2.3

Chapter Two

Part Three

Tripping, I hit the ground hard. Scowling I clamped my hand around my ankle. Freaking fruit cake! Why was I always tripping onto or over things? With my headache gone, my mind had cleared up and suddenly I remembered something. When I was being hunted, this had happened too, but who had I been chasing after then?

Nothing was making sense. It was exactly as I had felt when I'd woken up this morning. Something important was missing. What was it? I didn't know.

The hairs on my skin prickled as I realized something else…wasn't it light out before? Leaning against the tree, I reached out my hand skimming the ground for what I had tripped on. It was so dark, I could hardly make anything out unless the wind moved the trees. I squished my hands closed. Bringing whatever it was closer to my face, I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but something said not to put it down.

I couldn't say what the sounds were. It was wet sounding and really, well, for lack of a better word, nasty. The noise came not too far away.

It made me feel sick again. Crouching, I crawled carefully and quietly. Closer and closer I came to the noise. I couldn't say how I knew which direction it was coming from, but my body just moved. It was being pulled by something. I moved slowly as the sounds grew louder.

My heart was in my ears. Pounding so loud I felt deaf from it. I felt like I was practically out of my skin, but for some unknown reason I couldn't stop moving. I had to see…what did I…need to see?

A foot. It was a pale naked foot, her toes painted, they sat dirty and bloody from running in the woods. It stretched, the toes straining to reach out, her other foot kicked. Something was holding her down. I knew that. I could feel that.

Peering around the thick brush I could see her pale leg bathed in moon light…her red dirty dress…and I screamed so loud I felt my throat crack from it.

In complete panic I sprang to my feet, ready to run for my life, but something grabbed me from behind. Turning on my heel I screamed, shoving at my attacker.

In that instance for a split second, instead of seeing Gavin I thought I saw someone else. It was a flicker of an image and I freaked out.

The night, without warning became bright. Like someone had just turned the lights on. Gavin, after shoving me away, crab walked it to the opposite tree. I'd fallen hard on the forest floor. "Your…your eyes," Gavin started shrieking pointing at me. He looked like he'd just peed himself.

"Gavin," I stuttered unable to string together a line of words. His dramatic reaction coupled with what I'd just experienced left me in a panic. I didn't know what just happened.

Shaking, I turned to look behind me. It was empty.

There had been a dead girl! I know there was. I scrambled on my knees; my hands outstretched, searching the forest floor as if I'd find something that wasn't even there. She was there, just a moment ago. I saw her, I know I did, and she was right there. Now she was gone.

I looked back at Gavin. His eyes were huge and his body trembling. Why had I seen someone else's face when Gavin had touched me? It was for just a split second. I couldn't even remember anything but…

"Circ…Circe why are…your…eyes… red?"

I fell back as if he'd dumped cold water on me. That image, the man had two glowing red eyes…

"Circe," Gavin whispered crawling to me timidly, "I think…I think we need to go."

I cried my voice smaller than a whisper, "I think…I think something is wrong with me…Gavin…I'm scared."

He moved towards me. Like two feathers he lightly touched my shoulders. I peered up at him empty. He murmured, "We need to go before anyone sees us. Ok?"

I clutched on to him shaking my head. We couldn't go. There had been a girl. I know there was, but she was gone now. I turned pointing at where her body had been.

"Circe," Gavin demanded interrupting me, "We need to go. Ok."

Yanking at me he struggled a bit. Even though I was small and looked light as a feather I was really heavy as a horse. "Please we've got to get out of here." Gavin firmly gripped me, looping his arm around me and up I went.

"God Circe? What the heck is going on with you?"

I shook my head. I didn't know. I had no freaking clue what just happened. Gavin craned his neck looking in every direction scouting for trouble, as if we weren't alone in the wood. That had me panic a bit.

"I heard you scream," he stated, "I'm sure they did too."

"Who?"

"The Police," he replied and I realized that I'd forgotten, "They just brought a body out. If they see us…"

I looked at him wide eyed. "A…a…a body?" I was horrified thinking it was the girl he'd met from last night.

Gavin looked down at me carefully. "Yea they brought out two bodies actually, and then you just booked it inside the woods."

I began to shake, my mind racing. It had to be just a quincidence but how could two bodies come from the same woods I had two men chasing me last night? There was definitely something I was missing. I could feel it. The huge chunk of time from last night, something was important but I couldn't remember it!

"What were you doing back there?"

I paused. Coming to a stop I looked up at him. "You didn't see a girl in a red dress?"

