Evercrossed kbaa-4 Page 11

  Ivy rose and walked slowly across the garden. After all the grime and sweat of the day, sheʹd feel better if she took a shower before facing the others. Then she saw Beth coming around the corner of the renovated barn — from Willʹs roomIvy guessed. Ivy took a deep breath and waited. ʺHowʹs Will?ʺ

  ʺHow are you?ʺ Beth asked, as she approached Ivy. The gentleness in her friendʹs voice released an‐other than expected flood of tears.

  ʺCome on. Let’s talk,” Beth said, giving Ivy a light push toward the swing.

  Beth remained quiet while Ivy cried, ʺI feel so bad about hurting him/ʹ Ivy said, wiping her eyes.

  ʺI feel bad for both of you,ʺ Beth replied, then added softly, ʺIt’s hard for Willand for me — to understand. I mean, after all youʹve been through together, how can you not love him?ʺ

  ʺI do love him,ʺ Ivy insisted. ʺBut maybe not the way he wants to be loved.ʺ

  Beth leaned forward, looking into Ivyʹs eyes. ʺThe way anyone wants to be loved!ʺ

  ʺYes, yes, youʹre right,” Ivy admitted. ʺBut, Beth, you canʹt always choose how you love a person. Love isnʹt logical or fair. It just happens.ʺ

  In the faint starlight, Ivy saw the silver trace of a tear running down Bethʹs face.

  ʺDid you tell him that I saw Tristan the night of the accident?ʺ Ivy asked.

  ʺThat you thought you saw Tristan — no. No, heʹs already convinced heʹs competing with a dead guy. Iʹm not going to make it any harder for him. Ivy, did you really forget your date tonight?ʺ Ivy nodded. ʺI was with Guy, helping him.ʺ

  ʺGuy!ʺ

  ʺYes, cleaning out a barn, so heʹd have a decent place to live, and—ʺ

  ʺIvy, you have to be careful,ʺ Beth warned. ʺYou have no idea who Guy is.ʺ

  ʺWhat I know about him is more important than the name heʹs forgotten.

  Thereʹs a special connection between Guy and me, something Iʹve felt only once before — with Tristan.ʺ Ivy ignored the disapproval that lined her friendʹs face.

  ʺBeth, Guy was telling me about his dream house, and it was exactly like Philipʹs tree house. Guy couldnʹt remember what music he liked, but suddenly recognized ʹMoonlight Sonata,’ Tristanʹs song. And without even knowing what melody it was, he hummed a song from Carousel. Donʹt you remember — Tristan tried to communicate with me by playing on my piano notes from Carousel.ʺ

  Beth shook her head with disbelief, but Ivy continued. ʺI think Tristan has come back to me.ʺ ʺOh, Ivy, no! That couldnʹt be.ʺ ʺWhy not?ʺ Ivy asked, grasping the edge of the swing. ʺHe spoke through Will and you last year. Why couldnʹt he now be speaking through Guy, giving me these signs that he is still with me? The night of the accident, Tristan promised—ʺ

  ʺDoes Guy claim to hear another personʹs voice?ʺ Beth asked. ʺNo, but—ʺ

  Beth leaned forward, placing a hand on Ivyʹs wrist. ʺWhen Tristan was here as an angel, we heard him. When he slipped into our minds, we knew who he was.

  And we never forgot our own identities.ʺ

  Ivy pulled away from her friend. They sat for a moment in silence. Ivy fighting her anger with Beth for not believing as she did. When Ivy looked back, Beth was pulling on her amethyst necklace. Her lips moved silently, then she said aloud, ʺSomething evil is walking among us.ʺ ʺWhat?ʺ

  ʺEver since the séance I have felt a presence,ʺ Beth said, her voice shaking. “It’s him. Itʹs Gregory. I havenʹt felt this way since he was alive.ʺ

  Ivy stared at her friend, trying to understand what she was saying. ʺBeth, I know you were spooked by the séance. We all were. But why would you think that Gregory is haunting us? Has something else happened to scare you?ʺ

