Free Surrender by Lee Nichols Page B

with a demand, part communication and part compelling force—
come to me
. Then I thought of Rachel, as I’d first seen her at the Knell and as the ghost that appeared outside my window, andinstead of pulling that ghost from the Beyond toward me, I pushed the ball of power into the Beyond, toward her.
    I was breathing heavily and felt a little faint when I’d finished.
    I hope that works
, I told Coby, because I didn’t know what else to do.

6

    I always thought if I had a boyfriend on New Year’s Eve, then it wouldn’t suck. It wouldn’t matter that I didn’t have the perfect party to go to, or the right outfit, or that my parents wanted me home
before
midnight. So here I was, finally with a boyfriend on New Year’s Eve—only he wasn’t here, so it still kind of sucked. Plus, I’d spent a totally frustrating day trying to find a ghost that maybe didn’t exist, and got no closer to Neos.
    On the other hand, I did have a perfect bash to go to—at Harry’s house. And Sara was loaning me something to wear, and the Sterns said we didn’t have to be home until 1:00. So maybe I could forget about Neos for one night. And just because Bennett wasn’t here didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun without him.
    So Lukas, Natalie, and I got ready to leave the house around 9:00 p.m., just as the Sterns were heading upstairs to bed.
    â€œEmma,” Mr. Stern said from the top of the stairs. “I know all about the Armitage boy’s parties. Bennett was involved with his sister.”
    â€œUh-huh.” Was there a point in there, other than reminding me about Bennett’s ex-girlfriend, who they probably liked a lot better than me?
    â€œWe’re counting on you not to drink and drive,” Mrs. Stern explained. She tended to be less opaque than Mr. Stern.
    â€œOh, of course not!” I widened my eyes and lied through my teeth. “I’m not even sure there’s going to be alcohol. Or anything else.”
    Mr. Stern raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the wide-eyed expression. It didn’t help that Natalie and Lukas were snorting behind me.
    â€œWell,” I said, “Harry’s not drinking, so I won’t, either.”
    â€œThank you, Emma,” Mrs. Stern said, though they both stood there looking hesitant to let us go.
    â€œNo problem.” And I roughly shoved Natalie and Lukas out the front door before the Sterns could change their minds.
    â€œDo you think this is Simon’s idea of a joke?” Natalie asked as we piled into the electric blue Yaris.
    â€œMaybe.” I got behind the wheel. Simon knew we were embarrassed to be seen in this ridiculous car by other Thatcher kids. So, of course, he’d left it for us.“Either that, or he meant it as a life lesson. Probably a little of both.”
    â€œHey, stop complaining.” Lukas cranked the stereo. “At least now we can listen to our own tunes.”
    We wound through Echo Point’s narrow village streets, then took the left on Ocean that led to the Neck, the even swankier part of town. Harry’s driveway was already over-flowing, so we parked in front of someone else’s castle and walked the two blocks back. Inside we found Harry and Sara at the espresso machine.
    â€œI love your coat,” Sara said when she spotted me. “Very Gwen Stefani.”
    â€œThanks.” I removed it to show her the black dress, short and tight with a high neck and three-quarter sleeves. “And the dress?”
    â€œVery Sara Watson.” Because it belonged to her. She was wearing a long glittery burgundy top over black leggings and chunky heels.
    â€œExcept the boots,” Harry interjected. “I still say you’re hiding cankles.”
    Sara rolled her eyes. “Harry.”
    â€œDo I need to prove it to you?” I stepped out of my boots and kicked one tight-clad leg at Harry.
    He grabbed my foot and examined my ankle.