Gavin looked at me concerned. "Circe," he said softly, "I didn't see anyone but you, and you're starting to scare me."

It was if the ground underneath my feet had made its final shift, and now I was falling down the rabbit hole. Carefully and desperate I probed, "You didn't hear her screaming?"

"No. I didn't. I heard you scream."

"I…I…chased after a girl. She was in a red dress walking down the road," the words came out so fast. My eyes flooded with tears as he was confirming everything for me. "You didn't see her? You didn't see someone jerk her into the woods? Her…her…her red shoe? You didn't see those either?"

Gavin licked his lips. They'd gone dry and then clamped his mouth shut shaking his head. My head swam and my knee gave out. Gavin quickly caught me.

"Fuck," Gavin cursed shaking his head, "Circe! I didn't see any girl, but more what is going on with you?"

Confused, I blinked up at him. "Circe, your eyes aren't green anymore. I mean they're slowly turning back green, but back there they were red. The whole time back there," he pointed, "your iris was red."

My heart flipped.

"Something happened last night didn't it," he replied saying the exact same thing that was in my mind, "tell me. What happened?"

"I can't remember," I admitted, "I don't know how I got home but I do know last night, when I was here…two… men tried to kill me."

Gavin's arm tightened around me. "Someone tried to kill you," he exploded and then caught himself and then lowered his voice into a harsh whisper, "Are you kidding me, is that why you were at the police station?"

My next few words trailed off as my eyes grew large. I sucked in a deep breath recognizing something.

A red dress…Sarah had been found in a red dress. Abruptly, I wanted to go home or at least get to my phone. I wanted to look up Sarah's case again. Pushing away from him I limped to the tree line. Things were clicking like little gears inside my head, slowly fitting into place and beginning to spin.

I looked down towards the police. Her body had been found somewhere over there…but she'd been killed back where Gavin had chased me. I had two killers and Sarah only had only one. Was it possible someone hired them to kill me?

"Shit," Gavin's voice came from over my shoulder, "should we make a run for it or hide?"

Limping, I fast walked it with my brother across the road. Gavin helped me get around the car, when I dropped something. I'd forgotten about it. I had kept clutched something in my hand.

Bending down and using Gavin as my support he said, "Leave it just get in the car."

Dirty, and nasty from being in the woods, the little bag was brown and faded. Now in the grass I could see what it was. When she had it, the bag was red with a small thin strap. Now after over a year, it no longer held the same characteristics from that night.

In all my years of experiencing spirits I'd never physically been able to see them. Today without a question I had. Sarah wanted me to find this, to know where she had actually died… Why? Because I was the only person who could.

"Circe?"

"It's her bag," that's all I could say for a moment.

"Who's?" Gavin wondered aloud and then paused. A little slower than me, his gears finally started clicking too. He asked, "This belongs to that red dress lady, right?" When I nodded, he added, "She's dead isn't she?"

I pried the rusted clips open; my heart again was in my ears pounding. "I couldn't sense the girl when I went into the woods last night, and I don't know what it's different today. What I do know, is someone sent two men to kill me last night…and..."

"Two men are dead in the woods today," Gavin's voice trailed off.

My hand trembled as I picked out a dirty driver's license. Wiping the dirt and grime off of the card I stared at it. "This proves it." I know knew that with certainty. Not just because I'd seen it play out in front of my eyes but because I had the evidence in my hand.

Gavin took the card. Biting his lip, he flipped it over inspecting the other side as well. I knew he was nervous because we both shared that same nervous habit. If it got real bad it would bleed, and sure enough it did. Even this was too eerie for him.

"Sarah Vance," he read aloud.

"Gavin. Sarah Vance was murdered last year."

Startled, he quickly met my eyes, "And you just now saw her? A year later and you saw her in front of you like a real person? Not like a ghost but like a real live person?"

"She was real."

"I thought you couldn't see them?"

"I couldn't."

"Oh my God," Gavin let go of me and raked both hands through his hair.

"They still haven't found who killed her," I held her card up between us, "she wanted me to find this."

Gavin turned to look at me. His hands still behind his head. I looked at my brother, more sure than anything I'd ever said in my life.

"She wanted me to know she was taken off the road where I saw her," I began to cry again, the emotions more than I could handle. "She was walking down the road with her shoes off, she had her hand bag and shoes in hand. Why was she walking down this road? Why did they move her body? HELL, who was she walking away from before she was kidnapped? I saw someone… kill her Gavin. I actually saw her being murdered."

