Spiritus, a Paranormal Romance (Spiritus Series, Book #1) (3 page)

It was obvious Ally did mean everyone. As we walked to the cafeteria, she said hello to every person that passed and made super quick introductions. She didn’t slow her pace; she waved to them, pointed to me, and said what she had to say and went on.

“
Hey, this is Becca, she just moved here.” She’d call out even if people only then stepping into earshot. “Becca, this is John, Caitlyn, and Shelby.”

It seemed everyone liked her. It also seemed there were no cliques at Corydon Central. I said as much to Ally which really made her laugh.

“
No,” she replied with a chuckle. “We don’t really have cliques here. Everyone knows everybody else. It’s hard to act superior when we’ve all seen each other eating mud pies and peeing in our pants back in preschool.”

Stepping into the cafeteria, Ally waved to a blonde girl sitting at one end of a full table. The girl motioned us over with a welcoming smile. Was everybody here so friendly?

“You must be Becca.” She said as soon as I sat down. “I’m Billie.”

I was shocked she knew me and a little intimidated by how pretty she was in a girl-next-door-model-without-make-up sort of way. “Have we had a class together?”

“No, but everyone is talking about you.” She said with another flash over white teeth.

“Oh.” I blushed; suddenly very aware of how loud my paper lunch bag sounded as I opened it. I glanced around the cafeteria to see if everyone was staring or if it just felt like they were.

The tables were noisy with kids calling out to each other and laughing loudly. A few would look in my direction and smile, but no one was really staring

Everyone seemed friendly enough, smiling when they met my eyes. All the kids except a small group across the room at a small table in the corner. My previous experience in my old school told me that they were probably the cheerleaders and the jocks since I had yet to hear of a school where those two groups didn’t cling together away from everyone else.

“I see you noticed the cheerleading sheep.” Billie said with a toss of her head toward the girls. “That’s Ashley Richardson and her minions.”

I had no doubt which one was Ashley. The blond in the center of the group was obviously the leader, all of the other girls at that table looked up at her with an idolizing expression.

I turned to Ally, confused. “I thought you said there weren’t really cliques here.”

Ally took a bite of a banana and chewed before answering. “There isn’t. Ashley acts like she’s better than all of us, but we just ignore her, the only people that really worship her are the other cheerleaders. You know how that is.”

I nodded. “We had a group like that at my old school.”

“Where is your old school?” Billie asked as she took a bite of a rectangle slice of pizza.

“Indianapolis.”

Ally narrowed her eyes, “What did you do to end up here?”

“My Dad grew up here.” I explained, repeating the exact things I practiced the night before for this very moment. “After my Mom died, he moved us back here.”

Billie stopped chewing, “Sorry about your mom. How’d she die?”

“Car accident two years ago.” I said, keeping it as brief as possible.

“I’m sorry.” Ally said and then as if she sensed my reluctance to talk about it, changed the subject. “So, do you like the house?”

I shrugged, “It’s different.”

“A lot of people live in old houses around here.” Ally offered.

“This town is full to the rim with historical locations and ghost stories.” Billie said with a smirk.

Ally clapped her hands together, “That’s a perfect idea!”

“What?”

“We should have a séance at your house.” Ally explained. “Those old houses on Capitol Avenue are always fun to do it in.”

Séances were a sleepover tradition back in Indianapolis, but it was one I never really got the opportunity to be a part of. I wasn’t sure I even bought into all that supernatural stuff.

“Do those ever really work?” I asked.

“You never know.” Billie answered with a shrug and a giggle. “But it beats doing nothing.”

They both seemed excited about the idea and Billie had a good point, what else was there to do?

“Do you want to try it tonight?” I asked.

Both girls smiled and agreed to meet me after school. I didn’t realize it was happening, but it seemed I was already falling into my own little group. All I had to do was take part in a silly little séance which might at most result in some squeaking floorboards and a good laugh.

I was sitting with my new friends, enjoying this quick acceptance, when I saw him. He was beautiful, tall, blonde, and muscular all at the same time. His face was tanned and handsome in the teenage heart throb sort of way, the sort of perfect that shouldn’t exist in high school.

“Who is that?” I asked my new friends.

Billie followed my eyes and then smiled when she saw who was the object of my attention. “That’s Jonah Ericson.”

“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Ally asked.

“Every girl in school is after him.” Billie added. “Even her Royal Highness Ashley.”

“But he doesn’t pay her a bit of attention.” Ally added with a giggle.

I watched him move through the cafeteria, waving to almost everyone. He seemed completely unaware of how amazingly good looking he was. How was that even possible?

“All of us have had a crush on him at one time or another.” Billie confessed with a knowing smile.

Blushing, I turned away from his perfection and refused to meet her eyes. I was grateful when the bell rang and I could escape. I promised to meet them after school and gathered my books and schedule, feeling a little more confident even though neither was in my next class.

