


    ¡°What¡¯s here?¡± he asked, sleep slurring his words.


    ¡°The werewolf,¡± she said more loudly. The wolf had moved to the right of her, and she turned slightly to keep it in view. Jon sucked in a breath and struggled out of his sleeping bag, grabbing his honing steel at the same time.


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    ¡°It¡¯s here?¡± he said. ¡°In the node?¡± He held the honing steel like a sword in front of him and looked around quickly.


    ¡°No.¡± Eve scooted over to let Jon out of the tent. ¡°It won¡¯t come into the circle.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jon said as he saw it.


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of doubting our plan at the moment,¡± Eve said. Jon nodded at her but kept a determined set to his ridiculously chiseled jawline.


    ¡°I understand, it¡¯s different when you¡¯re face to face with danger.¡± He readjusted his grip on the steel. ¡°But I think our plan will work. It must have smelled the treats and come here. That¡¯s probably all it wants. Wolves aren¡¯t generally out to attack humans, isn¡¯t that what your mom said?¡±


    ¡°Caroline is a folklorist specializing in historically ¡®women¡¯s¡¯ crafts, not a zoologist!¡± Eve¡¯s voice rose to a nearly frantic pitch by the end, and she took a deep breath through her nose to keep from freaking out. ¡°She¡¯s never seen a werewolf before, or studied their behavior.¡±


    ¡°We have to catch it tonight,¡± Jon said. He looked at Eve, and she glanced at him before looking back at the wolf.


    ¡°Why?¡± she said. ¡°We already know it¡¯s not the killer!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that, we think that. We need evidence.¡±


    Eve deflated and looked at Jon. ¡°I guess,¡± she said. ¡°If I get bitten, I¡¯m going to eat you.¡±


    Jon smiled and grabbed his duffle bag. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the tent here and pick it up in the morning, then.¡± He turned to the east, to head towards their bait trail, then stopped and looked back at Eve. ¡°We can do this. Chelsea¡¯s depending on us.¡± He led the way to the edge of the clearing. The wolf watched them for a few seconds and started walking slowly around the circle toward them. Thankfully, they¡¯d set up closer to the east than the middle, so they made it to the first bait spot before the wolf had made it to the east side of the node. Once there, they started moving as fast as they could through the thick trees. They¡¯d gone this way twice, at least, so it wasn¡¯t completely new. Still, once they were under the cover of the forest, it was so dark as to be almost impassible outside of Jon¡¯s headlamp¡¯s small circle of illumination. They each tripped a few times as they walked until they gave in and held hands. The sensation of the ley line rose to a frenzy of tingles and sparks that almost stung.


    She listened behind them for wolf noises, but the sound of her and Jon crashing through brush and branches drowned out everything but her heartbeat in her ears. It was only when they passed the spot where the third piece of bait should have been that she realized something was wrong. She stopped, pulling Jon back.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the bait?¡± she whispered. Jon gripped her hand and passed the headlamp over the spot they¡¯d left it¡ªa conspicuous log with a hollow on the underside¡ªwhere there was nothing but the crumbs of a pumpkin-flavored dog biscuit.


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± Eve agreed. Now that they were still, she could hear the sounds of something walking around them. Jon turned his head to the sound and they caught a flash of eyes and the wolf¡¯s rear end circling away from the headlamp.


    Eve opened the treat bag and grabbed what was left in her hand and chucked it at the wolf. There was a snarl, and then the sound of crunching. When Jon turned towards it, the wolf backed away and growled at them with several biscuits in its mouth.


    Eve moved close to Jon. ¡°If it already ate all the treats on this path, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to make it to the henge.¡±


    ¡°I hate to say it, but I think you¡¯re right.¡± Jon swallowed, and let go of her hand to pull a stray treat from his pocket.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± Eve asked, her voice perhaps a little frantic. The wolf was still munching on the biscuits, but it would be done soon, and they weren¡¯t close to either of their planned safe spots. ¡°What did my dad say again? Silver, or wolfsbane? Wolfsbane doesn¡¯t grow in the wild here, there¡¯s no way.¡± She was muttering more to herself than to Jon, but he joined in.


    ¡°Hallowed ground,¡± he said. ¡°It won¡¯t be able to enter hallowed ground.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great if we were near some,¡± Eve replied. ¡°You were in seminary. Don¡¯t you know how to consecrate things?¡±


    She could feel Jon shaking his head beside her. ¡°I mean, yeah I know the words, but I¡¯m not an ordained priest, let alone a bishop. And they¡¯re the ones that can make a place ¡®hallowed¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Fuck the rules!¡±


    Jon hesitated and turned to keep his headlamp trained on the wolf. They caught flashes of light gray fur and massive paws. ¡°I already don¡¯t believe I can, so I don¡¯t think it would work. But theoretically, any place can be holy if enough people believe it. Maybe if we both believe¡­?¡± he trailed off.


    Eve would have rolled her eyes if she wasn¡¯t too busy watching the wolf stop eating and edge forward. She shoved her hands in her pockets, hoping that perhaps a big silver stick might appear if she checked one more time. She wasn¡¯t Catholic so she already didn¡¯t believe in hallowed ground. What did she believe in?


    The wolf was making little darting movements closer to them, and Jon tossed his treat at it, aiming slightly above so it would go back into the trees. Eve felt something in her pocket, something crinkly and soft and smelling of cat when she pulled it and the smooth rock out. She stared at the little cat toy, shaped like a hot dog with a smiling face. It was filled with catnip, and Harvey must have stashed it in her sweatshirt pocket while it was on her floor.


    She took a breath and smacked Jon lightly. ¡°You got a knife?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, are you gonna stab the werewolf?¡± he said as he handed a surprisingly large knife over. ¡°That seems like a bad plan, but I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°No, that would be stupid,¡± she said as she dug the tip of the knife into the cat toy and cut a line through to the catnip inside. Was she really about to do this? She squeezed the toy and ran her thumb over the rock. But her other options were ¡°get eaten¡± or ¡°stab werewolf,¡± so, unfortunately, she was doing this.


    Eve didn¡¯t believe in much beyond what she could see, but what the hell. She could believe in herself, right? She sprinkled the dried leaves onto the ground around them, turning in a circle as she did so. ¡°I¡¯m dedicating this spot to all cats in the name of Harvey, the best cat in the world. This spot is for cats and cat lovers only! May catnip and warm sunshine be plentiful here!¡± She sprinkled out the last of the catnip as the wolf snarled and stopped crunching.


    ¡°No dogs allowed!¡± Eve shouted, throwing the empty toy at the wolf as it lunged at her.

 Chapter 24: Breathless

    The werewolf lunged at Eve and Jon, jaws open in a display of pink gums and long teeth. Eve stood still and gripped the rock tightly enough that her hand stopped shaking. Jon stepped forward and brought his arm up in front of his chest.


    And the wolf smacked straight into an invisible wall and bounced off, yelping. It shook its head and stared at Eve.


    Jon straightened up, scooting closer to Eve. ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked.


    Eve shook her head, releasing her grip and letting a stream of sand fall from her shaking fingers. She looked down at her hand and the few grains of sand that clung to her skin. She had liked that rock.


    A snarl brought her attention back to the werewolf. ¡°I declare this place a haven for cats of all kinds, where they can be safe from anything that wants to hurt them.¡± She glared back at the wolf, who was pacing around their tiny refuge. If she took more than a step away from Jon, she¡¯d be at the edge of the circle.


    ¡°You really are a witch,¡± Jon said, with a gratifying amount of awe in his voice. Eve ignored him. She was too busy Not Panicking and figuring out what to do now to think about something so stupid. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Jon asked, echoing her thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t plan this.¡±


    ¡°We could stay here until morning?¡±


    ¡°We could try¡ª¡° Eve said, and another growling came from the darkness, less wolfish and more¡­cat-like? Eve paused and tried to see in the dark.


    Into the light of Jon¡¯s headlamp, a huge, black, cat-shaped form leaped at the wolf, who was about as caught off guard as Eve was. She squeaked and clutched at Jon, who also clutched at her.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s not a bobcat.¡±


    The cat wrestled with the wolf, accompanied by discordant snarling and yowling. They bit and clawed at each other, writhing around on the forest floor. Eve could see frustratingly little of the fight despite Jon whipping his head back and forth to keep the light trained on them.


    As the cat managed to pin the wolf for a second, Eve got a good look at it. It had a splotch of white on its chest. Large black cat, white patch on its chest, appearing out of nowhere like magic. Her eyes widened.


