Grave Danger (12 page)

Twinkling lights illuminated the ceiling, which was
painted black, making the lights look like stars in a night sky.
Cob webs were strewn on every shelf, though Clarissa assumed that
it was intentional and not due to neglect. She wondered if the
store kept this décor all year long or was this only for
Halloween.

Clarissa was alone in the store except for the store
clerk who she couldn’t get a good look at because her face was
hidden behind a large old tome, her face completely concealed by
the book. The clerk didn’t bother looking up when Clarissa began
wandering around the store, running her fingers along the spines of
books on the shelf next to her. There wasn’t a lot of walking space
in the store and Clarissa imagined that new customers to the little
book store spent the first few minutes knocking over stacks of
books. It was sort of an initiation that every new customer had to
go through, but after a few trips and falls they usually got the
layout of the store.

Clarissa picked up a book from one of the tables
just as a new customer came through the front door. He looked in,
glancing around the store before the rest of him ventured in. Young
looking, a college student from Flagler College, he glanced over at
the clerk’s desk to the woman sitting behind it. Her face came out
from behind the book for a second, running her lavender/lilac eyes
over his person in a quick perusal before returning her face and
focus back on her book.

He took his time walking around the store, every now
and then looking over at the young woman behind the book. When the
clerk had revealed her face to Clarissa she was able to note that
the girl was young as well, likely not much older than the college
boy. Her hair was black and straight with lavender streaks that
matched her unusual eye color. From what little she had seen of her
face in the brief seconds the girl had revealed it, Clarissa
assumed the she was of Korean ancestry, but for some alternate
features which looked more Western European.

Clarissa watched the young man as he strolled about
the store. She made sure that she kept a safe distance from him so
that he wouldn’t accidentally bump into her or more likely step
through her. But he didn’t even glance at Clarissa as if to him she
wasn’t there. For a brief second it made her angry, to be ignored
by the living was something she hadn’t quite accepted about this
existence.

Clarissa put down the book she was holding as she
walked around to another table, standing just on the opposite side
of the same table the college boy was standing next to. He was
looking through the stacks, taking one and pilling it on another
stack as he was going through them. Clarissa picked up a book from
the stack of discarded books. Yet he continued to seem unaware of
her presence. Even if he wouldn’t acknowledge her presence at least
he should have seen a book mysteriously floating in the air. He
didn’t.

Clarissa picked up another book, holding both books
in her arms. Clarissa continued picking up books as quickly as he
placed them down in the discarded pile. At no time did he notice
that his discarded pile remained the same height or question where
the books were disappearing to. For some odd reason that irritated
Clarissa more, though she didn’t know why. By now she had a huge
stack of books that reached her chin.

“
I hope you’re not planning on stealing all
those books,” a voice spoke up in the otherwise silent book store.
The large ancient tome fell away from the young woman’s face as she
placed it on the counter in front of her. She raised her eyebrows
as she took in the scene in her store.

The young man who was putting down another book in
the discarded pile looked up and frowned at her. He assumed she was
talking to him, considering he was the only customer in the store.
“Excuse me?” he questioned in confusion.

“
Not you,” she corrected, looking at him then
turning her focus on Clarissa who was looking back at her with an
identical confused expression on her face. “I’m talking to the
ghost across from you. Seriously, just because you’re dead doesn’t
mean you can raid my store for books. So I hope that you plan on
paying for all those books you’re holding.”

“
Who are you talking to?” He was looking
across from him, but he couldn’t see anyone else in the store,
ghost or otherwise. There was however a stack of books that seemed
to be holding themselves up from the table. “Is this some kind of
Halloween trick you play on your customers? There must be some kind
of wire holding these books up like that.”

“
I’m talking to the other customer. She’s
standing across the table from you and the books you think are
floating she’s holding in her arms. If I’m not mistaken I think she
was trying to get your attention.” The young woman addressed
Clarissa. “Isn’t that correct? Would you like me to introduce you
two? I could be like your dating medium. What do you
think?”

“
Are you crazy?”

“
You can see me?” they both said at the same
time.

Clarissa dropped the stack of books back onto the
table. The young man actually jumped when he saw the books fall,
but he recovered quickly.

“
That’s a pretty good trick, but I don’t
believe you’re actually conversing with the dead. If there really
is a ghost in this store you’ll have to do something bigger than
make books float in the air for me to become a believer.” He
reached across to take a book from the once floating stack. For a
moment he felt a chill at touching it as if someone had put the
book in a freezer. He quickly dismissed the absurd
thought.

“
What’s your name so we can be properly
introduced,” the young woman asked him. Putting her elbow on the
counter she leaned on her hand.

The young man scratched his forehead, finding the
idea of being introduced to a ghost something crazy paranoid people
did. Some of his friends liked to believe in this paranormal
nonsense, but he didn’t buy into any of it. He admitted the world
was full of some bizarre anomalies, but ghosts were not one of
them. “It’s Kevin,” he finally answered. “What’s yours?”

She smiled coyly, brushing her fingers through her
dark hair. “My name is Leah Moon. My family owns this store and I
work here as their underpaid slave. What about you, are you from
around here?”

He shook his head, glancing once more across the
table from him. He still saw nothing. Kevin wasn’t even sure what a
ghost should look like. He guessed that one would look like a
normal human being only less fleshy and possibly see- through, like
their body was covered in cheese cloth or something transparent.
“I’m going to school at Flagler College. It’s my second year and I
had some free time so I thought about checking out your book store.
You got some interesting stuff here, but I can’t imagine anyone
comes in this store often.”

“
We do well enough and even people like you
who don’t believe in the paranormal seem to enjoy at least
pretending for awhile that such a world might exist; a place where
ghosts are in fact an everyday part of life. And speaking of
ghosts, I didn’t get your name.” Leah turned to address Clarissa.
“What’s your name?”

