by Ho, Jo
The man stopped, just behind the edge of the window. He looked over at Marley though he didn’t say a word. Encouraged by this, Marley continued.
“Do you feel like you’re being watched all the time, but there’s no one there?”
Now the man took a step toward her. Christian’s voice sounded clearly in her ear.
“Now, Marley… tell him now…”
“I know you might find this difficult to believe, but I can see and communicate with ghosts. If one is haunting you, I might be able to talk to it and find out why.”
Just saying the words made Marley feel ridiculous, even though she knew it was true. The man stared at her — hard. Marley didn’t move, not wanting to break the moment. “I’ve got nothing to gain from doing this. I don’t want your money, I just want to see if I can help. What have you got to lose but a few minutes of your time?” she pleaded.
Abruptly, he moved away and Marley felt her shoulders slump. “It didn’t work…” she said to Christian.
The handle on the door turned and the door suddenly swung open.
“Come in,” the man said in a gruff voice.
Marley stepped past him inside, almost stumbling on the several packed suitcases that were leaning by the door. Though it was the middle of the day, many of the curtains had been drawn throwing the place into an eerie twilight. A woman sat huddled with a small boy in front of the television watching a kids channel, its cheerful music a stark contrast to the purveying sense of gloom that clung inside. Looking as exhausted as her husband, the woman glanced over at Marley before turning back to the television in apparent disinterest.
The man gestured into the house. “Come through here.” With Christian watching her back, she followed as he led her into a kitchen, taking the seat he offered her.
“I’m Chris Smithington,” he said, extending his hand.
“Marley,” she replied, shaking it.
“I wouldn’t normally invite a stranger into my home…” he began, trailing off as if he didn’t know how else to continue.
“But what’s been happening can’t be explained away, can it?” Marley offered. Christian nodded with approval, liking that she was taking control of the situation.
“No. And I don’t even know how to try at this point. All I know is that we’re desperate. So if you really can help…” Again he never finished his sentence. Marley sympathized with him, knowing how difficult this conversation must be. It wasn’t so long ago when she had to deal with the fact that ghosts were real herself.
As Marley started to talk, Christian examined the kitchen — for what she wasn’t sure. Tuning him out, she pulled her focus back to the conversation at hand. “I saw the news report this morning and that’s why I’m here. I promise, if there’s something I can do to help, I will.”
Chris squeezed his eyes closed as some of the tension he had been holding visibly left. “God, I hope so. We’re mortgaged up to our eyeballs because of this place. If we can’t make it stop, then we’ll have to sell it, but we’ll be stuck here until we can. We won’t be able to move and I am not having my boy grow up like this, not with all the things that keep happening.”
“Can you tell me what exactly?” Marley asked gently.
“We only moved in a few months ago. It was such a great deal, in this nice neighborhood that we snatched it up without thinking. We should have known that there was a problem with it but nothing started happening until a few weeks after we were settled. One night, the lights started flickering, flashing on and off. I put it down to faulty wiring, but it started happening more and more, and only in the rooms that we were in.”
Marley nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“Then we started hearing footsteps in the house, like someone thundering up the stairs. The footsteps would get to the top and the bedroom door would slam shut. But nothing would ever be there. The windows would be closed so we knew it wasn’t the wind that had caused it. But that wasn’t the worst of it. We started hearing mumbling which turned into actual shouting, but we would never be able to make out what they were saying or where the voices were coming from.”
“That’s not true. We know where the voices came from. They came from inside the walls,” this had come from the doorway, where the woman Marley had seen in the living room now stood, her arms folded over her chest. She was alone, so the little boy must still be watching television which Marley was thankful for. He shouldn’t be hearing this conversation.
“This is Gloria, my wife,” Chris said, making the introductions. “Marley is a medium. She thinks she can help us with our problem.”
Gloria didn’t even bat an eye, letting Marley know just how bad things had gotten. “We don’t have any money left—“ Gloria began only for Marley to interrupt her.
“I don’t want your money. I really just want to help you get down to the bottom of this.”
Some of Gloria’s defensiveness dropped away to replaced by a tiredness Marley could feel. “I really hope you can. We’re at our wits end. It’s not safe for Junior. He’s only four and he’s already started to see and hear things too.”
Marley had heard enough. She knew she had to help this poor family. She had to find out what exactly was going on. Pushing her chair back, she stood up.
“Leave it with me. I’ll figure out what’s happening.”
Chapter 10
The chatter of hungry students filled the air, but Cassie blocked the sound out. She had one thing on her mind and one thing only.
Standing by one of the numerous vending machines, she took out her compact to inspect her face for what had to have been the millionth time today. The face that stared back at her was her own — except it wasn’t.
