The Departed - J A Templeton Read online

I breathed a sigh of relief. Aaron’s sterling reputation must have kept him from visiting the principal’s office.

  Mr. Monahan cleared his throat in exaggerated fashion. “I want to make myself abundantly clear to every last one of you. I do not want to hear one more negative exchange of words in this classroom. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Mr. Monahan,” everyone said…except for me.

  Mr. Monahan skewered me with his gaze. He had the art of intimidation down.

  I nodded and he looked down at his desk. “All right, now that we’ve wasted ten minutes, please open your textbooks to page forty-two.”

  I opened my book and watched Peter from the corner of my eye. He sat on the desk, legs kicking back and forth, just like a kid would do. Why would Laria draw attention away from the argument I’d been having with Dana? Wouldn’t she have enjoyed it and even egged it on?

  That question would continue to eat at me for the rest of the morning.

  Chapter 7

  Throughout the day Peter tried to get my attention, even putting his face right up to mine during Science. I didn’t miss a beat and pretended to look right through him.

  Laria played the part of an innocent eleven-year-old boy well. “Peter” genuinely seemed wounded by my lack of attention, and he was nearly screaming at me to notice him.

  Misgivings ate away at me. What if I were wrong? What if Peter really was an eleven-year-old boy who had desperately been seeking someone to talk to? What if Laria wanted me to believe that she was Peter?

  I was so confused, and conflicted. Although it was tough, I ignored him. By the time lunch came around, I was ready for a distraction.

  “Were you late this morning?” Kade asked, as he slid onto the bench beside me.

  I hadn’t seen him when I came into the cafeteria. As usual, he looked gorgeous and my heart swelled.

  “Yeah, I was late.”

  “I thought so. I looked for you. I called once and even texted.”

  I slid my phone out of my pocket and flipped to my messages. “I didn’t get a call or a text from you.”

  He removed his phone from his pocket. “I swear I called and texted you.”

  “Sure you did,” I said teasingly.

  He didn’t return the smile. “Seriously, I texted you. I was worried, especially with everything that’s going on.”

  I was touched by his concern, and more than a little bothered that the phone messages weren’t registering on either one of our phones.

  He frowned. “I called from my car, and then texted before the bell rang.”

  “I got a late start. My dad left for Edinburgh this morning…”

  The missing phone and text messages were suddenly forgotten. His eyes lit up, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

  The blood in my veins turned warm. I knew that look. I grinned and shook my head.

  “I almost called you late last night, but it was too late,” he said, becoming serious again. “I had been online researching hauntings, and I came across a video clip of a family who had been dealing with the spirit possession of their son. The boy was being scratched; he was acting out of character—depressed, angry, and saying things that didn’t make sense. His mum said he was even using a different vocabulary, words he wasn’t even familiar with. He essentially became someone else.”

  “What did they do?” I asked.

  Across the table, Cait and Cass had stopped eating and were listening intently.

  “The family brought in a ghost hunting team and they discovered the spirit haunting the boy was a man who had lived on the property before, and he was buried in a nearby cemetery. They then called in a specialist to do a binding ceremony. This lady, along with the boy’s parents, went to the man’s grave, drove a nail into the ground, and told the spirit it was anchored to that place and was no longer allowed to bother the family again. She then said a blessing over the grave.”

  “Did it work?” Cass asked.

  Kade nodded. “Yeah. The family says the boy was fine after that.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do,” I said. “I was hoping we could make a trek up to the grave on Saturday. Shane said he’d ask his friends along, too.”

  “Of course I’ll come with you. I wouldn’t let you go without me,” Kade said, squeezing my hand.

  Cait and Cassie looked past my shoulder and frowned.

  I turned to see what had caught their attention. Megan walked toward our table, and I was stunned by her appearance. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a sloppy ponytail, she had little to no makeup on, and deep, dark half circles bracketed her brown eyes.

