12. Aster
Chapter 12
Aster
I ’ve often wondered what winning the lottery would be like, and except for a lack of procedure and cameras, I’d bet it’s a lot like this. I’ve never seen so many numbers in my bank account balance. And not just one account. Apparently I have a financial portfolio. I wasn’t broke before, but I wasn’t sitting on a huge nest egg either. Now I could do literally anything I want and not sweat about it.
It’s been a weird few days adjusting to my new reality. I did the status report Farnsworth wanted and managed to get scolded for not doing more. Even though the threat of being sent back to the Below is in the back of my mind, Crash assures me I have time still. It’s not quick or easy to wrangle a Horror.
I’m leaning on a tree while Otto sniffs around looking for the perfect spot to pee when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and stare at the unknown number, then decide to answer it.
“This is Aster.”
“Aster. Thank fuck.”
“Who is this?”
“Hudson Davis. I need you. Like, badly. Can you come?”
Hudson. “What’s going on?”
“You know how you said there was a ghost?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, well, you’re right. There’s a ghost here and I don’t know what to do. I know you said you were investigating the damage or whatever, but do you know what to do?”
Before I can answer him, I hear what sounds like breaking dishes in the background and a woman saying “fuck” over and over. “Are you okay?”
“Um, so far. It’s breaking everything.”
Crash appears next to me, smiling wide. “Told you so. Tell him you’re on the way.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Thank you.” He blows out a breath. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Otto has abandoned his desire to pee in favor of sitting on the sidewalk, gazing up at Crash and wagging his tail. Crash tilts his head and nods.
“Otto wants to come.”
I give him a hard look. “Don’t tell me you can talk to my dog.”
“I wouldn’t call it talking. It’s more of an impression. Animals have always been able to interact with the spirit world. He doesn’t want to stay home without you.”
“Is it safe for him?”
“Most Horrors and other spirits aren’t at all interested in animals. They’re here for the humans.” He pats my shoulder. “Besides, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely. We should get going though. Things aren’t good for Hudson.”
I nod, turning to walk swiftly back to my apartment. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Crash.”
“No one does at first. You’ll figure it out, and I’ll be there to help.”
“What if I screw up? Do any Soul Chasers screw up?”
The woman I pass gives me an odd look then takes a step back. Right. I look like I’m talking to myself. I offer an awkward smile and she turns away from me. Crash laughs.
After grabbing my keys, I head to my parking spot and secure Otto in his harness in the back seat. I take a deep breath, then start the engine and pull out of the lot on my way back to Hudson’s, having no idea what I’m about to find.
Ten minutes later, I pull into his driveway behind a navy SUV. Otto growls at the house as his fur stands up in tufts. That means something not nice is in that house.
After unsnapping Otto, we walk to the front door, and before I can knock, it swings open and a woman grabs my arm, pulling me inside.
“Tell me you know what you’re doing when it comes to this shit?”
“I’m sorry?”
Hudson is leaning against the stair railing with his arms folded around himself. “Aster, this is my sister, Jocelyn.”
“Okay. Hi.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jocelyn glances over her shoulder towards the kitchen. “Do you know how to banish poltergeists?”
“You believe in this?”
“Obviously. I used a spirit board and pissed someone off. Pretty sure it’s that asshole Chester, but it might be any trickster entity pretending just to have a way in.”
“How do you know all of that?”
Jocelyn gives me a hard look, and as I study her face, I see the resemblance between her and her brother. “As much as I’d love to tell you all about my fascination with things beyond the veil, my brother has a serious problem in his kitchen. Can we deal with that first?”
“Yes, of course. Let’s go.”
As we move down the hallway, the other spirits of the house gather around, all of them looking very concerned as we pass.
He’s getting stronger.
I feel the statement more than I hear it, and when I glance down at Otto, he’s focused on the doorway that leads to the kitchen. The closer we get, the louder the chaos. I step over the threshold, and I’m immediately hit with a strong, freezing wind that takes my breath away.
Otto yelps, tearing off and cowering in a corner, but I’m faced with the glowing red figure of one very pissed off Horror.
“Can, um, can either of you see what I see?”
“No,” Hudson says. “I don’t see anything, but I feel how cold it is in here.”
“Nothing,” Jocelyn says. “But yeah, the energy is off.”
The Horror cranks his head to the side, pulsing with the red light that I recall from my reading means he’s very agitated and dangerous.
“What’s your name?” I ask, bravely puffing my chest out, despite the fear spreading through me. “Tell me your name.”
The Horror’s expression morphs into one of deadly amusement, but it doesn’t take me long to realize it can’t speak yet.
“Are you… Chester?”
