Waysider (The Voyants Book 1)

Chapter 22

He’d lied to Cass. Again.

Cal wasn’t sure why, exactly. He hadn’t lied before, when he was alive. He hadn’t needed to. He got decent grades, he always wore a condom, and he was home by curfew every Friday and Saturday night. There was nothing to hide.

But earlier, when Cass asked what he’d be doing while she was at the Haunting, Cal told her he’d probably just watch TV with Justin. He didn’t even consider telling her the truth, not for a second. Maybe he was just avoiding the look Cass got whenever he mentioned anything about that night. Like he’d brought her right back there, and their world was shattering all over again. All Cal knew for certain was that he didn’t want to tell his sister about what he was doing with Laura, and he didn’t plan to anytime soon.

He also hadn’t told her about Teddy Crane. Cal had recognized the diner guy immediately, that day they’d almost passed each other on the sidewalk. Cass was paranoid enough as it was, and Cal couldn’t spend another second in her tiny bedroom. If she found out one of her classmates could see him, Cal would never hear the end of it.

As he walked to the bus stop, he decided he didn’t want to think about his sister or his guilt. Tonight, Cal had bigger things to focus on.

Laura had agreed to help him find the boy on the bridge.

They’d made a plan before Cal left. The first step was finding out if the boy was even alive. It didn’t matter either way, since apparently Laura could find anything with a soul. But she’d claimed it would help her search. At first, she had been insistent that she needed something that belonged to the guy. Impossible, Cal insisted back, over and over. They didn’t know who he was, much less where he lived.

So they’d moved on to Plan B, which was using the only connection they had to the nameless boy, in hopes of finding him in the spirit world—Cal.

“I don’t know if it will work,” Laura had warned him.

“Do you have any better ideas?” Cal countered.

She didn’t.

Cal would’ve started right then and there, but Laura told him to come back on the full moon. Then she’d opened the door to make her point. Cal’s brows rose as he walked toward her. “The full moon? Seriously?”

“Some of the clichés are actually true,” Laura said with a small, fleeting smile.

That smile had made Cal’s steps slow. Later, he’d worry that he openly stared at her. But he couldn’t help it; he’d been caught off guard.

Laura Stag had a fucking gorgeous smile.

Cal reminded himself that her smile didn’t matter. He couldn’t exactly take her on a date, and she loathed him, anyway. He left and tried not to think about her again.

But now, as Cal arrived at the apartment, the full moon shining above him, he hesitated outside the door. This was usually the part when he strode right in, but tonight was different. God, he wished he could knock. Cal’s hands clenched into fists.

“Hey,” someone said behind him.

Cal jumped and let out a startled, embarrassing yelp. He spun to face Laura. “Hey,” he said.

If Laura had witnessed him standing outside the door like a moron, she didn’t say anything about it. As she unlocked the door, the voyant said over her shoulder, “Sorry I’m late. I missed my bus and had to wait for the next one.”

Cal started to ask her where she’d been, then stopped himself. It was none of his business where this girl spent her time. He was here to find the asshole who’d ruined his life. “Do you have everything you need to start?” he said.

“No. Just take a chill pill, all right?”

She could hear him perfectly now, Cal noticed. He followed Laura inside and she closed the door, locking it immediately. She secured the chain, too. After she hung up her coat, Laura moved around the small apartment and turned on every lamp. Once everything was softly aglow, Laura went back to the kitchen. She took a Pyrex dish out of one of the drawers and placed it on the counter—Cal was too far away to see what was in it. Then Laura’s arm moved and she put something in her mouth.

She set the Pyrex down and walked away, passing Cal without looking in his direction. Her voice floated through the quiet apartment. “And now we wait,” she said.

“Wait for what?”

Laura turned on the TV, then went to sink onto the couch. She propped her heels on the coffee table. “For the mushrooms to kick in. They usually take twenty minutes, sometimes longer. I would’ve taken them sooner, but I’ve been in the city since this morning.”

