Grace Before Dying Page 4

  “Mom? Dad? Can I come in?”

  I didn’t bother correcting him with a, “You mean may I, not can I.” Ashland reached for his pants while I practically fell out of bed and searched for my t-shirt. “Um, no. I’ll be out in a minute, okay? Why don’t you and Yogi meet us in the kitchen?” A popped myself on the forehead while Ashland furiously waved at me. He’d lost that toy two weeks ago. He’d cried day and night for a few days before forgetting about it.

  “I don’t have Yogi, Mom. Can I come in there?”

  Ashland pulled on his t-shirt and grinned at me. “I’ve got this, Carrie Jo. I love you.” He leaned across the bed and kissed me.

  “I love you, Ashland. Be downstairs soon.”

  “Take your time. It’s Friday, pancake breakfast day around here. You want a couple?”

  “Yes, please. Seems that I have quite an appetite this morning. I’ll probably have one later too.” I was lame at flirting, but I enjoyed trying. Ashland took my meaning and grinned as he ducked out of the room without letting AJ inside to complain about his missing toy. I shot off to the bathroom for a speedy shower, a slathering of makeup, and fresh clothes. No dress clothes today. Just blue jeans and a fitted t-shirt. It was really all a girl needed unless she were meeting a client or a contractor. Unfortunately, none of that was happening today. Just as well. I needed to get to the bottom of this White Fire dream, if at all possible.

  By the time I got downstairs Karen from the carpool was in the driveway to pick up AJ and Lily was about to walk to the bus stop. I offered to take her to school, as I always did, but she refused. “I can’t wait until tonight. See you this afternoon, okay?”

  “Okay,” she answered as she waved goodbye. She wore her curly hair in a lazy ponytail this morning. Her dark blue backpack was half her size, she was petite for her age. Kind of like I was at her age. I rubbed my arms as a chilly wind passed by me. It was kind of like looking at me, wasn’t it?

  Chance, how could you do it? How could you do this to Lily? And May? And me?

  I shivered again as I quietly thanked God he hadn’t killed her. At least he loved her enough to leave her with me. I didn’t want to think about the alternative. The horrible, wretched alternative. I’d worked really hard to push my brother and his murderous deeds out of my memory, but sometimes his face crept back in my mind. Too many regrets to count.

  I went back inside and offered to clean up the kitchen. It seemed a fair trade since he’d pretty much taken care of everything else. He happily accepted that offer and reminded me about his meeting with Reese and Sons, a company interested in restoring a few locations near the Mobile Bay.

  After I wolfed down half my pancakes I loaded the dishwasher and made a grocery list for the housekeeper. She’d be in today, thankfully which meant I could focus on my own work and of course some paranormal investigation. Man, my husband could cook. It was a wonder I wasn’t as fat as the side of the house. Well, I’d take a walk later.

  Maybe pitter around the new garden too. But after that, I called Amara. Later I would watch the video of Lily’s rehearsal again. Were we mass hallucinating? I showed it to Ashland, but his walk around the house revealed nothing at all. I trusted his ability to talk to the dead. Still, we heard the applause, all of us ladies did.

  One thing at a time, Carrie Jo. One thing at a time.

  I walked to my office to search for Amara’s phone number. I didn’t call it enough to know it by heart. Where had I put it? If I wasn’t mistaken it would be in my little pink book. The one I kept for friends and family. Not that we were big buddies or anything, but I considered her a friend. I wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual, but I was okay with that. I opened the door and immediately my eyes went to my desk. The little pink book was right there and on top of it, the painted rock.

  What now? What’s my next step?

  Deep in my own thoughts, I didn’t hear Ashland walking up behind me. But when I didn’t have to say a word, he saw the rock too. My husband cautiously put his briefcase on the chair near the door and we circled the desk staring at the rock with the faded paint job.

  “Is this the…”

  “Yes,” I answered with my arms crossed and my heart pounding in my chest.

