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

I nodded and knocked, not wanting to alert the occupants to my insanity of seemingly talking to myself. I strained to hear for any sound inside the house but heard nothing.

When the door swung open, it gave me a heart attack.

“What do you want?” A teenage boy, sixteen years old according to David, greeted me with the barrel of a shotgun. His father was disapproving beside me.

“Are you Michael?”

“Who wants to know?” Did he have to answer each of my questions with one of his own?

“My name is Everly. I know where your sister is.”

Those words faltered him, made him do a double take as the words sunk in. All the bravado drained from his young face. “You do?” His voice cracked as he spoke. Obviously finding his sister was just as important to Michael as it was David.

“I do,” I confirmed.

“You’re lying. This is all a trick. My sister is gone, I’m never going to find her.” It was going to be harder than I thought to convince him. Served me right for thinking it would be easy.

Nothing was easy anymore.

“I’m not lying. If you come with me, I’ll take you to her.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He slammed the door in my face. The breeze made the hair around my face rustle.

I looked up at David, he was at least a good foot taller than I was. “Any ideas?”

“He wasn’t like this before,” he replied as if it was an apology. Nobody was like this before. There wasn’t one person untouched and unchanged by the Event. It was very rare to find someone that had changed for the better. With so much struggle and loss, nobody coped well with it.

Myself included.

“So what can you tell me to convince him to come with me?” I asked. If anyone knew of a way, it had to be Michael’s father. He should know him better than most people.

“Can you tell him I’m here?”

I shook my head. “He’ll think I’m crazy. If he doesn’t already. I am standing here talking to myself.”

David thought it over, he cradled his chin as he did. I got the feeling he did that a lot when he was still alive. People didn’t lose who they were after they died. They just became spirits, their physical bodies gone but they were essentially exactly the same.

“His sister’s name is Kelly, she has dark brown hair, and her favorite food is pizza. Maybe if you tell him that, he’ll believe that you know her,” David finally replied.

It was worth a shot. I knocked again. Michael didn’t answer.

I called out through the door. “Michael, your sister’s name is Kelly. She loves pizza and she’s got dark brown hair. I know her, I’ve spent time with her. She’s safe and well on the other side of the city.”

Nothing.

Either he was gone or he wasn’t listening to me any longer. The poor guy. I knew what it was like to trust no-one. I didn’t trust anyone myself apart from Oliver.

Oliver.

He was probably fretting about where I was. It was going to be dark before too long, then the panic would really start. I hoped he would find somewhere safe to stay and not worry about me. I could look after myself.

“He’s not going to come with me,” I said.

“Just wait,” David urged.

I did wait. I waited for what seemed like forever. I even sat on the step to rest. David disappeared through the wall, going to check on his son. He probably did that a lot since the event, splitting his time between both of his children.

I finally understood the frustration of the spirits. They didn’t have anywhere to go except to linger on earth with their unfinished business. They couldn’t speak with those they loved anymore, couldn’t be a part of their lives. Yet they would still be able to see their loved ones. It was a one sided affair that would have been horrible.

I got it.

I got why they were so eager for me to listen to them, hear what they had to say. I was the only one who could. After over a year of their words falling on deaf ears, I could hear them.

David’s return pulled me from my reverie. “Try again. He’s on the other side of the door, he wants to believe you. Tell him Kelly has his scarf, the blue one with stars on it.”

I stood up again, getting as close to the door as I dared. “Michael, you have to believe me. Kelly has your scarf, the blue one that has stars on it. She’s still got it, she’s still waiting to see you again.”

“You’re lying,” he replied, sounding more like a whimper than actual words.

“I’m not. Come with me and I’ll take you to her.”

“Why would you do that? What’s in it for you?” That was the million dollar question. Nobody did anything out of the goodness of their hearts anymore. Those times were long gone.

I had to think quickly. And this time, I would lie. “I owe her. She gave me some food and I told her I would find you in return. She made me promise.” I glanced at David for reassurance I was on the right track, he nodded in return. “If I don’t take you to her, she won’t give me anymore food. I’m hungry, I need her help.”

The door clicked open.

Michael stood in front of me. “Do you have any weapons?”

I held out my arms so he could see there was nowhere to hide anything. Oliver had my bag of supplies, my clothes couldn’t conceal a weapon.

He grabbed something from inside the house before stepping out again, closing the door behind him. It