Ever since she had been young, she had had a problem with zits. They weren’t the kind that appeared overnight only to disappear of their own accord, these were the kind that left ugly scars which no amount of expensive oils and creams could erase — and she would know, having tried everything that money could buy — except, she had been watching the scars vanish all morning. Even as she stared now, she could swear that the gap between her two front teeth was closing, not all the way, but enough that it looked cool now, instead of goofy. And the frizz in her hair that she had never been able to control had begun smoothing itself out, leaving only glossy red hair behind. Though she was still herself, she was becoming the best version of herself that she could be: Tyler’s potion was working and Cassie couldn’t be more thrilled about it!
Dropping the compact into her bag, Cassie made her way to her usual sushi place. She was going to celebrate this piece of good news with some delicious sashimi. Smiling, feeling her whole face light up, Cassie reached for a box of pre-packed sushi when she saw Trip standing just in front of her. As usual, he had his entourage of five or six adoring male and female students with him. His hair was flicked up at the ends in that messy-but-actually-styled manner she thought was super cute, and he wore another of those sleeveless sports shirts he seemed to favor — and why wouldn’t he? He looked so good in them — with cargo pants beneath which, she could see his ripped muscles. Cassie had crushes on many guys throughout her life, but Trip… he just did something to her that no one else did.
She was about to move away when she caught a glimpse of Cassie 2.0 in the reflection of the refrigerated unit. She stopped, staring at herself again, at how she now looked almost pretty.
Maybe even good enough for Trip to talk to and not make fun of.
He still hadn’t noticed her yet, joking around with one of his guys about a football game that had been on television the night before. Fuelled with a newfound confidence, Cassie thrust her chest out and deliberately bumped into Trip as she reached for her lunch. He stopped talking, glancing at her but then he stopped, doing a double take.
“Wait, is that you, Tonic Girl?” He stared, so startled that Cassie didn’t even mind the nickname, much as she’d like to forget that first night. “Have you changed something, you’re looking good.”
Heat spread through Cassie, filling her with warmth and delight. He liked how she looked now! She smiled, shrugging thin shoulders carelessly. “Oh, nothing much. Just watching my diet. I’ve started juicing too.”
He nodded, suddenly interested. “Oh yeah? I’m more of a smoothie guy myself. I just pop a scoop of protein powder into my morning shake and that’s one of my meals done for the day.”
“Well, I do that too,” Cassie replied quickly. “I love my NutriBullet but that isn’t as good for detoxing. Fasting then juicing helps clear away the toxins in the body.” It was easier to channel her mom than expected, this being a conversation the two had had many a time.
He nodded appreciatively. “Well, keep doing it. It’s working for you.”
Cassie couldn’t stop the beam from bursting out. She was so happy, there was even a lightness in her step. Turning, she moved towards the line waiting for the cashier when she felt a hand on her arm, stopping her.
It was Trip.
Her brows rose in an unspoken question, wondering what he wanted. She didn’t have to wait long.
“We’re about to have lunch too. Why don’t you join us, you can tell me some more about this fasting and juicing thing you’ve got going on,” he asked, gesturing at the group with him.
Cassie didn’t respond, momentarily frozen. Had he just invited her to eat with him? She blinked, wondering if this was another one of those cruel pranks she had grown up with, but Trip just grinned back at her expectantly, waiting for her response.
This was the moment she had been waiting for all her life.
Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded. Trip grinned then, turning back to his friends, started heading away.
Floating on air, Cassie followed, smiling from ear-to-ear.
* * *
Moments later, Cassie found herself sitting beside Trip at a table as he regaled them with one funny story after another. Other students kept stopping, just to say hi as they passed, each of them seeming to want to bask in Trip’s light as much as Cassie did.
For the first time in her life, she felt like a rock star.
She felt, like her mom.
And it was a heady feeling. Thrilled to be with the cool kids for the first time in her life, Cassie ate her sushi as she laughed to one of Trip’s punch lines, even though she hadn’t actually heard the joke herself.
Chapter 11
The long hand of the clock inched closer to one.
Eve stared down at her watch, willing it to move faster. The day had crept by so slowly that Eve had felt as if it would never end. Barely able to focus on her classwork, the pencil between her fingers flicked back-and-forth as she watched Si still working on Shaken & Stir’s website. She found herself wishing for the kind of concentration he seemed to take for granted.
He had always been this way, ever since they were little. While Eve found it easy to get started on any task but would lose interest just as fast, Si took much longer to get going but would be next to impossible to stop if he wasn’t ready to either. They were opposites in so many ways yet he was her rock, her best friend. Especially since their parents had moved back to Jamaica. They had always been close, but their relationship had gone to another level once they had been left to their own devices.
Guess that’s what a little murder can do for two people.
Movement beside her woke her from her thoughts. Class was over and students were racing to get out of there, apparently each more desperate to leave than the next. Si closed his laptop, stretched then turned away to gather up his things. As Eve went to do the same, as she grabbed the cardigan she had slung over the arm of her chair, something yellow flashed up from beneath it and her breath caught in her throat.
Without even checking, she knew it was that dress again.
