Happily Never After

by Missy Fleming

  “We are but not in the way you’re imagining. Each of us is here for a reason; whether it’s because we can’t let go, like Jackson or because we’re trying to atone for something horrible we did, like me. We’re not roommates. Each of us exists in our own bubble so to speak. When I pass Jackson on the stairway I’m aware of him, but I have no need to interact with him.”

  Thinking of Jackson waiting for Catherine made me sad. “Why won’t he just leave, move on? It’s so sad.”

  Margaret shook her head and said, “I think he likes being near her. He remembers who she was, the girl he fell in love with, and hopes that one day she will be that girl again. He’s going to be waiting a long time.”

  “How long has she been in this house?”

  “I don’t rightly know, sweetheart. I don’t think she was able to remain here until your stepmother came along.”

  “That doesn’t make sense though and it’s something I wanted to ask you. Why, Marietta?”

  “I wish I knew. Your stepmother allowed her to come into her body and into this house. That is all I’ve been able to learn. Catherine saw an opportunity and took it.”

  It was the same thing Travis mentioned but it still didn’t add up. Marietta always appeared to be a smart woman, not the kind who would forge some kind of agreement with a ghost.

  “So Catherine hasn’t been here all along like, George, and Jackson?”

  “No. She’s tried to force herself in with other members of our family, but she was never strong enough. In your stepmother she found a willing host. In all the years she’s been trying, she couldn’t find a person weak enough to allow her in. She must have come to Marietta at a very vulnerable time. Forcing herself on someone could, and has, had disastrous results.”

  The hair on my neck prickled. “What do you mean by disastrous results?”

  Margaret was quiet for a minute or so and I got the feeling she was hesitant to tell me something. Whatever it was, I knew I wouldn’t like it.

  “Catherine has presented herself to others before and tried to gain control of them. A couple of those times have resulted in the unexpected death of her intended host.”

  I felt my eyes widen. “What do you mean by unexpected death?”

  My breathing picked up. Right when I thought I knew as much as I needed to about Catherine, it got worse. The hesitation on Margaret’s face made me want to shake her and force her to say the thing she was holding back. Finally she spoke and my world came crashing down.

  “I mean the person appeared to be in perfect health before they died. Not every death was her fault but some were.”

  She said the words so slowly and so carefully. The second the meaning of her words hit me, I almost got sick.

  “Mama? Daddy?” I shook my head back and forth, trying to dislodge the possibility from my mind. It was too horrible to even imagine.

  Margaret reached out and laid a cold hand on my arm. Normally, her touch or presence calmed me. I didn’t even notice it right now.

  “Not your father but I’ve always suspected Catherine’s involvement with your mother’s passing. Diane was in perfect health, in the prime of her life. In the weeks and days leading up to her death, I felt Catherine around the house. It doesn’t mean anything but I’ve always wondered if it was more than coincidence.”

  I expected tears to come but all I felt was a rush of anger. Looking back, I couldn’t remember anything about Mama’s behavior that would have hinted she was being bothered by a ruthless spirit. Of course I was a child then, what did I know?

  Other than anger, all I felt was a spreading numbness and sense of defeat. I realized how fruitless I was in thinking I could possibly stop Catherine. She was more powerful and evil than I ever knew.

  “I didn’t tell you this Quinn so you would shut down. I told you this so you would fight. If I’m right, she took something very special from you. Catherine deprived you of a mother. You can’t let her get away with it again.”

  “But what’s different now?” I asked sullenly. “What makes this time any different from the others? I’m nothing special. She’s made sure of that from the beginning. Plus, she’s even more powerful now.”

  “The difference is that now you’re aware of her. You know what she’s up to and where she is. You know her weaknesses. That will be the key.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed her. Realizing Catherine might have had something to do with Mama’s death cut me to the bone. My heart ached and my chest burned in rage. I wished I had an outlet for it. It’s not something I’d ever experienced before and I couldn’t focus. Logically, I knew I needed to keep a cool head and not lose sight of our goal; to get rid of Catherine once and for all. That would be the best revenge possible.

  I was terrified of how I would react next time I saw her, though.

  “How do I keep this all in, Margaret?”

  “Oh sweet child, the smartest thing you can do is lock away the pain and anger you’re feeling right now. We’re not even certain it’s true. It’s always been a suspicion. If you let those feelings interfere, you might lose everything. If you give in to them, you give in to her.”

  She was right. “I’ll try as hard as I can to not let it slip. I don’t even think I can tell Jason. It’ll scare him and he’ll try all over again to change my mind about going up against Catherine. There is no way I’m backing down now.”

  Her cold hand touched my cheek and turned me to face her. “I agree you shouldn’t tell him yet. But don’t close yourself off to him, baby. He is your future.”

  If I even have one, I added silently.

  Chapter Thirty

  The next morning I met Jason and Travis at a small diner for breakfast.

