'Til Fear Do Us Part (A Grim Awakening Book 1)

by Michelle Gross

  “Hey, Melanie,” Mike managed to say.

  “Hi,” I muttered, stabbing my pizza with a fork. Mike looked afraid of me. Good lord, I was only making it worse.

  “What did that pizza ever do to you?” Ryan took the fork from my hand.

  “So, movies tomorrow?” Tess perked up as she gave Mike dreamy eyes.

  “Anything you want,” was his answer.

  Vomit.

  “Melanie, are you coming too?” she asked and Mike went pale. Clearly, that was a nightmare itself if I was to join them.

  “No, movies aren’t really my thing.” I had never seen a ghost at the theater before but hated running into unfamiliar ones. They tend to pop up out of nowhere and some could be very frightening. Besides, Mike looked like he didn’t want me to go. Painfully obvious, I’d add.

  “Yea, Melanie, let’s go. How about a scary movie?” Ryan eyebrows shot up in a menacing way. God, he was evil. He was harder to deal with than ghosts sometimes.

  “That sounds great!” Tess was already excited.

  “I don’t really like scary movies,” I replied curtly toward Ryan. He already knew that.

  “Don’t worry, you can hold on to me.” I tried to ignore the flutter I felt in my stomach at his words. Ryan was my friend. Sure, he was a flirt, but he was like that toward every girl. I didn’t know why he bothered with me. He was a good guy, though and a great friend. One that I would never risked losing over something as silly as romance.

  _________

  The rest of the day went by slowly. I saw the prom couple in the hallway after lunch making out against someone’s locker. I wondered if they even felt anything with them being dead and all. I didn’t even know what it felt like to be kissed. I lived a rather pathetic life. People were afraid of me and the only boy who wasn’t was off limits.

  I was happy when the final bell sounded. I was one of the first ones out of the classroom. I crammed my books in my locker. That was the good thing about being a senior, hardly ever did I get homework. But now there was the rest of my life that I had to start figuring out.

  My life goal? To stop seeing the dead.

  Never going to happen.

  Tess was outside saying bye to Mike when I walked out. Someone bumped in to me from the left. I tilted my head. “Oops.” Haley held her hand over her mouth. I glared back. “Oh, it’s just you.” She dropped her hand to her side. “Freak.” Her friends laughed with her and continued walking to their cars. I closed my eyes a moment and sighed. I hated them.

  “They are so mean.” Tess gave them the evil eye from behind.

  “But it’s not like what they said isn’t true.” We walked together. It was my fault that so many people treated me like Haley did. They saw me talking to ghosts enough times time to think I was a freak. Stupid ghosts...

  Why me?

  “I don’t care how many ghosts you see; I still heart you.” She swung her arm around me.

  I smiled. “Yeah, screw everyone else. At least I have you,” I added. She nodded in agreement.

  “And my brother.” My smile disappeared when the fluttering in my chest began. Sometimes it was easy to think of Ryan as a friend. Other times, I just wanted to kiss the crap out of him and figure out why all couples did it. My mind and heart were always in turmoil. He is off limits, Melanie.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why don’t you two admit that you like each other already?” Tess caught me off guard with her question. I stared, mouth gaped open.

  “What? We don't--”

  “Don’t you lie to me Melanie Rose. I know where you sleep at night.”

  I looked to the ground as we walked. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Because it is,” she answered.

  “Not when you're me. Tess, you two are the only ones that accept me knowing everything. I can’t even risk that just because I wished your brother would walk around without a shirt, twenty-four/seven.” I spent our high school years watching the boys practice football so that I could catch Ryan with his shirt off. No, I wasn’t that horny. Mostly. He was just that good looking.

  “Yes you can.” She laughed. “And ewe.”

  “No, I can’t.” I stopped at my car and grabbed the keys from my pocket.

  “Can’t what?” Ryan said from somewhere behind me. I whirled around dropping my keys like I was caught saying something I shouldn’t. I picked the keys up and looked to Tess. My eyes told her she better keep her mouth shut.

