by Rose Cooper
Anna’s shoes crunched on glass as she carefully picked her way across the floor. She could already see that Johnny was breathing, and his cuts didn’t seem so bad from where she was, but she couldn’t tell how much glass was beneath him. When she reached him she felt his pulse. It seemed strong, but he wasn’t coming around. And she was afraid he might have hit his head when he fell. When he woke up, he was going to be in a lot of pain. She wasn’t going to move him herself.
Anna pulled out her cell phone, then remembered the battery had died. She checked it anyway—and now the screen was lit and glowing brightly. It showed full battery and perfect reception.
How is this happening? As Anna called for help, her eyes darted to Eden, who had started to groan, rolling over on her side and clutching her head. Lucy must still be inside her body, Anna realized. Her phone always worked perfectly around Lucy. Her eyes went wide as she remembered how her phone had done the same thing at the funeral home. And at the cemetery. It was as if energy from the spirits affected her phone. Or powered it. It always had the strongest reception around them. And away from them, the battery drained almost immediately.
And then a new scent tickled her nose. Anna knew Lucy smelled like lemons, not peppermint. And that scared her.
Anna scanned the ER waiting room, looking for a place to sit with Millie. A TV played quietly in one corner. Two seats close to it were empty, sandwiched between two sweating and shivering men. As one leaned forward and hacked out a cough, Anna understood why no one else had jumped at the prime location. She steered herself toward the other side of the room, the bland walls and the table of torn magazines suddenly much more appealing.
The scents of bleach and antiseptic mingled in the air, along with the cigarette smoke wafting off people returning from the smoking area. Cold air rushed in from outside as the automatic doors continually slid open and shut. Anna hated hospitals as much as cemeteries. A heavy mouth breather wedged herself into a chair next to Anna. Anna leaned over to her right, in the opposite direction.
Since they’d arrived at the hospital, her nose had been flooded with way too many scents. Everything from lavender to mold. She hadn’t smelled anything peppermint, and she hoped that was a good sign.
At the sound of a gurney being raised and a machine beeping, Anna glanced up.
That was when she noticed him. The guy from the cemetery.
“It’s him! Creepy Vince,” Anna croaked to Millie. She looked down at her feet, reminding herself she was in a public place.
He sat down in the chair on her right.
Anna’s heart was racing. It was now or never. “Is there something you need?” she said, using her best I-dare-you-to-mess-with-me voice.
Vince shook his head, calmly picked up a teen magazine, and pretended to read. Like it was completely normal for stalkers to do this.
“What are you doing here, then?” Anna fired back. Who did he think he was fooling?
Vince slowly lowered the magazine, his lips drawn in a straight line. He unfolded his legs, sat up, and carelessly tossed the magazine back onto the table. “It’s really none of your business,” he said. “But I’m here to see my brother.”
Millie glanced at Anna, shaking her head.
Anna ignored her. “Right. And who’s your brother?”
“As if you don’t know.”
Millie nudged Anna with her elbow. “Just forget him. He’s not worth it.”
“Why don’t you tell me,” Anna said.
“Johnny. Who else?”
Anna gasped. He was totally lying. He had to be. She looked over to Millie, but her face didn’t register surprise. “You knew?” she whispered.
Millie shrugged, looking down at her feet. Suddenly her boot laces were the most interesting things in the room.
• • •
There was no way Anna was going to wait in the same room with that psycho. Even with Millie next to her, she was creeped out being so close to him. She could practically smell the evil coming off him in waves. She rushed out of the hospital, but Vincent followed her, with Millie close behind.
“It’s my fault he’s here,” he said.
Anna couldn’t possibly tell him the truth: that Lucy, a ghost, had caused the accident while inhabiting Eden’s body. And even though she couldn’t stand this slimy creep or even comprehend how he could possibly be related to Johnny in any way, she didn’t think it was right that he felt responsible.
“Look, it’s not your fault,” Anna said.
Vincent stuffed his hands in his pockets, kicking his feet against the pavement. “If I hadn’t agreed to help Olivia, then—”
“Help Olivia do what?” Anna blurted out.
“Get rid of Lucy.”
Anna gasped. “What?”
Vincent furrowed his brows. “Not like that! She just wanted Lucy to lay off and quit bugging Johnny. She thought that if we could make her think Johnny had done something to embarrass her, then she would get lost.”
“Nice,” Millie said sarcastically.
“Olivia made Lucy think it was Johnny who was supposed to meet her that night at the cemetery. Olivia sent Lucy a text from Johnny’s phone setting the whole thing up. She planned to scare Lucy to death when she showed.”
“Well, it all went the way she planned, then,” Anna said, barely keeping the disgust from her voice.
“Everyone knew Lucy had a huge fear of clowns. I gave Olivia an old Halloween mask and a flashlight. She hid in the cemetery. I’d left a shovel there earlier in the day…and that’s where Lucy fell. She tripped over my shovel.”
A clown mask. Like the picture on the phone I found. And I bet the flashlight was the bright light Lucy saw right before—
“That’s not what made her fall,” Anna said. “Olivia did scare her, but Lucy was wearing heels in the wet grass. And the ground was muddy. She even fell and twisted her ankle on her way to the cemetery that night.”
