The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series)

  The

  Heart-Shaped

  Emblor

  ALAINA EWING

  Published by Evil Girlfriend Media

  Copyright © 2013 Alaina Ewing

  All rights reserved. Any reproduction or distribution of this book, in part or in whole, or transmission in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher or author is theft.

  Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Cover art by Mark Ferrari

  ISBN: 1940154006

  ISBN-13: 978-1-940154-00-8

  FOR WILLIAM,

  GABRIEL,

  AND MICHAEL

  CONTENTS

  1: Ghost Girl

  2: Unexpected Gift

  3: Diversity

  4: A Slap of Reality

  5: Alexander

  6: When the Time Comes

  7: Confidence

  8: Dilemma

  9: Interview

  10: The Heart-Shaped Emblor

  11: Taken

  12: Revelations

  13: Agreement

  14: Too Much, Too Soon

  15: Plans

  16: The Change

  17: Aftermath

  18: Rescue Attempt

  19: Trapped

  20: Confessions

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  1

  GHOST GIRL

  To any normal person, my view of the house would have been picturesque. The sun was cascading through the evergreens, the lavender was letting off a sweet scent, and even the Asian wind chime pinged harmoniously in the breeze. Had it not been for the ghosts flashing green and indigo lights from the window, I would have felt at peace.

  No one else could see the ethereal beings—no one but me. They were floating past at the speed of lightning. I tried to drag my eyes away from them, but I just couldn’t. There were more than usual, and this time felt different.

  Dread squeezed my throat, making it hard to breathe. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to face them. The urge had been building for a couple of months, ever since my parents moved to Nebraska and left me in their house under the care of my college friends until I turned eighteen. My mom being home so often used to keep the visitors at bay, but with her gone and my roommates rarely around, it was like a crescendo of ghosts, more coming every day. I was at the center of their storm.

  I forced my feet to move toward the front door. They felt like lead weights, holding me in place. A scraping noise drew my attention across the street, and I snapped my head around to locate the source.

  The elderly neighbor woman stared at me with her mouth agape. Her rake was part way through her flowerbed when she began to shake her head, as if to say, “You’re crazy.” Pacing across the lawn, tugging on my hair, must have appeared insane. Then again, she didn’t realize what was inside my house.

  I turned back to the house, and roughly wiped my face as I headed for the door. Light from the beings emanated through the peephole, and my breath caught in my chest.

  My eyes closed instinctively as I shoved the key in the lock and turned it over. The stairs, the worst part of the house, were right in front of me. I gripped the doorway for support, and forced my eyes open to see several ethereal beings hovering.

  When my breath returned, I gasped, alerting them all of my presence. A female turned toward me and smiled. I took a moment to trace up and down her glowing essence with only my eyes. I recognized her petite figure at once—she’d visited me since the moment my parents moved me into the house—though, she didn’t appear as terrifying as I remembered.

  I forced my mouth open to speak, but the heaviness on my chest caused only half-hearted mutters to come out. The woman seemed to anticipate what I wanted to say, and softened her glow to pastel blue. Her arm reached out sympathetically, as if she understood the turmoil inside me.

  “I… I’m sorry for what happened to you.” My words faded to a whisper as I remembered the times she’d pleaded for my help. The times she’d approached me as a child, trying to get me to tell my parents about her murder. But I was always too afraid to say anything.

  “I’m alright now.” Her voice held sweetness, and her presence the smell of jasmine.

  “Are you here for justice? Can I help you locate your killer?”

  She shook her head no. The ghost woman closed her eyes, and I could see her brother bashing her over the head with a large pipe, then dumping her body in the water. There was a bright flash of light, and then he was in a coffin.

  “He’s deceased?”

  She nodded.

  “So why are you here then?”

  “Seeing the deceased has frightened you for too long, Aislinn.” She floated toward me.

  My heart pounded as she approached. All I could think about were my mother’s warnings of danger, “Ghosts are evil, demons.” Time felt slow, and the air in my lungs began to burn from holding my breath too long.

  When the ghost woman reached me, she touched my forehead, and my eyes closed without instruction. A man appeared before me. The one I’d been dreaming about for years. His dark wavy hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it away to reveal the dimple on his left cheek.

  He stood with a petite blonde, looking very much in love. Hand in hand, they faced one another, but something drew his attention away from her. The man’s hand reached for me, and his face held a curious grin.

  Warmth filled my heart as I allowed our eyes to meet for the first time. He could see me; the man that I thought only existed in my dreams. Could he be real?

  As the ghost woman withdrew her hand, my dark-haired friend vanished. I opened my eyes to see only her. The other entities had left the stairwell. My eyes filled with mist, and I looked at her with confusion.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will, Aislinn,” she whispered.

  “But, how is it I can see you when my friends and family can’t? This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Of course it does. Your DNA is different than theirs.” Her essence glowed brighter now.

  “Yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “I just wish I knew why.”

