The Ghost Host: Episode 1 (The Ghost Host Series) Read online

  “His best friend killed him?” Malachi asks.

  “Yeah,” I say, “but I found out later it was just an accident. A car wreck. Bad weather or something. He made it sound like this guy had murdered him in cold blood and I believed him.” I press my hand to my forehead, feeling the guilt and anger all over again. It takes me a few seconds to continue.

  “The friend was okay, but the ghost, Martin Coulter, he’d been on the side that hit the ground first when it went through the guardrail and off the road. His friend was unconscious, but this guy was stuck there for hours, in horrible pain, slowly bleeding out, dying. He blamed his friend, and when he asked his wife to set things right, she did. I thought he was asking her to go to the police, or something, not kill some poor guy who’d never done anything wrong.”

  Sniffing, wiping away tears, shame, and embarrassment, not only for my past mistakes, but for losing it in front of Malachi, all tear at me. I wanted him to understand, but now I just feel empty all over again. I should have just listened to my instincts in the first place, but the nightmares…I couldn’t take any more of them. My parents were already at the end of their rope with me by that point and on the verge of hospitalizing me. I was desperate for some relief, so I took it. I escaped the nightmares, but it cost a man his life.

  “Echo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you relive that.”

  I shake my head at his words. “No, I just wanted you to understand. I know you don’t believe me about all of this, but there are reasons I’m not supposed to get involved with the ghosts or the people they want to contact. We only pass on harmless messages now, how much the ghost loves or misses someone. Where they hid some money or jewelry. Stuff like that. The ghosts have to tell me what the message is about before the show or I won’t let them come on.”

  “So, you knew what my great grandma was going to tell me before the show?”

  “Not exactly,” I tell him, “but I knew she wanted to tell you there was something she left for you at her house. I suspected there was a good reason she wanted you to have whatever it was, but I didn’t get that weird scary vibe until the show. If I had, I might not have let her be a guest.”

  “Because you think it’s dangerous?” Malachi asks.

  Breathing out slowly, I say, “Yeah.”

  “Look, don’t think I’m trying to blow this off, but do you want to talk about something else?” Malachi asks. “It’s not about believing or not believing. I just hate hearing you sound so sad and upset.”

  The corner of my mouth tugs up at his words. “Sure. Pick a topic.”

  “College.”

  “College?” I ask. I’m somewhat startled after the way my thoughts have been going all evening. It gives me a little bit of a chill even though I know it’s just a topic he probably thinks about all the time, given that he’s in college.

  “Yeah, you’re planning on going, right?”

  “In the fall, I guess. Maybe.”

  “You’re a senior, then?” Malachi asks. “Are you seventeen or eighteen?”

  The grin is back, I can tell just by the tone of his voice. He’s excited about something. “Eighteen. My birthday was back in October. Why?”

  “Just wondering how difficult it would be to convince your parents to let you get away for the summer.” He cuts off there, maybe even holding his breath. The line is completely silent. I want to grin, dance around at the very idea, scream like my sisters when they finally get what they want.

  It’s completely ridiculous and will never happen for more than one reason, but for a moment I can enjoy the fantasy. “Do you have a suggestion on how I’m supposed to convince my dad, especially, to let me go across the country for the summer to meet a guy I met online, who may or may not be a stalker or completely crazy?”

  “I’m risking your crazy by inviting you, so it’s only fair you risk me being crazy, too.”

  Laughing outright, I don’t even try to hide my delight. It’s all just in fun, though, so I play along. “Okay, maybe that’s fair, but we still have the Dad problem.”

  “Easy,” Malachi says happily, “tell him you’re checking out colleges.”

  “Colleges clear across the country when I have dozens right here in my home state?”

  Malachi pauses, and when he speaks again, there’s hesitation backing his words. “Are you planning on going to school in California?”

  “Yeah, well, I mean, I was. If I can even get into one…other than the local community college, anyway.”

