coward?
She had hidden herself away from ghosts for as long as she could. Then she had run. And she hadnât even managed that on her own. Garrett had come to her rescue again.
At least she had finally stood up to her mother.
Lillian. Saying terrible things about Rachel was one thing, but Garrett⦠Apparently Rachel reserved causing him grief for herself.
The only thing that made staying with him bearable was that she loved him too. She turned around, eyes stinging as her tears mingled with the hot water.
The numbness that had enveloped her over the last few days fell away, leaving her heart flayed and bleeding. Not from shock or horror over what had happened to her, but from the loss of what could have been between her and Garrett. If she had been born normal.
But Rachel wasnât normal. She never would be. And Garrett deserved better. It was bad enough he was saddled with her as a friend.
She shouldnât keep him waiting. She finished cleaning herself quickly, then turned off the water.
After wiping the excess moisture from her skin, she looked for a towel. Several were stacked on a shelf built into the wall just beyond the sink. Which presented a problemâshe hadnât thought to cover the mirror when she entered. She had ducked her head and raced for the shower.
The mirror was fogged with steam. And Garrettâs house was far enough from the city that she hoped there were no haunted places nearby. Unless she was haunted now, and that was a very distinct possibility.
Michaelâs other victims had not been happy with Rachel when she killed him. They were very clear on that point, even before they were certain she could hear them. They were afraid of what would happen when Michaelâs spirit was no longer trapped in his body.
She didnât want Michael to be able to hurt anyone, living or dead. But she hadnât known what else to do. Sheâd had to stop him, to save Elsa and Dante. In that moment, she had made her choice.
As soon as she had been discharged, sheâd started working on helping the spirits of Michaelâs victims. Luckily, her parents had gathered all the information they could on the incident âincluding what had been done with Michaelâs body.
No family had come forward to claim it, so it had been cremated. Rachel felt a sigh of relief flow through her every time she thought about that.
With no earthly remains to link him to the physical plane, his spirit would be forced to move on to whatever came next. She had that on excellent authority, and her research corroborated what sheâd been told.
Michael couldnât be the reason the ghosts at her motherâs house were angry. Not directly, anyway. She didnât understand why they were so upset that she had escaped and they hadnât, why they hadnât moved on when Michael died. What was keeping them here?
They could want Rachelâs help, like many spirits did. Tying up loose ends that had been left unraveled when they died.
She wasnât a stranger to ghosts trying to scare or bully her into helping them. That was the norm rather than the exception. It was a big part of why she did her best to ignore them all. Even the ghosts who were comparatively nice were just too numerous. It was overwhelming.
She shuddered as she remembered her motherâs harsh lessons about toying with the spirit realm.
âYou want to play with ghosts? Fine. Here are some new playmates.â
Yeah, her mother was going to Hell. Except Rachel didnât believe in Hell. Or Heaven. She knew there was something after , but didnât think she could conceive of what it was like.
People made their own Heavens and Hells right here on Earth. Both the living and the dead. Whatever the reason, it wasnât right that Michaelâs victims were still suffering. She had to do something to help them.
She would check her books. She would find a way. But first she had to give herself a safe sanctuary,
She had hidden herself away from ghosts for as long as she could. Then she had run. And she hadnât even managed that on her own. Garrett had come to her rescue again.
At least she had finally stood up to her mother.
Lillian. Saying terrible things about Rachel was one thing, but Garrett⦠Apparently Rachel reserved causing him grief for herself.
The only thing that made staying with him bearable was that she loved him too. She turned around, eyes stinging as her tears mingled with the hot water.
The numbness that had enveloped her over the last few days fell away, leaving her heart flayed and bleeding. Not from shock or horror over what had happened to her, but from the loss of what could have been between her and Garrett. If she had been born normal.
But Rachel wasnât normal. She never would be. And Garrett deserved better. It was bad enough he was saddled with her as a friend.
She shouldnât keep him waiting. She finished cleaning herself quickly, then turned off the water.
After wiping the excess moisture from her skin, she looked for a towel. Several were stacked on a shelf built into the wall just beyond the sink. Which presented a problemâshe hadnât thought to cover the mirror when she entered. She had ducked her head and raced for the shower.
The mirror was fogged with steam. And Garrettâs house was far enough from the city that she hoped there were no haunted places nearby. Unless she was haunted now, and that was a very distinct possibility.
Michaelâs other victims had not been happy with Rachel when she killed him. They were very clear on that point, even before they were certain she could hear them. They were afraid of what would happen when Michaelâs spirit was no longer trapped in his body.
She didnât want Michael to be able to hurt anyone, living or dead. But she hadnât known what else to do. Sheâd had to stop him, to save Elsa and Dante. In that moment, she had made her choice.
As soon as she had been discharged, sheâd started working on helping the spirits of Michaelâs victims. Luckily, her parents had gathered all the information they could on the incident âincluding what had been done with Michaelâs body.
No family had come forward to claim it, so it had been cremated. Rachel felt a sigh of relief flow through her every time she thought about that.
With no earthly remains to link him to the physical plane, his spirit would be forced to move on to whatever came next. She had that on excellent authority, and her research corroborated what sheâd been told.
Michael couldnât be the reason the ghosts at her motherâs house were angry. Not directly, anyway. She didnât understand why they were so upset that she had escaped and they hadnât, why they hadnât moved on when Michael died. What was keeping them here?
They could want Rachelâs help, like many spirits did. Tying up loose ends that had been left unraveled when they died.
She wasnât a stranger to ghosts trying to scare or bully her into helping them. That was the norm rather than the exception. It was a big part of why she did her best to ignore them all. Even the ghosts who were comparatively nice were just too numerous. It was overwhelming.
She shuddered as she remembered her motherâs harsh lessons about toying with the spirit realm.
âYou want to play with ghosts? Fine. Here are some new playmates.â
Yeah, her mother was going to Hell. Except Rachel didnât believe in Hell. Or Heaven. She knew there was something after , but didnât think she could conceive of what it was like.
People made their own Heavens and Hells right here on Earth. Both the living and the dead. Whatever the reason, it wasnât right that Michaelâs victims were still suffering. She had to do something to help them.
She would check her books. She would find a way. But first she had to give herself a safe sanctuary,
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