  “Are you all right, Meg?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “I’ll let you girls talk, all right?” Kade said. “Can I see you tonight?”

  I glanced at Megan. Although I wanted to spend time with Kade, I could tell my friend was hurting, and since it was my fault she was suffering, I needed to be there for her. “We’ll see, okay? Give me a call after practice.”

  “Will do.” He leaned forward, gave me a kiss, and went to sit with his friends.

  Cait came around the table and sat in the place Kade had vacated. “Wow, you look like shit, Meg.”

  “That bitch is haunting my dreams,” Megan said, glancing at the group to our right, who was looking our way.

  “Do you mind?” Cass said.

  The group of girls abruptly looked away.

  Mean-mugging them, Cass shifted so her back was to them and Megan was hidden from view.

  “She’s going to kill me, I swear,” Megan said, scratching her forehead. “I can’t have this. I mean, what if she starts haunting my little brother? He’s so young…and this could mess him up for life.”

  I completely understood her concern, especially after the story Kade had just told us about the boy.

  I’d never forgive myself if that happened to Megan’s little brother.

  “I have no peace. I’m constantly on edge, and it’s like she knows that I know that she’s there.” Tears welled in Megan’s eyes, but she blinked them back before they spilled over. “I’m so tired.”

  Cait glanced at me, eyes wide.

  I swallowed past the tightness in my throat. “I’m so sorry, Megan. I wish—”

  “You can’t help it, Ri,” Cait said, squeezing my shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You’re as much of a victim as anyone, if not more so.”

  “I give you credit,” Megan said, looking at me dead in the eyes. “I couldn’t deal with it as long as you have. I feel like I’m coming undone, and the dreams are wicked.” She lowered her voice. “That bitch is relentless, I tell you. I try to wake up from the nightmare, but it’s like she’s keeping me in that state right before you wake. It’s almost like I’m watching myself dream, if that makes sense, and I’m watching her and feeling her holding me down. When I do actually wake up, I find I can’t move at all. I want to scream, but I can’t even breathe.”

  What she was saying nearly mirrored what Shane had told me about his dreams when we’d first moved to Braemar. I knew the horror of having Laria show up in nightmares, and when you woke up it was tough to shake it. I could see the physical and emotional strain it was putting on Megan, which gave me even more incentive to end the haunting once and for all.

  At least now I could look into binding spirits.

  Milo came up from behind Megan and embraced her. “How are you feelin’, love?”

  “What are you doing here?” Megan asked, looking really happy to see him. “How did you get out of study hall?”

  He shrugged. “If my girl needs me, a little thing like class won’t stop me from seeing her.”

  Leaning her head against his shoulder, she sighed. “I feel like shit. I just want to go home and sleep.”

  For once Milo was completely serious. He brushed his thumb along her jaw and kissed her softly. “How about I come over and we’ll take a nice long nap. Get rid of these circles beneath your eyes.”

  Megan p
outed. “Sounds incredible, but unfortunately I have to work today.”

  “Blow it off,” Milo said, his voice stern. “You need to take care of yourself or you’re going to be sick if you keep this up. If it’s about the money you’ll lose by not working, then I’ll pay you to stay with me.”

  “Isn’t that like prostitution?” Cass teased, a hint of a smile on her lips. At least she was trying to find the humor in a horrible situation.

  Milo shook his head.

  Megan chewed her lower lip. “Maybe I’ll see if Kelsey can cover for me. I know she’s looking for more hours. Will you help me find her? I think she has this lunch.”

  “Definitely.” Milo looked relieved as he helped her up.

  As they walked off, Cass stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  We watched as she walked toward Johan’s table.

  Cait pushed her uneaten salad away from her. “How about we take a walk in the woods this afternoon?”

  My gut clenched. “Shane and Kade would kill us if we went without them.” They both had football practice every day after school, which meant the first opportunity for them to go with us would be the weekend.

  “I’m not trying to be a bitch, Ri, but does Megan look like she can wait until this weekend?”

