Ghost: Books of the Dead - Fantasy Best Seller and Supernatural Teen Book: (Ghost, Occult, Supernatural, Occult and Supernatural) (14 page)

Emily remembered what Jamie told her about Mia earlier in the evening. She didn’t think Mia had any way of knowing that, hence she made an innocent face and denied the claim. She shook her head and wrinkled her forehead.

“No, I don’t,” she said slowly, “and why would I ask you about it then?”

“You’re friends with Jamie now; therefore, I assumed that you would know,” Mia stated in a cynical and bitter tone.

“I didn’t ask her about you or anybody else. We are just … friends, so it’s unfair to think that we talked about you,” Emily replied, hoping that her answer would be accepted. But deep inside, Emily knew that the rest of the girls didn’t believe her.

Yet, no one said a thing. The girls finished their dinner and Emily left shortly afterwards. Before going out, Emily informed Denise that she will be doing the final parts of the project that night. She wanted to submit the entire work together tomorrow. Denise nodded her head in agreement and closed the door. Emily couldn’t help but feel like the odd person out.

About a week ago, Grace found herself walking up the stairs of the rickety old house at the far end of the street. She checked the location on the Elmhurst map to make sure she was on the right track. It was an old inn that Grace tracked down. She had probably walked past it a dozen times, but never really noticed it until today. She walked boldly up the front steps and rang the bell. A woman in her sixties opened the door and looked questionably at Grace.

“What do you want, girl?”

Grace assumed that she was just being cautious. Perhaps the old lady didn’t meet people from the city that often. Hence, she didn’t mind the question that was asked of her. Grace had been walking for quite some time and didn’t have the energy for smart-alecky remarks. She was getting tired. She put her hands in her pocket and winced when it came up empty. It wasn’t her intention to leave her phone behind, but she left the dorm room at Elmhurst College in a hurry. It didn’t matter to her at this point. She knew she had to take care of things quickly before someone got hurt. She collected herself and stood there on the front porch, looking earnestly at the old lady who threw her the question. Grace contemplated if she should give away her true identity or keep it a secret. There was risk in both. Grace decided against the first one and gave a false name instead.

 “I came from the city,” she plainly stated, “and I need a place to stay for the night or maybe a few days.”

One of her greatest advantages was that Grace could make herself look different. With a change of her hair and some creative makeup she could take on just about any style. Right now, she gave off a vibe of a much younger teenager.

Once the lady realized that Grace possessed no threat, she let her in. The interior of the motel was cheap-looking and the decorations confirmed that it lacked renovation. Grace cringed a little, but didn’t say anything. Grace felt as if the quaint motel was hidden from the entire world. There was no trace of modern technology, the tube lights were old and an antique clock stood in the corner. Grace looked high up to the ceiling and spun around. The lady in charge followed her eyes as they scanned the entire sitting area and motioned her towards the desk.

“What is your name, girl?” the lady asked gruffly.

“June,” Grace lied.

She held a straight face and it amused her that she was not asked to show any proof of identity. Moments ago, the woman acted suspicious, but now she merely noted her name down in a dusty old notebook. Grace was handed a key and she turned around to see which room she was allotted. The mark on the key indicated that she was supposed to spend the night in Room Two on the ground floor. Grace felt a bit relieved, yet the setup of the motel made her feel uneasy. Either way, she didn’t show it.

Before walking away towards her room, Grace stopped and turned back to the front desk clerk. Then, she looked at the lady at the desk and asked her, “Ma’am, are there any other people staying at this motel tonight?” She hoped she didn’t get an answer like, “It is not your business, ma’am.” Instead, she was met with an answer at all.

“Of course, there are people staying here tonight,” the lady announced proudly, then continued to say, “We have visitors all year round. We are cheap, so it is economical, but why do you ask, girl?”

Grace was ready with an answer. “You clearly looked surprised when I knocked on the door, and I assumed that there are hardly any visitors from the city.”

