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To my surprise, when I open the door, the hulking frame of Hex stands there. I look at Daisy in shock, and she smiles wide and runs at her uncle Hex with abandon. I’m sure it was wishful thinking that he’d be at the door. But a part of me thinks she knew it was him. The thought unnerves me. She’s old enough to start displayinggifts, but I hoped to spare her that fate.
I turn my attention to my wayfaring friend, embracing him tightly.
“Welcome home, mon ami,” I say with joy. I missed him too. “Was I expecting you?”
“I doubt it.” He laughs. “I wasn’t expecting to be back now myself, but Tory insisted I was needed home. You know I can’t say no when my best friend calls.”
“Was Juliana sad to leave early?” I ask, knowing the couple’s main reason to go to Brazil is to see her family.
He laughs and shakes his head. “I think she was glad to have a reason to leave early. She loves her family, but she missed being here. We’re ready to put down real roots.”
I nod, thinking of the apartment they recently bought. It’s a small place without much charm. Once my wife gets her hands on it, it’ll be the apartment of Juliana’s dreams. I’ve learned in my marriage that her taste is better than mine. Or, at least, life is easier when I give in to her taste. Happy wife, happy life and all that.
I invite Hex inside, and he picks up Daisy and spins her around in a circle, causing her to scream in delight. When he sets her down, she runs back to her spot and talks excitedly to her imaginary friend again. Hex watches her go with interest, then turns to me.
“How long has Cassandra been visiting the house?” he asks, taking me by surprise.
Cassandra was a pain-in-the-ass ghost at the main house, always causing trouble with the electrical system when she didn’t get her way. She died at eight years old. Even in death, she was in a perpetual state of childhood. Only one person could see her or interact with her, and that was Hex. When he was out of the country, she was insufferable. It was one of the big reasons I was happy to move into my own home.
The fact she’s in my house playing with my daughter is a shock. I’d assumed she had an imaginary friend like most kids. Now that I know she’s been conversing with a ghost, I’m concerned. I look at Hex, apprehensive.
“My daughter sees ghosts?” I ask him, horrified. There was a chance she’d have a gift, but I hoped desperately that she wouldn’t. Life is hard enough without one. I know how much seeing ghosts has messed with Hex’s life. I want to spare my daughter from that fate.
“Breathe, Prez.” He laughs. Despite the fact I stepped down as president four years ago, he still uses the moniker. “Most young kids see ghosts. Invisible friends are almost always ghosts, but normal people don’t realize that. She’ll grow out of it in time.”
The news takes me by surprise. I don’t remember seeing any ghosts as a kid, but my childhood was filled with more trauma than most. I shake my head, deciding this isn’t the best use of my mental energy. There are other more pressing things on my mind now that Hex is here.
We move to the kitchen table. I make him a cup of coffee while he watches Daisy and, apparently, Cassandra talking with one another. Hex has always had a soft spot for the young ghost. I imagine seeing her with a friend is nice for him. Even if it freaks me out.
“Did you know Seer’s brought in an undercover cop?” I ask him, shifting the subject to what’s been weighing on me for days.
Hex looks up at me in surprise. “You’re kidding. What the hell is he thinking?”
“That’s exactly what I want to know,” I tell him. “He’s putting the entire club at risk having the guy there. They’re going to think he’s a new recruit.”
I drop my head into my hands and groan. This won’t go well for anyone, and I know it. But I can’t usurp Seer’s authority or talk shit about him to the others. Except Hex. He knows more than anyone how difficult this transition has been.
“Just let it play out,” Hex tells me seriously. “Maybe it’s a bad decision, but it’s Seer’s decision to make. If he crashes and burns, it’s on him. You can only control yourself.”
I look at him suspiciously. Since when did he get so wise?
He shrugs and mutters something about marriage. “As for Daisy,” he says, lowering his voice so my daughter can’t hear us. “I wouldn’t worry too much. It’s good for Cassandra to have someone to play with. In a few months, Daisy will stop seeing her. She’ll think Cassandra was an imaginary friend, like you do.”
I rub the back of my neck and sigh heavily, unconvinced. Life doesn’t seem to care how I feel about it. It comes at me without any warning. I have to accept I have no control over it.
I draw a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Graveyard is coming. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into. All I know is that I’m desperate for help and Graveyard is the only one offering it. As Graveyard suspected, Dr. Talon was miffed I wanted a second opinion, but he has a specialist on the way to assess Charlie. It’s now or never.
Charlie sits in her bed, watching me curiously. She’s stock-still, not flinching a muscle. Since her last outburst, she’s been careful not to act out again. She knows it isn’t a good look for her, that the doctors will eye her suspiciously. All day, she’s been quiet and compliant with whatever has been asked of her.
Good behavior can’t get her out of this situation. I wish it were that simple. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have to put our fate in the hands of a doctor I barely know. He trusted me, though. The second I told him about Charlie, he was on board. Who’s crazier? The woman who senses supernatural gifts or the man who trusts her without question?
He proposed an insane plan. If we get out of this hospital, it will be a miracle. Then what? Our fate is in his hands after that. I have no idea what he has in store for us, where he’ll take us. For all I know, he’ll deliver me into the hands of the person I’ve been trying to stay away from.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Charlie asks quietly from her spot.
I nod, though truthfully, I’m not sure. When you’re the adult, you have to pretend your decisions are right, even when they’re questionable.
“I don’t trust him,” she says, her tone dark.
