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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 11 | Late Noon
I was an aching, yearning pile of flesh lying in bed next to Mys as Zyr dragged himself up between us. Oh, but we aren't done, his eyes seemed to say. My lips parted in anticipation. Tegan's absence gave us room to unleash the fear and passion building between us.
The simply adorned cabin got torn apart as the puddles of sunlight stretched from pale morning slivers to late noon slants through the dusty windows. Hours had passed. The bedcovers wound up scattered. Chairs at the kitchen table were thrown aside as we traversed the space.
The laptop on the table kept flashing different angles of the surrounding woods where nothing untoward stirred, and the weather radio stood silent sentinel waiting to warn of the next hurricane update. But nothing else was left as it should be.
When we finally came to ourselves, I stared at claw marks that raked the log cabin wall, as Mys held up a sofa cushion that had been rendered a tattered piece of foam. We both laughed until my roommate looked at me closer and bolted upright on the couch.
"Wow, Yokai. If you were living, that would leave a scar." They pointed.
I inspected myself. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed. Zyr lifted his head from the floor where he had collapsed midway between the bed and the sofa. He swore in Punjabi and shoved to his feet to stumble to where I lay sprawled on the mattress.
"Let me see. Let me, Aurie," he demanded as I tried to wave him off. His brow crinkled with concern. Somehow, he had managed to leave wicked claw marks down my side from the bottom of my rib cage to the top of my hip. The wounds didn't bleed, but they were fresh.
"Don't worry about it. I feel nothing," I scoffed.
"It's not safe. I'm going feral. I should've known better," Zyr said in a tremulous voice. He retreated a few steps.
"I told you, I'm okay! Chill." I tried to smile, but the puzzled expression on my roommate's face gave me pause. Mys came closer to examine the marks. I lifted my arm and twisted to see for myself. How, though? I wondered. How could a ghost be injured?
"This isn't natural," Mys intoned.
The detective's Adam's apple bobbed. "No, it's not. Because Aurie isn't your average, run-of-the-mill ghost, as I've tried to explain from day one," he said thickly.
The half-smile froze on my lips. "Then what am I?" I asked. I hugged myself as I sat up. I felt sick. This was what Tegan had asked about. One last secret between us despite Zyr giving his word there would be no more.
He shoved his hands through his hair, his tortured face contorting with raw emotion. "If I tell you, you could crack up worse than I am right now," he breathed.
I made a sound of disbelief.
Mys raised both hands in a mollifying act. "Alright, let's keep calm and-and sort this out. Zyr, pull yourself together. You're on the verge of a shift. That's the last thing we need at the moment. Take a breather. I'm, uh, gonna get cleaned up, and we'll have a nice chat. Is that fine with the two of you?" My roommate slipped off to the bathroom before I could reply. The sound of the showerhead quickly filled the cabin.
