Gone Ghost Read online

  I glared at her as I handed her a mug of coffee. “Don't go giving her any ideas. I'd hate to have to kill her boyfriend.”

  “I thought you said you weren't going to kill him,” Lucy cut in, surprise clear in her voice.

  I sighed and took up my cup of coffee to keep my emotions from boiling over. “I'm not going to,” I admitted. “I wouldn't kill Chase's brother, but it doesn't change the fact that I really, really want to . . . hurt him.”

  “I can hear you, you know!” Sam called from the dining room.

  Lucy's face erupted in a blush. Oops. I had completely forgotten that he and Jason were sitting so close by.

  “And I think Lucy is cute too!” he added, not commenting on the insufferable part, while at the same time proving himself to be just that.

  I rolled my eyes while I waited for Lucy and Allison to fix their coffees, then led the way into the living room. Chase had joined us. He was sitting on the couch next to Max. Siobhan and Emma were in the love seat, while Cynthia and Rose sat cross-legged on the floor. Devin paced in the corner, talking on his cell phone, most likely to Abel, who was hopefully somewhere safe with my mom.

  I took a seat next to Chase, then scooted him over so Lucy could sit beside me. Allison sat on the arm of the couch next to her.

  I handed Chase my coffee. He took a sip, as I leaned forward to grab a piece of pizza from the box on the floor in front of me. Next to the box, a new salt circle had been poured, and fresh candles had been set.

  I took a bite of my pizza and looked to Cynthia. She looked slightly more clean and well-rested than the last time I saw her. “So remember,” I began, pausing to take another bite of pizza, “you're just the plan b. It might take us some time to do what we need to do. Don't jump the gun and pull us out early.”

  Cynthia frowned. “I'm not sure this will even work.”

  “That's why you're the plan b,” Chase commented as he stood. I looked up at him with a questioning eye. “Your coffee needs more cream,” he explained. He walked around the couch and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Cynthia shook her head and met my eyes. “If something happens to you. The others could be stuck there forever.”

  I could hear footsteps approaching the back of the couch, then Sam said from right behind me, “Worried about the welfare of demons? How sweet.”

  Cynthia frowned again and looked past me to Sam. “I've seen what one demon's vengeance can do. I don't want any of your relatives coming after me if things don't go as planned.”

  “Chase is my only relative,” Sam assured, “and little Xoe is the last of her line. Wipe us all out and there will be no relatives left. Of course, you might have to deal with our ghosts.”

  I looked over my shoulder and glared at Sam. “You're not helping.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “And you're all delaying our journey. Let's get a move on.”

  I turned in my seat to face him more directly. “Why are you so anxious to go?” I asked suspiciously.

  He rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, I've got other things to do besides dealing with your big bad grandmother. I'm a very busy man.”

  Chase walked up beside his brother and held my coffee cup out to me over the back of the couch.

  I tossed my half-eaten piece of pizza back into the mostly empty box, then took my coffee back from Chase. The coffee didn't seem to have any more cream in it, but I didn't question it. I took a deep swill, thinking that the coffee tasted a little odd, then stood. “Let's get this over with.”

  Sam thrust his fist into the air. “That's the spirit!”

  Chase took a step away from his brother, looking a little green. “Are you sure we have to bring him?”

  I sighed. “We don't want a replay of what happened last time. We need his ghosts to trap her.”

  Chase nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. He started humming softly to himself, letting me know that he was nervous.

  Devin stopped talking on his phone just as Jason came into the living room to join the group. Everyone stared at me, waiting.

  “Let's go?” I suggested weakly.

  Sam nodded excitedly.

  Devin came to stand by my side. “I'll walk you out.”

  Jason stepped forward. “As will I.”

  Lucy and Allison both looked unsure.

  “I'll be fine,” I assured them.

  They turned toward each other with worried expressions. The room filled with tension. Finally, Lucy looked back to me. “If you don't come back, we'll find a way to get to you. No matter what.”

