Mortal Sins

NINETEEN

SOMETHING crawled across Toby’s ankle—he noticed because he hadn’t bothered with socks. He flicked it off with his finger. “I can’t just stay here.”

“I know, but . . . a little longer.” Talia huddled her long, skinny arms closer around her knees. Talia was two years older than him and Justin, and four inches taller. Toby liked her pretty well, even if she had started painting her fingernails lately and worrying about her hair.

There was just enough breeze to keep the leaves whispering tree secrets to each other. That was good. Toby didn’t like it when the tree house—which was just a platform, really, without any sides, but they all called it the tree house—got to swaying because the branches started moving.

Funny how steady trees looked from the ground, he thought. Get up in one and it was never entirely still.

“We’ve got to come up with a plan,” Justin said firmly.

“Come up with a plan,” Toby muttered. “Sure. You go first, since you don’t like my ideas.”

“We can’t tell them!” Justin forgot and let his voice get a little loud, and Talia shushed him, looking back at the house. “Toby, you know what my folks are like.”

“Yeah. They’re nice. I like them.”

“Well, duh! But they’re just stupid about this sort of thing.” Justin waved a hand in the general direction of his sister. “You know that. They’re all creeped out about you now, too, since you’ve been on the news and all, and that makes it worse.”

Shit. Toby tested the word in his mind, found he liked the weight of it, and tried it aloud. “Shit. They saw that stupid news deal about the custody hearing, huh?”

“Toby.” Talia could put more frown into a whisper than anyone else Toby knew. “Don’t you be cursing.”

Justin broke off a little twig growing out from the trunk. “Everybody’s seen it. Everybody in the whole country, I bet.”

“You’d think they’d be paying attention to people getting shot, not to the stuff about me.” Toby hadn’t seen much when it happened because of the way his dad had pushed him down. He’d glimpsed Dad Changing in midair, heard the scary-big blast of the gun. The people screaming. Lily’s voice all crisp and fierce telling him and Grammy to stay down, don’t move.

He hadn’t really seen much at all. So why did it stick with him so hard? Toby’s stomach felt tight and unhappy. He swallowed.

Justin and Talia looked at each other.

“What?” Toby scowled when they didn’t answer. “You’d better tell me.”

“Nothin’.” Justin gave all his attention to stripping the leaves off his twig.

“He might as well know.” Talia eased her hunch. “Daddy thinks the shooting was about you. He says Mr. Hodge went crazy because he found out what you are and was trying to shoot you, or maybe your dad and you both, only he’s a real bad shot.”

Toby sat up straight. “That’s not right. That’s not right at all. Talia, you know better. You have to tell—”

“I can’t! If they find out—”

“I’m afraid,” said a deep, sympathetic voice from the ground below them, “you are going to have to tell.”

Talia yipped as if she were the lupus. Justin shot to his feet so fast he hit his head on the branch over him. Toby turned and peered over the edge of the platform, feeling about a hundred pounds lighter. “Hi, Dad. That’s my dad,” he added to his friends. “I guess I’m in trouble?”

“Some,” Dad said, keeping his voice low. “I think you should all climb down now. I could come up there, but I’m tired. And I don’t think Lily is in the mood for tree-climbing.”

Lily? He’d brought her along? Toby frowned, trying to see past all the leaves, not sure how he felt about Lily being here. Probably just as well, he decided. Lily was who Talia needed to talk to, anyway. “Okay.”

Justin grabbed his arm. “No.”

“What’s the matter? You scared to go down there with the big, bad werewolf?”

Justin shook his head hard but said nothing. It was Talia who answered. “Well, I’m going down. I bet none of them will come around Toby’s dad.”

“Come on,” Toby said to his best friend. “If we don’t go down, he might think he has to tell your folks.”

That persuaded Justin. A few moments later, Toby stood with Talia on one side, Justin on the other, facing his father and Lily. They did not look happy with him.

“I assume your friends asked you to give your word not to tell,” Dad said in that quiet voice that might make some people think he wasn’t mad, but Toby knew better.

“Yes, sir. Well, I gave my word about Talia’s secret a long time—” Justin poked his side. Toby gave him an exasperated look. “He heard us talking. He knows there’s something we aren’t telling, so he knows there’s a secret.” He looked back at his dad. “But even though they don’t have to keep my secret anymore, I still have to keep theirs. Because I promised.”

Dad nodded, agreeing. Toby had known he would, about that part of it. “Yet that doesn’t explain why you sneaked out of the house.”

