The Ghost of Sander Jones

Chapter 17: Truth Behind Lies

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I did my best to stay out of my mother's sight. If I did bump into her I would make the conversation short and hurry past her to find my destination. By the time night came I was exhausted from the day's activities and being up so early. I couldn't get to sleep though because I felt too jittery and nervous. Sander had suggested I do something to take my mind off it and I nodded willingly. I tried to do some of my homework and it kept me busy for a while but when I finished I was back to square one.

I suggested dancing since I learned that I enjoyed learning new ones. Sander had agreed and I was pleased to know that when we had stopped dancing my mind was free of my prevous troubling thoughts and I was finally able to fall into a peaceful sleep.

When I woke the next morning I felt compelled to practice the spells I knew especially the defense spells. I swung my legs out of bed, yawned and then stretched preparing for the morning quickly. I nodded once to Sander and then brushed my hair pulling it into a chignon on top of my head. When I was finished I brush my teeth and locked myself in the closet dressing in some jeans and then black long-sleeved shirt. I dug out another on of my favorite t-shirts and pulled it over my head.

I walked out the closet and sat on the bed with a sigh. My thoughts filled with all the possible events that could take place in just a little less than a week. I shuddered trying to shake the thought.

I sighed and walked to the windows pulling back both of the curtains. The sky was still dark but has little streaks of gray in it. Off in the distance I could see the mountains snow covered and beautiful. The whole view was breathtaking. I stood there looking out until the sky only had a few traces of midnight darkness left in it. I turned around to look at Sander.

He was watching me intently a look of indecision on his face. When he saw that I was watching him he cleared his throat and said, "What's on the agenda for today?" I shrugged walking over to his side. "I don't know. Try to act normal around my parents...the usual." I paused then continued after a moment. "I was thinking I could practice some spells, the defensive ones, and I'm not really sure what to do for the rest of the day." Sander nodded once assessing my answer. "I see. I had planned on finding out what happened to my family's manor and estate." I nodded once looking him directly in the eye.

"I wish you luck with your searches." I gave Sander a half-hearted smile. He shook his head playfully. "A dance before I go?" I giggled despite my mood and let Sander take hold of my hands pulling me along toward the wider part of the room. "Not here." I said. He raised his eyebrow, confused. "Why don't we go to a place that has more room so we can actually finish the dance? Let's go back down to the vault behind the door downstairs." Sander frowned but agreed.

I knew it was still too early for either of my parents to start the day or the helpers to start fixing breakfast but I knew we didn't have a lot of time. I hurried down the stairs as quietly as possible with Sander right behind me. I sighed in relief when we both got there and I flung the door taking the steps two at a time until I reached the bottom. Sander quickly followed me.

"Are you sure you want to dance down here?" He said taking both my hands and positioning them correctly. I nodded and he shrugged taking the lead in the dance he was doing. "Which dance is this?" I asked after a few unfamiliar steps. "We're Waltzing." I raised my eyebrow. "I didn't know you knew this dance." He laughed. "There are many dances I know, but this one is one of my favorites." I smiled at his response.

We danced for another twenty minutes until we had finished the last few steps. When Sander stopped moving I expected he would let me go but he didn't. Instead he took each of my hands holding them together. He tilted his head forward a little, our faces a few inches apart and I felt something in my stomach flutter as I watched what he was doing.