Twenty-six

"Don't lie to me" Oh shit. Simon sat up in bed, his eyes penetrating into me, I pretended to be asleep. "you have to come Derek. You have to." I kept my breathing calm, faked a few snores. "Fuck you." Oh shit.

He stayed silent throughout the day, until Chloe appeared bubbling with questions. He offered to sneak down and help her with the laundry. Chivalrous. Chloe positively beamed at him, sometimes I envy him it' so easy for him, but before she went she looked at me, blue eyes questioning. "I'll try and sneak down later," I said, hiding my own astonishment, she was passing up a chance to spend time with Simon alone when her eyes practically did cartwheels when he appeared?

"It's because you're the genius," Simon scowled, his mood still surly, he folded his arms, glaring. "Are you coming then?" he snapped.

"In a bit," shaking his head, he followed Chloe out of the room. I needed time to think, but then Simon and Chloe alone together and he might spill the beans that no one was trying to get rid of her and we needed that fear. I walked slowly down to the laundry room, not to eavesdrop merely to make sure that I wasn't interrupting anything Simon would kill me for later. Not that Chloe was that kind of girl but he was a fast worker once he met a pretty sporty blonde girl at a cafe and ten minutes later they were kissing in the park, he had skipped school that day and they had been inseparable for a week until she moved house or her dog died or whatever.

"You don't need to tell me that there might not be a ghost here, and I'm not going to make you try and contact it. When Derek comes down, he might. Don't let him push you around." So that was his tactic.

"I don't push her anywhere." I retorted, before I had reached them. "If I tell someone to do something and they do it? That's not my problem. All she has to do is say no. Her tongue works, doesn't it?" I kept my gaze trained on Simon before coolly regarding Chloe who looked notably distraught at my appearance. "So if they decide to transfer you what are you going to do about it?" I posed .

Angrily Simon balled up a shirt, shooting me daggers. "For God's sake Derek they're not -" he only just refrained from swearing, I could tell they were on the tip of his tongue.

"They're thinking about it. She needs a plan." I smoothly interrupted him, everything was in motion no it was too much hassle to back out, this was the new plan Chloe was getting Simon out of here.

"Does she?" Simon's voice rose, "What about you, bro?" he used the term mockingly reminding me of Dad's words. Always stick together Derek, look out for each other. "If word comes down that you're next to go do you have a plan?" Why? He knows whatever happens wherever I go I will be okay so just let it go. My jaw locked as I stared him down, I was intractable on this he could tell, being stubborn was something I excelled at.

"If they do. I don't see that I have a lot of options. I can't exactly refuse."

Maybe I should have chosen Tori instead, but the thought of that whining bitch being my future sister-in-law made my lip curl in distaste. Chloe was it. "So you'll just give in. Go along like a good girl?" I commented disdainfully.

"Ease up bro" Easy for him to say, it wasn't his plan getting blown to smithereens. I pointedly ignored him and continued.

"They won't let you talk to Liz, will they?" I retrieved the laundry she missed and dropped them in the washer.

"Huh what?" I sighed internally, our conversations would be much briefer if he kept up with the conversation.

"Tori asked this morning. I heard. Talbot told her no and said she had told you the same thing when she asked last night." Lying bitch. I grabbed the soap box from Chloe's small hands and dipped in to get the measuring cup, "This helps" I waved it under her nose I could feel Simon rolling his eyes.

"They said i can call Liz on the weekend." She didn't really believe that, did she? Denial.

"Still, seems a little odd. You barely knew the girl, yet you're the first one wanting to call her?"

"It's called being considerate. Maybe you've heard of it?" I batted her hand away from the dials, sarcasm was a new side to her but no one can do sarcastic better than me he needed to find a different tack.

"Darks, cold. Or you'll end up with the dye bleeding," i glanced at her, "See I'm considerate?"

"Sure when it's mostly your stuff in there." Chloe responded quickly, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes shooting to the floor when she heard Simon's appreciative chuckle. Was his approval that important to her? "As for Liz. I just wanted to be sure that she was okay," she said with slight discomfort.

"Why wouldn't she be?"

She outlined her theory, so easy to read, her eyes were hopeful she wanted me to tell her she was being ridiculous when in fact I was impression by her skills of deduction, she was smarter than i gave her credit for. Simon was right I should try and be nicer to her, but being nice requires so much effort it is easier to be an asshole then people immediately adjust their expectations. "So Liz returned from the great beyond to show you her really cool socks?" I scoffed burying the unease that twisted inside me.

Simon looked in shock, "That sure sounds like a ghost."

"Just because she is a ghost, doesn't mean she was murdered," i interjected, ever the voice of reason, the thought of Liz in pain made my stomach knot she was too kind to be hurt so brutally. "She could have had a completely unrelated accident on the way to the hospital. If that happened they wouldn't want to tell us right away." Yeah sure Derek.

"Or maybe she's not dead at all. Could she be astral projecting? Shamans do that right? It might also explain how she was moving stuff around. It wasn't a poltergeist spirit it was her spirit or however it works. You said our powers kick in around puberty right? If we don't know what we are when that happens then this is just the kind of place we end up. A home for teens with weird problems."

I shrugged, too much information. Liz could be alive, safe, if Simon left there might be a chance he would be killed and that was the opposite of keeping him safe. And why the fuck do i know so little about shamans?

"Would being a shaman explain what she was doing? Throwing stuff around? Could she have been popping out of her body without knowing it?"

"I . . . don't know. Let me think about it." This was not the time to be uncertain.