“That,” Toby said, “was a judgment call.”

Lily made a little choked sound but didn’t say anything, and Dad just waited, so Toby rushed ahead. “See, Justin’s got a cell phone, but I don’t, so I bought one of those phones where you buy minutes? So Justin could call me sometimes. And he called tonight and it was sort of an emergency, so I made a judgment to come like he asked. Only you can’t tell if it was a good judgment or a bad one unless they say I can tell the secret, or if they tell you themselves. Which they ought to.” He bent a frown on Justin and Talia.

Lily spoke in that quiet way she had that wasn’t like Dad’s quiet voice, but still made you want to listen, like what she said was probably important. “Maybe you could start by introducing us to your friends.”

Toby flushed. Proper introductions were one thing lupi and Grammy agreed about, and he’d completely forgotten. “Oh, yeah. Dad, Lily, this is Justin and Talia Appleton. Justin and Talia, this is my dad, Rule Turner, and his mate, Lily Yu.” Wait—was he supposed to say mate?

Toby frowned unhappily. He wasn’t.

“Pleased to meet you, Talia, Justin.” Dad glanced at Lily. “Perhaps we should sit down and discuss the situation.”

Justin and his sister exchanged a disbelieving look. They weren’t used to adults wanting to have a discussion when rules were broken. Mostly the adults they knew just ganged up together, and kids were not allowed to have secrets. “Okay. C’mon, sit down. He’ll listen to you,” Toby encouraged his friends.

“Does that mean you aren’t going to tell my folks?” Talia said.

“I don’t know yet. That’s one of the things we must discuss.”

So everyone sat in a circle on the grass, which was cool and damp and smelled great. There was plenty of light from the moon, almost overhead now and three-quarters full.

“First,” Dad said, looking at Justin, “will your parents be upset if they find Toby here?”

Justin grimaced. “They’ll be mad we were outside without permission. And that I called him. They . . .” He gave Toby a look, apologizing. “They’re bent out of shape that he’s, you know, lupus. They didn’t know until it was on the news.”

Dad nodded. “I assume they’d be even more upset if they found me here, so if they should come out, I’ll leave before they see me. Now, Talia. You have a secret you’re afraid to entrust to your parents.”

She nodded warily.

“This secret made you want Toby to come over tonight without permission.”

Another nod.

“Toby, does Talia’s secret involve anything criminal or dangerous to herself or others?”

“Not criminal! But . . . well, there’s a danger, but it isn’t a life-and-death thing. It’s . . .” He spread his hands. “It’s about her.”

Lily spoke quietly. “Talia has a Gift, doesn’t she? One you believe your parents would disapprove of.”

No one said anything for a minute. Then Talia sighed real big. “I guess I’d better tell you. They want me to, anyway.”

“They?”

“The ghosts.” Talia’s long face seemed paler than normal in the moonlight, and tight, as if her muscles were trying to close her up. “They won’t leave me alone lately. They keep after me and after me, and the newest ones . . .” She stopped, gulped.

“I see. You’re a medium.” Lily didn’t look shocked, but Toby hadn’t figured she would be. “That’s a tricky Gift. And your parents don’t approve?”

Justin broke in. “They don’t know, and they’re not going to! They’ve always been down on magic, see, but ever since the Turning . . . that Reverend Barnes is all the time preaching against it now. He says anyone who consorts with spirits is dealing with the devil, but it isn’t like that! Talia can’t help it!”

“No, she can’t, not at her age and without any training. Talia, are these ghosts trying to, ah—to speak through you?”

“I don’t want them to.” Talia was near tears, which made her sound mad. She hated to cry. “There’s always been some of them around. I’d see them, or I’d hear them whispering in my mind, but it wasn’t a big deal. But ever since the Turning there’s been more, and now there’s these new ones, and they’re awful. They scream inside my mind and they won’t go away. And I can’t fix things for them, I can’t! That’s why I needed Toby to come over. They stay away when he’s around.”

Lily gave Dad a surprised look, her eyebrows lifted like “What?” Dad shook his head. “I don’t know. I never heard of ghosts having an aversion for us.”

“Hmm.” Lily turned back to Talia. “I suspect you’re seeing more ghosts since the Turning because your Gift is stronger now. That happened to some people once there was more magic around. Will you let me take your hand?” She smiled. “I’m a sensitive. I can make a guess about how strong your Gift is.”

Talia scowled and looked down at her feet. She picked at one toenail, then another. At last she shrugged. “I guess it won’t hurt.” She held out her hand.

