No More Secrets (Book 2)

17. The Light

I was surprised to find myself home before Dylan. He must have still been at Nina's trying to figure out any possible way to get the ghost woman to stay away. I texted him as soon as I got home, letting him know I was here and asking when he'd be back.

I still didn't know what I was going to tell him. Jenny didn't want me to say anything about her plan, but how could I lie to Dylan? How could I look him in the face as he desperately struggles to find a way to handle this when I know what Jenny's planning?

She doesn't want him to know because he'd do everything he possibly could to stop her. I knew it was true, too. It was hard enough losing her the first time, but losing her again would wreck him.

It was only a matter of minutes after I got home that Dylan walked in. He looked exhausted, and I had to assume that he and Nina weren't able to come up with a solution today.

"Hey, babe," I said. I walked over and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Find anything?"

He shook his head. "No. We can try to just exorcise her, but she's too strong for it to work. We've never seen a ghost able to touch things before. Sure, Jenny's getting better at it, but this is a whole other level. She kidnapped you. She almost killed you. Who knows what else she's capable of?"

Dylan looked like he was about to cry and I felt so guilty for keeping this huge secret from him. "What if," I started slowly. "A ghost did the work for us?"

"What do you mean?" He leaned against the wall behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked concerned, like he knew exactly what I meant, but didn't want to hear it.

I sighed. How did I say this without giving away the fact that it was Jenny's idea? "If there was a ghost willing to talk to Death for us, then none of us would be risking our own lives."

"We'd never be able to convince a ghost to do that. Not on our behalf. I'm pretty sure Death hates me, so he wouldn't exactly be willing to let the ghost come back, with or without the trapped ones."

"But what if there's a ghost that knows the risks, but will still do it for us?"

"There isn't, okay?" he snapped. He pushed himself off the wall and started walking past me, running his hand anxiously through his hair.

I watched him walk down the hallway towards out bedroom, but didn't follow him. I think part of him knew that I was talking about Jenny, he just didn't want to hear it. She was his sister after all. I'd probably feel the same way if I were in his shoes.

I chose to give Dylan his space for a bit. I knew going after him right now wouldn't help him. Instead, I went to the kitchen, figuring I could cook us some dinner while he cooled off.

By the time I finished cooking, Dylan still hadn't come out of our bedroom. I went looking for him so that I could tell him that I made dinner. I had half-expected him to have fallen asleep, so I was surprised when he wasn't alone in the room.

I hadn't met his grandmother yet, but I could clearly see the resemblance. Although, if I were to be honest, she looked more like Dylan's mother and Dylan, but I could still see parts of her in him.

"Oh, hello," I said to her. Then I turned to Dylan. "Dinner's ready, babe."

He looked confused for a moment. "Dinner? I'm sorry, I should have helped. I lost track of time."

"Dylan Fletcher," his grandmother said sternly. "I know you're not the man in your relationship, but that boy deserves at least some help. Instead you sit here on your ass talking to me while he does all the work around here. Shame on you."

Dylan shot her a glare and I had to hold back a laugh. "I really don't mind," I said. "I love you, so I can cook you dinner."

He nodded his head and stood up from the bed. "Grandma, we're not done with this conversation. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

She just gave him a small smile before disappearing. I wanted to ask Dylan what that was about, but he seemed to be in an even worse mood than when I left him. I had a feeling whatever they were talking about wasn't very pleasant.

We were almost finished eating when Dylan brought it up. "My grandma is thinking about passing over to the other side."

"What?" I almost dropped my fork. "That's possible? Like, it's their choice?"

"Well..." He stared down at his plate, moving the last few pieces of rice around with his knife. "Sort of. She was stuck here at first because she had left things bad with my mom when she died. But then I helped them both through those issues last year. She's just been hanging around because I could see her and she wanted to be here for me, you know?"

"So why now?"

Dylan shrugged. "Maybe she knows that, despite everything, I'll be okay. Mom's going to be okay. She doesn't need to stay anymore, once we figure out this whole thing with the ghost woman, of course. But I don't want her to go. I just got her."

"I know." I rested my hand on top of his and he finally looked up at me. There was a tear in the corner of his eye, which I quickly wiped away. "But if she wants to cross over, then that's her choice. Wouldn't it be better over there for her anyway? Like Heaven or whatever?"

"Nobody knows what's there. She said she can see 'The Light'. Like it's calling to her. She said sometimes it sounds like my grandpa. Other times it's just a feeling drawing her to it. But she wants to go. Is it selfish of me to want her to stay?"

"No. That just makes you human."

I knew he'd be even more devastated once Jenny goes through with her plan. Losing both his grandmother and his sister at nearly the same time would be a lot. Maybe even too much for him. I didn't want to see him go through that pain.

But, at the same time, if they both decided that this was what they wanted to do, then who were we to stop them?