Clarissa looked between the two livings. Kevin was
trying to see her, but his focus was just off so that he was
looking beyond her and not at her. He was trying too hard and he
didn’t really want to believe she existed. However, the young
woman, Leah, had her eyes focused straight on her face. She could
see Clarissa.

“
My name is Clarissa Schofield. It’s very nice
to meet you.” Clarissa smiled and nodded her head in
acknowledgement. “I just moved to St. Augustine and I had no
intention of stealing your books. But you were right about the fact
that I was trying to get his attention. I don’t appreciate being
ignored.”

Leah nodded her head in agreement. “Yes,” she
sighed. “I can imagine that it doesn’t feel so nice.”

Kevin stretched his hand out, reaching across the
table as if trying to feel what he couldn’t see. “What are you
talking about?” He almost came in contact with Clarissa’s form, but
she jumped back just in time.”

“
Hey,” she shouted. “Tell him to stop doing
that.” Clarissa backed away as Kevin came around the table to stand
in the spot where Clarissa had once been.

“
It’s cooler here than it was on the other
side of the table.” Kevin looked up, wondering if there was an AC
vent above him that would explain the change in temperature. There
wasn’t.

“
Clarissa didn’t appreciate it when you tried
to make a grab at her.” Leah smirked as she watched this
non-believer try to use logic to make sense of what was happening
in the store. “In all honesty I can’t blame her. If she were alive
you wouldn’t have tried that. Give the dead some respect,
Kevin.”

“
Make her do something. I won’t believe you
until you can give me actual, tangible proof that there is someone
else in this store with us.”

Clarissa put her hands on her hips as she glared at
this living man who wanted her to perform tricks before he would
believe in her existence. “Tell him I am not a trained dog to do
tricks for his amusement.”

Leah recited the message however she made a few
alterations. “She said to tell you that she is not a trained dog
and that she doesn’t do tricks for the living. But she thinks
you’re rather cute and she wonders if you wouldn’t mind if she came
and haunted your dorm room.”

“
Really,” Kevin drawled, not believing any of
this for a moment. “And does this ghost have a number I can reach
her at? Do ghosts even own a phone?” He walked over to the counter
where Leah was reclining on her stool.

“
I said no such thing,” Clarissa grumbled.
“The last place I would want to haunt is in some smelly college
dorm room where there are likely all sorts of bacterial monsters
and other bio-hazards that even the dead couldn’t stomach being
near.”

“
She said you could leave me your number and
she would get it.” Leah took out a pad of paper from under the desk
and a pen. She watched as he wrote down his cell number and his
name on the pad. He grinned at her as he pushed it closer to
her.

“
Maybe you could come along and interpret for
us. Or better yet, you could leave your ghost friend to her other
hauntings and you could come alone.”

Leah brushed her fingers through her long hair,
batting her eyelashes in coltish flirtation. “I might like that. We
could investigate your room to see if you have any anomalies that
you don’t know about.”

Kevin scratched his head. He wasn’t sure if she was
being serious or she was just playing. She was cute and had the
most amazing eyes he had ever seen on anyone. She batted her
eyelashes at him and he felt like he was in some kind of trance.
She was a witch with those eyes. “Sure.”

He bought a book, not really looking to see
what it was and walked back toward the front of the store a little
bemused. Just as he was about to leave he felt something solid hit
the back of his head and fall on the floor behind him. Quickly
turning around he looked down at the book that was lying on the
floor. Laying face up he could clearly read the title written in
large black lettering on the front of the book. It read
Haunted City: The Ghosts of St.
Augustine.

Kevin rubbed the back of his head as he looked to
Leah wondering why she had thrown a book at him. She had clearly
been interested in him. Throwing books didn’t fit in with
flirtation in his mind.

“
It wasn’t me,” Leah defended herself.
“Clarissa threw it at you. You didn’t say goodbye. I think you hurt
her feelings.”

“
Ah, bye Clarissa,” he said to the store.
“I’ll see you around, Leah.” He was out the door in the next
instant, walking quickly away from the haunted book store. The
further away from the store the more he questioned the possibility
that ghosts could exist in this world. He knew the locals prided
themselves on living in a haunted city, but he had always assumed
it was just to promote tourism. Now he wondered if these creatures
could be more than a tourist’s gimmick.

“
Did you just use me to get a guy’s phone
number?” Clarissa glared at the younger woman behind the counter.
“And I did not throw that book because he didn’t say goodbye. I
threw it because he asked for proof so I thought a heavy book might
penetrate that hard headed skull. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing that
expression on his face when he turned around.”

Leah chuckled. “I have to admit I enjoyed seeing
that look as well. He might be having second thoughts right now
about the possibilities of the paranormal. As for using you to get
a guys number, I guess I did. But in my defense I didn’t think he
would actually fall for it. Most guys who hear you talk about
seeing a ghost are quickly turned off and make a hasty exit.”

Clarissa walked up to the counter, looking down to
the pad of paper where Kevin had scribbled out his name and number.
“I hope you don’t expect me to haunt this guy for you.” Clarissa
looked up and focused her attention on this living young woman who
was able to see her in this form. “You are not like Mrs. Connors,
but you are similar somehow.”

“
Yes,” she responded. “I’m an S.S. member like
Mrs. Connors, but you’re correct we are not the same.” Leah took
the large ancient tome off her counter and stuffed the massive
thing underneath it. “I didn’t recognize you as a local and I
assumed you might be from out of town. But you’re new to this
existence. I can see that now. Most of the older ghosts have a
different look about them, a different walk that makes them not
quite human. You on the other hand, Clarissa, walk around like you
are still living.”