  I felt incredibly out of it today. The revelations from Margaret last night bounced around in my head. I knew I shouldn’t think about Catherine’s possible involvement in Mama’s death. A brain aneurism is a quick and often unexpected way to die but that didn’t mean anyone caused it. The image of Mama crying out in pain as a dark shadow tried to force its way into her body kept flashing in front of my eyes.

  Locking it up, as Margaret told me to, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

  Jason, complete in his disguise, arrived first and sat down beside me. He gave me a quick kiss and pulled out the menu.

  “How are you? How have things been since I called yesterday afternoon?”

  Clamping down the urge to cry on his shoulder about Mama, I sipped my juice before saying, “It’s been interesting. I’ll wait and fill you and Travis in at the same time.”

  We ordered breakfast as Travis came in and sat down. Again I wondered if we were right to be laying something this dangerous at the feet of someone so young.

  After the preliminary greetings and Travis ordering pancakes, I fill the guys in on the events of the last couple days, leaving out anything to do with Mama. When I was done, Travis was the first to speak.

  “So she’s tried this before but never succeeded. It’s because she has a human host now that she’s so strong.”

  “I don’t understand how that makes her strong.” Jason said as the waitress delivered our food.

  “An entity has to draw its power from a source. Many paranormal investigators believe ghosts are forms of energy. In order to manifest and manipulate things they need to take energy from whatever is around them. They can take it from the air, which results in cold spots. The air cools as energy, or heat, is taken from it. It’s a sure sign an entity is nearby. Often on investigations we’ll experience battery drain on all our electrical equipment. It’s the same thing. They take the energy coming from those instruments.”

  “Some investigators have even started using pumps to supply the energy for the ghosts. This pump will give off bursts of electromagnetic energy in order to help something manifest,” I added.

  Travis flashed an impressed smile in my direction. “Exactly. So now, we can go one step further. What is the human brain but one big superconductor? The amount of
electric charge put off by the human brain is staggering. It’s a perfect source of power to draw from. That’s what I believe Catherine is doing and why your stepmother is getting weaker and weaker. Catherine’s taking a lot of energy to do these things. Emotion is a powerful tool.”

  I’d never thought of it that way before. Marietta’s brain was probably an all-you-can-eat buffet to Catherine. It was a very disturbing thought.

  “What happens if Catherine drains too much energy from her?”

  “Then she’ll keep growing weaker until her body can’t handle it anymore,” Travis answered. “But that won’t happen. Somewhere, deep inside, Marietta still has free will. She can force Catherine out. We only have to figure out what will make Marietta come back to herself.”

  He gave me a perfect opportunity to bring up Anna.

  “I think I have an idea about that. Her daughter, Anna, has noticed what’s happening. She’s even seen Catherine’s shadow hovering behind her mom. If we bring her with us, she might be able to get through to Marietta. More than anything, Marietta loves her girls.”

  Jason stared at me hard. “Are you sure we can trust her?”

  I nodded.

  “That might be a good idea. We needed something that would jolt Marietta and using her daughter might be the edge we've been looking for. I’ll want to meet her first and make sure she’s absolutely aware of what we’re attempting to do.”

  “No problem, I can set that up.” My birthday was in a few days so I needed to make sure it was soon.

  During the rest of the meal we talked about that night and Travis shared more of his thoughts. My job was to keep Catherine focused on me. If she had her sights set on me, they had the opportunity they needed to deal with Marietta.

  Travis said goodbye after we walked out into the heat of the day. He had a good plan and it calmed my nerves some. For a while it kept me distracted.

  Jason swung his arm around my shoulders, chasing away the dark thoughts crowding in. “Look, I have to run but I want you to come by the hotel later.” I looked up at him. “I’ve told you about what I sense in my room and I want to see if you do too. It might help keep your mind off things.”

  From any other guy, this would have made me suspicious. Inviting the local girl back to the hotel room was a line I bet a lot of actors or other guys used. Jason wasn’t like that.

  “Sure, I don’t mind. When do you want me to come?”

  “How about seven? Do you think you’ll be able to get away?”

  “I think so. She lets me have more free time now. It makes me nervous, but I still take advantage of it. She’s not paying attention to much lately. Either way, I’ll be there.”

  He stepped back and put his hands in his pockets. “You have no idea how much better I feel when you’re not there.”

  Hearing his concern made me decide against telling him about what happened in the dining room. He was having a hard time not rushing in and being the savior. I could tell he was the type and maybe once this was all over, I’d let him do it occasionally.

  Jason kissed me goodbye and left with Isaac. I watched him walk away and felt Margaret beside me, a cooling presence that I almost leaned into.

  He’s a wonderful boy. Always remember that, Quinn.

  It was nice to get away from the house that night. I spent the entire time avoiding Anna or even looking at her. I was afraid that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut. Even with all their good looks and popularity, I never envied Anna and Suzie because I knew they were pitiful.

  When I left the kitchen, I heard Suzie whining about how much time I’d been gone lately, and how I didn’t do as much housework as I used to. Marietta’s reply was ice in my veins.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. She won’t be here much longer.”

  I walked outside and instantly the stress and the frayed nerves abandoned me. Not even my beloved house comforted me the way it used to.

