Ghast Me Gently (Wicked Good Witches Book 4) by Starla Silver Page B

by an invisible breeze.
    She hung in the air staring into each of their eyes, in turn, and when finished, did an even more surprising thing.
    “Finally. Howards and Deanes in the same place and agreeing to a truce. I trust you all enjoyed my little show. Neat trick, huh?”
    “Did you just speak?” Michael stared, dumbfounded.
    “Yeah, um, how’d you do that?” squeaked Emily. “I’m still me, right,” she whispered to Michael. He nodded, calming her fear, while never taking his eyes off the specter.
    Charlie had not yet told his siblings or William about his and Eva’s encounter with the ghost girl, or that she had spoken. He had thought it odd, but had thought no more of it until now.
    “And I’m to believe that you are the protectors of the Isle,” the ghost girl scoffed at the Howards. “You have no idea what I am, do you?” She sounded annoyed that she might have to explain.
    William took the lead and got closer to the ghost girl. The Howards recognized the look on his face; he had figured out something vital.
    “My dear lady, you are not a ghost at all, are you?”
    Ghost girl lifted a brow in his direction. “At least one of you is showing signs of intelligence.”
    Melinda wondered how this ghost, supposedly hundreds of years old, spoke as though she were familiar with the tongue of the day.
    William spun around and addressed everyone standing in the lighthouse. “What we have here before us is not at all a ghost, but a ghast.”
    “A what?” asked a mystified Charlie.
    “I have never, in all my years, ever crossed paths with a ghast, and I admit until this moment, assumed their existence myth.”
    “And?” prodded Michael impatiently.
    “A ghost is the spirit of someone who has died and not yet moved on, willingly remaining in this plane of existence. Usually because they have unfinished business. A ghast however, is a human spirit forced out of its living form, cursed to wander this plane of existence, the world of the living , until such a time as it is returned to its body.”
    “That’s possible?” muttered Riley, his voice horrified by the thought. Melinda agreed. By the looks on everyone’s faces, they all agreed. Melinda noticed Lucas step closer to his brother as if making himself a human barricade between the ghast and his brother.
    The ghast girl let out an irritated sigh, putting her hands on her hips.
    “Well, now that’s out of the way…”
    “Um, wait. Hold up,” implored Charlie. “Let me get this straight. You’re not an actual ghost? You’re not even really dead?”
    “What’s so hard to understand about that? And I heard you were the eldest…” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “It’s really not that hard people. Do you need another minute to get your confused little brains around it all?”
    “Why have you been haunting this lighthouse for like… two hundred years?” asked Michael.
    “And why do you talk like you’re from now?” added Melinda.
    “Oh. My. God. You don’t think I pick up things? As you said, been around for a while. And do you think I did this on purpose? Do you actually think I wanted to spend eternity haunting a freakin’ lighthouse?” her voice rose to a new level of caustic.
    “Starting to understand why someone might have done it,” mumbled Michael under his breath.
    Charlie was about to ask a question when William motioned him to stop.
    “It is clear that you have somehow orchestrated this meeting. Why don’t you explain why we are all here?”
    “Yes! About time. Let’s get down to business.” She paced in a floating circle over their heads, preparing for what appeared would be a long-winded speech.
    Lucas leaned in past Riley and whispered to Melinda. “This commonplace on the Isle?” Although his voice was quite serious, she froze and could not answer; his intense stare made her catch her breath. She just nodded and shook her shoulders at the same time, giving him no definitive answer. Plus, though abnormal