Chapter 29: Rory - Entities to Lovers

“Aaaand, we’re rolling…”

Hayden steps away from the camera and joins us at the séance table. We’ve moved it out of my alcove so we have more space to film and get all of us in the shot. My mom and Vic helped rearrange some of the display cases to frame the set nicely, while Hayden and Hallie carefully moved the table into the main room.

I suspect I’m still cursed at least a little bit because we’ve had a handful of tech failures, as well as the necessary finagling to get a film shoot running without normal electricity or Wi-Fi. Hallie’s camera died three times (which is actually quite normal for ghost hunting, but not what we need on a time crunch). We’re lit by a single lamp and one studio light that the duo brought, and it required a lot of Rube Goldberg–esque construction and Hallie’s film background to get the setup right.

But what Hayden and Hallie do best is work through it, and roll with the punches. It turns out that even hiccups are worth a decent laugh around the right people.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never tried to connect with spirits on camera before,” I confess. “I’m not sure they’ll be so receptive. But they also might not know what a camera is.”

“We’re used to that,” Hallie says. “Just make sure we get some kind of action, otherwise Hayden will be really sad.”

“I’m a big boy,” he argues, “I can handle rejection.”

“He takes it worse when it comes from ghosts,” Hallie whispers.

I laugh. “I’ll do my best to find some cooperative ghosts.”

I’ll admit, I’m not comfortable in front of the camera either. I wish Ezra were here, standing behind the lights and encouraging me to be my most vibrant self. He hasn’t replied to my message—in fact, according to my phone, he hasn’t even seen it, like his phone is turned off.

There’s also another implicit fear bubbling beneath my skin as I sit down at the table. Who is going to find us? Is Mara still lingering around and trying to have her way with me again? Will Temperance finally show herself?

However, what I can’t deny is since sending Ezra that text, I’ve run into far fewer calamities. I wonder if it’s a sign that reaching out to him, even if it terrified me, even if he might say no and never face his own fears, is what Temperance wanted me to do.

There’s only one way to find out.

“So,” I explain, “we’re balancing out the table. A skeptic on one side, and a believer on the other. The energy does have to be right, though, so Hallie, if you’d mind—”

“Not poking holes in everything that happens?” she asks.

“That’d be great,” Hayden and I say at the same time.

“Okay,” I breathe. “Let’s hold hands and get started.”

We have a film camera set up, as well as an SLS—structured light sensor—camera that’ll capture stick-figure entities. We’ve also placed a digital recorder at the center of the table, surrounded by my crystals and candles to help enhance communication. Honestly, I think much of this technology is pseudoscience, but Hayden and Hallie have an edge this time. They have me.

Hayden reaches across the table for Hallie’s hand, stroking her palm with his thumb, and I take their other hands, so we’ve closed the circle. I am a little worried Hallie’s abject skepticism will deter any spirits from entering our circle, but I’m hoping Hayden and I can counteract it.

I shut my eyes and hope I can contact something. All I can think about is my first séance with Ezra, his hands clasped in mine, Temperance’s teasing whispers warning me to be scared. Thinking back on it now, the scariest thing I ever did was letting Ezra close to me, but it was also the most magical thing I could have asked for.

I’ve struck out on contacting Temperance time and time again these past few days, but they say the veil is thinnest on Halloween, and I think I’m finally ready to take the leap of faith Temperance has been pushing me toward all this time. Maybe she’ll be willing to listen and help me—finally.

“If there are any spirits in our midst, we welcome you to speak freely with us. We are safe company and want to hear whatever you feel inclined to share with us,” I say.

At first, there’s nothing. The wind outside batters against the windows, and the generator hums, but Vic’s set it up far enough away that it’s not being picked up on camera. Hallie assures us their editor, Jamie, will have no issues getting the sound out.

Then there’s a tickle of tension at the back of my neck, like my shoulders carefully stitching together. The energy in the room constricts, winding winding winding tighter around me. One of the candles pops an ember, and Clementine’s rocking chair creaks. Hayden makes sure that Hallie doesn’t turn around and look.

