Talking to Dead (The Banshee Series Book 1) Read online

  “I’m here because they blame me for Holland’s death and they’re afraid I’m turning into a monster.” That left Ruby even more confused but before she could ask another question the bell rang and they had to go to class.

  ****

  “Do you have a ride home’” Ruby asked after school finished.

  “Yeah, my grandpa’s picking me up,” Azalea answered apologetically thinking Ruby wanted to give her a ride.

  “Cool, do you think he would mind taking me?” Ruby asked and Azalea shrugged.

  “I don’t know…” Just then her grandpa’s car parked in front of her.

  “You can just ask him,” Azalea continued and opened the car door.

  “Mr…” Ruby started but remembered that she didn’t know his name.

  “Franz,” Azalea said to Ruby.

  “Okay… Franz, would you mind driving me home?” Ruby asked smiling pleadingly. Franz smiled and nodded.

  “Sure, I assume you’re Azalea’s friend?” he asked and Ruby nodded.

  “Great, just tell me where to take you and I’ll do it.” Once Ruby gave directions they drove home. While they were driving Azalea chatted merrily with Ruby and Franz and everything was fine. Until… she saw something.

  A man was standing in the middle of the road and looking around.

  “Watch out!” Azalea yelled and Franz pulled over quickly not knowing what was going on. Once they were safely parked both Ruby and Franz looked around trying to find what Azalea had seen. They couldn’t see anything.

  “What made you do that? There isn’t anything on a road,” Franz said looking at Azalea.

  “You don’t see the man standing right in front of you?” Azalea asked confused and fear crawled into her again.

  “What man?” Ruby asked looking around.

  “The one standing in front of you!” Azalea stated pointing at him.

  “I don’t see anybody,” Ruby said and Franz agreed.

  “You really don’t see him?” Azalea asked frowning. Franz looked at his granddaughter and saw her expression. After a few seconds of thinking he realized what was bothering her.

  “You’re gift is developing increasingly. I believe you have started seeing the dead,” He explained to her and Azalea’s eyes widened. Not only in disbelief but in shock, too. She couldn’t believe that her grandpa would say something like that in front of someone who had no idea what was going on.

  “Grandpa! You can’t say something like that in front of Ruby!” Azalea exclaimed. While they were bickering Ruby just listened and became greatly confused.

  “What are you both talking about? Seeing the dead? Having a gift and God knows what else?” Ruby asked and they both quietened down.

  “I’m sorry Ruby… I believe we’re confusing you,” Azalea apologized.

  “You’re right, I’m confused. Can someone explain what’s going on?” Ruby demanded and Azalea smiled sadly.

  “I would love to but I believe you won’t talk to me after that. You’ll think of me as a freak,” Azalea said.

  “I promise I won’t do that and I’ll listen,” Ruby pleaded and Azalea nodded.

  “Okay, but once we get home I’ll tell you. Not here, not now.” Ruby agreed and they drove home.

  Chapter Eight – Revelations and Reactions

  “… So my parents were afraid of me turning into a monster and that’s why I’m here,” Azalea finished and finally met Ruby’s eyes. She didn’t want to lose her friend on the same day she first met her. When she saw Ruby’s expression Azalea cringed. Shock and fear were written all over Ruby’s face and Azalea couldn’t stand it.

  It may be because she was afraid of losing her first friend ever or it may be because she didn’t want her secret to get out. She just wanted to go somewhere and hide. Azalea waited for Ruby’s reaction but when there wasn’t any she stood up and abruptly left the room.

  “Where did she go?” Ruby asked Franz snapping out of her thoughts.

  “I believe she’s afraid of what your reaction will be. She left the room because she couldn’t face you after she just told you her biggest and darkest secret,” Franz explained and Ruby frowned.

  “Why would she be afraid? I know that everything I heard is quite unbelievable but I could see she’s telling the truth. I believe her and I guess I became really interested in this Banshee thing,” Ruby said and Franz smiled a bit.

  “You shouldn’t be telling me that, you should be telling this to Azalea,” Franz said and stood up. “I’ll go find her and call her…” he said and left the room.

