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Authors: Jools Sinclair
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came up front and we worked next to each other. I decided that it was nice working with Mo after all.
I pulled down the blinds while Mo turned up a song by Rural Demons, a local band that sounded like a cross between a young Steve Earle and Edgar Allan Poe. She counted out the register. She was fast and took the money back to the safe.
I still didn’t know much about Mo, but David could be counted on to pass along any gossip he heard about her. Like about how she had just broken up with the lead singer in her band. And about how Mike was trying to promote her into a management position for the new branch, but she didn’t want to do it.
It had taken a while, but I finally realized that Mo and I both were at Bend High for a year. When I was a freshman, she was a senior. But back then she had real long, black hair and didn’t have the tattoos or piercings. She looked totally different, which was probably why it had taken me so long to put it together.
I started sweeping the floor for the last time. I was humming along to the music but stopped suddenly, letting go of the broom.
The ghost boy was sitting at the last table, staring at me.
My heart thundered in my chest. It was time to figure out what he wanted.
I gathered up my courage and inched closer. I could see his scars clearly now, deep and dark across his face and arms. He had been in an accident, I was sure of that. A real bad accident.
I made my way over toward him. He was sitting on one of the chairs, his feet crossed in front of him. We looked at each other for a long time.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low. I didn’t want Mo to hear me talking out loud, thinking I was insane.
“I’m Spenser,” he finally said, nodding.
“Hi, Spenser,” I said. “So how old are you?”
“Twelve,” he said, looking around the coffee shop.
His dark hair was straight and thin, hanging past his shoulders. His pale skin bright against the shadows behind him.
I tried to seem relaxed so I wouldn’t scare him away. But when I looked up at him again I saw that he was fading, disappearing before my eyes.
“Do you need my help with something?” I asked, feeling my knees buckle.
“I… I… messed up,” he said softly.
“Messed up? What do you mean?” I asked.
He just nodded, and looked back up at me, his eyes urgent.
“Time is running out,” he said.
I heard Mo come out from the back and he vanished, like he had never even been there.
“Okay, you almost done?” she shouted to me over the music. “Time to get outta here.”
“Yeah,” I said, taking off the apron, rubbing my arms to chase away the chills.
What did he mean I was running out of time?
At least I had a name. Spenser. It was a beginning.
We quickly finished boxing up the day-old muffins for the homeless shelter and left them on the counter for the pickup in the morning and grabbed our stuff and headed toward the door.
I turned abruptly to ask her if she had turned the lights off in the back when I caught sight of her arm and dropped my car keys on the floor.
“Oops,” Mo said sarcastically.
But I just stood there, paralyzed, staring.
“Need help?” she said.
I nodded, but couldn’t pry my eyes off the tattoo on her arm. I hadn’t ever seen that one before.
It was a face.
It was Spenser.
CHAPTER 14
I drove home in the dark, a combination of white flakes and rain falling steadily on the windshield, the wipers on high and the heat shooting out from all the vents.
As I headed down Bond, I was wishing that Jesse would just appear out of nowhere and be here next to me in the passenger’s seat. I hadn’t seen much of him lately and now, after seeing the ghost and seeing Mo’s tattooed arm, I needed his help. I needed to talk to someone.
On the other hand, I knew he wouldn’t want me to get involved with a ghost. The words were already on my tongue, but I held back from calling his name, from asking for help,
Maybe I could talk to Kate. It was time to
I pulled down the blinds while Mo turned up a song by Rural Demons, a local band that sounded like a cross between a young Steve Earle and Edgar Allan Poe. She counted out the register. She was fast and took the money back to the safe.
I still didn’t know much about Mo, but David could be counted on to pass along any gossip he heard about her. Like about how she had just broken up with the lead singer in her band. And about how Mike was trying to promote her into a management position for the new branch, but she didn’t want to do it.
It had taken a while, but I finally realized that Mo and I both were at Bend High for a year. When I was a freshman, she was a senior. But back then she had real long, black hair and didn’t have the tattoos or piercings. She looked totally different, which was probably why it had taken me so long to put it together.
I started sweeping the floor for the last time. I was humming along to the music but stopped suddenly, letting go of the broom.
The ghost boy was sitting at the last table, staring at me.
My heart thundered in my chest. It was time to figure out what he wanted.
I gathered up my courage and inched closer. I could see his scars clearly now, deep and dark across his face and arms. He had been in an accident, I was sure of that. A real bad accident.
I made my way over toward him. He was sitting on one of the chairs, his feet crossed in front of him. We looked at each other for a long time.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low. I didn’t want Mo to hear me talking out loud, thinking I was insane.
“I’m Spenser,” he finally said, nodding.
“Hi, Spenser,” I said. “So how old are you?”
“Twelve,” he said, looking around the coffee shop.
His dark hair was straight and thin, hanging past his shoulders. His pale skin bright against the shadows behind him.
I tried to seem relaxed so I wouldn’t scare him away. But when I looked up at him again I saw that he was fading, disappearing before my eyes.
“Do you need my help with something?” I asked, feeling my knees buckle.
“I… I… messed up,” he said softly.
“Messed up? What do you mean?” I asked.
He just nodded, and looked back up at me, his eyes urgent.
“Time is running out,” he said.
I heard Mo come out from the back and he vanished, like he had never even been there.
“Okay, you almost done?” she shouted to me over the music. “Time to get outta here.”
“Yeah,” I said, taking off the apron, rubbing my arms to chase away the chills.
What did he mean I was running out of time?
At least I had a name. Spenser. It was a beginning.
We quickly finished boxing up the day-old muffins for the homeless shelter and left them on the counter for the pickup in the morning and grabbed our stuff and headed toward the door.
I turned abruptly to ask her if she had turned the lights off in the back when I caught sight of her arm and dropped my car keys on the floor.
“Oops,” Mo said sarcastically.
But I just stood there, paralyzed, staring.
“Need help?” she said.
I nodded, but couldn’t pry my eyes off the tattoo on her arm. I hadn’t ever seen that one before.
It was a face.
It was Spenser.
CHAPTER 14
I drove home in the dark, a combination of white flakes and rain falling steadily on the windshield, the wipers on high and the heat shooting out from all the vents.
As I headed down Bond, I was wishing that Jesse would just appear out of nowhere and be here next to me in the passenger’s seat. I hadn’t seen much of him lately and now, after seeing the ghost and seeing Mo’s tattooed arm, I needed his help. I needed to talk to someone.
On the other hand, I knew he wouldn’t want me to get involved with a ghost. The words were already on my tongue, but I held back from calling his name, from asking for help,
Maybe I could talk to Kate. It was time to
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