  “Were you misleading me earlier with your talk about chemistry and math? Why wouldn’t you get into college?” Malachi asks. His words are teasing, but there is something more serious underlying them.

  I hesitate automatically, but I’ve already told him plenty. Why not a little more? “I’ve had a rough time the last few years, because of the ghosts. Since I started doing the show, it’s gotten better, but before that…well, my grades speak for themselves. I’ve been rejected by every college I’ve applied to so far.”

  “So, take a year off, or do online classes through your community college to prove you can handle things. Either way, do it in Georgia. You’d love it here.”

  The excitement in his voice is contagious. So contagious I realize he’s not joking and my mouth goes dry. “Wait, are you serious?” I sit back in my chair and try to remember how to breathe. “No offense, Malachi, but I do not want to be the next Dateline story. Moving out to Georgia? You seem like a really great guy, but I don’t actually know you. That would be nuts. Right?”

  Several long, quiet moments pass, giving me time to think about his crazy offer and my even crazier desire to say yes and just forget playing it safe for once. Taking that leap is terrifying, though. For good reason. A lot of good reasons. I wonder if the same thoughts are going through his mind when Malachi is the first to speak.

  “Look, Carrots, I know this is totally out of the blue, and completely insane. I’m not suggesting it because I’m a creep and want to lure you out here for some nefarious purpose. Maybe if you could convince Holden and Zara to come too it wouldn’t seem so nuts. There’s just…I want to get to know you. I want to understand this ghost thing and Grandma Maddie’s message and all of it. I feel like it’s important even though I’m not sure what to believe and it freaks me out to even consider going back to the estate.”

  He sighs, long and heavy. Then the sound of his voice changes as he says, “Plus, Kyran is dying to meet you and see if you can help him take down this guy who’s been kicking the crap out of him online in Call of Duty for the past few weeks.”

  I laugh despite my all too real fears, thinking of his friend ranting at the TV like I’ve seen Zara do many times. She’s by far the most excitable gamer in our group. Going so far from home purely for Malachi would be crazy. What he said about the rest of his reasoning…a small part of me wonders if Madeline’s message could do more than give Malachi answers. I’m not even sure why I think this, but for some reason I feel like maybe it could be the key to unlocking a few things for myself as well.

  “I’ll have to think about it, Malachi. I doubt I could convince my parents, but I’ll talk to Holden and Zara and see what they think. I’m sure Zara would be all for it, but Holden will freak. It’s a lot to consider.”

  Now it’s Malachi’s turn for a long awkward pause. “Did I totally just freak you out?” Malachi asks.

  Smiling, I say, “Caught me off guard might be a better way to put it.” I’d love to just take off and have a crazy adventure, but it honestly scares me a lot. “You don’t seem like a creeper, Malachi, but I’ve spent my whole life trying to be careful and protect myself.”

  “I’m not going to do anything to put you in danger, Carrots. Promise.”

  That nickname. I run my hand through my hair, surprised and somewhat amazed he likes my hair so much. Even more, though, I’m startled to realize I don’t doubt his claims. “I believe you, Malachi.”

  He sighs, like he was waiting for me to say that all n
ight. “Thanks, and for the record, I believe you, too.” Rustling carries across the line, and Malachi shouts something away from the phone. “Hey, Kyran’s waiting on me. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure. Have fun trying to keep Kyran alive in whatever game he’s playing.”

  Malachi chuckles. “You already know us so well. Bye, Carrots.”

  I end the call, but stay seated at my computer. Part of me was so worried about accepting his friend request, but as I scroll through his posts and pics, Malachi honestly seems like a decent guy. One picture in particular catches my eye and I click on it. Squished between three girls that look way too much like him to be anyone other than his sisters, Malachi looks like he’s laughing. I click the “like” button on the picture, but the best part is all the comments from his sisters below the picture, teasing him, telling him they love him and miss him. There’s no question he’s the baby of the family, but it makes me smile.

