Chapter 19

I tried not to cry as we cleared away dinner dishes. Emma had set out a bowl of stew for Cal, just in case, but he never woke up. My hopeful mood evaporated like the rainbow hued soap bubbles disappearing from the sponge in my hand. Once the dishes were washed and drip drying in the dish rack, we began wordlessly pushing furniture out of the way.

Simon and Emma took their places against the far wall, drums in hand. Reaching down to touch Cal’s face I brushed an unruly lock of hair from his forehead and kissed his brow and then his lips. I’m not giving up on you Calvin Miller.

Walking to the center of the room, I sucked in a deep lavender and honey scented breath and turned to face Emma and Simon. “Time to dance,” I said.

Our dancing and drumming was even more frenzied than before. I could feel Cal’s ancestor spirits pulsing beneath my skin in time to our drumming and the racing beat of my heart. Fueled by desperation we ran ourselves ragged, but Cal didn’t wake up. There was no sign of improvement at all, not even an eye flutter or a finger twitch. Promising to meet here again tomorrow night, same bat time, same bat channel, Emma and I left the cabin exhausted and discouraged.

The sky was already darkening as we buckled up and Emma started the engine. Squeezing my hand she put the car in reverse and turned to leave. The last thing I saw was Simon’s face glowing blood red in the flash of Emma’s tail lights. The look I saw in his eyes was heartbreaking, but the river of tears shining red on his cheeks sent a shiver up my spine. Even Simon was giving up hope.

*****

I picked at the remaining flecks of black nail polish and fidgeted on the edge of the passenger seat. When Emma pulled up to my house I flew out the door with a quick goodbye. I had never been so eager to crawl into bed and fall asleep, but I was hoping for a special dream visitation. I had a date with a ghost.

Skin tingling I dropped the bag of apples on the hallway table, scrawled a quick note telling my parents to eat up, and ran up the stairs to my room. I closed the door quietly, heart racing, and sank down on the edge of my bed. Unlacing and removing my boots was not fun, my ankle felt swollen and raw, but I changed the dressing on my tattoo and brushed my teeth. Pulling on an old t-shirt of Cal’s I had raided from the cabin, I crept under the cold covers and curled up with one of my dung beetle plushies. I tried to quiet my breathing and concentrate on Cal’s smiling face. Come to me.

Sleep was slow to come, but after midnight I opened my eyes at last in the field of whispering grass. Cal. I scrambled to my feet, relieved to see the flowers at my feet blossoming brightly. When the flowers withered and died I would have to race back to my body and away from this shadow world. I needed to find Cal and there wasn’t much time.

“Cal?” I said.

My voice seemed to drift on the breeze, sending echoes where sound should not reach. This place had its own rules and I was an intruder. It didn’t feel hostile, yet, but I knew better than to stay standing in one place. I started walking forward focusing my thoughts on finding Cal. The direction didn’t seem to matter, since the field looked the same no matter which way I turned.

“Hey,” Cal said.

His voice came from behind me and I spun to face him as he reached out to pull me into a bear hug. Wolf hug?

“Oh God Yuki, I missed you,” he said, burying his face in my hair.

“Me too,” I said. “More than you know.”

Cal’s lips found mine in a burst of heat that warmed me to my toes. His fingers moved from tenderly caressing my face to slip into my hair, one hand cupping my head as the other ran down my spine to rest at the base of my back. My stomach fluttered and my legs felt weak as his fingers left a trail of electricity down my neck and spine. Our kisses turned hungry and I realized just how afraid I had been that Cal was lost to me forever. But he’s not. He’s still here.

Cal pulled away first as I stood panting in his arms. His blue eyes sparkled with tears, cheeks already damp, and lips red and swollen. I wanted to reach up and pull those lips to my own, but instead I looked more closely at where we touched.

“You’re getting better,” I said, wonderingly.

Cal looked solid again. He may still be in this place, but he was no longer fading away. The spirit-ink tattoo and my dancing had helped. Nodding yes, Cal slowly turned me to face someone I hadn’t seen for too long. His wolf spirit stood a hundred yards away staring steadily at Cal and me. Cal’s wolf may not have been at his side, but he was no longer running from him and trying to leap into the light. This was indeed progress and a little sob slipped out before I could stifle it.

“Keep dancing for me Yuki,” Cal said, lips brushing me ear. “Dance for me and I will be home soon. I promise.”