Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,15
that.”
Blearily, I scanned the fog, trying to make sense of the nonsensical. Some sort of iron structure peeked up at the top of the gloom, high in the gray sky. It looked almost like… like some kind of Ferris wheel. I wandered forward, the leaves on the ground crunching under my bare feet.
I glanced down in surprise. I was still in my pajamas. Could I be asleep? Maybe I was stuck somewhere between reality and REM, capable of understanding and speaking but not in control of the dream. I had a feeling I was going to be stuck here with him until he was damn well ready to let me go.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me why you brought me here?” I trailed my fingers over a crumbling, half faded sign. There were only a few letters left of the first word, but Fair at the end was clear enough. “Why is this place important to you?”
“Do you remember where we went on our first date?” The voice came from behind me, close to my ear. “We went to a taco stand and bought all this greasy, delicious food. Then we had a picnic in the park.”
More of the fog cleared and a carousel came into view. The ride had seen better days. The paint was faded, the royal looking animals chipped and broken.
I felt a presence behind me and turned slowly, afraid any sudden moves would scare him off. He was taller than me but had the same swimmer’s build. His eyes were dark, burnished green, and freckles sprinkled his nose and cheeks.
“Who exactly do you think I am?” I asked softly.
“I don’t think, I know.” He furrowed his brow. “It’s me. How can you not remember me?”
I racked my brain to no avail. “You’re sure we’ve met before?”
“You could say that. You were the only person who truly understood me.” Hurt crossed his expression. “I guess things like that don’t matter so much to you anymore, Alex.”
“I’m not Alex.”
My words had no effect as he lifted a hand to my face. I couldn’t help flinching, but he only drifted fingers down my cheek, light as the morning mist. “I still want you. Even after all this time. You’re just as beautiful as you always were.” Before I could get a big head about the flattery, he added, “Just older.”
“Thanks.”
His brow furrowed. “A lot older.”
“Got it,” I said dryly. “Before you put me in an Oil of Olay test group, I should tell you that nothing is going to happen between us. Being alive is the bare minimum requirement to be my boyfriend.” Sorry, not sorry.
“What if I wasn’t a ghost?”
“But you are.”
“Maybe I won’t always be.”
“What does that even mean?” He just blinked at me with those burnished green eyes. I was hard-pressed not to growl. Frankly, when it came to cryptic shit that took me ages to puzzle out, I was all set. “You never did tell me your name.”
After a moment of hesitation, he gave me a bloody smile. His teeth were chipped and broken. Red dripped down his neck from a wound I couldn’t see—judging from the sudden matted state of his hair, it was probably on the back of his head. “My name is Joseph,” he said, “but you should already know that.”
With a start, I realized he was getting wispier, blending into the fog. “You have a last name, Joseph?”
“Now maybe you’ll ride the carousel with me,” he said wistfully. I could barely see him anymore, just swirls of fog that took the shape of the storm. But I could still hear him in my head, angry and puzzled at my reluctance to play.
Why won’t you ride the carousel with me?
A bit of the fog floated around me before winding sinuously around my wrist. I pulled back, but the mist was like glue. Another trail of fog locked around my other wrist, and I gasped. I yanked at the fog holding me in place, but it was like trying to break through concrete with my bare hands.
“Joseph,” I said firmly. “You need to send me back. I can’t stay here with you in a dream, no matter how much you miss Alex.”
Not just yet. First, we should have a little fun.
“I’m going to find out who you are and what happened to you, but I can’t do it here.” I tugged at my bonds and made a sound of exasperation when they held. “I’m going to help you.”