  What doesn’t make me smile is when I notice a message from Holden blinking at me from the corner of the screen. I want to kick myself for liking Malachi’s picture. It must have popped up in my news feed where Holden could see it. I scan the short message, demanding to know what I’m doing making friends with Malachi, but I flip down the lid of my laptop without responding. I’ll deal with Holden later.

  “Hey, Echo, dinner’s ready,” my dad says after pushing my bedroom door open.

  “Thanks, Dad. I’m coming.”

  I make it to the door, but my dad doesn’t move. “Get any homework done?” He eyes me as though he knows I didn’t crack a single book or file. “Sounded like a lot of talking and not so much reading or typing.”

  “I…may have gotten distracted,” I admit.

  “By?”

  Biting my lip, I debate my answer. “The future,” I finally say. I can’t quite puzzle out his expression, but I decide to test him. “Dad, would you and Mom flip if I decided not to go to school in state, maybe take some online classes and just go somewhere new for a while?”

  My dad frowns, his eyes drifting to the hall, where sounds of the twins causing a ruckus are filtering through the air. “Echo, if this is because of tonight…”

  “It’s not, Dad. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.” A short while, but still. “I just think it might be good for me to experience something outside Cali. Maybe make a fresh start where people don’t know my history. Things have been going really well lately…”

  As much as I know it would kill him to have me far away, he also understands how hard being at school and living in our little community has been for me the last few years. Staying here for school won’t be a real escape. Especially not when everyone else is going on to their top choices of colleges and I’m stuck trying to rebuild my life. Sad, but understanding, my dad puts an arm around my shoulders and says, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, but we can talk about it with your mom if you’re seriously considering it.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  We head for the kitchen, into the fray of twin-wrought madness and meatloaf. It’s a far cry from getting permission to jet off to the other side of the country, but as we settle in for a chaotic evening meal, I realize what I told my dad is truer than I expected. It’s not just Malachi that makes leaving town so enticing. I can never escape the ghosts, but maybe I could at least get away from the staring and whispering, the hateful looks and nasty nicknames. The ghosts might not seem so bad without all of that.

  6: Anything But

  (Malachi)

  I’m going to kill Holden before the end of the day.

  I have to stop myself from chuckling at the text, thanks to being in the middle of my communication class. Somehow, I’m pretty sure Echo can hold her own against her friend. Still, I feel just a little bit bad for being the source of the contention between them, even if not for getting involved with Echo.

  Want me to talk to him? I text back.

  I expect her to tell me that she can handle it, but her answering text surprises me. If you don’t, you might have to come bail me out.

  The guy sitting next to me glances in my direction when I snicker at her response. I ignore his annoyed glare and tap out a reply. Give him my number. I’ll be done with classes for the day in half an hour.

  Will do, she responds. Be prepared, he’s pissed.

  Thanks for the warning. I’ll be fine.

  That’s the last I hear from her for the rest of class. I half expect my phone to start ringing the second I step out into the hall, but I suppose Holden is still trapped in one of his high school classes until lunch. It’s eleven in the morning here, but only about eight in California. Most likely, Holden won’t have a chance to call until he gets a break at lunch. Realizing that, I head for the parking lot where I find Kyran waiting for me on the hood of my Jeep.

  “You’re awfully chipper after staying up late talking to your redhead.” Kyran yawns, his own excuse for staying up until two in the morning having more to do with video games than girls. “So, she coming up for the summer, or what? You crashed before giving me an answer.”

  “I don’t know,” I say. “Convincing her parents won’t be easy. We know we’re decent guys, but she doesn’t, you know? It wouldn’t be a little thing for her to come out here. If she does come, it’ll likely be with her friends, the ones from the ghost show.”

  Kyran nods as he takes in that information. “Not a bad deal. Zara, the chick who started throwing salt at the end, she’s pretty hot, too. And Holden’s a good guy.”

