LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter Fifteen

      The owl looked up at me with its wide eyes, as if expecting me to do something. The carved surfaces of the feathers were just as I’d seen in my dream the other night. Ally’s stomach twisted in a knot.

       Had it not been a dream?

      “What does the note say?” Jamie asked.

      I closed Ally’s hand around the figure, and unfolded the paper. I read the words over and over until they blurred together:

       “Your boyfriend knows.”

      I handed Jamie the note.

      Seth couldn’t have been involved, could he? Although he did have intimate access to Ally, I thought touching Ally’s lips with her fingertips. Besides the first day “Ally” came back from the hospital he had been standoffish. Not that I needed him in my way, but did he feel guilty for harming her? Had he been influenced by the Shadowed? Were he and Krystal working together?

      “There’s an address and time at the bottom,” Jamie said, pulling out her cell phone. “It’s less than an hour from now.”

      I pointed at the paper. “Do you know this address?”

      Jamie looked closer. “I think it’s in the industrial development a few miles from here.”

      A door upstairs closed. Jamie and I exchanged glances.

      “Give me the blanket back,” I hissed.

      Jamie tossed it back to me and I tucked it around Ally’s lower body, grabbed the cast and shoved it on my lap. I’d forgotten about Ally’s leg, but Marie wouldn’’t have.

      Stuffing the note in between the couch cushions, I kept the owl hidden in Ally’s hand.

      Marie huffed into the foyer, lugging the vacuum across the floor, not daring to touch it to the pristine marble surfaces.

      “Ms. Ally,” Marie panted. “I didn’t hear you come out of your room.”

      “I have a friend over.” I nodded at Jamie. “We’re doing some homework.”

      Marie grinned at us. “Such a smart girl,” she said, walking toward the kitchen.

      I examined the owl again. Those same feelings I’d experienced with Jackson each time I saw him rushed through me.

      A hard thump in Ally’s chest sent shooting pains across her body. I pressed a hand above her heart, yet the thumping hit harder and harder until the room faded to black.

      “I know I had it before I left the house!” I shrieked, holding the flickering candle down to the forest floor. I shoved the leaves over, creating a path where I thought I’d walked earlier in the day.

      “I can get you a new one,” Jackson said, kneeling next to me.

       I swiped at the few angry tears that had fallen. “No. I should be able to be responsible for something. I know I had it when we came in here earlier.”

       Jackson’s hand rested on mine and waves of heat rushed through me. The flickering candle cast shadows across his handsome face. “We can look in the morning, when we have more light.”

       I swallowed. “We’re leaving in the morning,” I said. “Father likes to get an early start. You know that.”

      Jackson took the candle holder from my hand and placed it on the flat ground next to us. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

      It was strange not to hear a heartbeat flutter in his chest even though he turned solid for my benefit. I hated when I couldn’t feel him. Soon enough I’d be the same way.

      He rested his head atop mine and I sighed.

      “You get very worked up sometimes, Mags,” he said.

       I leaned my head back, looking up at him. “You said you liked me… what was the word? Spirited?”

      Jackson chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that moved through me. “I believe I said passionate.” Just the sound of his voice had calmed me down, yet the anxiety crept up again, this time in the barely showing bulge in my stomach.

       He moved back, holding me at arm’s length. “Did I hurt you?”

       I shook my head. “The midwife said everything is normal; it’s just strange to have something living inside of you.”

      Jackson put his hands down and stood up, offering to assist me. I took his hand and he gently lifted me to my feet. I smoothed my skirts, brushing off a few leaves that had stuck to it.

       Even in the dim light against the moonlit sky, I saw his jaw tighten. “How about I take you back to the cottage, and I’ll look for the owl?”

      “Are you sure?” I asked, letting the exhaustion take over. Momma had said pregnant girls would start off very tired but eventually gain that energy back. Eleven weeks in and I looked forward to staying awake for eight hours at a time.

       Jackson twined his fingers in mine, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Of course.”

      “Maggie!” Jamie whispered, shaking Ally’s body.

      I woke with a start, grabbing Jamie’s arms and blinked a few times, attempting to interpret what I’d just seen. I looked down at the owl, then at the note.

      Jamie moved into a seated position and tucked loose strands of hair into her bun.

      “We need to go here,” I said, holding up the note. “Now.”

      “How are we going to get past that guy?” Jamie asked.

      We’d have a better chance getting past Aaron than Cooper; I’d just have to come up with a good excuse.

      Jamie and I sat in the kitchen, going over the plan, just as Aaron appeared behind us.

      He took a seat next to me at the island and I turned my back to him, just as I’d see Ally do a few times when she was in her rightful body.

      I nodded at Jamie.

      “So,” she said a little louder than necessary. Aaron was a soul, not a deaf person. “My dad just called and his car broke down; can I borrow yours to pick him up?” Her body shook slightly but I willed her to keep it under control.

      “Sure,” I nodded. “Let me get my keys.”

      Aaron followed me into the foyer. “Do you mind?” I asked in a low voice.

      “I am supposed to keep an eye on you,” he said.

      “Like you did for the past half hour?”

      He sputtered then tried to cover his tracks. “Ally’s not even friends

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