sitting in a tire swing suspended from a tall maple, and Claire was crossing the lawn towards him, the wind blowing her gorgeous honey hair.
It was the first time I’d gone to a point in time without a photo or memory for reference, so I felt fleetingly proud.
“You actually showed up,” Hughie said, seeming surprised.
Claire rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. I’m the one who set this up.”
“So, what’s this all about? Because I get the feeling that it’s not because you want to go steady.”
“No,” Claire said softly. “I don’t mean for you to get the wrong idea. It’s just, I feel like I can trust you.” She turned away from him, her face conflicted and her arms crossed tightly across her chest. I recognized it as a common gesture from later in her life and my throat closed up.
“What’s the secret?” Hugh pried.
“You’re going to think I’m a lunatic. I’m so scared of telling anyone.” She shut her eyes and rocked back on the balls of her feet.
“You’re nothing less than extraordinary, Claire, but not in a bad way. I could never think badly of you.”
Her eyes opened, sparkling a little from the compliment. I saw her steady her resolve. “I see the spirits of the dead. In my dreams, and sometimes when I’m awake. My mother claims that when she was younger she used to see them, but she also spent years in a lunatic asylum. I don’t want to be a crazy person.” A tiny tear rolled down her cheek.
Hugh jumped off of the tire swing, whipping his hand through his hair, pacing the lawn.
“Please, please, don’t freak out,” Claire said desperately.
He stopped, his look intense and oddly mature. “I’m not freaking out, Claire. Not in the way you think. I see ghosts, too.”
She struggled for a minute with what to say. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“I..I had this feeling…that maybe you did.” She looked down at the grass.
“But I never thought it meant I was crazy,” Hugh said excitedly. “It’s such a cool feeling, like a gift. A sixth sense.”
“I don’t know how you can think that way. It feels like a curse to me.”
“Is that all you wanted to tell me?” Both of us could sense that she had more to say.
Claire went to the tire swing and sat down, wobbling a little but regaining her balance. “Phil is into the occult. He’s the only other person I’ve told, and he thought it was a good thing, too. The spiritual club…we…we practice these rituals after school. At first I thought it was going to be like Ouija parties, no big deal. I’ve been to those, people just pushing around the little pointer. For laughs. But this is serious. They’re going to kill my friend Deana’s pet, and that’s just the beginning.”
Hughie paused, taking in her words.
“And after the rabbit, their next victim is a girl,” Claire finished, the strength leaving her voice. “Stephanie. She thinks she’s going to join the prayer group, but it’s a trick. She’s one of Cheryl’s best friends.”
“Why?” Hughie asked. “Why is he doing this.”
“He feels like he can gain this great power.” She gestured big with her hands. “Harness this evil energy from a realm called Dark. I know it’s hard to believe. He thinks that he can use my spirit sense as some kind of alarm to help him with it. I don’t want to participate.”
“And you want me to…what? I can’t exactly beat the guy up.”
“I know that,” Claire said, sighing. She pushed the swing a little. “I don’t really know how you can help me. I just can’t keep it to myself anymore.”
A new determination showed on Hughie’s face as he looked at her. “I’ve got some good friends. None of them like Phillip Rhodes, and we’ve all been talking about how the air has been strange lately. I don’t know if I can convince them of ghosts or energy, but I can definitely convince them that Rhodes is a nutcase. Somehow we’ll stop that girl from getting hurt. Don’t worry, Claire.”
She was suddenly
It was the first time I’d gone to a point in time without a photo or memory for reference, so I felt fleetingly proud.
“You actually showed up,” Hughie said, seeming surprised.
Claire rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. I’m the one who set this up.”
“So, what’s this all about? Because I get the feeling that it’s not because you want to go steady.”
“No,” Claire said softly. “I don’t mean for you to get the wrong idea. It’s just, I feel like I can trust you.” She turned away from him, her face conflicted and her arms crossed tightly across her chest. I recognized it as a common gesture from later in her life and my throat closed up.
“What’s the secret?” Hugh pried.
“You’re going to think I’m a lunatic. I’m so scared of telling anyone.” She shut her eyes and rocked back on the balls of her feet.
“You’re nothing less than extraordinary, Claire, but not in a bad way. I could never think badly of you.”
Her eyes opened, sparkling a little from the compliment. I saw her steady her resolve. “I see the spirits of the dead. In my dreams, and sometimes when I’m awake. My mother claims that when she was younger she used to see them, but she also spent years in a lunatic asylum. I don’t want to be a crazy person.” A tiny tear rolled down her cheek.
Hugh jumped off of the tire swing, whipping his hand through his hair, pacing the lawn.
“Please, please, don’t freak out,” Claire said desperately.
He stopped, his look intense and oddly mature. “I’m not freaking out, Claire. Not in the way you think. I see ghosts, too.”
She struggled for a minute with what to say. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“I..I had this feeling…that maybe you did.” She looked down at the grass.
“But I never thought it meant I was crazy,” Hugh said excitedly. “It’s such a cool feeling, like a gift. A sixth sense.”
“I don’t know how you can think that way. It feels like a curse to me.”
“Is that all you wanted to tell me?” Both of us could sense that she had more to say.
Claire went to the tire swing and sat down, wobbling a little but regaining her balance. “Phil is into the occult. He’s the only other person I’ve told, and he thought it was a good thing, too. The spiritual club…we…we practice these rituals after school. At first I thought it was going to be like Ouija parties, no big deal. I’ve been to those, people just pushing around the little pointer. For laughs. But this is serious. They’re going to kill my friend Deana’s pet, and that’s just the beginning.”
Hughie paused, taking in her words.
“And after the rabbit, their next victim is a girl,” Claire finished, the strength leaving her voice. “Stephanie. She thinks she’s going to join the prayer group, but it’s a trick. She’s one of Cheryl’s best friends.”
“Why?” Hughie asked. “Why is he doing this.”
“He feels like he can gain this great power.” She gestured big with her hands. “Harness this evil energy from a realm called Dark. I know it’s hard to believe. He thinks that he can use my spirit sense as some kind of alarm to help him with it. I don’t want to participate.”
“And you want me to…what? I can’t exactly beat the guy up.”
“I know that,” Claire said, sighing. She pushed the swing a little. “I don’t really know how you can help me. I just can’t keep it to myself anymore.”
A new determination showed on Hughie’s face as he looked at her. “I’ve got some good friends. None of them like Phillip Rhodes, and we’ve all been talking about how the air has been strange lately. I don’t know if I can convince them of ghosts or energy, but I can definitely convince them that Rhodes is a nutcase. Somehow we’ll stop that girl from getting hurt. Don’t worry, Claire.”
She was suddenly
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