  Rolling my eyes, I shove him off the hood of the Jeep and head for the driver’s door. If Holden is freaking out over me talking to Echo, I can only imagine his reaction to Kyran trying to pick up his cousin. It’d be fun to watch, though, which is why I choose not to warn my friend off. Thinking of Holden, my earlier confidence flags. I get being overprotective. After what Echo told me last night, I don’t blame him. I can’t help wondering if there’s more to it than that.

  Echo was pretty quick to reassure me that there’s nothing between her and Holden, but what if that’s only her perception? Shaking my head, I push thoughts of Echo, Holden, and even summer out of my mind. The ghosts, though, that stays. When I turn away from campus and our apartment, Kyran starts paying attention.

  “Did you forget where we live? I was banking on getting a nap before my class later today.”

  “Too bad, I need to stop by my parents’ house.”

  Kyran socks me in the arm. “You couldn’t drop me off first? It’d take two minutes! I’m fried.”

  “Stop staying up so late then.”

  Ranting about how I was up nearly as late as him, and how neither of us get to bed before midnight most nights, Kyran carries on all the way across town to my childhood home. By the time we pull into the driveway, he’s sporting a face that promises retribution, but Mama bursting out of the house with a big smile on her face brightens his expression right away.

  Having lost his own mother as a kid, he adopted mine as a surrogate and absolutely adores her. He is the first one out of the car, wrapping her up in a hug before I can even get around to saying hello. Mama is the only one who can gush over a grown man and not embarrass him. Kyran is grinning when he finally pulls back from her embrace. It’s a testament to how amazing she is that I’m smiling before she ever reaches me. “Hello, Mama. Thought we’d stop by for a visit.”

  “Aren’t you sweet? What a nice surprise! Why didn’t you tell me you were comin’ over? I would’ve had lunch ready.”

  “Captain Distracted, here, was too busy thinking about his redhead to bother letting anyone know we were coming,” Kyran grumbles.

  Mama’s eyes light up. “Redhead? Are you dating someone, Malachi? Will you bring her over soon?”

  “I’m not dating anyone,” I say, throwing a punch at Kyran, which he dodges.

  The disappointment in her eyes almost makes me laugh. She’s been having party planning withdrawals ever since Angel May’s wedding last sum
mer. She’s not trying to rush me, exactly, just itching for a new event to obsess over. Before more discussion can break out, I herd everyone into the house, hoping lunch will distract her from the topic of redheads. No such luck.

  “So, tell me about this young lady you’re not dating.”

  I hesitate a moment too long, and Kyran jumps in. “Her name is Echo and she sees ghosts.”

  Mama pauses in the middle of pulling items out of the fridge. Clearly, she’s trying to figure out whether or not Kyran is joking. I, on the other hand, kick my friend in the shin under the table. He moans, but shuts up.

  “She does an online show about ghosts. Kyran and I saw the show…” I trail off, not really sure how to follow that up without explaining my great grandma’s message. That’s not really something I want to get into right now.

  Putting her lunch supplies on the counter, Mama shrugs and shakes her head. “Well, it’s certainly an interesting way to meet someone. Will we get to meet her?”

  “I don’t know. She’s from California. She might come out for the summer, but it’s not for sure yet.” Far from it, actually, but I hate bursting her bubble.

  I think Mama is convinced something’s been wrong with me lately. I dated a normal amount in high school, hung out with friends, but I just haven’t been in the mood since starting college. It’s nothing dramatic like I’m sure she’s thinking. Kyran and I have just been busy with classes and figuring out the whole adult thing. None of the girl’s I’ve met have really appealed to me.

  Until Echo.

  “He calls her Carrots,” Kyran announces, snorting at me. The look I give him promises payback, but he only laughs. When I look up and find Mama trying not to do the same thing, I feel my ears start to burn.

  As she sets plates down in front of us, she looks over at me with one eyebrow crooked. “Carrots, huh?”