Second Ames Sister BOOK 2

1

We were finally back from the hell hole that was Oklahoma. Don't get me wrong, I loved meeting my aunts and uncles and grandparents, but I hate horses, and dirt, and anything that leaves a stain. I slept in today, we all sort of did.

But then I was awake, and I heard all these sounds. It wasn't voices and it wasn't the city it was like water rushing behind my ear drums, and a crackling fire. I whined. This happened a lot since I have been young.

Most of the time it was while I was trying to get to sleep, not when I was waking up. I always thought it was something to do with my heritage. You know, born to a werewolf couple but a witch.

I got up early since the sounds were getting louder. I stood up and suddenly I fell right back down, blacked out and woke up 20 minutes later. I tried getting up this time, the sound wasn't there anymore, but something felt different. I shook it off and grabbed an off the shoulder white dress and headed into the bathroom. I took a shower and came out dressed and refreshed.

I slipped on some sandals and went downstairs seeing Mark there with the paper in his mouth, two coffee cups in his hand and I just crossed my arms. "You know most dogs get smacked with a roll of paper." I said and he looked at me with a glare.

He mumbled something around the paper before setting the cups down and taking the paper out of his mouth. "I am not a dog; I am a wolf. I sort of feel sorry for the wolf that gets you as a mate." He said before picking everything up and then walking out, this time with the paper under his arm.

I got things together for my lunch and then walked out, ready to go to work. I felt like someone was following me after heading towards the bus but when I looked around, I only saw a girl with, someone who seemed to be her older brother, and she was talking his ear off. Then an older woman with a walker was walking beside a younger man with a backpack on and I just shook the feeling off again before walking the rest of the way to the bus stop.

The bus only had a couple people on it so I could sit down. I got off when I was at the boutique I was going to be looking over for the day and walked in. "Hi, I'm Aurora Ames." I said to the girl who had the manager sticker on her shirt.

"Hello Ms. Ames, I am Margret, how was your morning so far?"

"Well I had a headache not too long ago but thankfully it is gone now." I said with a smile. "How about you show me exactly what you want to do." I said looking around. Two women were shopping, one was obviously knit picking and I just sighed wondering if that was the mother because mine did that all the time when I was a teenager.

Thinking about my mom made my heart hurt, but I turned away and smiled as Margret came back and handed a list. "This is the list that has all the orders on it. Go crazy." She smiled handing it over and I nodded and walked to the back of the counter. I started just highlighting my bosses’ dresses and then went around with my work phone picking them out. I checked them off and wrote the prices before being done.

"Excuse me... but I think if you are worried about what someone older would say but still want to look hot, get this one." I said pulling a little red number from the rack when the girl came towards me.

"Thanks. I've just been thinking about what my mother would say about everything... she passed about 6 months ago. I hate shopping alone." She said and I opened my mouth to say something about the woman who was just on the other side of the rack, but she had gasped and came towards me.

"You can see me?"

"Yeah." I said slowly and looked towards the girl who smiled at me. "Well, don't let me keep you." I said going back to ignoring the older woman who was freaking me out as she got closer and closer.

"Thank you." The girl said and hugged me, and I just patted her back. She walked off towards the back of the place asking for a changing room.

"Wait, you can see me! How can you see me?" The older woman asked, and I looked at her fully and she reached for my hand and I was ready to jerk away from her, but her hand went through me anyways.

"Oh my god." I whispered and backed away.

"Are you okay Ms. Ames?" I heard someone call and I tore my eyes away from the woman and looked towards Margret.

"Just fine. I am done. See you in a month." I said waving and grabbing the papers and my purse and basically running out.

"Wait, you can see me. Can you see all of us?" She asked looking around and I gulped. I let my eyes dart around and I met some people’s eyes and they all started walking towards me and I started taking deep breaths. "You can see the dead." She said and almost sounded relived and I just looked one way and started running.

I got on the bus, keeping my eyes down, and waiting until the stop near my house to get off. I jogged home and slammed the door shut. "Devin! Are you still home!" I shouted throwing my things on the couch and then running towards the stairs. "Devin!" I pounded on her door. "I am freaking out!"

"Just a minute." She called and I started pacing. "Whoa, what is wrong?" She asked in only her robe, her belly showing slightly, and I just blinked at her.

"I think I see dead people." I said and she made a face.

"That's not funny A." She sighed turning back to go in, but I caught her arm.

"I mean it Devin. I was at one boutique today, and when I walked in I thought there was this teen and her mother and I went over and I talked to her once I was done cataloguing and she said that her mother died 6 months before and then the woman she was with kept asking if I could see her." I said and started pacing as I rattled off the rest of the story.

"You need to go see Clarissa." She told me grabbing my shoulders. "She'll know if this is something that is supposed to happen." She said and I just nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?" She asked and I shrugged. "You need to sit down." She said and walked me to my room. I sat on my makeup chair and she rubbed my head. "Did you see mom and dad?"

