All The Pretty Ghosts (The Never Series Book 1) by Jamie Campbell (my miracle luna book free read .TXT) 📕

I hurried over. “Found something.” The rag was a dishtowel. It probably held a billion kinds of germs but now was not a time to be fussy.

I returned to the bathroom and carefully took my time cleaning all the dirt, grime, and blood away. When I was certain I had attended to the worst of it, I jumped in the shower.

Even the cold water couldn’t get to me. It was like I was numb from head to foot. The sting of the cold was nothing compared to the emotional whirlwind I had endured.

It was better that way.

To be numb.

I turned off the shower and dressed in my filthy clothes. The bloodstains reminded me of everything that had happened, the menacing look on Taz’s face, the feel of every blow he had lashed out against me.

I couldn’t think about it. Now was a time for survival, not wallowing in self pity. I had to forget about it, be stronger than I had ever been before. The alternative was shattering into a million pieces and crumbling to the floor. I wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. And not while I still had Oliver to lean on for support.

Not while Faith was still out there somewhere.

Alone.

Oliver was sitting on the floor when I joined him. “You should eat something.”

“So should you,” I pointed out.

“I ate before I found you. Go ahead, eat. I’ll feel better when you have.”

My stomach grumbled just thinking about food. I reached up to the table and pulled down a few cookies. I forced myself to eat them slowly, savoring every bite. The last thing I wanted was for my stomach to reject the food.

“Thank you for saving me today,” I started. I had no idea how to thank him for doing everything he did. Risking his life to save mine was madness.

And brave.

Unbearably brave.

“No thanks needed,” he replied with a weary smile. “I did it for selfish reasons, really. I would have missed you if you weren’t around.”

I wanted to swat Oliver’s arm or chest for the cheeky comment, but we weren’t exactly the touchy-feely type of friends. Not since we had become teenagers, anyway. The minute puberty hit, it was all hands off in case we stepped over a line somewhere.

I yawned as sleepiness threatened to overtake me. I had an urge to rest my head on Oliver’s shoulder and curl into his arms, but again, I refrained from doing so. Even the Event couldn’t break the boundaries we had set so long ago.

“You’re tired, you should sleep,” Oliver urged. It was a suggestion too good to refuse.

“You need to sleep too,” I pointed out. Because I wasn’t the only one who’d had a big day. He had run just as far as I did.

“I will, but I need to settle down a bit first. You go to sleep and I’ll make sure we’re locked up tight in here.” I held his gaze for a few moments, trying to work out if he was lying to me. It would have been just like him to think he needed to protect me and stay up all night making sure I was safe. I had no intention of letting that happen.

“Do you promise me you’ll sleep?” I asked. I needed to hear the words because a promise should not be broken. And Oliver knew that better than anyone.

He moved his hand so it rested over his heart. “I promise.”

With Oliver here, I knew I was safe.

Satisfied, I made a pillow out of the crook of my arm and lay down on the hard floor. I closed my eyes and was dead to the world before I could even begin to process everything that had happened since I last slept soundly.

My dreams were nightmares, filled with images of the boys – especially Taz – as they beat and tortured me. On more than one occasion I awoke with a start and had to keep telling myself it was just a dream and not really happening to me. It was the only way I could slow my heartbeat.

When I awoke the last time, just as Taz was about to throw a fatal blow, it was daylight. Oliver’s concerned face peered down at me, his brow wrinkled with worry. “Are you okay?”

I sat up, stretching my stiff and sore limbs. “Just a bad dream. Is it morning?” He nodded a yes. “Please tell me you slept.”

“I slept,” he replied, deadpan. I chose to believe him because he did look rested, at least. “There is still some food left. I ate when I woke up but I made sure to leave you enough.”

I peered over the table, my eyes level with it. It looked like Oliver had barely eaten anything judging by the amount still left over. I took a cookie and left the rest, two could play at that game. “Do you think it will be safe to return home today?”

He shrugged. “I was hoping you would decide to stay in the city.”

“Oliver, you know I can’t. We’ve discussed this a hundred times. I can’t do the magic here you seem to think I am capable of.”

“But-”

I held up a hand to stop him. “No. I’m not staying. I’m going home and I’m not returning until I’m absolutely desperate. After what happened, I’m even more determined to live alone for the rest of my life.”

The crestfallen look on his face made my heart leap into my throat and choke me. I felt that look deep in my chest, in the place my heart used to be.

He started nodding slowly, ever so slowly. “If that’s what you really want.”

“They almost killed me, Olly. They almost did a lot of things to me. I don’t want to be in a situation that could allow that to