Second-guessing himself had done some serious damage. If he didn’t have two conflicting voices in his head, he wouldn’t have gotten into this jam. When it came to Eloise, he needed to silence his uncertainty or things would continue to go downhill for him.
“Okay,” Ashleigh said, “second possibility: she’ll be confused by this dorky guy, and then she’ll be shocked that the cool guy showed up and kicked that wimpy dude’s ass.”
Logan didn’t understand. So, Eloise thought he was a dork? Fan-tas-tic. Just what he always wanted. So far, his brother and sister had watched him make a fool of himself. Now, he needed to introduce Eloise to his Mom, so the entire family would know how great he was with the ladies.
“Wait a minute,” Logan said, “the cool guy beating down the wuss: that’s a good thing, right?”
“Totally. She’ll be confused but intrigued. So she might call.”
“Cool.” He nodded, pleased with that response. It felt like the elevator had braked before hitting the ground level, only to speed back up the skyscraper, relieving him of an upset stomach. “I can deal with that.”
“There’s only one problem,” Ashleigh said.
“What?”
“You didn’t tell Eloise that we need her to visit and deal with this ghost…pronto!”
8
That evening, Logan didn’t need to persuade his siblings to spend the evening in the family room. He and Tyler sat on the couch watching a comedy film while Ashleigh fiddled with her phone while slouching in the recliner with her legs dangling off the armrests.
Logan, eager to learn more about ghosts that wasn’t supplied in the books he’d read, pulled out his phone and searched the internet for warning signs of ghost inhabitation. After a few minutes, he chuckled but kept his gaze glued to the screen. “This says that when ghosts are near, the temperature drops.” He bumped Tyler’s shoulder. “Maybe we should put on our winter jackets.”
Tyler didn’t laugh. Neither did Ashleigh.
Their no-nonsense expressions reminded him that same thing had happened a couple of times over the last few days. He stiffened. “Not funny. Never mind me.” On second thought, the first time that occurred, all three of them had walked into the house. Logan had stated that they’d unintentionally pulled cool air from outside into the house. Not only that, Ashleigh hadn’t felt the chill either. He wasn’t trying to be wishy-washy. He simply wanted to remain objective.
“Ashleigh,” he said, “did you feel it get colder when your door slammed?
After hesitating, she shook her head.
“Okay, thanks.”
“You just don’t want to believe,” said Tyler.
“Exactly,” said Ashleigh, straightening in the chair. “You’re scared of the unknown.”
Logan shook his head. It ticked him off that they turned to the supernatural first rather than examining potential ordinary reasons for whatever bizarre thing occurred. Then again, considering their age and inexperience, they might not have developed an analytical thought process yet.
“Would I have read those books,” he said, “or checked the internet for more info about spirits if I wasn’t willing to believe or if I was afraid? I’ve admitted that some things can’t be explained, and yes, I’m coming around to realize that ghosts are real, but on the other hand, I want facts. Once I get them, if something strange goes down, I can make an educated guess based on whatever happened.”
Unable to tear apart that approach, his siblings shrugged in unison.
Not hearing them respond reminded Logan that their mother hadn’t called yet, so he called her, but when it went to voicemail, he left a message. He was getting impatient, but he was also beginning to worry that something had happened to their mother.
“Told you he was scared,” said Tyler with a sneer. “He had to call his mommy.”
Logan filled them in about the message their father wanted to pass along to him.
“That’s so weird,” said his sister, leaning forward with a wide-eyed gaze. She’d actually put her phone down. “Do you have any idea what he wanted to tell you?”
“Not at all.”
“Why now?” Ashleigh asked. “What was so special about your nineteenth birthday?”
“Beats me. I’m no longer considered a minor. I already registered for the draft, but I’m hoping the only member of this family to enter the armed services is my man over here.” He turned to Tyler, but his brother was watching the movie, disinterested. That was unexpected. Logan thought Tyler would have at least given him a slight grin. “I can’t imagine Dad would write me a letter reminding me to register to vote…a year after I was able to do so. Besides, it’s not so important that he’d need to write me a letter about it. So, all the important stuff I was able to do would’ve kicked in last year. Otherwise…” He did a quick internet search. “Yep, it says right here that, if I got parental permission, I could possess a firearm, but I could’ve done that at eighteen. I’m confused.”
“Can’t kill a ghost with a gun,” said Tyler. Apparently, he was only chiming in when he felt it important.
“Shoot,” Logan said.
“And you can’t do that,” Ashleigh said, “if you don’t have a gun.”
“I never said I wanted a gun,” Logan said. “Maybe Dad left me one though.”
“I’ll take it,” Tyler said in a flat tone that mirrored his expression. “If you don’t want it.”
Logan didn’t like how his brother looked so lifeless. And it finally dawned on him why. Tyler didn’t like them talking about a father he never knew. Logan couldn’t blame him. If their situations were reversed, Logan would feel hollow inside that other family members could recall the person who had in one way or another affected their lives during their early years. Tyler had never met their father. He probably felt cheated of having a father, and he may have resented his older siblings for having that experience, however short it may have been.
