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“What the hell are you looking at?” I sniped

His expression didn’t change and he didn’t look away, just kept trying to read reen eyes of his

This is all your fault, I projected at hi he could hear it in some way It kind of creeped me out that it looked like he nodded in return

“Perry,” e it norhter is borderline psycho andwith your 15-year-old, it’s best to use the kid gloves

I sighed and looked out theat the darkening Portland cityscape I thought about Dex and if he was OK Jail I couldn’t believe it IHe kind of seemed made for jail in some ways, but he was there on account of me On account of my parents On account of Maximus The unfairness of it all boiled my blood and heated my face

After Dex, Ada and I returned home froht in my parents’ front yard

Dex was hauled off by the cops on suspicion of kidnapping, which was totally bunk considering both Ada and I had willingly gone with hiht ive consent, so he convinced the police and et checked out All I wanted to do was holler and fight and scream, but that probably would have only helped his case I very reluctantly took Maxi with it But I didn’t believe for a second that he’d havehappen to me

Well, I guess he did keep his word because nothing did happen to ive him all the credit The once-over at the hospital proved to everyone how coherent I was Because, well, I was The deone I left the if I said I felt a hundred percent better But that had nothing to do with ghosts or my mental state I was just extrey was pooling around in s at once and it was scras a bit in my head

Ada also helpedto her story: that I had been nutso because I was sick and had a terrible fever In a panic, she called Dex because he would knohat to do and he took us to aa healing session and voila! The fever broke, I was cured No more crazy Perry

I could tell that no one really wanted to believe that story, but they had no choice Like the truth would have otten me in trouble At least with this version, an external and ht on the psychosis Plus, it was hard to argue with it when I was sitting there in the exa like myself

And Maxiht he would He backed up Ada’s story and even interjected so physically wrong with her I just wasn’t sure what, and hearing about Perry’s history, I ju conclusion” A total lie, but one I appreciated It didn’t ht in his freckled balls

And so I left the hospital with a clean bill of health Dr Freedman seemed disappointed It was like he wantedher to watchthat he didn’t mean for today, or the next few days, or the next feeeks

He meant for the rest of my life

My thoughts drifted over to Pippa My grand tih deep in my soul I kneere related Maybe in some ways, I always knew Maybe I had seen her in my childhood Maybe you could feel yourself in someone’s blood

It broke h I wasn’t a parent, I still couldn’t ihter put you away, to condemn you to a horrible life, to a certain lonely death It made waves of nausea simmer in my belly

I looked over atout theand so I couldn’t see her face That was just as well I didn’t think I could ever look her in the eyes again, knowing everything that I kneasn’t sure how I’d even survive in the house with her watchingfor me to screw up I had no reason, really, to believe my randmother—but …

My mother always acted as if she was scared of ns of “ht lie ahead But now, everything had changed She was afraid of me and I was afraid of her

“Afraid of her?” Ada asked

I ju at Ada, including my mother I quickly avertedface

“Did…I just say soht I hoped to God I wasn’t babbling on about my mother That really wouldn’t have helped

But while Ada said, “Yes,” everyone else in the car said, “No”

Oh, great, now she was acting loony too

She raised her brows at ht back, willing her to not say anything else

Finally, Maxi day for everyone, myself included”

My hters a suspicious look, and turned back in her seat

No one said anything for the rest of the ride

~~~

A knock at my door roused me out of my dreamless sleep

“Co it was someone I wanted to see, which nowadays meant Ada

It was She poked her blonde head in my room and squinted at the darkness

“Sorry to wake you,” she said as she caently closed the door behind her She flicked on the lights

“Arrrrrgh,” Imy arm over my eyes “Thanks a lot What time is it?”

“It’s almost ten, lazybones,” she said I felt her come over and sit on the side of my bed

“In the ?”

“No, at night”

“Then why are you waking irl sleep?” I mumbled “I survived an exorcism, you know”

“That’s what I ca her voice

I took my arm off

“OK, what is it?” I whispered An exorcis about I was so paranoid now, and apparently so was she

“I…I don’t knohat happened to you when you were…gone,” she said She looked very s I didn’t knohat I’d do without you”

“Oh, Ada,” I told her, sitting up “I’m fine I came back”

“Did you?” she asked “You seem different”