Indwell (Chasing Natalie's Ghosts)

by Nicole Smith

  “I think it is time we go.” Clive nodded. He looked into my eyes and smiled. He slowly reached for Elizabeth’s hand and walked away.

  Hayden was standing at the back of the room now. Most of the spectators had followed behind them and left. I stood alone and collected myself. I felt lighter inside and strangely stronger. I didn’t feel fearful of anything. Actually that’s a lie. There was one thing I was afraid of. I was terrified that I had lost Hayden in order to accomplish my goal. I looked up to find Hayden not moving, still standing against the back wall.

  “Hayden,” I whispered. He wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t moving. His face was blank, showing me no emotion.

  “No Hayden, please,” I said. He had the power to completely destroy me. I would fall to pieces, please don’t leave me, I tried to speak, but couldn’t. All I could do was stand there and stare at him. As long as he was in my sight I would be able to hold on. I breathed slowly waiting for him to give me a sign, some signal that would let me know if I would be forever broken. I waited, unable to move. He took a step towards the door. I saw the pain in his eyes.

  “No, please don’t leave me,” I cried out. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek. I knew more would follow. He stopped and turned to me. His eyes caught mine and I felt my knees tremble. He instantly appeared by my side and gently wiped the tears that were falling on my cheeks again.

  “Do you still want me?” he looked searchingly into my eyes. My breath picked up. My heart was beating so fast.

  “I want you more than I want to breathe,” I gasped as I reached for him. I needed to feel him. He seemed to be so surprised. How did this happen? How could he not know how much I loved him? What had I done? He was being too careful. I wanted him to be the in-control Hayden I had fallen in love with. The confident and strong Hayden I had depended on. This Hayden was a mess.

  “I need you, please don’t leave me. I am so sorry for making you feel this way. Can you forgive me?” I begged. I kissed him roughly. I was stronger than I used to be already. Hayden didn’t flinch which was a relief.

  “Please don’t give up on me, please don’t let me go?” I begged again. He finally reacted. He placed his hand under my chin and kissed me just as roughly.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” he whispered. He picked me up and carried me the entire way up to our room. I haven’t felt this happy in days. I was finally able to rest. I didn’t have to think anymore. I was given the Light, just as Hayden had wanted.

  What I didn’t realize, was that my journey was just beginning. Clive was waiting for me after breakfast the next day. I turned to Hayden when I saw him at the kitchen door downstairs.

  “It’s okay Natalie. Clive has been involved in the training of Seekers for many years. I will be here when you return.” He hugged me.

  “Why can’t you come with me?” I asked, not wanting to let go of him.

  “You have to do this without distractions. I am not a trainer. Don’t worry, I told him not to push you too hard. As soon as you say you’re tired he will bring you back to me. I love you and I am so proud of you. You’re going to be great, don’t worry.” He kissed me and walked outside.

  “Good morning Natalie,” Clive said as I approached him.

  “Good morning Clive,” I smiled.

  “Are you ready?” he asked as he opened the door and gestured for me to follow.

  “Of course, although I’m not sure what I’m ready for.” Hayden hadn’t really explained the training part to me yet. He held the door of his jeep open for me as I climbed in. Once we were on the road he began to tell me about how he initiates the training. He seemed very serious that day, he was all business. I hoped I wouldn’t let him down. I was feeling alert and strong. I knew the light was changing me I just didn’t know what to expect. Clive was bringing me to a part of the jungle they had set up just for training once the light had been given to a Seeker. They wanted this area positioned away from where they lived so as to avoid any possible damage to their Inn as well as to keep it hidden from curious visitors.

  Clive turned down a narrow path, barely wide enough for one car. The road looked like it was hardly used. Grass was growing up in the middle and all around the sides. I so wished Hayden would have come with me. Clive was starting to make me nervous with his abrupt words and distant look. We pulled into a clearing and there were two men and a woman from the Inn waiting. I recognized them but I couldn’t remember their names.

  Once the jeep was parked I jumped out. I walked around the jeep and Clive told me to follow him. We walked over to the others.

  “Natalie, this is Liam, our military training expert.” He pointed to the muscular older man. His hair was short and tinged grey. He nodded but didn’t smile.

  “This is Sofia. She will help you with your senses. I’ll explain that later.” Sofia shook my hand but said nothing. She was tall and serious. Her black hair was straight and long, she had it pulled back in a ponytail, I remembered meeting her with Elizabeth upon my arrival. Her skin was slightly bronzed and her green eyes made her look exotic. I felt so plain standing beside her.

  “Natalie, this is Carlos. He will teach you strategy, among other things.” Carlos smiled. I was so relieved by this, I quickly smiled back at him, hoping Clive hadn’t noticed. I was just grateful not everyone here was so serious.

  I had to go with Liam first. I was nervous but as soon as Clive left Liam seemed to lighten up considerably. He made me run to warm up. I was surprised at how fast I could go. I think even Liam was surprised. I was laughing as I ran around the track. I was never a very athletic person before. I was always small and frail, compared to the other kids in school. I could run long distances better than I could race but I never won anything. With this new speed I could compete now. Liam held up his hand and waved me in.