    ¡°Cat-sith,¡± she breathed. ¡°What the fuck, that¡¯s the fucking cat-sith,¡± she said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s Ezra,¡± Jon said. He pointed at the wolf as it rolled around on the ground with the cat, and Eve saw what he saw: the bright blue hair tie Ezra had borrowed from Eve earlier. It had been holding the top half of his floppy hair back the last time they¡¯d seen him, but now it was stretched thin around the wolf¡¯s front right ankle.


    The cat was the better fighter, and it made its way to the top, pressing Ezra-the-wolf into the ground with claws so sharp and long, Eve wondered how he wasn¡¯t already bleeding. It dove in with teeth bared, biting down on Ezra¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Your highness!¡± Eve shouted. The cat froze, Ezra-the-wolf was already frozen and trying not to get his throat ripped out, Jon froze in confusion. Eve barely knew what she was doing when she shouted again, ¡°Please stop!¡± The cat opened its mouth and pulled back, keeping both of its front paws on Ezra¡¯s torso. It breathed heavily and looked up at Eve. ¡°Thank you for coming to our aid, but please don¡¯t kill the wolf. I know him.¡±


    The cat¡¯s eyes glowed bright green in the headlamp¡¯s light. After a long, assessing moment, it stepped off of Ezra-the-wolf, who scrambled up into a crouch. The cat kept him from moving too much with a warning swipe of its claws.


    ¡°As you wish, lass,¡± it said, sounding exactly like a cat with a Scottish accent, with the rumbly undertones of a purr. It winked at her and disappeared back into darkness.


    Eve and Jon looked at each other and then down at the subdued wolf crouching in front of them. He snarled at them but didn¡¯t move, perhaps afraid that if he did the cat-sith would come back.


    Eve straightened up and scowled down at Ezra. He watched her warily and blinked when she shook a finger at him like an old-timey teacher. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, chasing us like that?¡± she said. His ears flattened against his head, and he whined. ¡°This is stupid. We know it¡¯s you in there.¡± She had to say his name or scold him, right? Eve crossed her arms and looked down at him, channeling her most withering glare. ¡°Change back right now, Ezra!¡±


    She¡­.did not expect it to work, but then she hadn¡¯t expected the werewolf thing to be¡ªhoped it wasn¡¯t¡ªreal. So when the cowering werewolf in front of her started to shift and writhe in Jon¡¯s headlamp beam, there was a certain amount of shock involved. It didn¡¯t help that Ezra whimpered the whole time he was shifting, as his fur fell off and his bones and joints cracked and his limbs stretched back to their normal proportions. Eve squeezed her hands into fists as she watched.


    After a long few minutes, Ezra crouched before them, naked and sweating. His chest heaved, and he shivered. There was a look on his face, a sort of awful, guilty fear.


    ¡°Do you guys have any clothes I could wear?¡± he asked.


    ***


    Back at the tent, Ezra huddled by the fire in some of Jon¡¯s pajama pants and a white t-shirt, with Jon¡¯s leather jacket on his lap. Eve knelt next to him, wiping at the numerous scratches and bite marks that littered his neck, face, and arms with damp, wadded-up toilet paper. None of them looked too serious, but who knew what a fairy cat got its claws into?


    ¡°Are you up to date on your vaccinations?¡± she asked. ¡°Tetanus? Rabies?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ezra said, his voice barely there.


    Eve leaned around him and called to Jon in the tent, ¡°Do you have another bottle of water? This one¡¯s almost out.¡±


    Jon ducked his head through and passed her a half-full bottle. He looked at Ezra for a second and then ducked back inside. He returned with a tube of something and a box of adhesive bandages. Eve started applying the antiseptic to the worst wounds, though Ezra pulled away a little when she came at him with the bandages.


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    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry so much, I heal quickly,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine by morning.¡± He was slightly louder this time, so Eve didn¡¯t have to lip-read to understand him.


    She looked at him and sat back on her heels. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere else?¡± she asked. ¡°Anywhere more severely? Are you having trouble breathing or moving at all?¡± Ezra shook his head at each question. He seemed all there mentally, if a little quiet, so probably no head injuries. Which was good because Eve had no idea how to deal with that. ¡°Good.¡±


    Ezra swallowed and looked at her mournfully. He looked like he was convinced that she would yell at him again any second. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I really am fine. Are you two okay?¡±


    Eve sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± she said. ¡°Despite how fucking stupid our plan was, we¡¯re good.¡±


    Jon sat on Ezra¡¯s other side. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± he asked. ¡°You seem exhausted.¡±


    ¡°It takes a lot of energy,¡± Ezra said after clearing his throat. ¡°But I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Eve looked at him for a long second, and then she shook her head. ¡°Dumbass,¡± she said. ¡°You should have told us.¡±


    Jon frowned at her. ¡°Be nice,¡± he said, ¡°he¡¯s gone through a lot tonight.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone through a lot?¡± Eve hissed. ¡°We were trapped in the pitch-black woods by a werewolf literally minutes ago!¡± Jon didn¡¯t say anything, but he did keep frowning. Ezra winced and ducked his head. ¡°If he had just told us that he was a werewolf we could have avoided this whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ezra said, looking up at her. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you, though!¡± Eve looked at him with the intent to scathe, and he bit his lip, properly scathed. ¡°Only Chelsea knew, and she found out on her own. I never wanted to endanger anyone, which was why I hid out in Blackwood. There was no way I was going to be able to tell you, not when we just became friends.¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Eve said, poking him gently in the arm and allowing a small amount of fondness to creep into her tone. Ezra looked hopefully at her, and Eve continued. ¡°I already knew you were a weirdo when I agreed to be your friend, so there¡¯s no sense backing out now.¡± Ezra was able to smile very slightly, so Eve sniffed and looked away from his face. There was a scar on his upper arm and shoulder, a nasty, jagged line that nearly reached his neck. ¡°Is that where you were bitten?¡± she asked.


    Ezra nodded. ¡°Just before I would have graduated,¡± he said.


    The three of them were quiet for a few minutes, listening to the dying fire and the chirp of insects. Eve finished cleaning Ezra¡¯s wounds, and then she sat back and took a deep breath.


    ¡°We should finish talking about this in the morning,¡± she said. ¡°At WaffleHenge, because I can already tell I¡¯m going to be starving. For now, I¡¯m kinda¡­not into the idea of camping anymore. Ez, do you want to come with me or stay here? You can use my sleeping bag if you want.¡±


    Ezra sniffed and looked at Jon. ¡°Do you mind? Since I¡¯m in this¡­node¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯d even be able to turn back.¡±


    Jon smiled at him. ¡°Not at all,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, there are some leftovers from dinner I can cook for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I just want to sleep.¡± Ezra paused and looked down at himself. ¡°Oh, should I¡­do you want your clothes back, Jon?¡±


    Eve snorted. ¡°Yeah, dude, you¡¯re gonna have to sleep in my sleeping bag butt-ass naked.¡± Ezra made a distraught face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jon said, smiling. ¡°You can give them back to me later. If you¡¯re okay staying here on your own for a bit, I¡¯ll walk Eve back to her car.¡±


    Eve shook her head. ¡°I can feel the ley line well enough to follow it back to the parking lot. Stay with Ezra. I¡¯ll pick you two up in the morning.¡±


    Jon looked between the two of them, torn. After a moment, he nodded. ¡°At least take my headlamp.¡± He held it out to her, and Eve pulled the elastic band over her forehead.


    ¡°Be honest, how fucking dumb do I look right now?¡± she said.


    Jon looked at her, one hand cupping his chin as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°No more than usual, I¡¯d say.¡± Ezra¡¯s eyes widened and he glanced between the two of them, his hands clasped together around his knees.


    Eve paused, turned to squint at him, and then laughed. Jon¡¯s smile returned full force, and Ezra relaxed, cracking a small smile as Jon laughed, too.


    ***


    The walk to the parking lot was longer this time around, with Eve picking her way through the forest until she reached the groomed trail. Nearly an hour later, at too-fucking-late-o¡¯-clock, Eve sagged into her driver¡¯s seat and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She took a deep breath, and when she blew it out, it was shakier than she¡¯d ever admit.


    That had been too close. She¡¯d felt Ezra-the-wolf¡¯s hot breath as he¡¯d lunged. She¡¯d been inches away from lycanthropy, which apparently fucking existed for real. There was something about narrowly avoiding a deadly confrontation that kind of sucked the wind out of her. And she didn¡¯t even want to think about anything involving fairies, shrines, or witches. As she started the car, she licked her lips and pushed it all to the back of her mind. These were thoughts she could have in the morning, with caffeine and pancakes to ease the way.