  Her friend didnʹt reply. ʺTell me,ʺ Ivy said. ʺA dream.ʺ Beth rubbed one hand with the other, digging her fist into her palm. ʺIʹve had it twice.ʺ

  ʺTell me,ʺ Ivy insisted. ʺWeʹre in the cottage, you, me, Dhanya, Kelsey. If s Aunt Cindyʹs cottage, but it has lots of windows, windows everywhere. Someone is circling the house, shooting at the windows. The bullets pierce the glass but donʹt go all the way through. Weʹre running from room to room, and the shooter runs around the outside of the cottage, targeting the windows of whichever room weʹre in.

  He keeps circling, but you tell us everythingʹs all right. Weʹre safe, you say, the shooter canʹt break through the windows. Then he quietly opens the door and walks in.ʺ

  Ivy sat back in the swing, rubbing her arms, her skin prickling. ʺDonʹt you get it?ʺ Beth said, sounding suddenly angry. ʺYou were careless and let the shooter in, just like you let in Guy!ʺ

  ʺBeth, hot every dream you have is clairvoyant. Sometimes you dream about things that people tell you. Will doesnʹt like Guy. Heʹs planted these fears in you.ʺ

  Bethʹs eyes flashed. ʺIt makes no difference what Will says. I see what I see!ʺ

  ʺSo do I,ʺ Ivy replied, then rose from the swing. ʺIvy!ʺ

  She turned back reluctantly. Bethʹs hand clutched her amethyst. ʺIf itʹs Gregory, you will need all the power of heaven to protect you.ʺ

  Seventeen

  ʺYOU KNOW, 1 THOUGHT YOU WERE, LIKE, MISS Perfect,ʺ Kelsey said to Ivy the next evening. ʺAnd when you were hanging with Will, you were, like, Mr. and Mrs. Perfect. Couple of the year.ʺ

  ʺSony to disappoint you.ʺ

  ʺSo what exactly did he say to you?ʺ Kelsey asked. They were standing outside the cottage, Kelsey bouncing a badminton birdie up and down on a racket.

  Plunk, plunk, plunk.

  ʺThe kind of thing people usually say when theyʹre breaking up,ʺ Ivy replied.

  ʺSnide comments and sweeping accusations,ʺ Kelsey guessed. ʺIʹve done it myself a few times.ʺ

  ʺThen I donʹt need to fill you in.ʺ

  ʺHeʹll get over it,ʺ Kelsey said, and flicked her head toward the barn. ʺHe has plenty of sympathy ʺ

  Beth had canceled her date with Chase, and Dhanya had decided that she really missed watching TV. Ivy pictured Will on his daybed, with Beth and Dhanya on either side of him, holding him up by the elbows like supportive angels.

  ʺWant to play?ʺ Kelsey asked, extending a badminton racket toward Ivy.

  ʺOkay.ʺ They took warm‐up swings, batting the birdie back and forth across the net. ʺSo, are you dating that gorgeous mystery guy?ʺ Kelsey asked.

  ʺDating? No.ʺ

  ʺBeth told us thatʹs where you were when you forgot about your date with Will.ʺ Ivy caught up with the sinking birdie and flicked it off the rim of her racket. ʺI was helping Guy clear out a place to live.ʺ

  ʺBeth doesnʹt trust him.ʺ Ivy didnʹt respond

  ʺWhy doesnʹt she?ʺ Kelsey asked. ʺI donʹt know,ʺ Ivy said, and dove for the birdie. Kelsey appeared to change her strategy, placing her shots in easy reach of Ivy, perhaps thinking that would encourage her to talk more.

  ʹʺWhat do you think of Chase?ʺ

  ʺDonʹt really know him/ʹ Ivy replied, reluctant to share her opinion with someone likely to pass it on. Kelsey rolled her eyes. ʺWell, five minutes gave me enough time. Heʹs creepy.ʺ

  ʺCreepy?ʺ Ivy repeated with an easy swing. ʺHeʹs a control freak,ʺ Kelsey said.

