Mezzanine

| 15 |

For the first few minutes of the drive back from the factory, we rode in complete silence. The windows fogged up as the heat blasted from the vents. My own pulse beating in my ears was so loud, I was sure Lola and Carter heard it too. I took off my soaked jacket and placed it at my feet, my entire body shivering from the cold and shock.

My gaze went to Lola's hands. Her slim fingers tapped against the steering wheel as they shook. When we stopped at a red light, she removed them, holding them out in front of the vents and flexing her fingers like she was trying to wake them up.

I wanted to reach out and hold her hand—to warm it if nothing else—but I was frozen in place. I wasn't sure if it would do any good anyway. My hands were both still numb and white, the blood drained from them. I couldn't feel my fingertips.

What the fuck just happened? What the hell...

Carter's thoughts repeated like they were caught in a loop, growing and becoming clearer in my mind with each second as we drew away from the factory. Whatever presence had been blocking them while we were there was releasing its hold.

"I know you can hear me," Carter finally said as we turned onto his street. "I know both of you can, so stop pretending you can't."

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I caught Lola glancing at me out of the corners of her eyes.

"Will one of you please say something!" There was more venom in Carter's voice than I'd ever heard from him. "What happened to me? One minute we're using the Ouija board, and the next I'm on the ground with you," he kicked the back of my seat, "pinning me down like you want to fucking kill me."

Lola slammed on the brakes. The wheels screeched beneath us as we skidded on the wet pavement. I flew forward, my seatbelt jerking against me as we came to a stop in front of Carter's house. Even though all the windows were dark, the porch light was still on, a beacon glowing through the pounding rain.

"That's enough, Carter." Lola blew a strand of damp hair out of her eyes before turning in her seat to face him. "Jay wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Then what the hell happened?" His hands clenched in fists at his sides. He grit his teeth together, the muscle on his neck twitching and flexing.

This isn't fair. They can hear what I'm thinking, and now they both know something I don't. I hate this. His thoughts paused for a second. You hear me, don't you? Don't you?

"I think..." Lola started, her voice shaking as she spoke, but she trailed off.

"You were possessed," I cut in when she didn't finish. "When we contacted the spirit of that woman, I think whatever the second spirit was came through and took over your body."

My mind flashed back to the blue apparition glowing like an angel on the mezzanine. A chill rushed down my spine at the memory of the power coursing through me. My arm ached, the muscles still sore from the pain that pulled at my nervous system when I drew whatever was inside Carter's body out.

I finally met his eyes, and I hated the way he looked back at me. It wasn't just anger—it was also a look of fear, not just of what had happened, but a fear of me. I could feel it radiating off him even though the thoughts didn't have words associated with them. There was no inner monologue, only raw emotion.

"You started attacking Lola," I said, "and I tried to stop you. That's why I was holding you down when you came out of it."

His gaze traced over me, pausing on my face. Did I do that to him?

I wiped at the side of my cheek, a crust of dried blood brushing away beneath my fingertips. My head ached and pounded right at my hairline, but I didn't want to reach up and find out if it was still bleeding. My forehead felt damp, but it could have just been rain dripping from my hair.