Shadowing My Dreams (Haunted Hearts)

Chapter 5

5

Jack

I tried to concentrate on my book. I’d read a few words about Percy’s newest adventure, and then a flicker of shadow would make me turn my head.

Page.

Shadow.

Page.

Shadow.

I reread the same paragraph over and over, but the movement to my side was distracting. I was seeing things when there was nothing to see. If Daveed hadn’t been over last night, I’m not sure what I would have thought. I mean, I couldn’t have ignored the loud crash from upstairs. I hadn’t done that or thrown my clothes all over the place. I knew that as a fact.

But the shadows, the voice, and my phone could all be because of my accident. Brain damage. I had Googled it last night when Daveed went to sleep. Not all damage to the brain appears immediately. The doctors said the bruising was gone. I had no swelling. I was healthy. But what if I wasn’t? What if they didn’t catch it?

I wished Daveed could have stayed longer. I was grateful that he spent the night because I was freaked the fuck out. But today, with the sun streaming through my windows, there had to be some kind of reasonable explanation, right? I had forced myself to sleep in my bed – it was mine – I didn’t want to run away. But I did want to. I was proud that I didn’t. This house was about all I had left.

Daveed said the house was haunted, and I know that he believes it’s true. I just… I didn’t believe in ghosts. I had spent twenty-seven years never seeing one. Hell, four of those years were spent in this house, and there had never been any kind of infestation of spirits. I had never heard anything or seen anything that I even needed to try to rationalize as normal. It had just been normal.

I missed normal.

But after everything that I had gone through, maybe normal had disappeared. Maybe this was my new normal. I had never been normal. I wanted normal. After last night, I wanted it more than ever.

Yeah, I was fucked up in the head. I should call my doctor and tell him what was happening. They said that if anything abnormal started to show itself, I needed to come back in. This was definitely abnormal. Daveed heard the bang and saw the clothes, but he had not seen the shadows or heard the voice.

Totally fucked. I didn’t want to die. I wanted to explore this second chance.

I heard Daveed’s keys in the door and laid my book down. He must have finished his errands.

“You back?” I called as I heard the front door open. “You wanna go grab some lunch?”

“That’s not usually the first question I’m asked?” I jumped from the couch and spun around.

Daveed chuckled and looked like a cat that’d been caught with the pet mouse in its mouth. I narrowed my eyes as I took in the new visitor that Daveed had brought with him. He was pretty fucking cute. He was short and really skinny. He had definitely never spent any time in the gym, that’s for sure. But he had such a handsome face. Wide blue eyes and a perfectly bowed mouth – he was quite nice to look at. But his hair made me a little weak in the knees. So shockingly red it was almost too bright for the eye. I had a thing for gingers and always had. Why was he here with Daveed?

“Is this the new boyfriend?” I teased.

“Oh, yeah… I…” Daveed stuttered. Something was going on.

The redhead put his hand on Daveed’s arm and glanced at me. God, his freckles had freckles. “Daveed is not my boyfriend. In fact, we just met today.”

“Ok… What’s going on here?” I tried to sound light even if I felt very, very heavy and naked standing in front of him. Why?

“This place is…” He shuddered and looked up towards my staircase. “You definitely are not living here alone.”

“Oh, shit… You did not bring in a fucking psychic, did you? I don’t believe in that shit.” I groaned loudly.

“I can see that. You only believe in things that your five senses show you, right? But not everything on this earth can always be seen, heard, smelt, tasted, or touched.” He grinned at me. “Such a vibrant, bright red energy coming off you. Not everything can be fucked either.”

“Hey, I…” He was spicy. I hadn’t been ready for that.

“Totally resembles that remark,” Daveed chuckled. “He’s totally a player.”

“Used to be, maybe.” I narrowed my eyes at Daveed. I felt stripped bare as this guy stared at me as if he could see right through me. God, he was good, and Daveed had fallen for his bullshit.