    It was after 3 AM by the time she parked behind Pearson¡¯s, and Eve was eager to not be awake anymore. As soon as she opened the door, she wished she¡¯d stayed with the guys. The living room was chaos. Chelsea tossed around pillows, cat toys, Eve¡¯s pens and pencils. Anything she could get her hands on, she was throwing through the apartment. Eve suddenly couldn¡¯t stand it.


    ¡°Chelsea!¡± she shouted. ¡°Use your fucking words! Stop throwing shit around! I¡¯ve had a very long night, and all I want to do is go to sleep, not clean up after your ghost tantrums!¡±


    The lights flickered, the temperature dropping suddenly enough to prick up Eve¡¯s skin in goosebumps. A chill like barely-there fingers traced down her back. Harvey appeared and sat by her feet, facing outward. Something about him felt comforting. Safe. His warmth against her bare feet felt so alive in the freezing cold. For the first time in Eve¡¯s time with Chelsea fear grabbed her heart tight and squeezed. There was a pressure in the room that seemed to suck all of the air out of her lungs.


    ¡°H e  k i l l e d  m e,¡± rasped a ghostly whisper that curled around Eve like smoke, like Harvey twining around her legs, like the fog in the henge. ¡°I t  h u r t s,¡± it said. It sounded small and desperate and sad, so sad that Eve¡¯s eyes filled with tears, and she wanted to comfort it, but there was no air in her lungs. Cold, weightless hands touched hers softly, burning pain spreading from the contact. Harvey meowed, and the touch went away.


    Eve sucked in a breath, and the voice took it from her, spinning it into more whispers. ¡°Helpmehelpmehelpmeiwanttogohome,¡± it said, words strung together like there was only a small amount of breath to push them out. The room was dark, lights dimmed to almost nothing and shadows stretching where they shouldn¡¯t. Eve tried to breathe again, but the voice stole it straight from her lungs. ¡°Makehimpayhebetrayedmeithurtsithurtsithurts.¡± Eve¡¯s vision started to narrow, the room around her distant and fuzzy. She gasped, desperate to get air and unable to move. The voice snatched it out of her mouth and cried ¡°Ithoughthelovedme.¡±


    A furry weight rammed into her legs and pushed her backward. She fell to the floor, sucking in a breath that stuck this time, and Harvey climbed into her lap. He stood with his back to her and hissed into the air. The lights flickered again, back to their normal strength, and the pressure and the cold and the whispers disappeared as if they¡¯d never happened. Harvey hissed again for good measure, and then he turned around and sniffed Eve¡¯s mouth. She took another shuddering breath and he purred, rubbing his face on hers. He stood on his back legs, front paws on her chest, claws digging into her sweatshirt. He looked at her, orange eyes surprisingly direct. He kept staring at her until she was breathing normally again, and even then he settled into her lap and refused to move.


    But that was fine because Eve had no desire to move anytime soon. She sat, legs outstretched, and stroked Harvey. She stared at the wall and took breath after breath, feeling her chest rise and fall. When she thought she could stand again without collapsing, she did, clutching Harvey to her chest. She brought him to her bed with her, and when she laid down, he climbed up to her pillow, curling around her head to sleep.

 Chapter 25: Tired and Tenacious

    Eve sat at the kitchen table and stared at her hands resting on the wood. Her first coffee sat cooling and forgotten in front of her. Her fingers curled up toward her palms. They were shiny where Chelsea had ghost-touched them the night before, pink and painful like a burn.


    Chelsea was quiet as Eve got ready to pick up the guys and finally drank her coffee with a towel wrapped around the mug to protect her fingers. The air in the apartment felt subdued, like Chelsea had used too much energy and needed to rest. Or maybe that was just Eve, feeling a depth of exhaustion she hadn¡¯t known she could feel. Even walking out to her car felt like too much effort, and if she hadn¡¯t promised to pick Ezra and Jon up from the Cliff Henge, she would have gone back to sleep.


    But the coffee helped¡ªa little¡ªand Eve pulled up to the henge feeling semi-human again. Ezra and Jon sat on a bench overlooking the cliff, close enough together that Ezra jumped and scooted away when he heard Eve¡¯s car crunch into the gravel parking lot.


    ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡± he asked as he climbed into the back seat.


    ¡°I could ask you the same,¡± Eve said. She lifted her head from where it had been resting against the window. Ezra looked drained, the bags under his eyes as heavy as Eve felt.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jon slid into the passenger seat looking like he¡¯d just returned from a weekend at a spa. ¡°Did you hurt your hands?¡±


    Eve scowled at his well-rested face and nodded. ¡°It was a long night.¡± She drove back in the direction of Blackwood. ¡°But I¡¯m not talking about it until we get to WaffleHenge, because I¡¯m about to actually die if I don¡¯t have more coffee.¡±


    ***


    Donna the waitress was as nosy as ever when Eve, Ezra, and Jon walked in, paying particular attention to the too-big pajamas Ezra wore. He was too busy being tired to notice, but Eve frowned at Donna, and she pursed her lips and ambled back to the kitchen for Eve¡¯s personal pot of coffee.


    Eve waited until they¡¯d all ordered and she¡¯d gotten her bandaged hands around her second cup of coffee for the day to interrupt the flirting¡ªshy from Ezra, shameless from Jon¡ªgoing on across from her.


    ¡°Someone else start talking about last night,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll go later.¡±


    Ezra¡¯s face dropped from its tender little smile into a milder version of the guilty look he¡¯d worn the night before. ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry you guys,¡± he said. He twisted his hands together on the peeling table. ¡°I never wanted to put you in danger; I was going to stay home and lock myself in my garage, the way I normally do.¡±


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Eve asked. She let out a deep breath as she relaxed into the booth cushion.


    Ezra blinked rapidly as he started to tear up. ¡°Yesterday after I got home, I was getting my chains ready when someone knocked on my door. When I opened it, you were there,¡± he said, looking at Jon.


    Donna arrived with the food just then, and Eve rolled her eyes at the exaggerated interest on her face.


    Jon frowned. ¡°I definitely wasn¡¯t,¡± he said, glancing at Eve. She narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I know, but it didn¡¯t even occur to me to wonder how you knew my address or why you weren¡¯t with Eve. I let fake-Jon in, and he asked about the investigation, about our plan for last night.¡± Ezra hesitated. He looked down. ¡°And then he told me I didn¡¯t need to lock myself up. He told me I should find you and¡­¡± he couldn¡¯t continue, voice lost in tears. Jon hugged him, turning in his seat to get a better angle.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt us,¡± Eve said. She crossed her arms. How wonderful, some kind of weird shape-shifting or illusion business added to the mess of paranormal bullshit. That was exactly what she needed.


    Ezra sniffed and looked over at her, still pressing his face into Jon¡¯s broad, leather-clad shoulders. His eyes were red-rimmed and watery, but he lifted the corners of his mouth in an approximation of a smile.


    ¡°Was it like the other day when Kyle tried to figure out what we know?¡± Eve asked.


    Ezra lifted his head and blinked. He thought for a moment and then his eyes widened. ¡°It was exactly like that.¡±


    ¡°But how did he look like me?¡± Jon asked.


    Donna appeared beside the table, and Eve jumped, sloshing her coffee nearly out of her mug. ¡°Here¡¯s a refill for your coffee,¡± Donna said, switching out Eve¡¯s empty pot with a full one. Then she looked over the three of them with a secretive smile on her face. Winking at Eve, she said, ¡°You know what, good for you, young lady.¡±


    Eve blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    Donna tapped the side of her nose with a blue-nailed finger. ¡°When I was your age, I never would have had the confidence to do something like this,¡± she said. ¡°Good on you for taking advantage of your youth.¡± She sighed and shook her head, curls bouncing. ¡°I never did, and now I¡¯m too old to try all the things I wanted to.¡±


    ¡®Literally what the fuck are you talking about,¡¯ Eve didn¡¯t say. What she did say was, ¡°There¡¯s no time limit for living your life the way you want to.¡± She managed it with only a small amount of ¡°what the fuck¡± in her voice.


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    Donna¡¯s eyes widened, and she looked past Eve and out the window. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure I can find something; you can find anything online.¡± Then she drifted away with the empty coffee pot.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Eve said. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that didn¡¯t happen.¡± She took a bite of her food intending to do just that, but Jon laughed, ruining everything.


    Ezra frowned and wiped his face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what that was about,¡± he said.


    Eve shook her head at him. ¡°Nah.¡± She made a cutting motion with her hand. ¡°Stop right there, we¡¯re not talking about this.¡± At least it had made Ezra stop crying, though the relief Eve felt at that was swiftly being outweighed by her horror.


    ¡°She thinks we''re,¡± Jon said¡ªEve glared at him, but it was not an effective deterrent¡ª¡°you know.¡± He raised his eyebrows suggestively and made some kind of vague gesture at the three of them.


