by Lisa Graves
I carefully turned the handle on my door, and backed into my room. A giggle from behind caught me off guard and made me jump. Charlotte was playing with Theory on my bed.
“What are you doing?” Charlotte said looking up, appraising my stealth mode.
“I really don’t know anymore,” I shrugged, and closed the door.
Charlottes evaluated my appearance. “Hey Lil, you look cute. What’s the occasion?” she said with an obvious underlying meaning in it. “Going to visit your new neighbor again?” Her eyebrows raised.
I rolled my eyes.
She continued, “you really should introduce me. I want proof that this Elliott isn’t a figment of your imagination.”
“Whatever Harlet. But can I eat something first?” I yawned. “I just got up.”
“You actually slept?”
“Uh huh.”
“That’s great! We should celebrate with some eye candy,” Charlotte winked.
I rolled my eyes again, and grabbed my hoodie and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Charlotte followed.
“So, what should we eat for breakfast? What sounds good to you?” I asked.
“I’ve already eaten breakfast, and lunch too. It’s three o’clock Lil.”
I looked to the clock on the wall. “So it is.” I forgot how time flies when you’re unconscious.
“Just eat something quick so we can go.”
“Kay.” I stuffed a blueberry Pop-Tart into the toaster and changed the setting to “burnt.”
I waited for my Pop-Tart to burn in silence while Charlotte babbled on about her lunch with Nicholas yesterday. I sat nibbling while I got a play-by-play on the whole trivial event.
Charlotte had developed a crush on Nicholas last year for some reason unbeknownst to me. I had known him as long as Charlotte had, and I was closer to him than she was, yet I didn’t see the boyfriend potential in him that she constantly gushed about. I was sure I would have spotted it by now, since we had all grown up together in the neighborhood. Nicholas, however, was a bit thick-headed and didn’t catch the overly obvious hints Charlotte was constantly throwing his way. I didn’t try to help her cause. It seemed to me that if my two best friends started dating, I would end up in the middle. And I didn’t want that.
Not before I had finished chewing the last piece of my burnt blueberry breakfast, Charlotte was pulling me out the door.
“What’s your hurry?” I grumbled at being rushed. Charlotte had pulled me all the way into my front yard before I could get my hand free. Then the opal caught her eye.
“Where did you get that?” she said, pointing at my hand.
“I found it last night on one of my walks.”
“I thought you said you had actually gotten some sleep.”
“I did,” I said. “But, I woke up once, at two. And since I usually don’t sleep I didn’t try, and went for a walk.” I shrugged.
“Where did you find it?” she said examining the ring on my hand more closely, an envious look in her eyes.
“The park.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “You mean, the cemetery.”
“Call it what you want.”
“Well, its beautiful. Can I try it on?”
“Sure,” I said as I tugged at the ring, but it wouldn’t come off. I tugged again. I started to feel panicky. “It won’t come off,” my voice cracked.
“Calm down, Lil. If you got it on, it can come off.”
Charlotte took my left hand examining the ring. “Relax,” she instructed as she tried gently, to slide the ring off my finger.
It didn’t budge.
Charlotte looked closer. “It doesn’t look tight. Is it?”
“No. Why? Can’t you get it off?” I panicked at the idea of it being stuck.
“I’m sure it will come off if you could relax,” Charlotte said scolding me.
“I can’t.” Tears started to well in my eyes.
“Chill okay. It’s just a ring. Worst case scenario a jeweler can cut it off. It’s not hurting you. I’m sure you can get it off with some soap and water.”
“Good idea,” I said turning to go back inside.
Charlotte grabbed me by the hoodie, and I was lucky not to fall flat on my back. “Not now. Later. I still want to meet the mystery man.”
“But...”
“Nope. The ring can wait.”
“So can introductions.”
“Perhaps, but you know I’m way too impatient. I can’t wait,” Charlotte said as she tugged me towards Elliott’s house. We were on his front porch before I could get away from her. Too bad she was a foot taller than me, or I probably could have escaped. I quickly righted myself as Charlotte rang the doorbell.
Two minutes passed. Nothing happened.
Charlotte rang it again. And again, nothing.
“I guess nobody’s home.” I smiled at Charlotte’s plans being thwarted.
She smiled as she threw back, “Guess we will just have to try again later.”
We walked back towards my house. The blaring midday sun seemed to wash out the colors of the street. It all looked yellow. I looked over at Charlotte strolling along beside me. Even her walk was happy. But in the cruel colors of the day, she faded. All I could think about was Elliott.
“I’m starting to think you made this Elliott up.” Charlotte could never go long without breaking the silence.
“I don’t think you can imagine physical contact,” I countered.
“What!”
“No. Not like that.” I backpedaled. “We held hands.”
“Why? You just met.”
“Yeah, I know. But there is something so familiar about him. Like I’ve known him for a really long time.” My mind started to wander.
Charlotte had more than enough information in her gossip arsenal to talk for days. I zoned her out as we walked. It seemed that I was distracted so easily lately. I hadn’t realized that we had passed my house and were already halfway down Boulder Lane until Charlotte paused her loquacious ways to concentrate and primp. I looked at her, confused by the uncharacteristic silence. Then I realized where we were, Nicholas’s. Charlotte knocked on the door.