“There’s something else, though… underneath all that red is… strange… indigo? I wouldn’t expect that, but it could explain what you’ve been seeing.” He walked around in a small circle and looked back to the stairs.

“I appreciate this, Daveed, but this is really not necessary. I’ve been to a psychic before and was told that I had a…”

“You were told that you had a curse placed on you, and they wanted you to buy a bunch of candlesto burn, right? They told you that burning the candles would break the curse. It was bullshit . It’s always bullshit.”

I laughed and looked at him stupidly. “How did you…”

“That wasn’t a psychic thing. That was because I know the tricks that they use. I’d say half of the Earth’s population was walking around with a curse if they were correct. Most are not real. I am .”

I stood my ground and crossed my arms. “Read my mind then,” I said much more forcefully than I had intended. “I mean, if you’re real.”

“I’m not a mind reader. Most psychics aren’t. That gift is rare, thankfully. But that doesn’t mean I’m not what I say I am.” He smiled, and I almost fucking melted. It should be illegal to be that cute.

“What do you say you are?” I asked, challenging him.

“I read and see energies, and because of that, I also can see and communicate with spirits.”

“He’s a medium,” Daveed nodded.

“Not quite.” He held a hand up and waved it gently as if he were feeling the air. “I don’t do seances or anything like that. I just see and hear.”

“I…”

He took a step towards me. “You don’t have to say anything right now. I’m Archie, and you are?”

“Jack. Daveed really shouldn’t have brought you here,” I said sternly.

“Yes, he should have talked to you first.” He nodded. “But I’m here now, and I can feel that you are not alone in this house. The energy is…” He put his hand in the air again and turned towards the stairs. “Can I go upstairs?”

“Why not?” I shrugged. He was here, so why not have a little sport with the cutie? It would be fun. “Help yourself.”

He turned and walked up the stairs stopping halfway and holding his hands up in front of him. “Weird.” He continued up the stairs, and Daveed and I followed behind. He headed straight to my bedroom and stopped in the doorway. “It likes this room.”

“It?”

“I don’t know what or who it isyet. I can just feel its energy permeating the air – the walls, even. Interesting.”

“What?” Daveed asked so seriously that I snorted.

Archie glanced at me with a look so reprimanding that he activated a kink I didn’t even know I had. My cock twinged as I stared back at him. His eyes were the color of a clear sky and shone brightly from his alabaster face.

“It belongs here. Huh… How long have you lived here?” He walked further into the room.

“I’ve owned the place for four years,” I answered.

“And did you ever see or hear…”

“Nothing. It just started.” I looked at Daveed and shook my head. He just stared back at me and put his finger against his lips.

“Why?” He walked around and placed his hands against the windowsill. “Why now? Why were you sleeping and awoke? Huh… I can totally feel… him… Yes, him. He’s been here for a while, but something shifted. Why are you suddenly so active?”

“Do you normally just throw random questions out? People buy that shit?” I huffed.

“They’re not for you. But I’m not getting anything back, either. He is very aware, and… He’s angry, but I can’t tell why. It just is here lingering in the air with your own anger.” He turned to look at me, and my hackles rose.

“I’m not angry. You got that all wrong.”

“Do I?” he smirked.

“I’m the most grateful son of a bitch there is.”

“Huh… Ok.” He shrugged. That small gesture made my anger rise.

“Don’t just… Ok, me! I’m… You’ve made me angry, but I’m not…” With a simple glance, he made me shut up. The power and strength that I felt from him was… I stood there slack-jawed.

“You had something taken away from you recently, and you try to ignore what you actually feel, but it’s there - like an armor around you.” He stepped towards me. “You’re… You feel so aloneand scared, but you cover it up with a bravado that nothing has changed. But everything has changed, hasn’t it? You’re changing, and it scares you.”

“That’s some half-cocked psychic bullshit. You could say that to almost everyone,” I could barely whisper the words.

He took one more step towards me. “Who is Bernice?”

“What?”

“You have someone watching over you that… She’s not here – here. But she’s been with you.”

