Sisters of Salt and Iron

  “What happened in English?” Roxi asked. “We didn’t have time to talk earlier.”

  I picked at my food—a turkey burger and fries. “Guys, it’s in-freaking-sane. A ghost told me something bad is going to go down at the Dead Babies concert and that I’m the only person that can stop it.”

  They all stared at me—Gage actually had his mouth open.

  “This just happened?” Mace asked. “Like, today?”

  “Today has been crazy,” I confessed. I told them about Emily and my bathroom mirror. “And I think it’s going to keep getting crazier as the week goes on.”

  “What’s going to happen at the concert?” Ben asked. “Have any of these ghosts given you useful information?”

  “Not really. The only thing anyone has told me is that something terrible is coming for me—and for Wren, too, I assume. No, wait...not something terrible, someone. All I know is that it’s male. Oh, and apparently the town’s ghosts are willing to support me in fighting it. The ghost in class today said it had to do with Haven Crest and the spectral energy of the place.”

  Mace’s eyebrows jacked. “You had a ghost in your class?”

  I gave him a dry stare. Really? “They’re all over this place. There’s one hanging in the main stairwell.”

  He contemplated that. “So, when I felt like there was someone watching me in the bathroom between classes...?”

  Gage punched him in the arm. “Dude, you were totally getting perved on by a ghost.”

  Mace scowled and punched him back. Gage almost fell off his chair, but he grinned. The only time I hadn’t seen Gage in a good mood was when Josiah Bent had sent him to the hospital with some nasty spectral wounds.

  “So, this ghost apocalypse,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. “You’re the only person who can stop it?”

  I shrugged. “That’s what he said.” I nibbled on a fry. I was freaked, but I was still hungry, which meant I wasn’t too flipped out. “It’s a combination of Halloween, the concert and the number of ghosts at Haven Crest.”

  “Can we get the concert canceled?” Roxi asked. “I mean, a lot of people could get hurt.”

  I thought of Joe and the promise I’d made him. If the concert was canceled, how would I catch Olgilvie?

  Mace spoke before I could. “If we go to the town and tell them ghosts are going to disrupt the concert and unleash hell on earth, they’ll laugh in our faces. Or lock us up. And then they’ll sell even more tickets because people will want to be there in case something does happen.”

  Roxi shook her head, as though she couldn’t quite believe the human race. Get in line, sister. She’d been just as naive before she met me. Her dark gaze met mine. “Okay. So, what do you need us to do?”

  “Yeah,” Mace joined in. “Just name it.”

  I chewed another fry. I loved these people. “I don’t suppose you all would stay home that night?”

  Four brows lifted in unison. “No,” they chorused.

  I smiled. They were actually what friends should be. The idea of getting them hurt made me want to barf up all the deep-fried goodness in my gut. But the idea of not having them with me and Wren was worse.

  “We’ll have to sneak supplies onto the grounds,” I said. “I doubt they’ll let us in with salt and iron in our bags. Our rings will work against any ghost that gets close enough, but we’re going to be so outnumbered.” I felt guilty putting them in danger, even if they had volunteered for it.

  “So, we know we’re up against a male spirit, but not what his intent is?” Ben asked. “We’re assuming he’s old, yes? Older than Bent, even?”

  “Yes.” I squirted ketchup on my plate. “I think so.”

  Gage paled. “That’s bad news.”

  I met his dark gaze. “I understand if you want to bail.”

  He actually frowned. “No effing way. I’m not letting another ghost make me his bitch.”

  Roxi put her arm around him and gave him a hug. “You’re nobody’s bitch, baby.”

  Ben continued, “And we know that ghosts around town are frightened enough that they’ve offered their help, so we’ve got backup?”

  I nodded as he plucked one of my fries off my plate and ate it. “Yeah. The ghost I spoke to was nervous. Whatever—whoever this guy is, he believes it’s going to be awful.”

  Gage tilted his head. “What does Wren think?”

  “I haven’t seen her to tell her,” I confessed.

  He looked confused. “But I thought she was always with you.”

  Hmm. That made my stomach clench. I set my fries aside. “She’s got a boyfriend at Haven Crest.”

  My friends exchanged surprised glances. “The guy she brought to the party?” Roxi asked. “Maybe he’s heard something.”

  That was a good point. A very good point. If ghosts around town had heard about something terrible coming to Haven Crest, why hadn’t Noah mentioned it to Wren? Surely he’d know. And if there was all this doom and gloom lurking about the place, wouldn’t Wren have felt it?

  “I’ll ask.” Hell, yes, I was going to ask. Why the hell hadn’t I asked before this? I wanted to slap myself in the head for being so lax.

  Roxi pulled her phone out of her bag. “Speaking of that, I got a picture of Wren and her guy at the party, I think.” She swiped her finger across the screen a couple of times. “There.” She turned and held the screen toward me.

  It was definitely Wren and Noah—their costumes were hard to miss. Wren didn’t look as wild as she had in the photos of the dance, but she was still pretty frightening. It was Noah who bothered me. There was something ghoulish about his expression when he looked at Wren in one photo. There was a darkness around his eyes and mouth like smeared makeup, but it was black.