  “Those answers will come, but first, you must work on overcoming your fear. It is a low frequency, and limits you. Facing me today is no small feat, and this experience will help you uncover the answers you’re seeking. Now that we’ve spoken, it is time for us to move on. You may catch a glimpse of us from time to time, but we won’t bother you anymore.” Her smile rose to the height of her illuminated cheekbone. “I need to go now.”

  “No, wait!” My voice held desperation. “Why were you here in the first place?”

  “We have been here for you—always for you—to help you accept what is to come.”

  “What’s coming? And what about the man you just showed me? Is he real?”

  “I can’t answer anymore for you,” she said with slight twinkle in her eye, and then she faded into nothing. No ghosts occupied the brightly painted stairwell, and I sat down to catch my breath.

  What had just happened?

  I focused solely on my breathing, which sounded like wind traveling deep into a cavern. Every hair on my arms rose, and a light shock kept surging through my body. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what the ghost woman had said. What did she mean my DNA was different? Did all towns have this many hauntings? Or was it just Willow Lark? There always seemed to be more questions than answers, and for once, I found myself wishing the woman would come back.

  Before I had time to absorb what had happened, I heard Mel pull into the driveway. Her wavy aub
urn hair bounced as she got out of her truck. She stumbled on the way in, trying to balance two coffees and her school bags.

  “Hey, Mel.” My voice sounded rough, disconnected.

  “This is for you.” She handed me one of the cups. “I got you a mocha.”

  “You’re the best!”

  “I know.” She smiled, reflecting a sense of pride. “What are you doing sitting on the stairs?”

  I wanted to tell her, as I often did, but I couldn’t risk losing her friendship. After donning the name “ghost girl” in grade school, the fear of someone finding me out again outweighed my need to share. So I lied.

  “Just resting.”

  “Oh.” Mel made her way to the couch, plopping her bags on the floor. “I thought maybe you were still upset. Mr. Wellner told me what happened in class.”

  I put my head in my hands, remembering the reason I had come home early in the first place. That explained the coffee. She knew.

  “So why’d you run out of class?” Her look was intense, and I knew she wouldn’t give up on the subject. She, Evan, and Kyle always denied it, but I knew they reported to my parents when it came to school.

  “Well…” I sat on the couch across from her and took a swig of coffee, letting the heat burn as it went down. “You know how I like to sculpt emotion?”

  “Yes.”

  “I tried to use love as my emotion of choice today.”

  “You didn’t!”

  “Oh, yes.” I let out a long breath. “I did.”

  “What happened?”

  “First, I was okay. I envisioned Cooper.”

  “Cooper?” She interrupted, her lip curled in disgust. “Why? You just told me a few days ago that you aren’t sure he loves you. Why would you do that?”

  “Just listen, Mel. I don’t know if he loves me, but right now, he’s the closest thing I have. So I used him, and forced myself to see us married. Everything was okay at first, but halfway through I could see him cheating with another woman. When I pulled out of the emotion, I looked down and saw the clay was in two chunks.”

  “And?”

  “They resembled a broken heart.”

  “Ah.” Mel looked at her feet.

  “So,” I continued. “I just wanted to get out of there. Besides, Mr. Wellner didn’t need me today. He had a workshop over the weekend, and by the time I got to work this morning, everything I do to prepare the room was already done. He told me I could get started early on class stuff and work through until class actually began. It’s not that big of deal, really.”

  “Mr. Wellner was concerned. You didn’t say anything before you left. He wanted me to check on you.”

  I could see him in my mind, his wrinkled eyes, his glasses on the tip of his nose; Mr. Wellner would surely be worried.

  “I’ll explain things to him Monday morning. I’ve never done anything like this before. He’ll understand. I hope.”

  “I’m sure he knows you’d never do anything to risk your campus job. He was just worried.” Mel took a sip of her coffee.

  I tried to change the subject. “Have you decided if you’re going to go to Jaden’s party tonight?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Did you get called into work?”

  “I did,” she sighed. “But that isn’t why. I don’t want to go. Jaden’s a bitch, and I can’t stand Cooper. They treat you like shit.”

  Mel was right about Jaden, and it wasn’t fair of me to expect her to go. If it weren’t for the fact that Jaden knew about my prophetic dreams, I probably wouldn’t be friends with her. But Jaden was the only person who knew I dreamt of the future, as she’d seen proof of my abilities when I helped her overcome a suicide attempt a couple of years ago. She was the only one I could share my dreams with, but Mel couldn’t have known that, and therefore, couldn’t understand our friendship.

  “I’m sorry, Mel.” I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, inhaling the scent of the mocha. “I know you don’t like them. I shouldn’t have asked you to go. It’s just… I really like Cooper, and this is the first time I will be meeting his friends. I’m nervous, and wanted you there for support.”

  “If you’re nervous about meeting Cooper’s friends, he should be your sense of support. Not me. He seems too into himself to be there for you, hence my issue with him.” She sat back, crossing her arms.

  “I understand what you’re saying. He’s a bit selfish. But it’s only because he’s insecure. That’s all. And that can be worked with.”