  “And you didn’t leave it here?”

  “Nope.” I stood next to him, but neither one of us wanted to reach for the unholy thing. Yeah, that’s how it felt. Unholy. Not a word I commonly used, but that was the only way to explain it. Why was this happening? “Should I put it outside? Throw it away? What do I do?” Ashland closed his eyes for a moment. He did that at times when he tried connecting to any spirits that might be present. I watched and waited to hear what he had to say. “Anything?”

  “Nothing substantial. Just a trace. Do me a favor. Don’t touch it. I’ll get a bag to put it in. The less you handle it the better. I think you need to make that phone call. This rock has to go back to where it came from.”

  “You mean, back to Gracefield?”

  “Yes. Exactly. Call Amara and don’t take no for an answer. I have to go, Carrie Jo. I’m running late already.” Ashland’s grim expression unsettled me. It wasn’t like him to be so dire. He left me and his briefcase in the office and went to the kitchen to get a zippered storage bag. When he returned his gingerly picked up the rock and tossed it inside. With a tug, he closed it. “We’ll put it in the garden until you talk to Amara.”

  “Sounds like a plan. But I think you should know I dreamed about White Fire last night. The woman that cursed Gray Cloud. This rock has to be from her, but God only knows what she wants. I know you have to go to this meeting, but you and I need to have a long talk soon.”

  Ashland picked up his leather briefcase and hugged me assuredly. “I want to hear all about it. This meeting won’t take long. Probably over by lunch. I’ll swing by to pick you up. Maybe we can go to Ladd’s or somewhere and talk about all this. In the meantime…”

  “I know. Call Amara. That was my plan all along. Get lost, Ashland. I’ll be fine.”

  I watched him leave the house and dug up Amara’s phone number. With shaky fingers, I dialed the number. I knew she wouldn’t be glad to hear from me, but it was what it was. Ashland was right. The rock didn’t belong here at all.

  It belonged at Gracefield.

  And that’s where it was going.

  Chapter Six—Lily

  Glancing around the lunchroom I searched the crowd for the face of the ghost boy. He was here somewhere I could feel his eyes boring holes into me. I discovered last night that this was where he came from, quite accidentally too. Or maybe it wasn’t an accident. Who knows?

  I flew here last night, in a particularly strong dream state, and landed in the auditorium. And here he was standing on the stage as if he had a part in the play. There were traces of other children there too, some dead, some living. Katrina for one, but she wasn’t a dreamcatcher. Evidently, she was a strong dreamer though and like many gifted people, she had anxiety about tonight’s performance which caused her to dream visit. People often dream about things that excite them. Or scare them.

  I hadn’t meant to come to the school; I was trying to step into AJ’s dream to get a bead on the ghost that was terrorizing him in his sleep. But for some reason, I couldn’t penetrate his dream. I sensed at least that it was a peaceful and pleasant one, probably involving his lost toy, Yogi. He loved that thing almost as much as I had loved Super Bear until she became a crazed, possessed toy. Thankfully, Uncle Ashland burned that thing so she could never return, but I’d loved her before that.

  I landed on the stage and noticed that I was wearing my Lucy costume. Even my hair was straightened and pulled off to the side with a barrette, just like the character I would play soon. He’d been on the stage waiting for me dressed in similar time period attire. Was he from that time period? From the World War II era. He reached out his hand to me as if he wanted to hold it.

  What was up with boys and their desire to hold my hand?

  I shook my head a
nd refused to allow him to touch me.

  Who are you? What do you want?

  I ignored his hand and watched him step away a few feet.

  “I’m not going to hurt you but I’m not holding your hand,” I said that aloud and woke myself mumbling in my sleep. But then I was dreaming again, only I wasn’t at school. I was on the balcony at Seven Sisters and I was myself again. Plain old Lily Rose Stuart. Curly hair, slouchy clothes, and bad attitude.

