27. Chapter 27
Kylie
I stare up at the dark facade of Wayward Hollow’s antique store and gulp. This store is giving me the same heebie-jeebies talking to the ghost did.
“It’s spooky, right?” Kieran mumbles, and I nod. Is it too late to turn around and run?
So many people told me to pay Amanda a visit about my ghost roommate and today is the day.
Since Kieran is my ghost-buddy, I made him come along.
We left our dogs at Caleb’s, sprayed ourselves with the holy water from the water gun and here we are.
Ready to pay Amanda, Nic and Lauren a visit in the antique store.
It’s so eerie. There’s a spiderweb in the corner of the entrance, and I stare at it as though it might attack me.
“Why are you apprehensive? You’ve lived here for over a year. Haven’t you been in there before?”
“Nope.” Kieran immediately shakes his head. “The place always gave me the creeps.”
“Okay, let’s do it.” I take a step towards the front door, but before my fingers even reach the knob, it flies open.
“Oh my God.” I clutch my shirt right over my galloping heart and suck in a sharp breath. “Holy shit, Lauren, you scared me.”
“I know.” Her eyes gleam with mischief. “Come on in, you two.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect, yet it meets all of my non-existent expectations.
As soon as the door falls closed behind Kieran and me, the world outside seemingly ceases to exist. No sound makes its way inside.
No cars driving by, not Andrea and Courtney gossiping in the main square, nothing. It’s completely silent.
Surprisingly, the inside of the store is a lot friendlier than the stores exterior.
Old furniture is neatly stacked along the walls and into several shelves and rows. But Lauren leads us past all the antique tables, shelves, armchairs and ornamental picture frames, right behind a thick, dark purple curtain.
“I’m getting the creeps,” Kieran whispers and rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably.
“Same.”
“The store is apprehensive of men,” a gravelly voice declares. I scream in surprise and the two of us whirl around to the voice. “It seems to accept you, though. Kylie. Kieran. Welcome. I have been awaiting your visit.”
We shoot each other a wary look. She has? Did Lauren tell her we’d be here?
And why do I have a hunch she’s about to give us a of riddle to solve?
So this is Amanda? She’s about the same height as me, her fiery red curls half-hidden under a green headband.
She motions for us to follow her into a small room. “Sit down, you two.”
“Have fun.” Lauren pats our shoulders and brushes past us to return to the store.
I take a seat. The wall we’re facing is covered with vintage portraits, not an inch of plaster visible, and none of the people in them look too happy. If I wanted a bunch of people to stare at me with those kinds of disapproving frowns I might as well have gone to church with my mother.
Amanda takes a seat in front of the pictures, her ring-clad finger drawing random patterns onto the antique wooden tabletop. “What brings you here?”
I shake my head, trying to shake off the trance this store is putting me in. “I don’t even know what to ask, to be honest.”
“She might be living with a ghost,” Kieran figuratively jumps to the rescue and scoots his own chair closer to the table. “We have a hunch who it is, but we would like to learn more and if they’re the same person whose bones she found in her backyard.”
Amanda stares at me, piercing eyes drilling into my forehead as if she’s reading my thoughts. “You live on the O’Brien estate.”
My eyes widen. How did she know that? I didn’t tell anyone about it apart from Erik.
“Yes,” I stammer, wringing my hands. From the corner of my eyes, I notice Kieran staring at me and quickly mouth ‘sorry’ his way.
“I’m inclined to confirm your suspicions. Elizabeth has been roaming this realm, waiting to be reunited with her beloved.” She says it so nonchalantly, as if we’ve had countless conversations about it before. It’s freaking me out a little.
“But, I mean, he’s been dead a while,” Kieran points out with a frown. “Wouldn’t they have reunited when he kicked it? Ouch.” He rubs his ribs, right where I nudged him with my elbow.
“Not if their souls are too far apart.” Amanda shakes her head, her fiery red curls bouncing. “Their mortal remains must be reunited. Once they are, so will their souls.”
