The Haunted (10 page)

“
We’ll call 999 when we get mobile service,” Cassandra suggested.

My dad had already told me that dialing three nines was the equivalent to 911 in the U.S. “Just drive, Megan,” I said under my breath. “Please just drive.”

Megan pulled back onto the road, her jaw clenched tight. Cassandra and I shared a look and she shrugged. We drove in silence for the next five miles. I tried to take heart in the fact that both of them had seen Laria too, and yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that Laria wasn’t finished with us.

Cassandra poked Megan in the arm a few times and she finally caved and smiled, shaking her head. “I just hope we don’t see anything on the news later about a girl who is missing. I’ll never forgive myself.”

“
Don’t worry, you won’t,” I said, wishing I could tell them the girl was a ghost, and that she was stalking me and making my life a nightmare. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so bad.

I recognized a house we passed and knew we were within miles of Braemar. What a relief. I just wanted to get home, take a hot shower and get ready for the party.

“
Fuckin’ hell. No way.”

I followed Megan’s gaze and my heart fell to my toes.

Laria was standing on the roadside, head down, hair covering most of her face, hands at her side.

“
What…the…hell.” All the color drained from Cassandra’s face. “How did she get all the way here? I mean, no one else could have picked her up and dropped her off. We never stopped and no cars have passed us.”

I wanted to tell them everything I knew about Laria, and yet the words died on my lips. They would think I was crazy, and I felt like I was cracking a bit now that she’d returned. They probably were already suspecting that I took drugs after last night’s drama in the school bathroom.

“
Don’t you dare stop, Megan,” I said, not wanting to look, and yet not being able to turn away.

Megan’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “I have to.”

“
I swear to God, I’ll leave you here if you get out of this car,” Cassandra said, her voice rising with every word.

“
Please don’t, Megan,” I said, feeling desperate. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

Megan frowned at me. “What are you talking about?”

Both Cassandra and Megan were watching me like I was crazy.

“
I mean, I don’t trust it. This is wrong. Cassandra’s right. Think about it—how could she have traveled so far in such a short period of time? It’s impossible.”

I could see Megan processing what I was saying, but she shook her head. “Sorry, I have to stop. I can’t live with myself if I don’t.”

She pulled over and stopped the car. I slid my hands down my face, unsure of what to do. This was bad. Megan stepped out of the car. Immediately, Cassandra slid into the driver’s side, and shut and locked the door.

Fear knotted my insides.

“
Are you all right?” Megan called.

Damn it. I couldn’t leave Megan to deal with Laria alone, especially when it wasn’t Megan that Laria wanted.

I slid into the front passenger seat and unlocked the door.

“
What are you doing?” Cassandra asked, alarm in her voice.

“
I can’t let her go alone.”

“
Quick, look in the glove box and see if there’s any pepper spray.”

I would have laughed if I wasn’t so scared. Pepper spray wasn’t about to stop Laria. I looked anyway. No pepper spray.

When Megan started walking toward her, I held my breath and opened the car door.

“
Don’t get out of the car,” Cassandra said, and there was no mistaking the panic in her voice.

Megan walked toward Laria. My heartbeat was a roar in my ears as I stepped from the car. “Megan, please come back.”

Only a few feet separated Megan from Laria and I started running to catch up with her.

But I was too late. Megan reached out to touch Laria on the shoulder. I could see Laria lift her head slowly.

Megan didn’t move. She just stood there, her shoulders lifting with every inhale.

“
Megan?” I said.

Laria reached for Megan, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Slowly, Megan turned and walked toward me, stopping beside me. “Did you just see what I saw?”

“
Yes, she disappeared.”

Megan nodded and swallowed hard. “Get in the car,” she said, her voice intense.

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

Cassandra scrambled into the backseat and for once was silent.

I got back in the car. Megan locked her door, and then reached across me to lock my door. She started the engine. “I should have listened to you both. I shouldn’t have stopped.”

“
Ya think?” Cassandra said, looking out the back window. “I mean, where the hell did she go?”

Megan took a deep breath, and then putting on her blinker, pulled onto the road.

Chapter
13

The party at Milo’s house was in full swing when I arrived with Megan, who had said very little to me since picking me up. I wanted to mention Laria and what we’d seen earlier on the way home, hoping maybe she’d ask me about ghosts in general. Apparently she was still pissed off or lost in her own thoughts, because she remained silent the rest of the way to Milo’s house.

Cait met us at the door and she was quick to inform me that Dana and her friends had dropped in uninvited and dressed to kill. That’s not at all what I wanted to hear. Even worse, Dana wore one of those bandage dresses that hugged every curve and left nothing to the imagination. I immediately removed my sweater, and smoothed the skirt of my sundress.

Maybe Cassandra had been right. Maybe I could have kicked up the sex appeal a bit more.

At least I was having a good hair night. I couldn’t say the same for Dana, who had gone with an updo that made her nose look bigger.

Avoiding Dana and her friends, I slipped out onto the back patio where Megan sat with Milo, Richie and Shane. I hadn’t talked to Shane, and seeing me, he smiled, which was a relief. I never knew which Shane I was going to get.

Shane checked out Cait and I could tell she knew it, too—talking to me, but watching my brother from the corner of her eye. I totally got it. I knew she was fascinated by him. I couldn’t very well say anything since I was into her brother.

Speaking of—Kade walked outside. “There you are,” he said, his gaze shifting slowly over me. “Wow, you look beautiful. I like the dress.”

I smiled, happy by the compliments.

