Free A Strange There After by Missy Fleming

the counter and looking at
something on what appeared to be a brand new laptop, cell phone
plastered to her ear. Happiness lit her face, and envy shot through
me like a knife. Oh joy, more torture for the poor specter.
    “I miss you, too,” she cooed into the
phone.
    I wrinkled my nose. I’d never cooed a day in
my life. Flirting was awkward, forced, and I only got to practice
with Jason for a short while. I sucked at it.
    Catherine giggled, another sound I rarely
made. “I have thought about it, more than you know. This is my
chance to start new, to spread my wings in a way I couldn’t before,
so I think I’ll stay in Savannah for now.”
    The conversation piqued my interest, and I
took a couple steps forward, wishing I heard his responses. She
didn’t acknowledge my presence, and for some reason, it bothered
me. The idea of her being so caught up in talking to Jason she
didn’t notice a ghost in front of her caused a dull fire of hate to
slowly build inside me. I concentrated on it, letting it grow.
    “It’s getting better. Everything was so
different when Marietta was around. It’s hard to suddenly adjust to
being alone.” Her lips curved up in a bright smile at something he
said. “I didn’t mean alone, alone. You’ve made it bearable.”
    My eyes narrowed, and the rage inside me
became a monster, snarling and begging to be let loose.
    “I do enjoy it, but ever since the night we
saved Marietta I can’t bring myself to do any ghost hunting. That
world doesn’t feel the same anymore.”
    I considered this for a moment. If we’d been
successful, and I actually maintained a hold on my body, would I
want to explore haunted locations again? Or had all the horrors I
experienced changed my perception of the paranormal? No. My
curiosity remained hungrier than ever. I might have witnessed the
dark side, but it wouldn’t stop me from wanting to learn more.
    “Fine,” she sighed out. “I know you had fun
that night at Moon River. Maybe I can take you someplace else. I
think I created a monster.”
    Jason had accompanied Abby and me to Moon
River Brewing once, during one of our investigations. He carried
his own reasons for tracking ghosts, considering his younger
brother, Dylan, had died a little over a year ago. His closure was
far from complete.
    Of course, Catherine lied about doing an
investigation with him. I could tell by the way my stomach
clenched, as it often did when I told a lie. I hated being able to
mirror what she felt, but luckily it only seemed to happen when we
were near each other. A small, silver lining.
    “Okay, I’ll see you later. Can’t wait.”
    The second she ended the call, my hand shot
out and latched onto the juice glass sitting on the counter next to
me. The fact I actually picked something up barely registered as I
hurled the object at her head. Catherine looked over in time to
dodge out of the way. The glass hit the counter behind her and
shattered. The second it did, my fit of anger popped, leaving me
empty and exhausted. Sure, I’d physically manipulated a solid
object again, but it took nearly all my energy. And I didn’t like
that this small part of me I never knew existed enjoyed the
opportunity, honing in on the malice festering under the
surface.
    Catherine straightened, and I savored a tiny
measure of satisfaction at the fleeting terror in her eyes before
she shut it down. She fixed a smirk on her lips.
    “My, my, look who’s found her backbone.” Her
shoulder jerked up. “Too bad it came a little too late.” She turned
back to the computer, effectively dismissing me, but I wasn’t done
with her.
    “I’ve seen what’s in the yard.” I advanced,
not entirely sure why I needed to tell her, maybe I wanted her to
talk to me, to force her to slip up and give me a useful tidbit of
information.
    “So?”
    I should have guessed she’d play hardball.
Taking a page out of her book, I tossed out a bored sounding
question, praying the change of subject caught her off