  ʺThereʹs nothing I hate more than a guy who tries to control a girl.ʺ

  Ivy doubted that any guy had been successful at controlling Kelsey. ʺBeth told us about Tristan.ʺ Ivy returned the serve without comment ʺI had no idea! Iʹve never known anyone whose boyfriend was murdered!ʺ

  Ivy swatted the birdie hard. ʺI wish I could have met Tristan and Gregory,ʺ

  Kelsey continued. ʺLast summer must have been awesome!ʺ

  Ivy stood flat‐footed — didnʹt even swing. What did Kelsey think last summer was, a reality survival show? ʺKeep your eye on the birdie,ʺ Kelsey advised.

  “Beth said that Will was totally there for you when Tristan died.ʺ

  ʺHe was. No one could have been kinder.ʺ ʺBut kindness isnʹt passion,ʺ Kelsey replied. ʺAnd we like passion.ʺ

  Ivy returned the serve with a passionate stroke. ʺKelsey, donʹ
t assume anything about my and Willʹs relationship.ʺ

  ʺI wouldnʹt have to assume if you filled me in.ʺ In spite of herself, Ivy laughed.

  ʺBeth said youʹre having a memorial bonfire for Tristan at Race Point. Can Dhanya and I come?ʺ ʺMʹm not sure itʹs still on.ʺ ʺIt is,ʺ Kelsey informed her.

  ʺThatʹs another thing I donʹt like: guys who act loyal and thoughtful, no matter what you do. I mean, what are they trying to prove?ʺ

  Ivy dropped the head of her racket. ʺIʹve had enough.ʺ

  ʺBut we havenʹt started to keep score,ʺ Kelsey protested. Ivy nodded. ʺA perfect time for me to quit.ʺ Fifteen minutes later. Ivy slipped out the back door of the cottage and drove to the beach on Pleasant Bay where she. Will, and Philip had spent an afternoon a week ago. Sitting on the beach in the deepening twilight, not far from the cluster of trees that Will had sketched, she sifted through memories, trying to understand why it had taken her so long to realize she couldnʹt give Will her heart.

  Rising to her feet, she followed the same route she and Philip had taken around a sandy point to a cove. With no moon, the calm water was bathed in starlight.

  Ivy remembered the cathedral of stars where Tristan had kissed her. She whispered his name and could almost hear him answer, ʺMy love.ʺ Almost||

  The voice she heard in her head was a memory — she knew that. What she had heard then was actually happening.

  The difference between now and then made the moment after the accident all the more real to her. To Ivy, the embrace was more real than the most tangible and ordinary moments of her life.

  But what if it had been Tristan, and Lacey was right about the consequences?

  ʺSerious falloutʺ—what did that mean? And what evil presence did Beth sense?

  Could Gregory return?

  ʺLacey. Lacey Lovett. I need to talk to you,ʺ Ivy called. She sat by the waterʹs edge, watching, waiting. Minutes ticked by. Across the bay, the yellow edge of the moon peeked over a narrow strip of beach.

  ʺYou have the lousiest timing!ʺ Seeing the purple shimmer. Ivy stood up. ʺHey, Lacey.ʺ

  ʺSo what is it this time — another beatific vision? Ivy dancing with the stars?ʺ

  Ivy watched the angel twirl, her purple mist dancing in front of the low moon, then said, ʺBeth is having dreams.ʺ

  ʺBeth — the radio?ʺ ʺRadioʺ was Laceyʹs term for a person who was open to ʺthe other side,ʺ a natural medium. ʺYes,ʺ Ivy said, and recounted the dream.

