Zack folded his arms. “So, you’re really not going to tell us who he was?”
“I already told you I don’t remember anything.” It was mostly true, at least. I remembered trying to find a key for a bathroom. And I remembered falling from the shelves. I assumed I must’ve hit my head somehow, but that admittedly didn’t explain why my head didn’t hurt. It also didn’t explain how or why some mysterious trio of strangers had apparently dropped me off last night.
“The girl was thick, dude. Like,” he grinned stupidly. “So thick.” Mooney said.
It had taken me a while to learn to keep track of my four oversized roommates when I moved in last year. But I had it down now. Zack was the walking science experiment who existed primarily on expired food. Also, the shoulder length-curly brown hair was his thing.
Niles was the tallest of the group with the shaved head and an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness. Unfortunately, instead of using his powers to keep our place neat, he just avoided the kitchen entirely and kept his own room clean.
Mooney was the muscular one who had a new girlfriend every week. He had the whole short on the sides long on top style and a toothy smile full of white, orderly teeth. He could charm the pants off women, but only if he did it before they got to really know him.
Last but not least was Parker, who had a scraggly, patchy beard and had never met a conspiracy theory he didn’t love.
Together, they were like my mostly incapable team of personal super heroes.
Zack was nodding his head as he ate something out of a Tupperware with a fork. Judging by the smell, it was long gone. “The vibe was really off, though. Did you see the look in their eyes? Creepy, if you ask me.”
“But you’d still smash the girl, right?” Mooney said, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows.
Zack made a pfft sound and laughed. “I mean, obviously. Just saying it was weird.”
Parker ran his fingers down his face, seeking out a little patch of his beard thick enough to tug at. “I don’t know. From the way you guys described them? I’m thinking something’s up.”
Niles eyed what Zack was eating, then shuffled to the other side of the room, shaking his head. “You always think something is ‘up,’ Parker.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Parker said. “But did you hear about the Mercer house last night? A tour guide showed up this morning and they found a demolished wall. And they aren’t saying what they found inside, but the girl they interviewed looked completely sketched out. Super suspicious.”
“Wait,” Zack said. Without looking, he tossed his Tupperware toward the sink. It bounced off the countertop and clattered to the tiles out of view.
“Kobe!” Mooney said, laughing.
“No,” Zack said, waving his finger around as he tried to grasp at some mental straw. “The Mercer House? That’s where you work, right, Cara?”
I thought about the ladder. Oh, shit. Did I break a wall?
“I work a lot of places. But yes, that’s one spot the ghost tour hits.”
The guys all exchanged a look, except Mooney, who was cleaning something from under his fingernails.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “What are you trying to say?”
Zack just shrugged. “I don’t know. But I do think you should let one of us tag along with you tonight if you’re doing another ghost tour.”
“I don’t need an oversized babysitter.”
“The fact that you came home with three strangers and can’t remember anything from last night suggests otherwise,” Niles noted.
I finished my coffee, then went to gather my things for the day. “You know,” I said, shouldering my bag. “Try getting four hours of sleep a night. You’ll probably forget a thing or two.”
Niles narrowed his eyes. “Wait. Is that supposed to convince us you don’t need someone keeping an eye on you? Because it’s having the opposite effect on me.”
Zack nodded. “I’ll go with her tonight.”
I stared at him. “Seriously?”
Zack bent down, picked something up from the floor, then popped it in his mouth with a cocky smile. “Seriously. I’m going to keep an eye on you tonight, like it or not, Care Bear.”
I grinned. “Great. I’ll let the alley cats and rats know there will be less food to go around, then.”
5
Cara
I found myself checking my phone all day through my classes. The demolished wall and the curiosities on the other side had ignited a bit of a local firestorm of interest. I figured it was only a matter of time before the media got a hold of the names of the tour guides who had access to the Mercer house last night. I considered coming clean when they reached out.
I could just tell the truth. It had been an accident. I must’ve hit my head, and I don’t remember anything else.