  She had a point.

  I shook my head. “No.” As terrified as I was to go to Laria’s grave without an entourage, I was even more terrified at what could possibly happen to my friends if I waited. Dreams of being held down and being tormented would only escalate. If Laria started scratching and choking my friends, it was only a matter of time before she succeeded in following through on her threat to kill us all.

  “I just don’t see where we have a choice. Like Megan said, what if Laria starts tormenting her little brother? Then who’s next? I don’t want to sound selfish, but I honestly don’t want it to be me, and yet I know it’s a matter of time, especially if we don’t try to stop her now. Let’s face it, Cass has already admitted to popping sleeping pills, and that’s just dangerous.”

  It was dangerous to take pills. As dangerous as it was for me to confront a malevolent spirit.

  “All right, I’ll go,” I said, not wanting to think about what would happen when Shane found out I was going to Laria’s grave without him.

  ***

  Cait didn’t mess around. By the time I met her behind the cemetery, she looked ready for a hike into the Andes mountains. She wore a bandana over her head, cargo pants, hiking boots, and a fleece vest over her long-sleeved shirt. I’d bet my life she had as much survivor gear shoved into her stuffed backpack as she could fit.

  At least someone knew what they were doing.

  I felt like an amateur with my jeans, tennis shoes, and lightweight flannel. At least I’d thought to bring a jacket in my pack for later…just in case, along with the nail, hammer, and the paper where I’d written down the words from the video Kade had been talking about. The lady binding the grave had been short and to the point.

  I also brought a flashlight, extra batteries, water bottle, and a couple of protein bars.

  “Okay, we don’t want to lose each other. If we do…we have these,” she said, handing me a Hello Kitty walkie-talkie.

  I tried to hide my smile but failed. “Hello Kitty…”

  “A phase I was going through. They work, though. I tested them out with Maddy.”

  “Maddy knows we’re going?”

  “Hell, no. She’d freak out and probably tell Mum.” Cait added another water bottle to my pack. “Just in case. We want to be sure we stay hydrated.”

  “We’re just heading to the top of that hill.”

  Her lips quirked. “The top of that hill is miles away, Ri. I know that it looks like it would be a quick sprint, but honestly, it’s much further than it looks, and the terrain can be a bit dodgy at times.”

  Not the most comforting of words, especially with the afternoon sun beating down on us.

  “Let’s get moving,” she said, and we started off at a clip, both of us excited and nervous as we made our way into the woods. It wasn’t too far in when the pathways started veering off in different directions…just as Hanway had told Maddy.

  At first, Cait used the compass on her iPhone to track direction, but soon the phone dropped out of range, and there was no signal. That made me nervous. If we got into trouble, we were shit out of luck.

  Cait was obviously in better shape than I was, because she hiked about ten steps ahead of me. Every once in a while she would wait, but inevitably she’d pull ahead again.

  I knew it was wrong of me to do, but I wanted to be distracted, and I wanted to know what Cait was thinking. Out of all my friends, she was the toughest one to figure out.

  What I didn’t expect were thoughts of my brother, mostly the two of them making out and rolling around on his bed. Apparently they had done more than just sleep at the slumber party. I quickly pushed the thought away before I “saw” more than I wanted to.

  “Our brothers would kill us if they knew what we were doing,” I said, speaking my fears aloud.

  She glanced back at me and grinned. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. And I’m sure as hell not saying anything to either one of them. Let’s just hope we’re successful, we bind the grave, and we return home and our lives become peaceful again.”

  I hoped she was right. I needed peace. Scratch that, we all needed peace.

  “He likes you…a lot. I can tell.”

  “Really?” She slowed down, and fell into step beside me. “Has he said anything?”

  “Yeah, he asked me if I had a problem with him seeing you.”

  She actually looked nervous. “And what did you say?”

