Free Beneath the Elder Tree by Hazel Black Page A

never bring back the change.’
       ‘I don’t like going to that store at night!’
       ‘Don’t be such a baby, Laura.’
       ‘Bitch,’ Laura cursed under her breath. ‘Absolute bitch.’
       The conversation, if you could call it that, had ended and Laura slammed her book on the floor and stuffed her feet into a pair of old boots. I sensed her fear as she took the cash from the bed and prepared to leave the apartment. I didn’t blame her for being scared. The area was dangerous in daylight and I could only fashion a guess at what type of craziness went on under the cloak of night.
       I found myself standing next to her as she stood in front of the mirror hanging on the back of her bedroom door. She was dragging a brush through her hair, not like she was trying to tidy her locks, but in an obsessive way, as if it was a nervous tick. I looked down at her and I felt pity. A book worm like her would have been an easy target even in the place I grew up in, but this was one of the toughest neighbourhoods in the state. She was a sheep, and Millbrook was home to many wolves.
       ‘We’d better go with her,’ I said to Emily. ‘It can’t be safe for her out there at night.’
       ‘You just mind your temper.’
       ‘What do you mean?’
       ‘You know exactly what I mean, Lucy. Observe only.’
       ‘Got it. We’re observers. You sure you don’t want to stay here and rest?’
       ‘No. Now help me off this bed before she leaves.’

    *   *   *

    It took an age to carry Emily all the way down to the ground floor. Laura was almost out of sight by the time we stepped outside the apartment block. She was stomping across the green nearby towards a cluster of houses. There was little hope of catching up with her because Emily was slowing me down so much. She was actually growing heavier as she weakened. This didn’t make any sense to me, but everything in this world was backward, so perhaps it did make sense.
       ‘It happens when a spirit is dying,’ Emily groaned. ‘The aura is being concentrated in my spirit body which is making my energy denser. That’s why I’m so heavy.’
       ‘Stop saying that you’re dying. It bothers me.’
       ‘Remember what I said about death, Lucy. It’s a natural part of life and there can be no mourning me. Deal with it.’
       ‘I’m too busy dealing with how heavy you are!’
       We reached the houses on the opposite side of the green and saw there was a small store on one of the corners. I figured Laura was inside buying cigarettes for her mother. I couldn’t drag Emily any further so I propped her up against a garden wall and from there we watched the store. As we waited for Laura to remerge, a quartet of older teenage guys appeared from the shadowy green and loitered by the corner next to us. They were a rough bunch. I sensed they were carrying weapons and were willing to use them on anyone who crossed their path. I tried to read their thoughts and found it to be easy; these guys didn’t need to hide anything from anyone.
       Two of them were carrying small bags of cocaine and marijuana, one of them handled the money, and the youngest of them, who they referred to as Mouse, was acting as lookout. The one who was carrying the roll of cash, who I sensed was called Josh, was the leader, and the nastiest of the bunch. His mind was brimming with malice. I also sensed that the same drug he was peddling was coursing through his own body and influencing his thoughts. It was fuelling his malicious tendencies. This guy was a danger to every living person in Millbrook.
       I was starting to feel anxious at the idea of Laura returning this way and risking an encounter with the gang. There was little I could do to direct her on a different path. Being a spirit was unbelievably frustrating at times.
       ‘Calm down, Lucy. It serves no purpose to get worked up like this.’
       ‘I’m not worked up.’
       ‘Who do you think