Free Beyond (Afterlife book 1) by Willow Rose Page A

between us: who could be the
first to find a piece we knew where to put. And as it turned out I
was quite good at this. Several hours must have passed without us
noticing it, when I felt Jason was staring at me intensely. I
looked up and met his eyes. For the first time since I became a
spirit I felt warm inside.
    “ What?” I
asked.
    “ Look at you.”
    “ What about
me?”
    “ You are sitting down
here. On the floor. With me.”
    I was speechless. My hand wasn’t stuck any
longer and I hadn’t even noticed. I realized I was sitting on the
floor next to Jason putting the pieces on the cardboard. I had been
so caught up in this puzzle, I had forgotten everything around me.
Including the fact that I had to go back.
    “ Wow,” I
mumbled.
    “ I know.”
    “ Your mom was really right. This
is the perfect distraction.”
    Jason smiled. Then there was a sound outside
the bathroom. Someone was coming up the stairs. Jason froze.
Suddenly I saw a strange fear in his eyes. He got up on his feet
and shut the door, then he locked it. He looked at me with
panic.
    “ It’s my step-dad. He woke
up. You’d better go now!” He kind of yelled and whispered at the
same time.
    “ Okay,” I said and approached
the mirror. I heard the door handle turn, then heavy
knocking.
    “ Jason! Are you in there, you
little rat?”
    “ Go!” Jason whispered and
signaled that I needed to hurry.
    “ Who is in there with you? You
better not have someone in the house without my
knowledge.”
    “ I don’t,” I heard Jason say,
almost crying. “I was just talking to myself … in the
mirror.”
    The hammering on the door got worse and all
of a sudden I didn’t feel like leaving Jason here with that
man.
    “ Jason! Open this door
immediately or I swear I will make you regret it,” his step-dad
yelled.
    Jason shivered. He looked even more
frightened than when he saw me for the first time. His whole body
trembled while the hammering intensified.
    I looked at him and felt an ache in my
heart. Then I floated toward him and took his hand. I squeezed it
as hard as I could until I knew he felt it.
    “ I will be back one day to build
the rest of the puzzle, I promise,” I said. As I did Jason’s
step-dad started kicking the door and now it cracked
open.
    “ Jason!” I heard him roar
before I went through the mirror.
     
    B ack in the cellar again, I found Abhik
sitting asleep on the floor. He had been the only one to wait for
me.
    I stood for a long time just breathing
heavily. I stared into the empty mirror as if I expected to see
what was happening in that bathroom after I left. But there was
nothing to see. I closed my eyes and thought about Jason. I really
wished that I could have helped him in some way.

Chapter 10
     
     
     
     
    During the next couple of weeks
I thought a lot about Jason. I felt horrible for not knowing how
things ended with his step-dad and if he was all right or not. Several
times I thought about going down to the cellar again alone to go
through the mirror. But I didn’t even know if the mirror would
bring me back to the same place. And I really was afraid to get
caught if I tried again.
    I tried my best to keep my distance from
Portia and her pack. Since they left me that night I didn’t care
much for them. Instead I was hanging out with Mick in the kitchen
during most of my free time while my mind was thinking of Jason and
that angry step-dad. Jason had been so nice to me and I had a
horrible feeling that he was in trouble.
    I hadn’t told Mick about my night visit in
the human house. One day we were sitting in the kitchen and he
asked, “What’s on your mind lately? You have been so
distant.”
    I shook my head. “It’s
nothing.”
    He didn’t believe me. “I think it is
something. It certainly doesn’t look like nothing to
me.”
    I stared at him. “Is it possible for us to
be friends with humans?” I asked.
    He nodded. “Well in theory, yes, but it is
highly unlikely. I don’t think it has ever