  Invite me in…

  No. Get lost. You are dead. You cannot follow me home. You are not allowed to come here.

  I got the feeling he could not come inside, except in dreams, most likely only AJ’s dreams. AJ was too much of a little kid to understand the danger. True, while all ghosts had some sort of agenda, not all of them were evil. But this one…he worried me.

  And he had an agenda—and that agenda was me.

  Where was I getting this information from? I couldn’t say, but I knew every word of it was true. The boy was here for me. Not AJ. Not anyone else. He wanted me in ways I didn’t understand. I shivered in my dream. And even though I didn’t see him, I knew the family protector and my ancestor Muncie protected me.

  Please, I need a friend. By my friend, Lily Rose. Beautiful Lily Rose.

  The ghost’s eyes were again a deep blue sea color, almost liquid looking. Expressive, hopeful. He wanted me to feel sorry for him, but I knew what he’d been doing to Ashland James. Jumping out and scaring him. Chasing him through the Moonlight Garden. At least AJ hadn’t inadvertently let him in the house. This particular ghost needed permission to enter. I wasn’t going to give it to him, even though I had to struggle hard to have that kind of presence of mind. In the dream world, it was easy to feel less fear or more fear. Definitely fewer inhibitions about trying something that seemed impossible in real life.

  Leave my cousin alone.

  I want to be your friend, Lily Rose.

  Stop calling me that and go away.

  After hovering a few seconds he vanished and I woke up. I was so tired this morning. I didn’t sleep much after that because I could feel him lingering around me.

  “Geesh, Lily. Distracted much? You look like Hades with those dark circles under your eyes. Remind me to do your makeup tonight. Hey, can Cammie tag along this afternoon or should I tell her to get lost? She wants to come over and help us get dressed” Katrina was playing the role of Susan. We were sisters in the play. Her overly made-up face hovered in front of me as I tried to process what she was saying. Yeah, I guess I did zone out there for a minute. What was she talking about again?

  “Tag along for what?”

  “For after school, Lil. You’re coming to my house to get dressed for the play dummy. Remember? What’s up with you today? You’re acting even weirder than usual. Weirder than me and that’s pretty damn weird.”

  “Either, or. I’m okay with it. Katrina?”

  “Yeah? What’s up?” She leaned into her open book and waited for me to fill her in on what was happening with me. How to start this conversation. I “Uh oh. Your boyfriend is headed this way. Later, chick. I’ll leave you two alone. Cammie and I will meet you in the auditorium for practice after school and then we’ll head to my house. Mom is picking us up. I have a biology exam to study for anyway. Later.” Katrina stole the apple from my tray and smiled at me. It was a genuine smile and I didn’t care about missing the pitiful looking fruit. This school served the suckiest lunches ever.

  “Hey, Bryan. What’s up?” I asked as he sat across from me at the lunch table. “Does this mean you’re talking to me today? I noticed you weren’t on Discuss or PalPlace last night. Are you trying to avoid me? It’s stupid to be mad at me because I didn’t hold your hand.”

  “Now I’m stupid?” He sighed as he deposited his backpack on the bench next to us and cracked open his soda can.

  “You know what I mean, Bryan. We’re friends. Just friends, Bry and good friends too. I’m not ready for a boyfriend.”

  He couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he offered me a sad smile. “If you ever change your mind…”

  “Got it. Now, why weren’t you on PalPlace last night? We planned a new D&D campaign. You missed out on picking roles so now you’re an orc.”

  “Let me guess, you’re the campaign’s warrior.”

  It was my turn to grin as I poked at the coleslaw with my plastic fork. Who served kids coleslaw for lunch. Gross. I’d have to beg Uncle Ash to start making my lunches again.

  “Yep, but don’t change the subject. Where were you?”

  He avoided looking me in the eyes. “Just taking a break from the internet. For the record, I was not talking to you, Lily Stuart. It’s okay if we’re just friends.”

