Page 10 of The Totally Typical Tale of Mappy McMapface (Ghostlight Falls #1)

Chapter nine

Ghostlight Railway

Mappy

R ubbing my eyes, I try to figure out what happened. I was with Miguel. And we found the missing street signs—all of them—in my backyard, for some reason. My head starts to hurt. Given the trees surrounding me, I’m not there anymore. Where am I?

There’s rushing water and train tracks, so I’m in the woods right outside of town, but why? I have to do a double take when I notice something on the tracks. It’s not an animal, and as I get closer, my heart rate picks up.

There’s duct tape over Miguel’s mouth. Not that he needs it, because he’s passed out. Please, let him just be passed out. Rope is wrapped around him, tying him to the tracks. Looking at the sky for some clue of the time, I figure my best bet is to just get him off the tracks as fast as possible.

As I get closer, I can see the rise and fall of his chest, so at least I know he’s alive.

He doesn’t respond when I rip the duct tape from his face.

Whatever knocked him out really did a good job.

The knots are tied so tightly, I can’t get them undone.

In my panic, I’m afraid I’m just making things worse.

The gravel under the rails starts to vibrate. No. No. No. I haven’t made any progress, and a train is coming.

Miguel’s eyes slowly blink open. “Mappy?” He tries to move, becoming more confused when he can’t. “Mappy, where am I? What happened? Carter!”

“Not sure how I feel about you yelling another man’s name while I’m the one saving you.

” I try to joke, but there are tears in my eyes as the vibrations get stronger.

The train blows its horn, announcing its arrival.

We’ve got only moments now. “This is not how I pictured this happening.” Closing my eyes, I bring my lips to his, wrapping a wing around his body and using my claw to slice through the rope.

As soon as it’s broken, I roll Miguel on top of me, off the tracks, and the train whirs by, gravel pelting us, but at least we’re alive.

He lifts his head and watches the train roll into town before breaking into a crazed laugh.

Threading his fingers through my hair, he pulls me into another kiss.

The adrenaline makes the kiss wild, both of us grasping the other, so thankful that we made it.

He tugs my head back, exposing my neck as he kisses down to my collarbone.

His teeth graze the spot where my neck meets my shoulder as his fingers gently run along the edge of my wing.

The dueling sensations are almost too much, my eyes rolling back with pleasure.

He roughly tugs my hair, dropping his forehead onto mine. “Stay with me, Mappy. You stay here with me, okay?”

“There’s nowhere else I want to be, Miguel.”

He nods. “I know.” Whatever moment we were having is gone. He doesn’t move off me, just lies there stroking my hair in thought. There’s something he’s not telling me.

“Is this about Carter?” His eyes meet mine, and I can’t figure out what I see in them. Fear? Hurt? Betrayal?

“You know about him?”

“I know you yelled his name when you were about to die, so he must be someone pretty important to you.”

He laughs, pushing back to sit up. When he moves to get off me, I grab onto his hips, keeping him in place.

Whatever it is, I know I’ll feel better handling it with him close.

He’d asked about my previous relationships, and I guess I should’ve asked him about his, too.

I just didn’t care. As long as he was with me, that was all that mattered.

“The name Carter really means nothing to you?” he asks me.

There’s that brick wall I run up against when I think too hard about the name. The same one I run into when I think too hard about my past. A headache starts to form.

“Should it mean something to me?”

He brushes a piece of hair out of my face. It’s nothing he’s done before, but feels like something he’s done forever.

“It’s probably best if we have this conversation in front of witnesses.

” He rolls back on his heels and stands up, reaching out a hand for me.

I grab it, and he yanks me up close to his body.

He pulls a couple of pieces of gravel out of my hair.

“You’re such a mess,” he says with a smile, kissing my nose.

I’m so thrown off by his witness comment, I don’t respond to him, just let him lead me back to town.

It feels a little wrong to let the visitor do my job of navigating, but I’d follow Miguel anywhere.