  Ben peered over my shoulder. “He kinda looks like Kevin, only creepy.”

  Yeah, not going to go there—not when Kevin didn’t know. “He’s old,” I said. I don’t know if I was trying to assure him or myself. “Manifestations get scarier the older a ghost is.” He probably couldn’t help looking like he did.

  God, I sounded lame even to my own ears. I had to get over this distrust of Noah. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt and stick with it for longer than a few hours. I just had to—for Wren.

  “Wow,” Gage enthused. “If that’s true, I don’t want to think about what Wren’s going to look like in a few years.”

  I stared at him, a little surprised. My sister didn’t look scary to me. She just looked like Wren. I mean, sometimes she got a little wrong, but she was still my twin.

  Roxi nudged her boyfriend in the ribs. He frowned at her before taking the hint. He turned back to me. “I meant that as a compliment. I mean, she’s awesome.”

  I smiled. “I’m not offended.” I handed Roxi her phone. I resisted the urge to delete the photo. “But I hate going up against something I don’t know how to fight.”

  Mace jabbed a fry in my direction. “We know there will be a lot of ghosts, so we’ll make sure we’re prepared for that. Back to supplies. How do we sneak them in?”

  “I don’t know. Wren, maybe. She’s brought things out of the Shadow Lands, so maybe she can take items through there to Haven Crest.”

  “Will she tell her boyfriend?” Mace asked. “Do we know if we can trust this guy? He is at Haven Crest, after all.”

  I looked at him, and I knew he realized I’d been wondering the same thing. I trusted Wren with my soul, but Noah was another story. My vow to try trusting the guy hadn’t even lasted five minutes. “We’ll need to sneak it in by ourselves, then.”

  “I can do it,” Roxi piped up. “Or, I think I can. My mom works at one of the renovated buildings. Her company just moved in last week.”

  Well, that was freaking convenient.

  “Has she noticed any activity?” I asked. br />
  She made a face. “My mom wouldn’t notice if a ghost bit her on the ass. And if she did see one, she’d tell it to get the hell out of her space and keep going.”

  I laughed. “Okay, but we can’t hide stuff in her building, because it will be locked up. Is there someplace outside where you can leave it?”

  “I’ll find one. If you can get the supplies to me tonight, I’ll put the bag in the trunk of her car and pop by after school to hide it.”

  I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “Rox, I could kiss you.”

  Gage grinned. “I’m totally okay with that.”

  Everyone laughed. It was something I really needed—a light moment. One-Shade-Of-Gray had scared me, and I didn’t like being scared. What did he mean that I had to protect Wren? From the ghosts? Would they come for her like Bent had? There had been moments when I thought he might take her. How could I protect her against that many ghosts without somehow locking her in the Shadow Lands?

  I didn’t like not knowing what I was up against. And I really didn’t like dragging my friends into a situation that might mean I couldn’t keep them safe.

  I would never forgive myself if I got one of them killed.

  WREN

  I’d never felt so powerful in my entire existence as I did scaring those kids. When they ran—and they ran screaming—I felt so vibrant, so complete.

  So alive.

  It was as though I found my reason for being, even though rationally, I knew my reason for being was something different. As a ghost, I was elated.

  I wanted more.

  “You were brilliant!” Noah enthused, sweeping me up and twirling me around. The building sparkled with spectral energy, appearing as it had a hundred years ago, gleaming and beautiful. The lot of us practically glowed with it. If someone were to look at this building, they would surely see rays of light pouring out of the battered and broken windows.

  “I’ve never done that before,” I confessed. “Not on that sort of scale. It was amazing!”

  He laughed and twirled me again before finally setting me down. Both of us floated almost a full foot above the floor, we were so empowered.

  My hair puffed out around me like a bloodred lion’s mane. I could only imagine how terrifying I’d looked to the intruders, who had screamed themselves hoarse when I’d rushed toward them, my mouth a foot-long gaping black void, eyes burning like coals. I’d made people wet themselves before, but I’d never brought anyone so close to dying of sheer terror as I had that day.

  “You should join us on All Hallows’ Eve,” Noah said.

  “I’ll be here for the concert,” I told him. “What do you have planned?”

  He grinned. “To walk among the humans, scaring them as we wish. It’s always so much fun to make them wonder if we’re people in costumes or actual spirits.”

  Miss April skipped by us. “It’s our favorite night of the year! We get to walk among the living! And this year they’re coming to us!”

  I laughed at the joy on her face.

  Noah pulled me close again, his eyes a bright blue as he stared down at me. “Say you’ll come with us, Wren. Walk among the living with me.”

  I should spend that night with Lark. I should take the time to hug my friends and let them see me as I truly am. And I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to see Kevin, but more than any of those things, or all of them put together, I wanted to be with Noah. I wanted to feel like I did right at that very moment.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes.”

  He grinned, and then he kissed me—right there in front of everyone. They hooted and hollered, clapping and stomping their feet until the very timbers of the building—each brick—vibrated.

  Lark would understand. She’d be there with Ben, and she’d never begrudge me the one night of the year where I could appreciate what it was like to be in her world—and not have to possess her to feel it.