    Ezra stared at him for a second, and then he flushed and shrank back into the bench. ¡°What, all three of us?¡± he asked, looking as horrified as Eve felt. Jon tilted his head at him, taking a bite of his eggs. Ezra opened his mouth to ask another question but Eve simply could not take any more.


    ¡°God forbid I have friends,¡± she snapped. ¡°You¡¯re both way too old for me, anyway. In age,¡± she pointed at Jon, ¡°and in spirit,¡± she finished, pointing at Ezra. ¡°Anyway,¡± she added pointedly, ¡°let¡¯s talk about what we came here to talk about.¡±


    Jon, to his credit, took a deep breath and focused. ¡°Do you think it was Kyle, then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It has to be. He¡¯s the only person in town who has that kind of effect,¡± Ezra said. He pulled out his notepad and flipped through the pages. ¡°But how?¡±


    ¡°Shapeshifting?¡± Jon suggested. ¡°If he¡¯s a fairy or demon, that¡¯s a possibility.¡±


    ¡°And how are we supposed to deal with that?¡± Eve asked. She pressed her heavy head into her hand and closed her eyes for a second. ¡°I mean, should we even be investigating this, still? He sent a werewolf after us. He can apparently change the way he looks. He¡¯s already a murderer once over, maybe we should leave it alone?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have a choice at this point,¡± Jon said. ¡°If he thinks we¡¯re a threat to him, he might not stop, even if we do.¡± Eve closed her eyes again. ¡°But we can stop him. Especially now that we¡¯re finding out all sorts of abilities we have.¡± He looked at Eve, who sighed.


    Ezra tilted his head. ¡°Abilities?¡±


    ¡°How much do you remember from last night?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°Not much until I turned back; it¡¯s mostly images and sensations.¡± He shuddered. ¡°I remember the cat, though.¡±


    ¡°Eve consecrated the spot we were on to cats, and then the cat-sith showed up and fought you,¡± Jon said since Eve was stalling with her coffee mug.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ezra asked.


    ¡°Cat-sith is a Celtic fairy cat, also known as the king of cats,¡± Eve said. ¡°Unfortunately, I know more about that than I would like to. Ugh,¡± she sighed, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to go back there with some treats later to thank him.¡±


    ¡°I thought for a place to become holy, thousands of people had to believe it was?¡± Ezra picked at his food.


    ¡°Normally, yeah,¡± Jon said, ¡°a lot of people need to believe. But Eve is a more powerful witch than we thought.¡±


    ¡°Not a witch,¡± Eve said out of habit, though it lacked the conviction she used to have. ¡°I didn¡¯t cast a spell or anything. I just insisted.¡±


    ¡°You ¡®insisted¡¯?¡± Ezra said. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Eve paused. She had said it and meant it. She¡¯d ¡°believed in herself¡± ¡ªbarf¡ªand it had happened. ¡°I said ¡®no dogs allowed,¡¯ and I was stubborn about it.¡±


    ¡°Kind of like when a toddler insists that it¡¯s not dinner time, it¡¯s dessert time, and they won¡¯t take no for an answer?¡± Jon said.


    ¡°You bullied the land into being holy.¡± Ezra laughed and leaned forward. ¡°Well if anyone could, it¡¯d be you.¡±


    Eve gave him a look and pursed her lips. ¡°I guess you could call it bullying. I prefer to call it tenacity.¡±


    ¡°You tenaciously bullied something into being,¡± Jon said. ¡°I¡¯d call that witch behavior.¡±


    Eve stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Shut up or I¡¯m going to tenaciously bully you into fucking off.¡± Jon laughed, Ezra smiled, and Eve took a vicious bite of pancakes.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even the end of the shit that went down last night,¡± she continued. ¡°When I got home Chelsea was having another tantrum. I was pissed, so I said, ¡®Chelsea, use your words¡¯.¡± She swallowed and looked down at her hands, the pancakes sticking in her throat. ¡°I think I gave her the ability to speak using my breath.¡± Her mind went back to that feeling, of breathing in and having it snatched from her throat, of gasping and getting nothing. Jon and Ezra¡¯s eyebrows shot up in matching surprise. Eve swallowed again, reaching up to touch her neck. ¡°She spoke¡ªsaid stuff about wanting help, about being betrayed¡ªand I couldn¡¯t breathe. Harvey saved me.¡±


    The table was silent for a moment. Eve cleared her throat. ¡°So, you know, two near-death experiences in one night: do not recommend.¡±


    Jon hummed and furrowed his brow. ¡°She took your breath? We already knew she was linked to your energy, so it makes sense she¡¯d need to draw from you to speak.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to worry about Chelsea accidentally taking too much?¡± Ezra said. His mouth and brow were pinched in worry, and he twisted his pen in his hands.


    Eve stared at him and took a long drink. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about that,¡± she lied once she was sure her voice wouldn¡¯t do anything weird.


    She hadn¡¯t entertained the thought of what would happen if Chelsea used too much of her energy. It had flitted briefly through her mind the night before, but she¡¯d been avoiding allowing it to sink in. And even though time and experience had proved she couldn¡¯t actually ignore things and make them not exist, fuck it, she was still going to try.


    But Chelsea could have killed Eve the night before, and it was only thanks to Harvey that she¡¯d stopped when she did.


    Jon glanced between them and smiled brightly. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out and have Chelsea moved on before it¡¯s an issue,¡± he chirped. Like a cheerful little animated bird.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna get taken out by a ghost,¡± Eve said. ¡°Let alone one named Chelsea. How fucking lame. Only beings named some shit like, ¡®Slayer of Time¡¯ or ¡®Calamity the Obliterator¡¯ are allowed to kill me.¡±


    Ezra leaned forward. ¡°Jon is right,¡± he said, all earnest. He touched her hand softly. ¡°We¡¯re going to solve this and detach Chelsea from you before anything bad happens.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jon said. ¡°It¡¯s great, we¡¯ve already learned so much. You, Eve, have a cat protecting you from the dead. You can make things happen by ¡®aggressively believing¡¯ they will¡ª¡°


    ¡°Debatable,¡± Eve interrupted. Jon raised his eyebrows at her.


    ¡°¡ªEzra is a werewolf, and Kyle is trying to frame him for murder. There is someone, probably Kyle, running around looking like me. We still don¡¯t know how he does that or the persuasion thing.¡± Jon paused and looked thoughtfully at Eve. ¡°Or why Eve isn¡¯t affected by it.¡±


    ¡°I have a very strong will,¡± Eve said.


    Ezra snorted. ¡°You could say that.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a fairy, a vampire, or a demon,¡± Jon continued. ¡°And he knows we suspect him.¡±


    ¡°Damn, when you lay it all out like that it doesn¡¯t sound great,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°No, no,¡± he said. ¡°This is still within the realm of possibility! We just need to test him to figure out which he is and find out what can be used to stop him. I don¡¯t think traditional legal justice is going to work out for this one, but if we can send him back to Hell or¡­put him in fairy jail, we¡¯ll have succeeded.¡±


    Fairy jail. Eve sighed.

 Chapter 26: Magical Caffeine

    WaffleHenge was nearly empty now in the time between breakfast and lunch. The only other diners were three old men who were all reading their own copies of the Blackwood Review and not talking to each other. Donna swept the scuffed linoleum floor near the counter. And Ezra chewed on the last of his toast as he glanced around, thinking. His gaze stopped on the old men, and he stopped chewing.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± he said, glancing down at where a watch normally sat on his bony wrist. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Eve checked her phone. ¡°9:24.¡±


    Ezra stood up so quickly he rattled the table. ¡°I¡¯m late for work,¡± he said, worrying his hands. ¡°Can I pay you back for breakfast later? I don¡¯t have my wallet.¡±


    Eve nodded. ¡°Sure. Do you need a ride?¡±


    Ezra shook his head, bouncing on his feet and looking at the door. ¡°No, I¡¯ll run. It¡¯ll be quicker.¡±


    Jon watched him with a little crease between his eyebrows. Eve shrugged and waved as Ezra took long steps to the door.


    As soon as the door closed with a jingle behind Ezra, Jon leaned across the table and caught Eve¡¯s eye. ¡°We need to find out how Chelsea died.¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± Eve shook her head. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think it was actually Ezra. But he¡¯s not going to stop thinking about it until we can prove it.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jon said. He nodded and leaned back.


    ¡°We need to talk about this somewhere else,¡± Eve said.


    Jon¡¯s back straightened, his face brightening like the embodiment of a light bulb moment. ¡°Can we go to your apartment? I have an idea.¡±


    ***


    Eve¡¯s apartment was still torn apart from Chelsea¡¯s tantrum the night before. Eve had scooted things out of her immediate way, but left everything else where it was. So when Jon stepped through the door behind her, he gave a long whistle.