He wore a light blue dress shirt rolled up at the elbows, acid-washed jeans, the familiar Celtic cross necklace, and a braided leather bracelet around his wrist. I loved his large hands, the long fingers.

Cait lingered for all of two seconds before walking over to Shane.

“
I looked for you after the game last night,” Kade said. “I wish you would have stayed. I wanted to give you a ride home.”

Despite the fact I would have loved the time alone with him, I was glad I’d left early, especially since I’d been shaken up by Laria and looked like hell.

“
Maybe next time,” I said.

His eyes brightened. “Definitely.”

As much as I’d like to believe he hadn’t heard about my little episode in the bathroom, I knew he had. It was just a matter of time, especially with Dana slinking around. “Congratulations on winning the game, by the way. I’m not sure if anyone has ever told you this—but you’re pretty good at football.”

“
Thanks,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. Man, I loved those dimples.

Milo and Richie walked past us. Richie pinched my butt, which surprised me. Richie always seemed to be the laid-back one. Tonight his hair wasn’t in its usual ponytail, but down around his shoulders. The red waves were shiny; the kind of hair most girls would kill to have. “You look hot, Ri.”

“
Thanks, Richie.”

The nerve in Kade’s jaw twitched as he watched Richie’s retreating back.

“
A friend of Shane’s,” I said needlessly.

“
He should learn to keep his hands to himself.”

Oh my God, he was actually jealous. “He’s harmless, really.”

Taking a deep breath, Kade blurted, “When can we hang out?”

Exhilaration worked its way up my spine. “Tomorrow works for me.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Name the time and I’ll be there.”

I was so elated. Finally we’d have time alone together without buddies or family hanging around.

A loud screech from the bass speakers came from inside the house, and Megan walked up beside me. “Come on. They’re ready to play.”

Everyone filed into the house.

The room was packed around Milo and two other guys, whose instruments were set up in the corner of the room, ready to play. I knew Milo had been in a band for years, Megan had said, and I was excited to hear him play, and a little nervous too. I wanted him to be good, especially since people at school had been talking shit about his singing abilities.

Johan came forward and handed Kade a beer. He nodded at me. “Riley.”

I nodded. “Hey, Johan.”

“
You look nice,” he said, tipping his head back as he took a drink.

Kade shifted on his feet.

I’m sure Kade knew I’d spent some time with Johan over the summer. I remembered Ian’s jealousy, and I could see that same jealousy mirrored in Kade’s eyes now.

“
Come on, Riley.” Megan sounded kind of irritated with me, which surprised me since she’d been encouraging when it came to Kade.

She was already disappearing into the crowd, making her way toward the front, where there definitely wasn’t room for two broad-shouldered guys.

Kade must have seen my hesitation, because he said, “Go ahead. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“
Sounds good.”

I followed Megan into the crowd and to the front of the makeshift stage. Milo stepped up, grabbed the microphone, and said, “Testing, testing, one, two, three.”

Everyone clapped.

Milo smiled at Megan and she grinned. Tonight she’d worn bright red lipstick and dark makeup, which went great with her black dress.

“
We can only sing a few songs tonight—else my neighbors will lose their shite. Here goes,” Milo said, sliding a guitar strap around his neck and playing the opening chords of a catchy riff that had everyone jumping up and down to the beat.

Cassandra and Cait wedged in between us.

Milo started singing and I was shocked. He was
really
good. Megan didn’t take her eyes off of him as he played the guitar, his fingers moving seamlessly over the strings. I had to admit there was something incredibly sexy about a guy playing a guitar, and Milo fit lead singer to a T.

Plus, he had an awesome camaraderie going with the audience, and he was fun to watch. “That’s his older brother on drums,” Cassandra said, nodding to a thin guy with long brown hair, tattoos and gauged ears. “His cousin’s on bass.” The cousin had a similar look to Milo with spiky black hair, and he wore guy-liner well, making his piercing light eyes even more intense.

“
I can see the family resemblance,” I said.

During one of the songs, a head-banging anthem about a girl who had done a boy wrong appropriately called Soul Killer, I looked over my shoulder to find Kade. He stood by the door, nodding in time to the music. At his side was Dana, who went up on her tiptoes to say something in his ear. She leaned in, her boobs rubbing against his arm.

My nails dug into my palms.

Without looking at her, he shook his head, and continued to watch the band. His gaze abruptly shifted to me. I smiled and turned back toward the stage, and told myself to not worry about what Dana was doing or saying.

At the end of the three-song set, the crowd clapped and yelled their approval. Milo and his band mates beamed. As Milo set his guitar down, Megan threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “You were so good, love.”

“
Really?” Milo glanced from Megan to me, Cait and Cassandra.

Cassandra nodded. “You were bloody brilliant.”

“
Incredible,” Cait said.

He looked at me, brows lifted high.

“
You were great, Milo,” I said. “I’m so impressed.”

“
Thanks, Ri. That means a lot.”

He turned to Megan, who planted a kiss on him, which he eagerly accepted.

Shane clapped him on the back, and Milo hugged him.

“
Come with me,” Cassandra said, pulling me and Cait by the arms toward the bathroom. She shut the door behind us and locked it.

“
What’s up?” Cait asked, setting her drink on the counter.

“
Johan asked if he could call me sometime,” Cassandra blurted, looking from me to Cait and back again.

That surprised me. Johan had made it clear that he and Cassandra weren’t together, but even more, it seemed like Tom really liked her.

“
What did you say?” I asked, hoping Cait would give her two cents, but she remained silent.