I’m curious what the cameras are picking up, but I can guarantee that something is here. I’ve channeled and summoned some kind of spirit.

I take in a deep breath and plead for the spirit to give me something…anything. It’s vaguely familiar, and I hope it’s Temperance I’ve tracked down. It’s good-quality content for The Out There, and a chance for me to free myself from her chains.

“I feel you here,” I tell the spirit. “Have we talked before?”

The REM Pod—a small device that detects changes in electromagnetic fields—lights up, but doesn’t beep yet. Hayden set it up on an antique nightstand beside us. Of course his gaze shoots to it immediately.

“Don’t do anything rash,” I warn him. “Spirits can take some coaxing to summon.”

He deflates, but returns to closing his eyes and focusing on the energy in the room.

“Is that a yes?” I ask the spirit. I settle into the séance with more comfort, sensing that this spirit isn’t Mara again—it’s something else.

Now the REM Pod beeps. Furiously, like a metal detector that’s struck gold. The lights around us flicker, and I hope to god we’re not about to lose our generator power. Something is building, something strong. My fingertips tingle and my heart races, like the start of a panic attack, or bubbling anxiety before a big speech or presentation. It’s a physical precipice in every definition of the word.

Then the keys above the front door jingle and a cold breeze sweeps in.

The REM Pod stops screaming.

We’re not expecting anyone else for the shoot, and no one else is scheduled to work tonight. My mom and Vic left to keep from creating extra noise on set. I think of all the spiritual hijinks and frenetic energy I’ve experienced over the past week—knocking over the table, the séance with Ezra, the morning we fought, Mara’s insurrection—and they all signified turning points. I hope this is another one—a final chance to right all the wrongs.

With another deep breath, I take in the smell of sharp citrus and old book pages. I flash back to giggles between bedsheets, late-night lectures on historical events, and tracing my fingers over black ink on pale skin.

I may not have summoned a spirit, but I have summoned Ezra.

Which is so…so much better.

His hair’s a mess, as always, and his eyes are dark and weary, like he’s lost plenty of sleep the past few nights. There’s a look of simultaneous sadness and relief in his expression, like he knows he should have been here this whole time, and he’s missed me. He may have hurt me by walking out, but one look at him tells me he hurt himself more.

Micah’s behind him and shoves him into the store.

“Uh…hi,” Ezra says.

“You weren’t what I was expecting to make contact with,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice steady and to remember that I am far from alone in this room.

But I hoped I would, is the part I hold back.

“Can we talk?” he asks.

Hayden and Hallie exchange a quick glance and after a second, Hallie nods toward the camera to tell Hayden they need to make some space. Both pull away from the séance table and dip in back of the cameras. They’re barely visible behind the lone lamp we were able to rig up.

“Please,” I say, nodding toward the open seat across from me. Ezra hesitantly takes the seat. The first time he sat at my séance table, he seemed so uncertain where to put his hands, what he was supposed to do. Now this is a place we both belong.

“Rory,” he finally says. “I’m sorry.”

I want to butt in and tell him I’m sorry, too—for not seeing through the heartbreak and knowing there was something worse underneath, for letting him walk away when he wanted someone to fight for him.

“I really am. I shouldn’t have stormed out like that,” he starts, “and I shouldn’t have made you feel like you weren’t everything I wanted. I got let go, and I…I was terrified of not being good enough for you and I let those fears lead me to stupid mistakes. I was trying to protect myself, but really, walking away from you hurt worse than anything else. And I don’t get to decide that for you. So, I’m sorry and I hope you can forgive me.”

He smiles, but apprehension keeps his shoulders tight. I offer him my hands, open and ready to hold his. He just needs to take them, and this time, he does. His rings are chilly against my skin and he’s picked his nail polish down over the past few days.

The lamp on the front counter flickers to life. It’s not plugged in, so there’s no logical reason for it to turn back on. It casts a warm glow over the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Hayden nudging Hallie and he whispers, “Okay, then what was that?” to her. She remains quiet, silently urging him to let us have our moment.