Lily clasped it. “Oh, yes, you have quite a strong Gift. No wonder those ghosts are driving you crazy. Are there any around now?”

“I told you—they don’t show up when Toby’s here. I guess Mr. Turner would keep them away, too.”

“Okay.” Lily released her hand. “But Toby can’t be with you all the time, can he?”

“Maybe if I tell you what they want me to, they’ll go away.”

“They want you to tell me something? Me, specifically?”

“Well . . . he didn’t describe you very politely, but I’m pretty sure he meant you. The tall man, I mean. He’s the oldest ghost and he usually makes more sense than the others, but I think people talked a lot different back when he was alive.” Her face tightened in a scowl. “At first he called me ‘little darkie,’ but I made him quit. I don’t care if that’s what everyone said back then. People kept slaves then, too, and that was wrong. Though he says he didn’t have any slaves, but I think that’s because he was poor, not because he knew it was wrong.”

“He’s been a ghost a long time,” Lily murmured.

“Uh-huh. Now he calls me ‘little ’un.’ He can’t say my name. I don’t know if that’s a rule or if they can’t remember names, not even for a minute, but none of the ghosts ever say names. Anyway, he’s the one who said I was to tell you.”

“Okay. What do they want you to tell me?”

“About him. The one who . . . I guess he’s the one killing people. They said he’s making ghosts, and that’s what they call him—the ghost-maker. So I guess they mean he’s killing people. Only there’s more than one killer, isn’t there? So that doesn’t make sense. Ghosts usually don’t.”

“Is that exactly what they said?” Lily’s voice was soft, like Grammy’s was when Toby had had a bad dream. “That this ‘he’ is making ghosts, not that he killed them?”

“Ghosts won’t talk about death. Sometimes they’ll say what happened to make them ghosts, sometimes they won’t, but they won’t ever say they died. They want you to stop him. The little girl says he’s real cold, always cold. Her brother doesn’t talk—he’s really fuzzy—and she mostly cries, but she did say that. And their mom keeps saying, ‘He doesn’t know,’ over and over, looking at me like it’s important. I think I was supposed to tell you that. And the tall man . . . he said they’re scared. They’re all scared, not just the new ones.”

“They?”

“The ghosts. They’re scared of him, whoever he is.”

“I understand that they can’t or won’t use names, but did they describe him in any way?”

Talia’s mouth twisted. “I asked and asked, but ghosts are pretty stupid. They just keep telling me the same stuff again and again. And ‘help me.’” Her eyes glistened, but her jaw set stubbornly. “They say that, too, and sometimes they cry. Not the tall man, but some of them cry a lot. I hate that. But the new ones . . . they’re the worst. They started screaming in my head tonight, and it’s like . . . like they’re ripping at my brain. It’s horrible.”

Lily reached for Talia’s hand. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to live with this. It’s more than many adults could handle. Is this screaming a physical pain?”

“No, but—but it feels so awful.”

Lily nodded. “Pain doesn’t have to be physical to be real. These new ghosts . . . I need you to tell me how many there are, and what’s different about them.”

“Five. The boy and girl and their mom—they’re the ones whose dad killed them. I’m pretty sure about that, though they won’t say. And the two newest ones got shot today.”

“I see. And they’re different from the others?”

Talia nodded. “Usually it’s the old ones who get all wispy, like crumpled tissues. They sort of wear out. Except the tall man—he’s old, but he’s still clear, and he makes more sense than most of them. I don’t know why. But these . . . they’re new, but they’re fuzzy and tattered, as if they were real old. And they scream at me. The rest don’t do that.” Talia’s mouth quivered into a smile. “You don’t think I’m crazy? Or—or possessed, or making things up?”

“No. I can sense your Gift, remember?”

“Are you going to tell my parents?”

“I’m hoping you’ll decide to do that. Wait, wait,” Lily said when both Justin and Talia burst into words that tumbled over each other like upset puppies. “I know you believe they won’t understand. You’re afraid they’ll think your Gift is evil. Some people do think that way, because magic can be scary, and they don’t understand it. So you might be right. They might react badly. I don’t know. But I’d like to tell you a story about me, if that’s okay.”

Talia and Justin looked at each other. Talia nodded.

“I’m a sensitive. I told you that. But for years and years—all my life up until about eight months ago—I wouldn’t have told you. My family knew, and that’s where I’m different from you. My family knew and they were okay about it, but I knew lots of other people wouldn’t be. I wanted to be normal—what I thought was normal—and I didn’t want to deal with the screwy ideas people have about sensitives. So I didn’t tell anyone.”