  “Excellent times, Clive will be impressed. Let’s check out your agility. We have a course made and we time you to see how fast you can get through it. You will have to crawl, jump, swim and climb.” I couldn’t help but smile. I was feeling so good. I felt like I could do this all day. I wondered if it wore off at all. I hoped not. I could get use to this.

  “Are you ready?” Liam asked sternly. I could tell he was just in character.

  “Yes sir!” I said still smirking.

  “This is where you will start. I’ll meet you at the finish.” He stopped in front of a wall.

  “GO!” he yelled. I was shocked by how my body just seemed to know what to do. I was over the wall before I could try and think of how to do it. I was running towards a tunnel. I had to crawl through it. The water in the tunnel was cold, but I managed to get through. The old Natalie would have been terrified. My claustrophobia would have stopped me from even considering entering that tunnel. I was able to swim underwater until I reached the end, I made it through. I scrambled out and reached for a rope which I had to shimmy up. My hands didn’t even burn as I made it to the top. I then walked across a thin beam about thirty feet above a swamp. I held my arms out for balance. Once I realized I was in control I was able to move faster. As soon as I reached the other end I had to jump. The drop at the end of the beam was more like sixty feet now. It looked like muddy water at the bottom. On the other side was a wide platform built for landing on. I backed onto the beam again. I focused on the other side. This was making me nervous but I had to believe I could do it.

  I was reminded of Hayden jumping the rooftops back home. I was so amazed by his ability to survive that fall. I had to be able to do this too. I ran down the beam and flew to the other side. I actually jumped even further back from where the plank started than I thought I would. I heard cheering coming from Carlos and Liam below. I guessed they were there to catch me, just in case I didn’t make it.

  “You have such little faith, my friends!” I yelled at them.

  “Awesome Natalie, you’re amazing.” I laughed and continued on even faster now. I had to swing from one rope to another, there were quite a few of them, and then I had to land in a pile of sa
nd. I felt like a female Tarzan. I was laughing as I slide into the sand. I threw my hands in the air and shouted.

  “Yes! I did it!” Liam came running at me. He tackled me to the ground laughing.

  “Hey!” I shouted, surprised by his exuberance.

  “Oh, Sorry Natalie,” he apologized sitting up quickly, still smiling at me.

  “That was the best time I’ve ever seen a first timer complete it. Incredible and your jump was spot on. How much light did they give you? Damn that was brilliant.” He helped me up still grinning.

  “I guess I have to pass you over to Carlos now.” Carlos was standing beside him grinning too.

  “She’s mine now.” He grabbed my hand and started running with me. I was keeping up though. He stopped so abruptly I almost got whiplash. He stopped in front of an old house. It didn’t seem very big, only a couple of rooms I presumed.

  “One of the first things you have to do once you have your target in sight is to determine your best way to get to him. You’ll want it to be fast and as easy as possible. Never try to make anything harder than it has to be.” I nodded.

  “Inside this house there are three ghosts. You have to find them quickly and discreetly. Do you understand?” he asked.

  “Yes, I can’t spook them. Got it! Do you want me to go in now?” I asked.

  “No, my little hasty girl,” he said laughing.

  “You have to learn patience sweetie. I want you to tell me where they are first, and then I would like you to tell me how you plan on capturing them?” He was serious now.

  “Are they really ghosts?” I asked, nervously. “I thought this was just a game.”

  “Yes, they are weak so therefore they can’t go far. They know this game and they have learned a lot through the years. They will give you a challenge,” he said, grinning now.

  “Just one thing, I have no idea how you capture them, so if you could clear that part up I’d be happy to tell you where they are,” I told him sarcastically. I wasn’t thrilled with this training session.

  “Well obviously we are not going to use Kris’s here. We don’t need to expel these ones. Let me teach you how you catch them first. Let’s go down the trail though. I don’t want to give them anymore information then they already have.” He walked with me quickly towards the river.

  “This should be a safe distance. First I’ll explain some theories. The most important thing you should know is that ghosts are mesmerized by the Light. Even when they see it inside another person, all you have to do now is be within a few feet of them and looking at them, or should I say they have to be able to look into your eyes. This is how the smarter ones have learned to evade us. So, if you have one in your sights and you’ve managed to corner it, all it has to do is look at you. Once the Light is spotted the spirit becomes motionless, almost comatose. That is when we quickly place the spirit into the enclosure. As you can understand, the farther the chase gets the harder it will be to transport the ghost back to the enclosure. We are not using GTV's here. You have to actually carry the ghost. This is where skill and strategy come into play,” he grinned. I knew he was looking forward to this. He pulled his backpack off and opened up a bag. He handed me a granola bar and a bottle of water.

  “Thanks. I’m going to need the energy,” I said grabbing it.

  “I thought you would. Clive doesn’t plan on food when he takes people out here,” he said smiling as he ate his snack. He pulled his dark curly hair in to a ponytail and quickly drank his water.

  “Ready?” he asked, grinning again.

  “I think so.” He grabbed my hand and we practically flew to a cliff far in the distance. I was so surprised by how fast we travelled. I trembled when I looked back over the cliff.

  “How did we do that?” I asked.