“How do you know all that?”
Now she had blabbed too much.
Vincent shook his head. “Look, it doesn’t matter. I just—well, Johnny just better come out of this okay.” Vincent spun around and headed back toward the waiting room.
Anna turned to Millie. “The phone I found…I think it belonged to Vincent. And because Olivia made it a point to find out my name and classes before I started at school, I’m betting that’s how he knew my name too. She must’ve told him.”
“You think he was trying to get his phone back from you that first day?” Millie asked.
“That would make sense, right? He could’ve lost his phone at work, so he just assumed the new girl walking through the cemetery was the one who found it. Or maybe Olivia put the idea in his head. Who knows?”
“But what’s the big deal with the phone? Did he want it back so badly because the ghosts contacted him too?”
Anna laughed. “If that were true, he wouldn’t want his phone back. I’m thinking it was because he had a picture of that mask on his phone.”
“Oh, yeah. That could connect him to Olivia, who scared Lucy that night. And I bet those texts in the phone were from her too.”
Anna sighed. “I think I’m going to go back in.”
Millie nodded. “Yeah. I should be heading home, though. It’s getting late.”
“Okay. I’ll text you later. Thanks for everything, Millie.” She squeezed her hand. “You’re a real friend.”
Millie nodded. “You too, Anna.”
• • •
Lucy-as-Eden arrived at Anna’s house fifteen minutes after Anna texted her. Lucy didn’t care about punctuality anymore. Besides, arriving late was always more fashionable. She already knew what Anna would say, and she was ready for it.
“Stop.” Lucy held up a hand before Anna could get a word out. “I shouldn’t have snatched a body. It’s an invasion of privacy, people are entitled to their personal space, blah blah blah.”
“So glad you learned your lesson,” Anna said. She crossed her arms over her chest,
waiting for Lucy-as-Eden to carry on.
“I am giving Eden her body back. I’m really not the sharing type. Besides, her nagging is giving me a killer headache.”
“Nagging?” Anna echoed.
“Yeah. She keeps yelling at me to get out of her body, but I’ve learned to tune her out. It’s like white noise now. Still…it’s annoying.” She shrugged. “I’d rather be free to float alone. It suits me.”
“And promise no more haunting anyone?” Anna asked. Lucy knew who she was referring to.
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I’ve seen enough to know he doesn’t like me. But you know what? It’s his loss. He’s all yours.”
Anna studied her. “The Lucy I know would never give up that easily. Don’t tell me you met someone?”
Lucy sighed. “Calm yourself before you have an aneurysm and end up like me. But yes, I did. His name is Ricky. Well, I call him Rick.” She smiled. “And don’t worry, he’s dead too.”
“You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?” Anna asked, a worried look in her eyes.
Lucy shook Eden’s head. “He’s been a goner for a lot longer than I have. He even said he’ll show me the ropes. I’m getting stronger, and I can stay visible for longer periods of time, but I definitely need help learning to control everything.”
“Wow! That’s great,” Anna said. “So, um, when are you giving Eden her body back?”
“Now. Thanks for everything, Anna. It’s been real.” She gave a little wave right as her shoulders began to shake, her body convulsing.
“Wait! Lucy!” Anna cried. But it was too late.
• • •
Eden blinked several times at Anna, looking dazed. “Where am I?” she whispered.
“Wow,” Anna said, throwing her arms wide. She couldn’t believe Lucy had left her to explain everything.
Eden looked down at her body, waving her hands in front of her face, her eyes glazed over.
“Eden?”
She turned her head slowly toward Anna, a blank stare on her face.
“You okay, Eden?” What if Eden blamed her for everything? What if she had some sort of permanent damage from Lucy’s taking over like that? Anna was at a complete loss as to what to do.
Eden shook her head slowly, as if it took every ounce of effort to move it. “What…why do I feel so weird?”
Anna tilted her head to the side. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?” She sat down on the edge of Anna’s bed.
“Uh…that you’ve been sick.”
“Sick?”
“Yeah. You said you were feeling dizzy and needed to lie down.”
“Oh. Have I been here long?”
“Not that long. We were just studying.” Anna hoped she wouldn’t notice the lack of books and backpacks.
“So we’re at your house?” Eden started to loosen up a little and move more easily as her eyes skimmed over the few items in Anna’s small room.
Anna sighed. “Yeah.”
“Well, I probably already said this and don’t remember, but your room is amazing! Love the color.”
“Yeah? I always figured you for a pink kind of girl.” Anna wanted to see how she would respond.
Eden giggled. “Pink is definitely more Olivia than me. Hey, it looks like your clock isn’t working.” She pointed to the black wall clock above Anna’s bed. She still hadn’t taken it down since moving in.
“It’s probably been like that for a while. All the old clocks in this house are stuck at twelve o’clock.”
“Midnight?” Eden’s eyes widened, turning to Anna. “That’s the witching hour.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s the time of day when powerful beings are at their strongest.”
“Oh.” Anna didn’t know how else to respond.
“It’s okay. Not a lot of people know. I’ll show you what I mean sometime.” Eden beamed.