  “Nothing,” I told him.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know when to be ready,” Ryan said.

  “Huh?” was all I thought to say.

  “Movies, remember?” Tess grinned. “We are going to the movies. It’s a double date.” I was going to kill her.

  “Tess, you guys need to go alone for it to be a date. Why do we need to tag along?” I grumbled.

  “It’s a double date. We gotta go.” Ryan jingled his keys in his pocket looking bored.

  “All right, see ya’ tomorrow Melanie,” Tess chirped.

  They walked to Ryan’s truck and climbed in. Just like that, those two always did what they wanted. I smiled as I got in my car and drove home.

  Mom had spaghetti and garlic bread made for dinner. Alex’s attitude was so obnoxious, but I knew he was happy that Mom was off work for a few days. I disappeared to my room after eating.

  Movies, really?

  Dread settled in my stomach. I hated going out. I guess that made me a hermit. It was not that I didn’t want to be normal. Live a normal life, get a boyfriend. Not be a hermit. Go shopping with Tess. It just wasn’t easy seeing new ghosts.

  I heard sirens outside. I got off my bed and ran to the window. An ambulance was parked next door. It was Janet’s house. She was an elderly woman. Was she okay? I watched several minutes from my window as two men went in and came out hauling Janet’s small body on a stretcher.

  I felt sick, my stomach knotting as I watched. I couldn’t see too clearly since her driveway was partially hidden by a huge tree in the yard. I squinted trying to look through the branches. Then I saw it slip into the ambulance as they drove off. I stepped away from the window quickly, tripping over my foot in the process and fell backwards.

  Alex came running through the door as I picked myself up off the floor. “Ambulance just came and got Janet that lives next door,” he squeaked.

  “Yeah, I know,” I muttered.

  “I hope she’s okay. Mom’s probably going to go check on her at the hospital since she has nobody else.” My heart sunk at his words.

  I dropped down on the bed. I couldn’t tell Mom that it would be pointless to go. It was already too late for Janet. She had to be dead. I was positive, because the cloaked figure that went through the ambulance as they sped off was the same thing that was standing over Dad’s lifeless body in the hospital bed the moment he took his last breath.

  Chapter Two

  Janet died last night. Mom returned not long after she left and told us what I already knew. I went straight to my room at that point, no use dwelling over it. People died, the world continued. With my lamp on, I tried to sleep but couldn’t. When I did, I dreamed of the cloaked figure. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it wasn’t a ghost. I’d only seen it twice. Last night and the morning my dad had died.

  After a few hours of sleep off and on, I climbed out of bed around seven. With the sun spilling out through my window, I was comfortable enough to turn off my shade lamp that sat on my nightstand. I never, ever slept in the dark. I hated it. No, I was afraid of it. I never got over the horror I experienced being locked in a classroom when I was nine. What happened that day changed my life forever. After that, I started seeing the ghosts. I was young and traumatized. I could still remember the way I felt when I first saw one.

  I tried to tell my parents like any child would do. It didn’t go well. They didn’t believe me and when I continued acting out because of it, it made things worse. After years in therapy, it caused a strain on my relati
onship with my dad, Steven. He became frustrated with his daughter who always claimed she saw ghosts. He thought I was making it up or maybe he thought I was losing my mind; I was never sure.

  At thirteen, my parents were at their breaking point and was considering shipping me off to some crazy place. I decided right then that I had to pretend. Pretend that I was normal and could not see them. I had to fake my entire life and lie. I hated my parents that day.

  It was easy after that; my parents were happy. More than happy, Alex was close to turning three and I was almost normal. I still acted strange at times when I saw a ghost, but I kept what I saw to myself. I guess they could handle that much. It was just a couple years later when Dad found out he had stomach cancer and died eight short months after. I was glad that I was on good terms with him before he passed.

  The only person who believed me growing up was the same boy who turned on the lights in the classroom nine years ago.

  Ryan.

