Crossed Out Read Online Free PDF Page A

you use to help the deceased find the other side.” Dr. Anthony smiled. “Yes, I know.”
    “Well, why don’t you tell that to my mother. She’s the one who really thinks I’m wacko. As if decorating a cross is bad. Jeez, you’d think I was making guns or something.”
    Dr. Anthony swiveled his chair to face me. “There’s a lot that others, who don’t have our gift, don’t understand. But the drawings on this cross are more symbolic than anything else.”
    Yes, I understood where he was coming from.
    But that didn’t mean I had to share the visitation of Allison with him. I don’t know why but I hoped she’d come back and help me. Unless....
    I stared back at Dr. Anthony. No longer did he seem so friendly. Could he be the evil Allison had warned about?
    “Stephanie, I’m more of a guide, someone who’s sent to help.”
    “A guide?” I jumped to my feet. “I don’t need a guide. I’ve done well enough without any help from you .”
    “Oh, you have?”
    “Hey, I never asked for this ... this calling, or whatever it’s called.”
    “Believe me, Stephanie, none of us with this ability asked for it.”
    “Why did you decide to come now? Where were you three years ago? It would have been nice to have someone who actually believed me then.”
    “I know,” he said softly. “I do understand.”
    This held me there even though I wanted so much to walk out of his office. I didn’t normally trust anyone. But – I don’t know – what if Dr. Anthony knew about my embarrassing encounter with the last psychologist and was empathetic to my plight?
    Besides, my mother was waiting for me at Starbucks. I couldn’t just arrive at the coffee house early without my mom becoming suspicious. No. Not good.
    So I decided to give him a chance. Maybe staying would help me score some points for all the times I had skipped out of after school newspaper meetings, faked being sick, or worse yet, my recent failure to release one of the spirits toward the light.
    And maybe he could make sense out of the whole Allison thing.
    I sat back down.
    Dr. Anthony smiled. “Good. Let’s start again.”
    He settled back into his chair. “Did the spirit who appeared to you last night give you any clues to the site of her murder?”
    “Yeah, I mean, no, she hasn’t shown me any hints.” I slumped in my chair, avoiding his gaze. “I didn’t get a chance to check the paper for any missing people, either.”
    “Did you see anything strange or out of the ordinary at Hillary’s house?”
    “Did Hillary’s mom talk to you?” The words slipped out of my mouth.
    “No, was she supposed to?”
    “Um....” I squirmed in my chair. “No, I mean, I don’t think so.”
    “What did you see, anyway?”
    Jeez! What kind of power did this man have? I couldn’t believe how the words seemed to stumble out of my mouth.
    “Uh, some lady in the mirror....”
    “In a mirror?” Dr. Anthony’s eyes widened. “Were you girls playing with something you shouldn’t have?”
    “Oh, no,” I lied. “We didn’t use one of those Ouija Boards.” I twirled a piece of hair around my finger. “I’m not that stupid.”
    “Okay. Can you just tell me what you saw?”
    Did I detect a bit of impatience in the counselor? Good, maybe he was human after all.
    “Well, a lady appeared in Hillary’s bathroom mirror and asked me for help.”
    “And?”
    “That’s it. End of story.”
    “Hmmm....” Dr. Anthony drummed his fingers.
    Then he stopped and stared. Eww! Not a good feeling. I fidgeted.
    “Stephanie, we need to find out more about this spirit who came to you. You see, someone else is interested in her, but not for the same reasons we are.”
    That’s what Allison had said! The uncomfortable feeling came back.
    “What do they want to do with her?”
    Once more I saw the pulsating box and the gray wisps that surrounded the woman, until nothing remained. Only one thing could do something like that. And it wasn’t good. My skin crawled just