nospaceofregretâ:
traumachromaâ:
âI would have made sure the job was done,â Malasi shot back. âAlso, youâre a nasty dead bat. And you owe me like a thousand dollars.â
âCanât collect debts from the dead,â Sara quipped pleasantly, even as her face twisted into an angry grimace.Â
âOh, shush, youâre not helping matters any,â Pauline chided as she came back into the room, carrying with her a wireless phone. âItâs an old fashioned landline, but it should do the trick. I can give you our address if you need someone to pick you up, otherwise youâre free to rest here for a while.â
Malasi wiped sweat off her forehead before accepting the phone. âThanks.â She shot a glare at the ghostâs manifestation, punching in numbers on the phone. Calling Ryvlon sucked. Since she was calling from an unknown number, too, she had to dial him twice before he picked up.
"This is Thalar,â the man said on the other end.
âItâs Malasi.â She tucked the phone under her ear against her shoulder so she could cross her arms.
âMalasi! Thank god,â he exclaimed. âI heard about the fire, and no one could find you. What happened? Are you okay?â
âItâs a long story.â Well, it was actually kind of short, but âI got possessed by a ghostâ might not fly with him. He didnât understand Night Vale shit. âIâm fine. I just need new housing and stuff.â
âI can get you a hotel tonight and I can be there by tomorrow morning to help figure everything out. Thereâs a storm delaying the planes tonight--â
âA hotel will be fine. I donât need you to come down. I can figure things out on my own. Iâll just need a new bank card. My renterâs insurance should do the rest.â
âAnything you need I can get. Please, let me help.â
Malasi held her tongue to avoid a cutting remark, jaw clenching and eyes prickling. When she and her father had needed him, he hadnât been there. But that wasnât something to get into now, especially not in front of strangers. âIâll be fine. Just let me know the name of the hotel.â
There was a pause and sigh. âAlright. Can I reach you by this number in a few minutes?â
âYeah.â
âWhere are you at, anyways?â
âIt doesnât matter.â
âI can have a taxi pick you up.â
âIâll take the bus.â
Another sigh. âIf youâre sure.â
âI am. Iâll talk to you in a few.â
âOkay. Stay safe.â
âYeah.â Malasi hung up. âI need to stick around until he calls back,â she told Pauline. She took a sip of the water.

















