Beyond the Grave (5 page)

Shane nodded. “That's my plan. I'm hoping to put an end to this before it gets off the ground.” He paused. “I haven't mentioned any of this to your dad.”

“Good. He doesn't need the stress.”

“There's something else, Charlotte. Pate claims that there's been damage done to the prison since we visited. He says he saw our van in the area last night.”

“He's lying!”

“Yeah, I know. But he's not letting go. Promise me you won't go anywhere near the place.”

“No problem,” I said, getting up from the table. “I have no intention to ever return there.”

“Noah's been talking about it, though. If he wants to swing by there, talk him out of it, okay?”

“Of course.” I thought Shane had misinterpreted some thing. There was no way Noah would want to drive an hour to gaze at the creepy old prison. “Do you think that burgundy car I saw had something to do with Pate?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do. Maybe he hired a private investigator.”

“What a creep.”

Shane followed me to the front door. “Drive carefully.” He planted a quick kiss on my forehead.

As I got into my car, I thought about how Shane would make a great dad. Then I wondered if that was going to happen. Trisha already had three sons. Would she want another one? I shook my head and backed out of the driveway. It was too much change to digest.

I was able to get to Lincoln High before the final bell rang, which meant traffic wasn't crazy yet. I parked across the street and stood next to my car. Ripples of heat danced on the street. The final bell rang from within the school building, and almost immediately, students flooded the parking lot. I watched them, the way they walked in groups and laughed. It made me a little envious. I had been one of them a few months earlier. This place had belonged to me. Now I was an alumnus, a word that made me sound older than I felt.

After a few minutes I spotted Noah. He was talking to a boy I recognized from last year's AV class. Noah pointed to one of the back doors and the boy nodded. They were probably planning on taking footage the next day for the school news, and Noah was explaining where he wanted the camera. As Noah was talking, another boy rushed past him, toward the bus line. His huge backpack knocked into Noah's shoulder. Noah stumbled slightly, then reached out and grabbed the boy by his backpack.

“What's your problem?” Noah yelled so loudly that I could hear him from across the street. People stopped and turned to look. The boy, who seemed like a typical nervous freshman, glanced around, confused.

“I'm late for my bus,” he stammered.

“So you thought it would be okay to knock into people?” Noah was now gripping the front of the boy's shirt.

“I'm sorry.”

A teacher rushed over. “What's going on?” she demanded.

Noah released the boy. “Nothing. He's late for his bus.”

The boy ran for the bus line. Noah said something to his AV partner, then began walking in my direction. He hadn't seen me yet. I watched him, thinking that he looked different somehow. His face was lined with anger. And there was something else, something that wasn't right, but I couldn't identify it. He looked around.

“Noah!” I waved. “Over here!”

He saw me and smiled. Just like that, the anger disappeared. He looked perfectly normal as he strode toward me.

“Hey!” He kissed me softly. “I'm glad you're here.”

“What happened back there?”

“Back where?” He looked over his shoulder. “Something happened?”

I was completely confused. “You almost got into a fight.”

He frowned. “That was nothing.”

“You were yelling.” The only other times I had heard Noah yell was when my family was being attacked and when Pate had gotten in my face. He was one of the most laid-back guys I'd ever met, someone who was comfortable with who he was. He didn't take unintentional bumps personally, and he definitely didn't become enraged over them.

Until now.

He opened the passenger door. “Let's get out of here. It's too hot.”

I got in and turned on the ignition. A lukewarm gust of air-conditioning blew at my face. I sat there, letting a long stream of cars drive past.

“You okay?” Noah asked.

“I don't like seeing you so angry over something so stupid,” I said. “It's not like you.”

“Charlotte, it was no big deal. I wasn't even that mad.”

“You seemed mad. I thought you were going to punch that kid.”