  ʺWhen was the first time she had it?ʺ

  ʺIʹm not sure. Two Sundays ago, when we had a séance—ʺ

  ʺA séance!ʺ Lacey exclaimed. ʺThe radio should know better!ʺ Ivy described the event, including the strange way the planchette had moved in counterclockwise circles, and how it had seemed impossible for them to slow it down. ʺAnd this happened before your accident?ʺ Ivy thought back to it. ʺA few days before.ʺ

  ʺUnbelievable. Unbelievable! Do you have a brain? Does the radio have even a shred of common sense, opening up a portal like that to the other side? Are you so narcissistic that you think that only good angels hang around you?ʺ

  ʺI — no — I never thought about — meaning we could have let in—ʺ

  ʺInvitedʺ Lacey corrected. ʺFlagged down, hailed a taxi for—ʺ

  ʺSomething evil.ʺ

  ʺSomething evil,ʺ Lacey confirmed. Ivy crouched and traced a counterclockwise circle in the sand, then another, and another. A hand with purple‐painted nails caught her arm. ʺStop that!ʺ

  ʺIs it possible for Gregory to come back as a demon?ʺ Ivy asked. ʹʹObviously, you missed a lot of Sunday school. Anything is possible with Number One Director.ʺ Ivy rose and walked along the coveʹs waterline. ʺBut why would Gregory return?ʺ she mused to herself. ʺRevenge, murder, mayhem. .,ʺ Lacey suggested.

  It was what Beth had been thinking: If itʹs Gregory, you will need all the power of heaven to protect you. ʺRevenge against me,ʺ Ivy said. ʺBut how would he do that?ʺ Lacey responded with a loud, theatrical sigh. ʺThink it through, chick. Iʹm sure youʹre not as naive as you seem. How did Tristan come back?ʺ

  ʺHe worked through peopleʹs minds. He matched thoughts with us and slipped inside. We could hear him like a voice in our heads — Beth, Will, Philip, and finally, me.ʺ

  ʺLater, Eric and Gregory, although I advised him against entering their twisted minds.ʺ Ivy felt as if an icy hand had touched her own. ʺGregory could get inside people?ʺ

  ʺLadies and gentlemen,ʺ Lacey said to her imaginary audience, ʺthe chick is catching on.ʺ ʺHe could get into someoneʹs mind and talk?ʺ ʺPersuade,ʺ Lacey said quietly. ʺTempt.ʺ Ivy shivered.

  ʺAs you may remember,ʺ Lacey added, ʺGregory could torture and tempt even when he was alive.ʺ

  ʺCould he force someone to do something?ʺ

  “Who needs force, when people are so gullible, so easy to trick and convince?

  Not mentioning any names, of course.ʺ

  ʺHow can we fight him?ʹ

  ʺWe?ʺ Laceyʹs purple mist began to move away from Ivy. ʺIn my movie days, I did some horror flicks, but Iʹm not starring in this one. Youʹre on your own.ʺ

  ʺHow do my friends and I fight him?ʺ

  ʺIʹm sure you can come up with something. Or maybe the radio can. I have one piece of advice: Be careful who you trust.ʺ

  Ivy bit her lip.

  ʺLook, chick, Iʹm sorry about this mess youʹre in, but Iʹve got my hands full right now. I think Iʹve found my one true gig, and Iʹm short on time. Iʹve got to cut out these cameo appearances.ʺ The angelʹs violet shimmer was fading. ʺSay hello to Philip.ʺ Lacey had almost disappeared when Ivy said, ʺBut what if Tristan has come back to protect me from Gregory? Her words had the desired effect: ʺWhat?!ʺ exclaimed Lacey. ʺIʹve seen the signs. Tristan is with me, as he promised he would be.ʺ Ivy felt a strong hand anchoring her at the bayʹs edge.

  ʺThatʹs a ridiculous idea! If Tristan was here I would see him.ʺ Lacey had a point. Why wasnʹt she aware of him? Was Tristan hiding inside Guy? Hiding from whom?

  ʺIvy, if Tristan did give you the kiss of life/ʹ Lacey said, ʺheʹs in deep trouble.

