A Death Displaced

by Andrew Butcher

  The spirit in The Crow was on Juliet’s mind; she thought that Rowena’s death had something to do with her; that in some way she was responsible.

  It’s not like I asked to be saved. Even if I wanted to be, I wouldn’t have wanted someone to die in my place, she thought. But it didn’t help. She felt guilt weigh her down; it was horrible to bear.

  The spirit could have been staring at her to make her feel guilty or to let her know that it should have been her to die. Whatever the reason, she didn’t ask for any of this, and that helped her to ignore Rowena and concentrate on her conversation with Nick.

  She hated the feel of guilt; it didn’t seem to serve a purpose. She could only think of one way to try to resolve it. She decided that she would learn to use her new ability. Maybe she could even help Rowena, or find out what happened. She had to do something. She detested knowing that it should have been her to die. In her eyes it would be plain wrong if she didn’t try to make it all mean something… helping Nicolas and Samantha Crystan could be a first step, at least.

  The bus pulled into Chanton. She received a phone call as she thanked the driver and exited. It was Kim, so she removed a glove to answer her phone.

  ‘Hey, Kim.’

  ‘Juliet!’ Kim squeaked, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’

  ‘I haven’t planned anything yet.’ she answered. She usually volunteered at the charity shop on Saturdays but she’d cancelled, assuming that Nicolas would want to go to Grendel Manor as soon as possible, but he said something about going to his dad’s house on the weekend.

  ‘I’ll come over then, yeah?’

  ‘Sure, what do you have in mind?’

  She was walking home. She hated how hot her body felt under her winter coat; it contrasted with the sting of cold wind against her gloveless hand and her naked face.

  ‘Some girly gossip, some drinks and a lot of chillaxing in your hot tub, of course. We can have a proper catch up.’

  ‘You want to have some drinks? Are you planning on staying over or bussing home?’

  ‘Ryan will drop me off and pick me up. It’s Bonfire Night tomorrow so he’ll take me to see some fireworks.’

  ‘He’s okay with you coming over and drinking?’ Ryan Fraser was Kim’s boyfriend; they’d been seeing each other for about three years, maybe four. He gave Juliet the creeps.

  ‘Yeah, he’s the one who suggested that I see a friend for the day. I think he’s had a stressful week at work and wants the day to himself. He works odd shifts.’ Kim said; she didn’t sound totally convincing.

  ‘Is he still a support worker?’ As far as Juliet could remember, Ryan had been a support worker for vulnerable adults for years now.

  ‘Yeah, tough job, he’s a sweetheart for keeping at it. I know I couldn’t do it!’

  ‘Sounds like a rewarding job though.’ she remarked, unsure.

  ‘Ha! Not with the pay he’s on.’

  Juliet laughed then returned to the previous subject.

  ‘What time are you coming over then?’

  ‘Midday?’

  ‘That suits me.’

  ‘Juliet… you’re buying the drinks, right?’ Kim sniggered amiably.

  ‘I’ve already got plenty for you to choose from.’

  ‘If I was minted like you, I’d buy us the drinks and I’d let you chillax in my hot tub. You know that right?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah…’ she teased, ‘I’m sure you would.’

  She stayed on the phone to Kim while she walked home.

  Chanton was eerily quiet and at times, Juliet had the urge to run so she’d get home sooner. She didn’t speed up though; she believed it a better tactic to appear confident to avoid getting mugged than to be a running target that looked pathetically vulnerable and scared. Scuttling down these empty dark streets would not portray confidence.

  She reached her home. After a goodbye to Kim, she hung up, unlocked her front door, entered, and then removed her stuffy winter coat.

  Roy had called her the day before to update her on the progress of redecorating Chanton Hillview. He told her that it was all going to plan and should be finished early next week. She smiled when she heard this; it was the highlight of her week so far and she couldn’t wait to see the end result.