Noah laughed. “I wasn't going to do anything. I think you read too much into what you saw. Seriously, it was nothing.” He took my hand in his. “You know me. I'm not that way.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe I'd seen it wrong. There were so many people wandering around. But my instincts told me that wasn't it. I glanced at the bruise on Noah's neck, the constant reminder that he had been touched by evil. Had some of that evil seeped through him? It seemed ridiculous, but it was an idea I couldn't get past.

I reined myself in before I could concoct any more wild concepts. This was Noah. Getting frustrated by a clumsy kid was not evil. It was human. Still, I hated to see him riled up, and I didn't like the way he was dismissing the incident as if it was nothing.

“I heard you yell. I could hear you all the way across the street.”

He kissed my hand. “I did yell, you're right. I was irritated is all. It's been a long day and that kid's backpack must've weighed a hundred pounds. It really hurt my shoulder.” He pulled the neck of his T-shirt down a little to reveal a red mark forming on his skin. “Great,” he muttered. “That's gonna bruise.”

I automatically looked at his neck again.

“Does it hurt?” My concern over his outburst had morphed into concern over his shoulder.

“It's sore.” He smiled. “But I know how you can make it better.”

I returned his smile. “We have two hours until dinner. Where do you want to go?”

“You decide.”

I wanted to be alone with Noah. Someplace cool, with lots of shade, but quiet, as well. An oasis away from everyone else.

“I know a place,” I said as I put the car in Drive. “It's crowded, but no one will say a word to us. It's perfect.”

On the evening of my eighteenth birthday I sat behind the wheel of my car, the big present that wasn't quite new but just as nice, while Noah sat in the passenger seat. We watched the June sun as it sank behind the trees, Noah's arm draped over my shoulder. After the final sliver of sun had melted into a dark puddle over the hill, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver box wrapped in white ribbon.

“Happy birthday,” he said.

I kissed his cheek and reached for the box, but he stopped me. “Before you open your gift, I need to tell you the story behind it.”

I sat back against the soft leather of the seat and waited. Noah seemed nervous, as if he was afraid he might use the wrong words.

“I heard a story once. I think my dad told it to me, but I can't be sure,” he began, then shook his head. “Doesn't matter. A long time ago, there was a group of Apache warriors. They were attacked by a military settlement. Most of the Apaches were killed right away, but there were a few survivors.” He shifted in his seat. “And instead of letting themselves be cap
tured or killed by others, these survivors chose to jump off a cliff.”

“This isn't exactly a happy story,” I said.

“No, it's not.” Noah offered me a rueful smile. “But there's a point, I promise.” He looked at the box in his hands. “Everyone who had loved the warriors—their family and friends—spent a month mourning the loss. And their grief was so real and so pure that God preserved their tears inside special stones.” He placed the box in my hand. “For you.”

I untied the ribbon and took off the lid and there, sitting in a pillow of tissue paper, was a circle of shiny black stones. I picked up the bracelet, marveling at how each stone was different from the others. They were not perfectly round. Each held its own strange shape, but they were silky smooth under my fingers. “I love it.”

“They're called Apache tears. And the best part—” Noah gently took the bracelet from me. He flicked on the overhead light in the car and held the bracelet up to the light. I could look through the stones, to the very heart of each one, where I could see a single clear tear. “It's a promise,” Noah said as he fastened the bracelet around my wrist. “I will never make you cry.”

I felt my eyes water. “I think that's a promise you may have just broken.”

He laughed. “Okay, then. How about this? I will never be the source of unhappy tears. Only good ones.”

And we kissed under the dim light for what seemed like hours. His mouth was warm and his hands even warmer as they circled my back and pressed me closer to him. We were breathing in sync, I realized with happiness. I wondered if we could keep it up forever.

Now I touched the bracelet lightly as Noah and I headed toward a familiar place so that we could be alone.

“We're here,” I announced.

I had always loved cemeteries. Whereas some people automatically associated the places with rotting corpses and despairing ghosts, I saw them as quiet, peaceful islands slipped inside the forgotten corners of every busy city.

