Echoes by Michelle Rowen

wet.”
    “Then let’s get on with this,” Ethan said stiffly.
    “Sorry, kid. Are we keeping you from something more important?”
    Ethan glared at him. “Let’s talk.”
    “Let’s.”
    “Is there somewhere more private we can go?”
    “We’ll grab a table.”
    I followed them over to a booth in the corner and sat down, feeling more frustrated with every passing moment.
    “So,” Frank said, leaning back into the booth, “what’s going on?”
    “Don’t you know already?” I asked. “About the Upyri in town?”
    “Guess they found a way to escape that prison of theirs—at least, some of ‘em have. And now it looks like they’re waiting for something.”
    “Yes, they’re waiting,” Ethan agreed. “But for what? And why have they targeted Olivia?”
    “You said they escaped a prison?” I asked. “How?”
    Frank shrugged. “All’s I know is they haven’t been seen or heard from in this town in a century. And now they’re back. And when it comes to their kind, a small trickle will become a flood if given enough time.”
    I shivered. “Are they in other towns? Or is it only here?”
    “Other places aren’t my territory or my business.”
    “You don’t know how they escaped?”
    He played with the empty glass in front of him. “They can only be trapped so long before they can start to break free.” He cocked his head to the side and eyed me again with curiosity in his drunken gaze. “And now they’re looking for you. Why you?”
    So far he wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. “I was hoping you might be able to answer that question for me.”
    “There must be something special about you.”
    “Why?”
    “Because Ethan told me so, himself.”
    I slanted a glance at him, but he wasn’t looking at me, his attention was completely on Frank.
    Frank frowned, scanned my face. “How old are you?”
    “Seventeen.”
    “That’s your age, too, Ethan. You two have tons in common, don’t you? So cute I could puke.”
    Ethan looked like he’d rather be anywhere else at the moment.
    Last night, he thought this guy was going to be helpful to us. I hoped he was right about that. If nothing else, Frank seemed experienced and clearly had some knowledge of Upyri. Just because he liked to dive head first into a bottle of whiskey in the middle of the afternoon didn’t mean he couldn’t still help us.
    “You two dating?” Frank asked.
    “Frank,” Ethan growled.
    “I see why you like her so much, kid.” He looked at me. “Do you like him too, Olivia?”
    My face flushed again. “Can we please try to stay on topic?”
    “Right. You’re here to find out what I can tell you about bloodthirsty creatures who take over human bodies. Kinda gross, ain’t it?”
    I shuddered. “It is.”
    “Immortal beings like Upyri are powerful. But they have one very important weakness—they don’t have a body of their own. They have to steal one in order to fully exist in the physical world.”
    Now that we were talking about what mattered I finally saw a spark of intelligence light up in his eyes.
    “So how do we stop them?” I asked. “If they find another shell when their last one’s destroyed, how can they be stopped permanently?”
    He belched loudly without covering his mouth. “Oh, there are ways, sweetheart. Nothing easy, though, especially not when they’re so sneaky good at hiding in their new shells.”
    “Olivia mentioned to me earlier that she thought she felt their presence,” Ethan said.
    Frank raised a bushy eyebrow. “Yeah? That’s interesting.”
    “We tested it, though. Nothing.”
    I shrugged. “I guess I’m not psychic after all. Can’t say I’m all that surprised.”
    “Give me your hand.” Frank stretched his hand out to me.
    “Why?”
    “Humor an old guy.”
    I hesitated before I took his hand. He placed his other hand on the back of mine and squeezed.
    “What are you doing?” I asked, worried now.
    “Seeing if I can sense something.”
    “Are you