"No." I whispered even though that would have freaked me the f**k out even more than this. "I would have committed myself if that happened." I said and she laughed lightly.

"What do you think this means?" Mark asked from the door and I looked at him.

"If I can charm someone by a simple touch... does that mean you can see all those who have lived? You know since you’re the witch of Life?" Devin asked and I made a face.

"Can we switch the witch titles? I can't handle dead people." I said looking up at her.

"And I can?" She laughed and rubbed my head again.

"I don't want to do this." I mumbled.

"We'll take you to Clarissa." Mark said and I looked to Devin who looked tired.

"No, I will go all by myself, I am a big girl. How about you let my sister sleep some more before anything like driving her around just to please me."

"Fine but I want to get dinner with you and Ivory tonight." She said and I just nodded.

"What if someone else tries to talk to me? I mean someone dead. I will look crazy." I said and rubbed my face.

"You'll be alone in the car... and I still have my old Bluetooth... if you want you can just wear it all the time and if someone looks at you funny just show them the Bluetooth." She said and then held up her hand and then walked towards her room and Mark leaned into my room.

"Imagine how many people you can give closure too. You and your sisters never got to say goodbye, and a lot of people out there didn't get that chance either." He said and I just swallowed and looked away remembering the last thing I ever said to my mother was for her to get off of my back and to leave me the hell alone.

"I guess you're right." I whispered and Devin came in and handed over the Bluetooth. "I'll get going in just a minute. Should I bring back lunch?" I asked knowing it was still early in the morning, at least 11.

"No, Mark said he was going to cook something." She said and Mark whispered something in her ear, and she giggled.

"Go back to your room with that." I said waving them out of my room. I went and changed into jeans and boots with a plain blue top. I walked down, grabbed the keys to our station wagon and looked at the picture of my parents on the way out and I just stared.

"Aurora? You okay?" I heard Mark and I looked over.

"Fine... just thinking about the whole dead thing again." I said and gestured to the picture.

"Don't run anyone over." He called as I opened the door.

"Very funny." I shouted back before closing the door and walking to the garage. I got in the car and kept my eyes on the road even on the freeway and made it to Clarissa's house in record time and I knocked on her door. "Clarissa." I called and heard a small pop.

"Come in dear!" I heard her call out and I pushed open her front door. "I'm in my back room." She said and I looked around as I closed the door before walking right back to her. "You look absolutely horrid dear, what's wrong?"

"I am seeing dead people." I said and she blanched. "I mean it." I said and then told her the story of this morning and she sat down. I heard whistling and looked around. "Is someone else here?" I asked knowing that Clarissa had never had someone here before just her cat.

"No, whatever you hear is probably Alex."

"I hear whistling." I said and she looked confused. "It's a tune." I said and she looked even more worried and I just walked from her back room and around before seeing a man in his 40's leaning against the outside porch tapping a hummingbird feeder. "Hi there." I called out and he turned.

"You must be the middle child." He said and he had a heavy accent.

"And you are?"

"Mario DeLuca." He said and held out his hand and I just looked at him.

"Who are you talking to dear?" Clarissa asked and I turned to her.

"My beautiful witch." Mario walked past me and stood in front of her.

"Mario DeLuca." I said his name and her head snapped over to me. "You know him? He's a dead guy, isn't he?" I asked with a small face and she nodded.

"She's still as beautiful as when I had to leave her." He said and reached out to touch her cheek but just went through her.

"He said you're still beautiful, who is he?"

"Her husband."

"He was my- um my uh, we were married." Clarissa finally said before putting a hand over her mouth. "He was only 42." She hiccupped and I moved fast and helped her sit down.

"Tell her that I am always here... I hear what she tells me in bed at night." He said and I would have made a joke or acted grossed out if it weren't for the situation.

"He said that he has always been here, and that he hears what you tell him in bed at night." I said and she looked at me with bright eyes and looked around. "He's here." I said when he moved to crouch in front of her.

"I tried every way to bring you back..." She whispered reaching out and I just blinked.

"And I was there every time it failed. I was never supposed to come back; we both know that now." He said and I repeated his words and she sobbed. "Tell her that I love her... that I will always be here." He said and I nodded.

"He said that he loves you Clarissa, and that he will always be here." I said hugging her close after sitting beside her and making her look at me. She smiled and hiccupped, and I felt my emotions rise as my eyes started tearing up. "Do you want to go inside?" I asked and she nodded.

I got her inside, made her some tea but she had cried herself to sleep on the couch. "I'll watch over her Aurora."

"It is so creepy that you know my name." I said and shivered knowing that Mario was standing behind me. "But okay." I said and he smiled down at me.

"You three make her life better. She was slowly giving up until you and your sisters came along." He told me as I walked out.

"She helped us more than we ever thought possible as well." I told him and he nodded. I walked out feeling a bit better about this whole talk to the dead thing and got in the car. I drove home in silence. Thinking about how to go about this new 'gift'.