Ghost Silk (Ghost Perfume, Book 2) | ✔

18 - Dance with me - Part 4 (Rose; Alexander)

No response. I wrote the next message carefully.

Rose: In case that was too subtle for you, I'M losing my patience.

Continued silence.

The night had dried the sweat from my hair and chilled my skin. I took a deep breath and typed faster. If he was still calculating what lies he could get away with, I had to strike him in his heart.

Rose: You awful, awful liar. I don't even know where to start. Are you silent because you can't even face me?

Michael: Can I call you? I don't know what you heard.

Relieved, I clutched the phone tighter.

Rose: I know everything. Marcus certainly filled in a lot of gaps in the story.

Rose: You know you always underestimate the ghosts. That's your big weakness.

There was a very long silence. I listened to the pulsing beat of the music inside the house, the sounds of the party at my back.

I bowed my head. I should have confronted them the second that Marcus left our house. I should have shouted and made a scene. But they were impossible – impossible – they were trying to run rings around me, and they were so good at it, because I was a fool who wanted to obey and believe every word they said in those drawling deep voices, because I adored them and I wanted to melt at their feet, because –

The phone buzzed.

Gabriel: I'm sorry. Please let me talk to you in person so I can tell you how sincerely I beg for your forgiveness and how totally I dedicate my future to change the past.

I stared. That wasn't quite ...

Lukas: I wanted to tell you a year ago. But we were ashamed. It's hard to admit to it, especially to you. It's not an excuse but that's the excuse. It got worse the more that time passed.

Now I was really confused. What was it?

Alexander: You finally know. We're shitty people. We were always shitty people. We're trying to fix it and we will fix it, but you're right if you never want to see any of us again.

Oh my god.

There was something – something bad – I didn't know.

Michael: Please, I beg you. What did the ghosts tell you?

The ghosts. He meant the revenants. The revenants who, like the Alistairs, came from the other side. All this time, the revenants had known the Alistairs.

The masks we'd worn ... the orders to silence them ... it had all been to keep me surrounded by silence.

I covered my mouth.

Above everything else, I was grateful that they couldn't see that I didn't know what they were talking about, so they couldn't make sure to keep hiding it.

Michael: I will not attempt to excuse the past. But whatever they told you, it is only part of the picture, and surely you have questions. Let me talk with you so I can answer your questions. I swear I will answer sincerely with the full truth.

I'd been right in what I speculated to Puck and Robin. The reason for their continued silence had always been some dark secret.

They were ashamed of something from the past; something horrible was stopping their mouths.

Everyone had been texting me privately. I navigated to the group chat.

Rose: Okay. Let's talk face to face, okay? Tell me everything from the beginning.