The Reaping (The Reapers Book 1) (7 page)

My fear returned when Reid started talking about ruining my life. “I don’t even know you. Why are you doing this to me?”

“I don’t even know you,” Reid mocked in a high falsetto and did a little girly prance that got him out of my personal space. I stepped away from the door, but kept a hand on the knob.

“I’m doing this because I can, Kelsey. I want what you have and I’m going to take it. God knows, you’re not my first choice. I’d much rather be alive as a dude again, at the very least, but that’s not the way this works. Besides the asshole who killed me, you were the last person to see me alive and you are the only one I can possess.”

“Really?” I said. “Then how is it that you are possessing Reid?”

“He’s drunk as hell right now, as good as a Halloween costume. I can just slide right into him when he’s like this, but as soon as he sobers up, I’m out on my ass. Once I get into you, I’ll kick out your soul and take up permanent residence.”

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. “Then how come you haven’t done it yet?”

“I asked the same question.” Reid rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. “Apparently, there’s a procedure that starts with me making you miserable and reminding you repeatedly that this would be easier for you if you would just vacate the premises willingly.”

“You really aren’t making any sense.”

Reid sighed. “Shit, I told them I’d fuck this up. Okay, what I was supposed to say was this: you are a pathetic, ordinary waste of a perfectly good body, and I’m going to take it over whether you like it or not. It would be easier if you would give up the body willingly, so I’ll be checking in periodically to find out if you are going to do so. Are you?”

“Not a chance.”

“All right, then I’m going to have to make you so miserable and desperate that you beg me to trade places with you, ’kay? See you around.”

Reid stumbled a little and looked around blearily. “Where…what…I’ve gotta get home.”

I was getting really, really tired of this harassment. “Listen to me very carefully, Reid. Leave me alone. I don’t ever want to see you anywhere around me or near me at all ever again. If I do, I’m going to call…”
who? The cops?
“Well, I’m going to call someone who will make you sorry you ever met me.”

Reid raised his hands and backed up. “Whoa, I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m sorry for whatever it is I did.”

“Just leave me alone.” I stormed back into the apartment and slammed the door.

Angelica didn’t stumble into the kitchen until 1 PM. I had heard her stirring and already had the breakfast casserole in the oven.

“Wow,” she said. “That smells delicious.”

I smiled up at her from my seat at the kitchen table, where I’d been for the past hour, trying to figure out what Reid’s game was. I had a notebook in front of me where I’d listed his possible sources for information and his potential goals. I flipped the notebook over when Angelica got too close. “It’s a new recipe. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” She sat down at the table across from me. “What’s wrong, honey? You look like your dog just died.”

Tears pricked my eyes. I was going to say I was just PMS-ing, but I changed my mind when I saw the worried look on her face. I had shared so little of myself with her, and I knew that if I didn’t share this, her feelings would be hurt. Besides, I really needed someone to talk to. “It’s the strangest thing, but it’s got me totally spooked. One of the police officers from the store yesterday morning has been threatening me.”

“What? Why?” She gasped.

“I don’t know.” I could see no reason not to tell her the whole story. None of it had anything to do with my ability to see ghosts. “He claims that Landon’s ghost is possessing him, and he talks to me like he is Landon. Some of the stuff he knows… Anyway, he says that Landon doesn’t want to be dead anymore and that his…his spirit wants to take over my body.”

“Have you ever met him before?”

“No, never. But he seems to know a lot about me. He was here this morning. Somehow, he knows where I live.”

“This is not good. He sounds like a complete psycho. You should call the cops.”

“That’s just it, he
is
the cops. Do you think that this whole possession thing could be real? Have you ever heard of anything like it?”

She shook her head. “Only demonic possession and, somehow, I just can’t see Landon as a demon.”

I laughed at that. “Not unless he’s related to a nepotistic demon who gave him a pity job.”

“The truth is, I don’t know much about ghosts. I’m more interested in auras and the power of emotion to affect physical well-being, past lives, that sort of thing. If I saw a ghost, I’d probably run screaming to you.”

