Chapter 16 – Ghost in the Graveyard
Ariel
I settle back against a headstone, Marigold lounging in my lap with a little horse figurine that she makes gallop up and down my knee. I sigh happily, looking over at Daphne and Juniper on my right, who share my little picnic blanket. Tony and Laila sit next to Juniper on the grass, Laila’s head down on her knee and her eyes closed, still mourning the disappearance of the sun several hours ago.
“We should do this more often,” I say, nestling back, quite relaxed. “I never knew how nice a night picnic could be.”
“You’re just rubbing it in, Ariel,” Jesse says, standing up to his waist in a half-dug grave, frowning at me, all covered in dirt. Next to him Jackson stands straight and lifts another pile of dirt out on the blade of his shovel, the muscles of his back and shoulders flexing in a very pleasant way. A second spray of dirt follows that, probably from Midnight, who is so deep in the grave she can’t be seen anymore.
“You’re the one who decided to cancel the backhoe, Jess,” Juniper says, turning her head and looking at him far too innocently.
This draws a slight smile from Tony, whose arms are wrapped around his transparent knees as he watches the digging progress. My heart sinks for my friend, who is usually so spirited. But I can tell he’s feeling very unsteady right now.
“Yes, I’m regretting my penchant for mystery and secrecy,” Jesse murmurs, heaving a deep sigh. “Should have shouted it from the rooftops and given a press interview, if it meant saving my back. Do you guys want to swap? Get more physically into the spirit of this event?”
He hoists his shovel slightly, offering it over to us.
“Sorry, can’t,” I say, twisting my face disappointedly to the side. “I’m too pregnant.”
Jackson bursts out laughing but doesn’t counter me.
“Seals don’t know how to dig.” Laila lifts her head and shrugs dramatically, blatantly lying and not bothering to hide it. “Just…not in our skill set. These flippers,” she says, raising her hands and flexing her fingers, “completely the wrong shape for manual labor.”
“I’m a goddess,” Juniper says, lofty. “So, no.” She leaves it there, making Tony’s smile grow.
“And I just did my nails,” Daphne says, holding up her hands. Jesse grins at her as the top half of Midnight’s head pops up over the edge of the grave.
“If your nails are sharp, they can probably help us pry open the coffin.” She says, perky and helpful.
“I will lend what aid I can,” Daphne says, laughing softly as Midnight nods and pops back in, getting back to work.
Tony sighs and leans closer to June. “Never thought I’d hear Daphne agree to pry open my coffin with her freshly painted nails,” he murmurs. “Not something I thought would be on my Bingo card in my 20’s.”
“Just imagine how rich your thirties will be,” Juniper says, grinning at him.
“Hey,” he snaps, doing his best to grin and be playful with her. “We don’t talk about me in my thirties until you pass the threshold into your third decade, okay?”
She grins and wrinkles her nose at him. My wolf sighs happily, pleased that these two found each other. Still, my mind moves again to Junie’s moody little sidepiece in the Underworld and my wolf growls, protective of Tony. I mean, unless Tony’s…cool with it?
I sigh, resolving to have a chat with him soon, too. But, bodies first.
“Hi everyone!”
I grin as all our heads turn to three figures walking toward our eerie little scene. Marigold squeaks with excitement at the sound of her favorite person’s voice. The diggers all pause for a moment, calling their hello’s.
I let Marigold up off my lap to dash to her granny as mom, Cora, and Roger appear by the side of Tony’s grade, just visible in the soft moonlight.
“Hi, baby!” mom says, going immediately to her knees and giving Marigold a big one-armed hug while carefully balancing some sort of flat dish in her other hand. “Oh, I missed you!”
Seeing me frowning at the dish in mom’s hand, Cora rolls her eyes. “She brought a charcuterie board,” she says, dry. I burst out laughing.
Roger grins, stepping forward and glancing down at the tiny cooler in Cora’s hand. “And that is filled with blood, not beverages, so don’t get excited. Hello, little ‘Pipes,” he says, grinning at Juniper, who has always been a favorite of his. He opens his arms. “Come say hello.”
Juniper grins as she stands up, rushing to Roger and letting him wrap her up in a big hug.
I stand, walking quickly to mom’s side to take the charcuterie from her as I predict what’s coming next. She stands with Goldie on her hip, tears already starting in her eyes as she swats at Roger’s arm. “My baby!” she says. “Not yours, let me in!”
I laugh, watching as Roger grins and steps aside, letting mom wrap Junie in a one-armed hug. I step close and take Marigold away for a moment to let mom and June have their reunion. Goldie lets out a little shout of dismay but I hold her close and show her the cheese, which sufficiently distracts.
The next few minutes are hectic as everyone says hello. Cora gives Daphne a very warm greeting but then is quite careful to go kneel by the grave next, having an animated chat with Midnight about how she’s finding her first days at the Academy.