I’m met with another surge of light. That could mean yes, but I’m not sure. Where the hell is Crash?
“You don’t belong here.” I step forward, in spite of my concern. “I’m taking you back to the Below.”
The Horror disappears right before my eyes, but then I see it, splayed across the ceiling in an unnatural pose, its legs and arms stretched and bent backward, its head twisted around 180 degrees. It begins to vibrate, rattling the windows. Hudson yelps, moving closer to me.
“Fuck you, Chester,” Jocelyn says, defiantly aiming her venom at the spot on the ceiling where I’m focused. “I won’t let you hurt my brother again.”
I turn just in time to see Jocelyn get slammed backward into the wall. She coughs as Hudson and I rush to her side.
“I’m fine,” she says, rubbing her sternum.
I shift my gaze to the Horror, who’s not on the ceiling anymore. He’s perched on the counter by the stove, and I watch in terror as knives from the carving block rise and point in our direction.
“Shit. Duck.”
I throw myself over Jocelyn and Hudson as knives fly through the air and stick into the wall just above our heads. I try to grab for Otto, but he yelps and flies out of the room, and I follow his lead.
“Let’s get out of here.”
The three of us crawl into the dining room and lean against the wall while the Horror continues to destroy the kitchen.
“What the actual fuck?” Hudson’s voice is shaky. “It’s trying to kill us.”
The faint figure of a woman dressed in Victorian clothing appears before me, cupping my cheek with her ghostly hand. Otto is right next to her, surprisingly calm and wagging his tail.
It’s contained to the kitchen for now.
I nod, understanding the words she puts in my head. “Thank you.”
She dissipates, and as Otto crawls into my lap, Jocelyn and Hudson look to me for answers.
“The spirit is trapped in the kitchen for now.”
“Who were you talking to just now?” Hudson asks. “You said thank you.”
“A spirit,” I answer truthfully. “A harmless one.”
“You can interact with the spirit world?” Jocelyn asks. “Are you a medium?”
“Something like that.” Oh, shoot. That’s my cover story. “I mean, yes.”
Before I can continue, another spirit, a man this time, appears beside Jocelyn.
She has to go. The Horror hates her presence.
“Isn’t that good? Make him mad so he leaves?”
The man shakes his head. He’s more violent. The more violent, the more powerful.
“Well, shit.”
“What?” Jocelyn asks, as Hudson just looks around the empty room.
“Apparently, you’re annoying the Horror.”
Jocelyn’s brow crinkles. “The Horror?”
“Um, sorry. That’s what I call a poltergeist. Something about you is making him more violent and harder to deal with.”
She blows out a breath. “That’s happened once before. They don’t like me because I’m not easily scared or manipulated.”
“It’s possible he doesn’t want you here to protect Hudson.”
She levels me with a hard look. “Can you protect him? Because if this is who I think it is, he’s relentless. He almost killed him.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here.”
Hudson watches the interaction between us but stays quiet.
“He doesn’t have to deal with this alone,” I add. “It’s important to me too.”
“Why?” Jocelyn asks. “You don’t know us.”
Jocelyn is not a need-to-know person, so I take a second to think about how to word this. “I have a stake in getting rid of poltergeists too. I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you that I’m not going anywhere until it’s resolved.”
Jocelyn extends her hand. “Give me your hand.”
I do, watching her as she stares at my palm. When her eyes shift up, they soften with awe. “How…?”
“What’s going on?” Hudson asks. “Can you feel something, Joss?”
She clears her throat and releases my hand. “Okay.” When she turns to face Hudson, she smiles. “You can believe him. Trust him too. He’s not lying.”
Can she tell what I am? I look down at my own palm, but it looks normal to me.
“Okay,” Hudson says slowly, holding my gaze.
“Your life line is infinite,” Jocelyn whispers. “I’d love to know how that happened.”
All I do is chuckle nervously.
“I’m gonna leave,” she says to Hudson. “It’s safer for you. But I’m not far away, and I’ll come whenever I’m needed. Okay, Hud? You’re not alone.”
He nods, even as his eyes well with tears. “Okay.”
Jocelyn turns her protective gaze to me as she gets to her feet. “Don’t break your promise. If you hurt him or let him be hurt again…” She pauses, exhaling slowly. “That thing in the kitchen will be the least of your problems.”
“I understand.” I take a step closer so only she can hear me. “If it helps, it’s life or death for me too.”
She nods once. “I’m trusting you. I don’t know exactly what you are, but I believe you.”
“I’ll protect him.” I have no fucking idea how, but I have to.
Hudson and I watch his sister leave, then as he closes the front door, he gazes at me and I feel his fear.
“Tell me the truth. What are you?”