Chapter 25

Despite their relative importance to everything which had happened so far, Zach and Blue had relatively little to do for the rest of their stay in Carolina Key. The two of them had blasted their grandpa though the twister, and what was their thanks?

They got to sit and play lookout from Trevor’s room while everyone else talked downstairs. The only thing they were watching for, an angry mob following the girl’s parents who’d arrived a few minutes later, didn’t even happen. The only thing the pair saw were said parents, a couple of panicking townspeople, and a single black car which had pulled up near the end.

When Zach’s grandpa came back upstairs to collect them, they were quickly led out of the house. The only thing the pair saw were the girl from earlier crying into her parents’ arms as a an adult man wearing a black suit watched on with an angry look on his face.

“Just what… what happened here?” Zach asked as his grandpa kept driving them downwards towards Green Brook.

“Okay. So the original plan was to pick you up, explain what psychics were to a much more clueless version of you, show you by helping your cousin with a minor psychic problem, and then take you to Green Brook to give you a bunch of pointers and basic information to take back with you.”

Zach and Blue flinched when the older man slapped the wheel in clear frustration.

“And instead what do I get? One grandson who’s already mixed himself up with ghosts, and another dealing with one of the most powerful psychics to ever live? As soon as we parked in that gas station, nothing went to plan.”

“Was that girl really that strong?” Blue asked and Zach quickly relayed the question. His grandpa muttered something under his breath, but answered anyway.

“She managed to brainwash an entire town into thinking she was an older version of herself who was the most beautiful and beloved person there. She did this for several months, and the control was seamless enough for no one in the outside world to notice until your cousin Trevor called me about it a week ago.”

Zach gulped as the full implications of that hit him. If he hadn’t had Blue at his side… what would have happened to him while he was in there?

“So yes, she’s one of the most powerful raw psychics I’ve ever seen. Anyone stronger than her either had years of training at their back, or weren’t… you know what, let’s not go there.”

Zach’s grandpa took a deep breath and clamed himself down.

“No, from here on out, this trip is about the two of you. Especially with that ghost friend of yours.”

“Wait, is there something you know about Blue?” Zach asked as Blue leaned forward with an eager smile.

“There is, but I think’s it something the two of you will need to see for yourselves. Fortunately for you, everything’s managed to match up perfectly.” His grandpa explained as they left the bridge out of Carolina key. “For now, is there anyone else you want to talk about? Like what you’ve been doing this summer since you left Green Brook. We kind of had to speed through the whole thing on the way to Carolina Key.”

“Okay I guess. So I guess I can start the day we made it back home…”

From there, Zach told him everything, in much greater detail this time. From trying to figure out Blue’s identity, to meeting Andrew, to becoming his apprentice, to fighting the ghost dogs, and everything else that happened.

By the time he was done, his grandpa had a bizarre face. A strange mix of amusement, pride, and worry.

“I feel like I need to point out how dark the stuff you’re looking into is.” Zach’s grandpa sighed as they passed by under some trees. The shadows passed over them as the older man kept his eyes on the road. “But I already know I can’t stop you.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.” The two of them let the silence linger until Zach Broke it. “So anything interesting happen in Green Broke since I was gone?”

“Well my neighbor Jeb had their grandkid visit them, aside from that, not much.” He explained before the conversation in the car calmed down again. Neither of the two living people felt any need to talk, and the one ghost felt too awkward to start a conversation in the current atmosphere.

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In the end, the silence held up until they reached Green Brook itself. Zach’s grandpa parked the car outside of his house and the three of them got out and headed inside.

Zach’s grandma was quick to greet her grandson with a set of cookies and a hug.

“The two of you rest up for a while, we’re in for a long night,” Zach’s grandpa explained from his chair before reclining back for a bit of a nap.

“No Eustace, if you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep later.” His wife chided him as Zach found his own little spot on the sofa with Blue floating over him.

“That is the idea Carol,” his grandfather grunted, “have to take the kid out tonight, might be out late. We’re going out into the woods.”

“But Eustace, isn’t that…”

“Not another word Carol, you’ll spoil Zach’s surprise.” Eustace grunted as Zach looked on. Just what surprise did his grandfather have in store for him? And while he was wondering about family members.

He eyed his grandma as she threw her hands up and left her husband to his nap. How much did she know? Grandpa implied that psychic power was genetic, did grandma know what she’d married into? Did she know now?