  For Juliet, there was still time to do something productive this evening. She checked to make sure that she was stocked up on fruit juice and still had some Southern Comfort. Her wine collection filled half a wall but she was pretty confident that Kim would go for Southern Comfort and cranberry juice, as usual. She put a bottle of champagne in the fridge, in case.

  She switched on the patio lights then strode out into the garden.

  It had been a while since she’d used the hot tub, so she decided to give it a clean out. She removed the cover first using the cover lifter, cleaned it with a weak chlorine solution, hosed it down then propped it against the patio wall to dry. She used some disinfectant spray to clean all the areas of the tub she could reach, then replaced the filter and filled the tub with hot water and bleach, then ran the jets.

  She went back inside while the jets were left on.

  The blinking of an LED on her laptop caught her attention; she realised that she’d left it running without the power adaptor connected, so the battery was about to give out. She plugged it back in and logged into her online banking account. Tension set into her jaw when she saw that her parents had transferred some money to her. She’d told her mother that it didn’t matter; that she only wanted to talk about the car incident.

  Oh well, an extra five thousand pounds is always nice to receive.

  After half an hour, she returned to the hot tub, drained it, then filled it with cold water and let the jets run again to rinse out the bleach. She left it for a further half an hour while she showered, shaved her legs and armpits, and washed her hair. Then she returned to drain it for a final time. The cover was almost dry so she replaced it and went back inside.

  It was almost ten o’clock by the time she was done. When her body climbed into bed, she indulged in the slow sinking sensation of the memory foam mattress, and then settled on her back to look up at the ceiling for a while.

  The light was off but she could still make out the shapes in the room.

  It had been a strange couple of weeks or so, to say the least. She came close to tears; she despised that someone had died where she was supposed to. It wasn’t fair.

  She pulled the cover up over herself and hid away in deep shame. With closed eyes, she reminded herself not to give in.

  I’m not a bad person. I didn’t ask for this. I still have a choice… I can help people and make the best out of this.

  She’d come to accept that she really could see the spirits of dead people. If that meant to others that she was absolutely bonkers, then so be it; it wasn’t like she was going to go around telling everyone.

  ‘I’m going to make the best out of this situation.’ she said aloud, alone in her bedroom. ‘But listen to me spirits… Don’t disturb me tonight. I’ll do my best to help where I can, but I need a good night’s sleep.’

  One final look around the room and she rested content when her statement didn’t receive a ghostly reply.

  *

  Kim arrived the next day, dead on twelve. Juliet answered the door and glimpsed Ryan in his car; he nodded goodbye to Kim, then turned his solemn face to the steering wheel and drove off.

  Shivers ran down Juliet’s spine in thought of him.

  ‘Eeeeeeeeeeee!’ Kim greeted her with a shriek and a hug.

  ‘Kim!’ she said enthusiastically, ‘It’s good to see you.’

  ‘Let’s start drinking.’

  ‘What? It’s midday.’

  ‘Yeah, we’re late already then.’ Kim laughed, then grabbed Juliet’s hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

  On the way, Kim paused and tugged on Juliet’s wrist, ‘You look different.’ she said, accusingly. ‘Your skin… you’ve had treatment, right? And your hair, it’s lighter!’

>   ‘I haven’t had anything done. My hair’s probably been cut since I last saw you, but nothing else.’ she shrugged. Strangely, she felt like she was lying; she’d noticed a difference in her appearance this morning, and also a few days ago. When she woke up and looked in the mirror, she thought her skin looked smoother than usual, healthier. Also, her hair did look enhanced, brighter: almost glittery.

  ‘I don’t believe you.’ Kim stuck out her tongue then giggled. ‘Whatever you’ve had done, you look stunning.’ she started to drag Juliet towards the kitchen again and mumbled, ‘I wish I had your money...’ with a comical sigh.

  Juliet prepared her best friend’s drink, Southern Comfort and cranberry juice, and then they proceeded to the living room to sit down and begin their catch up. Kim told her that things with Ryan were the same as always; she loved him, they never seriously argued, but he was always too stressed and preoccupied to do anything romantic.

