I didn't say anything, mainly because I didn't know what to say. The woman had just been broken from her loop due to a simplistic sentence, something she shouldn't have been able to hear. So how did I do it? Was it another ability of mine?
"You can see me! Oh, thank God! Please, miss, you have to help me! There's a man chasing me and he wants to kill me!" the lady desperately cried as her frantic cloudy eyes peered to her left. My mouth was still hung open in disbelief, my mind unable to process what was happening. She was unchained from her never ending circuit yet she still believed someone was after her. Just to ensure her I was convinced otherwise, I looked with her and shook my head.
"Miss... there's no one chasing you. You're already dead." The last sentence was highly unintentional and prompted me to cover my mouth instantly. I saw Kade's eyes widened behind the lady and Odis's head drop in disappointment. As the woman stared, frozen and still as a statue, my mind ran restlessly with all the next possible outcomes. What was she pondering in that dead head of hers? Was she about to go on a rampage and kill us all?
"Dead?" she breathed sadly, staring off blankly as tears stained her eyes. A sudden bright light ruptured from nowhere and blinded me, swallowing the lady immediately and literally making her fade into nothing. I searched around for her until my eyes landed on Odis for an explanation of what the heck just happened.
"She moved on to wherever her next destination was. That normally happens when you tell an unknowing ghost that they're dead," he said.
"Then why were you making a big deal about it earlier? Nothing bad happened," I mentioned.
"I said normally. It's possible for some ghosts to go into a rage mode and spread havoc across the real world and the spirit world. All I can say is you got lucky with this one."
"What about the ones who already know they're dead?" I asked.
"Usually those are the ones who are unable to move on, who have unfinished business on earth and/or conflicts they have to resolve," he answered. "But thanks to the necromancer's screw up, some are here for no reason. They can't go back because they don't know how to."
"Speaking of," Kade's deep voice whispered lowly. He awkwardly scratched his head and met my eyes, signaling for me to look to the left. There stood four people, their transparent heads peeping around the corner of the buildings at our sides. Two of them were children, one possibly in their early teens, another was a bearded man wearing some sort of fedora, and the last a young woman. Every few seconds they exchanged questioning looks as if asking each other if the four us were really there. Their eyes were just as cloudy as the lady before, lost and distant.
"Is it true? Can she see us?" one of them whispered. The voice was hard to match with a face, considering it sounded as if it were right in my ear. The four were too far away for me to see the mouth of the speaker move. My eyes were becoming transfixed on them until a hand grabbed onto the bottom of my chin and turned them away. Then I became lost in Kade's crystal blue ones.
"Look at me... not them. Don't let them know you can see them," he whispered so quietly, I almost didn't hear him. My agreement was slow and silent as we started to head in the opposite direction of the ghosts. Their murmurs remained in my ears, almost like they were following us or I was just their targeted listener. It took everything I had not to turn around to find out.
"Where are we supposed to go from here? We have no clue where that castle is and I'm sure all of us are worn out," Odis eventually said with a grunt as he shifted Maeve's weight. Someone finally brought up the obvious but no one had an answer for it. Silence and shrugging shoulders were all that followed.
Then a small, timid voice butted into our discussion. "Vivian's Bed and Breakfast! She can help you!" It was a little girl who suddenly appeared in front of us, eyes wide and a smile set on her round face. Even in her transparent state, I could see a bullet hole in her chest, barely covered by her long brown hair. She stood stiffly, staring up at us as if waiting for us to notice her. My eyes momentarily glanced at her but shot back up when Kade tugged on my arm with a smile. He peered over at Odis who was easily ignoring the girl we walked right through.
"Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we go see Vivian? I'm sure she'll give us a place to stay. It's been awhile since we've paid her a visit," he exclaimed. Odis's face lit up with a fake smile.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm not so sure she'll like how this one passed out while drinking, though," he responded with a nudge at Maeve. I could see what they were doing, trying to pretend as if they had the idea first, like they didn't hear the girl. It was pretty convincing, to be honest. Based on their tones, I would've thought they actually knew this Vivian.
My heart pained for the little girl, though. Who could've shot such a small child, especially one who seemed so bright and happy?
"But wait, it's been so long since we've been there. Where exactly was the BnB?" Odis asked dumbly, scratching his head to add onto the act.
"Wasn't the address like-" Kade added with a cut off at the end.
"219 Gregory Isle," the girl said just in time. She appeared in front of us again with the same hopeful smile, waiting for our response to her presence. A long moment of silence followed as the guys continued to "think".
