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“They were a check off my bucket list. I gave them to you and Jay doesn’t share.”
“Yeah, I saw that.”
“I’m thinking you’re right about him.” Mel scanned the bar again. The expression on his face is a mix of grief and longing, like when someone lost a longtime lover. “And ifI’mright, without me to guide him, this will never be what I dreamed— what I thought we both dreamed. It’s going to be another so-so bar without a story.”
“Maybe he’ll still follow what you were going for? It seems a lot of money has already gone into the setup for it.”
“And with more backing, it can be undone. I just wanted someone to see it before it disappeared and was lost.”
“I’m glad you did.” She patted the stage where his hand sat, her physical hand going through his ghostly one. The feeling reminded her of dipping her hands in the freezing cold of the Pacific when she visited the west coast.
The light above them flickered, even though all the lights were off. They both tilted their faces upward to watch the bulb fade back to black as Mel moved his hand from hers. He chuckled again and shook his head.
“Sorry, I guess my new trick is getting old.”
“No, it’s intriguing. You did it a lot at Jason’s. You even interacted with physical objects.”
“I’m not sure if I was even aware. I was so pissed!” The light above them flickered again.
“That may be it.” Anastacia stood with Mel right behind her and tried to get a closer look at the bulb as it dimmed again. “You were pulling energy from the light. Maybe emotion and energy draw lead to physical interaction. See? Intriguing.”
“You know, for not liking ghosts, you are very interested in us.”
“I never said I didn’t like ghosts. It’s that I don’t appreciate being used as a recharge or a battery, or as a fix-all for their business… but I don’t hate the spirit realm. I want to understand something that’s been around my whole life.” She caught her reflection in the mirror behind the bar, the gold staring off into the shadows just behind it. “Mom tried to explain it to me, but it never clicked. I don’t know if I couldn’t understand or if she wasn’t explaining it correctly, but once her gift led her astray… I needed to know more.”
A faint echo of the familiar soft voice tried to call out to her from the shadows. She hadn't heard a peep from it since Mel had come along, but she knew it was still there. Just like the Gatekeepers, and lost souls. Always waiting just out of sight.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." She snapped back to reality, plastering her smile back on. “Of course, you moving physical objects is going to intrigue me if it can help me deal with annoying spooks.”
He smirked at her now, his emotions calmed. “Current company excluded?”
“Sure.” Her eye rolling was more comical than sarcastic.
“Thanks, Stacia.” Arms out for a hug, he leaned forward and fell through her. Another large gust of freezing air surged through her body, but a new resistance came with it. A sensation unlike any other time a spirit passed through her. More than a whisper, but not quite solid. He examined his arms as he stood back up. “Not enough emotion, huh?”
“Maybe it has to be intense or passionate.”
“Who says my affection isn’t?” Mel gave an exaggerated gasp, a hand to his chest in a dramatic flair. “Knight isn’t the only one with moves,dawlin’.”
“Oh, but he does have a pulse," she quipped, walking off the stage and toward the front door.
“Oh, that was a low blow."
After leaving the bar that would never be, Anastacia secured the front doors with the same combination lock, wiped it down, and turned back toward Magazine Street.
“So, I was thinking about walking to Jackson Square and grabbing a beignet. Care to join me?” she asked Mel, popping her earpiece back into place.
“You going to rub it in my face? I've never had one of those powdered sugar-covered delicacies,” he groaned, matching his pace to hers.
“No, though I’ve seen plenty of spirits eat things. Maybe ask one on the way or while we’re there? Unlike Jay, I’m willing to share the good things.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t enjoy interacting with spirits.”
“I’m interacting with you and it’s not so bad. Maybe I need to look at my gift differently and not as a curse. Learn to let go of my control and let it be what it is.”
“Just enjoy the ride?”
