drop to my knees.
“Only two like it in the world.” Cayden’s words replay in my frantic mind.
6
Dinner Party
“Nick!”
I quickly ease myself into a meditative state so I can reach him, still wrapping my head around the fact that there is little doubt to be held; this bracelet is his and undeniably in Heather’s possession.
“Nick, are you here?”
“Where else would I be? I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” he replies smugly. “Miss me?”
“Yes—um…no. Ugh, that’s not why I’m here. Do you know what this is?” I hold the bracelet in my hands for him to see.
“That’s the bracelet my mom made me. She made one for both my brother and I. Where did you get it?”
“Is master Dominick no longer parading around in my thoughts? You’re actually asking me instead of digging through my head?”
“I told you I wouldn’t do that anymore, smartass. I don’t break my word. Where did you find my bracelet?”
“In Heather’s drawer.”
“Told you,” he gloats.
“This is no time for your I-told-you-so’s, Nick. I don’t know what to do. We have to figure this out. I’m so livid with her right now that I honestly don’t want her anywhere near me.”
“Don’t worry about her, if she even thinks of coming near you I’ll dig my way so far into her brain she will never sleep without fear again...” His eyes boil.
“Pipe down, Hero, she isn’t even home. She has no idea I even found it. As for now, all we know is that she’s somehow involved, but I need help digging up answers. The first attempt in doing that today turned out disastrous. I messed up—bad.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad. What happened?”
“I met your brother today. He was on a lunch date with my sister.”
“Small world.”
“Yeah, really. As if that weren’t awkward enough, I starting poking around for information when Mia went to the restroom.”
“And?”
“It wasn’t my fault—entirely. He was saying rude things about you and I got mad.”
“Aww, baby…you were defending me.”
“Yes, I was. I won’t go into exactly what happened but I slipped. Cayden is fully aware of the fact that we are—involved. I’m so sorry, Nick. I didn’t mean to tell him, it just kinda came out.”
“Ha! Don’t apologize to me. You’re the one who looks like a nut job. I’m dead, what do I care?”
“This is so not funny. Do you want someone to put me away like Lana?”
“Stop being dramatic. He won’t have you put away. He probably just thinks you’re mistaken. He knows there is no way we could be involved. I’ve been dead for two years. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“He doesn’t believe you’re dead, Nick. He thinks you ran away, and now he thinks I have information on your whereabouts.”
“I’m not surprised he thinks that; I used to take off all the time. Maybe that’s why nobody ever found me, they didn’t bother to look. Obviously Mom did though, according to Lana I have a nice grave in Atlanta somewhere.”
“Yes, I’ve seen it. That’s how I began figuring out who you are—were.”
“Cayden will come around, he’s a good dude. I just hope Mom has calmed since the last time we saw each other, she was not a happy camper.”
This is sad. He doesn’t know...
“You haven’t, you know—ran into your mother lately?”
“What do you mean, ran into her?” Confusion clouds his eyes.
“Um…”
“She’s dead isn’t she?” His face saddens.
“I’m sorry, Nick, I thought you would have known somehow, or maybe you had seen her when she passed.”
“No, there’s nobody in my world but me. It’s not like people think. There aren’t ghosts walking around all over the place, there’s no bright light; only darkness, like a permanent sleep state. Maybe this is my purgatory because I wasn’t a good person. I hurt my family time and time again. I didn’t mean to, I just couldn’t handle being such a burden. My condition drove everyone crazy, I was
“Only two like it in the world.” Cayden’s words replay in my frantic mind.
6
Dinner Party
“Nick!”
I quickly ease myself into a meditative state so I can reach him, still wrapping my head around the fact that there is little doubt to be held; this bracelet is his and undeniably in Heather’s possession.
“Nick, are you here?”
“Where else would I be? I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” he replies smugly. “Miss me?”
“Yes—um…no. Ugh, that’s not why I’m here. Do you know what this is?” I hold the bracelet in my hands for him to see.
“That’s the bracelet my mom made me. She made one for both my brother and I. Where did you get it?”
“Is master Dominick no longer parading around in my thoughts? You’re actually asking me instead of digging through my head?”
“I told you I wouldn’t do that anymore, smartass. I don’t break my word. Where did you find my bracelet?”
“In Heather’s drawer.”
“Told you,” he gloats.
“This is no time for your I-told-you-so’s, Nick. I don’t know what to do. We have to figure this out. I’m so livid with her right now that I honestly don’t want her anywhere near me.”
“Don’t worry about her, if she even thinks of coming near you I’ll dig my way so far into her brain she will never sleep without fear again...” His eyes boil.
“Pipe down, Hero, she isn’t even home. She has no idea I even found it. As for now, all we know is that she’s somehow involved, but I need help digging up answers. The first attempt in doing that today turned out disastrous. I messed up—bad.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad. What happened?”
“I met your brother today. He was on a lunch date with my sister.”
“Small world.”
“Yeah, really. As if that weren’t awkward enough, I starting poking around for information when Mia went to the restroom.”
“And?”
“It wasn’t my fault—entirely. He was saying rude things about you and I got mad.”
“Aww, baby…you were defending me.”
“Yes, I was. I won’t go into exactly what happened but I slipped. Cayden is fully aware of the fact that we are—involved. I’m so sorry, Nick. I didn’t mean to tell him, it just kinda came out.”
“Ha! Don’t apologize to me. You’re the one who looks like a nut job. I’m dead, what do I care?”
“This is so not funny. Do you want someone to put me away like Lana?”
“Stop being dramatic. He won’t have you put away. He probably just thinks you’re mistaken. He knows there is no way we could be involved. I’ve been dead for two years. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“He doesn’t believe you’re dead, Nick. He thinks you ran away, and now he thinks I have information on your whereabouts.”
“I’m not surprised he thinks that; I used to take off all the time. Maybe that’s why nobody ever found me, they didn’t bother to look. Obviously Mom did though, according to Lana I have a nice grave in Atlanta somewhere.”
“Yes, I’ve seen it. That’s how I began figuring out who you are—were.”
“Cayden will come around, he’s a good dude. I just hope Mom has calmed since the last time we saw each other, she was not a happy camper.”
This is sad. He doesn’t know...
“You haven’t, you know—ran into your mother lately?”
“What do you mean, ran into her?” Confusion clouds his eyes.
“Um…”
“She’s dead isn’t she?” His face saddens.
“I’m sorry, Nick, I thought you would have known somehow, or maybe you had seen her when she passed.”
“No, there’s nobody in my world but me. It’s not like people think. There aren’t ghosts walking around all over the place, there’s no bright light; only darkness, like a permanent sleep state. Maybe this is my purgatory because I wasn’t a good person. I hurt my family time and time again. I didn’t mean to, I just couldn’t handle being such a burden. My condition drove everyone crazy, I was
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