  ‘Are you seeing anyone, Juliet?’

  ‘No, and I’m not looking.’

  ‘Come on, we’re not in school anymore. Why don’t you try to meet someone?’

  At school, Kim and Juliet liked to think of themselves as untouchable; they were naturally popular due to their good looks but they never wanted boyfriends.

  After leaving school, Kim changed her views on guys and went through a period of having a different boyfriend every week, but Juliet didn’t go through that change. She’d had one relationship; it lasted about seven months but she never truly got close to him. She’d lost her virginity because she felt that she should have by that age, but it wasn’t special.

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t think I have time for a boyfriend.’

  ‘You do.’ Kim said, matter-of-fact.

  ‘Maybe...’ her chest felt tight, uncomfortable.

  Observantly, Kim asked, ‘What is it? You never like talking about men.’

  The answer came automatically to her mind but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to say it aloud. Though after everything that had happened the past few weeks, she found the courage inside of her to say it. She took a rallying breath, ‘Why would anyone like me?’

  Kim’s face turned serious all of a sudden, ‘Don’t say that, Juliet. You’re way prettier than most girls and you’re intelligent; you’ve got your own business and lots of money!’ She paused as if to give weight to her words.

  Kim’s hair was short and dark brown, almost black. She had a bob hair cut that wouldn’t suit a lot of people, but it framed her face well. Her eyes were large, brown and alluring. Kim reminded Juliet of cinema’s femme fatales, but only in her seductive appearance and ‘kick-ass’ looks; Juliet couldn’t imagine her best friend purposefully using her feminine wiles to get her own way.

  ‘There are so many reasons for someone to love you. Almost every guy at school fancied you; probably half the girls did too!’ she tittered in a caring-yet-serious manner.

  ‘No, they all fancied you, Kim!’

  ‘They fancied me too, obviously.’ she stuck out her tongue. ‘They fancied both of us; look at us,’ she gestured a hand back and forth between herself and Juliet, ‘we are pretty hot.’

  ‘If you say so.’ Juliet shook her head then chuckled appropriately to let the subject of her love-life fall away.

  They continued to gossip for a long while and put on a DVD to play in the background.

  Kim had brought with her Love Actually: her favourite film of all time but one of Juliet’s least favourite films of all time. But for Kim, she could endure it.

  Kim was getting steadily merry on Southern Comfort and cranberry juice throughout the afternoon but Juliet didn’t drink so much. She got up to make her favourite guest another drink. She walked to the kitchen.

  It wasn’t the ideal time to ponder it but Tamara’s words jumped into her mind.

  Your fate was to die.

  It made her think of a film she’d seen once, Final Destination. The idea of ‘Death’ hunting her down was something she didn’t want to worry about or be on the lookout for. But worse than that, she felt like her freedom had been taken away from her. She’d never believed in fate before; she had always believed that each individual created their own reality and made their own choices.

  The thought of having a predestined fate was plain horrible to her.

  I must still have a choice. Nicolas had a choice; he saved me.

  She was about to leave the kitchen with Kim’s drink prepared and in hand, but a slight chill at her back and a twitch in the air alerted her of what was coming.

  Before even turning, she sensed a great inane, a wistful void that churned behind her. Her body tensed and she closed her eyes. She reminded herself of the promise she made last night. I’ll do my best to help where I can.

  The spirit she found in her kitchen was roughly the age of twenty. He stared longingly at her with his blue eyes. His skin was pale, his hair was light and curly, and his face was characterised by a large nose and nearly-black eyebrows.

  With only a slight quicken of her heart beat, Juliet asked, ‘Can I help you?’ she kept her voice calm, steady.

  ‘Don’t trust Ryan.’ he said with a speed that made her jump.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Don’t trust him. Tell Kim she can’t trust him.’

  ‘What has he done?’

  ‘I’m Harry, Kim knows me, tell her not to trust him.’

  ‘Yes, you’ve said that a few times now. Why can’t she trust him?’ she tried not to raise her voice which would alarm Kim in the living room.