  I tried to ignore the feeling in my chest I got from the mere thought of him.

  I slipped off my clothes and sat down in a hot tub of water. I sighed from the warmth that wrapped around my naked body. I looked down at my chest in a haze caused by the hot water sapping away my energy. Right above my left breast, there was the X that appeared the day I was attacked. Ryan also shared the same mark on the inside of his palm from touching it when it was scorching my skin. We shared the same hideous reminder of the fear I’m most afraid of.

  I scooted down further in the tub and closed my eyes. That was probably the reason he believed me. In a way, he experienced a little of whatever happened to me that day. I still didn’t know what happened. I hated even thinking about it, but my mind always went back to that moment in the past. That was also the reason I could never ruin my relationship with Ryan. I could do away with any romantic feelings I have of him if that meant I could always keep him in my life. He was always there for me when my parents weren’t. He still was. That meant a lot to a girl who saw ghosts.

  So, no matter how sweet or sexy he was. Or how much I liked looking at him without a shirt or how good his butt looked in jeans, he was no longer the little boy that always held my hand when I was afraid. Now he was something dangerous to my heart, but that was all he will ever be. The boy I needed. I was starting to burn up. I’d better get out before I passed out from the heat. It also wasn’t good for my heart or body conjuring up anymore images of Ryan. I needed to keep my feelings in check. I grabbed a towel and began to pat myself dry when the light flickered. My heart hammered in my chest. I told myself to stay calm and take a deep breath. The light could be about to blow. I was only imagining the worst because I had been thinking of the past. The flickering stopped and I waited. I tightened my hand over the towel. I slowly moved out of the tub and wrapped it around my body. The lights went out as my foot touched the mat outside the tub. I froze.

  My chest heated up. I grabbed the X as it glowed against my skin, scorching me. The crimson red glow shined bright in the darkness. My stomach knotted with dread. No, please not again. I dropped the towel and ran for the door.

  “Melanie.” The voice whispered from somewhere in the room. I could never forget the sound of pure malice. I fumbled with the door and screamed.

  The light came back on. I was alone, naked, clinging to the doorknob. The room was empty. It was as if it didn’t happen. I scanned the bathroom over and over. Nothing. I noticed something on the mirror and all the fear came back. I covered my mouth in horror.

  You're Mine

  I took the towel I dropped on the floor and wiped off the mirror. I put my clothes on and ran downstairs. It was around noon and Mom was sitting in the living room reading a book. She glanced at me, worry replaced her smile. “Melanie?”

  I ignored her and looked outside. It was daylight. Mom was right here. I was okay. My hands shook so hard I squeezed them together so that she wouldn’t see. It was happening again. I heard her move from the couch and felt her presence next to me. Only I didn’t want to look at her. I knew what I’d see. I tried to swallow the foul taste in my mouth but I couldn’t. “Honey, what’s wrong?” She reached for me and I faked a smile and moved away. My brain tried to scramble for an explanation. What else was out there besides ghosts? What happened? Or was I really crazy?

  “Nothing.” I glanced away from the window. I could already feel her questioning my every move. “I thought I heard the phone ring while I was in the bath.” I lied.

  “No.” I could feel the tension ease in her voice. Good, she was less worried about my sanity.

  The phone rung and scared the crap out of me. I caught Mom’s gaze analyzing my every move as I grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hey.” It was Ryan. My smile came natural.

  “Ryan.” I could hear the relief in my voice knowing that it was him.

  “Is everything okay?” His question caught me off guard. Why was he checking on me?

  “Yeah,” I answered halfheartedly.

  “Really, I thought...,” he hesitated then sighed. “Never mind.” He was acting strange. Why did he call? The burning of the X, did he feel it? I shook my head, that wasn’t possible.

  I heard Tess over the phone. “Give me the phone!” she yelled. I heard rustling in the phone, as if they were fighting over it. I pictured the two of them wrestling over the phone and grinned.

  “Will you just go away?” he told his sister.