“Ah, that...” the lady seemed to think of an answer and said, “I was resting. Old age has gotten to me, and so I was surprised. You go on, because you must be tired, girl. I’ll make some dinner.”

“You serve dinner?” Grace asked. She was surprised that the motel had such a provision. She didn’t believe what the lady was saying or thought it was just her idea of a bad joke. 

“What little that I can provide,” the lady answered with pride.

“I don’t want dinner,” Grace politely said. “I’ve packed my own.”

With that being said, Grace locked herself in Room Two on the first floor. Once inside the room, she let out a long and refreshing sigh. Grace was a senior level criminology student and a brave young individual on top of that. She lived her life according to her own terms and didn’t care what other people thought. She took off on her own once or twice before, which served to give her some confidence that she could complete this task on her own. She checked the door to make sure it was locked, and once she was sure it was, she climbed into the rugged bed. Grace was tired from the day’s journey and wanted to get some rest. The bed was uncomfortable, but Grace managed. She decided there was no point fretting over it. She looked at the walls and the furniture, which looked neglected and outdated. She had a hard time believing that such a cheap motel existed, but shrugged off the thought a moment later. Sure she was hungry and her growling stomach reminded her of that, but a moment ago she refused dinner. It wasn’t because she packed her own lunch; it was because she had a hard time trusting the owner. She took out two snack bars from her bag and began frantically munching on them. They didn’t quite satisfy her hunger, but Grace had no right to complain. The snack bars were gone in no time, and Grace looked at her watch.

The entire night lay in front of her and she had to pass the time somehow. Sleep wouldn’t come easy and Grace thought about her friend. She didn’t intend to leave without informing Emily, and regretted her decision for a second time. Yet, she didn’t want to ponder over it. She had already made her choice and this would be her residence for the next few days.

So Grace took out two yearbooks from her bag and started flipping through its pages. She stopped at a few sections here and there, but then continued looking through the rest of the book. There were two particular photos which she stared at for the longest time and then finally shut the book. Grace took out her notebook, scribbled something down and decided to call it a night. Within the span of a few minutes, she was already fast asleep.

The sharp tone of the alarm clock woke Grace up the next morning. She checked her watch and it was already ten a.m. “I must have dozed off,” she said to herself. She bolted out of bed and got cleaned up. Once she was suitably dressed, she gathered her belongings and left the room. Grace locked the door behind her and was just about to leave when the lady at the counter called on her.

“Are you staying tonight again, girl?”

Grace turned back and replied, “Yeah, I’ll be back by nightfall.” She turned on her toes to leave, but was cut short again by the shrill voice of the concierge.

“You want breakfast? It’s fresh,” the lady called back.

Grace considered it for a moment. Her stomach growled and she was certainly hungry. Hence, she walked over to the sitting area where several tables and chairs were arranged. A few people were already having their breakfast, and Grace sat down quietly at one of the empty tables. She waited for her breakfast to arrive and busied herself by staring at the ceiling and walls. A fifteen year old boy appeared shortly with two bread slices, an omelet and a cup of coffee. Grace smelled the hot brew and took a bite from the bread. It was a humble breakfast, but hearty and delicious. She scolded herself for being so prejudiced and judgmental on the previous night.

It’s not so bad
, she told herself.
Don’t be such a snob
.

Grace quickly finished her breakfast and then went on her way. It was time to begin her search. This was the right neighborhood, and she knew that the answers to her questions were just a conversation away. She went around searching for information on two individuals who were photographed in the yearbook. Grace had somehow managed to gather the information that the two were from this part of town, but somehow nobody was able to provide her with a concrete answer about them. It wasn’t easy, needless to say, for every door she knocked on was met with the sound of silence. It was past noon, and Grace was still without an answer.

She wondered what Emily was thinking.
I bet she hates my guts now
.
I should have told her where I was going,
because the prospect of finding any information on my own is looking bleak.