  I didn't have the heart to point out that if I couldn't make it back on my own, I was probably dead. Instead I smiled down at her. “I know.”

  Sam led the way to the door, followed closely by those of us going outside. We would return to the secluded area in the woods for lift off. I might not be able to protect myself or my friends, but I could at least make sure that no innocent passersby got caught in the destruction my portal would cause.

  We all went outside, Sam practically skipping ahead of us.

  Devin walked on my left as Chase and Jason fell behind. “Don't take your eyes off him,” Devin whispered, nodding in Sam's direction.

  I stared at Sam's back. “I don't plan on it.”

  “When this is all over,” he began, his hesitant tone drawing my attention to his face, “I'd like to ask you a few questions about ghosts.”

  My eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I'm not exactly an expert.”

  We had walked across my back yard and entered the woods. Devin offered me a hand over a large, fallen tree. His blond hair whipped about in the cool breeze, partially obscuring his abnormally pale face. He looked even more tired than the rest of us.

  “But you can communicate with them, at least in some way,” he continued. “Especially in this dreamworld I've heard so much about.

  I inhaled slowly as realization dawned on me. “You want to contact your mom,” I said softly.

  “It's as good a way as any to find out if she's still alive.”

  I let out a deep, shaky breath as we ventured on. “Does Abel know you want to do this?”

  Devin shook his head. “When we were unable to locate her initially, the subject was dropped. I dropped it along with everyone else, at least outwardly. That was, until you encouraged me to keep looking.”

  “Did I?” I asked distantly, recalling our conversation.

  Devin had come to speak to me not long after my dad died. He'd shared the horrible story of his childhood, which ended with his dad being killed by a rogue wolf, and his mom disappearing. I had told him not to give up.

  “I'll talk to Sam about it, once this is all over,” I offered. “If anyone can find a specific ghost, it's him. You know it wouldn't be her entirely though, right? Just a piece of her residual energy. What my grandmother is doing is kind of immortal demon specific.”

  We had almost reached the clearing. I wanted to somehow comfort Devin, but we really didn't have the time.

  He looked over at me sadly. “A piece of energy is all I need to know whether she's alive or not. If she's dead, I'll be able to let her go.”

  I nodded. He was being much more adult about the situation than I was. If I could find a way to hold onto my dad, even in ghost form, I was going to take it.

  Sam came to a standstill ahead of us, directly where I had made the portal that brought Chase, Jason, and I to the dreamworld the previous evening.

  He spun in a slow circle, marveling at the felled trees and soil looking like it had been scoured by one hundred mile per hour winds. He looked over at where I stood with Devin. “Your portal must really pack a punch.”

  Devin chuckled. “So does the girl herself.”

  I snorted and stepped forward to where Sam stood, then looked over my shoulder for Chase. He walked forward, leaving a sullen looking Jason to stand on the sidelines.

  I looked over at Sam, not wanting to touch him, let alone hold his hand. He made the move for me, reaching over
and gripping my right hand tightly in his own while Chase intertwined his fingers with my left.

  I turned my attention to Devin, who had been joined by Jason. “How long do we have before Cynthia starts pulling people out?”

  “Three hours,” he replied.

  Three hours. It wasn't a lot of time. Hopefully Sam's ghosts would be able to find my grandmother quickly. If we got pulled out too soon, we'd just have to travel right back.

  I cast one final glance at Devin and Jason. “You should probably step back a little further,” I instructed.

  They silently did as I bade, but still remained to see us off.

  I closed my eyes and thought of the spot in the dreamworld where my grandmother had ambushed us. I felt the portal forming, but seconds before we were thrust upward, I heard a yell from Jason as someone jumped on my back. I would have fallen face first into the dirt if the portal hadn't already started tugging us upward.