  “True. Except, you’re not helping him to become more secure, he is making you less secure. Look at yourself.” She pointed to my hair. “You always loved your long, black hair. Since the moment I met you, it’s been silky and gorgeous. But Cooper made one little comment about it looking untidy, and you chopped it up to your shoulders. I was so jealous of your hair.

  “And look at the way you dress now. You used to get mad because he spent two hundred dollars on a shirt, and now you dress just like him. I know he buys all your clothes, but you would never wear that if it weren’t for him. You used to make fun of people who cared so much about their appearance. How do you even keep from getting clay on you? Seriously. He has you so worried about your looks that you go to a pottery studio in a ridiculous shirt.”

  “I wear an apron, and maybe I did let him talk me into a haircut, and some attire changes, but you’ve done things like that before too. When you and Evan dated, and he wanted you to wear all cleavage shirts, you did,” I countered.

  “But I didn’t chop off my hair and consider getting colored contacts just because he wanted my eyes a darker shade of blue!” Mel’s voice grew louder, and I knew I’d struck a nerve.

  “I didn’t get the contacts,” I corrected.

  “But you actually considered it.”

  I couldn’t deny that. I had.

  My head felt heavy. After what happened in the hall, all the talk about Cooper and parties seemed irrelevant. So why did I care so much? Mel’s observations, however hard to hear, were true. I had changed since dating Cooper.

  Things hadn’t started out that way. He was so kind in the beginning, so supportive of me. Whatever had happened to change our relationship was beyond my understanding, but I wasn’t ready to give up on us yet. There was no point in explaining this to Mel again, because in her words, “I’ve never seen that side of him.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it.” My reply held defeat, and Mel’s shoulders slumped forward.

  “Sorry, Aislinn.” Her eyes met mine. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. After what happened in class, and trying to consider the party tonight, I guess I’m not in the best frame of mind to discuss Cooper.”

  “It’s okay.” I spoke the words, but sadness squeezed my heart. I wanted her to see what I did in him—his potential—but I knew that wouldn’t happen.

  “Evan and Hope are going. I’m not sure how Hope is getting there, but Evan is heading over after work. They’re going because you wanted support.”

  “Is Evan really going to be supportive? Or is he chaperoning me?” I eyed her suspiciously.

  Mel rolled her eyes, giving me all the answer I needed.

  “I’m surprised to hear Hope is going.”

  Hope didn’t fit in with Jaden’s crowd. Her attire usually consisted of stone jewelry, ankle length skirts, and long, almost white hair. She swore the odd violet shade of her eyes was natural. I doubted Jaden had invited her.

  “Yes, she said she was going to be supportive of you.”

  “I hardly know her.”

  “But you asked us all at lunch, and she remembers. If you hadn’t wanted her included in that invite, you should have waited until we got home.”

  So I had invited her.

  “It’s not that, Mel. Hope has never done anything with us before. I’ve invited her places, but this is the first time she’s accepted. I thought maybe it was because she’s older than me.”

  “Most of us are older than you, and it hasn’t stopped us from being frien
ds. Maybe she’s shy. It doesn’t matter why she’s finally accepted an invite. The point is she’ll be there for you.” Mel got up from the couch, and turned to face me. “Maybe you’ll get the support you need after all.”

  A smile lit up my face.

  “Thanks for the coffee.” I held up the cup.

  “You’re welcome.” She continued to speak as she walked down the hall. “I spoke with your mom earlier, and she wants you to deposit my rent check with Evan’s and Kyle’s.”

  She probably told my mom I ran out of class too. I hoped that wasn’t the reason for Evan’s sudden interest in Jaden’s party, but I couldn’t be certain. My parents were renting rooms to my friends for very little in exchange for helping me with the Running Start program on campus. The arrangement benefited my friends, who got cheap rent, and my parents, who felt they needed a babysitter for me. It was annoying at times, but at least I got to stick with the college credit program. Had my parents made me move with them, I would have been stuck finishing out high school the old-fashioned way—something I had no interest in doing. I grabbed their checks from the counter, and headed downstairs to my room.

  Knowing Cooper, if I wasn’t ready by the time he arrived it would put him in a sour mood the rest of the evening. With no idea what to wear, I spent the next hour digging through the closet to find something suitable for a high society kegger.

  After finding the jeans and shirt Cooper bought me, I slipped them on, and made my way to the bathroom to straighten my hair. The only downfall of my recent stylish haircut was the fact I had to maintain it far more than I cared to.

  I stared in the mirror, meeting my own eyes, and thoughts of my dark-haired dream friend returned. Part of me wondered whether to tell Jaden about what the ghost woman showed me, but I’d never spoken to her of my ghost-seeing abilities. What if they frightened her like my dreams once had? I couldn’t risk being on Jaden’s bad side. She had a reputation for socially destroying those she found in opposition.

  More than ever I needed someone to talk to about my dreamtime friend. Why did he keep visiting my slumber? And why, in my heart, did I feel he could offer me something that Cooper couldn’t?