“You’re phenomenal, Rory,” Ezra continues, gripping my hands tighter. “And smart, and funny, and the best parts of you are the ones you might be nervous to show people. Your rituals, your trust in something bigger than us, your belief that there are signs everywhere for us to see. Being around you isn’t a curse at all. It’s being away from you that’s the real curse.

“I don’t know if I’m any good at this, or if I’m even the kind of partner you’d want—but if there’s one thing I desperately need to be good at, it’s loving you. And I want to try, even when it’s hard. Even when it scares me. I could keep running away because I’m scared of failing, but I might be missing out on the best thing in my life and I don’t want to do that anymore.”

I stroke the back of his hands slowly and sniffle my tears away. Ezra lets go only to lean forward. He hesitates at first, not sure if I’d let him touch me again, but I do. He runs a chilly thumb underneath my eye and wipes a single tear away. My throat is tight, but he needs to know that this is a two-way street. It has to be if we want this to work.

I want to work for us every single day.

We’re both painfully guilty of backing away when the going got tough, and if we ever want to break this damn curse, we’re going to have to be brave. Even when we’re terrified of it.

Ezra could turn my insecurities against me and be a living, breathing embodiment of the worst things Mara planted in my brain. But he could also be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He could be the person I go to on my hardest days, whose reassurance can always put me back together, who likes me because of all the things that make me different, not despite them. He could be my happily ever after, my twin flame. I never thought it was in the cards for me.

We’ll never know how bright life could be if we don’t burn together.

“Watching you leave hurt,” I tell him. “Badly. But I could have stopped you when I realized something was wrong. You told me how afraid you were of people quitting on you, and I did just that. I was too shrouded by my own insecurities to fight for you when you needed someone to. And I’m so sorry for that. We both know every day isn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I want to be there for you when the worst of them come. And I want you there for all of mine because everything is better when you’re around.”

His smile quirks to one side.

“I’m bravest when I’m with you. I don’t doubt myself or my skills—all I want to do is be the best version of myself. I mean, I can’t just let you be the best guide at Ye Olde Spirit Tours.”

Ezra laughs and a tear leaks down his cheek. This time, it’s my turn to comfort him. The entire room disappears around us. The bright camera light, the flickering lamp beside us, Hayden, Hallie, and even Clementine. It’s the two of us mending something we didn’t mean to break in the first place. The best part is that we have all the pieces, and we get to be the glue that holds us together. We just have to do it.

“When you’re around,” I say, “it’s like the ghosts and the doubts can’t touch me. It takes work, and I’m not all the way there yet, but around you? It’s so much easier. You see me for everything I am and you like it.”

Ezra intertwines our fingers and holds on tight, like he never plans to let go.

“More than like it,” he confirms.

A computer startup sound dings from the storage room. Even the record player spins again. Something we’re doing is making a difference. Something in us facing this together is releasing Temperance’s shackles on…well, quite literally, everything. Eddie’s words of wisdom ring in my head. We have to make a choice. There’ll be a moment we know we’re standing at a threshold, and we need to be brave enough to cross it. I hold on to Ezra’s hands tighter.

“We’re going to have to work at this,” I say, but it feels more like a vow. “Every single day.”

“I do like a challenge.”

“Trust me, I know, Professor.” I giggle, and his smile spreads wide and makes the remaining tears in his eyes twinkle.

“Anything’s worth it if I get to fall in love with you,” he asserts. Fall in love plays on repeat in my head. It feels like inevitable magic, and a mystery we can unravel together. It’s our own history we’ll write and remember.

“I’m scared,” I admit.

He nods, but he doesn’t seem scared at all. He seems strong and brave, and at peace, like as long as we jump together, we’ll land on our feet. “Me too.”

“Want to be scared together?”

He squeezes my hands back. Once, twice, three times. “Terrified with you is better than safe on my own.”

The air in the room changes, just like it did that night at Talbot House. An overwhelming presence and tingle ripples up my spine. If she wasn’t here before, she’s here now. Temperance’s spirit draws me closer to Ezra, making me reach across the table and grip his collar hard.