“Oh. Okay.” Mushrooms? Cal thought, nonplussed. Wasn’t that shit usually intense? He shifted, still standing uncertainly by the door. Why did he feel like an awkward teenager again? “Can I, uh, would you mind if I—”

Laura sighed and waved him over. “Yeah, sit down, I guess.”

She didn’t sound happy about it, and Cal had a pretty good idea why. Cass had told him that the more someone interacted with a revenant, the stronger their connection became. By inviting him into her home, Laura was practically tying them together. But Cal needed her. The damage was already done, right?

“Thanks,” he said, circling the couch. He dropped onto the cushion on the other side, sitting as far away as he could. Laura still moved as if she were trying to get farther away.

“I was at the library today, and I found all the articles I could about that night,” she said, keeping her gaze on the TV.

Cal had no interest in what was playing on the screen, though. He looked at Laura and frowned. “What night?”

“The night you died,” she clarified. Lights from the screen flickered across her eyes.

Cal blinked. “Why would you do that?”

“I was hoping to read something about the guy we’re looking for.” Laura said this as if it were so obvious.

Cal had been planning to ask her if she would do exactly that. But he’d wanted to ease into his long, long list of favors. The fact that she’d already thought of it, then gone ahead and done it, made him fall into a startled silence. “Did you? Find anything?” he said eventually.

Laura sighed. “Nothing. Only what the reporter wrote from Cass’s interviews with the police.”

Cal winced at the mention of those interviews. That had been the darkest time in Cass’s life. She told the police about the boy they’d seen, and how he had yanked her into the river with him. But when they’d searched the river, there was no sign of another person. The town started asking questions. How had Cal really died? Why would Cass lie about it? They called her crazy. They’d spread rumors about her. Cass had already been ripped apart by grief, and everyone picked at what was left of her like vultures.

Laura’s voice broke through the storm cloud around Cal’s thoughts. “I did find something else, though,” she said.

The second he heard this, Cal’s pulse kicked up a notch. She’d found something? Already? “What?”

“A whole lot of information about you,” Laura countered. She glanced at him sidelong, eyebrows raised. “People were kind of obsessed with you, huh?”

Disappointment sank in Cal’s chest. Hiding it, he rolled his eyes and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I just played on the football team at NYU. People like football.”

Laura scoffed and took another drink of beer. “They named a gymnasium after you, dude.”

Cal turned his head. “Wait, they did? Seriously?”

“Oh, you like that.” Laura smirked and pointed her bottle at him. “You liked the attention, I bet.”

“Well, who wouldn’t?” Cal retorted, feeling strangely defensive. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t enjoy it if you were a… a world-renowned medium?”

Laura made an amused sound. “That doesn’t exist.”

“Not yet, it doesn’t.” Cal gave her a small, sad smile. “Difference between you and me is that you can actually do something about it.”

A pause swelled between them. Laura looked at Cal, but she didn’t seem to be frightened by the fact that he’d come closer. She searched his features, almost as if she were seeing them for the first time. Slowly she said, “I think I might get it now.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Get what?”

“Never mind.” Laura returned her attention to the TV and let out a breath. “Of course you were the prom king, too.”

Heat stained Cal’s cheeks. To hide it, he finally leaned back and relaxed against the couch. “Wow. I think you’re a little obsessed with me,” he drawled.

Now it was Laura’s turn to roll her eyes. She finished the beer in her hand and wiped her mouth, her golden rings glinting in the TV’s glow. Then she tipped forward and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. It hit the wood with a hollow sound. “Yeah, sure. Obsessed with how to get you off my couch and out of my life,” she answered.

Cal felt an inexplicable pique of irritation. He turned his gaze to the television and waited for it to pass, just like he did every time Cass managed to get under his skin. Nothing showed in his voice as he said, “Well, once we find the guy I’m looking for, you won’t ever have to see me again. How are those mushrooms coming along?”

He felt Laura looking at him again. But her voice was neutral, too. “Nothing yet.”

