liked me. Him being a ghost at Redwood meant he’d suffered before his death… and he was so little. It wasn’t fair. If he wanted a friend, I didn’t mind it.
As long as he doesn’t cockblock me again.
When we reached the back patio, Z came outside with me and released my arm. Days were shorter now, the sun setting much earlier than before. The entire backyard was shaded, but sunlight peeked through the bare branches of the tall trees. I wondered what kind they were. It was too early in the year for trees to have lost all their leaves, but these looked like they were stuck in winter.
“Dawn redwood,” Z said.
“Huh?”
“They’re dawn redwoods.” He nodded to the trees. “It’s how the mansion got its name. They surround the estate.”
“What’s that one?” I asked, pointing to one with long, cascading branches. The bare branches reminded me of bony witch fingers. It looked eerie when combined with the surrounding overgrown shrubs and snaking vines and thorns.
“A weeping dawn redwood,” Z answered. “At one time, this mansion was a place of beauty and light. You should’ve seen it back then, Carter. What you see now is only a shell of its former glory.” His body turned more transparent for a moment as he stared at the trees. “What I wouldn’t give to see their leaves again.”
“Why won’t they grow?”
“Not much grows here anymore,” he said, our hands touching between us. His fingers slid through mine. “That’s why I told you this is no place for the living. It’s a graveyard for dead things.”
It was dark by the time I got home. I’d stayed as long as I could with Z. He was finally letting me into his world, if only a little, and it had been hard to leave him, knowing he was lonely in that mansion with only other tortured souls to keep him company.
Not in the mood to cook, I ordered a pizza and drank a beer as I waited for it to be delivered. I tipped the delivery guy before stuffing my face, eating half the pizza in record time. My phone vibrated with a text, and I wiped my greasy fingers on a napkin before checking it.
Taylor: You home?
Me: Yep. What’s up?
Taylor: Wanna hop on the xbox for a bit?
Me: Sure!
I turned on the console and grabbed my headset before inviting him to my party.
“Is Rich gonna join us?” I asked, after he accepted the invite.
“He’s on a date with Danielle,” Taylor answered, before munching on something, probably chips. “It’s just you and me tonight. Hope that’s okay.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Don’t know,” he said, chuckling. “But cool. I’ve upgraded my weapons, so let’s see if we can finally pass this level.”
As we played, we talked a little about our days. I couldn’t say much without giving away that I’d been at Redwood, so I asked him a bunch of questions to keep him distracted. He said he visited the mystic shop again that afternoon.
“Dude, why? That’s such a waste of money.”
“He didn’t charge me,” Taylor responded. “I didn’t get a reading or anything. I just went into the shop to grab a book I’d seen about healing chakras and the power of a positive mind.”
“He? Aren’t they usually women?”
“Men can have the gift too,” he said, before shouting at the game. Our characters had just died and we had to restart the level.
“Did you find the book you wanted at least?”
“Kinda forgot about it once I saw him. He distracted me.”
“Why? Is he, like, hideously ugly with a huge nose and warts?”
Taylor snorted. “Yeah. Totally ugly.”
We gamed until after midnight, then I stomped up the stairs to my room. Once in bed, I turned on the TV and snorted when I saw that a horror movie was playing. In it, a man yelled as he ran through a rundown warehouse. A demonic ghost girl chased him.
Movies like that used to scare me… then reality had become much more terrifying.
Chapter Eight
“Why do you carry a bag?” Z asked, as I arrived at the mansion that afternoon.
I adjusted the backpack on my shoulder. “Brought some supplies.”
“Supplies?”
I smirked and stepped into his embrace. “Fun supplies.”
He cupped my cheek and greeted me properly with a kiss.
It was the third time I’d gone to see him since we’d reached an understanding between us. Each visit, we talked and kissed, but we hadn’t gone any further than kissing. Mainly because we hadn’t had lube, and dry fucking wasn’t my cup of tea—it wasn’t anyone’s