“I thought you’d have been happy that we’re talking about Dad,” Ashleigh said.
Logan wished he could have shared his opinion with her before she’d let that slip.
“Why should I?” Tyler pushed off the sofa. An angry snarl crossed his lips. “He killed himself when he found out I was gonna be born.” He got up and moved around the coffee table.
Logan had never considered that a possibility. A few years ago, their mother had assured Tyler that his father hadn’t taken his life because she’d gotten pregnant. Logan thought his little brother had moved past that assumption. It seemed he’d guessed wrong, and he felt rotten that he hadn’t considered that earlier.
“Ty,” Ashleigh said in a compassionate tone, rising to meet him.
He stopped before her and stared at the ground. “Get out of my way.”
She extended her arms.
With a flick of the wrist, Tyler swatted her hands out of the way and bypassed her, rushing out of the room. A second later, his feet thundered up the stairs.
“Come on, Ty,” Ashleigh called out to him. She swept out of the room and raced upstairs. “Tyler?” she called out. “Open up.” Wood pounded as she struck his door. “Please? Does this have anything to do with that fight at school a couple of weeks ago?”
Hearing that reminder, Logan felt like the shittiest brother on the planet. Their mother pulled him and Ashleigh aside and told them that, after Tyler admitted that his father had committed suicide to a group of kids, they made fun of him at recess. Tyler got into a fight with four students, three of which were then sent to the nurse’s office to get looked at for a bloody nose, a split lip, and a black eye, respectively. Apparently, after seeing all the damage Tyler had done, the fourth kid ran off to tell one of the lunch ladies. Their mother had spoken with Tyler about his altercation and even set up an appointment with a therapist before the end of the year to help Tyler work through and deal with his feelings.
Of course, Logan felt guilty. He had what neither of his siblings had: a father. Ashleigh could relate to Tyler, wh
ich may have explained why she went after him, but while she might not remember their father, she knew that he’d loved her, as a few home movies and photographs attested. But Logan presumed that those boys had accused Tyler’s existence as the reason their father killed himself. And maybe Tyler wouldn’t get over that assumption until he was mentally and emotionally equipped to realize it wasn’t his fault. Maybe he never would.
Logan couldn’t imagine living a life wrapped in that type of guilt. In a way, he was both lucky to recall memories with his father, while at the same time unfortunate enough to remember a caring and gentle father that hadn’t finished his duty of raising his son. Having a father was bittersweet. He’d always remember him, and for that reason, it sometimes hurt knowing that his father would never be there for him again. He supposed there were plusses and minuses for each of them when it came to the consequences surrounding their father’s death.
Logan forced himself to finish contemplating those thoughts because he didn’t want to get dragged down a dark hole of sadness. Then he glanced up at the television, which Tyler had paused.
The screen was now black. In the middle of it, a lithe figure with long black hair and wearing only a threadbare white nightgown that had multiple tears in it stood upright with her head slightly cocked to the right.
Startled by the female form, Logan blinked, unsure if he’d seen correctly.
The female remained in place. Her slack hair covered her eyes like a sheet.
They owned an old LCD screen, and Logan had heard that when users paused the television for too long, the TV often burned an image onto the screen. But if that were the case, why would only one image remain on screen while the rest stayed black?
Unsettled by that possibility, Logan craned his neck behind him.
No one was there.
He let out a relieved sigh. Then he shook his head as a smile came to his lips. Since he’d promised to keep an open mind about ghosts, and due to the large amount of reading he’d done on the topic, he may have inadvertently convinced himself to see one.
Logan turned his attention back to the television.
The figure hadn’t moved.
As Logan stared at it, goosebumps surfaced on his forearms. His pulse pounded in his head.
This was impossible. Nothing was behind him. He’d looked.
Then why was a woman showing up on the screen?
Logan’s thighs quivered a little. Eager to dispel the notion that this person existed, he shifted his head slightly to the right to let his peripheral vision see both the television and the spot this lady supposedly stood.
Her reflection on the television stayed in the same spot. Yet she was still not standing to his right.
Paralysis had locked him into place. Logan tried to get his breathing under control. Manic thoughts swirled around his brain.
It wasn’t real. It was a manifestation of his mind.
Of course, it was real. It had to be a ghost. What else could both be there…and not there at the same time?
“Awww, come on, Tyler!”
Ashleigh’s screeching voice forced those thoughts from his mind. It also freed his nerves from their temporary bondage. He swung his head back to the television.
The woman was gone.
He glanced behind him. She wasn’t there either.
9
“Ty won’t let me in his room,” Ashleigh said, reentering the family room and plopping herself down onto the recliner. “He won’t come out either.” She grabbed her phone and began swiping.
Logan didn’t know if he should tell his sister what he’d seen. On the one hand, he wanted to be honest. On the other, he didn’t want to worry her. Ashleigh already believed a ghost had visited them. If Logan expressed his concerns, she would take it as confirmation, which Logan certainly did.