Both of them fell silent. They watched TV for a couple minutes, or at least, Cal pretended to watch it. He didn’t really register any of it—his mind was on the night ahead. He felt antsy, almost jittery. It was the same feeling he got before every game. Cal forced himself to stay still, worried that anything else would make Laura nervous.

But then another minute passed, and he knew that if he didn’t do something to distract himself, he was going to explode. Cal glanced over at Laura, fighting the urge to shift or fiddle with the collar of his jacket. “So how did you end up here?” he asked casually.

She spoke without turning. “In this apartment? Well, how do most people find places to live? There was a listing in the paper.”

Cal didn’t rise to the bait. “I meant here in San Francisco. Living on your own.”

“You know, we don’t need to talk,” Laura said abruptly. The blue light flickered across her dark eyes.

“Actually, we do. If I’m being honest, I’m a little nervous, and Cheers isn’t doing it,” Cal admitted.

Laura started to get up from the couch. “In that case, I think Family Ties is on.”

“Aw, come on. Humor me,” Cal pleaded.

She sighed and sank back against the cushion again. Her tone became brisk, and she still wouldn’t look away from the TV as she said, “Fine. You want my life story? It’s not a special one. I grew up in and out of halfway houses, because my mom was pretty messed up. She had the gift, and all the voices got to her. She started using to drown them out. It took her a while to notice that I could communicate with spirits, too, but when she did, she decided to use it. The better I got, the more she was able to charge. Eventually we got this apartment, which she barely spent any time in, since she was always over at her boyfriend’s. They died two years ago. Drug overdose, police said. I was eighteen, so I stayed here and just kept the business going. Mom never had any other kids, and she refused to tell me anything about my father or her family, so I’ve been alone ever since.

“All right.” Without warning, Laura stood up from the couch, her eyes wide and glassy. “It’s time.”

Cal was still processing what she’d just told him, and it took him an extra second to comprehend that Laura had started walking toward the curtained area in the middle of the room. It’s time, she’d said.

A rush of adrenaline hit him. So this was it, Cal thought. Tonight, he might finally get some answers. Suddenly apprehensive, Cal followed Laura over to the small, round table where he’d seen her sitting with clients. Her chair creaked as she sat. Cal’s didn’t make a sound, a detail that still bothered him, no matter how hard he was trying to accept it. Oblivious to the way Cal’s jaw had tightened, Laura took a long breath and rolled her shoulders. After a moment, she seemed to sink into herself, her eyes sliding shut.

More time went by. Cal watched her, wondering if he needed to do anything. He was about to ask when Laura commanded, “Picture the person you’re trying to contact.”

Cal didn’t even need to close his eyes. In an instant, he could see him—the guy whose name he still didn’t know, and yet he’d become the person Cal thought about most. Cal pictured him standing on the bridge with that pitiful look on his face. The look that had provoked Cass to climb up and try to help him. The thought made Cal’s hands clench between his knees.

Laura’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I do sense a connection. It’s close.”

Suddenly Cal felt it, too. He closed his eyes instinctively, and a startled jolt went through him as he realized he must’ve been seeing what Laura was seeing. Somehow, Cal knew the darkness in front of him wasn’t the insides of his eyelids. It was something else. Somewhere else. For the first time since he’d died, Cal felt colder, as if he’d stepped out of a warm house and into a wintry night.

But the darkness wasn’t absolute.

“The bond between you is… significant,” Laura murmured. “This presence is so strong.”

“It’s Cass.” Cal’s voice was soft, but his heartbeat was steady with certainty. He’d know that soul anywhere. It was Cass, through and through. Bright. Chaotic. Defiant. Cal opened his eyes to ask Laura if she sensed any other connections. But when he saw her face, the question faded.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Cal asked sharply.

“Your sister,” Laura murmured. A line deepened between her dark brows, and she shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. That’s… that’s not how it’s supposed to look.”

“How is it supposed to look?”