  ‘Ryan’s not who he says he is. She has to get away from him.’ he said forcefully.

  ‘Wait, your name’s Harry? You’re one of Kim’s ex-boyfriends?’

  And he was gone.

  She huffed, composed herself, then returned to the living room to give Kim her drink.

  After a moment’s thought, she suggested that they go in the hot tub as it was dark outside and she could turn on the hot tub lights. They both changed into their swimsuits and Juliet tied up her hair to keep it from becoming wet.

  She delighted in the perfect contrast of the night’s cold air and the hot tub’s warm embrace. But it seemed to her that every simple pleasure was overshadowed by something the past couple of weeks. That’s negative, useless thinking. Stop.

  Once they were settled and they casually sipped on their beverages, Juliet asked a question, ‘What ever happened to your ex? Was his name Harry?’

  ‘Harry Cracknel?’ Kim responded, surprised.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Uurrrghh, that nob-head, I hate him still today! He really broke my heart. It was just before I got with Ryan, about four years ago. I’d been seeing Harry for a few months and we were both head over heels for each other, at least I thought we were, and then one day he just calls it off. He tells me that he never wants to see me again and that he never liked me anyway. Well actually, he said a lot worse things than that’

  ‘Oh.’ was all Juliet could say, her thoughts bewildered.

  ‘I haven’t heard from him since. He vanished off the face of the earth it seems!’ Kim said, and Juliet almost laughed at her accuracy. ‘He’s probably using some other poor woman right now, only to break her heart too.’

  ‘Probably…’

  ‘Why’d you ask anyway?’

  ‘It was just on my mind. How did you meet Ryan then?’

  ‘You know Natasha and Becky from school? Well, I went with them into Amiton town one night and I met Ryan in a club. He was with his mates and he got my number off of Natasha. I didn’t give it to him because I was still with Harry at that point. But Ryan seemed to really like me. He kept texting me and stuff, and then a few days later, Harry went and dumped me. I’m glad Natasha gave Ryan my number, because he was there to comfort me after I got dumped, then he asked me out a couple of weeks after that and we’ve been together since, as you know.’

  ‘You’ve never told me any of this before.’ was Juliet’s response.

  ‘Well, I didn’t see you t
hat much around the time, and once I was with Ryan, I didn’t want to talk about Harry anymore.’

  Juliet changed the subject after that.

  There was new food for thought and she brooded over the idea that a spirit could be just as malicious in afterlife as it was in life. Harry may have appeared to her to try to intervene and cause Kim more grief. But then, it was mysterious that Kim was under the impression that Harry simply vanished.

  He was dead, obviously, and someone vanishing doesn’t go unnoticed in most cases.

  When it was natural to return to that conversation, she asked if anyone had heard about Harry since. Kim replied that Harry didn’t grow up on Lansin Island so not many people knew him here; she reckoned that he must have decided to move back to wherever he came from without telling anyone.

  Evening grew upon them. A few early fireworks caught Juliet off guard, causing a startle and some laughs. Shortly after, the doorbell rang loud enough for them to hear from the garden.

  ‘That must be Ryan.’ said Kim.

  ‘Okay, I’ll go answer. You get dressed and ready.’ Juliet climbed out the hot tub, patted her body with a towel, wrapped it around herself, and then scurried indoors.

  On full alert and ready to detect suspicious behaviour, she answered the door.

  ‘Where’s Kim?’ Ryan asked curtly.

  ‘We’ve been in the hot tub, she’s just getting changed.’

  ‘Kay.’

  He didn’t appear bothered that Juliet was wet and wrapped in a towel, so he didn’t seem to be a pervert at least, unless she was totally unattractive or not his type. She didn’t suspect that he was unfaithful in that area… but Kim was her best friend so she wasn’t about to stop scrutinising.

  ‘Do you want to wait inside?’ she felt the cold enter her home.

  ‘No.’ he said. He tapped one of his legs with his fingers impatiently and bit his bottom lip.

  ‘Are you alright?’