Page 53 of Last Call at the Doghouse

“In the woods, to town for lunch, maybe down to the water.”

She took his hand and led him into the cabin. He followed. “Whatever you want.”

* * *

Armi’s plan for sleep, sex, kissing, walking, and food was on track. Still, as they strolled the Main Street sidewalk with matching ice cream cones in hand, she felt disconnected. Discombobulated. Why couldn’t she find peace, knowing she had no choice in what was to come? She was going to be a hero of sorts. Maybe someone would write a book about her and place it in the hidden section of the Mystic Springs library.

That didn’t make her feel a bit better.

Mitch was wound so tight, it was obvious he was not as accepting as she was. For her sake, he kept his anger reined in.

They were crossing Main Street, heading for a side street that would take them to a dirt trail that led to the cabin, when Armi heard an obviously young voice calling her name. She turned and saw Felicity and Bria jogging in her direction.

“Shouldn’t you girls be in school?” she asked.

Felicity rolled her eyes. “This is much more important than school. We got your number from Miss Helen and tried to call, but it went straight to voice mail.”

“I turned my phone off,” Armi said.

“How can you stand it?” Bria asked.

In spite of everything, Armi smiled. “You girls shouldn’t be tied to your phones. It’s just sad. Go for a hike. Carry on a conversation with a real person.” Live while you still can… She didn’t say that aloud.

“You sound like our grannies,” Bria said.

“Maybe you should listen to them,” Mitch added. “We’re kind of in a hurry. What’s up?”

“We might have a fix,” Felicity said.

That got her attention, and Mitch’s. “What kind of a fix?” he asked.

Felicity started to explain, talking fast and low and using her hands. Most of it didn’t make sense. Bria had taken off the talisman that kept ghosts at bay so Alice the librarian could come through more clearly, and others might be able to reach her as well. While a shield was necessary to rebuild the barrier it didn’t have to be a particular shield. It could be anyone.

Maybe there was a little bit of hope in that information, but it didn’t do her any good since so far they hadn’t found another shield. Her army, Mitch had always called it. As far as she knew, she was still an army of one. She was supposedly The Shield.

Mitch wasn’t giving up so easily. “How can we identify a shield?”

Before the girls could answer, Armi said, “What makes you think I’m willing to step back and let someone else make that sacrifice?”

“I’m willing,” he snapped.

“Since we haven’t found one yet, what makes you think we will in the next thirty-six hours?”

“We have to try!”

“I don’t want to waste my final hours…”

“Hello?” Bria said loudly. She was normally the quiet one, so her voice got their attention. “I haven’t brought a legion of ghosts back into my life just to stand here and listen to you two argue.”

“Sorry,” Armi said.

“It’s the hair. The streak. Sounds like it can be any color, as long as it’s something that stands out. It’s a signifier; a call to the others. You’re, like, the main one somehow, the first at least, but there are others and any one of them can replace the barrier around the town.”

Felicity sighed. “We wanted so much to be free. I didn’t know letting magic out into the world would make such a mess.”

The news they shared wasn’t earth-shattering. It was nice to know she wasn’t alone, but would she ask someone else to take her place?

No.