I froze. She met my gaze steadily. “Don’t come running to me. I’m no protection from ghosts. I’d hide under the bed.”

She frowned and picked at a sticky spot on the table. “Is that true, Kelsey? You really don’t know anything about ghosts?”

My heart plummeted to the bottom of my stomach. I already knew she’d suspected, but I’d hoped…I’d hoped she didn’t really want to know the truth. “What are you talking about?”

“Your mom told me three months ago. I didn’t believe her at first, because, well…I don’t think I really wanted to believe her.” Angelica sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t want to believe her, because… It doesn’t matter. But then I heard you talking to yourself the next week, having a truly weird conversation and… Was she telling the truth?”

“My mom is crazy. You can’t believe anything she says.” I was desperate to convince Angelica she was wrong. I couldn’t bear going back to being the freak who talked to the dead, and for whatever reason, she was ready to believe Mom had lied. Unfortunately, I’m a terrible liar. “And the weird conversations… I, you know, I recite movie lines all the time. Like, um, well, you know that movie about…what was it called? I’m really good at remembering lines from…”

Her face crumpled and she looked like she was going to cry. “You’re my best friend, Kelsey. I tell you everything.”

I knew there was no way to win this one. I was either going to lose my best friend or my life of anonymity. I chose to keep Angelica. “You’re right.” I stood and squeezed myself onto the chair next to her and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m sorry. I was just scared that you’d think I was a crazy freak.”
Or that you’d share my secret with the whole town
, but I knew better than to say that aloud.

“I love you, Kels. The fact that you can see ghosts scares me a little bit, but that’s probably just because I don’t know anything about it.”

She really did look scared, a bit pale and wide-eyed, her breath coming fast.

I stood and returned to my own seat. “I’ll tell you anything and everything you want to know as long as you promise me two things.”

She nodded. “Anything.”

“Never tell anyone else what I can do, and never ask me to talk to a dead person for you.”

She nodded solemnly. “I’m not sure why you want me to promise that second part, but I trust you enough to promise blindly. So, um, yeah, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“So what’s the real deal with this Landon thing? How did you know Landon was dead? Did he appear to you as a ghost?”

I shook my head. “That’s what’s weird. He didn’t appear to me in the usual way. He was in my dream, both him and Reid. I don’t see how that is possible…”

“Why not? What if Landon can appear to you in dreams?”

“Then he can get inside my head, and I don’t even want to imagine that’s possible. It’s got to be a weird coincidence. Reid is obviously unstable, and this is some sort of game.”

“I’m not sure I believe in coincidences. In either case, you need to stay away from Reid, and if he bothers you again, call the cops, anyway. You can file complaints against cops, right?”

“I guess. Hopefully Reid or Landon, whichever one he is, will get bored with this whole game he’s playing.” I got up and headed over to the stove. “Anyway, your breakfast is ready.”

“Aw, you are so sweet to me. Want to go to the bakery to get dessert after? Maybe say hi to your new friend, Bruce.”

I almost dropped the casserole dish as I was taking it out of the oven. “I don’t want to seem like some sort of stalker. He has my number…I mean, do you think he wanted my number so he could ask me out?”

“Hello? Yes, sweetie, of course he did. I’m sure he’ll call, but it can’t hurt to stop in and remind him how beautiful you are.”

I did my best to accept her compliment without arguing. “Except that I’ve never been in there before, and it will be so obvious…”

“That what? You like him? Kelsey, three guys asked for your number last night. He is just another potential in a sea of men.”

I laughed at that. “That might be true if he were even remotely aware that he has competition.” Which he doesn’t since I didn’t expect any of those guys to call me, but I didn’t say that because I didn’t want to get yelled at.

“I’m sure it’s assumed. He’d have to be a complete idiot not to assume you have other potential suitors.”

“Potential suitors? What is this, the nineteenth century? It doesn’t matter because I’m not going to the bakery with you.” I put a plate of casserole in front of her and sat down at the table. “Why don’t we talk about you and Caleb?”

“What? No way am I getting in the middle of that.”

“The middle of what?”

Angelica eyed me carefully for a few minutes while she scarfed down her breakfast. “Let’s just say I’m staying out of it.”

