My Demonic Ghost #3: Hunters and Creators (30 page)

“Wait… does he remember me?” I choked out the words. My mind went straight back to Evan’s last words,
you have to come and find me again.

“But… but if he remembers me, our age difference… I won’t be able…”

The Blue Spirit pulled away. “If you wish it?” I glanced over my shoulder towards my mum. She was still chatting with the nurse staff, preparing to take me home.

I looked back towards Jordon and Gargoyle. Gargoyle offered his hand, as if to say he would always be there, no matter my decision. I had a million reasons to stay here, and only one reason to leave. But that reason was Evan.

I pushed off my chair. The pain roared through me, ravaging my muscles which demanded I sit. .I did my best to ignore it and to stop myself from crying out. My legs buckled, but I was able to catch myself. I inched one foot forward but the messages from brain to foot were absent. I had to reach her. All I had to do was to fall forward.

My body wobbled, but I still felt strong. This is what I wanted, but I didn’t know if this was right. Time slowed. The lights became brighter as the Blue Spirit looked up at me. She opened her arms and I fell into them, accepting her hug, and letting her take me away from here. I was weightless as my body crashed to the ground. I heard my mother scream my name as that world disappeared.

I had to remember. I held on tightly, wrapping invisible arms around my invisible body. I clenched my memories and held on to them as tightly as I could. The chances of being reborn in the right time and in the right place didn’t worry me. It was fate. We were meant to be together. All I had to do was remember
. Please remember! Remember!
I gripped tighter onto the thin air.

I never said goodbye to my mother, and it broke my heart that I had to leave her. The old Rachael Hastings died that evening. She had a heart attack on the very day she was to go home. ‘The Miracle Girl’. I would have to ensure flowers be sent to my mother’s house with a card, apologising for leaving her.

The world snapped shut and I watched the galaxy spin in a bright purple cosmos around me.
Oh my God!
It was so beautiful; the serenity of this place was almost unimaginable. Not even Mother Nature could make something this flawless. It was a snapshot of perfection; a place I could never fully understand. What felt like mere moments later, darkness overtook everything again.  I knew what was happening… she was sending me back. The nauseating surge was heavy like a river pulling me underneath a rough current. It was really powerful; it actually surprised me how fast it was able to tear me apart. It didn’t hurt; it was more like my memories were being erased. It was scraping the canvas clean, breaking me down until I was nothing.
No! WAIT!
Oh no! No….
It was too much. Numbly, I felt myself break into a million pieces. I was disappearing and, through slippery fingers, I couldn’t grasp my thoughts. A white flash blinded me.
No! No! Hold on! Don’t let them go.

Chapter Fifty-Five:

This felt so strange. When did flying make me feel so nervous? I had flown plenty of times before, so why did it make my stomach churn and my mouth feel dry. Guess it was because I’d not be coming back in a few weeks this time. I was really leaving for good. I stepped back from the window and let my hand drop. The vast open space of the runway stretched out in front of me, the planes silenced by the bustle of people behind me. Usually, when I was uneasy, I fiddled with the charms on my bracelet. As always, I pinched the charms between my fingertips and scrolled through them like prayer beads.

“How are you holding up?” Lara stepped up to me. I shrugged at her.

“This feels strange, like it can’t be real.”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.” She joked, “Don’t give dad another reason to drag you back to the car.”

I smiled weakly at her before glancing back at our parents. Mum and dad were checking the flight times on the monitor just a few steps away. I could almost feel the nervous energy coming from them, so I had to step away.

“He’ll probably try to talk me out of it.”

“Are you kidding? He has at least FIVE other university brochures in his pocket. But you can’t back out now Jen, this is your dream.”

“I know, I’m just nervous.”

“About what?”

“Change.” I again shrugged. “It’s always just been us you know; now I’m going to be on the other side of the country.”

“You’re only one flight away.” She soothed. “Plus we can talk every night if you want, that is if you’re not too busy partying.”

From above, the announcement called for my flight. I turned back to my parents, taking a deep breath, like I expected them to give me bad news. Mum stepped up to me and hugged me extra hard. As dad hugged me he whispered, “It’s not too late Jennifer; there are plenty of courses here that you can do."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. “Dad I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

He nodded before stepping back. I waved goodbye to them while I walked down the corridor and onto the awaiting plane.  By the time I landed, it was just past dinner and the university grounds were crawling with new students. I walked in with my cousin, Claire, who also attended here.

“So, welcome to your new home.” She announced with a small skip in her step. I hauled my luggage in behind me and felt a little suffocated inside my small, matchbox of a room.

“Is this really how big it is?”

“It’s not much, I know, but it’s bigger than the singles.” Claire shrugged. I wheeled my bag in and dumped it at the foot of one of the single beds. The interior was simple, two desks and two beds; some cupboards and shelves, but there was only window and one bathroom.

“Ready for the tour?”

“Sure. Can we also get something to eat? All I’ve had is plane food.”

“There’s a nice café just off campus. You can go to the cafeteria here, but the food’s kind of bland.”