“Um…sure?” Anna tried to keep her voice steady as her whole body tensed up.
No way! Anna screamed in her head. I draw the line at ghosts!
So maybe the graveyard wasn’t the absolute worst place ever.
Anna held a bouquet of sunflowers tightly in her hands and Millie carried daisies as they walked slowly through the wet grass between the headstones. The sun was covered by swirling gray clouds. Anna pulled her coat tighter around her body, hoping to get out of there before the weather got worse.
Anna had texted Millie to meet her here. She didn’t think she could do this alone.
They paused to visit their favorite nagging spirit.
Lucy Edwards.
Millie placed the daisies on top of Lucy’s name on the headstone. Lucy probably would never even see these, but if she did, Anna was sure she’d complain that they should’ve brought more. Or they weren’t expensive enough.
“Do you think she’ll ever bother you again?” Millie asked.
“Probably,” Anna said. “Someone like Lucy doesn’t go away that easily. Besides, I think there are still things tying her here. And you know how stubborn she is. I’m sure she’ll think of a reason to come back.”
They were strolling down the path through the graveyard when Millie suddenly stopped.
“Okay, I have to confess. I hope you won’t be mad at me, but…”
“Spill it.” Anna waited for her friend to gather her courage.
“Well, you know that rose you found in your locker that one day?”
“Uh-huh.”
Millie raised her hand. “Guilty.”
“That was you? Why?”
“I knew how horrible Olivia could be, and I figured that if you thought she was behind it, then you’d stay away from her.”
“But—but that only freaked me out like the other things!”
“I know. I’m sorry! Wait, what other things?”
Annabel took a deep breath. “You know, the pic of Lucy torn from the yearbook.”
Millie shook her head. “That wasn’t me. But I’m pretty sure it was Olivia. She’s been known to do stupid stuff to intimidate people.”
They continued walking through the grass. “Next time just talk to me. Dead roses with blood are just creepy, ’kay?”
Millie nodded, glancing down at the flowers Anna still held. “So what are you doing with those?” Her voice sounded shaky.
“Remember when you were out sick that day and I tried texting you but you had lost your phone?” Anna asked.
“And you got it back for me,” Millie remembered.
“Yeah.” Anna nodded. “I also tried to find your house that day to bring it to you.”
“Really?” Millie looked down at her feet. “I didn’t know that.”
“I remembered you mentioned the street you lived on, so I went there and…there were no houses.”
“Oh, I must’ve told you the wrong street.” Millie let out a forced little laugh. “You know me, always getting things mixed up!”
“You didn’t mix anything up.” Anna stopped walking and looked at Millie sadly. “It’s just that your house had been in a fire. It burned to the ground. There was only one survivor. Your parents weren’t home when it happened, but you and your older brother were. Your brother escaped….”
“No, that’s not right.” She looked worried and confused. “We both got out of there and—”
Anna cut her off. “Millie, you’ve been my best friend since I moved here. But I’ve been so worried about my life and my drama and just trying to fit in that I—”
“You’ve been my best friend too,” Millie insisted.
“But I was stupid. I didn’t really pay attention. Or didn’t want to.” Tears blurred Anna’s vision, but she didn’t wipe them away when they coursed down her cheeks. “I guess I was just so focused on me that when I finally did figure it out, I didn’t want it to be true.”
“You weren’t stupid, Anna. It’s hard to fit in at a new place.”
“Millie. It’s okay. I know.”
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“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” Anna took a deep breath and gently laid the sunflowers beside the headstone at her feet, which read:
MILLICENT MARGUERITE MADDSEN 1933–1947
Millie shook her head wildly. “No.”
Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to face her friend. She put a hand on Millie’s arm and fought the icy sensation that crept through her fingers.
“You’re dead, Millie. I found the article in the library about that fire. Maxwell tried to save you, but…” Anna’s voice cracked. “He wrote about it in that journal I found too. When they moved to the Manor, you did too. He was able to see you and talk to you. Just like me…”
“I don’t want to hear this,” Millie mumbled.
“It’s like what Lucy went through.”
“I’m not delusional….”
Anna laughed. “No, but you’re in denial. You don’t want to accept your fate…but you have to, Millie.”
Anna let go of Millie’s arm and watched as her spirit knelt on the ground beside her own grave and traced the outline of the engraved words with the tip of her finger. Slowly her shape began to fade. She sighed, looking anxiously up at Anna. “I’m not ready to move on,” she whispered.
“I’m not ready to say goodbye.” Anna reached out toward Millie, blinking back tears.
Millie’s once-solid form shimmered around the edges for several seconds before completely vanishing. The sweet smell of vanilla lingered.
Anna covered her face with her hands. Millie wasn’t just her best friend, she was family. Her great-aunt! There were so many things she wanted to know. And they still had yet to go into town and see a movie, and go shopping, and do all those things best friends are supposed to do.
Best friends who are human, she reasoned with herself.
With a deep breath, she dug her hands into the soft ground and made a small hole. She pulled the brightly glowing phone from her pocket and tossed it in, then covered it back up. She patted her hand firmly over the fresh mound and wiped her hands on her jeans.