Page 81 of A Love Like Candle Light

Kieran and I exchange a look. She’s not from here. Neither were the O’Briens. My eyes widen. Heart racing in my chest.

“Are you Elizabeth?" It slips out before I can stop it. All of a sudden, one of the candles flickers.

Only one. Right in the middle.

Impossible for a draft to cause it. They’re so close, a draft would make all of them flicker, not one of seven. Not a chance.

“Kieran? I’m scared," I mumble and stare at it as if it might attack me the moment I avert my eyes. My heart is beating so fast and so hard I'm afraid I'll have a heart attack. Which would be one way to get confirmation who this ghost is, I guess, however I’m kind of attached to my life here.

All of a sudden, the planchette moves again.

B.

I.

“Huh?” I watch the letters appear in the planchette hole. "Is she trying to spell O'Brien? Or telling us to end the conversation?" However, it keeps moving between only those two letters.

Kieran stares at the board, white as if he just literally saw a ghost.

T. E. L. L. T. H. E. M.

“Huh? Tell who what?”

"Hey, Elizabeth." His voice is shaky all of a sudden. "It was lovely chatting with you, but maybe it's time we leave you to it. Have a nice evening, and don't haunt either of us, okay? Sorry for disturbing you. Bye."

He pulls his fingers back from the planchette as if he got an electrical shock from it. So do I.

The exact moment my fingers leave it, the candle stops flickering. However, Abby and Dick are not only curious anymore. They’re alert, staring at nothing on the other side of the table intently.

Kieran and I shoot each other a wide-eyed look.

"Slumber party at Lauren's?" Kieran proposes. Immediately, I jump up and flick on the lights.

"Yes. No offense but getting out of here is the best idea you had all evening."

There's no hesitation on my side, as I reach for Abby's leash. Sensing my panic, she comes right up to me.

I am so not sleeping here, much less alone, tonight, now that the ghost is confirmed. At least now we know it’s Elizabeth, but we still have no confirmation she’s actually Svetty.

"Let’s get out of here." Kieran clips Dick's leash on, and off we are to hang out with our other friendly neighbor.

Chapter 27

Kylie

I stare up at the dark facade of Wayward Hollow’s antique store and gulp. This store is giving me the same heebie-jeebies talking to the ghost did.

“It’s spooky, right?” Kieran mumbles, and I nod. Is it too late to turn around and run?

So many people told me to pay Amanda a visit about my ghost roommate and today is the day. Since Kieran is my ghost-buddy, I made him come along. We left our dogs at Caleb’s, sprayed ourselves with the holy water from the water gun and here we are. Ready to pay Amanda, Nic and Lauren a visit in the antique store.

It’s so eerie. There’s a spiderweb in the corner of the entrance, and I stare at it as though it might attack me.

“Why are you apprehensive? You’ve lived here for over a year. Haven’t you been in there before?”

“Nope.” Kieran immediately shakes his head. “The place always gave me the creeps.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” I take a step towards the front door, but before my fingers even reach the knob, it flies open.