She took me down into the heart of the university and showed me the main library, the cafeteria, the gym, the large oval grounds and garden, the pool, first aid and the reception desk. It was massive, and I felt like I was spinning in circles; my mind was in a complete muddle as to how to get back to the dormitories.  She took me out to the café across the street. By now I was so hungry that my stomach was in a constant chatter. After our meals, it was dark and most of the students had already returned to the rooms or homes.

“Well, thank you for showing me around.” I hugged Claire and she led me back to the dormitories.

“It’s okay; you can get yourself back to your room from here, yeah?”

I laughed, “I’m sure I can manage.”

“Hey, if you’re not too busy, I can show you where’s good to shop around here tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’ll awesome.”

She gave me her final goodbye and I turned back. I got to my room and searched my pockets for the key, only to find them empty. After a brief moment of panic, I turned back and made my way as quickly as I could back towards the café. Thankfully, they were still open. I found my room key laying on the table where I had emptied my pockets. I mentally slapped myself; I had to remember to double check for things from now on.  On my return, I wasn’t exactly sure which dorm was mine. They all looked like giant webs of windows and stairs standing side by side. I was thankful no one was around to watch me play the rat in a game of maze. I walked through one of the dorms and felt a prick of familiarity.  But this wasn’t my block. I was certain of it because there was a painting on the wall that wasn’t there before.  Out of nowhere, I reeled backward. A foreign sense of urgency filled me that I couldn’t explain. There was a taste on my tongue like a silver coin. I walked farther down the hallway, the tense feeling tightened my chest. Was I being watched? Was this some sort of instinct kicking in, tickling the back of my neck as if there was a pair of eyes on me? I swung around, but the hall was empty. I must have been nervous about being in a strange place on my own. I felt a slight breeze and jumped in alarm. At that very moment, the door behind me unlocked and swung open. I shriek in surprise and jumped backwards, startling the poor person.

“Whoa! What are you doing?”

I cupped my cheeks, “Sorry, you scared me.” I stalled for a moment, soaking his face in. Beyond his cute light brown eyes and shaggy dirty blonde hair, this boy felt familiar. A spark of electricity bounced off his eyes, and how his face shifted in his surprise at seeing me, I had guessed he felt something similar. Pulled away by a thought, the boy forced his eyes away and down at his hands.  I pointed back behind me, “I’m just trying to find my dorm room.”

He jerked his head away as a thought pained him. “Okay. Well… see ya.”

“Wait!” I reached out stop him. He moved cautiously, as if aware that something wasn’t right, but didn’t want to confront the question. I shook my head, loosening a laugh, “I’m sorry, this is so weird. Do I know you?”

He smiled as if he was nervous, “No. Sorry. Definitely not.” His eyes strained in his lie as he shifted his body weight onto his other foot. I glanced warily upward and noticed his room number 305 was crooked. The blocks had been stuck back on the wall with tape.

“Did you do that to your door?”

He turned back. “No, that was my roommate. He rammed a bedframe into the wall and knocked them down. What’s your room number; maybe I can point you in the right direction.”

“1502.”

Carefully he leaned around me, ensuring his body didn’t brush past mine. I couldn’t help but pout at his aversion to me, “Next block over, you should be on the second floor.”

“Thank you. I’m Jennifer, by the way.” He merely nodded, again sending out the vibe of wanting to be left alone. Despite the pull of my heart, I promptly turned away. “Okay, so…. I guess I’ll be going.” I quickened my pace, silently cursing myself for my social awkwardness, when he shouted after me.

“Wait, Jennifer?”

I turned around. “Yes?”

He licked his lips in consideration. The look that crossed him, a look of desperation and fear didn’t match our casual greeting. I found myself unable to look away. “Do you believe in fate?” The question caught me off guard. Before I could speak he shook his head. “Never mind. I’m Adam. I’ll see you around campus, yeah?”

I bit my smile. “I would like that.”  He eased his headphones into his ears, then turned and jogged down the corridor. Butterflies soared into me, and I turned and skipped away. Do you believe in fate? I’m not sure of my own answer, honestly but this boy had secrets and, for some strange reason, I really wanted to find them out.

To live in the Demonic Ghost world has been an incredibly exciting and fulfilling journey. And now that it is over, I can feel a part of me being left behind.

Thank you to all my readers and supporters for your continual kindness and encouragement, I can’t express how happy I am to hear from you and meet you at book signings. Because of you, I am able to write and to reach my childhood dream of becoming an author. I cannot thank you enough.

To Staccato Publishing, thank you for all your hard work and for spending all those hours editing, formatting and turning My Demonic Ghost into the amazing three part series it is today. Thank you to my beta readers, thank you to my blogger and author friends for being inspirations to me. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such incredible people.

And of course, thank you to my family for always supporting me 100%. David and Jacqui, Melissa and Jason you mean the world to me.

I really hope you enjoyed the Demonic Ghost trilogy, and that you check out all my other titles coming out too.

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Xoxo

Jacinta Maree.