  Okay, shoot. The use of my new last name made me smile. Ten points for him. Maybe I’d drop the attitude and cut him a break. But why did I feel those eyes on me again? I swiveled around in my seat but couldn’t see the boy anywhere. Yeah, but he was here. I wondered if he died at this school? That would explain why he was haunting the place—and trying to haunt me now.

  “Peace?” Bryan offered his hand to shake. I ignored the feeling of water being poured down my back.

  “Yep. Friends,” I answered with a grateful smile. I didn’t want to lose Bryan as a friend and I knew, just like in the past few minutes, that I wasn’t ready for a relationship.

  Bryan suddenly lurched forward and yelped in pain.

  “What the hell, man?” He turned around to confront his attacker, but there was no one there. No one he could see.

  But I saw him. Only briefly. Those ocean eyes flashed evilly and the outline of his ghost materialized, vanishing almost as quickly. I heard someone gasp nearby, but nobody else seemed to notice. One of the younger girls, a sixth-grader, took off running, throwing her lunch tray on the disposal rack on her way out of the lunchroom.

  Okay, there goes another sensitive. That’s at least three in this school.

  Bryan looked at me questioningly, but I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn’t tell him that a ghost assaulted him. He’d never be my friend then. But then again, maybe I should back away from him until I could resolve this issue with the boy.

  Clarence. My name is Clarence.

  “That was weird. I swear I felt a punch in the back. Like a balled-up fist. You didn’t see anyone?” He asked as he glanced around the lunchroom. People were watching us, a few were making rude comments, but we ignored them.

  “Nobody. Must have been a muscle spasm. So, why again did you ditch me last night? And no complaining about being an orc?” I stabbed the coleslaw and forced a bite into my mouth. Not because I was hungry, but I needed this moment to be normal for Bryan.

  I took a wild guess as to what was happening with him. “Wait a second! You got grounded, didn’t you? What for this time?” Bryan’s father had high expectations of him. Really high expectations.

  “I got a B on my chemistry exam. My Dad flipped out. He’s a scientist so naturally, I’m supposed to be great at it too. You’re so lucky. Your parents don’t expect you to be perfect.”

  I felt the color leaving my face.

  “I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to mention them. I was talking about your aunt and uncle. I’m…I’m…”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. I better go. I need to stop by my locker before I go to Home Ec. I hate that class. See you tonight.”

  I slid out of the seat and blinked back the tears that came unwanted to my eyes. I didn’t want to cry about Mom and Dad. I didn’t want to think about them at all. I spent so much time and energy avoiding those thoughts and here comes Bryan ready to summon the unwanted dead.

  I’ll be your friend.

  Chapter Seven—Carrie Jo

  The auditorium roared with thunderous applause. Even little AJ was on his feet applauding for Lily. “Yay, Lily Bean!” As he jumped up and down his tennis shoes lit up red. He loved those goofy shoes. They were hard to find, but I did it. What little boy could resist shoes that light up when you run
in them? I tousled his hair and he scowled at me but also hugged my leg.

  “Lily!” The crowd cheered loudly and continuously. To my mind she was the best performer- although the truth was, as her aunt, I was a bit partial. Way partial. I can’t say how I knew it but with each scene, with each beautiful line, I believed that I had been watching Lily’s destiny unfold before my very eyes. Too bad Detra Ann wasn’t able to make it, Chloe had a fever and of course, I forgot to record the performance. She was going to be ticked at me when I told her. Maybe, if I was lucky, one of these other parents would post the video on YouTube or something. That would be great.

  I dabbed at my eye with a tissue because I was awash with emotions. Lily, our Lily was a star! If anyone was ever destined to be an actress, a performer of some type, it was Lily Rose Stuart.

  Lily Rose Stuart. I loved that.

  Lily asked for the name change and we’d happily agreed to it. Tonight, while they were taking their bows, the whole place heard the official name change too.