Page 22 of Falling for Famine
“Holy shit,” I whispered, staring at the glowing trio and the shadows coming closer. Were angels and demons working together? What sort of terrible apocalypse was this?
Ghost wrapped an arm around me, forcing my face into his chest and keeping my eyes from the scene unfolding around us. His voice was next to my ear. “Close your eyes and put your arms around me. And whatever happens, don’t pull away, little wisp.”
I wanted to ask why, but I didn’t. It felt important to listen to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and his hold on me tightened, his thundering heartbeat in my ear.
Sweltering heat like we’d stepped out into the Sahara Desert took hold of everything around us, closely followed by a terrible chill only found in the coldest places on Earth.
His arms kept me locked to his body, held close like he was worried I’d try to get away, and the cuties left wet paths over me as if to protect me from the extreme temperatures radiating like the sun around me. Then the fluctuating extremes faded.
I hadn’t realized I was shivering until he pulled away just enough to peer down at me. His hand was on my face, brushing away a tear I hadn’t been aware I cried, and the bright red in his eyes grounded me to the spot.
“They’re gone,” his voice rumbled.
“Who?” I asked, but I knew the answer.
“The angels and demons,” he confirmed.
I swallowed, suddenly faced with the reality of my situation. I’d believed him, of course. I’d met liars, but Ghost wasn’t one ofthem. Still, seeing them circle around us had terrified me. They’d appeared out of nowhere. Wings and shadows. Swords and red-orange eyes.
Ghost hadn’t been lying. They were after me.
When I noticed his arms were still around me, I took a step back and grieved as his touch fell away. I closed my eyes and sucked in a soul-fortifying breath. After I opened them again, Ghost was staring at me, his head tilted again as if to ask if I was alright. I tried to find my smile, but it lacked the usual feeling.
He wanted an answer about what I’d said earlier. It might not show in his expression, but I felt it in my soul. Somehow, we were connected in ways I’d never been with anyone else.
“One day,” I told him, emphasizing it with a finger. After his eyes went to it, I turned and walked away again, legs a bit wobbly under me. “Then you can go.”
His stare burned a hole into my back as I headed for the store, but I refused to look at him after that. I got what I needed and returned home. I went back to my letters, preparing the final few so that I could include money and demand he take Maude on a proper romantic getaway. Since I couldn’t exactly book a vacation for him, this was the next best.
The cuties seemed less vibrant as I laid down on my bed, their light flickering unhappily. I stared at them, grateful to have the sweet cold and hot wisps while Ferguson made his new home at Felix’s with Mr. Pugsworth and his squirrel nemesis.
“I’ll be okay, guys,” I whispered to them. “I had a really good life after Felix and Mary welcomed me into their home. I don’t think I could’ve asked for anything better. It sucks, but I’m glad I got what I got, you know?”
They bounced and moved over my face as if to wipe away the tears that I couldn’t stop crying. I hadn’t cried this much since Mary died. But I knew the next time I did, it was because I’d lost Felix. And in a way, I had.
“If Mary’s death taught me anything, it’s that sometimes we just don’t get long enough with the people we love. But as the ones they leave behind, we carry all their memories. So that’s what I did…” My gaze went to the letters, throat seizing with so much sadness it nearly crippled my next words. “I left him with all of our best memories.”
My phone went off, and I peered at the screen in question. The email that came in was from a literary agent. She was impressed and wanted another couple chapters of my story. I smiled and put my phone down again, content that my writing was good enough to get interest.
That would have to be enough.
Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for a day of goodbyes.
Ghost was waiting on the couch when I woke, dressed a little peculiarly for him. He was in the usual jeans, but something was off. He’d worn a dress shirt and jacket. It was a much cleaner look than the typical t-shirt he preferred to wear.
His white hair had been swept back with gel, only little bits falling around his eyes. Then I noticed they weren’t red anymore. They were more of a whisky color. It felt…odd. His red eyes were such a huge part of him, it made me a bit sad not to see them on the last day I got to be with him. But I didn’t want to be rude and bring attention to the changes, so I went about my routine.
“Want some coffee?” I asked, turning my head and startling when his face was already next to me, his body nearly curling over mine from behind.
His gaze jerked over to me, and I lost my breath. “If you make it, I’ll have it.”
I wasn’t sure why that made me so happy to hear, but I nodded. “And some eggs?”
He peered down at the saucepan I’d gotten out of the cabinet and started to cook eggs on. My heart pounded as his body pressed against mine. He took another step closer, but I tried to remind myself that Ghost clearly didn’t have any spatial awareness.
He was always too close and doing weird things like feeding me or eating out of my hand or staring at me like he was reading my mind. It was just the way he was. He didn’t mean anything by it. He hadn’t lived like us humans. I repeated this in my head over and over until my heart believed it.
“Hmm,” he rumbled.
