Hi, all! Thanks for staying with the story. Hope you like this longer post. When I started it I thought I could keep it short, but it kept going and going. So much for good intentions. :)

There was no crawling out from underneath the avalanche of heartache I faced. Especially when it came with crystal blue eyes that could get me to agree to anything.

Jake blushed and helped me to my feet. When he turned, he froze at the sight of his body strapped to the metal gurney. Blood covered his plaid shirt, and a wool blanket draped over his legs.

Wynter crouched in the gravel next to the cemetery gate, clutching my body. Burnt-orange leaves stuck in my hair. The two medics slid their hands underneath me, trying to pry me from Wynter's grip. Even as they maneuvered me out her arms, she grasped for my hand. The blue and red police car lights lit her mascara-streaked face.

Wynter lifted her gaze from my body to the medic closest to her. "She's going to be okay, right?"

The guy flicked on a penlight and shone it in my eyes, while the other medic held a stethoscope to my chest.

"Right?" Wynter asked the medics again, sounding a little more frantic.

Chloe grabbed Wynter's hand and pulled her back into her arms. She led her to Nick's truck where the police were questioning him.

I put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Jake."

"Just go..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I picked up his fingers in mine and gave his hand a squeeze.

Jake let out a heavy sigh and licked his lips. "You'll still be able to hear me, right? You know, back on the other side?"

I forced myself to smile and gave him a nod. "This isn't goodbye. I'll be right there." I pointed over at my body in its death-like sleep.

The medic with the short, black hair turned to his partner and whispered, "I've never seen a case like hers. You?"

"No..." She removed the stethoscope from my chest and held it out to him. "Here, listen to her heart."

He gave a discreet nod, took the stethoscope from her, and placed the earpieces in his ears.

I licked my lips and blinked the brimming tears from my eyes."Jake, we'll figure it out. Promise."

He glanced up at the medics and hung onto my hand for a moment longer, then let my fingertips slide from his grip.

I hobbled over to my body, looked back over my shoulder at him, and placed a hand on my body's chest.

"Remember, you promised," Jake said softly.

My body embraced my spirit, uniting the pieces. As my essence filtered back into the physical world, Jake's words echoed in my thoughts, reminding me of my promise. A moment later, I was coughing and gasping for air like a drowning victim.

The female medic jumped back, and the bag of intravenous saline she held plummeted to the ground. Pulling the stethoscope from his ears, the guy stared at me like I'd just come back from the dead.

I had no idea what my heartbeat sounded like while I was on the astral plane, but given his reaction, I was sure normal wasn't the answer. My eyes focused on Jake's blood splattered cheek. I pushed back the scratchy gray blanket and placed my feet on the ground.

"I remember." Brushing my shaky hand across his cheek, I looked up to see his spirit standing behind the table.

"Tessa!" Wynter broke free of Chloe's hold and crushed me in her arms.

"Can't...breathe."

"Oh—" She released her grip. "Right. It's just that I thought, well... You know, after seeing Jake and the sword. Then you all frozen in some kind of shock." She wiped her eyes. "I'm just so glad you're all right, but—"

"We can't say the same for Jake. Can we, Tessa?" Chloe sniffled, and the red police lights illuminated the smeared black makeup around her eyes.

I took a step backward. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I don't know, why don't you tell us?"

"Chloe." Nick frowned and pressed his lips together. "You and I both know Tessa had nothing to do with that sword."

"All I know, she's hiding something." Chloe huffed and pointed at me.

"What—like she's a necromancer?" Nick ran a jerky hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm not buying that one. That's Ouija board, not a lie detector."

The police officer behind us was taking notes on a small pad of paper. "The Ouija board told you she was a what?"

"A necromancer," Chloe replied.

The officer scratched his head and gave Chloe a hard stare. His silver name tag read, W. McCormick. "Do you know what the fine is for lying to a police officer? Floating swords and Ouija boards." He shook his head, then muttered under his breath. "Where is this sword anyway?"

McCormick's partner held up his hands suggesting he hadn't seen it. Nick pointed to the distant mausoleum. Yanking a flashlight from his belt, the officer headed toward the eerie garden of tombstones. When he got to the gate, he pulled out his gun.

I glared at Chloe and swallowed hard. "You can't honestly believe I'd do anything to hurt Jake."

Jake's presence brushed my arm. "You were nowhere near that sword. Why is she acting so weird? I thought she was your friend."

I thought so, too.

Wynter put her arm around me. "Chloe! How can you be so mean? What's wrong with you? Tessa's been in love with Jake forever, and this is what you accuse her of?"