Going around me to open the door, Gavin shook his shaggy head. "Circe, we don't know what happened, but we do know that two men were just found in the woods where you were last night."

A quick yelp and I heard the sirens start. It made everything so much more real. Somehow, I felt more exposed than before, as if my safety net had been stripped from me. Gavin shoved me inside, buckled me up, and shut the door.

I saw two of the cop cars making U turns to head back in our direction. I watched their flashing lights, praying they wouldn't notice us.

"Circe," Gavin said hopping in the car, "don't worry about it. I'll figure out something."

"I didn't kill them," I said desperately.

He looked at me alarmed that I would even suggest it. "Circe, I know you didn't. We'll just have to figure out something. Maybe I'll call Frank but first let's get out of here."

I didn't want him to call Frank. That was the last thing I wanted to do. He was our mom's childhood friend and I always felt guilty when we needed to call him. It wasn't his job to get our family out of trouble, and yet he never complained. This time was different though. It was my fault and I was supposed to be the well behaved one.

Gavin pulled back out on to the road and drove as a few of the cop cars flew past us again. I closed my eyes.

"Is this what it's like for you? When you," I didn't know how to say it. What I wanted to ask was, if this was what it was like, getting in trouble for being gifted. I'd not done anything, and yet the cops, they could say I had. I didn't have proof and that was a scary thought. Could they say I killed those two men, even though I didn't?

Not looking at me he grimaced, "Yea, I'm not going to lie. It's scary. That's why it's nice having Frank, that fart cracker of a cousin, Danny, he doesn't do shit. I ain't holding out for him to save my butt. I'd die in prison first."

That was the truth. Danny probably wouldn't say peep about it.

"Listen Circe, get some sleep tonight. We'll think of something tomorrow. Maybe I'll give Frank a heads up about the whole thing," Gavin paused, "You never told me exactly why you were at the station today?"

I looked down at my hands, "Danny thought I should make a police report." I didn't tell him that the reason was Sarah.

Gavin shook his head as he fixed his rearview mirror. "It's just a shit show today," he replied, "you get almost killed. Those killers might be the two bodies up a head, and then on top of all of that, you see a ghost in person for the first time. Is that everything? God, I hope it's everything."

Wow. This was the first time Gavin had ever lectured me. I didn't like wearing the shoe on the other foot.

Both of us fell silent as we drove by the cops. I mean I knew they couldn't hear us but somehow, I still felt scared. Just as we were driving by, Danny emerged from the woods. He looked up just as I turned away. Would he have put two and two together? I was scared. Really scared because I wasn't sure if he'd blame me.

We dove on for a bit. Gavin seemed really preoccupied with his own thoughts and I mine. It seemed like Sarah was reaching out to me. Somehow, I got tangled into her case and I wasn't sure if I should get involved or not. Then again, it didn't feel like I had much of a choice either.

"We should keep quiet, " he said. I turned looking at my brother. He faced me, "Nana doesn't need to know. I think it's probably best if we just…keep our nose out of it and let it blow over."

I bit my lip because I wasn't confidant that that would be possible. Nana was intuitive and sometimes she already knew what you were going to say before it came out.

"This might really worry Nana. I mean I get in trouble on a monthly basis but you? You never get in trouble."

His comment felt like a knife, stabbing stright through my heart. "I don't want her getting sick either but I'm not sure I can stay out of it Gavin."

Gavin cocked his head confused, "It's simple Circe. Stop."

I sighed, "I don't know if it's possible."

"It is."

I narrowed my eyes. Oh, that was rich coming from Mr. Handsy beside me. I make one boo boo and hall Hell breaks loose.

"Whatever,"he added a bit later, "but you're not working this case anymore."

"Gavin, they knew my name."

He slammed on the brakes slinging everything in the car around, including my brain.

"WHAT?"

Nodding I said gravely, "They know your name too…and…"

"Do they know about Nana?"

When I didn't say anything he said softly, "Shit."

Worried I looked behind us making sure nobody was coming around the bend. Gavin really couldn't just stop driving on a two lane country road.

"This is just shit," he said desolate, " you're screwed if you work the job and your screwed if you don't."

Well if that didn't sum it up, I didn't know what would. Guilt overwhelmed me as I sat there next to him. I was going to get my family killed all because I took a job.

"Ok," Gavin pulled himself together driving again, "we reconvene after dinner. I want you to tell me everything Circe. EVERYTHING!"

I would but even I didn't know everything.