out the passenger window, and sent a silent prayer that things didn’t become violent between Simon and Gabriel. We had enough to deal with without having to worry about those two tearing each other’s throats out.
*****
The scene at the cabin was not what I expected. Calvin and Gabriel had set the table with mismatched plates and silverware, though I suspected Simon would stil eat with his hands. They remained silent as Simon and I approached the table. I jumped at a low growl, realizing belatedly that it was only the scrape of a chair against the rough hewn floorboards. Wow, I was real y tense.
The portrait of domestic bliss remained undisturbed as we sat at the table together and helped ourselves to slices of pizza. Everyone avoided the big fat elephant in the room.
The thing is, our big fat elephant was in the form of an angelic looking brat (okay, that may not be entirely fair, but I real y wasn’t liking what I’d seen of Gabriel so far) and a quickly purpling bruise below Simon’s eye. Oh yeah, and the ghost of someone that they both had loved and lost.
I silently wished for one of Emma’s rants against the evils of pizza ingredients, but she was at home sick with some mutant stomach bug. It was just way too quiet. If someone didn’t start talking soon, I was going to go crazy. I looked hopeful y around the table, but Simon, Gabriel, and Cal were al staring intently into the depths of their pizza slices like the sauce and cheese held the secret of the universe.
Sigh. I guess that just left me to lighten things up.
Problem was, the only things I could think about right now were werewolf fights, a puking BFF, and the ghost of Dylan Jacobs. Since I was trying to avoid the topic of Gabriel and Simon’s issues the topic of werewolf fisticuffs (pawicuffs?) was out. Discussing vomit at the dinner table also seemed like a bad idea. Oh well, dead people it is.
“So, um, how about those smel impressions?” I blurted. “I mean, anyone want to know about the new ghost haunting me today?”
I know. That al just sounded total y lame, and everyone was looking at me like I’d sprouted wings and said I was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but it was stil better than the tension fraught silence. At least they were looking at me instead of staring into their slices of pizza. That was just creepy.
“Sorry, we never did get a chance to talk about Dylan’s ghost,” Cal said, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “So, what does he smel like?”
“He...,” I said.
I was interrupted by the crashing sound of Gabriel’s fork fal ing and hitting his plate. Oh right. He’d have no idea what we were talking about.
Gabriel was looking at us like we were crazy and Simon barked out a laugh.
“I guess we have some explaining to do,” Cal said.
“Yuki can smel spirits of the dead…”
It was a very long explanation. For some reason Gabriel, who knew about paranormal stuff because, you know, he was a werewolf, had a hard time wrapping his brain around the concept of smel ing dead people.
Whatever.
I tried at first to help Cal explain my situation to Gabriel, but he wasn’t the easiest person to talk to. Gabriel tended to be whiny and argumentative. Trying to talk sense into that guy was just an exercise in frustration. I final y gave up and watched Cal patiently talk to The Brat while I ate an entire cheese pizza. I had a feeling that I was going to need my strength.
*****
“Yuki,” a voice whispered.
“Mmmmm…” I mumbled.
“Time to wake up,” Simon said.
Simon? I opened my eyes as he backed away.
“What time is it?” I asked.
How did I fall asleep? I looked over and saw that Cal was stil explaining my ability to smel spirits to Gabriel.
Ugh. I must have fal en into a food coma after eating that entire pizza. Either that or the sheer boredom of hearing Gabriel whine about how he “didn’t understand” had sent me retreating into the oblivion of sleep. I hope I didn’t drool.
“It’s late,” Simon said, dangling a set of keys. “Cal asked me to take you home.”
I pul ed myself up from my chair and looked over at Cal. I gave him a little wave as I turned to leave and he winked.
“Goodnight, Dung Beetle Princess,” Cal said. “I love you.”
Gabriel looked more confused than before. That boy had a majorly