The Locket

I heard the chatter around me while I sat hugging her tight to my chest. She had done nothing more than have a crush on a boy. We should all be running because this was not going to end well. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned as Brent’s thoughts were in my head. I glanced over his shoulder and confirmed them, Kace was gone.

CHAPTER 23

“A soul mate is…someone whose way of viewing life is not necessarily the same as yours but complements yours, so that there is not a compromise, there is a complement.” – Paul Robear

I can’t believe he did that?” I said, turning to look at Mandy’s lifeless body.

“He thought she was a liability, Claire,” Brent replied. We watched as Mandy’s body turned to a mix of light and sand, thinning until it was gone.

“The Agents are handling her now,” he explained, reminding me that when we die, our apparition goes to The Realm, waiting for an Agent to decide if we are ready for our higher purpose.

The room was loud and everyone was in frenzy, screaming opinions of what to do now. Most of them thought we should run and hide out. I was still trying to process everything that happened and how I had completely missed that my friends were like me.

“No!” I shouted over the rest of them. “No more running. I have been running my whole life. It stops because we’re Chasers, right? We don’t run, we chase,” I said, glancing at Brent who nodded.

“Then we chase him until we find him. We stop him and send him back to The Realm where he belongs. For good!” I exclaimed.

Brent smiled softly and leaned into my ear. “You’re ready,” he whispered.

I smiled back, knowing he was right. I was ready. I felt it deep inside.

The group gathered around me still chattering among each other.

“We were designed to be ghost hunters, chosen to defeat Kace. More importantly, we were designed to be friends. I have faith in all of you. We can do this.” I encouraged the group, sensing they doubted if this was a task we could handle.

“How do we even find Kace?” Layken finally asked.

I answered, remembering my earlier vision. “I had a vision of all of us at the lake. I think that is where we’ll find him.”

“No, Kace saw the vision too. He won’t go there,” Brent reminded.

“He’s right. Kace won’t go to the lake,” I heard Logan say adamantly. I had forgotten he was here. He had not joined the group when they held back the electricity from Kace. Kace must have forgotten about Logan too, or surely he would have met the same fate as Mandy.

I was curious as to how Logan could be so positive Kace wouldn’t go to the lake even though he was probably right.

Looking at Brent for answers, I asked “Okay, if not there, then how will we find him?”

Logan strolled towards me. “I’ll find him, Claire,” he promised.

“How?”

“I’m a Hunter. Kace can’t evade me,” Logan replied confidently.

“What does that mean, Logan?” I didn’t understand his words. I knew he took hunting trips with his uncle all the time but I didn’t see how the ability to hunt deer or turkeys could help in this situation. I smiled at his sincere desire to help us, and frowned at the fact because he was human. We couldn’t allow him to come with us. Kace would use that against us as a weakness. My heart would break if anything happened to Logan.

Logan smiled, gently placing his fingers under my jaw, his amber eyes looking into mine.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said.

Did he mean in the literal sense?

Before I could clarify, he answered, “Yes, in the literal since”

Holy crap! Logan had read my thoughts which could only mean one thing.

“Logan,” I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked excitedly. He returned my hug, lifting me off my feet and then set me back down. “Why didn’t any of you tell me?”

“We weren’t supposed to reveal ourselves unless you absolutely needed us. This was necessary to protect you. There was a chance Kace would be able to read your thoughts or see your visions,” Logan explained, pointing to Brent and Reese. “They didn’t even know.”