Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(165)

“I told you,” he said to the storm, “I don’t want to go to the party, Myrtle. You go. Belle said she wants us there so go. But I’m going to stay here.”

“Lewis, no! It isn’t about the party,” Myrtle exclaimed and something in her tone made her brother turn his eyes to her. “Something’s, wrong, Lewis. I feel it. We have to tell Belle.”

“We can’t tell Belle, Myrtle. Tonight she and Jack are celebrating their engagement. She’ll be with him probably all night,” Lewis reminded her. “And, by the way, if you go to the party, you can’t let Jack see you. You have to be invisible unless he isn’t looking.”

She grabbed his vaporous hand and tugged. “All right, I’ll be invisible if Jack’s around but we have to go. We have to find someone. We have tell someone that something is not right.”

She watched her brother’s eyes narrow on her before he asked quietly, “What do you feel, Myrtie Mine?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, “I don’t know. I just know it’s bad.”

Lewis studied his sister for only one second before he nodded.

“Right, then let’s tell Angus.”

Myrtle’s phantom shoulders drooped with relief.

“Thank you, Lewis,” Myrtle whispered and, holding hands, they floated swiftly to the stairwell and down but suddenly and inexplicably, something happened. It was as if their ghost forms hit a wall and they couldn’t move.

“What on –?” Lewis muttered, looking down to his feet that strangely felt like they had bounds tied to his ankles and he saw the strange markings on the floor.

“Lewis!” Myrtle shrieked, his head snapped up and his eyes focused on the shadowy figure in the shadowed stairwell. “Oh no, Lewis! It’s her!”

Her eyes were on them. They were gleaming through the dark with a preternatural light.

And she was smiling.

The children watched as she lifted her finger to her lips then she dropped her hand, leaned forward and touched the markings on the landing.

“That witch didn’t think to protect you,” she whispered through her manic smile.

Then she straightened, whirled and dashed away.

* * * * *

Cassandra and Yasmin

“I’m so sorry we’re running late,” Yasmin said words to the windscreen that were meant for Cassandra who was sitting to her left in the passenger seat of her Audi. “I know it’s just family but it is formal and I couldn’t decide what to wear. This is a hazard when you have three closets full of clothes.”

“I’m sorry too, mate,” Cassandra replied quietly, her eyes riveted to the road, her hand clenched around her mobile which she’d tried and failed, several times, to use to phone Jack, Belle, Joy, The Point, Rachel, Lila, Jensen and Angus. “But we’ll get there.”

Before Cassandra left, Jack never believed she was clairvoyant.

Now, if he’d bloody answer his bloody phone, he’d find out she was.

And if he’d bloody answer his bloody, bloody phone, she could maybe save Belle’s life.

And, bonus, free the children.

“You need to hurry, Yasmin,” Cassandra said, still talking quietly.

She had not shared the vision she’d had while getting ready for the party at Yasmin’s house. She didn’t want to alarm Yasmin because the woman could be dramatic but mostly because she was driving.

“I know,” Yasmin agreed. “But we’re starting with drinks so we’ll just miss a martini or two.”

They’d miss a lot more if she didn’t pull her finger out.

On this thought, her mobile rang in her hand and Cassandra saw it said, “Lorna Calling” on the display.

She took the call and put it to her ear. “Hey, mate,” she greeted.

“Lach and I are on our way. Lach figured something out and –”

Cassandra cut her off, “The woman.”

“What?” Lorna asked.

Without being able to escape for privacy, she said simply, “Vision, Lor. I’ve seen it. You and Lach need to get down here. Now.”

“We’re both on our way,” Lorna assured then disconnected.

“What vision, Cass?” Yasmin asked into the car softly. “Is something wrong?”

“Just go faster, Yasmin,” Cassandra answered and the car speeded up, racing through the dark, wet night shrouded in thickening by the second fog.

And Yasmin went fast. Very fast.

Too fast.

“Yasmin, in the road!” Cassandra screeched just as the Audi’s tires hit a big log that was resting across the road.

Yasmin jerked the wheel automatically even though she’d already hit the log.

The car rolled. Then it rolled again. It rolled another half and a banged up, unconscious Yasmin Delacourt and Cassandra McNabb in an Audi TT coupe ended upside down on the side of the lane a quarter of a mile away from The Point.

* * * * *

Baron, Gretl and Shadow

The intelligent eyes of the grey horse watched as his turned back ears heard the two German Shepherds clawing and whining at the stable doors.

They’d been drawn in then locked in.

The big, darker dog gave up to step back and bark as the blonder, smaller dog continued to claw and whine with increasing alarm at the door.