  The hotel Jason was staying at was located in the Riverfront district, an old hotel with a lot of character. Dwelling on the fact that I would be in Jason’s room with him, alone, made my stomach roll in slow, lazy turns.

  I walked through the lobby knowing I looked guilty. I worried my face was an open book screaming out the fact that I was going up to Jason Preston’s room. He told me the security was pretty lax which surprised me. After all, he was a big movie star. I figured girls would be clamoring to get up to his room and take a peek at him.

  I passed Isaac as I stepped off the elevator. He stood stationed at the end of the hall between the elevators and the door to the stairway. No one would be able to get past him.

  “Hey Quinn,” he greeted with a wink. I lifted a hand in reply since my mouth was too dry to speak.

  Before I knocked on Jason’s door I sucked in a large gulp of air as I lectured myself for making a bigger deal out of this than it actually was.

  He opened the door with a huge smile but blocked me from coming in. “I’ve got something to show you and I can’t wait for you to see it.”

  I noticed then that he was bouncing in place like a little kid.

  Curiosity got the best of me. “Well, can I come in?”

  He snuck a glance behind him but didn’t move. “Close your eyes.”

  I did as I was told while he took me by the hand and led me forward into his room. Reaching out with all my senses, I tried to pick up hints of what he was up to.

  “Okay, you can open them.”

  Jason’s entire suite had been transformed into a mixture of a Christmas wonderland and a child’s birthday party. A small, lighted tree stood on the table in the corner, decorated with lights and ornaments. There were even presents under it. Christmas lights were strung around his window and a big, stuffed snowman sat in the desk chair. Across the wall hung a ‘Happy Birthday’ banner and balloons of all shapes and sizes floated in the room. To top it all off, a small round purple cake with candles on it sat beside the Christmas tree. It was the most beautiful and magical thing I’d ever seen.

  “How did you do this?” I asked in wonder. I didn’t trust myself to look at him yet so I kept my eyes trained on the little tree.

  “It’s amazing what you can get when you’ve been on TV or in a movie or two.”

  He sounded a little embarrassed so I gave him a playful shove.

  No one had ever done anything this special for me. Christmas and my birthday were always days I tended to avoid. I recalled telling him about how I hadn’t really had Christmas or birthdays and how much I missed it.

  “I can’t believe you remembered.”

  He walked over and kissed me lightly.

  “You deserve a little light in your life, Quinn.” He brushed the hair out of my eyes. “When you told me about missing the holidays and how your parents were so into them, I started thinking about doing something like this. It’s silly and I kept second guessing myself. I hope you don’t mind.”

  I sucked in my breath. “This is...I’ve never... I don’t know what to say.”

  Never had I seen him look so nervous and unsure of himself. Instead of answering, he reached over and picked up one of the presents under the tree.

  “Open it,” he said. And the grin was back, showing me his perfect teeth.

  In five years, the only Christmas presents I’d opened were from Abby and her mama. My memories of loud, busy mornings opening presents were part of another lifetime. Honestly, giving me even a fraction of the feeling I got those mornings with my parents was the only gift I needed.

  I took the present gently from him and memorized every single detail. The shiny red paper had glittery snowflakes on it, wrapped in a bright green ribbon.

  Giving him a hesitant smile, I ripped it open.

  “I hope that’s the right kind, I had to ask Abby what camera you had.”

  Inside the box was a large zoom lens and it was top of the line. I knew because I often gazed longingly at it in the camera shop.

  I set it down on the table and threw my ar
ms around him.

  “You have no idea how much this means to me,” I whispered in his ear.

  While his arms cradled me I felt safe, protected. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Then I thought about him leaving and I remembered the loneliness from before. A dull ache spread through my chest. In that moment, I knew I was falling for Jason. And that scared me more than anything Catherine had planned for me.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Later that night, I walked out of the bathroom towards the attic stairs, still buzzed from my time with Jason. I could find no words to describe how I felt about what he did for me. Well, that was a lie. I knew the word I would use to express my feelings towards him but I didn’t think I could ever bring myself to use it. It was way too soon.

  My foot had just hit the bottom step when something stopped me. Of course, I knew what it was right away. I didn’t see Marietta. All I saw was a growing shadow advancing down the hallway. Running was pointless so I pressed myself up against the wall and hoped it would pass by. Like that would ever happen. I was getting attacked almost every night now.

  The icy cold hit me first, knocking the wind out of me. The fierceness of the cold always surprised me, that startling realization that something could be so cold it hurt.

  My instinct was to scream but as I opened my mouth, the cold surged down my throat and stole my breath. It wasn’t the choking or suffocating on dirt like before. This was invading and reaching into every inch of my body. It felt as if something was pouring all the darkness and coldness in the world straight into my soul.

  And same as before, I was powerless to stop it. I couldn’t make a sound.

  Then, my feet lifted off the floor into mid-air before I slammed into the wall behind me. The only thing I could see was blackness. It moved as if it were alive, shapes came in and out of focus; shapes of things that could only existed in nightmares.