Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4)(12)

"I'm trying," Kylie said, again seeing Holiday's personality in the spirit and not liking it. "What's your name?" Kylie insisted.

The spirit's figure faded at the same rate as the ice on the window. Then she spoke. "I think it's Hannah or Holly. Something like that."

"No," Kylie said, her own voice little more than a whisper.

She then grabbed a clip and put her hair up, determined to go see Holiday, not even sure what she would or wouldn't tell the camp leader. Kylie just needed to see Holiday alive.

Kylie moved out of her room and found the main room in the cabin empty. She started for the door and stopped. Who was supposed to be shadowing her? Not that Kylie really cared. She was just going to the office, but she'd already gotten in trouble once with Burnett about the shadowing business, and she didn't want to go for two.

"Della?" she called out.

No answer came back. Was something wrong?

"Hey." Miranda popped out of her bedroom a second later. "Della had a meeting with Burnett. I'm on shadowing duty." She said it with pride.

Kylie nodded. "Good. Let's go to the office."

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to Holiday."

"About what?"

"About something."

"Got a 'tude, do ya?" Miranda made a face as if she'd just had to swallow something really disgusting.

Kylie started to smart back, but caught herself. It was understandable that she was in a bad mood, but it didn't give her the right to take it out on her friends. "I'm sorry. I know I've been cranky today. But I've just got a lot of crap on my plate."

"I know," Miranda said in an apologetic tone. "The funeral put us all in a bad mood. But then with your whole lizard crisis, I mean, I'd be in an extra-bad mood if somebody told me that I was a reptile. Which is why I haven't raised my pinky at you one time."

"And I appreciate it," Kylie said, and then realized what Miranda had said. "What did Burnett want to talk to Della about?"

"Beats me."

"Was she upset?" Kylie couldn't help but worry that it had something to do with whatever Holiday was so upset about when she spoke to Burnett earlier. And Kylie hadn't forgotten that at the time she'd gotten the impression it was about her.

"Not really. Between you and me, I think Della's got a crush on Burnett. She just glows when Burnett asks her to do something."

"No, she doesn't. She knows he's totally into Holiday."

"Then why doesn't she go for Steve? She's jealous of us having boyfriends but won't go after Steve. And lately I noticed the same thing you did. That shape-shifter stares at her all the time. He's hot for her."

Kylie motioned to the door. "She doesn't go for Steve because she's still in love with Lee."

"Yeah, I guess that could be it, too." They walked out and started down the path toward the office. "You know, I could put a hex on him."

"On Steve?" Kylie asked.

"No, on Lee. I could easily give him warts. And I could put them some place it would really scare the piss out of him. If you know what I mean."

Kylie shook her head. "I don't think Della would want you to do that."

"She might if we caught her in the right mood."

"I wouldn't even chance asking, because if she's not in the right mood, it might really tick her off."

"Yeah, I guess." They continued down the trail. "Do I really talk about Perry all the time?"

Kylie looked at Miranda. "Yeah, but it's not as bad as Della makes it sound. I'll bet I talk about Lucas all the time." She remembered she'd walked away from him today. Was he going to be angry at her? Did he have a right to be?

"Actually, you don't. But you used to talk about Derek all the time."

Kylie frowned, not liking how that sounded.

"Oh, that reminds me, he came by to see you when you were sleeping."

"Derek came to see me?"

"No, Lucas."

Embarrassed that she'd misunderstood, Kylie bit down on her lip. "Why didn't he wake me up? Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

"He told us not to. He peeked in on you and said to just tell you he came by. Actually, it was kind of sweet. He stood in the doorway watching you for several minutes. He kind of looked sad. Or sappy. Like he was totally in love with you. Della was waving her hand under her nose as if to say he was emitting all kinds of pheromones." Miranda grinned.

Kylie's heart hurt so much she couldn't grin back. Guilt spiraled through her, both for not talking about him as much as she had talked about Derek and for walking away from him earlier when he tried to talk to her. At the time, she'd felt justified, but hindsight always gave her another viewpoint. Was she being too hard on Lucas?

Probably, she admitted. She'd been crabby lately. Hence why Miranda and Della were accusing her of being were. Something she needed to remedy.

She made up her mind. After she spoke with Holiday, she was going to find Lucas and apologize for leaving him like that. She quickened her pace down the trail. The trees on both sides seemed to grow closer together. And Kylie felt it again-the feeling of someone calling her. Luring her to step out into the woods. She stopped and looked out at the line of trees.