There was another article that told the stories of the families who had lived in Aunt Morgan’s house who had claimed to experience strange noises, unexplainable bruising and marks on their bodies, and someone whispering for them to leave in the night. One woman was even sent to an insane asylum by her family after she swore that she saw Bethany’s Ghost in the house
My eyes were wide as I read over the article several times. The necklace must have been brought to town around the 1900’s. That would explain why the Ghosts stopped their attacks. The Crows and the necklace saved the town. I saved the articles on my bookmarks and closed my laptop. So, Nicholasville was a sort of hub for paranormal activity. It appeared that the town had the sightings and attacks under control until Aunt Morgan passed. I felt the surge of adrenaline in my heart as I knew I had to do something.
Leaning back against the headboard on my bed, I took a moment to glance down at my phone.
I had a missed text from Ace. I guess with my music, I didn’t hear the alert.
Ace: I need to talk to you.
The text felt urgent, so I quickly typed out a reply.
Me: Sure.
Before I could put my phone back down on my bed, I heard a tapping at my bedroom window. Startled, I jumped up and rushed to the window. Perched on the ledge was a black Crow.
Opening my window, I took a step back as the bird flew into my room.
Running to my door, I locked the door as Ace shifted into human form in front of me.
Whispering, I turned on him. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I told you I needed to talk to you,” Ace said, walking over and sitting in the chair by my desk.
“Be quiet, I don’t want my parents to hear you,” I shushed him.
I had never had a boy in my room before, and I knew my parents wouldn’t like it.
“Sorry,” Ace stated, holding his hands up in defense.
“It’s ok. What’s wrong?” I dived right into why he was here.
“I wanted to talk to you about Thomas and Nora. There’s a lot you don’t know about the Crows,” Ace began.
“I know, you all seem to like to hide information,” I suggested.
“It’s for our protection. But, I want you to ask me some more questions. If we are going to train-- physically train, I need you to trust me. Maylee said the best way to know someone is to talk to them,” Ace stated.
Of course, Maylee was behind this.
“That’s sort of how people create relationships,” I said, my face blushing now. I hadn’t meant for it to sound like I was trying to build a relationship between us.
“Ok, so ask away,” Ace prompted.
I bit my lip as I began thinking of what I really wanted to ask him. Ace watched me carefully, his eyes burning through me. Suddenly, a searing question came to mind.
“Are you immortal?” I asked.
Ace crossed his legs before he opened his mouth to respond. “Not immortal. I can die, but just not as soon as you can,” he answered, in what felt like another riddle.
“Stop the games. Just give me a clear answer for once,” I pleaded. He had come here to talk and yet, he was starting his old ways again.
Sighing, Ace began. “I can die, but my fate won’t happen for many, many years. Shifters age differently from humans. I’ve been a teenager for over two decades,” he said, a sadness taking over him. “If I elect to lose my Shifter powers, I will begin the normal aging process.”
His words struck a chord in me. He had the choice to change his own destiny.
“Will my aging change?” I asked, biting my lip again.
“No, you will age like a normal human,” he answered.
We sat in silence for a few more minutes. I knew that I only had a short amount of time to talk to Ace and I needed to ask only important questions. Somehow, my next inquiry felt important.
“Why don’t you like Thomas and Nora?” It had bothered me since I had met them earlier.
Ace stood and walked over to the window. For a moment, I feared he may leave without answering me. Thankfully, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed, letting me know he was going to share. “It’s not that I don’t like them… I just don’t trust them.”
His words struck me like a hammer to the head. How could he not trust them? They were Protectors-- family.
Shaking my head, I rushed Ace. Standing only mere inches from him, I forced him to look at me. “I’m supposed to put my faith in Crow Haven-- in all of you, but you can’t even trust your own kind!” I wailed, forgetting to be quiet.
Ace’s eyes grew wide with freight from my sudden outburst. I saw the trepidation as he pondered over my words.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you,” I apologized, lowering my head in defeat.
Everything was crashing down on me like a tidal wave and I could feel myself drowning in the uncertainty of it all.
Reaching out, Ace wrapped his strong arms around mine and held me out in front of him. His dark eyes lasered into mine and I could feel the power behind his gaze. “Lizzie, you don’t have to apologize to me. I understand this is all going to take time. Just know that you are still learning,” he advised. “And, I don’t trust anyone.”
Speaking of learning, I knew I needed to tell him about everything I found.
Sighing, I began. “So, I did some research earlier and I found a lot about old supernatural attacks that plagued the town. There seemed to be a period of rest in the 1900’s.”
Ace thought this over as he played with his piercing. “That was probably when your Great Aunt Morgan’s ancestors received the necklace.”
We were clearly thinking on the same page.
“I arrived in town around the 1950’s and, by then, the Crows had already taken control and everything was calm-- save for a few attacks, but we managed to handle them. However, the witches have been a little bit more complicated,” he chuckled.
“Are you talking about the three Witches said to have haunted West Jessamine High School?” I asked, perking up. It was nice to finally feel like I was privy to shared knowledge. Even if I had just learned about the old legend.
“Yeah, I guess you read about it?” he inquired.
I proceeded to tell him the information I had just read. As Ace listened, I saw his famous cocky grin appear.
“What?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Well, that’s a nice story, but a local author wrote a story about it a few years ago. Apparently, she visited the school at night and had an encounter with the Witches. They taunted her and she wrote about it. It’s pretty cool if you are into mysteries and paranormal tales,” he chuckled.
“I didn’t know you were such an avid reader,” I mused.
“Only when it involves death and destruction,” he scowled.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my laptop again. “Fine, show me this story.”
“How many stories can there be? I mean, this town is small and barely a blip on the map,” I sighed.
After making fun of Ace for his taste in reading, he began to scour the internet for the story he wanted to show me. I was astonished at how many books had been written about this town and the mysterious sightings and events.
“Are you serious? Nicholasville is one of the Ghost capitals of the South. You should know that by now,” he said, pulling up an article.