Ghost Perfume | ✔

Chapter 8: Talk to Me (Part 2)

Rising from my nap, I saw the sun high and fierce in a bleached sky. Trees trembled. I could hear it, the howl and rush of a wind tearing down the street.

Only Jane and I remained in the house.

"I'm ... going to go scout for more ghosts,'' she said. "Be right back.''

I reined back my delight. "Be careful of that wind out there,'' I joked.

She grinned and disappeared.

I took another bite of my chocolate and ducked under a shower. I could feel my thread spinning itself longer as the water ran hot over my head and back.

My torso looked only very faintly mottled in the bathroom mirror. Michael was amazing. The marks on my neck and arms had turned to hardly visible smudges.

I wondered when Tommy would ever come home.

I wondered what the Alistairs were doing.

I'd promised to text them! My towel wrapped tight and my hair dripping water, I hurried to my phone. It was early on Saturday afternoon, it told me. I bit my lip. Should I have texted them on Friday night, even though Gabriel had been by?

I created a group chat with the five of us and hesitated for an embarrassingly long time over what to write. I finally sent,

Rose: Hi

Rose: All good

Texts appeared in rapid succession.

Michael: Good.

Gabriel sent a thumbs up.

Lukas sent a thumbs up.

Was he back from his work yet?

A message came from Alexander, though, uncooperatively, it was not in the group chat.

Alexander: I'm back. Come over for dinner?

I answered yes, my fingers trembling a little, and asked when. He said six.

I decided to leave my hair down because it always looked good after a shower, parting it in the middle and clipping up a strand on either side of the part. I pulled on tight jeans and the only sweater of mine that I really liked, a fuzzy white one. It mostly covered the fading bruise on my neck.

I found tiny, dangling silver earrings to wear from the box of Mom's old stuff. I also put on a matching necklace, though the sweater hid it.

In the mirror, my eyes were huge and dark in my pale face, but I no longer looked quite as fragile as when Gabriel had seen me last. The delicate blue circles under my eyes were less stark.

I was scribbling over my homework when the group chat buzzed.

Lukas: Rose, Alexander, let's get pizza

Lukas: Michael's working and Gabriel goes at nine

I hesitated, confused.

Alexander: We're already eating at my place

Lukas: We'll bring it to you then

I realized I'd divided twenty by four and gotten six. I crossed it out.

Alexander: Not the deep dish again

Lukas: It's fine

Alexander: It's not fine. Order from pizza maestro or the corner one

Mom loved Pizza Maestro. We used to go there every Wednesday when she would get home from work.

Lukas: No