Residents of the small town had changed in recent years. Grace understood that most of them were closed-minded locals who were mistrustful of strangers. Grace was a little exasperated, and she had to fight the urge to give up her search. She reminded herself that she was doing this for her friend. That’s what kept her going.

Grace was ready to head back to her motel when she tried one last house. A strange-looking man opened the door. He was wearing dark glasses and looked frail. He stood there blocking his doorway protectively. Grace was unsure if she wanted to ask this man anything, but she had come a long way and didn’t want to turn back.

She asked, “Sir, can you tell me if you perhaps know these people?” Then, she handed him two photographs. He looked at them cautiously and Grace realized it didn’t even take him a minute to recognize them.

The man said, “Of course, I know them. Who wouldn’t know them in these parts? They were the most intelligent brother and sister pair in town. Heard they live in the main city now, but you could visit their old school. If you are lucky, the staff there can tell you more about them.”

“You know them?” Grace asked slowly, wanting to be assured again.

Back at the university, she was almost sure that the young man in the photograph was Mr. Gallagher. Also, the young girl in the photograph who had a similar tint in her eyes was probably related to him. Yet, she didn’t want to rely on speculation. She needed confirmation from someone who recognized them.

“So they are related,” Grace assumed. “The girl in the photograph, she’s his brother?”

Grace was starting to piece things together, but she couldn’t understand why Mr. Gallagher wanted to hide certain facts about his past. She stood there thinking, as she waited for the man with dark glasses to confirm her suspicions. She didn’t quite understand what made Mr. Gallagher act the way he did in the library a week ago, or why he was so fierce about taking those yearbooks away himself.

So what was wrong with his sister being in the same school? It wasn’t a crime,
she thought to herself
. There shouldn’t have been anything to hide.

It was true that Mr. Gallagher was a private person, but it was still unclear to Grace what prompted him to change their surnames before enrolling in college. Her curiosity had certainly peaked, and now, she needed to know. Grace saw the book in Emily’s room with the initials of “R. Keaton” and the photograph, too. The moment she saw the photograph of the young girl and the pale boy behind her, Grace suspected that they were in fact related. Even though their names on the photograph were different, now the picture was getting much clearer.

The old man at the door didn’t say exactly that the little boy and girl were Mr. Gallagher and his sister, yet Grace somehow knew that he was talking about them. The man in dark glasses took note of her silence and must have thought she doubted his claims. Hence, he nodded his head emphatically.

“I’ve been living here for a long time,” he said with an air of confidence. “I was a kid when I moved in and they were, too, so I know them. You can bet on that.”

Grace felt triumphant because she knew that she was on the right track. She wanted to ask some other questions as well, but the man seemed utterly uninterested. So, she thanked him, excused herself and left. Grace was midway down the street when she realized that she had forgotten an important detail. She was careless enough not to get the name of the school. Fortunately, there wouldn’t be too many schools around this part of town. If she was lucky enough, she might be able to dig out some more information. At least that’s what the old man said.

However, Grace wanted to know more than just petty information. She wanted to know who they were. What were they like or what did they do? She was determined to go beneath the surface at her next encounter. With that hope in mind, she marched forward.

Finding the old school was not difficult. Grace asked a few locals for the directions and was led towards a local school. The building had two stories, but looked freshly painted. Grace saw that the left side of the building was renovated and scaffolding had been erected on the right side as well. There was one security guard standing at the entrance of the gate when Grace walked towards him. She asked for permission to let her in, although she doubted that without an appointment she’d gain access.

Just as she thought, Grace was denied entry. She was an unknown face in town with no relatives currently enrolled in the school. She was unable to provide an answer that satisfied the security guard. Grace panicked as she realized that time was running out and she was yet to come up with a concrete resolution. She had left her friend behind and without an answer about the strange things happening in her life. Grace couldn’t afford to delay any longer. She needed something to go on, something to let her friend know that she was onto something.