Page 122 of Brambles and Bellflowers
The fire flickered low, also barely holding on to its life. Where was Miles?
“Kathleen?” My throat was closing, trapping my rising scream. Usually, people didn’t want a ghost to haunt them, but that was what I needed now. “Where are you? You can come out.”
But she didn’t come back.
This was wrong. The boys told me spirits were supposed to answer me when I called, so why wasn’t Kathleen listening?
Was I not waiting long enough? How longwas‘long enough’ before a newly departed manifested as a ghost?
What was I supposed to do now?
21
Miles’swary voice broke my thoughts as the door creaked open, bringing a fresh wave of cold night air into the space. He spoke, but I couldn’t make out his words through the dark.
But then his words trailed off, and I knew he’d spotted the bed.
I’d pulled the sheet over Kathleen’s body and moved to the furthest side of the cabin before taking up my vigil against the wall. Since then, I’d remained curled into myself, knees to eyes, and arms wrapped around my legs.
She’d never returned to me, no matter how many times I’d called.
Miles knelt in front of me, and his warmth reached for me, threatening to chase away the comforting numbness. However, the chill settled deep into my bones. “What happened?” he asked. There was an undercurrent to his voice I wasn’t familiar with. “I wasn’t gone for more than an hour.”
“She knew,” I said through numb lips, watching him through the tangled cloak of my hair, and I shivered even as he wrapped a quilt around me. “That’s why she sent you away. She wanted me alone.”
He swore in French, but this time, even the elegant words failed to cause my breath to catch.
“Was…” he began, hesitating before continuing, hands lingering a few inches from my shoulders. “Did she say something bad?”
“She cursed,” I responded, trying not to let my bitterness show. How dare she put me in this position? Why hadn’t she come back?
I still had to ask her to give me some better parting words.
I glared at the floor and added, “Then she said stuff about destiny that made no sense. Afterward, she died.”
Miles’s square jaw locked, and he frowned as his eyebrows drew together in befuddlement. “That’s it?”
I lifted my head, my voice slightly stronger. I refused to say it. “What else would it be?”
“She was an Elder.” Miles turned his contemplative gaze across the room. “They’re normally full of wisdom.”
Seriously? Because I hadn’t heard anything worthwhile from Dr. Stephens, who liked to upset me, or Mr. Weaver.
“I don’t know.” I touched my forehead to my knees again. “She did talk about Michael, though.”
Perhaps it was he that she was calling afucking bastard.
“I want to bury her here,” Miles said, still gazing in Kathleen’s direction. “I think she’d like that. Can you ask her?”
I shook my head. “I can’t,” I whispered, unable to look away from the floor. “I called for her, but she won’t answer. Why not?”
Miles brushed his fingers against my cheek, and his voice was solemn as he replied, “Spirits should come to you when you summon them. To my knowledge, there are only two reasons she wouldn’t respond.” He dropped the useless herbs to the floor before settling beside me. The smell of sage and basil filled the space. “Not everyone becomes a ghost after they die. Some people move on right away.”
“She said we weren’t ready to talkyet,” I argued, not settled by his words. “Why would she say that?”
The lines between Miles’s brows deepened, as did his frown. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But remember—James Cole couldn’t go to Bryce because you’d called him first. That was the whole reason you dragged us out there to begin with. Maybe she wants to talk to you but can’t respond now.”
“Maybe.” I sniffled, rubbing my eyes with the back of my forearm.
