Whispers at Moonrise

popped in the front seat. Kylie stood by the back door when Hannah leaned in and whispered, “I call window seat.”
    Hannah, Derek, and Kylie climbed in. As soon as Burnett got settled behind the wheel, his shoulders stiffened and he swung around. The look, the sheer panic in his gaze, told Kylie she wasn’t the only one hearing and, more than likely, seeing Hannah.
    *   *   *
    Burnett drove in silence, but kept looking back in the rearview mirror. Kylie shivered from the chill of Hannah’s presence.
    Have you figured out anything else? Kylie spoke in her mind.
    Hannah ignored Kylie’s question. Instead, she stared at Derek. “ He’s cute.”
    “Damn, it’s cold in this car.” Derek draped his arm around Kylie. The warmth of his arm did feel good, and being this close, close enough to get a good whiff of his natural scent to chase away the scent of garlic, didn’t feel so bad, either. And for that reason, she shifted away and cut him a warning look that said, “Don’t push your luck.”
    Sometimes she thought he forgot she wasn’t really with him anymore. Not that it wasn’t easy for him to forget, with Lucas never hanging around her …
    “ You should definitely choose him.” Hannah leaned into Kylie’s shoulder. The icy feel of her touch caused Kylie’s spine to stiffen. “And speaking of romance, the bozo in the front seat better watch himself. If he hurts my sister—”
    “I won’t,” Burnett muttered.
    “Won’t what?” Holiday and Derek asked at the same time.
    “Nothing.” Burnett slammed his jaw so tight he had to have cracked a few teeth.
    Hannah leaned forward and stared at Burnett in the rearview mirror. The mirror frosted over. “If you break her heart, I swear, I’ll neuter you in your sleep.”
    Burnett’s jaw tightened some more. Holiday gaped at the rearview mirror and then stared wide-eyed at Burnett. A second later, she swung around and gave Kylie the befuddled look. “Is it her? Is Hannah here?”
    Kylie froze, literally from Hannah’s icy presence, but also from not knowing what to say.
    When Kylie didn’t answer, Holiday stared back at Burnett. “Can you see her? Can you see ghosts? How can you do that?”
    “We’ve got a ghost in the car?” Derek’s voice rang a bit high-pitched.
    “ Had a ghost in the car,” Hannah said. Her teary-eyed gaze stared at Holiday, and then she vanished, leaving the saddest of sad moods to fill the car like smoke.
    *   *   *
    The moment Kylie spied her mom and John, her mom’s creepy new boyfriend, walking into the dining hall, holding on to each other like a couple of horny teenagers, Kylie found herself envying Hannah’s ability to vanish. Why did her mom think bringing John was a good idea? And if she had to bring him, couldn’t she keep her hands off his butt while she was here?
    Yup, Kylie’s mom had her right hand tucked into the back of John’s jeans pocket. And frankly, the man didn’t even have a nice ass!
    Surely her mom wasn’t getting serious about him and felt these visits were needed for Kylie to get to know him—before … before they did something stupid, like get married.
    The thought scared the crap out of Kylie. Inhaling, she told herself she was overreacting; as Nana would have said, she was making a mountain out of a molehill.
    Then again, her mom hadn’t answered Kylie’s question about them having sex. And chances were, her mom wasn’t about to answer that inquiry today, either.
    Kylie’s mom turned around and spotted her on the other side of the dining hall and smiled. Kylie waved, hoping her mom would do the same, freeing her hand from John’s ass, but nope.
    Taking a deep breath, Kylie faked a smile.
    Her mom grinned up at John, and the man swooped down and kissed her. Kissed her … with tongue, and right there in front of all of Kylie’s campmates.
    “Just shoot me,” Kylie muttered.
    “I think they’re cute.” Holiday leaned into Kylie as if reading her emotional overload.
    “And I think I’m going to puke.” Kylie swore she was going to have a sit-down, serious chat with her mom and find out exactly what was going on. When the kiss kept going, Kylie decided again that yup, she’d love to vanish. Just up and disappear.
    “Take some deep breaths and calm down,” Holiday said. “You’re exploding with panic.”
    Kylie looked at Holiday. “My mom’s French-kissing a guy in front of everyone,” she muttered. “Of course I’m panicking!”
    “Shit!”