“But now you do.”

Lily nodded. “Now I do. And you know what? It’s better this way. Some people don’t understand, and they’re wrong in the things they think about me. Some people are rude, but most aren’t. And I breathe better now that I’m not hiding my secret anymore. Have you ever had a broken bone?”

Talia blinked. “Yes, ma’am. My arm. Right here, see? It’s fine now. I broke it in the third grade.”

“You know how it felt right after the cast came off? The skin’s really soft and tender, and your arm is weak because you haven’t been using it. It feels like you still need to protect it, as if it could be hurt easily—but I bet you didn’t want the cast back. Right? Well, that’s how I felt when I stopped keeping my Gift a secret.”

Talia considered that a moment, frowning. “But your family knew about it already. They were okay with your Gift.”

Lily nodded. “And that’s an important difference. But you’ve got family who know about your Gift and support you, too. Your brother’s right here, and he doesn’t think you’re evil. Or no more than any brother thinks that about his big sister.” She gave Justin a quick grin, and he grinned back. “What you don’t have—what you need—is an adult who will stand by you while your parents get used to the idea. I don’t think my mother would have accepted my being a sensitive very well if Grandmother hadn’t been there telling her . . . Well, Grandmother is not always polite.”

Toby chortled. “I wish you could meet her. Lily’s grandmother is really something. She can make anyone do what she says. She made the pres—”

“We don’t talk about that, Toby,” Dad said quickly.

“Oh, yeah, that’s right.” Toby was still grinning, thinking of when he’d stood on the White House lawn near the president, because Grandmother insisted he be there when the dragons arrived. “But she really is something.”

Lily smiled, but didn’t look away from Talia. “Can you think of an adult relative who would be on your side?”

Justin answered promptly. “Aunt Sherri. No, really, “ he said when Talia looked doubtful. “She’s always telling Mom that Reverend Barnes is full of beans. Sometimes she doesn’t say ‘beans,’” he added, grinning.

“Mom doesn’t listen to her—she just changes the subject.”

“Mom doesn’t want to listen ’cause of Daddy. She doesn’t want to get in a fight, and Daddy thinks Reverend Barnes is Jesus’s best friend. Like the two of them have sleepovers and play ball together all the time, so Reverend Barnes has the inside scoop about heaven and all.” Justin paused, worry retaking his face. “Daddy’s going to be a problem.”

“If we tell.” Talia obviously hadn’t decided to.

“Maybe you could talk to your aunt Sherri about your Gift,” Lily said. “See what she thinks about telling your parents.”

“Yeah. Yeah!” Talia brightened. “I think she’d promise not to tell them something as long as it wasn’t about drugs or sex or something bad like that.”

“This still leaves us with a problem,” Dad said quietly. “When Toby comes home with us, Talia has no way to keep the ghosts from bothering her.”

“Can’t he stay?” Justin said. “Just for tonight. They’re worst at night. She’s tried crosses and holding on to a Bible and everything, but nothing keeps them away except Toby.”

“Not without your parents’ knowledge and permission.” Dad had a way of saying things in a way that made you know there was no point in arguing. “You need help managing your Gift, Talia. Neither Lily nor I can offer that, but for now . . . perhaps the ghosts are satisfied since you’ve passed on their messages. Why don’t you go to the other side of the yard and see if they’re still here? Would that be far enough?”

“Sure. I have to be real close to Toby to keep them away.” Talia bit her lip, then nodded and scrambled to her feet. The rest of them stood up, too, and watched as she went to the old swing set on the south side of the yard. She waited there a few minutes, looking around. Then she nodded, said something too softly for Toby to hear, and came back.

Her face looked a lot calmer. “The tall man said they—the regular ghosts—he said they’re circling the new ones to keep them from screaming at me. But they can’t pay attention for long. None of them can. They’ll forget why they’re doing it and quit. He said you really need to stop the ghost-maker.”

“I will,” Lily said.

It sounded like a promise. Toby worried about that. Could she really promise to stop the ghost-maker? They didn’t know who he was or how he was making people kill.

Dad did his thought-pulling thing, bending down to say softly, so only Toby would hear, “It’s what she does, you know. Right now she isn’t asking herself if she can stop the killing. She knows she will. She’s worrying about when.”

Toby swallowed. When made a difference, all right. “Okay. Only I can’t help wondering . . .”

“Yes?”

“What would ghosts be scared of? They’re already dead.”

Dad squeezed his shoulder. “Good question.”