She jerked her head back. “We want to know if there’s going to be trouble.”
I glanced up. There, in every damn window on this side of the building, were ghosts. Men, women, children. All of them peering down on me like a tree full of silent crows, waiting to peck out my eyes.
“I didn’t come to cause trouble,” I told them. “I just need to talk to somebody, and then I’ll leave. I promise.” I couldn’t, however, promise that I wouldn’t cause trouble, or that it wouldn’t find me.
The ghosts exchanged glances. I turned my attention back to the dead girl beside me. She looked at me for a moment, then nodded her head. “Fine. Do what you have to do, and then leave, please.”
“Hanging around is not something I want to do, trust me.”
“Trust you?” she echoed, with a laugh that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “You’re living. Why would we ever trust you?”
I shrugged. “I got rid of Bent, didn’t I?”
She tilted her head to one side. “You’re going to have to do better than that, but go. Do what you have to do and then leave us in peace.”
“Look, Girl Interrupted, I could be doing that right now if you hadn’t snuck up on me. So, why don’t you just float back to your bathtub and let me go on my way?”
For a second I thought she might go full-on Beetlejuice on me, but she didn’t. She simply sneered at me, her lips as red as her blood against her pale face, and then she faded away.
Did she give me the finger? I laughed and shook my head. Then, I took a second to look around and let that part of me that was connected to Wren reach out for her.
There she was.
I jogged toward the building that stood out like a beacon to me—the place that pulsed with unseen energy that I felt deep inside my soul. If there was an upside to Halloween, other than Ben in a tight black shirt, it was being able to find my sister in a sea of teeming spiritual energy. Even on a bad day I’d be able to find her, but not quite like this. Every step felt like I was moving closer to a part of myself. A nail drawn toward a magnet.
If my memory was correct, this building used to be one of the old housing units. I didn’t know which one, but it looked like it had been really nice once, so I figured it had been home to the patients with money, or from families with money. And they had probably been white, which increased the probability of this having once been home to Robert Alan Thurbridge, Jr.
The door swung open just as I reached for the knob. I knew who stood on the opposite side of the threshold before I even looked up. I knew the moment I saw her bare feet, the toes painted bright blue.
“Hey, sis,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Can I come in?”
She looked worried, nervous and a little angry. “Are you crazy? What are you doing here?” She stuck her head out through the wall beside me and looked around. “Did you come here alone?”
“Yeah. Stick your head back inside. It’s freaking me out.” Seriously, seeing your sister sticking out of a building while her butt was still in it was really, really weird.
She pulled back in. This time when she looked at me, there was no question as to her emotion. “You are crazy.”
I shrugged. “You come here alone.”
“That’s different.”
I arched a brow. “Really? Because last time I checked, we both played a huge part in ridding this place of Josiah Bent. Are you telling me the ghosts of Haven Crest are playing favorites?”
Wren reached out her hand and flicked me in the forehead. “Ow.” It stung.
“They’re not exactly fans of the living here,” she reminded me.
“Yeah, I met up with one of them already.” I rubbed my forehead. “She’s still in one piece and so am I. I think it’s you who really doesn’t want me here. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to stay long, I just need to talk to Noah.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Noah?”
I forced a smile. “Yeah. I need some help with something, and I’m hoping he’s the ghost for the job. Is he around?” Since she wasn’t going to step aside, I crossed the threshold and brushed past her. When the door clicked shut, I pivoted on my heel.
Holy crap.
The outside of this building might look as run-down and decayed as the rest of the campus, but inside was another story. It was gorgeous—the floor polished and windows clean. There was nice furniture and drapes, plasterwork and fresh paint on the walls and ceiling. This must be what it used to look like once upon a time.
“Nice digs,” I commented, trying to sound calm. I’d seen places and people through Wren’s eyes before, but normally only when we made contact. I didn’t think this was all to blame on Halloween, either. This was...magic? No. This...this was power. I swallowed.
“You can see it, can’t you?” My sister was right in front of me; only inches separated us. The dead had little concept of personal space. “You see this place like I do.”