    ¡°Damn,¡± he said. ¡°I wonder why last night was so bad.¡± He headed straight for the desk, stepping over the mess. ¡°I have a theory about your magical abilities,¡± he added.


    Eve made a face. ¡°Bleh.¡± She started gathering up the many papers scattered on the floor. ¡°What is it?¡± She yawned. How much coffee had she had at WaffleHenge? She couldn¡¯t remember, but she still felt exhausted, limbs heavy and brain sluggish.


    ¡°You wrote down the spell that bound Chelsea to you, right?¡±


    The ghostly presence hovering apologetically over Eve intensified briefly at the mention of her name. Eve¡¯s shoulders crept up toward her ears, and she nodded. ¡°I transcribed the henge runes that apparently were a spell.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Jon continued, ¡°maybe what you need to cast a spell is to write it down.¡±


    ¡°But last night I didn¡¯t write anything down,¡± she said. ¡°I said it. It¡¯s all bullshit.¡±


    Jon thought for a moment, scratching his jaw. ¡°And you told Kyle to leave the other day, too.¡± He shrugged. ¡°We can try it, at least. You don¡¯t know it won¡¯t work.¡±


    Eve pursed her lips. ¡°Whatever,¡± she said. Jon correctly interpreted it as grudging acceptance of his idea. He perked up and herded Eve over to her desk.


    ¡°Write a spell for us, then,¡± he said. He took the stack of papers from her arms and gathered more from the floor. He left them in a pile on Eve¡¯s desk and picked up a handful of pens.


    ¡°To do what?¡± Eve said, voice flat. ¡°I can¡¯t magically produce the medical examiner¡¯s report to show Ezra Chelsea¡¯s wounds weren¡¯t wolf bites.¡±


    Jon gasped, looking up at her. ¡°Maybe not, but you can magically help me break into the police station.¡± Eve stared at him. Jon¡¯s smile was as easy as ever, not even a sliver of doubt on his face.


    ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Eve opened a drawer and sifted through her various fancy papers. ¡°But I¡¯m not coming in after you if something goes wrong.¡± She was tired. She didn¡¯t want to think anymore, or argue, or protest that she was not a witch. If Jon wanted to do some stupid shit, she wasn¡¯t going to stop him, especially if it was going to help get rid of Chelsea.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easy,¡± he said, blithe as ever. ¡°Even if I did get caught, I¡¯m sure I could talk my way out of it.¡± He beamed, and Eve blinked at the brightness. She wondered again how much of his perky himbo persona was a facade.


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    Eve pulled out a thick, creamy piece of paper and her blue glass pen. She looked at Jon while she thought, and grabbed the sparkly green ink. What kind of ¡°spell¡± was she supposed to ¡°cast,¡± anyway? What would make it easier for him to get into the police station and come back out with the medical examiner¡¯s report?


    In long, straight strokes, she wrote, ¡°I SHOULD BE HERE.¡± It was business-like, serious¡ªaside from the ink color. She went back over it to thicken the lines. Then she let it dry for a moment and held it up for Jon to see.


    He laughed, delighted. ¡°That¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it will,¡± Eve said as she folded the paper into a small, thick square and handed it to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to find another ghost hunter, so you¡¯re not allowed to get arrested.¡±


    He laughed again and saluted her. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡° He pushed the note into his pocket and patted it once.


    ¡°And Ezra will be sad if you get arrested,¡± Eve continued.


    Jon hesitated. ¡°You think so?¡± he asked. Eve rolled her eyes and nodded. He swallowed and then smiled again. ¡°Good thing I¡¯ve got Sunflower the witch to keep me out of jail.¡±


    ¡°Give me the paper back,¡± Eve said, her face blank. ¡°I need to change something.¡±


    ¡°Nooooo,¡± Jon said, bouncing out of reach. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± He laughed as Eve reached toward him with one hand and punched him lightly in the arm with the other.


    She laughed, a huff of breath out her nose, and shook her head. ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re supposed to be stealing from the cops, not being dumb.¡±


    ***


    The Blackwood Police Station was a squat, square building, glaringly bright beige in the late-morning sunlight. Eve squinted at it from inside her car. A lake breeze slithered in through the open window and she shivered. She tugged at her short sleeves and leaned into the sunlight. The heat of it made her realize she¡¯d been cold since she¡¯d woken up. She felt like a lizard¡ªa warm, sunlit rock to lay on would¡¯ve been incredible right then.


    Jon had walked into the station half an hour before, Eve¡¯s ¡°magical¡± note in his pocket, and Eve was now considering how long she should wait before counting him as lost. She¡¯d said she wasn¡¯t going to rescue him, but even if she¡¯d wanted to, she didn¡¯t know if she could. She¡¯d been exhausted when she¡¯d gotten home the night before, exhausted when she¡¯d woken up with Harvey¡¯s fur in her mouth, exhausted at breakfast, and she was somehow even more tired now. She turned and reached into the back seat for an energy drink and chugged it.


    Eve waited for the rush of caffeine to push back the advance of the fatigue and rubbed her face. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes against the warm brightness.


    And then the car door closed and Eve jumped. Jon sat in the passenger seat and looked at her.


    He frowned and leaned in. ¡°Are you okay, Eve?¡±


    She blinked and took a deep breath. She contemplated lying. ¡°Was I asleep?¡±


    ¡°Chelsea is taking too much from you,¡± Jon said. He took a file folder out from inside his leather jacket and stuck it between the seat and the center console. Eve¡¯s eyes slowly sank closed, and when she opened them again, Jon was opening her door. ¡°Here, let me drive,¡± he said, herding her to the passenger side.


    Eve opened her eyes again as Jon parked at the North Henge and once again herded her where he wanted her, which was through one of the trilithons.


    Eve sucked in a sharp breath and staggered against the nearest stone. The tingling, rushing energy of the ley line sparked up from her feet and the hand on the stone, and for the first time since the night before, she was warm. It was like the sun had finally emerged from behind the clouds, and Eve basked in it for a moment. The long grass around the stones waved gently in the wind.


    ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t already pissed enough,¡± she muttered, ¡°now I have to get magical caffeine to function.¡±


    Jon had a serious, thoughtful set to his mouth. ¡°I think last night¡¯s spell took more out of you than you realized. And then you told Chelsea to speak, which was probably a huge amount of energy.¡± His brow creased and he frowned. ¡°And I asked you to make me a spell as if it was easy. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Eve waved the apology away from her like a swarm of gnats. ¡°It¡¯s whatever. The sooner she¡¯s gone, the sooner I can be done with all of this bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of,¡± Jon said, pulling the mysterious folder out of his jacket again and setting it on one of the fallen stones like a table. ¡°The medical examiner¡¯s report.¡±


    ¡°You got it,¡± Eve said. She sat cross-legged in the warm grass. Her brain felt like it was working at double speed after acting like a geriatric snail all morning.


    ¡°It was in a recycling bin,¡± Jon said, sitting next to her.


    Eve flipped through the stapled papers, skimming for something interesting. ¡°But this is important evidence in the case.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first corrupt police force.¡± Jon shrugged. Eve frowned. Detective Ishida, at least, hadn¡¯t seemed dirty. She¡¯d seemed sincere, and sad, about Chelsea.


    Eve stopped on a page and read more closely. Jon craned his neck to see, too. ¡°The bites were post-mortem,¡± she said quietly, aware of the dog walkers and parents with toddlers in the vicinity. ¡°And the bite-mark pattern doesn¡¯t match any known patterns, animal or human.¡±


    ¡°Ezra¡¯s teeth looked pretty wolf-like to me,¡± Jon said. ¡°Right? So if it was him, that would show up as a wolf bite.¡±


    Eve nodded. ¡°But if it¡¯s not human, what was it?¡± She read further. ¡°They found DNA in the wounds, but it couldn¡¯t be conclusively identified.¡± she paused and set the report down on the soft grass. ¡°What the fuck is Kyle?¡±


    ¡°A demon, a vampire, or a fairy,¡± Jon said. ¡°We covered this already.¡±


    Eve gagged. ¡°None of those are real,¡± she said, with less confidence than she would normally have in a statement so unequivocally correct. Jon gave her a look. ¡°Fucking hell,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re not, right?¡±


    ¡°You saw a werewolf last night,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean every fucking monster and supernatural thing exists!¡± Eve crossed her arms. ¡°Ugh. You know the worst part about all of this? It means my parents are right.¡±


    Jon laughed and leaned back against a stone. ¡°How terrible,¡± he said.

