Mason's back for revenge?"
"I thought that at first, but now I'm not so sure. He's never tried to hurt me. He just seems like he wants something. And then ... all those other ghosts seemed to want something too - even the ones I didn't know. Why?"
Dimitri gave me a sage look. "You have a theory."
"I do. I was thinking about what Victor said. He mentioned that because I'm shadow-kissed - because I died - I have a connection to the world of the dead. That I'll never entirely leave it behind me."
His expression hardened. "I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what Victor Dashkov tells you."
"But he knows things! You know he does, no matter how big an asshole he is."
"Okay, supposing that's true, that being shadow-kissed lets you see ghosts, why is it happening now? Why didn't it happen right after the car accident?"
"I thought of that," I said eagerly. "It was something else Victor said - that now that I was dealing in death, I was that much closer to the other side. What if causing someone else's death strengthened my connection and now makes this possible? I just had my first real kill. Kills, even."
"Why is it so haphazard?" asked Dimitri. "Why does it occur when it does? Why the airplane? Why not at Court?"
My enthusiasm dimmed a little. "What are you, a lawyer?" I snapped. "You question everything I'm saying. I thought you were going to have an open mind."
"I am. But you need to too. Think about it. Why this pattern of sightings?"
"I don't know," I admitted. I sagged in defeat. "You still think I'm crazy."
He reached out and cupped my chin, tipping my face up to look at his. "No. Never. Not one of these theories makes me think you're crazy. But I've always believed the simplest explanation makes sense. Dr. Olendzki's does. The ghost one has holes. But, if you can find out more...then we may have something to work with."
"We?" I asked.
"Of course. I'm not leaving you alone on this, no matter what. You know I'd never abandon you."
There was something very sweet and noble about his words, and I felt the need to return them, though mostly I ended up sounding idiotic. "And I won't ever abandon you, you know. I mean it... not that this stuff ever happens to you, of course, but if you start seeing ghosts or anything, I'll help you through it."
He gave a small, soft laugh. "Thanks."
Our hands found each other's, fingers lacing together. We stood like that for almost a full minute, neither of us saying anything. The only place we touched was our hands. The breeze picked up again, and although the temperature was probably only in the forties, it felt like spring to me. I expected flowers to burst into bloom around us. As though sharing the same thought, we released our hands at the same time.
We reached my dorm shortly after that, and Dimitri asked if I'd be okay going in on my own. I told him I'd be fine and that he should go do his own thing. He left, but just as I was about to step through the lobby door, I realized my overnight bag was still back at the med clinic. Muttering a few things that would have gotten me a detention, I turned around and hurried back in the direction I'd just come.
Dr. Olendzski's receptionist motioned me toward the examining rooms when I told her why I was there. I retrieved the bag from my now-empty room and turned into the hall to leave. Suddenly, in the room opposite mine, I saw someone lying in bed. There was no sign of any of the clinic's staff, and my curiosity - always getting the better of me - made me peek inside.
It was Abby Badica, a senior Moroi. Cute and perky were the adjectives that usually came to mind when I described Abby, but this time, she was anything but. She was bruised and scratched up, and when she turned her face to look at me, I saw red welts.
"Let me guess," I said. "You fell."
"W-what?"
"You fell. I hear that's the standard answer: Brandon, Brett, and Dane. But I'll tell you the truth - you guys need to come up with something else. I think the doctor's getting suspicious."
Her eyes went wide. "You know?"
It was then that I realized my mistake with Brandon. I'd come at him demanding answers, which had made him reluctant to