Beaconfield

by Bri R. Leclerc

  I walked toward the back slowly, making sure that I wasn’t making any noise that could tip me off to Elizabeth. The fog was unsettling. There were noises all around me, but I couldn’t tell where they were coming from with the mist obscuring my sight. My palms started to sweat and my head pulsed in time with my heartbeat. I was scared, but I had to save Ridge and West.

  I looked down at the dates on the headstones. 1831, 1832, 1833 . . . I came across the open grave of Elizabeth Harp. Now, I just needed the necklace. I thought back to the last time I’d seen it. The ghost had let it fall to the ground.

  I got down on my hands and knees and felt around for the necklace. I patted at the dirt and swept my hands back and forth, searching for its cool metal.

  “Looking for this?” I jumped and rolled onto my back.

  Ridge stared down at me, the fog hanging all around him and Elizabeth’s necklace dangling between his fingers. The blue jewel in the center was glowing and pulsing orange.

  “Please,” I said. “All I want to do is help you. Just give me the necklace and you can finally have your peace.”

  “My family was taken from me. You think this piece of metal and stone will undo all of that pain?” she spat at me.

  “No, I don’t, but I think that you’re still here because of that necklace. So just let me have it, please.” I pleaded with the ghost. It felt strange to be looking at Ridge but hearing Elizabeth. Ridge had been my partner through all of this.

  “I’m not leaving this place. Your friend let me in, he opened the door for me to walk through and be seen. The man all those years ago thought he had banished me from your world, but he was wrong, and now I want you all to feel as I feel: hopeless.” He sneered at me and got closer. The look on Ridge’s face pulled on my heart. I didn’t want to see him like this.

  I wanted to hide again, I wanted to crawl into that grave with Elizabeth’s body and her family and hide there. I wanted to be left alone. I shook and my vision blurred.

  “You’ve lost,” the ghost said simply.

  The energy in my body drained and my heart thudded somberly in my chest. She was right—I’d lost. My friends, my family, and now maybe my life.

  No. I hadn’t gotten to this point to give up now. I knew what I needed to do, and if I didn’t, I was going to be killed by a ghost. I stood up and strode to stand directly in front of the ghost.

  I put my face right in Ridge’s and stared directly into his white eyes. The ghost seemed surprised at my newfound determination. I felt the muscles in my body tighten, ready to do whatever needed to be done.

  “Whatever you do to me, I’m ready for it.” I glanced at the necklace in Ridge’s hand, I knew what I needed to do. I set my jaw and waited for the ghost.

  She stared at me, using Ridge’s body to stand straight and tall, towering over me. I stood taller too, mirroring her movements. Before she could get the jump on me, I attacked first.

  I threw all of my body weight into Ridge and we crashed to the ground. I heard the air leave his lungs as I tackled him. The ghost inside of him screamed. It pierced my ears being this close, and I winced.

  I struggled to a sitting position. I straddled Ridge, trying to hold his arms down and stop him from trying to scratch me. I got one arm under my knee and used both hands to pry the necklace from his hand. I peeled each finger off separately as he struggled underneath me.

  While I was distracted, he got his leg wrapped around mine. It gave him leverage and he was able to flip me over. He had the upper hand now.

  I struggled under the weight of him as he attacked me. I drew back and punched him in the chest. It didn’t seem to faze him at all. I looked at the necklace dangling from his hand. I grabbed his forearm and shook it as hard as I could, trying to get him to drop it.

  I tried to pull myself out from under him while grabbing at the necklace. I was overpowered. I reached around on the ground, looking for something to help me. My fingertips grazed the edge of a stone, and I craned my neck to see a loose rock. I reached for it and grasped it.

  I swung it back and knocked Ridge upside the head with it. He hissed and fell to the side, giving me a moment to get to my feet. I dropped the rock and tackled him again.

  He held the necklace just out of my reach.

  “Give me the necklace, Elizabeth,” I said as I struggled against him.

  “Never,” she responded.

  I felt a sharp pinch and then heard a popping noise. I looked down and saw Ridge’s teeth sunk into my skin, he gripped tightly on to me.

  I let out a scream and started hitting him on the head to get him off me. My blood was squelching through the gaps in his teeth. He looked absolutely feral. I reared back and kneed him in the ribs. I heard what sounded like a cracking noise and then his jaw unclenched.

  I fell backward, cradling my arm to my chest. His teeth had pierced my skin and I was covered in blood. I clamped my hand over it, trying to stop the bleeding. While I held my forearm, Ridge stood and grabbed a handful of my hair. I shrieked and my hands flew to my head. I looked behind me and saw Ridge’s ghost eyes leering at me.

  I was out of energy and I waited to see what his next move was going to be. He was standing there, his body twitching and cracking. He was still smiling. I sat there, trying to be strong, but I was covered in blood and tired.