  I was overcome by the sickening feeling of rushing skyward, but at the same time felt weighed down with Chase, Sam, and some unknown person clinging to my back. I had never traveled with three people, and was overcome by the sudden fear that we might not make it all the way. We might get stuck in between planes, and I didn't know what we might find, let alone if we would survive it. I opened my mouth to scream, but my breath was stolen as we rushed out of existence.

  14

  We hit the ground with a thud, forcing up a cloud of stale dirt to surround our prostrate forms. Sam and Chase had landed on either side of me, but I had somehow flipped to land on top of our mysterious piggy backer.

  I looked around as I struggled in vain to sit up, wanting to get away from the still body beneath me. The shiny slime and withered trees surrounding us confirmed we had hit our mark instead of ending up at the bus depot, but I had a feeling we'd just barely made it there.

  A feminine groan at my back spurred me into action. I rolled to my side, then allowed Chase to help me to my feet. I looked down to see Nix, semi-conscious. Her shoulder-length, dark hair was a mess, and the back of her black, holey jeans and ratty white tee shirt were caked in dust from our impact.

  Sam moved to my other side, looking down at Nix. “Who on earth is that?”

  I sighed. “We're not on earth anymore, and that is Nix.”

  Upon hearing her name, Chase put his arm in front of me and pushed me backward. I gave him an affronted look, but he didn't apologize.

  “You said she cut you open with a flick of her hand,” he explained. “We probably shouldn't stand close to her.”

  Fully coming to, Nix sat up. She turned her head and saw us. She almost fell back to the ground when her surroundings became clear. Once she regained her balance, she stood abruptly to face us, though she still seemed unsteady. “Where am I?” she asked sharply. “What did you do?”

  I snorted. “You're the one that jumped on me, remember?”

  She shook her head rapidly. “I thought you were going after your grandmother. I heard you talking about her. You lied about her being dead.”

  I crossed my arms. “You were spying on us?”

  She looked momentarily worried, then a tough expression overtook her face. “So what if I was? You still lied about her being dead.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You're not a very good spy.”

  She wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I glanced around, just to make sure we weren't being crept up on, then turned back to Nix. “I'm being haunted by her ghost. I'd explain more, but one, we're on a bit of a time crunch, and two, you tried to kill me, so I really don't feel like explaining anything to you.”

  I turned to walk away, dismissing her. Chase and Sam complemented the gesture perfectly as they turned to walk on either side of me.

  “Wait!” Nix shouted, jogging to catch up to us. “You can't just leave me here.”

  “Sure I can,” I replied, keeping my eyes forward. I wanted to ask Sam to summon his ghosts, but I was afraid Nix would somehow interfere.

  “If you want to get rid of your grandma's ghost, I can help,” she said hurriedly. “I owe that old lady some of the hell she put me through.”

  I stopped and looked at her. Knowing I would somehow end up regretting it, I asked, “How can you help?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “I'll tear her to pieces.”

  I laughed, though it sounded forced. “She's a ghost, she has no body to tear.”

  Nix's expression fell at that, and she went silent.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, I sighed. “Just stay out of the way, and I'll take you back when we're done.”

  Her dark eyebrows raised in surprise. “R-really?”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  I would take her back all right. All the way to the underground, but there was no reason to specify that out loud.

  I looked to Sam. “Can you find her?”

  He didn't reply, and instead closed his eyes. The energy he began to channel made my arms erupt in goosebumps. Nix gave him a worried look and took a step back, hugging her arms tightly around herself.

  His ghosts weren't as apparent as they were in the demon world. In fact, when I looked directly at him, I couldn't see anything at all. The only way I could tell they were there was by looking out the corner of my eye. When I did that, I'd catch little glimpses of foggy figures swirling around Sam. He extended his arms and they all shot outward, searching.

  I stepped closer to Chase, feeling shaky and sick with anticipation. My grandmother had nearly wiped us out during our last encounter. The only difference now was Sam's ghosts. If they weren't strong enough to hold her . . .

