Intrinsical - Lani Woodland [27]
The vapors of wet heat thickened, making it hard to breath and leaving me unable to see beyond my nose. I knew no one had come into the bathroom but I also knew someone was in there with me. Fear beaded into glistening sweat on my skin; my lungs seemed to wither, and I couldn’t take a decent breath. Through the dank air, I smelled the same almost musky scent from the fire escape, sending a tiny wave of comfort through my frayed nerves. Not enough to make me less scared, but enough to give me the clarity of mind to get out of the room. My hands in front of my face, I started to scoot my way to the door, when a sound akin to a squeegee on glass echoed through the vacant room. I wheeled toward it and almost lost the contents of my bladder when I saw words on the mirror, written through the steam.
Do Not Trust Brent
I read the words aloud and once spoken they vanished along with the steam and I was alone in the perfectly ordinary bathroom.
Chapter 6
“Brent, wait up,” I called, scrambling out of my chair after Language Arts. Somehow, I had been able to get myself to class after the bathroom experience. I kept trying to figure out why the ghost had written that, what it would gain by me not trusting Brent. I decided to ignore the warning, at least until Brent gave me reason to do otherwise.
He stopped with an impatient tapping of his foot. “How may I help you?”
“Thanks for standing me up last night,” I complained. “I probably caught a cold waiting for you.”
“Oh . . . right. I forgot about our date,” he said slowly.
“It wasn’t a date,” I corrected with a shy grin. “It was a training session, remember?”
“Yeah, sorry. I got unexpectedly detained. Do you want to reschedule?”
“I figured you would. You’re the one who thought it was so important I learn to control,” I leaned in close, “my astral projection.”
Brent staggered back, looking stricken. “I was wrong. You don’t need training, you only need to avoid it.”
My head cocked to the side, a feeling of unease sashaying through my stomach. “You said I couldn’t stop.”
“I just wanted an excuse to spend more time with you,” he whispered huskily. Blood rushed to my face. He licked his lips and got a faraway look in his eye. “I did some research last night and it turns out you can suppress it with herbs.”
I frowned even as he gave me the solution I wanted. “Oh. I have to admit that watching what you did made me want to learn more.”
“Trust me, you want to leave this alone. It’s dangerous.” He stepped toward me with a savage glint in his eyes. I studied them for a second, as his gaze dropped to my necklace, a slight frown pulling at his mouth. Brent’s usually dark brown eyes were faintly edged in green, and with large flecks of jade I hadn’t noticed before, they almost looked as hazel as mine. The words I had dismissed on the mirror flashed in my mind like a neon sign. Reflexively, my hand lifted to my necklace, my fingers toying with the wooden flower.
“Okay,” I said, shivering. “So what do I need to take?”
He cracked his knuckles. “I’ll bring it by your room when I can find some. You’re in 222 right?’
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I know all.” He laughed, starting down the hall.
I stared after him, remembering the words on the mirror. Something about the conversation felt off and I wondered if I was starting to believe the ghost.
****
That night as we were getting ready for bed, Cherie asked, “So, did you try to see if you could leave your body again?”
I was proud of her. She had lasted a full twenty-four hours before bringing up the subject.
“No, I haven’t.” Yesterday Brent had said that I had no choice anymore, that