 Chapter 27: Ghost Nerds (and Eve)

    A business card sat on Eve¡¯s kitchen table under a rock¡ªfrom the lake, gray so dark it was nearly black, smooth, shaped like a pear¡ªand Eve pointedly ignored it while she heated her leftover delivery fried rice. She hadn¡¯t put it there; it had been forgotten in the pocket of a pair of shorts. Which meant that Chelsea was nagging again.


    Eve¡¯d been home for a few hours since she and Jon had gone to the North Henge, and in that time had barely managed to get one order finished. Her mind kept straying to the henge runes and the ¡°spell.¡± At least she wasn¡¯t so tired anymore¡ªshe was back to normal ghost-sucking levels of energy. She had put on a sweatshirt, though. The apartment was always cold, now, even on the hottest days.


    Harvey sat next to the card and poked at it with a gentle paw. He meowed. Eve didn¡¯t look at him or the card. He stood up and meowed again, this time for 9 continuous seconds. Eve timed it.


    ¡°Damn,¡± she said, ¡°the lung capacity.¡± Harvey looked at her with the kind of judgmental stare only cats and nosy old ladies could manage. ¡°You¡¯re as bad as Chelsea. I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Detective Ishida had asked her to call if she had any information, after all, when they¡¯d talked at the beach a week ago. Though, considering how Jon had found the medical examiner¡¯s report in the trash, giving the cops more information was unlikely to help. But, her reaction might give Eve something to work with, and part of Eve wanted to believe Ishida was still trying to solve the case.


    Eve dialed the number and listened to the ringing.


    ¡°Ishida,¡± said a raspy voice on the phone.


    Eve suppressed a yawn. ¡°Hi, this is Eve Donnelly, I had a thought about the Chelsea Horton case. Is this a good time to talk to you about it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ishida said. ¡°Of course. Just give me one second to grab a pen.¡± Eve could hear Ishida rustling on her end and wondered if she was at the station. Was it Ishida herself who was tampering with evidence? Or did Kyle have a different cop under his thumb? After a few seconds, she spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m ready. What did you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Chelsea¡¯s boyfriend, Kyle, talked to me the day I found her body,¡± she said. Ishida hummed. ¡°You know how she had bite marks on her? He specifically asked me if she¡¯d been bitten.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ishida said. ¡°And what did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°I told him it was a weird question.¡± Eve rested her elbows on the table. Harvey stared at her and sniffed delicately. ¡°He acted like I¡¯d said yes, though. And, uh.¡± Eve frowned, not wanting to say the words out loud to the detective. ¡°He used it as support for his werewolf theory.¡±


    Ishida sighed. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s mentioned that to me.¡±


    ¡°But like, my point is, I didn¡¯t say she¡¯d been bitten.¡±


    Ishida sighed again. ¡°And how would he have known, if he didn¡¯t see her body?¡± she said. ¡°That is odd. He has an alibi for the night she went missing.¡± Eve heard papers flipping on the other end. ¡°But I can¡¯t remember what it was. Where did his statement go?¡±


    Eve pursed her lips. Exactly how much evidence had Kyle tossed?


    Ishida sucked in a breath. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll make a note of what you told me and double-check Kyle¡¯s alibi. Thanks for letting me know.¡± She paused, and Eve was about to hang up when she spoke again. ¡°I knew something was off about him,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks again.¡±


    Eve stared at her phone. Ishida hadn¡¯t seemed at all surprised by Eve¡¯s information. But whatever that meant, she needed to let Ezra and Jon know.


    ¡°Cops lost Kyle¡¯s statement,¡± Eve texted to the group chat labeled ¡°Ghost Nerds (and Eve).¡±


    She looked at Harvey and around the room. There was no sign of Chelsea. ¡°Can I eat now? Thank you.¡± She sat down, and her phone dinged.


    ¡°That seems like something they should be keeping in Evidence,¡± Ezra had replied.


    Jon sent the eyes emoji. Then, a moment later: ¡°we should meet up. can we come to your house Eve?¡±


    Eve sighed. ¡°Whatever,¡± she wrote. ¡°The door is unlocked, don¡¯t bother knocking.¡±


    By the time Jon showed up, Eve was done with her food. She hunched over her desk, working on the henge rune translation. Harvey perched on the back of her chair, which he was much too big to do, and trilled when Jon walked in. Eve didn¡¯t look, just waved the hand not holding her head up and kept working. He sat down on the couch behind her and started typing on his laptop. Eve was so close to a translation, it felt like the words were lurking at the outskirts of her mind, like an introvert at a party. If she looked too closely at them, they skittered off and she was left with nothing but vague impressions.


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    Ezra half-knocked as he opened the door, which was honestly better than Eve had expected. She¡¯d just turned to yell at the door when he walked in, and she shut her mouth. He was back to his nerd attire, which Eve figured could be explained by the huge bite scar on his shoulder and neck. Then again, he could have worn high collars and not fully assimilated the nerd-hood into his personality, so he probably had always been a nerd. And Jon was leaning across the back of the couch, looking at Ezra with the dopiest smile Eve had seen since her dad last looked at her mom.


    Ezra waved as he toed off his shoes and stepped in. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not too late, I had lasagna in the oven when you texted.¡±


    ¡°I said to come whenever,¡± Eve said. She turned fully in her chair and sighed, scrubbing at her forehead. ¡°I need a break from these stupid runes.¡±


    Jon straightened up and closed his laptop. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin the next official meeting of the Ghost Nerds,¡± he said.


    ¡°And Eve.¡± Eve stared at him.


    ¡°Right,¡± Jon said. ¡°The Ghost Nerds.¡± Ezra snickered behind a hand, heading to the kitchen and straight for Chelsea¡¯s yellow kettle, still steaming. Chelsea seemed to like to keep it hot, which Eve guessed was nice because she could make coffee whenever she wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll curse you,¡± Eve said, narrowing her eyes. Jon laughed.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Ezra said, ¡°can we change the name of the chat?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my name?¡± Eve asked. She stood and stretched, walking to the kitchen for one last cup of coffee. ¡°It fits perfectly.¡±


    ¡°What about our names?¡± Ezra said. ¡°Or our initials, or something more informative than ¡®Ghost Nerds¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And Eve,¡± Eve said automatically. She pointed at Jon: ¡°Ghost.¡± Then at Ezra: ¡°Nerd.¡± And finally at herself. ¡°Eve.¡± She held out her mug with instant coffee powder in it and looked at the steaming kettle Ezra was pouring over his mug of tea.


    He pursed his lips at her coffee but poured water for her anyway, setting the kettle primly back on the stove. It wasn¡¯t even on.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I would have named it EE&J or something.¡±


    ¡°JEE,¡± Jon suggested. He gasped, then cackled. Eve dreaded what came next: ¡°The Heebie-JEEbies!¡± he said.


    ¡°No, absolutely not,¡± Eve said, her voice drowned out by Jon¡¯s laughter.


    Ezra laughed and sat down at the kitchen table. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°I hate it,¡± Eve said. ¡°Vetoed.¡± She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.


    Jon brought his duffle bag to the table and sat down. ¡°You¡¯d rather be the Ghost Nerds?¡± he said, casting a sly glance at Eve.


    ¡°And Eve,¡± Eve said. And then she said, ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    Jon cackled again.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Eve spoke over him. ¡°I have actual important things to talk about.¡±


    Ezra¡¯s face straightened, and he nodded. He pulled out his notepad and turned his focused gaze to Eve. ¡°Right. What exactly happened?¡±


    Eve repeated the phone call with Ishida, and Ezra dutifully took notes.


    Jon grinned as he pulled the folder with the medical examiner¡¯s report out of his bag. ¡°Speaking of missing evidence, I also have updates.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ezra asked hesitantly, staring at Jon with wide eyes and an air of terror.


    ¡°The medical examiner¡¯s report on the autopsy,¡± Jon said. He opened the folder, and Ezra¡¯s eyes locked onto the papers.


    ¡°How did you get that?¡± he whispered, clutching his metaphorical pearls and his literal notepad. The paper scrunched in his hands.


    ¡°I happened to be at the police station,¡± Jon said, glancing sidelong at Eve, ¡°and pulled it out of a recycling bin. I figured they wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Jon!¡± Ezra hissed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you broke into a police station. You¡¯re gonna get arrested!¡± Then he looked at Eve. ¡°Tell me you weren¡¯t involved.¡±


    Eve just managed to keep a straight face. ¡°I stayed in the car.¡±


    Ezra looked thoroughly scandalized. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you two! And why was evidence in the recycling?¡±


    ¡°For the same reason Kyle¡¯s statement is missing, I¡¯d guess,¡± Eve said. ¡°Maybe we should go back and check in the paper shredder.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡° Ezra said, his voice strangled.