She felt ill at the sight of it. And fear. And rage. Like a person going through the several stages of shock, Eve wanted to howl out her frustration, but she couldn’t. Not in here. Not in front of the class who already thought she was weird. And definitely not in front of her brother.
Opening her bag, she shoved them both inside, relieved to see that Si hadn’t noticed. While he had already witnessed the dress that morning, she didn’t need him to see it again. There would be questions that she wasn’t ready to answer yet, and Si was like a dog with a bone when he wanted to know something: she knew that from experience. More than the fear of his questions, however, was the fear that his actions would inevitably be outed. She wished she could spill her sorry tale to the girls, but doing so would incriminate Si, and that, she would not do.
However, that didn’t mean there was nothing she could do.
Thinking about the dress, an idea began to form in her mind. The more thought she gave to it, the more wings it seemed to have.
She wasn’t going to sit idly by while this thing, whatever it was, kept happening to her. She would take charge of this herself.
She wasn’t anyone’s victim.
Not anymore.
Chapter 12
Two walls of empty shelves as high as the eye could see flanked Tyler, the sight of which almost caused her to turn around. She wanted to run out of the store, through the city, and back to her dorm room where she could curl up in bed until tomorrow came.
But no. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. She had to work to pay her bills, to save money so that she’d have a better chance of fighting for legal custody of her sister when the time came.
Exhaustion coursed through her body until she found herself swaying unsteadily on her feet. This was a newly refurbished section of the store which would be opening in day’s time. Her manager William — the one who always made her uneasy and seemed a little bit off — rounded the corner and came up to her, his beady eye’s raking her body from head to toe. Tyler had to stop the urge to cover herself. She was fully dressed and the store uniform wasn’t at all revealing in any way though by the way he was looking at her, she felt as if she were naked.
Giving herself a mental shake, Tyler shoved the thought out of her mind. All he had done was look at her. He was probably just making sure her uniform was up to code. Why was she making a mountain out of a molehill? William finally took his eyes off of her to glance at the mound of products by her side.
“Big day for us tomorrow, Tyler. Now, I know you asked to have it off for personal reasons, which I have agreed to, but you must finish loading these shelves before I can let you go. We’re short-staffed again or I would find someone to assist you.”
Tyler was scheduled for a four-hour shift today, but looking at the empty shelves, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle the task on her own. And that was even if she wasn’t feeling ready to drop. Not wanting William to pick up on this, however, she gave him a wan smile. “I’ll be fine. I’ll get it done.”
William slapped his hands together, making her jump. “That’s what I like to hear. If you do find you can’t manage, however, do let me know. I’ll be just around the corner in my office.”
Tyler couldn’t imagine having to spend time working beside him, jumpy as she was around him. And she was not going to miss Ally’s birthday tomorrow, so rolling up her sleeves, she summoned up the strength to start.
“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary,” she replied, sounding strong even to her own ears.
William gestured to the boxes which had been separated into two piles. “Now remember, the liquid detergent goes on this “M” aisle.” He pointed to a small sticker stuck to the shelf with the letter “M” on it. “The powders are to be presented on the “N” aisle.”
“Liquid, M. Powders, N,” Tyler repeated. “Got it.”
Itching to get started, Tyler opened the first of the many boxes and began loading the shelves with products. William watched silently behind her. He said nothing, barely moved at all in fact, but his mere close proximity had Tyler feeling strange.
Finally, after what seemed like hours had past, he turned and left her alone.
Only then did the tension — that Tyler hadn’t even known she was experiencing — leave.
Chapter 13
The sun shone, bathing Cassie with its warm rays.
They had moved from the food court to the gardens outside, Trip’s group of friends. Cassie didn’t know how exactly, but she was still with them. Still with him. And Trip didn’t seem like he was tiring of her. She glanced at her watch to see it was almost two‘o'clock and gave an inward sigh. She’d have to leave soon if she wanted to make her psychology class. Gathering her bag onto her shoulder, Cassie made a move to stand up from the ground she was sitting on when Trip’s voice stopped her.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
She stopped, self-conscious as the rest of the gang looked at her, waiting for her reply.
“I’ve got class in a bit…” she finished shyly. Although she had been with them for a few hours now, Cassie had mostly enjoyed listening to the discussions around her; her confidence not quite matching her newfound better-looking appearance yet.
“But it’s such a nice day. Why don’t you blow it off, come hang with us?”
“And do what?” Cassie asked, unable to hide her surprise and delight at being asked.
Trip grinned. “I’m sure I can find us something fun to do.”
Laughter sounded around her, but it wasn’t the kind that she was used to. It wasn’t the laughter that proceeded a cruel joke, like that time she had gone to a girl’s fancy dress party as a Disney princess only to find that she was the only one in fancy dress. This sounded genuine, and the realization of that brought tears to her eyes.
Was she finally becoming accepted?
Was she finally not a freak?
Joy filled her heart, but she forced herself not to let it show. She wanted to seem cool and confident like this was something that happened to her all the time. Class put firmly out of her mind, she nodded.