  “I will teach you how to do that on your own, another day, what I want you to realize now is that you can do it. It is one of the ways you can get back with your capture quickly. When you are back in the city you should remember that it works best at night, the last thing you want is someone to think they saw you leap buildings.” I was still so amazed, I just shook my head thinking about what my mother would say if she saw me doing this.

  “I want you to run through the dense woods as fast as you can go. You won’t get lost and remember nothing in there can harm you now,” he said as he winked at me.

  “How long do you want me to run for?” I asked.

  “Not too long, I just want you to master running while trying to avoid hitting any obstacles or tripping over anything. Do you think you can handle it?” He was smiling at me, like he believed I could do it.

  “I guess we’ll find out,” I said nervously.

  “I’ll call you when I think you’ve gone far enough. When you hear me just turn around and run back,” he explained.

  “But how will I hear you?” I was so confused.

  “You just will. It’s another one of your special new talents,” he said grinning. I glared at him. What other talents did I have?

  “Fine, I’m ready. See you soon!” I shouted as I ran off into the woods. I was scared at first. I was hesitant so I didn’t go as fast as I knew I could. I was afraid of running into a tree. After a few minutes had past I was starting to feel more comfortable so I picked up my pace. I couldn’t help but laugh. It was like a reflex, I could run faster and faster and some kind of internal sonar was keeping me from hitting anything. That’s when I decided to go as fast as I could. This was so great, such an amazing feeling. How did this happen to me. I couldn’t wait to tell Hayden. I wished he was here running with me.

  “NATALIE! TURN AROUND NOW!” I actually heard Carlos from such a distance. It all seemed so amazing. I was having trouble believing this was not a dream. I ran at top speed through the jungle and surprised Carlos as I jumped through the trees at the last second. He genuinely looked surprised too.

  “That was unbelievably fast for a first run. You continue to impress me.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me back down the path towards the house. I knew what was next.

  “Since I don’t have a GTV what am I supposed to put them in?” I asked

  “There will be a chest this time, don’t worry, everything will come together for you. Remember you are in no danger here and I will be just outside if you need me, all you have to do is whisper my name.” He gave me a quick hug and backed away. I turned and walked into the house slowly. I looked around the main living space. The walls were painted an off white and the floors were plain wood panels. The couch was old and plaid. There was a big coffee table and a lamp. I noticed the cedar chest by the door and realized that was the box I was supposed to put the captured ghosts into. How am I going to do that? I hope their small. I hope they’re not children, I thought shivering at the idea. I was beginning to feel nervous. I walked into the kitchen. There was a small table with four chairs around it. The cabinets where painted yellow and the counter was blue, it looked hideous. The house had a strange odor, not unpleasant exactly. It smelled like a fire may have burned in here recently.

  I still didn’t see anyone. The stairs creaked on my way up to the attic. I knew that whoever was here was well aware of where I was. This was the only other room in the house. There were two beds and a sofa was in front of the window. The linens looked dusty and the curtains were faded by the sun, with a number of holes developing on each panel. I searched for some movement, somewhere. I stopped moving so I could listen. A smile crossed my face. I realized I knew exactly where they were. One was in the kitchen, one was in the closet downstairs by the front door and one was here. I crouched down and came face to face with her, keeping my eyes on hers. She couldn’t look away just like Carlos had said. I reached under the bed and grabbed her hand and pulled her out. She was beautiful. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. Her skin was tanned and she was slim. She could have been a model. Now what? I took a deep breath and picked her up. She didn’t feel much heavier than a kitten in my arms. She wouldn’t stop staring at me.
It was quite eerie actually. I carried her downstairs and opened the chest. I gently placed her in and closed the lid quickly. I sat on it as I locked it.

  “Well that was easier than I thought it would be?” I said knowing Carlos could hear me. I noticed another chest was placed beside the first. Okay, I guess he wants me to get another one. I knew instantly where they were hiding. The closest one to me was now on the other side of the couch. Just as I quickly flew across the room and landed behind the couch he was gone. I was shocked. I listened again. This one was crafty. I could hear one of them upstairs again. It wasn’t their breathing or a heartbeat that I heard it was more the way the air moved around them, like a form of turbulence. It made a slight sound that was scarcely audible, but it was there. It was unnatural, living humans didn’t make this sound. I slowly climbed the stairs. Once I reached the top I realized someone had closed the curtains. There were little holes that the light seeped through but it was quite dark up here now. I looked towards the bed. There he was with his back to me. I walked closer to him. He did not turn around. I didn’t know if I should talk to him or not.

  “Hi,” I said nervously.

  “Hello Natalie,” he replied calmly. How did he know my name?

  “Do I know you?” I asked.

  “No, but I know you,” he answered.

  “Who are you?”

  “I have been waiting for you.”

  “Why?”

  “I have a message for you.”

  “A message from who?” I asked, trying to mask my fear.

  “Why, Adam of course,” he said with a laugh.

  “You’re a liar!” I shouted and jumped around to look him in the eye. He averted me quickly.

  “Adam knew you would come here eventually. He said it was your destiny as soon as you met up with Hayden. He wants me to tell you something very important,” he sounded serious now.