    ¡°Kyle probably hypnotized the cops the same way he did you and Jon,¡± Eve interrupted him.


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Jon said, poking the papers into Ezra¡¯s face, ¡°the bite wounds were not animal or human.¡± Ezra stopped looking so scandalized and blinked, opening his mouth. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill Chelsea. Eve and I both saw your teeth; if it had been you, the bites would¡¯ve been listed as wolf bites.¡±


    ¡°The police never even talked to me,¡± Ezra said quietly. ¡°Almost no one knew I was close to Chelsea. And¡ª¡° he pressed his lips into a line and his hands into the tabletop. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was doing that night.¡±


    ¡°The full moon,¡± Jon said. Ezra nodded.


    ¡°But we know it wasn¡¯t you,¡± Eve said. She didn¡¯t bother to keep the annoyance out of her voice. ¡°So stop worrying about it. I saw the body firsthand. We have the report. And you were locked up in your garage. Have you ever gotten out before?¡± When he opened his mouth she cut him off. ¡°Not counting mind-controlled times.¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± he said. ¡°But what if I was being controlled then, too?¡±


    Eve scowled at him. ¡°Like I already said, stupid, the bite marks on Chelsea were not animal. You did not kill her. Stop feeling guilty for something you didn¡¯t do, or I¡¯ll come up with worse things to call you than stupid.¡±


    He looked up at her, a grateful sort of hope in his eyes. ¡°Scary,¡± he said, sniffing. A breeze wafted across the table toward him, and Ezra¡¯s eyes widened. Eve could almost see an invisible hand pat down on his head, flattening his curls. ¡°Thanks, Chels,¡± he whispered.

 Chapter 28: Kyle Approaches

    Eve sat at her desk in the bright light of morning, trying to avoid thinking. A sunbeam hit the back of her head and neck, a warm counterpoint to the perpetual chill of Chelsea. She sipped her coffee and filled her brain with languages and ink.


    She¡¯d been neglecting work, and orders had been piling up. It was a relief to sink into it. To focus on the words in front of her, fitting the nouns and verbs together like a puzzle, unique in their rhythms and shapes. And then to feel the smooth, thick paper under her hand and hear the scratch of the nib as she wrote in thin lines of ink. Harvey purred behind her computer, and Chelsea lingered quietly over by the hallway. It all took up enough space in her brain that she was able to ignore all those nasty bad thoughts about magic, murder, and the mortifying ordeal of being known.


    She worked until the early afternoon when her phone dinged with a text in the group chat. Ezra had finished work for the day and was ready to meet up whenever Eve and Jon were available! Exclamation mark included.


    ¡°Y¡¯all can come over now if you want,¡± Eve texted back. She stretched, dislodging Harvey from his spot. It would be good to stop for the day, though a few stray orders still needed doing. Writing fake spells for people who believed they were real felt a bit weird now. So obviously, she needed to fix this thing with Chelsea and figure out what was going on with Kyle so she could go back to not caring about any of it.


    And Eve and the guys had plans to figure out what the fuck was up with Kyle. Stupid plans, of course, but plans nonetheless. Eve found a half-full cup of coffee on the counter by the sink and chugged it. She shook her head and tapped her fingers against the mug. The clink of metal against ceramic was unfamiliar, as was the weight of the three rings on her fingers. Eve wasn¡¯t much of a ring person¡ªthey got in the way of her work¡ªbut investigating a demon/vampire/fairy seemed like a good time to try out all the random silver rings she¡¯d acquired over her life.


    She held out a hand to Harvey, standing on the stove. He sniffed her fingers and sneezed onto her hand.


    ¡°Thanks, babe,¡± she said, wiping her be-sneezed hand on his head.


    When Ezra stepped into the apartment a few minutes later, he brought with him a wave of humid summer air that made Eve want to take off her hoodie. He lingered in the entry in his stuffy nerd clothes, and Eve felt like she was sweating just looking at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get hot?¡± she asked. It was at least 90 degrees outside, and as soon as Eve got away from her personal A/C unit, she¡¯d be in a tank top.


    Ezra rubbed his neck and looked away. ¡°It¡¯s not that hot out.¡± He pulled his lanyard over his head and stuck it into the pocket of his dress pants, then fiddled with his notepad. Through it all, he wouldn¡¯t look at Eve. She hummed and let it go. He yawned and tried to stifle it with a hand. His eyes were heavy and a little glassy. Eve turned away and made herself busy. His best friend was a murder victim and he¡¯d turned into a fucking wolf literally two days ago. If Ezra was a little tired and weird, who cared?


    Jon opened the door to Eve¡¯s apartment and beamed like he was a lifted truck with after-market headlights shining his brights directly into their eyeballs. Eve squinted and scowled at him. Ezra got weirder. All in all, a pretty normal interaction for them.


    With everyone present, they got to work enacting their first¡ªand currently only¡ªplan to test Kyle. Eve sacrificed two of her¡ªwell, Chelsea¡¯s¡ªcanvas tote bags for the cause. She snipped a tiny hole in the corner of each, then put a square of duct tape over the hole.


    ¡°When he arrives, you can rip this off, and voila, salt,¡± Eve said with a flourish of her roll of duct tape. Jon golf-clapped and Ezra inspected the bag.


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure it will work,¡± he said.


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    Eve waved him off as she poured a carton of salt into each bag. ¡°Of course it¡¯ll work,¡± she said.


    ~~~


    They checked Blackwater Coffee House first. Kyle¡¯d been lurking there when Eve had met him, and he seemed to spend enough time there that Maria, the besotted barista, was under his spell.


    The coffeehouse was quiet, with a handful of people sitting alone with their laptops and tablets. Some kind of jazzy lo-fi music was playing softly in the background. The tip-tap of many fingers on keyboards made Eve want to sit down and pull out her own work.


    Maria the barista looked up from her phone when Eve stepped up to the counter and smiled.


    ¡°What can I get you?¡± Maria chirped.


    ¡°Do you know where I can find Kyle?¡± Eve asked.


    Maria blinked at his name and sort of went still. ¡°Kyle? I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± she frowned and trailed off. After a second she looked up at Eve. ¡°What can I get you?¡±


    Eve sighed and shook her head. ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be at Highwater Park.¡±


    As Maria blinked and tilted her head, Eve braced herself and went back out into the heat to rejoin Ezra and Jon. They stood in the shade of one of the outdoor tables¡¯ black umbrellas in silence.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± Eve said, ¡°but the barista will tell him I asked.¡±


    Ezra looked over Eve¡¯s shoulder and shivered. ¡°You¡¯re right, she¡¯s texting someone.¡± His brow pulled together and he tugged at the cuffs of his shirt. ¡°It¡¯s so creepy, she looks completely blank.¡±


    Jon craned his neck to see, too, and Eve snagged both of their arms to tug them toward the park. ¡°Come on, we need to get to Highwater Park before him.¡± Jon happily allowed himself to be pulled along. He was humming something under his breath, chipper as can be.


    Ezra, meanwhile, kept looking back at the coffeehouse, chewing on his lip and looking worried. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s really going to come?¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Eve said, ¡°it¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll test him, get out of there, and go have pizza. No big deal.¡±


    Ezra sighed and stopped looking over his shoulder. Eve steered them toward the park in the center of Blackwood and shivered as she stepped into the shade of one of the huge, old trees that spread out their canopies above. They walked along one of the spiral paths to the fountain in the center. Jon and Ezra chatted about something, but Eve had mostly tuned them out. She ignored the little tingle of anxiety that buzzed under her skin. Instead, she focused on the low burble of water from the fountain, the wet, earthy smell of the water¡ªstraight from the lake¡ªand the dappled shadows of leaves dancing on the low wall of the fountain.


    Eve sat on the wall and looked up, shading her eyes with her hand. Jon peeled his attention away from Ezra for long enough to look at her, and Ezra followed suit.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Jon asked. He crossed his arms and did his best attempt at intimidating, which was somewhat spoiled by the canvas bag with a big smiley face on it.


    ¡°You two go be inconspicuous over there,¡± Eve pointed to a tree some distance away, near a trash can. ¡°When Kyle shows up, you¡¯ll walk between us, leaving a trail of salt from your bags. If he can¡¯t cross it, he¡¯s a demon. If he can, we¡¯ll try something else next time.¡±


    Jon saluted and Ezra grimaced. ¡°What are we going to do if he is a demon? He¡¯ll know we know, then,¡± Ezra said.