History was my next class and it was at the other end of the building. Now that I was getting used to how the room numbers ran, I found the class easily enough and slipped into another desk in the second to the last row. I was feeling pretty convinced that I could survive the day.

Desks around me filled up as students came in. I kept my eyes down and pretended to be intent on lining up the edges of my History book and my notebook perfectly. I looked up as someone took the seat in front of me. My breath caught when I recognized Jonah Ericson.

He must have heard me gasp. Turning slightly, he smiled at me with perfect white teeth. “Hey.”

I couldn’t say anything. I was too stunned by seeing his perfection up close. Was it possible he was even better looking close-up? I could only imagine what he thought of me staring at him open mouthed. It obviously made him uncomfortable because he turned back around without trying to make further conversation.

The bell rang and class began. Rather than paying attention to what historical milestones we would be learning that year, I wondered if Jonah Ericson was thinking the village of Corydon just found a new idiot.

The teacher droned on about the Civil War and other events lost in time. I spent the class staring at the tanned skin of Jonah Ericson’s neck. It looked strangely soft and vulnerable. If I leaned forward just a little, I could smell a trace of his cologne.

I tried to focus, but I kept getting distracted by his profile and the perfect way that his hair caught the afternoon sun in a golden halo. I was so very grateful when the bell rang and I could get out of there before I made a bigger fool of myself.

The rest of the day was a blur of more classes and more people that I didn’t know. I was grateful when the final bell rang and I was free.

I met Ally and Billie outside the school and moved them away from the school as quickly as possible. I was very aware of my own voice and wasn’t too sure what to do with my hands. I was ready to get away from there and relax a little.

“So,” Ally began as she bounced along the sidewalk. Her stride was some sort of cross between a skip and a walk. “We’re going to need some candles. Do you have some?”

“We have tons. My Mom was addicted to scented candles.” I bit my lip at the last part.

Billie saw my reaction and thankfully didn’t pause for sentiment. “Your Dad isn’t going to freak out over this, is he?”

I reassured her, “My Dad probably isn’t even home, or if he is, he’ll be leaving soon. He doesn’t hover.”

That seemed to please them both and Billie copied Ally’s happy prance. I had always envied girls with close female confidants. It was a luxury I had never really known even in my old school. There was just something about my personality that kept me from developing close friendships.

Because of that, I was in foreign territory as I opened my new home to my new friends. I had no idea what to say or do as we stood in the entry. Everything I was rehearsing in my mind sounded so stupid in my head I couldn’t say it.

My Mom always knew what to say and what to do. I wished she was there to help me out, or even my dad, but he left a note on the entry table about going to look at some antiques in some place called Milltown. I was all on my own and totally lost.

Billie looked around, totally unaware of my anxiety. She let out a long sigh, “Wow.”

I took a good look at the house, trying to imagine it through their eyes. The detailed moldings and spacious rooms were beautiful without being ostentatious. It was the first time I got the feeling not only was this my new home, but it was also the history I came from.

“Would you like a soda or something?” I asked, surprised by the confident tone in my voice.

Now it was them looking uncomfortable as they said no thank you and followed me up the staircase to my room. I tossed my books on my desk and plopped into the leather swivel chair. “Come on in.”

Ally came in and sat down cross legged on my bed and looked around. “What was your house in Indianapolis like?”

I laughed and spun in the chair, “Not like this. We lived in a townhouse.”

“This must have been a big change.” Billie stated as she stretched out on the floor.

“Not really. Our townhouse wasn’t small.”

“So are you rich or what?” Ally blurted out.

I blushed. I’d been dreading this conversation. Would they hate me for what I had?

“Not exactly.” I explained. “After my Mom died, Dad said he realized what was important. He was a partner in his law firm, owned a little real estate around the city, and stuff like that but he sold everything and moved us here.”

“So, he’s retired?” Billie pressed.

I could see they were trying to decide if they were going to be jealous of me or not.

“He’s not exactly retired,” I said. “But he made enough that he doesn’t have to work for a while.”

That seemed to satisfy their curiosity. Ally even added that her own father took a year off from the pharmacy when she was born.

“He said that was one of the benefits of owning your own business.” She said.

I could relax then, confident I was not going to be labeled the “rich” girl. From what I saw already though, money wasn’t quite as important here as it was in Indianapolis.

“So Billie, what does your Dad do?” I asked.

She shrugged, “I live with my Mom and she works up at the library.”

Billie explained her Dad went out for bread and milk ten years ago and had yet to return. She spoke of her father with indifference, but I heard her admiration for her hard working mother in her voice.

Our conversation then became more casual. We talked about books we had read, movies we had seen, and music we liked. I reveled in this sudden immersion in female camaraderie. It was something so new to me that I had always thought only belonged between cheerleaders.

“So what’s the story with that Ashley girl?” I asked, remembering her loud laughter in the cafeteria.

“Not much of a story.” Ally said, “Her and her little pompom minions try to rule the school, but no one really pays any attention to them.”

“You know the type,” Billie added. “They want everyone to think that the whole world revolves around them.”