Haunted

Three

I'm still questioning it.

Which is another reason why I have to find Sam. If anyone has an explanation, it's him.

He knew that spirit was coming, and I want to know why.

My back flares with pain, reminding me that I currently have a more pressing issue. If I want to search for the ghost, I'll need to return to my room and take care of these stupid scratches first. Then I need another black shirt. Preferably one not covered in blood.

There's a reason I never wear color.

Blood is less likely to show on black fabric.

My mouth has gone dry, but I force myself to speak. "I have to go."

I step forward to push past them, but the agony that shoots down my spine catches me off guard.

Maybe the scratches are worse than I originally thought.

When I stumble, Caleb grips my arm to steady me while Myka blocks my path, searching my face for who knows what.

I ignore her.

"Bria," Caleb whispers. He looks around, like he's making sure no one else can hear him. "What was that black stuff?"

Now that catches my attention.

My gaze meets his as I try to determine if he's messing with me, but he doesn't reveal anything deceitful. If anything, he appears to be genuinely concerned. I flick my eyes over to Myka. She, on the other hand, is staring at me like she suspects I might have stomped on her most prized possession and flushed it down the toilet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say slowly, hoping to get something more from him.

"You don't know —" Caleb cuts himself off, laughing grimly. He releases my arm so he can run his hands through his hair, then points to the broken lampposts accusingly. "What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? You were right in the middle of it!"

I narrow my eyes and lean towards him. "In the middle of what?"

His own eyes widen at the challenge, but that seems to make him more determined. "That freakish black fog that surrounded you." He twirls his finger in the air. "What was that?"

I lean back in surprise.

He saw the malicious spirit?

My brows knit themselves together in confusion. Why him? No one has ever been able to see them before. So why now?

My back twinges and I wince, but I cover it up with a shake of my head and look over at Myka. "And what did you see?"

"You mean just a minute ago?" Her shoulders lift in a shrug. "Nothing. I didn't notice anything weird." She crosses her arms and taps the sidewalk with her boot. "Well, unless you count the fact that you were curled up on the ground and freaking out. Then yeah, in that case I saw something weird."

I feel my frown deepen.

After the encounter at the library, I could've sworn that Myka was the one who might be like me. Not Caleb. Was she only drawing Sam because of something her friend said? I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out.

While I struggle for words, Myka starts biting at her lip and gives Caleb a knowing look, making me think she's not telling the whole truth. Then she throws her head back and sighs.

"Okay, listen. Yeah, I might not have seen any black stuff, but a week ago I sort of drew . . . something." She sighs again and turns, reaching behind her to lift her shirt up.