I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck. Great, now Jake knows about my feelings for him. I took a deep breath trying to cool my impossibly hot cheeks.

"Tessa?" Jake asked with his voice full of surprise.

I looked down at my old sneakers with the frayed laces. "Not now..." I said under my breath.

Wynter glared at Chloe and hugged me tight into her shoulder. "You're right, Tessa. Now, isn't a good time for all of this. Officer, are we free to leave?"

"I still need a statement from her," he said, pointing to me. "And being minors, we'll have to call your parents to come pick you up."

McCormick lifted the handle to the squad car, and the door creaked open.

"Come on. Your parents can collect you from the station." He gestured to the backseat with the Ouija board hanging from his fingertips in a plastic evidence bag.

My throat tightened, and I held my hand to my mouth as I watched the medics pull the gray blanket over Jake's head. This wasn't a nightmare I'd be waking up from anytime soon.

We all crawled in the backseat. Chloe sat on Nick's lap with her phone in her hand, staring out the window. Wynter squished in next to me taking the middle seat. Before I could close the door, Jake floated in claiming the console for his seat.

"Who are you texting?" Wynter asked, looking over at Chloe.

Without taking her eyes off her phone, Chloe continued to type. "Jake's sister."

"Okay, that might be the most insensitive thing I've ever heard of someone doing," Jake said. "You don't think she's actually going to text Emma about my death, do you?"

I looked out the window and shrugged. It wasn't like I could answer him without everyone thinking I'd completely lost it. Wisps of former lives shrouded their graves. Creepy didn't even begin to describe this place.

McCormick's partner barrelled down the cemetery path, gun in one hand and sword in the other. Something spooked the guy. He didn't even stop to put the blade in the trunk. He just ripped open the door, dropped into the seat and slammed the door behind him.

His white knuckles wrapped the steering wheel. "I know I'm the new guy, but next time?" He put the key into the ignition and started the car. "You go!"

McCormick pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're being a—"

A high pitched shriek filled the car.

I turned to see why Chloe screamed, just in time to catch Jake pluck her phone from her fingers and chuck hard it against the door. The phone landed on the floor at my feet with the screen smashed beyond usability.

Jake smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "There, I'd like to see her try and text my sister now."

"You witch!" Chloe scowled and picked up her cell. "You trashed my phone."

"What?" My sword vibrated and hummed against my back.

"Tessa, first you're a necromancer, now you're a witch?" Jake laughed and leaned an elbow against the driver's seat. "Maybe by the time we get to the station, you'll be a hybrid werewolf-vampire."

Jake had a way of lightening a situation. I let out my breath and tried not to laugh.

"No way." Wynter's mouth gaped open."Tessa hasn't so much as budged from her seat. You can't chuck your phone at her, then claim she broke it."

"Listen—Chloe is it?" Officer McCormick said from the front seat. "Chuck something else, and I'll make sure you spend the night in a cell. Got it?"

Chloe slumped against the door and rubbed her arms. "But—"

McCormick raised an eyebrow as if he dared her to try to cross him. "Better yet, hand it over. Actually, hand them all over." He held out his hand to collect our phones. "Our job is hard enough without you kids chucking stuff at us too."

Chloe pursed her lips, dropped her phone into his open palm, and faced the window the rest of the way to the station.

McCormick stacked the phones next to him, reclining in his seat. Jake had no idea what Chloe could be like when someone crossed her. Knowing her, she wasn't going to let her smashed phone slide.

The car stopped in front of the town's old brick police station. There was one other squad car parked outside, and I seriously doubted they had another. Mornvale was a small mountain town community that pretty much kept to itself. So, tonight's investigation call would probably be the only one they'd get for the next six months.

McCormick opened the car door, and we walked toward the entrance and headed inside. A woman in a well-pressed uniform stood behind a large oak counter. There were two other desks behind her.

"We need to call our parents," Chloe said holding up her busted cell.

The lady pointed to the phone at the end of the counter. Everyone took turns calling their parents. That was, everyone but Jake and me.

Officer McCormick took his time questioning me over and over about the sword pulling from the wall. Like my story was going to change from the other twenty times he asked me. Eventually, he closed his little black coil book and let me make my call.

Jake leaned against a wall next to the phone, while I picked up the receiver and dialed the headmistress of our school. Ugh, worst call ever.

"Hi, Mrs. Kennedy...It's me, Tessa...Yes, I know I'm late for curfew...You want to know where I am?" I cringed and glanced around the room, knowing she wasn't going to like my answer. "The police station?"