“Are you serious?” I said tilting my head.
“What?”
“I don’t feel like watching you flirt.” I turned to leave before Nicholas could see me. I liked him fine, but things had seemed to get awkward lately with Charlotte’s ever increasing infatuation with him. I heard the door open behind me and Nicholas bounded out.
“Hey Lil.” Nicholas said as he clobbered me from behind.
Damn. “Hey Nicholas,” my voice came out muffled as I freed myself from his grasp. “What you up to today?”
“Hanging out with you hoes, of course.”
I smiled. Nic had started calling us hoe’s, himself included, after some movie he saw last month. He loved movies.
“Hi Nic.” Charlotte said, trying to include herself in the conversation. “What are we doing?” she asked him.
I couldn’t help but notice, that the way she said we made me think she would rather I weren’t here, also. Though I knew why she dragged me along. Even though Charlotte was a chatterbox twenty-four seven, she couldn’t seem to construct sentences around Nicholas. And I saved her from the terrifying silence.
“I dunno,” he answered. “We could all go to the park.” He winked at me. We both knew of Charlotte’s dislike of my meadow.
I smiled as Charlotte struggled for words. “Can we do something a little less... Addams Family... please?”
Nicholas and I exchanged a loaded glance. He was going to make her suffer.
“Come on. Last time we were there I’m sure I saw your name on one of the headstones. Don’t you want to go check it out?” He managed to turn and wink at me.
“Nic,” Charlotte whimpered.
My park freaked her out. For some reason, she didn’t find it to be the peaceful haven I did. Death freaked her out even more, and the thought of her name on a rock was putting her on
edge.
Nicholas just smiled. That did it. Charlotte ran off pouting.
“I guess I should go apologize.” Nicholas said reluctantly, rolling his eyes.
“You’d better,” I chuckled. “Why do you have to push her buttons?”
“Because it’s sooo easy.”
“Yeah, but you should give her a break, on occasion.”
“I’ll consider it, but no promises.”
“Good luck. She’s really on one today,” I said as I gave him a hug.
“Thanks. See you later.” Nicholas ran off following Charlotte’s trail of tears, and I turned to go home.
I took the stairs on my porch two at a time, as usual. A brown paper wrapped package was leaning up against the door. I guess no one was home. I bent down and picked up the toaster sized box and went inside. I gently tossed the box on the kitchen table when my name on the recipient line caught my eye. Who would send me a package?
Curious now, I examined it closer. There was no return address. Just a few “fragile” stickers. Whoops. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer and broke the tape so I could see what was inside. Packing peanuts, sweet! I sifted through the peanuts until I found what was so fragile.
A camera.
I searched the box for a card or a note, anything.
Finally, I came across a small notecard on the bottom of the box that read,
When you try to look at things differently,
you start to see what’s really there.
Odd. There was no signature. Very confused, I stumbled up to my room with the camera and mystery note in hand.
I shut myself in my room and plopped down on my bed. I reread the small white piece of paper about twenty times, searching for some indication of what it meant or who sent it. I found nothing.
The handwriting didn’t look familiar either.
Finally I gave up on the mystery of the obscure message and turned my attention to the camera. Small, black, digital.
I turned it on.
A green light came on. I decided to test it out. Theory was hanging out in my room, as usual, so I aimed the lens at her. Click. The picture showed up on a screen on the back under the eyepiece. Cool, it works.
I proceeded to shoot a variety of angles of my room, Theory, and myself to test out my photography skills. About ten pictures later, I sat back down on my bed, and tried to figure out how to review my work.
At first I couldn’t figure out how to access the vault of photographs, since my mystery present didn’t come with instructions. But after a little elbow grease and patience I found them. The last photograph showed up on the screen first. It was a picture of my bedroom window. I fell off the bed at what I saw.
In the reflection of my window of the picture was a dull ghost-like image of a person. A person with green eyes. Now sitting on the floor, I held the camera tight, and zoomed in for a closer look. The pale portrait of the person in the picture made me gasp.
It was Elliott.
I looked around my room. No one was there. I looked out my window. No one. Only me, by myself. I re-examined the camera. It looked normal. The lens looked clean. I scrolled through the other pictures I had taken, only to find the mysterious green-eyed figure hidden in each shot.
The picture of my desk, he was on the computer screen. The picture of my bed, he was in the mirror. Even in the picture of Theory, I found him hidden as a reflection in her eyes.
I shivered. An eerie chill ran down my spine.
The glass of my window was abruptly shoved open, and I jumped.
“Hey hoe.” Good. It was just Nicholas.
“Hey.”
“How's it going?” he said as he let himself in and sat down beside me on the floor.
“Eh.” I’m seeing things that aren’t there, but otherwise great. I hurried and turned off the camera and pushed it under my bed.
“Come on Lil, you can tell me.” He gave me his best persuasive look, his blond hair in his eyes.
“Just silently going crazy.” My thoughts were still muddled by my current episode.
