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By the time she fell asleep during the middle of the third book, I eased the cover shut and snuck back to my room, only to find Raina there. She wore a long-sleeved pajama set and was fast asleep on my bed.
She looked so real that I had to reach out and see if I could touch her, but my fingers went through her arm. She didn’t stir once, but her eyelids shifted quickly back and forth as she dreamed.
Grabbing my sleep clothes from a drawer, I changed in the bathroom, then opened the door and paused in the doorway as my attention returned to Raina.
She wasn’t real, I told myself, even though—damn—she sure looked it, all beautiful and precious with her face tucked against one of my pillows. My chest felt heavy as I approached the mattress. And when I went to lie down, I did so gently, afraid to wake her. Except I had no idea if that was even possible.
I kind of liked watching her undisturbed on my bed, though, so I continued to move as easily as possible and kept quiet until I was comfortably on my side, facing her.
Only inches separated us.
I reached out again, hoping to capture just the smallest tendril of hair, but the only thing my fingers managed to grasp was air.
I exhaled and dropped my hand, finished trying for the night. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep next to the girl who wasn’t really there.
17
THE BEACH
“Raina! Raina!” an excited voice called. “Guess what?”
I opened my eyes and found myself back on a beach. Again.
With a groan, I sat upright and glanced toward the water. But Hayes wasn’t near the shore this time; he was jogging toward me from behind.
“Hey, buddy,” I greeted with a yawn, getting to my feet and annoyed to see that I was back in the dreaded jumper that I no longer thought was cute. “I gave Foster your message like you asked.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He waved a dismissive hand, moving past that as if it wasn’t important. “But guess what? You don’t have to be dead for me to talk to you anymore.” The boy jumped excitedly in the sand. “You’ve traveled back and forth between life and death so much lately that you’ve created a pathway. I can seek you out in your dreams now! And guess what else?”
I shook my head, boggled by what he’d already told me. So when I said, “What?” I wasn’t really paying attention to his answer; I was still trying to figure out the wholepathwaything.
“I’m not the only one who can visit,” he announced excitedly.
My brow furrowed. “Huh?”
“Look who I brought with me.” He jumped to the side, revealing someone he’d been standing in front of that I hadn’t noticed before.
“Surprise!” Kinsey cried with a big smile as she opened her arms and rushed forward.
When her solid body plowed into mine and she wrapped her arms around me, I sucked in a surprised breath. “Kins?”
“The one and only.” Pulling back to smile into my eyes, she gripped my shoulders and laughed. “You look as if you’re seeing a ghost.”
She was so ethereal and different, yet also the same.
“Be—because I am,” I sputtered.
But my sister shook her head. “Nope,” she corrected. “I didn’t stick around Earth to haunt anyone. I’m beyond all that.”
“Then…?” I shook my head, still not understanding. “How am I talking to you?”
Was I just making all this up in my head? Maybe I’d made up my time with Foster too. I mean, certainly, no one could be as perfect as he was.
In front of me, Kinsey laughed and lifted her shoulders. “Why would I knowhow? I just know Ican, so here I am to see you. Oh! And I thought you’d like to meet Mom, too.”
My lips parted. “Mom? Is she here? Right now?”
Kinsey’s smile grew even larger before she stepped aside to reveal a woman who looked so much like her but about fifteen years older. Her smile was more demure—almost shy—as she lifted a hand and waved at me. “Hey, Raina. You have no idea how nice it is to finally get to talk to you!”