I shrugged. “Whatever, but last night you seemed into him, and I’m not interested in him, so I don’t know what’s stopping you.”

“Don’t get me wrong; he is without a doubt the hottest dude I have ever encountered in my entire life, but he’s only got eyes for you. Last night, when I called dibs, I wasn’t in my right mind. In the light of day, it’s clear that he’s yours if he’s anybody’s.”

“Ha, please! Are you still drunk? If I recall correctly, you had six guys flirting with you last night. If it’s a competition between you and me, there is no competition.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot, but you’re a great cook. Thanks for breakfast.”

“No problem. You wanna go for a run with me after you’ve digested.”

“You know it, baby.”

We were on our way back up the stairs to our apartment when I heard the phone ringing.

“I’ll get it,” I said to Angelica, who was still on the bottom step stretching. We had left the door to our apartment unlocked, since it was the middle of the day. So I hurried in, ran across the kitchen, and picked up the receiver from the end table next to the armchair. “Hello?”

“Kelsey?”

“This is she.”

“Kelsey, hey. This is Cherie…at the store. Anyway, I know everything’s been a bit of a mess, since, well, you know. But they opened the store today and you were on the schedule. I’m okay here. It’s pretty dead and, well, really boring. But I can’t close out or lock up. Could you just stop by tonight to…?”

“I just got back from a run. I’ll be there after my shower.” Somehow, I had completely forgotten about work.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to…I’m sure—”

“Don’t worry. I don’t have anything else planned for this evening. Besides, I don’t want to leave you there all alone after what happened.”

“Yeah, thanks. It is kind of creepy.”

“See you in a half hour or so.”

I didn’t stop to wonder if Landon’s ghost might be lurking in the store. If I started trying to avoid ghosts, I’d go insane.

Cherie sat hunched over a fashion magazine, her long, brown hair curtained in front of her face, when I walked into the store.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

She slammed her magazine shut. When she realized it was me who had spoken to her, she relaxed and giggled. “God, you sounded just like the owner’s wife when you did that.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, no problem. It’s just that they’ve been hanging around all day.” She scanned the store quickly. “They’ve been trying to call you, but you remember how Landon got your number wrong on the call-in sheet?”

I nodded. All of the employees had been keeping that error hidden from Landon for months. When he questioned why he always got some old lady’s answering machine at my number, Isabella had told him that Angelica and I lived with my grandmother. He had accepted that answer, and always got on my case about not calling him back when he left me messages. Angelica told him that my senile grandmother had erased the messages before I’d gotten them. The sole purpose of all those lies was to test just how few brain cells Landon had left. Well, that, and we all enjoyed messing with him.

“I would have told them the right number, but they didn’t ask me.” Cherie grinned. “Rumor is, they might choose one of us to replace Landon. I think that’s why they’ve been trying to call you. I told them that you pretty much run the place.”

“But I’m not planning to stick around. I’m going to go to college…well, hopefully next year.”

Cherie shrugged. “I doubt the job comes with a lifetime commitment. Besides, you practically live here anyway.”

“Not quite.” I looked around the store and tried to picture myself in charge. Once Landon had started working there, I had taken on more and more work. But Landon had still been the one to answer if anything major went wrong.

“They should hire someone from the outside, someone who has experience managing a place and can get the business going again,” I said.

“Should we?” The deep voice made me jump. I turned to see a tall, lean man in the doorway. “Know anyone?”

As he walked toward me, I smiled through my intimidation. I didn’t have to ask to know that the man moving closer was the owner. He looked like what Landon could’ve been if he stopped using drugs and lived another thirty years, clear eyed and confident. “Not right off, but I’m sure…”

The older man stuck out a callused hand. “I’m Al Wentworth, the owner of this fine store.”

“Kelsey.” I took his hand and was impressed by his warm, firm grip. “I’m sorry about Landon.”

Mr. Wentworth’s smile faded. “Yes, his pleasures got the better of him, I suppose. We felt that it was appropriate to keep the store closed all day yesterday. I hope this has not been too much of an inconvenience for you.”