“Good.” Nicholas smiled. “I wouldn’t want you turning all normal on me now.”
I had to smile at him, as I shook my head. “Only you would think going crazy is a good thing.”
“Going crazy? You already are. That’s why I like you so much.”
Nicholas was great. He was like a male version of me. Our personalities complemented each others perfectly.
He leaned up against me.
“Hey, where’s Charlotte? Is she still mad?” I asked.
“Yep. She’s still mad at me. I can’t figure her out lately,” he paused reflecting, “or pretending at least. Ugh! Do you know what her deal is? It’s not like we’re dating.”
Funny. Nicholas had inadvertently stumbled on the magic word. Dating. I just shrugged and gave him my it’s-a-mystery-to-me face. I was determined not to get in the middle. I had enough to deal with.
Nicholas looked at the clock. “Well I’d better go Lil. I told my mom I would be home for dinner. Seriously though, if you figure out what’s up with Charlotte let me know.”
I looked at him. My thoughts were miles away and I am sure it showed on my face.
He added, “and if you need someone to talk to about going crazy, I’m here. But don’t expect me to try and fix you. I like you just the way you are, you crazy hoe.” He winked. Nicholas left as he came, out the window.
I got up and hit play on my stereo, laid back down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Good thing Nicholas didn’t see crazy as a bad thing, because I was sure I was on my way to a straight jacket and a padded white room.
I laid there for awhile, not moving, just thinking. Staring off into oblivion. I shut my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts. Trying to make some sense of all the weird things that were happening to me lately. The ring, the mirror, and now the camera. I was almost one hundred percent sure that they all were somehow related to my new neighbor, Elliott.
I felt what I thought was Theory jumping up onto my bed and opened my eyes to see what she was up to. My eyes mimicked golf balls when I saw it was Elliott sitting beside me.
Chapter 4. The Ghost
“I didn’t hear you come in!” I was going to have a heart attack. All of these jolts to my system couldn’t be good for me.
He sat there silent. How dare he materialize in my room and not speak to me. Rude. “Elliott, what are you doing here?”
He looked at me as though it surprised him that I could see him. He cocked his head to the side and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Elliott, did you hear me? What are you doing here?”
His eyes got wide and his expression was frightened. Like something was terribly wrong.
The anger that colored my voice before was gone, all that was left was concern. “Are you okay?” I reached out to comfort him. I reached out to touch him.
He jumped up off the bed and practically teleported himself out the window. I sat there stunned and a little hurt. What on earth had just happened? He was the one that showed up unexpectedly in my room. Why did he freak out?
I lay back down on my bed in a daze from all the confusion clouding my brain. I hadn’t even had time to get comfortable when Charlotte pranced in through the window.
“Did you see Elliott?” I asked, quickly sitting up.
“When?”
“Now, he just barely left.”
“No. I didn’t see anyone, Lil.”
“Are you sure? He seriously hasn’t been gone more than a minute. You two should have crossed paths.”
Charlotte looked back out the window. “There was nobody there, Lil. Now I’m really beginning to think you made him up,” she laughed, teasing.
I was starting to question that myself, but I wasn’t about to tell that to Charlotte. So I changed the subject.
“You and Nicholas make up yet?”
“Kinda. He apologized for being a jerk earlier today, but I think I should pretend to
be angry a little longer. You know, to sweeten the moment.”
“What moment are you trying to sweeten?”
“The one where Nicholas realizes how much he likes me.” And she was off. There was no stopping her once she got going. I pushed myself back on the bed so that I could lean against the wall and zone while Charlotte talked to herself. She was practically bouncing around the room, playing out her romantic fantasies on how she hoped Nicholas will proclaim his love for her and how she will pretend to be surprised. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, and unfortunately she saw it.
“What?” she scoffed.
“Harlet, you think I live in a fantasy world. Listen to yourself.”
“You do live in a fantasy world. And anyways, I am not fantasizing but foreseeing the natural future of things.”
“What! We have been friends for years, and only now you tell me you have psychic abilities,” I teased. “Tell me what’s going to happen next, oh great and powerful Oz.”
“Very funny, Lil. You know what I mean. That’s how it always happens in the movies. Boy and girl are friends for years, then one day the boy realizes he likes the girl. Then they live happily ever after.”
I shook my head at her logic. “You watch too much television.”
“And you could stand to watch some more. Maybe then you would be a bit more normal.”
Rude. I was getting mad. I should just be quiet before I say something I might regret later. I fumed silently, glaring at her.
“Lil, don’t be mad. You know I love you. You’re just are a bit odd... most... of... the... time.”
All I could do was glare.
“I know what will cheer you up. Let’s go get some candy. Some eye candy.” Charlotte winked. “I still need to meet Elliott.” She smiled innocently at me.
“I thought you said he didn’t exist.” My words flung at her like knives. I was still mad. How dare Charlotte think that she could placate me so easily.
“I’m willing to try and pretend he exists a bit longer. Come on, let’s go say ‘hi’ so you can prove me wrong.” She was trying to appease me, and it was irritating.