I knew from listening to my dad's lectures that for centuries, cemeteries were used as parks. Pathways were constructed to be wide enough for horse-drawn carriages to move through, and families would often picnic next to the stones of their deceased relatives. It was considered respectful to lay flowers before the grave and then stay a while to enjoy the afternoon. Now people assumed you were a morbid freak if you mentioned spending a few hours in the company of the dead.

Noah didn't think that way. When I suggested we spend our precious alone time at a tiny local cemetery, he'd cheer fully agreed. We'd both been there months before and knew the caretaker, Mr. Kitsman. After parking the car we went to his house and rang the bell, but he wasn't home, so we crossed his backyard and climbed the dozen stone steps that led to the entrance. Just beyond a weathered iron gate, surrounded by slouching trees, were a couple dozen old headstones, their names and dates almost unreadable. But I knew their names.

Noah spread out his jacket on the grass and sat down. I sat with my back to his chest. “You make a nice chair.” I sighed happily.

He kissed the top of my head. “You make a nice every thing.”

I settled into him. I could feel his heart beating beneath his shirt. We talked about our days and I told him about seeing Bliss.

“Is that good or bad?”

“Good, actually. I like knowing at least one other person there.”

Noah ran his hand over the back of my head, letting his fingers sift slowly through my hair. I closed my eyes, relaxing at the sensation. We were removed from noisy traffic and hectic wedding plans and crowded school campuses. It was just him and me, and I felt certain I could spend the night like this, warm and calm.

We talked about school and how Mr. Morley had asked Noah to train a new group of freshman boys about to maintain the cameras. Noah mentioned that his computer needed to be replaced soon and that his mom was hinting that she might get him a car before the wedding.

“Which would be great, because then you wouldn't have to work as my chauffeur all the time.”

“I like being your chauffeur,” I said. “It's nice to be needed.”

He buried his face in my hair. “I need you for other things.”

I laughed. “A new car would be great. As long as you don't drive out to the old prison.”

Noah froze. “What are you talking about?” He pulled away so he could look me in the eyes. “Why would I go back to the prison?”

“It's something Shane said.” I told him about Pate's potential lawsuit and how Pate was claiming he'd spotted the van and that someone had damaged the interior of the prison.

“I don't know how he can say that the inside was damaged,” I said. “It was pretty bad to begin with. But he thinks one of us is behind it.” I nudged him. “So where were you on Saturday night?” I asked jokingly.

But Noah didn't respond right away. “I don't know,” he said softly. He pulled away from me even more and ran a hand
through his hair. “I mean, I was at home, but I woke up at three in the morning. I was standing in the living room.”

“You were sleepwalking? Has that ever happened before?”

“No, not that I remember.” He looked down at the ground. “I keep waking up feeling exhausted, like I haven't slept at all.”

I felt a rush of concern and placed my hand on his arm. “When did this start happening?”

“A few nights after…you know.”

Noah and I never talked about the night we were attacked. We saw the same things: my dad thrown across the room, my mother struck on the head so hard she nearly died. He had tried to help, but the thing that called itself the Watcher had grabbed Noah by the throat and lifted him from the floor.

The permanent bruise, the sleepwalking—what had the Watcher done to Noah? Again, I made myself stop. A little sleepwalking wasn't a catastrophe. His interrupted rest was probably the result of stress, not demonic possession. I was looking for problems that didn't exist. In fact, I decided, the only real problem was me. The past year had been crazy. Maybe I'd gotten used to drama. Maybe my instincts were not as sharp because I had seen too much.

“What can I do to help?” I asked.

“I don't know.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Just stay here with me for a little while.”

We listened to the birds and the distant traffic. I put my ear to his chest so I could hear his heart beating. I wondered if my heart was thumping in time to his. It felt like it.

“Any more panic attacks?” he asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Not since the prison.” I sighed. “Pate was so rattled. He was sure I'd caused something to happen.”

