Grim For Ever After, Elizabeth Haley [best books to read non fiction txt] 📗

the pumpkin carving contest like every other year and Miss Delsy would sale home made apple pies.  There would be apple cider and laughter and it would be absolutely awful without Tess. So Rae and the other's had decided against going.

 Rae bet the cinnimon sugar in the pies wouldn't taste as sweet and the caremel apples would be to hard. She bet she wouldn't enjoy it at all. Brick faded into the crowd and Rae let him go nothing he could say would feel the emptiness.  

"Come on, don't bother with him!" Ty had come up from behind and put a warm arm around her. But she shrugged away stepping back into the coffee shop. Noticing the look on his face she said ,"Sorry But I think I'm going to grab my jacket and go home, I feel a headache coming."

"Oh alright!" He said disappointed even further she could tell he thought she was being selfish. Tess was his sister after all. But Ty didn't say anything he was like that putting others feelings before his own especially Rae's. She kissed him quickly and placed three dollars on the table for her barely touched latte. she said a quick goodbye and again she was out into the fall air . She really was getting a headache.  What was going on with Tess that she didn't know about? Not knowing was consuming her. They had all noticed Tess slowly become  distant. 

 If only Rae  had followed her out of Hot Stuff when she knew something was wrong she knew it then and all the nights before but she let Tess keep it inside she should of pushed her to talk instead she let her leave the coffee shop that night so she could stay out longer with Ty she wondered if Ty felt guilty too?  She thought about this, she was so deep in thought she didn't notice the girl coming toward her until they smacked into each other.     

"Be careful!"  the girl told her helping Rae not to fall  

"Sorry!" Rae stuttered out her heart pounding in her ears her face red with embarrassment. The girl squinted her caramel eyes at her. With her right hand on her hip. Her wispy mouse brown hair  pulled into a thin braid ,she wore prissy girly clothes and pinchy shoes. They stood awkwardly.

 

"It was nothing!" The girl waved it off. Reminding Rae of Tess but everything reminded her of Tess.

"Well ummm sorry again and bye" Rae mumbled and waved. Then she turned away from her and the awkward moment before starting across the street this time fully alert. It wasn't until she was secure in her own car that she noticed the girl still standing where she'd left her on the side walk outside of Hot Stuff a lost and lonely look on her face. 

She parked outside of the two story white brick house her and her mother shared. She started up the walkway lined with un carved pumpkins and  artificial corn stocks. She went in throwing her jacket on a hook in the hall and dropping hey keys in the small basket alongside her mothers.

"Mom?" she called releived to not be home alone.

"Yes Rae up here!" her moms voice traveled down the steps. Upstairs she stood in her moms doorway. Her mother was in front of her white vanity a silver earring dangling in one hand her blond hair pulled back into a low tight bun. I have to go into my office one of my buyers backed out. Jade Lesley was in real estate. She had taken a few day's off to mourn for Tess who had been like her second daughter minus the memory of labor pains. Rae frowned she didn't want her mother to leave.

"Are you going to be okay here?" Jade said standing and tucking her silky black top into her gray knee length skirt with black pin stripes she topped it with the matching jacket. She raised an eyebrow at Rae who hadn't answered her.

"Yea I'll be fine, I'm just gong to go lay down I'm not feeling well, head ache." Jade touched her daughters head. And looked at her the way she had been since Tessa's death she looked at her as if she feared she would never see Rae again.

"Take some aspirin I'll be back as soon as I can. Chicken soup for dinner?"

"Yea okay." Rae said listening to her moms heels tap down the hardwood hall

"Rae?"

"Yes?" Rae answered stepping out of the room her mother had stopped on the steps

''maybe we can watch a movie tonight if you're feeling better."

"Maybe!" Rae said, but a movie night normally meant sweet and salty snacks and tears lots of tears.

"Nothing sad though. Okay?" Rae Said

"Okay." Jade whispered.

And a moment later of tap tap tapping the front door was opening and shutting. Rae huffed and started down the hall to her own room but first she stopped in the bathroom to grab the pain pills she pulled a water bottle out of her shoulder bag embroidered with diamond skull, then continued down to her room.

Rae stepped inside her window was wide open and her silky black quilt was disheveled as if someone had just been sitting on her bed. The pills had left a lump in her throat she took another gulp of water and told herself that her mom had been in there. She's just worried about me and found comfort being in here! She went to her window and pushed it shut. Then something caught her eye a piece of paper on her desk that wasn't there when she left. It was slightly crumbled and familiar, the rose thorns around the edges. She stepped toward it's eye's darting around the room as if someone were there with her. She grabbed the paper and took in the two words written in Tessa's neat handwriting.

 

I'm Sorry

 

Rae let the paper slip from her fingers to the plush carpet while her heart dropped to her feet. 