I'm going to be in detention for the rest of my life if I don't end up expelled first. Her voice bellowed through the phone, and I held the phone away from my ear.

Jake, who was listening to every word, chuckled to himself and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Wait till she hears the rest of the story."

"Yes, I'm fine." Well, mostly. I glanced up at Jake. That's if you count seeing ghosts as normal.

"That's because there was an accident..." I held my breath and just spat out the words. "Jake Magee—he died."

Once the first tear spilled down my cheek, I couldn't hold back the rest, and they flowed from me like water from a cracked dam. Jake was gone.

Numb, I stared at the wall with the receiver beeping in my ear. Kennedy had hung up. She said something, about her leaving to get me. When a recorded greeting played, please hang up and try your call again, for the third time, Wynter stood up and took the phone from me and placed it back on the base.

Knowing Kennedy, she'd jump in her car wearing nothing but her pajamas, step on the gas and not lift her foot until she got to the station. She might be crazy strict with students boarding at the school, but she also had a healthy dose of compassion to go around.

"Hey, what's all the waterworks for? I'm right here, remember?" Jake gave me a smile that would light up the underworld.

"I know." I wiped my face with my sleeve.

"Know what?" Wynter asked.

I had almost forgotten Wynter wasn't part of the conversation.

"That I'll likely be in detention for the next century when Mrs. Kennedy gets here." I sat down next to her on the bench.

"Nice catch. Seriously, you're good," Jake said.

He hopped up on the counter and swung his feet just under the ledge. If the officer could see him, she'd likely throw his butt in a cell. There's no way she would have stood for that.

"Yeah. I don't envy you. Kennedy's tough."

I let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sure she'll call my mom too, to ensure I get the full torture experience."

Wynter giggled and pulled her sweater tight around her. The old, drafty station echoed with the sound of a printer spitting out pages, and one of the officers tapping his pen against the desk. The door creaked open behind us, and a gust of cold air made me shiver. Mr. Ellard, Wynter's dad, stood just inside the doorway with his brow furrowed.

"Wynter," he said in a cold tone. "Let's go."

He looked over at me and shook his head like I might be the worst possible influence he could think of for his daughter to be around. I pulled my legs up onto the bench and wrapped my arms around them.

Before she got up, she pulled me into an awkward hug and whispered in my ear, "I'll see you tomorrow."

One of the officers placed our cells on the counter. Wynter slowly stood up, grabbed hers out of the bag and passed mine to me. "I guess I'll give Chloe and Nick their phones in the morning."

"Yeah, that's probably a better idea than me taking them." I rested my chin on my torn jeans.

"Now, Wynter." Mr. Ellard pursed his lips and opened the door.

Wynter slowly stood up and followed her dad out. When I turned to look for Jake, he wasn't sitting on the counter.

"Woah! Tessa you're not going to believe this," Jake said somewhere from behind the desk blocking my view.

I got to my feet and crammed my hands in my hoodie pockets while I paced the lobby floor. Leaning over the shoulder of one of the officers, Jake stared at an open file on the officer's desk.

"It says here there was an investigation into another death at Hemlock Cemetery. The file's pretty old. Even the pictures are in black and white. Looks like it happened about twenty-five years ago, according to the date."

"It mentions people who were witnesses. Let's see... I think the first one might be Wynter's dad, Roland Ellard?"

I lifted my gaze from my feet and gave him a nod, then kept pacing the floor. That's definitely Wynter's father. Mister prim and proper. I'll bet money he never told her anything about the incident.

"There's also a Bill McCormick and some lady named Elisha Tremblay listed. Hey—do you think Officer W. McCormick here is the same one in the file?"

Jake leaned on the desk with his hand, then glanced over in my direction. Officer McCormick pulled his jacket from the chair and put it on. He looked up at the vent like something was wrong with it.

Good question. I stopped pacing for a moment and shifted my stance, giving my sore ankle a rest. Maybe. A guy at my old school that went by Bill. He used to cringe whenever a new teacher asked if a William was present during morning roll call. It wasn't a stretch for officer McCormick to go by Bill, he did have the case file on his desk. I tilted my head to the side and gave a shrug. It was a good possibility that Jake was right.

He continued to scan the paper with his hand. "Oh, there's one more—Daemon Brackstone."

Now, that was a name that shook me to the core. I jerked my head in Jake's direction.

"Is that—?"

My father? I nodded. Yeah—it was.

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