Page 15 of Unruly
“We will,” Georgina says, wrapping her arm around the small boy.
“Thank you all,” I say before gesturing for Borja to follow me.
Once we’re outside, he bends over, placing his hands on his knees and gasping for breath.
“Are you alright?”
He looks up at me. “Am I alright? I just saw three ghosts and we talked to them.”
Oh dear. He’s going to panic, isn’t he?
“That was fucking cool as shit,” he gushes as a wide grin takes over his face. “It’s real. It’s all fucking real.”
“Yes. Apologies for not realizing how monumental this is for you. It’s quite normal to me.”
“No apologies necessary.” He shakes his head. “It’s wild. I used to watch those ghost hunting shows, desperate for proof of the other side, but I never bought it. I’ve heard all the stories, watched the movies and the documentaries, read the books, but nothing supernatural has ever happened to me or in front of me. Not until today.”
“Welcome to the world beyond the veil. Were you frightened?”
Borja shakes his shoulders out as he rights himself. “A little at first, yeah, but then I saw they acted like regular people.”
“It’s important to remember that they are not regular people. They are not people at all. They are remnants of lives lived, memories, nothing but lingering energy attached to their mortal coil long shed.”
Borja nods. “Right. Okay.”
“The reason you have to remember it is because you may have to do things that you wouldn’t want to do to a living person. No matter how much they cling to their former humanity, theyare dead, Borja. They do not belong here with the living, and when one wishes to cause harm, we step in.”
“I understand.” He drags his hand through his hair. “Still fucking cool though.”
“I don’t remember my first reaction, but I’m sure I was just as astounded as you are now.”
Borja opens his mouth, then snaps it shut before a smile takes over. “Look behind you, quickly.”
I turn around just in time to spot two men standing in front of a business, their foreheads pressed together, their lips moving in quiet whispers. Then one of the men pulls back, lifts the other’s face with a finger under the chin and presses a soft kiss to his lips. They embrace before one of the men waves and disappears inside the building. The other man stands there for a few seconds, hands in his pockets and a warm smile on his lips. People pass by, ignoring the man and the tender exchange that just took place, and I… well, I’m a bit shaken up.
Borja squeezes my shoulder. “Welcome to the modern era, Farnsworth.”
“Yes. Er, we should… carry on.”
“Yeah, sure. Where are we going?”
It takes a moment for my thoughts to settle and the strange warmth spreading through me to cool. “Harvard. We need to find the woman with the book.”
Chapter 4
Borja
“We don’t know she’s at Harvard.” I hurry along next to Farnsworth, who is definitely living up to the walking fast gay stereotype.
“It’s a starting point. If she’s not there, we can go to the next one.”
“Hold on, Farnsworth.”
He huffs, but abruptly stops walking in the middle of the sidewalk, barely reacting as a man bumps right into him. “We need to hurry.”
“I know, but chill.” I pull my phone out of my pocket. “Let’s look her up on the internet.”
He stares at me blankly for a moment. “What is that in your hand?”