"Oh! Wasn't it somewhere on Gregory Isle?" Odis blurted. Kade nodded quickly and I joined in just to help. My mind, however, was more focused on the girl and the fact that she could be one of those lost spirits, waiting for someone like me or us to help. It hurt so much to see her frown when we paid her no attention. My walking slowed just a bit so I was a few steps behind the guys. With my head still turned to them, as we passed the girl I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and whispered "thank you" so quietly only she could hear it. Grateful tears stained her eyes as she watched me.
"You're welcome," she whispered back. I put a finger to my lips and she did it in return. "I promise not to tell," she then added. "The others shall not know." As I nodded my head she faded into nothingness, allowing me to catch up to the guys with my heels clicking happily and a smile set on my face.
Kade gave me a skeptical look but he didn't say anything or ask questions. No words were exchanged for awhile until Maeve started to show signs of life again. At first it was just grunts and groans, then she started to move and speak. Her words, however, were a bit slurred to start off with.
Odis sat her down against a wall and crouched next to her to prevent her from falling over. "Where... w-what?"
"Maeve, stop asking questions! You just woke up, for crying out loud!" he teased.
"Ah, shut up! I'll do whatever the hell I want," she groaned, rubbing her head as her bright green eyes fluttered open.
"Yeah... she's back," Odis said with a funny look. Maeve started fixing her long crimson hair and pulled a strand behind her ear as she finally examined the dreary scenery around her.
"I have a feeling we're already in Louisiana. And I'm sure I wasn't out that long so how the hell are we here?" she then asked.
"Lord Farlen," we all answered at once. Her confusion soon turned to annoyance as she tried to pull herself to her feet, Odis helping her the whole time. Even though she had been passed out for awhile, draped over shoulders too, her beauty hadn't been disturbed whatsoever, and her returning smile was just as bright as usual. I could see why Odis had a hidden interest in her. She looked like a goddess herself, especially in a gleaming dress that matched her hair almost perfectly. Her eyes, if not glaring hard at you, would put anyone in a serene state if a smile accompanied them. Her voice was just as soft as ever, even when she cursed.
Odis, broad shoulder and quite tall, was someone you'd like to have as an older brother, always there with a witty comeback or joke. His buzz cut hair was kind of ironic for a guy who could transform into one of the most hairy beasts ever to exist. His bright amber eyes, though, just like Maeve's, could easily hypnotize you and set your emotions straight. His slightly squared jaw and the small hint of a goatee nearly screamed his older age, but in a good way of course.
Kade... dear God I didn't know where to begin with him. Tall, like Odis, and just as masculine, if not more. His jaw, fine and sculpted, always shifted with impatience when he was angry or annoyed. It was something a lot of people did but I'd taken a liking to his way for some reason. A lot of the things he did fascinated me, like how he could almost control me with his eyes, brightening the already bright blue whenever he wanted, it seemed. Or how he ruffled his black hair at random times. Or how he used touching instead of words to calm me down or to get his point across clearly (not referencing to when he punched me).
His laugh, a deep but joyful sound that could always bring a smile to my face, was something very obvious to point out. His voice, just as deep as his laugh, was melodic and sometimes husky or smokey, just enough to send a tingle up your spine if he whispered or mumbled something in your ear.
It was always him I looked for in a troubling time, expecting him to be there even if I didn't really need his help. Just thinking all these things made me blush when I looked over at him. I cringed at my own mini-obsession, completely sounding like a fangirl who'd lost her cool. Only in this situation I had the guy right at my fingertips, acting like I hadn't noticed his interest in me too. He made it obvious with the two times he almost kissed me.
"Wait... where are we going?!" Maeve's sudden shout interrupted my thoughts. She was standing straight now, wide eyed as Odis apparently filled her in on the plan. "No, no, no. You have to pick another BnB," she groaned.
"Why? What's wrong with Vivian's?" he asked panically.
"Vivian is my aunt!"
"You're aunt?! What the hell is your aunt doing in New Orleans?!"
"She moved here to find better business. Her second job is a ghost whisperer, although she's kind of cheating people out of their money since she's a witch," Maeve said matter-of-factly with an ending groan. "I'm not in the mood for a family reunion, especially with one of my most annoying family members."
"You have a better plan?" Odis asked. She rolled her eyes and waved off his question angrily.
"Whatever... let's just get this over with. I hope that damn wizard is worth it."
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Next chapter, can't wait. :p