Page 13 of Ghost Girl

‘Ah,’ I said, comprehension dawning. ‘No. We typically stick to places steeped in history. The macabre kind, sure, but the dead are dead, regardless.’

‘Have you ever actually caught a ghost on camera?’ she asked, and I was practically giddy as I answered.

‘Yeah, a few. We mostly catch electromagnetic readings. A few words here and there are pretty common, too, but yeah. We’ve got footage of a ghost or two.’

‘Can I see?’

I grinned. ‘Sure. We post all our findings on our website.’

‘Oh, I didn’t realise you had a website.’

‘Sure do. We get a good portion of our income from our blog, but we sell merch as well as other services.’

‘Other services?’

‘People can hire us.’

‘Really? What kind of people hire ghost hunters?’

I shrugged. ‘It depends. Some people like a good story to tell at a party. Some people just want us to talk about what we do and why. Others want us for our equipment because they can’t afford it themselves and they want to try their hand at it. It ranges.’

‘That’s… not what I expected at all. That sounds incredible. You must have a lot of adventures.’

I laughed at that, the sound louder than I expected, so I quickly dampened it behind my hand. ‘Yeah, you could say that.’

‘Do you think I could come with you sometime? I’d love a front row seat to watch you work. It sounds fascinating.’

Again, she took me by surprise, but pleasantly so. ‘Uh, sure. I don’t see a problem with that.’

Her smile was tentatively hopeful. ‘That would be awesome.’

My phone buzzed inside my pocket, and I took it out to see that Ashe had texted me, urging me to hurry it along. I shook the phone in front of me with a sheepish smile. ‘Looks like I need to get going.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep Mallory off your back. Go catch some ghosts.’

Shocking myself this time, I awkwardly patted her shoulder before skirting around the edge of the room towards the exit. I caught Dakota dragging Florence’s attention away from me just in time for me to slip out the door and rush towards my van. When I was settled behind the wheel, I took my phone out again to shoot Ashe a text to let her know I was on my way, then put the pedal to the floor so I could get as far away from charity luncheons, blind dates, and overbearing mothers as I could.

Chapter 5

Rhodes

The day was bright and beautiful, directly contrasting with the storm of emotions brewing inside of me. Yet, I forced it all to calm as I walked through the hospital’s front entrance and tilted my face up to feel the sun’s warmth. It was one of my favourite feelings.

Growing up in and out of the hospital, never knowing if this was going to be it, the sun had become my safe place. My peace. A single ray could change the entire outcome of the day, altering my perspective from doom and gloom to warm and bright.

There wasalwayssomething to be excited about, even if it was as small as noticing the gradient of colour on a single flower petal. Much like the one I was holding now. Jessica, my favourite nurse, had gifted it to me before I left. She’d plucked it from a patient’s wilting floral arrangement, noting how it was different from the others. Said it reminded her of me.

‘This one stood out from the rest. Where the other petals were wilting and dull, this one remained vibrant and full of life, even when cut from its roots and plucked from its bloom.’

My sigh was shaky as I thought over what needed to be done. I just had to get my ducks in a row before I could stop worrying and start living. First, my will. Then, my family. It wasn’t likeI could tell anyone. Both of my parents were in nursing homes for dementia and Alzheimer’s. They were so far gone that they no longer remembered me anyway. It was better if I just left it alone. All I needed to do was ensure their medical bills and the care home fees were paid after I was gone, but that wouldn’t be an issue. A few phone calls, some signatures, and that was that.

I didn’t have much more than Jessica now, anyway. Sure, I had friends, but we weren’t super close. I already learned that bringing other people into my life when my survival wasn’t guaranteed was cruel. No one wanted to watch someone they cared about wither away into a shell of their former self before eventually taking their last breath. Terminal illnesses were painful for more than just the sick, and I’d been through this song and dance for what seemed like too many times to count. In reality, I’d gone into remission six times, each time more shocking than the last. I didn’t take a single moment for granted.

I supposed I was lucky, then, not to have anyone too close to me. I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for the decision I had just made, and I could live out the remainder of my days on this earth without a care in the world.

I inhaled deeply, tasting the sweetness of the air on the back of my tongue and filling my lungs with the life surrounding me. It was beautiful. Even the cars and the people milling around, rushing from one place to another as if they didn’t have the option of stopping and just being still. It was strange to me that everyone was so busy that they didn’t know how to just stop and simply be. Although I supposed it was a matter of perspective. I’d grown up knowing how precious and precarious life was. Most people did not.

My truck beeped when I pressed the button on the fob, all the lights flashing obnoxiously so there was no reason not to find it. It amused me how many people simply forgot where they’d parked their own damn car. It wasn’t like parking lotsdidn’t have identification markers or anything. I patted the hood before I opened the door and jumped in, then ran my hands lovingly over the fluffy pink cover on the wheel.

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