They had a fucking ghost in the house.
Despite that, the air hadn’t grown colder. The lights hadn’t dimmed or flickered. He hadn’t heard any voices. There hadn’t been any strange odors. The books he’d read described that one or more of those signs should have occurred if a spirit had been present. Yet none of them had. Were there circumstances that negated those supposed measures of proof?
He found it odd that every book he’d read and every website he’d scanned hadn’t mentioned a predicament where not even one of those symbols didn’t occur. After all, in many instances, two or more of those hints preceded the appearance of a spirit.
Since he was so confused, Logan wanted to get Ashleigh’s insight. “When the bedroom door slammed, did you sense any of the typical clues that a ghost might be behind it?”
Ashleigh looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow. “Hmmm.” She set her gaze on the ground. “No. I didn’t.”
He brought up his other concerns that normally heralded the presence of a ghost. Afterward, he said, “So if something is here, why are you so sure it’s a ghost?”
“Because we didn’t see anything.” She looked off to the side in silence, looking pensive. “Huh, now I can see why you won’t accept that it’s a ghost without getting proof.”
Logan coughed and got her attention. “If it’s not a ghost, and you’re certain something is here, what could it be?”
“I don’t know.”
“How do we find out?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Eloise will know. Did she call you back?”
Logan shook his head. He was still afraid to find out if she was a psychic.
“How about Mom? Did she call?”
“Nope.” He checked his phone just in case he’d recently received a text or email. It indicated that a new voicemail had come through from a phone number he didn’t recognize, so he checked it: “Hey, you’ll never believe the things—” The joy in the man’s voice sounded phony. Logan deleted the annoying spam recording.
After that task, Logan said, “And when you were at Aaliyah’s house, did you or any of the girls feel or see anything that might make you think a ghost was with you?”
“Something grabbed me, Logan. I told you that.”
“That’s my point. Can a ghost do that? In the books I’ve read, some say yes. Others say no.”
“Based on her blog posts, Eloise would know.”
“I get that,” he said, “but she hasn’t called me back.”
“Maybe its payback for not calling her soon enough.”
“Really? Like some kind of revenge thing?”
“In a lot of ways, girls are really nice, Logan. In others, we can be total bitches.” She shrugged with a sympathetic half-smile. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He couldn’t imagine a universe in which Eloise was a bitch. Nevertheless, he replayed their interaction at the library, since he hadn’t called her before that meeting, and she hadn’t held it against him, so he didn’t think he had to worry about Eloise being a vindictive person.
“On second thought,” she said. “I don’t think Eloise would do that. She’s always so upbeat.”
Logan took her comment as proof that he hadn’t misidentified Eloise’s true personality. “So we’re stuck in a holding pattern. Because if this isn’t a ghost, how are we supposed to figure out what it is?”
Ashleigh stuck a few knuckles under her chin. Perplexed, she remained silent.
Logan also gave it some thought. What could throw its shadow across the floor behind his door, but vanish when he opened that same door? What could materialize in the reflection of a television screen, but not appear to the human eye? It made him wonder if something was watching them now. A shudder went through him like he’d gotten an electric shock. Thankfully, Ashleigh didn’t notice, but she looked his way a second later.
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
“About what?”
“That there might be something here?”
“I’m trying to keep an open mind.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t before. So why now?”
Logan had to be careful with his answer, so he mulled over her qu
estion. “You both seem pretty certain something is here, and we’re all we’ve got. We need to rely on each other. Trust each other.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “That’s good enough for me.” She raised her head to the ceiling. “I don’t like leaving Ty alone up there. I’m going to check on him. Maybe he’ll let me in now.” She hopped off the recliner. “Good chat, big brother.” She left the room.
After seeing or imagining the woman in the room behind him, Logan didn’t want to be alone downstairs. He went upstairs and heard his siblings chatting quietly in Tyler’s room. If he really strained to listen in, he might have been able to hear their conversation, but this time he felt awkward about doing so.
Earlier, he’d only done so to see if they were trying to frighten him. He was worried about his brother. He wanted to be certain he was all right. On the other hand, Tyler always confided in Ashleigh, so Logan needed to respect their privacy and their relationship.
He entered his bedroom but left the door open in case they wanted to stop by and talk. In all honesty, he also left it open because he didn’t want to feel alone. Not with something potentially in the house with them. Another quiver lit through him.
To keep those disturbing thoughts at bay, Logan diverted his attention by worrying why his mother still hadn’t contacted him yet, so he texted her to make sure she knew getting in touch was still a priority. He found it strange that she hadn’t reached out yet. His mother had always been extremely reliable. If she said she’d call, she would do it as soon as possible. In the end, he just needed to trust that she’d call at her earliest opportunity.
His thoughts returned to the letter his father had written to him. Unable to sit around doing nothing for the next few hours, Logan decided to look for that long-lost message by going into his mother’s bedroom closet, the place she’d recalled putting it since she placed all of her personal or cherished belongings in this closet.
The Descendants Page 8