“She’s so strong. So vivid. That is not how a living person feels. Right now, we’re in the spirit world, and my world is far away. The living are fuzzy, faded. But not your sister. It’s almost as if… she exists in both worlds. My world, and yours.” This last part Laura said in a whisper, as though she were afraid.

Cal’s heartbeat wasn’t so steady now. “What does that mean, exactly?”

Laura’s eyes snapped open. Before Cal could say anything, she stood from the table and pushed her chair back. The legs screeched along the floor. “I don’t know,” she said.

Cal watched her walk toward the kitchen, his hands fisting on the table. “Wait. We’re not done.”

“Tonight we are. I can only stay in the spirit world for brief periods of time.” Laura took another beer out of the fridge and slammed the lid against the door handle. It came off with a pop, then went skittering across the tiles. Laura tipped her head back, put the bottle to her lips, and took a long drink. The hollow of her throat dipped and rose with every swallow.

Watching her, Cal had to admit… it was kind of hot.

“What happens if you stay too long?” he asked, keeping his expression carefully blank.

The voyant made a low, humorless sound. “I’d be joining you in the spirit world. But I don’t plan on doing that for a long, long time. Come back on the next full moon.”

She turned away, heading for her bed, and Cal knew this was his cue to leave. Desperation surged through him. They hadn’t learned a single thing! He thought he’d be leaving here with a clue, a name, anything, and the idea of going back to Else Bellows empty-handed brought back that useless feeling from before, only ten times worse. At least then, he’d had hope. Now all he had was anger and fear.

“Laura,” Cal said. She went still. It was the first time he’d said her name out loud, and if Laura was the one to tie them together, Cal had just secured the knots. He felt a pang of guilt, but he had to ask. “Is my sister in danger?”

Laura faced him. Her mouth tightened, and she shook her head. “I really don’t know.”

“Then we shouldn’t wait. We should keep looking. Right now.”

Laura’s eyes flashed. “Look, I’m not just some toy you can use or play with, okay?”

“Fuck. You’re right, I’m sorry.” Realizing how he’d sounded, Cal let out a breath. His hand rose to rub the back of his neck. “When it comes to my family, I can be a little one-track minded.”

“Is that what got you killed?” Laura asked bluntly.

Cal felt his defenses rise again, but he regained control quickly. He studied Laura’s expression and noted the tension in her narrow shoulders. She was reminding him that he was dead, Cal thought suddenly. Creating distance, keeping the distinction between them crystal clear. Cal wondered if this was for his benefit, or her own.

Laura’s question still hovered between them. After a moment, Cal turned to leave, deciding that he didn’t need to justify himself to anyone. He might regret dying, but he sure as hell didn’t regret trying to save his sister.

The sound of Laura’s voice stopped him.

“Hey.”

She hadn’t said his name, Cal noted as he turned. “Yeah?” he asked.

Laura held her arms against her stomach, her eyebrows drawn together. “I may not know what it means—what your sister’s soul looked like—but there is one thing I’ve learned. You can be dead, and you can be alive, but you can’t be both.”

Another silence swelled between them. Cal’s lips pressed together in thought. After a moment, he refocused on Laura. “Thanks for tonight. I appreciate it,” he told her.

He mustered a smile, and a startled look crossed Laura’s expression. “You’re welcome,” she said. “And… I’ll see you in a few days.”

The words made Cal’s smile grow. She wasn’t going to make him wait until the next full moon? Warm gratitude chased away the cold still clinging to his body, and just like that, hope had returned in a rush. “See you in a few days,” Cal confirmed, nodding.

Laura turned away, and this time, Cal left her to her sleep. He walked through the door and jogged up to the street, shoving his hands in his pockets. He felt lighter than he had in weeks. Months. He’d have answers soon, Cal thought. He remembered that night again, and instead of pain, his veins heated with anticipation. He pictured the boy on the bridge, and a wide grin stretched across his face.

I’m coming for you, you son of a bitch.