Page 93 of Ghost Walk
Someone must have started it burning before they fled from all the trolls and cannons and hostage situations. Grace knew very little about eighteenth-century fireworks, but she could take an educated guess that flame heading towards them was a bad sign.
“Jamie.” Her fingers grabbed his sleeve, dragging him to a halt before he could get any closer. “Wait…”
Wheeeeerrrrrrrr!
The high-pitched ignition of the rockets interrupted her. The Independence Day show was about to start on schedule, even though most of its audience had run for their lives. There was nothing they could do to stop it now. Explosions of brilliant orange began lighting up the sky as the fireworks launched. Far less sophisticated and colorful than the modern Harrisonburg 4thof July spectacular, but no less beautiful. …And no less dangerous, if you got too close.
Too bad for Eugenia that she was standing right on top of them.
She screamed as one of the rockets ignited beneath her, lighting her long dress on fire. The heavy cotton went up like a candle. She went flailing backwards, trying to escape, even as more rockets began to spark to life around her. It was no use. Within seconds, Eugenia was completely engulfed in flames. One rocket after another slammed into her, glowing with white-hot phosphorescence. No one could’ve survived theonslaught. Within seconds, it was over.
Grace winced, looking away from the ghastly sight of Eugenia’s body.
Jamie held up a palm to shield his eyes from the glare of the flames.
Meanwhile, Clara threw herself forward, away from the fire. She landed on the grass, clutching at a wound on her neck. Eugenia had left a shallow cut on her throat when she fell. It wasn’t life threatening, but it was seeping blood. Clara wasn’t exactly known for her calm demeanor, so of course she reacted like she’d just lost a limb.
“Heeeeelp!” She screamed, crawling along the ground like the overacting victim in a cheap horror film. “Heeeeeeeeeeeeelp me!” Her hand reached out to grab at Grace, her fingers grasping her ankle.
Grace tried to dodge out of the way, but it was too late.
Clara’s blood touched her skin.
“No!” Grace bellowed, her grip automatically tightening on Jamie’s arm. This couldn’t happen! She couldn’t go back to the twenty-first century! Without Jamie, she would have nothing and she had no idea how she could ever return to 1789 now that Clara was sure to survive. “Jamie!”
She heard him curse and then the world was shifting around her. Harrisonburg’s town square faded and Grace was on the floor of the museum basement, again. For a second her heart stopped, panic filling her. “Jamie!” She screamed again, frantically looking around for him.
“I’m here.” He said and waves of relief washed over her. Jamie was splayed out beside her and that meant everything would be okay. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” She got out, struggling to get her heartrate under control. For a second, neither of them moved, just processing it all. “I guess we solved the murders.” She finally said.
“I guess we did.”
“And cleared your name.”
“Aye.”
She swallowed, heartbroken that she was back in the modern world and far away from the living version of Jamie. They had been so close to their happily ever after in Jamaica. “But the rest of the plan didn’t exactly…”
“What just happened? Where did you go?” Robert shrieked, cutting her off. He was standing over them with a baffled expression on his face. “And who the hell isthat?”
And suddenly Grace realized that he could see Jamie.
She blinked, trying to get her bearings. Her fingers were still wrapped around Jamie’s sleeve. She wastouchinghim. Her eyes went flashing over to the flesh and blood pirate beside her, joy rushing through her. Just like she’d been able to take the shawl back in time, she been able to pull Jamie forward with her.LivingJamie. The Jamie with a three-dimensional body and a heartbeat and all of the Jamies’ memories. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t get back to 1789, because Jamie was now in the twenty-first century.
Triumph lit his beautiful face as he realized what had happened. “I’m alive.” He whispered.
“You’re alive.” She agreed, choking back tears. “Jamie, you’realiveand you’re with me. We really did it!”
“Youdid it.” He corrected, his hand cupping her cheek. “It was a hell of a plan, love …Although we seem to have hit a slight bump there at the end. I don’t think we’re sailing off into the sunset on my ship.”
“No kidding.” She laughed in delight. “That idiot Clara touched my leg with blood on her hand and screwed up our honeymoon.”
“Well, no harm done. We’ll just be staying in your century.” He gave her a quick kiss. “I’m a bit relieved, actually. I’d have hated to missHaunted High’sfinal season and I quite enjoy the look of you in less layers of clothes.”
“You can’t be in here, whoever you are!” Robert shouted at him angrily. Until that moment Grace had forgotten that he even existed. “My girlfriend and I are having a private conversation. This is an employees’ only area.”
Grace blinked, trying to orient herself again. It seemedlike a lifetime ago she’d been battling Robert, but it had only been a few seconds in his time. He was still eager to continue their fight. …Only now, the odds were slightly better for her team.