    Eve clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. He won¡¯t do anything while we¡¯re here. He¡¯ll play it off like a coincidence, but we¡¯ll know.¡±


    She was guessing, of course, but hey, might as well try out that magic Jon kept saying was real. Everything would be fine. Eve insisted.


    She was still insisting it in her head, twirling one of her rings around and around on her finger, when Kyle appeared. Eve hated to think it, but she sensed him before she saw him. She tensed, creeping fingers of dread on her scalp and shoulder blades. It was a feeling she¡¯d ignored before when Kyle was around, assuming it was nothing. Eve wasn¡¯t in the habit of listening to her feelings, but perhaps this one was worth paying attention to. It was a feeling of unease, of anxiety. It was a message in the corner of her screen saying ¡°You cannot rest when enemies are nearby.¡±


    And then he was there, strolling into the park like he owned it, a casual entitlement to every step. In the sunlight, there was something odd about him, a distortion like heat waves. A little shimmer that threatened to give her a headache if she stared too long. Eve glanced at Jon and Ezra just long enough to see that they¡¯d seen him, too, and looked back at Kyle. He stared at her, a calculating frown on his stupid face, and Eve smiled. She crooked her finger at him, beckoning.


    Kyle approached.

 Chapter 29: Eves Very Relaxing Time at the Park

    Bright summer sun beat down on Eve¡¯s head as she leaned back on her hands. She looked very relaxed, and she also felt very relaxed about everything. She definitely felt fine about the murderer who was approaching her. She didn¡¯t look at Ezra and Jon, because, again, she was very relaxed and confident that their plan would succeed.


    Kyle, who was approaching, stared straight at her. He didn¡¯t blink at all, or squint in the sunlight. That would''ve been super weird and off-putting if Eve wasn¡¯t so damn relaxed about it all. Sometimes people didn¡¯t blink. That was fine and normal, and not extremely creepy.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jon and Ezra walking toward her. A tiny bit of the tension dropped from her shoulders. Jon strode with his tote bag like he was on a mission to find the last heirloom tomatoes at the farmer¡¯s market, while Ezra cradled his like he was hiding the last heirloom tomatoes from a horde of flavor-starved almond moms. Eve could just see a thin, double trail of salt behind them.


    Kyle didn¡¯t look at them. It would have made sense for anyone to at least glance at two people walking near them. But Kyle ignored them and took a couple of extra large steps that changed his course. He was now set to pass Jon and Ezra before they reached him with the salt line.


    Kyle grinned at Eve, and that was fine, actually. So what if he completely avoided their trap, as if he had prior knowledge of it? That was fine with Eve. She cleared her throat and crossed her legs and arms. Then she recrossed them, and then she frowned and grabbed the edge of the fountain wall and pressed her feet hard against the stone path.


    ¡°I heard you were looking for me,¡± Kyle said, as he got into speaking range.


    Eve shrugged and leaned back. ¡°You look familiar, and I thought if I saw you again, it might help me remember.¡± She looked at him, eyes squinted in a critical glare, and grimaced. ¡°Ugh, gross. I was right, you look exactly like a hard-boiled egg.¡±


    Kyle winced and took a step back, almost as if something had pushed him.


    ¡°Hold on, give me your hand.¡± Eve held out her right hand, rings shining on her fingers. Kyle stepped closer, eyebrows scrunched, and stretched out his hand. Eve guessed he wasn¡¯t used to other people telling him what to do. He wasn¡¯t looking at her hand, only at her face, so Eve had a great view of his face when his skin touched her silver rings.


    Kyle yanked his hand back and bared his teeth. He looked at the shiny red burn on the side of his hand, and then at Eve¡¯s hand. He glowered at her, rage clear in the hard set of his eyes and his clenched jaw.


    Eve lifted her chin as her pulse beat fast in her ears. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°Did a mosquito bite you?¡±


    He looked at her for a long moment, and Eve fought to keep her breathing even and slow. She felt a rising panic in her chest, an urge to kick twitching in her legs. Ezra¡¯s fears that he would eat them or drag them to Hell were sounding a little more likely with Kyle looming over her.


    ¡°Silver, huh?¡± he said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little dangerous for your friend?¡±


    Eve glanced at Ezra, standing with Jon in the shade of a picnic pavilion. They were both watching, but staying put. Kyle smirked, and she wanted to smack it off his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why that would be,¡± she said in her coldest voice. ¡°But my friends will be fine.¡± The panic was giving way to a rush of anger at this dumb fuck-boy and his stupid face. Anger was better than fear, anyway. Fear made Eve feel like Kyle was winning, like giving him power over her. And Eve would be damned, maybe literally, before she gave him anything.


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    Kyle looked at her in a way that would be calculating, if he was only smart enough to calculate. He hummed and leaned closer. ¡°How¡¯s your investigation going?¡± he asked. ¡°Have you been able to help the police locate Chelsea¡¯s killer yet?¡± He looked over at Jon and Ezra and waved.


    Eve didn¡¯t look to see their reaction. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know, freak?¡± She crossed her arms and glared at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you fuck off now?¡±


    Kyle grimaced and began to sweat. ¡°You were the one looking for me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, so I could tell you to fuck off. Bye.¡± Stalking around him in a wide arc, Eve left him standing by the fountain and headed for Ezra and Jon. She kicked at the salt line as she passed it, heart pounding in her chest so hard she almost felt sick.


    The guys were loitering under the picnic pavilion still, trying to hide from the sun and Kyle. Ezra was flushed and sweating, and even Jon had taken off his leather jacket. They looked over her shoulders at Kyle.


    ¡°Is he still there?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s leaving now,¡± Jon said, then frowned. ¡°Sorry we couldn¡¯t get him; he wasn¡¯t doing what he was supposed to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± murmured Ezra. He was still looking behind Eve, his eyes unfocused but moving as he followed something with his gaze. It looked too much like Kyle-fever for Eve¡¯s comfort.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, voice pointed like a stick. Ezra blinked and looked at her, then his eyes drifted back to Kyle. ¡°Quit looking at him. You¡¯re not going to fall for that.¡±


    Sucking in a breath, he staggered back and leaned against a post. He looked at Eve again, eyes clear. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± he said. He looked down at his clenched fists.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Jon said, rubbing Ezra¡¯s upper arm.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not, but it¡¯s also not your fault,¡± Eve said. ¡°What I want to know is how he got to you without even talking to you.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°I thought his hypnosis was short-range, but maybe he just needs to see you?¡±


    Ezra looked up and shook his head. ¡°No idea, but I¡¯m a little afraid to keep testing him. He looked like he was going to eat you.¡±


    Eve glared at the ground and dug the toe of her shoe into the concrete slab. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fucking kill him if he tries anything again.¡±


    Jon pumped his fist in the air, eyes and smile wide. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s kill him!¡± It was the most excited declaration of intent to commit murder Eve had ever heard.


    Ezra breathed out a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t shout that in public.¡± He straightened and shook his head, smiling.


    Eve sat on the nearest picnic bench and leaned her elbows on her knees. ¡°But how did he know?¡± She sucked on her teeth. ¡°He knew we were testing him. He looked so smug I wanted to stab him. How did he know?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him,¡± Jon and Ezra protested at the same time. They looked at each other and back at Eve.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure neither of you did,¡± she said, ¡°at least not consciously. And if one of you did,¡± she continued, ¡°it wouldn¡¯t be your fault.¡± Jon nodded and Ezra took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ll have to be more subtle next time.¡±


    Ezra laughed nervously. ¡°Yeah, we should plan more for the next test. It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t learn anything from this one.¡±


    Eve tipped her head to one side. ¡°Maybe we did. He touched my rings.¡± She leaned her back against the table and held up her hand. Spreading her fingers wide, she stared at the shiny metal.


    Jon smacked his fist into his other hand. ¡°That was what made him so mad, he got burned by the silver.¡±


    Ezra pulled his notepad from a pocket and flipped through it. ¡°He¡¯s probably a demon or vampire then.¡±


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t even glance at the salt.¡± Jon hummed and frowned.


    ¡°He definitely didn¡¯t count it,¡± Eve said.


    ¡°So maybe not a vampire,¡± Ezra said as he read his notes. ¡°We¡¯re leaning more towards a demon, then. We should test Kyle with that in mind to confirm it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need supplies.¡± Jon crossed his arms, still looking serious. ¡°Holy water for one. Crucifixes or iron, too.¡±


    ¡°Where do you even get holy water?¡± Eve asked.


    ¡°We can stop by St. Jude¡¯s and get some water blessed,¡± Jon chirped. Eve had almost forgotten that Jon and Father Thomas were besties from seminary, or whatever. Well that would be helpful, having a priest who would give them holy water on demand.


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Ezra, eloquently. Eve rolled her eyes.