  “What does she want?” I laughed.

  “Who knows,” he grumbled. “Fine, just for a second.” I heard him hand the phone to her.

  “Melanie, be ready at five,” she ordered me.

  “I could have told her that,” Ryan argued in the background.

  “She’s my best friend.”

  “She was mine first,” he added back.

  “Yours?” I could hear the teasing in her voice and blushed. I was an idiot.

  “Tess,” I warned. “I’ll be ready.”

  “All right, I’ll let ya go.”

  “Bye.”

  The phone disconnected and I tried to ignore Moms piercing gaze and headed back to my room. “Melanie.”

  Ah, man.

  “Yeah, Mom?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Movies with Ryan and Tess later.”

  “Oh.” She liked my answer. “Just you three?”

  “No, Tess’s boyfriend is coming.”

  “A double-date?” I saw the sparkle in her eyes. She loved Ryan.

  “I wouldn’t say that...”

  “Ryan’s grown into a nice looking young man,” she added.

  “Yeah, he’s great,” I told her and practically fled back upstairs.

  ________

  A few hours later, after eating several slices of pizza, we were standing in line at the movie theater to buy our tickets. Unlike most of our town, the theater was in great shape. It was one of the nicer things in Denver. It made enough money off teenagers and couples to look halfway decent. Although I didn’t agree with the spiraled-maze carpet. It made me dizzy looking down.

  “Let’s watch that one.” Mike pointed toward the creepy looking poster.

  “Yeah, that one looks good,” Tess agreed. I didn’t care so I let them decide, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the ghost standing in front of us. He stood staring at the movie posters. I bit my lip nervously. The couple in front of us kept walking through him. “I’m freezing.” The girl grabbed her bare arms. Her boyfriend smiled and began to rub them. If only they knew...

  “I know that look,” Ryan said beside me. I shrugged my shoulders. “Where is it?” he asked, interested. I pointed my head to the couple in front of Mike and Tess.

  “He’s staring at the posters,” I told him.

  “Is he picking out a movie?” Ryan teased but I only shrugged my shoulders again. I had no idea how ghosts lived or thought, but after years of watching them I would guess that he really might be about to watch a movie. They were unpredictable. The line moved f
orward. Tess followed the line and walked toward the ghost. People walked through ghosts all the time, but not without complaining of chills or headaches. I couldn’t stand still and let her go through him. I reached out for her arm. “Wait, Tess.”

  She gave me a puzzled look. I had no way of explaining my actions. She hated me acting weird in public, especially if Mike was around.

  “Um,” I stammered. The ghost finally walked off. I smiled in relief. “Nothing.”

  It didn’t take long for the line to move and we were buying our tickets and getting popcorn. Ryan bought everything for me despite my best efforts to tell him this wasn’t a date. He simply ignored me. “What else do you want?” he asked smugly after telling the female worker we wanted a large popcorn.

  I eyed everything and smiled. Okay, if he insisted. “A large coke for the popcorn. And some sour patches. Oh, and whatever those are!” I pointed to the chocolate looking candy on the counter. “Maybe some Reese’s too?” He smiled pulling out his wallet.

  The worker got everything I asked for. “What about your drink?” I added.

  “We can share yours,” he said without hesitation while I was losing all my composure. I looked at my flips-flops and concentrated on anything but him. I should have repainted my toes. The red polish was beginning to chip.

  “You coming?”

  We picked a seat in the back row. I know, how typical. Tess and I sat in the middle. Ryan sat at the edge of the row beside me. I loaded my popcorn down with salt and butter and it smelled so good. I positioned the popcorn between my legs and got comfortable. I grabbed a handful and started cramming it in my mouth.

  “The movies not even started yet. And would you share those.” Ryan leaned over and put his hand between my legs. Correction. He was reaching for the popcorn between my legs, but my breath caught and my mind went to indecent thoughts. He noticed that I stiffened and flashed his teeth. For once I was glad it was dark to hide the insane amount of blushing on my face and neck.