Surprise Me.

Chapter 36- Nooks and Crannies.

"When are we going home?" I asked as Sam begrudgingly slid into the passenger seat. It was Seth's turn to drive.

"Tomorrow morning. I thought we might visit the homestead in the daylight. Just for us. No cameras, no video equipment, just flashlights. Just to look." Sam replied.

"I think that's a good idea." Colby replied, his hand resting on my thigh. "Hopefully the spirits will be more at ease in the daylight and we can talk."

"Off!" Sam swatted at his hand, forcing him to pull it away. Colby sighed.

"I wonder if we'll see a few more kid spirits because of the sunlight." Seth added.

"It's possible. Let's go out there now, we have Stave's permission."

"Alright."

The car fell silent and I knew Colby was upset.

Mads> u ok?
Colbs> I'm tired of Sam always monitoring our PDA.
Mads> I'm sick of it too.
Colbs> I'm gonna talk to him when we get to Saratoga.
Mads> Good, if you need me, I'm here.
Colbs> Thank you. Ur the best.
Mads>I know :)
Colbs> I love you
Mads> I love you too

With almost no warning, a wave of unease fell over me and my gaze focused on the floor. Nothing was wrong, yet something felt...off.

"Maddie?" Colby asked. It was like I was frozen, I couldn't move. I couldn't turn my head and meet his gaze.

"What's wrong back there?" Seth asked as Colby rubbed my back.

"Maddie's having a vision." Colby had been through this a handful of times and he knew there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless. And he hated what came after.

"There's nothing any of us can do." Sam told Seth as my vision got cloudy. "We just have to ride it out and wait."

"I hate this."

A bird. That's the first thing I saw, a bluebird landing on a branch outside a window. Tears. People. Most of them with eyebrows upturned in sadness or shock. Fear. The bird. Nurses milling around, occasionally checking in on patients. Little kids looking outside. The bird. Again. It flew off of the branch. Why?

My vision was my own again and I sucked in a breath as if I'd held it forever. I knew I didn't have long.

"Colbs. The bird." I muttered, falling into Colby's arms as I fainted.

When I came to, we were still in the car and, based on the excessive treelines outside the windows, on our way to Saratoga. Colby brushed his hand through my blue hair as I laid on his lap, his eyes on mine.

"Hey. Welcome back." He chuckled. He hated that part, but he never let on just how much it scared him. He knew there was nothing I could do about it.

"Thanks." I replied, sitting up.

"What did you see?" Sam asked. I looked at Colby. I had no memory of what I'd seen, I never did. I relied on what I told people or wrote down to jog my memory.

"You said my name and then, 'the bird.'" Colby explained.

"The birds. I saw memories of Saratoga. Most likely from a child's perspective." I said. "I very vividly saw a bluebird."

"Hm. We'll have to keep an eye out for birds." Sam replied as Seth pulled up to the expansive building. I examined all of the foliage for any signs whatsoever of birds. Each rustling leaf, each squirrel, and each vine caught my attention. Everything seemed to look brighter today. More peaceful. More serine.

"Will we see Steve and Dylan today?" Seth asked as we got out of the car.

"I think it's just gonna be us."

"Maybe we'll get more if it's just a smaller group."

"Let's hope."

"Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?" Colby asked. "Just while Maddie and Seth are grabbing the flashlights and stuff."

The two of them walked a few yards away, strangely within earshot of Seth and I. I even heard Colby suck in a calming breath.

"I'm really not a fan of the way you police the way Maddie and I touch." Colby began. "I get that she's your sister, but I'm her boyfriend now. If I want to put my hand on her thigh while she's driving or kiss her on the forehead when she's cooking, I should be able to."

"I know." Sam sighed. "I'm sorry. I'd get pissed at you if you were policing Kat and I like this. I'll try to do better. But you need to back off a little. I get it, she's hot and just because she's your girlfriend you wanna be around and with her all the time. I'm just saying you could tone it down."

"I'll try. I'm lucky that I'm her boyfriend."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You don't refer to her as 'your girlfriend,' just 'her boyfriend.'"

"I guess I just don't see her as mine." Colby shrugged. "Yeah, she's mine but not like I own her. I'd like to think that when I promised to treat her right, I promised to always be hers. Giving and not taking, you know?"

"Makes sense." Sam chuckled.

Colby caught my gaze and I could tell by the way his shoulders relaxed that he knew I'd overheard him. He'd chosen to give himself to me and that was something both Sam and I would have to adjust to. I was proud of Sam. He'd grown up enough to know that I wasn't just a tag-along anymore, I was here and this is where I would stay. He knew that he wasn't the only one around to take care of me anymore, as well. I'd always be his kid sister, his tag-along, his partner-in-crime. But I wasn't just his anymore. I was Colby's girl now, and they would have to figure out how to share that responsibility.

Colby smiled and followed Sam as they returned to Seth and I. A quick discussion and we were going back inside. Instead of the fear and uncertainty we'd felt the first time we leapt through the window, we felt at peace in the daylight.

So did the ghosts.

sorry about this chapter being late :)