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"No, but ghosts can speak through the wind, and I can speak to ghosts." And then his eyes lit up with a golden light, and I noticed that, standing behind Kaylin Chen, stood two translucent figures. Neither one seemed to realize that I could see them.
Kaylin blinked. "What are you looking at?" Then, he relaxed. "You can see them." He spoke so softly that Leo and Rhiannon didn't hear him.
"Yeah, but I don't think the spirits know I can."
"Probably not. They're attuned to me on a level I can't explain, and very few ever know they're with me. Even gifted psychics usually don't tune in to them." He turned to Leo. They clasped arms. "Good to see you, bro. It's been a long time."
"You, too, dude. You been staying out of trouble?"
"As much as I can," Kaylin said. He saluted Rhiannon, who waved.
"You want breakfast?" She flashed him a wide smile and her eyes sparkled.
Kaylin nodded. "Not about to say no."
"Come on, Cicely. Let's cook while we fill him in on what's going on."
I stared at her for a moment. She'd just about bit off Leo's head for asking her to cook breakfast; now she was volunteering the both of us. I glanced back at Kaylin and he winked at me. A glint in his eyes twinkled and I felt a sudden desire to make him happy.
"Dude, you have some sort of charm going on?"
He shrugged. "Only my natural demeanor."
"Right. Come on, Rhia. Let's get breakfast under way."
Kaylin followed the rest of us into the kitchen. His gaze fluttered back to me as he turned one of the chairs around and swung one leg over the seat, coming to rest his elbows on the back of it.
"So, Cicely, you're Rhiannon's cousin?"
"Here, you're on toast duty." I thrust the bread into his hands. "And yes, I'm Rhia's cousin." While Rhiannon whipped eggs for omelets, I dug through the fridge for a ham I'd seen earlier and began cubing the meat to go in the eggs.
"Then you're in off the pipelines," he said, pulling his chair over to the counter where he began to toast the bread. I handed him the butter and as the slices came popping out of the toaster, he spread them thickly and covered the stack with a tea towel to keep the toast warm.
I gave him a questioning look, but it was Rhiannon who answered. "Pipelines--that's what Kaylin calls the freeways."
Curious, I thought, but didn't ask why. Instead, I examined the two spirits who stood by his back. As I let myself drift, listening to the wind, I realized that they were a man and a woman, both dressed in long white robes that sparkled with golden embroidery. They seemed oblivious to me, standing at attention, focused solely on Kaylin, almost as if they were guarding him. And then, I knew who they were.
"They're your parents."
Kaylin shifted, barely, but enough to tell me I'd nailed it. He set down the loaf and gazed at me. "How can you tell?"
"It makes sense. The way they're standing reminds me of the cops--or security guards."
Rhiannon scrambled the eggs and ham, sprinkling in a handful of grated cheese, then divided them onto four plates. She glanced up from her work, frowning at the both of us. "What are you two talking about?"
"Cicely can see something neither of you can." He shrugged. "My family has my back. Literally. My parents' spirits travel with me, watch out for me, tell me who to avoid. They don't know everything, but it gives me an edge and I'm trying to get them to help me look for my best friend's killer."
"Then you think the Indigo Court staged his car wreck?" I asked.
"The Indigo Court? I'm not familiar with the name." He finished up the toast and brought it over to the table. "But I know something's taken control of the town and whatever it is, it was responsible for my bro's death. Derek was one of a kind . . . he didn't make simple mistakes like driving when he was too tired."
"You willing to go up against his murderers?" Leo asked.
Kaylin gave us a long look. "I've been looking for a way to fight whatever this force is for months now. I'm already on the front lines."
I bit my lip, trying to decide just how I felt about him. But Leo and Rhia trusted him and they'd know better than I would. "You willing to take a little trip out into the ravine with us today? We're looking for Heather, and for Peyton Moon Runner."
"Haven't got anything else to do. Sure." He dug into breakfast with such gusto that I wondered how long it had been since he'd eaten. But he didn't look poor. In fact, his clothing looked remarkably well made and expensive. Kaylin was an odd duck and I wanted to know more.
