Page 12 of Origins
Julian’s hand jerked in response. “What do you mean?”
…and again, my mouth.
“Never mind.” I shrugged. If they were any good at their jobs as ghost hunters, then they would figure it out themselves. If not, then it wasn’t my problem.
…but what iftheyneeded help? Perhaps I could mail an anonymous letter.
“It does sound like a haunting.” Miles glanced at Damen.
Damen nodded, his face solemn. “Is there anything else that has stood out to you?”
They believed me?I hoped that this wasn’t a trick, but in case they did…
“Two nights ago,” I continued. “I woke out of a sound sleep. I couldn’t breathe. And when I tried to get up, I couldn’t move, either. Also, items had been moved around after I’d leave a room. For example, the dishes in the kitchen were displaced overnight.”
I didn’t need to go into the details, but I probably should mention the ladder…
My left hand touched my sore jaw, reflexively. “It’s been escalating. And it’s only been two days.”
Julian released my right hand, and I didn’t even have time to feel the loss of the sensation before he grasped my left hand instead. I wondered what he was doing, before he moved it from my face and touched my chin.
“Is that how you got this bruise?” he asked. His concerned gaze studied my face as he nudged me to turn toward him.
My face burned in embarrassment—I hadn’t meant to draw their attention to it. I hadn’t even realized that my foundation job was that terrible. “I thought that I covered it…”
“That’s not what I asked.” His deep eyes examined my chin clinically, and his fingers pressed on the area lightly, causing me to flinch. “When did you get this bruise? Did you fall?”
“It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine.” I tried to pull back, but his steady grip held me in place. After a second I gave up. “It was an incident with the ghost. I fell off a ladder.”
Why were they so concerned? They didn’t know me, and I wastryingto be nonchalant. No one would ever question after the first time, but he hadn’t stopped…
Even Finn wouldn’t have pressed so much. But granted, he also wasn’t the most observant person in the world.
“You fell?” Damen asked, his tone sharp. He sounded angry. “You might as well explainexactlywhat happened. Julian isn’t going to let it go. If he sees an injury, he’s relentless. It’s in his nature—he’s in medical school.”
I supposed that made sense. “I was working in the conservatory and the ladder was pulled out from under me. I smacked my chin on the table.”
Damen glanced at Julian. “Did she break anything?”
Were they serious? It was just a bruise! It wasn’t as if this was the end of the world.
Julian smiled softly at me before he answered Damen. “It’s just a bruise,” he echoed my thoughts. “A bad one, but it’ll heal. We should ice it though.”
“I’ll get some,” Miles said, jumping to his feet and exiting the room.
Meanwhile, Julian released my face and turned to Damen. “It’s already escalating into physical attacks. It might be more than a poltergeist.”
Damen was taking notes again, and didn’t look up as he answered. “True. Generally speaking, a poltergeist doesn’tseekto harm people directly. Most of their actions are attention-seeking.”
“Not necessarily so,” a familiar, elderly voice said.
I glanced away from Damen, startled to see Dr. Stephens standing at the opened doorway. He noticed me watching him and nodded at me as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.
Claiming a seat of his own he continued. “Poltergeistscanhurt people, whether it is intentional or not.”
“I am aware of that,” Damen didn’t seem surprised that his mentor had arrived. In fact, he hadn’t even looked up. “However, if it’s been causing other physical issues—such as the inability to move or breathe—then that’s an indication that something more malevolent might be involved. That’s why you sent her here, is it not?”
Dr. Stephens finished making his own cup of tea before answering. “No. The reason that I sent Miss Bianca here was that not only is she actively involved in a haunting, she also claimed to have always been hauntedbythings. Generally, such a person has aknackfor attracting spirits. This is a trait that makes them stand apart from the everyday populace.”