  “Do you sense that?” Noah asked when he lifted his head. I went still. A second later I felt what he meant. It was energy, flowing around us and through us. Before me, Noah took on an almost luminescent light that seemed to come from within him.

  “What is it?” I asked, both mystified and excited.

  “It’s Haven Crest,” he replied. Then, over his shoulder, he shouted, “Do you all feel it?”

  Miss April twirled around in a perfect pirouette as Johnny, an older man who Noah said was “feeble-minded,” clapped and laughed in delight. “It’s our guardian spirit!” And she laughed.

  “Guardian spirit?” I asked.

  Noah took my face in his hands and kissed me again—as though he couldn’t seem to help himself. It was obvious the inhabitants of this place were buoyed not just by the thrill of scaring, but also by this energy coursing through and around us.

  “The spirit of Haven Crest,” he explained. “The combined spectral energy of this place.”

  That was a lot of energy. “You mean, every ghost here can feel that?”

  He nodded. “Every ghost in every building, lane or shrubbery.” He laughed, and I had to smile at the thought of ghosts popping out of trees. “It’s what unites us.”

  Like the Borg, I thought. That’s what Lark called anything that seemed to have a unified mind or connection. I didn’t know what the Borg were, exactly, except that they were keen on assimilation and had an “awesome kick-ass queen.” Since I felt pretty queenly after our little performance, it seemed appropriate.

  Lark and I had theorized that Haven Crest had an energy of its own, but to feel it like this—so strong—was something else altogether. I didn’t know whether to be awed or frightened—maybe both. I knew I ought to tell Lark about it, but she would want me to stay away in case something bad happened.

  In case I was overwhelmed by the amount of energy present and went completely insane. I couldn’t blame her for worrying. I worried about it, too, and that was why Lark could never know about my “collection”—because her idea of sanity and my idea of sanity were two completely different things.

  And because I didn’t want to be anything other than what I was.

  She couldn’t stop me from being there. And she couldn’t expect me to stay away from Noah and my friends. I was accepted here, welcomed and wanted. I’d never felt that at Bell Hill. Never felt it anywhere except with Lark, and she was the blood to my spirit. It wasn’t the same thing. She and I shared a bond neither of us had asked for. These ghosts welcomed me as one of their own, and they’d probably never know how much I appreciated that, since not even my own mother would accept I existed.

  Yes, Lark would just have to learn to understand.

  “If Haven Crest has its own spectral energy, how does it feel about the renovations?” I asked. It was a very Lark question to ask, which I wasn’t certain was a good thing.

  “She doesn’t like it,” Noah replied. “All those breathers stomping around, ruining our home.”

  “But the renovations will actually restore the buildings. Isn’t that better than destroying the place? If nothing else, there will be plenty of the living around to scare.” I smiled on that last part.

  “Ghosts aren’t big on change, Wren. You should know that.”

  His tone wasn’t condescending, so I didn’t get defensive. “Yes, but at least you’ll still have homes. Anchors.”

  “Through which an endless stream of living will pass, polluting us with their stench.”

  Ghosts didn’t really have a great sense of smell for the most part. I’d worked hard to develop what I had, but it still wasn’t on par with a human’s. “You can smell them?”

  He waved a hand. “Figure of speech. The sentiment is the same. I would rather stay here alone forever, with the walls falling down around me, than spend my days surrounded by breathers.”


  “They’re not all that bad,” I said. “My sister is a breather.”

  “Lark is the exception, though I’m fairly certain she’d much rather salt my bones and burn them, just like Emily.”

  I froze, my gaze locked with his. “You knew Emily? Emily Murray? My ancestor?”

  “Yes.”

  I was numb. After neglecting to mention his connection to Kevin, this was more than just a surprise. This felt purposeful. “And you’re just telling me now?”

  He seemed surprised by the hotness of my tone. “I didn’t know her well. I saw her about town when I was alive, and then I saw her once or twice after I died. It’s not like we were friends.”

  It hadn’t occurred to me that he would have been alive when Emily was. It reminded me just how old he was. “I wish you had told me. Have you seen her lately?”

  Noah shook his head. “Not for more years than I can count. I assumed she moved on.”

  “She hasn’t,” I confessed. “She’s visited Lark and me a few times. We think she may be a prisoner.”

  Noah studied me intently. “What does she want?”

  They really couldn’t have been close if he didn’t ask about her being held against her will. “To know what happened to her sister, Alys. Alys was...like me.”

  He smiled that charming smile of his. “There’s never been anyone like you.”

  Flatterer. “Did you know Alys, too?”

  He shook his head. “I never had the pleasure. As I said, I barely knew of Emily. I think I owe you an apology for not having told you sooner. Please, believe me that it never occurred to me to even bring it up—that’s how little I knew her.”

  I put my hand on his arm. “Please, don’t apologize. It’s just that Lark and I know so little about what we are, that information on Emily and Alys would be very helpful.”

  “Then I will apologize for elevating your hopes only to dash them.”

  “You didn’t dash them. I’m just disappointed.”

  “Wren, you are the dearest girl I’ve ever met.” He set his hand over mine. “I would never want to upset you in any way.”