My eyes widen. It all makes sense now. “So if hers are the bones they found in my garden…” I glance at Kieran. “I mean, they’ve got to bury them anyways, right?”
Kieran taps his chin. “We might as well find a snug spot for her next to her husband.”
“Is that all we need to do?” My eyes dart to Amanda. “Bury her next to him? No ritual or spell?”
“Ideally, no.” She taps her long nails against the tabletop, bracelets clinking against each other. “But if you’d like, I will be happy to cleanse your home once her soul is gone.”
“Okay.” I nod, shoulders sagging with relief. “Thank you, Amanda. I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Her eyes dart from me to Kieran and she fixates him with an emotionless stare for a while. “What is it you want to know, Kieran?”
“Me?” He sputters and points at himself, then lifts his hands defensively. “I’m good.”
“No, you’re not,” she declares and reaches for his hand. He goes rigid as soon as her fingers close around his wrist.
“You are worried,” she declares, prying his fingers open from his palm. “You have a strong soul, my friend.” She traces a line in his palm. All of a sudden, she starts to laugh and lets him go. “I’m just kidding. I can’t read palms.”
Kieran lets out a relieved sigh, so deep he almost extinguishes the candle in the middle of the table.
“But I can sense it.” She leans closer, eyes drilling into his face.
“You are yearning. There is a sadness deep within you that you think can be fixed with love. But it’s not the kind of love you are thinking about.
” She draws back, a sad smile playing at her lips and I gulp.
This doesn’t feel like a conversation I should be part of.
“Embrace the love you have and the love you receive. You will find the world a much happier place if you approach it without any expectations. The rest will come to you.”
“Okay,” he finally whispers, after taking a few moments to grapple with her words. “Now tell us something about her.”
“Hey,” I object weakly.
A part of me is curious. Another part is just thinking, ‘Burn, Kieran. She got you,’ and is afraid to experience the same.
However, he’s uneasy. Wriggling in his seat, fiddling with the hem of his shirt and a muscle in his jaw twitches.
I’ve never seen him this wired, apart from our ghost conversation, so I’ll allow it.
“She is aware,” Amanda declares with a nod. “I couldn’t tell her anything new. Your doubts are unfounded, Kylie. However, I fear your past is not quite as over as it led you to believe. But honesty and staying true to yourself will close the door for good, I hope.”
My heart sinks. Especially combined with Zach’s call, her words make my stomach tingle with unease and unwanted anticipation.
“The future has good in store for you two. Embrace it.” She leans back, her chair creaking and lets her eyes wander over us, eyes narrowing, expression locked in, as if she’s trying to solve a puzzle. “This is all I have for you.”
Oh thank the universe. A part of me was bracing itself for more uncomfortable truths.
“Thank you, Amanda,” Kieran mumbles and gets up. I follow suit.
“You are very welcome. Make sure to tell me how it goes.” She stares at me, so intently I can’t help but nod.
“I will.” We leave the disapproving stares behind and Kieran holds the thick curtain to the showroom aside for me.
“Kylie.” I stop and slowly turn around to her. “Let her read Nicholas’ letter.” My eyes widen. How the hell does she know about the letter? Only Erik and I know about it. Nobody else could have told her.
“Okay.” I nod, scurry away to check out some antiquities with Kieran.
When Abby and I return, the house is eerily quiet. I can’t put my finger on it, but the silence feels heavier than usual.
“Elizabeth?” I whisper.
The light in my living room turns on.
My heart beats in my throat. I’m not sure whether to be relieved or freaked out. Her clearly admitting to her name is sending a shiver of fear down my spine.
“I have a letter for you to read. It’s from Nicholas.” I pull the journal out of my backpack and put it on my kitchen table. The envelope is caught between two pages. I take it out, unfold the gilded paper, and lay it flat down for her to read.
Then I bring Abby upstairs with me. If I were left such a letter, I’d want my privacy.
I feel like an idiot. What if I’m making all of this up in my head and have been talking to an empty room and some kind of electric bug in my house?
But as the door to my bedroom clicks closed behind me, I could almost swear I hear a sob, ever so softly.