  Donʹt try to contact him. Donʹt tempt him further. Youʹve already gotten him killed. Donʹt damn him forever.ʺ

  Eighteen

  LACEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN MELODRAMATIC IVY TOLD herself, as she sat alone in the cottage Thursday evening. Beth, Dhanya, and Will had left for a seven‐thirty movie.

  Spurned by Dhanya, Max had roared off with Kelsey and Bryan to a party in Harwich. As soon as they were gone. Ivy took out her phone, playing a message sheʹd received an hour before, wanting to hear Guyʹs voice again: “ltʹs me. Kip got me a cell. Want to come over tonight?ʺ

  Pushing aside the warnings of Lacey and Beth, Ivy drove to Willow Pond.

  When she arrived, she saw a pickup parked in front of the house. A dark‐haired woman in her late twenties stood next to it, holding open the door for a golden Lab, which lumbered into the passenger seat. The woman called hello to Ivy and introduced herself as Julie, Kipʹs wife.

  ʺI hope you didnʹt have special plans tonight,ʺ Julie said. ʺGuy is on the back porch sound asleep. He and Kip started hacking away at tree stumps at six a.m.ʺ

  Ivy smiled. ʺJust hanging out.ʺ Ivy walked around the house and found Guy asleep on the porch that faced the pond, lying on a canvas drop cloth, his shirt off, his body turned so that he was on his side, his head resting on his arm. In the evening light, his tanned skin and fair hair looked golden, reminding Ivy of a painting she had seen once of a sleeping angel.

  Then she remembered the subject of the painting: a fallen angel, after his battle with heaven. She turned and walked toward the pond.

  Fleabag was snoozing in the long grass. Ivy sat on the bank not far from the cat, gazing out at the water, enjoying the pondʹs reflection of the fiery sky and dark green trees.

  The evening was the first really warm one theyʹd had on the cape, balmy and sweet‐scented, the way summer nights wer
e inland. She waded into the pond.

  After the brine of the ocean, the freshwater felt soothing to her skin. Her shorts and halter top were as light as a bathing suit She swam and swam, loving the solitude and peace of the place. When she was tired, she flipped on her back to float.

  Itʹs such a great feeling, Ivy. Do you know what itʹs like to float on a lake, a circle of trees around you, a big blue bowl of sky above you?

  Tristan, she called to him silently. I do know — I know now, Tristan. ʺHey, are you asleep out there?ʺ Guy shouted to her. Ivy raised her head, then pulled her feet under her and stood up. ʺAsleep!ʺ she hollered back. ʺYouʹre the one who was snoring.ʺ

  ʺNo way!ʺ He looked around, then pointed. ʺI think you must have heard Fleabag.ʺ

  ʺCats canʹt purr that loud,ʺ she teased, and waded toward shore. When she was a few feet from Guy, he said, ʺYou looked so happy out there.ʺ

  ʺI was. It’s such a great feeling, floating on a pond, a circle of trees around you, the sun sparkling at the tips of your fingers and toes.ʺ

  Perhaps it was a reflection off the water. For a moment Guyʹs eyes seemed brilliant, the color of Tristanʹs ʺbig blue bowl of sky.ʺ ʺCome on in,ʺ Ivy coaxed.

  Guy looked down at the water that lapped his ankles and swallowed hard. ʺI donʹt think I know how to swim.ʺ

  Ivy tried to hide her disappointment. If Tristan was in Guy, Guy wouldnʹt fear water as calm as a swimming poolʹs.

  Live in the present moment, Ivy told herself. Help him, as Tristan helped you.

  Tristan had eased her beyond her fear by suggesting they take ʺa walkʺ in the school swimming pool. She reached for Guyʹs hand. ʺCome on. Let’s go for a walk in the pond.ʺ

  After a moment of hesitation, Guy took her hand. They walked slowly and quietly together, moving through the liquid gold of the pond. When the water was waist‐deep on Guy, Ivy stopped, and ran her ringers across the waterʹs still surface, sending out plum‐colored ripples.