Page 44 of Buried in the Woods Below

Her voice shifts suddenly serious. “What did he tell you exactly?”

“He said there was a little girl who fell off a Ferris wheel, like…” I pause, not wanting to bring up the past.

Olivia turns and looks at me. “Like me, you mean?”

I drop my head. “Yeah, like you.”

She turns fully now, facing me.

“You know that wasn’t your fault, right? I was showing off, and I went too far.” Her eyes hunt mine, demanding contact.

“I know, but I could have grabbed you.” I pause a beat, and my voice cracks. “I should have grabbed you.”

Olivia looks out over the water. A pontoon boat moseys by in the distance, sending a soft ripple through the lake. “We were twelve years old, CharBar. It was a stupid mistake. I’m over it. You should get over it too.”

“I know.” I nod, but the guilt hangs in my chest like a boulder.

She studies me a second longer, then shifts gears, tapping her nails against her teeth, bottled energy oozing off her. “What else did Russ tell you about the ghost?” I keep waiting for her to smile, but her gaze remains intense.

I sink my paddle deeper into the water, savoring the resistance against my muscles. “Why are you so interested in this alleged ghost? You don’t seriously believe there’s a ghost, do you?”

She looks up at the sky and swallows, pulling the drawstrings on her sweatshirt. “Honestly, I don’t know. I think I’ve seen her. Outside my bedroom in the night.”

I splash her with water from my oar. “Shut up.”

She flinches but doesn’t laugh. Her leg taps up and down now. “I’m serious.”

I resume paddling, bringing us around the north side of the island. A sleek modern house looks out over the lake, with black stone steps running up the left side.

“So, you’re telling me you think the ghost of a girl who fell off a Ferris wheel in 1908 is hanging outside your bedroom window?”

She rolls her eyes. “I knew you were going to give me shit.”

“What does she look like, this mysterious phantom?”

“I don’t really know. Both times I was dead asleep when it happened. I heard a noise outside my window. I pulled the curtains to see what it was. There was nothing there. Then I glimpsed a dark-haired girl slip around the corner.”

My mind flicks to the other night when I heard a crunching sound outside my window. “And you’re positive you saw this girl?”

“No. It was the middle of the night. I was half asleep. But it rattled me. Then, when I hear Russ Neuman talking about ghosts, it just made me think.”

I don’t respond. I have enough problems with this island without adding ghosts to the mix.

Olivia presses. “What are you thinking?”

I sigh. “I think I’m going to go home this afternoon, Liv.”

She snaps around in her seat. “What? You just got here.”

“I know. But I don’t belong here. Your dog just died; you’ve got crazy neighbors leaving notes. Your mom hates me. I should leave.”

“First, my mom doesn’t hate you. She’s just been under a lot of stress. Second, she’s gone now, so you don’t have to deal with her anymore. And yes, I’m heartbroken about Heathcliff, and Russ Neuman is extremely cringe-inducing, but that’s why you have to stay. I need my CharBar here to make me smile.” She flashes me her biggest, brightest grin and bats her fairy lashes exaggeratedly.

“I don’t know. You’ve been getting along just fine without me for the past seventeen years.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to go another seventeen years. Plus, who’s going to help me and Dad take care of the twins? You can’t leave me alone with those hellions.”

A smile escapes, and I feel myself breaking. “I don’t know. I’m probably a negative when it comes to childcare. You’ll be better off without me.”