He couldn’t ask her directly, too risky, especially if his grandpa had kept it secret all these years. He also couldn’t ask them man himself, he was too busy fast asleep.

With no other option left, he sat back and let himself relax. The sooner he fell asleep, the faster night would come, and the sooner the answers would appear.

A strategy which worked for five minutes before his eyes flew back open.

“Huh wonder if I’m psychic too,” Blue snickered as Zach got off the couch. “Because I’m pretty sure I saw this in a vision.”

“Laugh it up,” he whispered as he neared the door. “If I just stay here until it’s time to head out I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Hey, maybe you should have brought a book along or something?” Blue smirked as Zach looked away. “The only thing you brought with you are the files, and they aren’t exactly light reading.”

“Grandma, if grandpa wakes up, tell him I went out for a walk around town.” He called out as he opened the door to the outside world.

“Okay dear, just make sure you’re back in time for dinner.” His grandma called back as Zach headed out. He took a single foot out and faced a blast of warm summer wind.

Blue floated by his side as the Zach let himself fall into the cooler air she provided. Neither of them were sure when they’d started this whole ‘ghostly AC’ formation, but there was no way Zach was going to stop now.

Zach walked forward, Blue right behind him with her arms hooked around his neck and her head next to his. Her ghostly tail floated behind him, giving the impression he had a comically long blue scarf flowing behind him. At least to anyone who could see ghosts.

“So what now? I feel like we might need Gestalt later tonight, and we already formed them earlier,” Blue pointed out as Zach started walking.

“Which means no running through the woods testing out ghost powers… speaking off ghost powers. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Sure what it?” She asked, genuinely curious.

“Ghost shot: six shooter?” Blue huffed, her curiosity shifting to annoyance with a flip of a coin.

“Okay we’ve been over this. Naming your attacks is the right thing to do. I don’t know why, but just doing the attack without saying anything feels wrong.”

“Yeah I get that part.” Zach tried to calm the ghost down. “I already know, and I have given up on figuring it out. Maybe I’ll figure it out one day, but that is not today. No I wanted to ask you about the name.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“You use ‘shot’ and ‘shooter’? Isn’t that a little redundant?”

“Okay no, ‘shot’ and ‘shooter’ make different sounds, it’s different enough.” Blue huffed as Zach fired back.

“Yeah but it’s almost the same word. It sounds kind of weird.”

“Well you’re weird,” she argued back on shakier grounds.

They kept going at it, Zach careful to keep his voice down to not attract attention, till they reached the edge of town. By the time they made it there, they had come to a decision. Ghost shot: Six shooter would stay until Zach could come up with a name Blue thought was better. Especially since Blue had trouble performing the move without calling out a name.

And based off Blue’s taste, Zach had a feeling that Ghost shot: Six shooter, would be staying for the time being.

But he could at least give it a try. Zach came to a stop right by the road that connected the town to main road leading back up to South Palm and got to brainstorming. He went through and discarded around five names when he spotted another car approaching.

“Well that’s weird,” he muttered to himself as the modern looking blue car came down the road.

“Yeah, it’s not the usual old clunker everyone in this town…” Blue trailed off as the car got closer. The two of them stood still as the car passed by them. Blue gulped as the two of them looked into the car window. They weren’t sure why, but they could feel another set of eyes on the other side of the window. And those eyes were watching Blue.

“What was that?” Zach muttered as the car drove off further into town. They could have followed it… the town was small enough and then two of them mobile enough to do it no problem. But neither of them said anything about it, and they were both sure the other would shoot down the idea if they said anything about it.

Something in that car felt… predatory. Something best left alone.

“Let’s head back, grandma probably has dinner ready by now.” Zach received no argument from Blue as the two made their way back.

Zach had been right, their grandma had dinner ready and waiting for him. Grandpa was even already awake with some food served on his plate.

Blue watched as the family all sat down for a quick meal. She let herself sigh in envy as the three of them ate into the juicy looking meatloaf. While she could taste things as Gestalt, it just wasn’t the same when you only half controlled the mouth eating them.

About an hour later, Zach and his grandpa stepped outside, Blue floating right behind him as the sun started to set below the trees.

“Huh,” Zach’s grandpa glanced over Zach’s head. “She’s easier to see at night.”

“Well that’s good to know.” Zach said as his grandpa started making his way down a familiar road. The boy and ghost quickly followed after him, knowing full well they were about to go back to where this all started. The cabin in the woods.