Everyone is introduced to Laila and admires her pretty blue-green hair extravagantly, making her blush. But eventually, everyone turns to Tony, the true man of the hour. He does his best to smile cheerfully around, waving awkwardly and glancing again and again at the grave, his desire to get on with things awkwardly balanced with his instinct to be polite.
Juniper gives me an anxious look and I step forward, ready to take charge. I was, after all, always more receptive to our lessons on social graces than Juniper was. She usually just pretended to fall asleep so our tutors would leave her alone.
“Mom, why did you bring charcuterie?” I ask, laughing and pitching my voice higher so everyone can hear as I put Marigold back down on the blanket. I hold the cheese board out so all can see, drawing attention away from Tony. “It isn’t a party, after all. We’re here to do a job!”
“Oh of course it’s a party,” mom says, bustling over and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “It’s always a party when I’m here. Besides, my little mouse likes cheese,” she says, leaning forward and tapping Marigold’s nose with her finger. “So I had to oblige.”
Marigold laughs and wraps her arms around mom’s legs, smiling happily up at her grandmother.
I grin at both of them, unable to help it, and nod toward the picnic blanket. Mom and Cora follow, settling down with us non-diggers, mom murmuring to June that Dad is tied up with some business, sends his love, and will meet us in the Palace for the next part.
Roger wanders to the edge of the grave. “You guys…need some help down there?”
“No,” Jackson says, standing straight and wiping a hand across his forehead. My wolf sits up straight as we take in the sight of him, all sweaty and dirty and strong. He senses my attention and sends me a quick grin before turning his eyes back up to Roger. “We’re almost done here.”
“Yeah, dad, you can stop pretending to be manly,” Jesse calls, still shoveling. “Go dig into the cheese plate like we all know you want to.”
“As I am commanded…so it must be done,” Roger murmurs, sighing and wandering over to our very full little picnic blanket. He grins and sits as mom unwraps the plate, handing Goldie the first piece of cheese, which she takes eagerly and pops into her mouth.
But when I reach out, my fingers aiming for a very plump piece of brie, mom smacks at my hand. “None for you.”
“What!?”
She looks at me, eyebrows raised. “You can’t eat most of this, Ariel – you’re pregnant! It’s unpasteurized and the cured meats are a no-go.”
I gape at her, appalled, looking between her and the delicious plate, my stomach rumbling. “Can’t I even have a cracker!?”
“Of course you can have a cracker, baby,” mom coos, handing me one.
“Honestly, Ariel, one would think that you’d try to be a good mother,” Juniper says, grinning wickedly at me. Laila smacks her arm even as she laughs, making me like her more.
“Oh, I hate you all,” I sigh, eating my dry little cracker and looking enviously at the cheese, which everyone else digs into. Tony gives me a commiserative look and I nod to him, suddenly feeling his pain.
“See, I told you it was a good idea,” mom says, glancing at Cora.
“I never said it wasn’t going to be popular,” Cora replies. “I just said it was in poor taste.”
I grin, glancing over at Tony. “What’s going to be the first thing you eat when you get your body back?”
We all turn to him at that and he sighs, his head hanging slightly. “I…honestly haven’t got that far. I haven’t thought about food since…” he frowns, looking over at me. “Since the day I got killed, I guess.”
Cora grimaces a little as the mood of our group takes a little turn and we go quiet, reminded again of that awful day and the violence that brought us here.
“Cheese?” Marigold asks, leaning towards Tony, a slice of cheddar in her hand.
His face immediately softens, as do we all, as he leans towards her. “Thanks, Golds,” he says, grinning at her. “I can’t have that right now, but maybe soon.”
She frowns at him and then glances at me before looking back at the ghost. “Pregnant?”
We all burst out laughing and surprise blooms in me as I realize how quickly Marigold put that together. I stroke a hand over her hair, pride streaking through me as Tony grins at her, assuring her that he is not a pregnant male ghost. Marigold just looks around in confusion as mom encourages her to eat the cheese herself, saying Tony isn’t hungry right now.
Told you she was clever, Jackson says to me down our bond. I send affirmation back, honestly a little surprise because…I don’t know. That logic seems a bit beyond what a four-year-old should be capable of. Speech delay or not, Jackson is right – she listens to and watches absolutely everything, comprehending more than we think.
The sound of metal clunking on metal suddenly sounds from inside the grave.
“Welp,” Roger says, turning his head towards the rectangular hole in the ground, his face newly grim. “Guess it’s time for you to put your fun little cooler of blood to good use, Cora-baby.”
Cora pats the cooler at her side, her eyes likewise on the grave. “Let’s crack it open,” she says, her scientific side coming eagerly forward. “See what we’re working with!”