The Ghost Files

Chapter Twenty One

Thirty minutes later, Dan is sipping his double something or other frappe latte. His order nearly made me cross my eyes trying to keep up with all the extra stuff he added. I still don't get what everyone sees in all those overpriced flavored coffees. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my caramel macchiato from Starbucks, but even I can't see paying five dollars every couple of hours for coffee. You'd spend an entire paycheck in less than a few days on the stuff.

The place is nice, though. There are over-stuffed chairs and couches scattered around small, cozy tables. Several students are sipping coffee and studying while others are just hanging out and having fun. It's very relaxing, especially after the whole strangulation thing a few minutes ago.  I'd texted Dr. Olivet to let him know where we were and what table to find.  I hope he gets here.

"Explain."

I wince at Dan's clipped words. I can see the worry on his face, so I can ignore the steel in his voice. He's upset, but then again, so am I. He wasn't the one who nearly had the life literally choked from him. Why should I try to explain? He pretty much just admitted on the way over he didn't believe me. Oh, wait, he believed I believed it. Did that mean I had some kind of mental break and choked myself? Mattie the orphan who thinks she sees dead people. Nutcase he just feels sorry for.

"Why should I?" I snarl back. "It's not like you're going to believe me anyway."

He sighs.  "Mattie..."

"No," I whisper. "I trusted you, thought you believed me, but you don't. So don't sit there and pretend you do now."

He rubs his forehead tiredly. "I'm trying, okay? It's hard to believe, but I'm trying to keep an open mind here. So please, tell me what happened in there."

It's my turn to sigh. I sip my tea and debate on if I should tell him a ghost tried to strangle me or not. It'll only make the crazy girl look even crazier. Do I really want to open myself up to that kind of ridicule? Though to be fair, Dan has never once made me feel like a freak when I told him about my ghost girl abilities. He just blinks and nods. Usually.

"There was a ghost on the stage. He wasn't there in the beginning. He sorta just appeared."

"Was that when all the equipment on stage started to go crazy?"

I nod cautiously. At least the ghost gear gave me a little credibility here. "He was angry and no, I don't know why. He jumped off the stage and headed right for me. I knew something bad was gonna happen and I had to get out of there. He didn't say a word, just started to strangle me even before we got out. I couldn't breathe. The more I fought, the more he squeezed."

My hands creep back up to my neck. I had zipped my jacket all the way up earlier to hide the marks, but I can still feel them there. "I got mad. No way was I gonna let another freaking ghost hurt me. I remember thinking really hard that I wanted his hands to move and..."

"There was a light," Dan whispers. "I saw it. If I'd blinked, I wouldn't have seen it, but it sorta flared up around you and then you were breathing again. Mason came out and distracted me about the same time."

"So maybe I'm not so crazy then, Officer Dan?"

His eyes are wide, but he's not shaking his head in denial at least. That's something. I know I have marks on my throat. Mason had been yelling about them. Even Dan can't explain those away. Maybe my getting hurt today actually helped my case with him. He's a cop. He believes in what he sees with his own two eyes and the strangulation marks on my neck are real.

Time to switch topics. His not believing me feels too much like a betrayal. "I figured out why Mirror Boys was so familiar to me."

He blinks.  "Mirror Boy?"