  Franz found Azalea in her room lying face down on her bed. He could see her shoulders shaking and immediately knew she was crying. He didn’t like seeing her like that.

  *Flashback*

  With a secretive smile on his face, Azalea’s brother tiptoed to his sister’s bed. He was wondering why she was sleeping in the middle of a sunny day. Reaching her bed he remembered what his grandpa told him to do.

  “Quietly you have to get to her bed and then start trailing your finger down her spine. She is extremely ticklish and will probably feel it immediately. Once she registers what’s going on you start tickling her, okay?” Franz asked and the five - year old nodded.

  Lee did exactly what his grandpa instructed him and when he felt her shudder he giggled.

  “Azalea! Wake up, grandpa’s here!” Lee giggled and Azalea suddenly shot up. When Lee noticed that tear strained face he frowned.

  “Big sister, why are you crying?” He asked with his adorable voice. Azalea just shook her head and forced a smile.

  “It’s nothing Lee. Can you ask grandpa to come?” she asked him and frowning Lee nodded and left to get his grandpa.

  “Grandpa?” Lee called and Franz looked at him.

  “Did it work?” Franz asked Lee but he shook his head.

  “No… She is crying for some reason and she wants to talk to you,” Lee said with a pout. Franz was surprised by Lee’s answer and quickly went to her room.

  When he saw her sitting on her bed with a sad expression his heart clenched. He never liked seeing anybody cry, especially his granddaughter.

  “Azalea darling, what’s wrong?” He asked sitting next to her. She shifted suddenly and hugged him tight. Franz felt something wet on his shirt and heard a sob. She was crying again.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked again and this time she answered.

  “The kids in my school are making fun of me again and I don’t have a friend to support me,” Azalea explained and at that exact moment he vowed to himself that no one will make her cry again.

  *End of Flashback*

  “Azalea dear, I think you got the wrong impression of what Ruby thinks. She’s waiting downstairs for you to come,” Franz said sitting next to her. Azalea looked up when she heard his voice and frowned.

  “What do you mean?” She asked sadly.

  “I mean that she doesn’t mind your supernatural powers and all that jazz. She actually likes the idea,” Franz explained and noticed how her eyes lit up again.

  “She does?” Azalea asked still not sure about the whole thing. Franz nodded and Azalea smiled. Hugging him she skipped downstairs to the living room.

  “Azalea!” Ruby exclaimed and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry if you thought I don’t want to be your friend anymore,” Ruby said stepping away from the hug. Azalea smiled but her eyes soon filled with tears again.

  “You really mean it? You don’t hate me?” Azalea asked unsure about Ruby’s statement. Ruby’s expression softened and she nodded.

  “I mean it Azalea. You’re my friend and that little secret doesn’t change that.” Azalea grinned and laughed.

  “Thank you Ruby. I never had a friend before,” Azalea said with a grin and Ruby grinned back.

  “And I never met a girl who can stand up against Chelsea,” Ruby said. They both laughed and sat back on the couch.

  “So… What do you actually know about your gift?” Ruby asked suddenly and it surprised A
zalea.

  “Um… What?” Azalea asked completely confused.

  “You know… The history of your gift the reason behind it and so on…” Ruby explained.

  “Oh…” Azalea sighed. Thinking back to when she had learned what was going on, she realized that she didn’t know anything about the Banshee gift. “Thinking about it… No, I really don’t know anything about it,” Azalea stated and suddenly Ruby’s eyes brightened.

  “I have an idea!” Ruby exclaimed. Azalea was surprised by her behaviour and looked at her sceptically.

  “What kind of idea?” Azalea asked.

  “Well… Our History teacher loves mythology and all sorts of legends. Maybe tomorrow after class we could ask him if he knows anything about the Banshees. I’m sure he’d love to help us,” Ruby said and Azalea’s eyes widened.

  “I’m not sure… I don’t think I can tell anyone about my gift,” Azalea started and Ruby smiled reassuringly.