  “Do you seriously have to ask me that?” I said, surprised. “I kind of have a thing for your brother, too, you know? I’m assuming you don’t care that I’m seeing Kade, so why would I feel weird about you seeing Shane?”

  She grinned, obviously relieved. “We’re still sort of friends. I was relieved to hear about Joni and her boyfriend, though. I thought maybe I didn’t stand a chance in hell, especially since she’s so cute. He seemed really into her.”

  I wasn’t about to bring up Joni’s boyfriend since I didn’t know how much Shane had revealed to his friends. “Have you looked in the mirror?” I asked, and she nudged me and shook her head.

  Cait was definitely one of those girls who didn’t realize just how gorgeous she was, and I found that refreshing. I’m sure Shane did, too.

  I tripped over a tree root. The branches became so thick that they were hiding any sunlight from view, and I didn’t know if it was just my imagination, but I swore I heard movement behind us.

  Cait glanced at me, some of her bravado fleeing. “I’m sure it’s just an animal.”

  That was hardly reassuring. I hadn’t given any thought to animals until now. I’d been too terrified of supernatural beings to worry about anything in the living realm.

  “I brought a knife,” she said, reaching into the side pocket of her cargo pants. It was a pocketknife, and she flicked a button, exposing a long, shiny blade.

  My eyes widened. I didn’t know if a knife would be any help with Laria or any other ghost, but I’m sure it would come in handy if we came across an animal.

  “How much further do you think?”

  “Probably about an hour.”

  An hour! Oh my God.

  I distinctly heard footsteps behind me, running up on us. I stopped and turned, expecting someone to be there.

  Cait swallowed hard. Her gaze told me she had heard it, too.

  I saw a black figure move from one tree to the next, and then another flash, and yet another dark figure. The same hooded figures I’d seen before.

  “They’re here,” I said, trying to slow my racing heart.

  Cait’s eyes widened. Suddenly this wasn’t so exciting anymore.

  “Riiiilllleeeyyyyy,” I heard in my ear.

  I felt like I’d walked through a thick batch of cobwebs. I
wiped at my face and Cait looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I must have walked into a spiderweb or something.”

  The figures in the woods stopped, and then simultaneously they all turned to face me. I reached out and grabbed Cait’s hand. “We’re so screwed,” I said under my breath.

  Her eyes widened. “Where are they?”

  A dark, depressing feeling rushed through me. We were completely surrounded. “All around us.”

  I tried not to panic as icy fingers slid around the back of my neck.

  “You will leave here and you shall never return,” Laria whispered. I felt a burning sensation where her lips had touched the edge of my ear.

  “She’s telling us to leave and never return.”

  Cait stiffened her spine. “Where is she?”

  “Beside me.”

  “Leave her alone,” Cait said, staring off to my left. “Leave all of us alone. You are dead.”

  Laria was well aware she was dead, but I didn’t tell Cait that.

  “She’s on the other side,” I said, and Cait’s gaze shifted to my right shoulder.

  Laria’s nails bit into my shoulder. I gritted my teeth against the pain.

  “Mom, help us,” I said, under my breath.

  Laria’s laughter echoed in my mind. She was mocking me.

  Chill bumps raced up my back, along my spine, and made the hair on my arms stand on end.

  I took hold of Cait’s hand. “I ask for God and the angels to surround us, to protect us from evil.”

  Cait repeated my words over and over again, her voice ringing with conviction.

  Laria turned from me toward Cait, a slow smile spreading over her lips. She reached out and grabbed hold of her.

  At first it was like Cait didn’t feel anything, until Laria’s fingers slid around her neck and squeezed.

  Cait’s eyes widened in alarm, and then she looked at me in desperation, asking me without words to do something. Anything.

  I pushed Laria hard, and she didn’t budge. “Get off her!” I yelled.

  From the crowd of cloaked figures, a tall man stepped forward. He pushed the cowl back off his head.

  “Oh my God,” Cait said, and it was obvious by the terrified expression that she could see Randall as plainly as I did.