Rita had decided to
drive. Ashtyn still looked a little weak
in the knees from her run in with the male model with the single letter name,
and Rita hadn’t wanted to risk Ashtyn having a romantic swoon while behind the
wheel.
“So, I have to ask, why
the heck would you stay on with this show?
I mean, after everything that had happened in Fantasy Land, I would
think you would run screaming from anything even remotely paranormal.” Ashtyn pulled a pair of oversized tortoise
shell sunglasses out of her purse and put them on.
“I guess I just want to
know more.” That was Rita’s simple answer.
“I can understand
that.” Ashtyn looked at her, or at least
Rita thought she had. It was hard to
tell behind the dark lenses. “I 90% of
my day nose deep in this stuff, and part of me just can’t seem to get enough of
it.”
“You mean your goddess
thingy?” Rita had been filled in on the
whole ‘inhabited by deities’ thing after she had escaped from the Nameless’
temple. It interested her, but she
wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the subject.
“This was even before
Tabitha.” Ashtyn tapped her temple when
she mentioned the name of her mental resident.
“I’ve always been interested in the supernatural, the paranormal. Most people just call it superstition, but
obviously, it isn’t all bullshit.”
Rita couldn’t help but
laugh. She had been one of those
people. For a long time she had written
off the supernatural. Working on Max’s show didn’t help her believe. It probably made her even more of an
unbeliever. How many haunting had they
faked? She honestly couldn’t say. It was all just a game to her. Little did she know that a heavy dose of it
ran through her own bloodstream.
Ashtyn was watching
her. “Do you feel it now? I mean, do you feel it more than
before?”
“Feel what?”
“That kind of pulse that
moves through the air. It’s usually
pretty small, almost undetectable, but sometimes, in some places, it’s hard to
ignore.”
“Sometimes.” All the time, Rita thought. Ever since leaving that temple she had felt
that presence. It seemed to hang in the
air, like a dense, invisible stream.
She could feel it right
at that very moment. It was stronger
here, stronger than she had expected, actually.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Ashtyn was feeling it the same way she
was.
There was something on
this island. She didn’t know what. Maybe there really was the ghost of an old
witch haunting the place. The pulse didn’t
have a form or a voice. It couldn’t tell
her what, or who it was. It could just
let her know that yes, it existed.
“There’s magic here.” Ashtyn sat back, glancing out the
window. “I don’t know what kind, but I
can feel it, and from the look on your face, you can feel it, too.”
“Is it bad? Is it like what we faced at Fantasy Land?” Rita felt her hands tighten on the
wheel.
“You would probably get a
better idea of it then I would.” Ashtyn
placed her finger to her temple. “It isn’t
deity based, so it’s not connected to the Nameless. If it were, Tabitha would probably be able to
give me some information. This is
something else. “
Rita let out a sigh of
relief. She wanted to learn more, but
she also was terrified to face any follower, or deity of the Nameless again. She had made it out of the last battle in one
piece, but she wasn’t so sure about how she would handle a rematch.
Ashtyn gave her shoulder
a light punch. “Lighten up. How evil could something be if it chose to live
in a place as pretty as this?”
“I guess you’re right.” Rita let out a weak laugh.
Rita was just glad that
she was single. If there was something
there, and it was the old love curse, she was grateful that she was exempt from
that one.
She did wonder if they
pertained to one-night stands, though.
Rita glanced over at
Ashtyn. She gave her a once over, as she
had done who knows how many times before. She didn’t know if Ashtyn swung her way, but
if she did, then maybe…
But would it really just
be a one-night stand if something did happen?
Rita wasn’t sure.
“Relax.” Ashtyn’s voice cut through her thoughts. “No need to get all tense. We’re on vacation.”
Right. Vacation.
Anything could happen on
a vacation, right? Rita could only hope.
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