Kind Of Crazy

"All right calm down Rae!" Ty said though he was the one pacing. Rae had called him right away after finding the note she was really freaked out and felt as if she were being watched.

"Alright so there has to be a perfectly logical explanation for this"! Ty said putting a finger to his chin. Its all crumbled maybe its old and came out of your pocket while your mom was doing laundry and she left it there!" "That would make since if Tess ever had written me a note that said sorry not to mention your mom just bought that stationary two days before Tess.... Rae trailed of but the theory was crushed.

"Someone was in my room Ty and we both know when the whole Tess weirdness started, what if Brick knows more then he's letting on what if Tess had given him the note to get to me?"

 "Then why wouldnt he just hand it to you?  Maybe he gave it to my mom for me!"

"But dont you think she would of mentioned it?"

" Maybe she forgot she was preoccupied with work!" Rae said.

"I'll go ask him." Ty offered grabbing keys his mind already made up.

"You want to go find brick?" Rae wasnt so sure knowing where bricks hang out was.

"But that's on the edge of town!"

"I know, don't worry I'll be back!"

"I don't want you to go!" Rae said sounding desperate. Ty stopped.

"Come with me then!" Rae was  16 and though Jade wasn't particulary stricked Rae was not allowed anywhere near the old train station strange things happened there like girls going in and never to come back out. and everyone in town knew it. It was one of the reasons Tessa was'nt to hangout with Brick. Miss Grayson was sure it was a place for drugs and other iilegal activity. Rae couldnt understand why the police did'nt seem to care what ever it was the kids at the train sation were up to.

"Alright but if we get in trouble I'm saying you forced me to go." Rae half smiled.

"Fine with me." Ty agreed knowing it was only a bluff.

The train station looked like a large red barn with boarded up windows and a faded brown wrap around porch that opened up on to a concrete platform it had been closed for as long as Rae could remember. They got out of Ty's Ash range rover and stepped up onto the porch. The door was boarded over as well.

"Now what Ty? Do we knock?" Ty was ready to answer when the ruff wood moved to the side a boy from school peeked out,

"What do you wan't?" he asked.

"Where looking for Brick!" Ty said looking at the nerdy red head kid from school.

 

What was he doing here? Rae thought

 

"He's out!"

There was another voice, a female.

"Tell 'em to get lost!"                                                                                                          

"Well you heard that." the boy said popping the wood back in place.

"We accomplished a lot!" Rae said once they started down the steps.

"So now you're stalking me?"

Both Rae and Ty turned to see Brick, he was leaning against the porch railing. Where had he come from?

 

 "What is it?" He asked his arm's crossed over his chest.

 

"It's just that you and Tessa got close fast and in that time she changed you cant blame us for wanting to know did she  say anything to you somthing you might have overlooked? Rae got straight to the point

"No she didn't tell me anything!" 

So you've never seen this?" Rae pulled the note from her jeans.

"Never, what's this about?'

"I found this on my desk at home and it's Tessa's writing I thought maybe you dropped it off with my mother........

Brick snatched the note. You found this today he asked? His finger tracing the words.

"Yes!"

"I told her it's probably nothing." Ty finally stopped sneering and spoke.

"Tessa wrote this I know she did Rae insisted not likeing the looks they were giving her.

"Then how do you think it got to your house?''

Brick asked not mocking her at all.

"I don't know but Tess made sure it got to me!"

"Well it wasn't me must have been a ghost" Brick said with a smirk.

"Don't joke like that it's not funny!" Ty fumed.

"I know it's not!" Brick said sounding completely and frighteningly serious.

 

Rae wasn't sure what she believed anymore but something about the way Brick stared  made her feel as if a swarm of insects had been let loose beneath her skin. Just a week ago she'd thought she and Tess were inseperatable then her reality shattered. Was it possible something even more unnatural then Tess's sudden departure had come through the cracks? All the hours they had spent reading paranormal books and renting movies they even had visited a wicca store a few time's but did she beleive in it?

"Do you beleive in ghost Rae?" Brick asked as if  he had  heard her thought's.

"Don't be stupid!" Ty laughed uncomfotably.

"Do you?' Brick asked again ignoring Ty.

"No!" Rae answered and Ty looked releived.

 

"Well Tess did." Brick quipped. And if anyone has answers about that its your friend Jake.

 

"Jake what's he have to do with this?'

 He know's more then you think, you all do?" Brick answered before turning away from them he added "Just ask Jake about the book he let Tessa borrow from his freakish library."

 

 It took some convincing but Ty agreed to pay Jake a visit. He didn't live far from the station so they drove right over. They drove up in front of the gray one story house he lived in.  Jake greeted them at the door. Thankfully he was home