“She was…”

“She was his nurse,” Daveed answered.

“I don’t think that’s… it.” Archie shook his head.

“She was. I was in the hospital, and she was the sweetest of all of them.” I grinned, thinking about her.

“Interesting… A nurse, you say. You carry some of her energy around you. But I don’t think she was your nurse.” The sound of his voice sent a chill up my spine.

“Why would you say that? You don’t know me.”

“She’s dead. I'm sure of that. She’s been dead quite some time. Her energy is thin, but it’s there intermingled with your own.” He walked around me. “I can even hear her… so dim but still there as if she has… She’s not your ghost, though. Just a ghost you’ve already met. Residual energies can attach to the living.”

I crossed my arms and totally pouted. “I could call you on your bullshit right now. All I have to do is make a phone call.”

“I’ll stand right here,” Archie said so smugly I didn’t know if I wanted to kiss him or throw him out. I was about to choose the latter. “So, shadows off to the side that you can see, but when you look – they are gone. A voice that only you could hear, and objects actually moving in your house. What does all of that add up to?”

“That I might need to go to the hospital because I’m having a psychotic break?” I knew I sounded stupid. Daveed had seen and heard the aftermath. It had happened, but… I didn’t want to believe any of this.

“Maybe? Are you going to call and ask about that nurse or not? We can get things done here a whole lot faster if I don't have to listen to your snide comments. Belief is essential if we are going to work together.”

“I never said that I was… Hell, I can’t even afford you, I’m sure.”

Daveed put his hand on my shoulder. “This is my gift, dude. If this shit’s real, we have to do something.”

“Man, I…”

“Will you call and see if Archie’s right? If he is, then…” Daveed pleaded.

“He’s not lying,” I replied knowingly. “Fuck.”

“I don’t lie. I’m also not always right.” He shrugged smugly.

“See, he’s already giving himself an out.” I pointed at him. It wasn’t my finest moment. I was being a petulant child because if he was right…

“I’m right about this.” He smirked. “It makes sense that she was a nurse. Her energy is very green and motherly.”

“Fine.” I turned and walked out into the hallway and dialed the number for the hospital. I added it to my contacts just in case, but I had hoped I would never have to call it. This was different, though. It was to prove that Archie was a fucking fraud. I went through the menu and finally got transferred to the operator.

“Hi, can I please be transferred to the nurse's station on floor seven?” I glanced over at them as Daveed stared at me. Archie wasn’t paying any attention to me at all. Instead, he was walking in circles around my room.

“Hold on,” the tinny voice answered. I took a few steps down the hallway and turned back to the door.

“They’re transferring me,” I announced saw both of them standing on the other side of the doorway, watching me.

“Floor seven, how can I help you?”

“Is Nurse Bernice Carpenter in today?” I talked loudly for their benefit.

“What?” She sounded surprised. “No, she’s not.”

“When will she beback? This is Jack, and I…”

“Oh, Jack! This is Nancy. Are you feeling ok?”

“Yes, I’m… I was just thinking of Bernice and I…”

“Honey, you never met Bernice. You must have heard us talking about her when you were in your coma. It happens. But she died a few years ago. Are you sure you’re…”

I hung up the phone and turned to look at them. I could feel the color drain out of my face, and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

“When did she die?”

“A few years ago, she said. I… She was there when I first woke up. She held my hand.” It had happened. It had been real. I wasn’t crazy. But if I wasn’t crazy, then…

“I‘m sure she did,” Archie replied sadly. There was no joy in his winning, and it caught me off guard. “I wish I would have been wrong. She feels like a very good person – a true nurturer.”

“How did I… I think I need to sit down.” I pushed gently past them and sat down on my bed. “I…” I thought back to the moments I had spent with her. All of the other nurses who came in and checked my vitals had never said one word to her. I hadn’t thought about it, but… “She was dead. I... You really think I have a ghost?”

“Yes. I think I can help you and him if you let me.”

“When can you start?”

“I think we already have.” He grinned.

Damn, he really was cute.