Speak with the Dead

Chapter 1

Ariela Duerta savored the taste of sweetened peanut butter as she stared at the girl across from her. She offered the marzipan candy to the girl sitting across from her and watched her as she shook her head no. It had been four years since her sister took her own life. Four years of coping with the horrible vision of her sister's dying body. She let the candy dissolve for a moment as she became lost in her thoughts.

"Is it true what they say about you?"

Rae Ciciora was a senior at Silverleaf High School, and her boyfriend had been killed not far from here. It was ruled an animal attack, but something wasn't sitting right with Rae, and so through whispered rumors, she had sought out Ariela.

The library was quiet during lunch hour and there was no librarian around to bother them. The scent of aged books lingered on the air overwhelming the scent of pine and mountain air. The library was her sanctuary away from all the humans and the pretes.

"Is it true that you're a Prete?" Rae asked, nervousness upon her face.

Silverleaf, Colorado was a town located over a hundred and something miles West of Denver. It was nestled close to White River National Forest in Eagle County and dominated by mild winter. It was the first town in Colorado to integrate Preternatural beings and humans together. Granted, most of the Preternatural beings already had established communities, but the Great Reveal four years ago happened when The Council couldn't cover up a Preternatural attack on a human proving the existence Werewolves. The being was caught, tried and executed.

Ariela didn't like to consider herself a Prete, because she looked human and was, for the most part, was human. When she touched people she received premonitions of their deaths if they were close to death. And close to death was a matter of debate. She could also see ghosts and communicate with them. The main feature that marked her as not human, in her opinion, was that she was super durable and would live longer than most humans. Most Prete wouldn't consider her Preternatural. She guessed she was a freak to both sides. Too human to be Prete, and too Prete to be human.

Either way, she could walk the human side without coming out. Ariela ignored the question, removed her black, silk gloves, and placed her palms hands-up on the table.

"I can do some tricks," Ariela answered. "Can you tell me why you find Trevor's death suspicious?"

Trevor Nolan was a senior at Silverleaf at well and close to graduating early, he only had half a semester to go. He was a smart teen that came from a hunting family, and in Silverleaf, there were plenty of spots to hunt for humans and pretes. Rae explained that Trevor and his dad planned a short weekend hunting trip in White Rock Run. And Trevor and his father knew too much about hunting and survival to be taken down by a cougar.

"What do you plan to do if it is an animal attack?" I asked.

Rae's eyes welled up as she shrugged and replied, "I guess...move on."

I didn't want it to be a prete, a prete murdering a human brought out D.O.P.E; the Department of Preternatural Emergencies and you didn't want them snooping about.

"I need you to place your hands on mine and focus on Trevor," I instructed.

The females in the family had most of the powers. The males could see ghosts, but there weren't many males born in the family. Ariela didn't exactly discuss her abilities with anyone in the family either. It was something she kept private since her sister's death. She didn't know if mom could summon specific ghosts but knew she could with a bit of focus and something connected to the deceased. Otherwise, she could go to the place of their death and see if their ghost was lingering. Since Rae was connected to Trevor she should be able to focus and call him.