Noah squeezed me. “It wasn't your fault.”

“What if he was right? I've caused other things to happen.”

Noah turned toward me. “None of it was your fault. You didn't choose it.”

That was true, but it didn't mean much. I might not have chosen what had happened to my family, but it had still happened because of me. I could not escape that one terrible, simple truth. I didn't contradict Noah, though. We'd had this discussion before, and I knew he worried about me. I didn't want to add to that worry, so I stayed quiet and enjoyed our moment together.

“I'm sorry about earlier,” he said.

“Earlier?”

“The guy at school. I shouldn't have let him get to me.”

“No, you shouldn't have.”

There was no excuse for his sudden aggression. But this was Noah. He was allowed to make a mistake. I didn't want to dwell on his odd outburst. He was sorry, and that's what mattered most.

“We have to get back soon,” I murmured. “Everyone's waiting for us.”

“Let them wait.” Noah kissed me softly. “There are more important things.”

 

T
HERE WERE MORE
important things. And the most important one was to help my mom. That night, after Dad had retreated to his room, I reached under my bed and pulled out the box of paranormal supplies I kept there. I would not give up, I vowed. I could make something happen if I invested my energy and concentrated hard enough. As I retrieved the tools I wanted to use, my bracelet clinked against them. I carefully unclasped it and set it on my nightstand.

I was turning on the K2 EMF reader when my cell phone buzzed. It was Annalise.

“You're up late,” I said, glancing at the bedside clock. It was past midnight.

“I figured you'd be up.” My sister yawned. “I wanted to hear all about your first day at college.”

I filled her in quickly, having regurgitated the boring details to Dad and Shane and Trisha over dinner earlier. Then I had endured endless wedding talk, a topic that I was beyond being sick of. I'd wondered how Trisha could even make all these plans and decisions when no date had been set. I couldn't listen to one more conversation about the pros and cons of blowing bubbles instead of throwing confetti at the happy couple after they recited their vows.

While I talked to Annalise, I kept my eyes on the EMF reader. One green light showed that it was operational, and I was hoping at least one more would illuminate. I thought I saw a second light flicker.

“Sounds nice,” Annalise said. “So, have you been to see Mom yet?”

So that's why she was really calling. I should have known it was a trap. “Not yet.”

“But you'll go soon, right? You promised.”

“Yes, I'll go soon.”

Annalise picked up on the irritation in my voice. “I'm not trying to nag,” she said. “But I think it would be good—for both of you.”

It would also be good for both of us if I could get back to work. True spiritual help might be waiting for the right time to intercede, and chatting about school with my sister was holding me back from finding a possible answer.

“I said I would and I meant it.” I was tired of the conversation.

“Okay. You promised, and that's enough for me. I'll let you go. Good night, Charlotte.”

“'Night, Annalise.”

I returned to the EMF reader, convinced that I had seen a second light blink. I stared at the gray box, focused on seeing another bulb come to life.

And it happened.

A second green light, followed by the yellow and orange. Then the last red light was glowing, and I knew I was not alone.

I fumbled for my digital recorder, desperate to make contact. “Hello? Is anyone here? Can you hear me?” I was talking faster than I should have. I knew I was supposed to pause after asking each question so that if something was there, it would have a chance to respond. I took a deep breath, held the recorder away from me and started over.

“My name is Charlotte. I need help. Can you help me?”

This time, I waited a few seconds before continuing. The lights were still on, although the red light flickered a little. “Can you help my mom?”

Can she be helped?
I almost asked, but I didn't, because I wouldn't be able to bear the wrong answer.

Another minute passed. The lights went out, leaving only a single green bulb shining. Whatever had been with me was now gone. I turned off the EMF reader, rewound my digital recorder and hit Play. I held the recorder to my ear and kept my breath still.

Can you help me?
my voice asked.

And the reply, soft but clear even though it was enveloped in static:
I will keep trying.