  A sound like a thunderclap in the distance drew my attention just as Sam collapsed. I turned to watch him as he fell to his knees, clutching at his midsection. I looked back in the direction of the noise to see an eerie green glow lighting up an impossibly large expanse.

  “Not good,” Sam spat through gritted teeth.

  Nix stepped away from us like she might run, but stopped herself. There was nowhere to run to.

  I gazed at the green glow, then quickly turned back down to Sam. “What's happening?” I asked breathlessly.

  “She's fighting them,” he groaned. “We underestimated her.”

  “We should go,” Chase said quickly, looking off in the direction of the glow. It seemed to be growing nearer.

  I shook my head, not wanting to give up, but knowing I probably should. The decision was made for us as the green glow suddenly leapt across the barren countryside, then closed in. With the glow came a dusty mist that abruptly obscured my vision and made it hard to breathe. I grabbed Chase's hand, then lifted the collar of my shirt to cover my mouth and nose as the dust grew thicker. It didn't leave me a free hand to summon a flame as we were suddenly enveloped in near darkness.

  I maneuvered Chase's hand in mine to hold onto the belt loop of my jeans, still holding my shirt over my face with my other hand. Once he had a firm grip on me, I lifted my now free palm and summoned a flame. It was small, and didn't offer much light, but at least I could see Sam and Nix, who'd both stepped close to us.

  What I could see of Sam's face looked white as a sheet. “She killed my ghosts,” he panted, holding up his sleeve over his nose and mouth to filter out the dust.

  “How can she kill ghosts?” I shouted through my shirt, catching his meaning.

  He shook his head a little too quickly, his pale eyes wide with fear. “I don't know what she did, but they no longer exist. At least not on this plane.”

  “This isn't good,” I whispered back harshly. There went our entire plan.

  I extended my neck forward so my shirt would stay in place, let my flame go out, then held out my hands to Sam and Chase. “We should go. Nix, you'll have to piggyback again.”

  Nix nodded, then moved to stand behind me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders. Her closeness made me feel uneasy, but I doubted she'd stab me when I was her only hope of
leaving the dreamworld.

  I closed my eyes and imagined the edge of the demon city, somewhere where my portal wouldn't cause too much destruction. I couldn't go back to the woods if I wanted to trap Nix. I waited for that familiar rushing feeling, but nothing happened. Starting to panic, I threw caution to the wind and thought of the woods. Still, nothing happened.

  I opened my eyes, then immediately had to squint against the dust. “Crap.”

  “Why are we still here?” Sam asked, sounding almost angry as he pulled his hand away from me.

  Nix stepped away from my back. “She's neutralizing your magic, Alexondra.”

  I turned to face her, and wanting to stay close, Sam and Chase turned with me. I reformed the fire in my hand, then looked at Nix expectantly.

  Instead of looking at the fire, she looked down at my hand that still held Chase's. “Your ring is glowing,” she commented.

  I lifted our joined hands so I could look at my ring. The red stone was swirling with colorful lights, and the vines that composed the band looked almost like they were moving.

  “I think you're somehow drawing power from the ring,” Nix explained. “Maybe a portal takes more power than the ring can conduct.”

  Before I could reply, the dust began to thicken around us. We were either going to have to move, or be suffocated. Wordlessly we all agreed to join hands, and Chase led the way forward. I felt uneasy holding Nix's hand, knowing what she could do with it, but I didn't have the heart to leave her behind. I could only hope that Sam was trailing behind her, since I could no longer see more than a few inches in front of my face, and that was only when I dared to squint my eyes against the abrasive air.

  We continued forward blindly. I felt Nix stumble behind me, then suddenly her hand was gone. I tugged on Chase to stop, but when I crouched down to find her, there was only emptiness.

  “Nix?” I called out through my shirt. The muffled word was unintelligible, but maybe the sound would be enough.

  There was no reply.

  “Sam, are you there?”