  “I didn’t say anything about telling him, just asking him… If we pretend we’re interested in this stuff for school purposes, he’ll definitely tell us,” Ruby explained and now Azalea understood.

  “That’s a pretty good idea,” Azalea agreed and smiled.

  “We’ll ask tomorrow,” Ruby said. “I should be leaving now. Could your grandfather drive me home?” Ruby asked and Azalea nodded.

  “See you tomorrow,” she said and Azalea said goodbye back to her. She couldn’t help but grin and wait for tomorrow.

  Chapter Nine – Legends

  “Good morning Franz!” Ruby’s voice was the first thing Azalea heard when she left her room that morning. Smiling, Azalea skipped downstairs and entered the kitchen.

  “Good morning to you too, Azalea,” Ruby said when she saw Azalea entering.

  “Mornin’” Azalea answered and sat behind the table. Franz put a plate in front of her and Azalea quickly stuffed everything in her mouth.

  “Slow down,” Franz said to Azalea chuckling at her antics. Azalea wanted to answer but she choked on the piece of toast. Ruby patted Azalea’s back and finally she could breathe normally.

  “Are you okay?” Franz asked worried and Azalea just nodded. “Well, why don’t I drive you to school?” he asked Ruby and Azalea and they all stood up and stepped outside. They drove to school and the car was filled with silence the whole ride.

  “Have fun in school,” Franz said and drove off when he dropped them off at school.

  “Your grandfather is… interesting,” Ruby mentioned and Azalea smiled lightly.

  “Yeah, he is a bit eccentric. I guess he is like that because he’s a Banshee like me,” Azalea stated entering the school.

  “He is a Banshee, too?” Ruby asked quite surprised.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “I thought that seeing the murders in your dreams even before they happen would make you depressed and anti-social…” Ruby started. “I mean, your grandfather is always in a good mood and always smiling.”

  “I guess he is like that but he obviously understands what’s going on and doesn’t feel guilty. But I still feel guilty for Holland’s death,” Azalea replied and Ruby smiled reassuringly.

  “You don’t have to feel like that, I’m sure you’re not responsible for your sister’s death and would have prevented it somehow, if you could.”

  “Exactly! I could have prevented it, if I believed, but I didn’t and now my sister is dead!” Azalea exclaimed and tears filled her ears again.

  “I can’t believe she is dead,” she whispered. Ruby hugged her and patted her in consolation. The bell rang and they quickly ran to the classroom. Luckily the teacher wasn’t there yet, so they weren’t too late.

  “Good morning class! How are you?” The teacher asked entering the classroom.

  “And… The torture is here,” Ruby muttered and closed her eyes. Azalea just smiled but silently agreed.

  ****

  The last lesson ended and Azalea was all nervous. It was now the time for her to approach the History teacher and ask him about the Banshee legend.

  “You ready?” Ruby asked standing next to her.

  “Not really…” Azalea muttered and Ruby grinned.

  “Leave the talking to me, I’ll take care of everything,” Ruby stated still grinning. Azalea just shook her head but smiled a little.

  “No doubt you’re taking care of everything. It was your idea anyway.” Ruby chuckled and pulled Azalea with her. Approaching their History teacher, Azalea started having doubts.

  “I don’t think I can do it,” She whispered to Ruby and she frowned.

  “You can and you will,” Ruby stated and smiled again.

  “Mr. Lancaster?” she asked the teacher and he looked up.

  “Yes Ruby?” Mr. Lancaster asked.

  “Can we ask you something?” Ruby asked again and he nodded. “Well… we are working on a project for English and we have to write an essay about the Banshee Legend,” Ruby started and she immediately noticed how the teacher’s eyes lit up.

  “I can tell you something about the legend,” Mr. Lancaster said nodding and motioning them to sit.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lancaster,” Azalea thanked.

  “Well…” Mr. Lancaster started and grinned.

  “The Banshee woman was first mentioned in 1666 in our country – Ireland. At first people thought she was some kind of a witch or something because every time someone was going to die she wailed loudly. The whole village could hear her and from what I’ve heard she went insane later. Not only did she know who and when someone would die, she also ‘talked to the dead’ like we speak to each other. She committed suicide a few years later but it didn’t stop with her.

