Crossing Over

Chapter 3

Andra was still caught up in her thoughts when there was a loud rap on her driver's side window. She jumped, feeling her heart fly into her throat, even as she recognized the smiling face on the other side of the glass.

Cameron's unruly hair fell across his forehead and over one eye. He wore tan cargo shorts and a plain black fitted tee that showed off his athletic build.

The window was up but she could still hear the snort of amusement that escaped his lips as he attempted not to laugh. The scowl she shot in his direction did little to help the situation.

"Many more scares like that and the next ghost story I'm covering will be from beyond the grave," Andra grumbled loudly as she opened the door and stepped out swatting at him playfully as she did so. "You gave me a heart attack!" 

He tried to duck out of the way but was laughing too hard and her fingers just grazed his arm. "Sorry An. I didn't mean to scare you but you were completely zoned out. I couldn't help myself."

Her stomach did a weird little flip-flop at the sound of the, now common, nickname he had given her. Putting her hands on her hips in mock frustration she glowered at him.

Cameron threw his hands up in surrender and feigning a look of innocence tried his best to keep a straight face. "I come in peace."

"Fine." She said, "You're forgiven, but just this once."

He put a hand out and tugged on one of her curls playfully.

"I knew you couldn't stay mad at me. Come on let's go and I'll buy you breakfast, just to show you how sorry I am."

"Good." She replied. "I'm starving." He chuckled quietly to himself as they stepped up onto the sidewalk and headed toward the front door of the restaurant.

The diner was a little brick building located on the town's main strip. It sat sandwiched between a Dollar General on the right and a vintage clothing store on the left called Angelic Threads.

The actual name of the quaint establishment was Mickey's Diner. Mickey himself had been dead for years now and the place had changed hands several times since then without being renamed. After a time, the locals just started referring to it as the diner and now only people from out of town bothered to call it by its proper name.

Stepping through the door, Andra had the disorienting feeling of falling through some kind of time warp into the 1950s. The floor was done in a shiny black and white checker pattern and there was a long counter that ran down one side of the room that separated the dining area from the wait staff and the cooks. You could seat yourself at the counter on one of a dozen or so stools that shone silver at the bottom with a large red cushion on top. There were a few round white tables scattered around the room where people could sit but the majority of the patrons ended up in one of the many booths that ran along the walls. The dividers between the booths were painted black and stood just high enough to offer some privacy from the other guests. The seats were the same red as the stools at the counter and the tables a creamy white.

Cameron led Andra to an open booth at the back of the restaurant. He slid in across from her facing the door. What they had to talk about today needed to stay private.

A bubbly blonde teen with pink streaks coloring the tips of her hair practically danced over to their table to give them their menus. Andra didn't miss the way that her eyes lingered on Cameron just a little longer than was appropriate as she took their drink orders. She hurried off to retrieve the two coffees they had ordered, casting one last look over her shoulder at Cameron as she left.

As soon as the waitress was out of earshot he leaned toward Andra smiling like he had just won the lottery.

"You're not going to believe what I found out." He said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"What is it?" She asked him, unable to keep from smiling herself. His excitement was contagious.

Before he could answer, the waitress was back with their coffees and to take their breakfast order.

Her constant staring was beginning to get to Andra and without even thinking about it she reached across the table and grabbed Cameron's hand. He shot a surprised look at her and she grinned mischievously.

"So babe, what are you getting?" The waitress's face went a deep scarlet and she didn't look up from her notepad again as she quickly took their orders and moved on to the next table.

As she walked away, Cameron looked down at his and Andra's still linked hands and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. "Babe?"

Andra blushed deeply and pulled her hand back.

"How are we supposed to have a serious conversation with her drooling all over you? Besides who does that? She sees you're here with someone. It's a little rude." 

Cameron smiled. "It couldn't be that my partner in crime is jealous could it?"

She didn't think it possible that she could blush any harder. Her face felt like it was over an open flame.

"I'm not jealous she's just annoying. But to prove it to you, if you think she's so beautiful as soon as we're done here, I will personally give her your number myself."

His face became more serious now. "Andra, I don't think she's beautiful. I couldn't tell you what she is. I haven't seen anyone but you since you stepped out of the car this morning."

Andra's heart did a weird little stutter step inside her chest and she dropped her eyes to the table. "Fine," she said "now that that's settled what's this amazing news that you have for me?"

His eyes were dancing now as he grinned and started flipping through his phone.

"Well, it's not news really, more like evidence."

He had her attention now. She leaned toward him trying to see what he was doing, but when he flipped the phone around to show her she wasn't sure what she was looking at.

It was a picture of what appeared to be the living area of a house. There was a fireplace on the wall directly in front of the person taking the picture. Above the mantle was a large mirror. There was a tan sofa that sat in front of the fireplace but from the angle, the picture was taken only the back of it was visible. Andra could see the edge of a wooden coffee table just in front of the sofa and what appeared to be a loveseat to the right with the two forming an L shape in the center of the room. A large tan recliner sat to the left of the sofa. The walls were painted a creamy white and the floors were made of a dark hardwood but the focal point of the photo was the white misty shape floating a few inches off the floor just between the fireplace and the recliner. It was smoky looking in appearance and Andra noted that she could see the wall and the fireplace mantle through the mass. Whatever it was seemed brighter than the room around it.

"What am I looking at exactly?" She asked Cameron, still staring intently at the picture.

"You, my dear, are staring at a picture taken from inside Savannah Miles's house."

"Are you serious?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes ma'am." He answered back. "In fact that white mist there," he said tapping the phone screen "is most likely our ghost. That is if what I was told was true."

"What do you mean what you were told? " She asked him forgetting to keep her voice down. A few people turned to watch them as she dropped her voice an octave or so.

"Cameron where did you get this?"

"Well," he said slowly "it's kind of a long story."

"We have plenty of time." She said

"Oh, I imagine we do." He told her starting to laugh again. "I don't think that waitress will be back anytime soon."

She scowled at him again. "Cameron seriously!"

"Alright, alright," he said trying to get himself under control. "I guess we have time for a short story."