Page 20 of Marked By Shadows
“I plan to nap this afternoon while you’re all in town. I release three videos a week, but the other two will be from the convention. The one last night was a basic tips video. Editing takes more time than filming, and I have to do that later too.”
“You’re not coming on the tour with us?” It shouldn’t have surprised me. She lived close enough to Houston to visit any of the shops whenever she wanted.
“I’ve done videos from them all already. Plus I have a few projects to work on, so it’s easier if I leave you guys to explore,” Freya replied. “I’ll be with you all at the convention later this week, but thought I’d give you guys some space to explore town.”
I didn’t really need to explore town and would miss her presence as I debated projects and fabric with myself. While Alex had enthusiasm toward my projects, he didn’t understand a lot of what I said. Freya had years of crafting experience and I valued all of it immensely. Though I was likely to find much more at the convention, with all the new fabric lines, than I would at any of the in town quilt shops.
“Did Melissa and Byrony come back? I didn’t hear them come in,” Nicole asked.
“Sorry about the scream thing,” Julie said, her face pink with embarrassment. “I think it was mood more than anything. Us jumping at shadows and suggestions.”
“That’s normally how ghost hunting works,” I said. “People put things in your head, then you forget what is normal and begin to question everything. Sounds, the trick of light in your eyes, and then you start playing with your own emotions. Fear grows and you get chills, or anofffeeling. All psychological.” Having experienced the real thing, I now knew the difference. I spent a lot of time since my return analyzing everything I saw, heard, and felt. Sometimes to my detriment. Being rational was hard when you were afraid, and I hadn’t quite mastered it yet.
“You don’t believe in ghosts?” Chad wanted to know. “But it’s your job.”
It wasn’t. Not really. And I didn’t want to have this conversation over breakfast. It was far too early to discuss philosophy, but it was Alex who responded. “It’s not really a matter of belief or not. Are there otherworldly and unexplained things out there? Yes. But do most people find that on a ghost hunt? No. It’s suggestion and the human brain playing tricks on you. I think that’s why we catch stuff in pictures and in audio we can’t hear rather than in real life situations. It’s so far removed from us, these echoes of the past, or whatever, that we need the devices to pull it out of the silence. Micah’s shop is a craft shop, based in art rather than the supernatural. And we do tours, but it’s a lot of history. That history includes some ghost stories, which often leads to suggestions that then make people claim they see ghosts.”
“You’ve caught pictures. I saw them in your group,” MaryAnn said.
“A lot of people have pictures outside the norm. Does that mean they are ghosts?” Alex shrugged, though I knew he was more convinced of it than I was. “But that’s not why we are here, is it?”
“No,” Jonah said. “I don’t need to know if some spook is getting kicks by staring at me in the shower. But I do need some costume ideas for the upcoming year. Did you all see those sneak peeks of Yaya Han’s new line?”
“I did,” I said. “The mermaid scales she had last year shifting to dragon scales with an almost alligator look. I can’t wait to see it in person. She also has some faux leather designs that look easy to work with.”
“Boy,” Jonah said, “you know the way to a cosplayer’s heart. Did you see the shimmering latex? Made a bodysuit out of that last year and the boys couldn’t keep their hands off my unmentionables. If any more people examined my package, I’d have to call myself UPS.”
Alex snorted into his coffee cup. “I like him.”
Jonah reached across the table, though it was too far to touch and patted the wood top in Alex’s direction. “Same, Sugar, same.”
“No bodysuits for me,” Chad said. “But you should see the new mockup of the Infinity Glove that Freya’s helped me with. It’s amazing.”
“Freya is amazing,” I said pointing out my friend’s strengths. She gave me a sweet smile.
“She is,” Jonah affirmed.
Everyone else agreed and the group broke off into chatter about their projects. It became a round robin of excitement with everyone talking about their latest creation, fueled by Freya’s support and helpful comments. By the time they got to me, we were cleaning up. The sound of the bus arriving saved me from having to admit that I didn’t have a specific project in mind, but dozens. The actual number of my UFOs, unfinished objects, I had no idea. Things were sorted and categorized by Skylar’s super compartmentalization, however, my brain did not work that way. Out of sight, out of mind for me, at least when it came to crafts. Which meant I had a lot of started things or probably nearly finished things that I’d completely forgotten about in favor of a new idea because Skylar had put it away.
Alex refilled our water bottles and stuffed them in his bag. He was still using the faux leather tote I’d thrown together for him. I offered to make him something more elaborate, but he’d refused, saying he liked what he had. I returned to his side and he immediately reached for my hand, drawing me up into a little hug.
“What’s this for?” I asked, returning the squeeze and then letting go as we made our way out to the waiting bus.
“Happy you’re here,” Alex offered.
“Where else would I be?”
He shrugged. I wondered if he’d had another dream. His brother warned me that sometimes when he woke up in a new place it could set off a PTSD episode, but Alex had been up and coherent before me this morning. He usually was. Not necessarily a morning person with a cheery attitude and zipping around the house, but awake and mobile, ready to move. Like a soldier, I realized. Which of course made sense as he had years of training under his belt.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
The bus was one of those high-end things, with padded seats and TVs popping out of the ceiling. Only half the size of a normal bus, I estimated we had only twenty or so people on the tour. We got a listing of the shops from the guide on the way onto the bus, a stack of coupons, which I handed off to Alex, and instructions for getting back on the bus at each location.
Alex and I took up a pair of seats, him on the aisle, and me by the window. He bumped me with his shoulder, which made me look at his face again. He rewarded me with a goofy grin.
“You’re a nerd,” I teased him as he slid his fingers through mine and rested our hands in his lap. Surrounded by a group of old ladies and a few of their husbands, I worried we’d get some flak for touching in public. We were in Texas after all. But if anyone noticed, they said nothing.