  “She had a child – a daughter – this child was a Banshee too, but stronger. When she grew older she married a wealthy man who didn’t know about this whole Banshee thing. After a few months with her, he learned what she was and threw her off his land. After that she spent a few months living on streets and scaring people. But one day she met a woman and that woman accepted her in her home. The woman’s family accepted her and that’s when she learned what she truly was and what her purpose was.

  “The woman that accepted her – her name was Lara – was the creator of the Banshees. Lara got the power when her twin sister betrayed her and the ‘twins bond’ broke. She was called the woman of Life or for short just Life. Her twin – Eva – also was different. Eva was the woman of Death or just Death. Eva had the power of making people murderers and she picked the person who was killed. No matter how innocent and young that person was.

  “Because Lara didn’t like what her sister was doing she created Banshees. They were people’s protectors and with their gift they prevented the murders,” Mr. Lancaster finished and noticed that both girls were staring at her with jaws open and wide eyes.

  “The legend is very unusual though. Most legends change over the years but this one is always the same. I only told you the beginning and the purpose of the Banshees but there are many more stories about this,” he explained.

  After a while Azalea finally got rid of all the thoughts she had and thanked him.

  “I’m always happy when students come ask me about these things and I was happy to help,” Mr. Lancaster replied. The second they stood up a horrible scream ripped through the school. Darting outside, the girls and Mr. Lancaster stood perplexed in the hallway. There was a freshman girl standing in front of a wall covered with blood. There was writing on it: Catch me if you can and save the girl I have.

  Chapter Ten – First Case

  The students in the hallway were standing there with their jaws open. While no one did anything Azalea’s brain tried to process everything. It was obvious that someone had kidnapped a girl, but who? She didn’t know most of the students here. Looking at Ruby she wanted to ask her a question when a familiar voice rang through the hallway.

  “Where the hell is Anny?” Lucas shouted looking around all nervous.

  “Who is Anny?” Azalea whispered to
Ruby.

  “Anny is his younger sister. She is a freshman here and even though he’s a huge player and mostly doesn’t care about other people but he does love and care for his sister,” Ruby explained.

  “Oh…” Azalea sighed. She focused on Lucas again and saw how worried he was. She felt sorry for him. Suddenly a pain shot through her head and she blacked out. The students all turned towards her in shock. Even Lucas wasn’t worried about Anny but focused on unconscious Azalea.

  “What happened? Why did she pass out?” Ruby asked worried but everyone ignored her. Mr. Lancaster and a few other teachers were gathered around her. Shouting orders Mr. Lancaster picked Azalea up and carried her to the nurse

  ****

  “Help!” Anny screamed and fought the guy. The guy just laughed and started ripping her clothes off. Tears streamed down Anny’s face but she gave up fighting knowing he was stronger. Looking anywhere but at the guy she tried to find out where she was. The walls were once white but now they were dirty and there were red stains on them. ‘Blood’ was the first thing she thought about on seeing the red. Looking up she noticed something on the ceiling. It was a marking that looked familiar but Anny couldn’t place it.

  She shivered and then realized she was naked. She whimpered when she felt a hand running along her hip bone and almost vomited. The second she heard the belt of his jeans hitting the floor she screamed and blacked out.

  ****

  Gasping, Azalea woke up from her dream. “A room – gasp - with dirty white walls – gasp - and a marking on the ceiling,” Azalea said and passed out again. It took a second before Ruby and Mr. Lancaster figured out what she meant but once they did they both gasped.

  “You asked me about the Banshee legend because of her, didn’t you?” Mr. Lancaster asked shocked and Ruby just nodded not caring about his words at the moment. Suddenly police sirens were heard and Mr. Lancaster darted out of the room, leaving Ruby alone with Azalea. Since Azalea was still unconscious she couldn’t help Ruby. The only person who could help was Franz and once Ruby remembered him she searched for Azalea’s phone. Calling Franz, Ruby hoped he would answer and help with the case.