The kiss is indulgent and tender, full of apologies and vows to do better from both of us. There’s a promise of magic and joy and a sense of landing safely against all odds. The temperature in the room shifts, suddenly cold and blustery. A teasing laugh echoes at my ear, something I think only I can hear. As I pull away, I realize I’m not the only one hearing and feeling what’s going on.

Ezra’s eyes are wide and alarmed—reasonably so—and his shoulders tense like there’s something behind him as well. Across the room, the REM Pod whirs in excitement. Then there’s a clatter of equipment as Hayden whips the camera around the room. It’s the bigger SLS camera that detects figures and shapes.

“Hallie…Hallie, please come look at this.”

I ignore both for now and focus on the man in front of me. I hold Ezra’s hands again and take a deep breath.

Now you see.

Temperance’s voice is melodic and sweet, with notes of teasing and pride. It’s a far cry from the threatening hiss she unleashed last week. But she’s right.

I do see, so very clearly.

The tension in the room lifts, like finally taking a deep breath for the first time in a while, gasping for fresh air, and then…everything comes back on. The printer, the rest of the lights, and the speakers pop back on with jingles and buzzing noises. As we all look around at the store brought fully back to life, the keys above the door jingle again, like someone leaving now that their work is done.

We’re free.

“We did it,” Ezra says. He must have heard Temperance clearly, too, judging by the certainty in his voice. “The curse is broken.”

We both rise from the table and he pulls me into his arms. I’m enveloped in the sharp and sweet smell of his cologne, the steady beat of his heart, and the firm grip he has on my body. Ezra pulls away and rests his hands along my jaw, tilting my chin up to his.

“Did you hear her?” I ask.

He nods. “Sure did.”

“We’ll have to test our luck,” I add, “but I think you’re right.”

He shakes his head. “Not now, little witch. Just let me kiss you.”

We may have a crowd, but this time, I’m not so afraid to be seen. I’m going to let myself love Ezra, and it is going to be magical and unexpected, and we’re going to be okay. We may not always know the way forward, but we can cast those spells when we get to them.

“Um,” Hayden interjects, “I really don’t want to interrupt the nice moment, but you guys might want to see this.”

I pull away from Ezra and reach for his hand, taking it happily before joining them around the camera. Hayden rolls back the tape to show us the SLS feed he captured as Ezra and I unleashed ourselves from the curse. There’s a heat-mapped shot of Ezra and me sitting at the séance table, hands locked and leaning in to kiss one another. I watch in slow motion as a third figure—made of lines and shadows—stands between us, one hand on each of our shoulders. And then, as we meet in the middle for a kiss, it vanishes like a satisfying farewell.

“Do you know what ghost that was?” Hayden gasps. “Was it Clementine? What other haunted objects could it have been? It was definitely a ghost.”

“Hayden,” Hallie chides. “It might not have been a ghost at all. Can’t you let these two have a romantic moment without inserting a ghost into it?”

“Everything is made more romantic by a ghost,” he argues.

Ezra rubs the back of his neck and scrunches his face. “I don’t know how to tell you this…”

“But I think that was a ghost,” I confirm, even though I know so. I don’t expect Hallie to be persuaded either way, and she seems more dedicated to making sure we get our grand gesture right than whether we were haunted in the moment. Which I suppose is sensible. “It’s…a long story.”

“And I want to hear it all,” Hayden insists. “After the tour, of course…”

“Well,” I concede, “with all those production delays, we are just about at tour time. I know we want to get that on camera, too.”

Hayden nods and smiles. “Yes, yes, we do.”

“As long as you promise not to cause a scene,” Hallie says.

“No promises, Nonbeliever.”

She doesn’t catch his double meaning, so I suspect she might be in for a surprise. There’s just enough time now for Ezra and me to take to the dressing room to put on our costumes, for him to lace my corset up for me, and for us to get into our characters.

“I don’t know about you, Mr. Montgomery,” I say, turning to him and slipping into my accent. “But I think tonight is a great night for a haunting.”