  He drew back and punched me across the face. My neck cracked as my head whipped to the side, my teeth chattering in my mouth as my head pounded.

  I put a hand to my cheek and turned back to him. “Shit,” I screamed.

  The ghost grinned at me. I felt my anger boil to the top and over. So, I returned the favor. I punched him right across the face. My hand burned with the pain of what was probably a broken bone or two. But it was all for nothing, as the punch had done nothing to Ridge.

  He raised his hand again, but this time I slapped his hand out of the way and the necklace flew out of his hand. We both watched as it sailed through the air and landed in the pile of dirt next to the grave.

  Before he could go after it, I pounced. I pushed Ridge out of the way and leapt toward it. I’d gotten a few steps away before someone grabbed my ankle. I fell to the ground. Hard. I groaned and rolled onto my back. My head was pulsing, pain shooting through the front of my skull. Ridge stood over me, staring down through narrowed eyes. I felt like I’d been here already, but this time I knew what I needed to do. As he drew closer, I braced myself on the ground.

  “I’m really sorry about this,” I said with a wince. As he leaned toward me, I kicked him in the chest as hard as I could. Ridge flew backward and fell with a thud.

  He didn’t move.

  I felt a wave of fear wash over me. Hurting Ridge was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was the only way to get to the necklace and finish this.

  I got up and ran to the edge of the grave and found the necklace, nearly buried in the pile of dirt beside it. I brushed it off on my jeans. I jumped down into the grave, being careful not to step on any of the bodies. I took a deep breath and placed the necklace on Elizabeth’s waiting body. The jewel in the center seemed to pulse, like a heartbeat.

  I climbed out of the hole and then leaned back over the side and pulled the top of the casket back into its rightful place. A pulse of energy shot up from the grave, blasting past me, making my face warm. I stood and looked behind me at Ridge on the ground and saw a white mist escape from his body.

  The mist approached me slowly. It paused for a moment and then passed through my chest. I felt a coldness creep through my whole body, and then a feeling of euphoria I’d never experienced before. My limbs tightened, and I couldn’t move. Whimpering, I fell to the ground. I lay there in the dirt and stared up at the sky. For the first time since I’d arrived in Beaconfield, I noticed the hint of a sunrise on the horizon.

  I was overcome with feelings of happiness and success. I did it. It was over.

  I closed my eyes as a smile spread across my face. Then my world went black.

  When I opened
my eyes, I had to close them immediately against the bright fluorescent lighting. I heard a faint beeping and the sounds of people rushing around. With my eyes closed, I felt around me. I was in a bed with very scratchy sheets.

  “Marigold?” I heard my name. It was very quiet, but the presence of sound made my head throb.

  I groaned and opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to get my vision back.

  Where am I?

  “Is she okay?” a woman’s voice asked.

  “She’s just waking up. Give her a moment,” another voice responded.

  When I could finally see, I was a bit shocked by the sight. I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. I cleared it and tried again. “Mom?” I asked.

  Mom sat on the end of the hospital bed. She smiled at me and then launched across the bed to wrap me into a hug. She squeezed me tight, too tight. I coughed and tried to push her away.

  “Oh baby,” she said as she pulled away. She held me at arm’s length. Tears were streaming down her face, streaking her makeup.

  “There’s my girl!”

  I looked up as Dad pushed aside the curtain that separated me from the rest of the room.

  He handed Mom a coffee and put the other on the table beside me. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked seriously.

  “I think so,” I said, looking at both of my parents. “What happened?”

  I tried to remember what’d happened, but it was blurry. The last thing I remembered was being in the graveyard. How had I made it to a hospital?

  “I was trying to call you, and we tried to call your grandmother, the Beaconfield Police, everyone, and no one was answering. Your father said I was overreacting, but I just knew something was wrong, so we drove up last night, and we got lost. I lived in Beaconfield for eighteen years and I know the roads, but for some reason we just kept driving in circles, for hours.”

  “Finally, it was like the town let us find it,” my dad finished for her.

  “We headed to Mom’s house to look for you—”

  “Grandma! Is she okay?” I interrupted.

  “She’s fine, sweetie. The nurses are checking her over now to make sure.”

  I exhaled and felt myself relax.

  “Your grandmother was completely hysterical saying something about a . . .” She paused and looked around and then lowered her voice to a whisper. “Something about a ghost. But that’s ridiculous . . . isn’t it?”

  “It sounds ridiculous, but it isn’t,” I said. My parents looked at each other, shock on their faces. “Continue. Then what happened?”

  “Well, we drove around town looking for you. Everyone was outside wandering around, looking very confused, which was strange. Anyway, your grandmother said you went to the graveyard and we found the three of you kids passed out in front of an open grave. It was horrifying!”

  The grave.

  I finally remembered my last minutes before passing out. I remembered the feeling of the ghost passing through me. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

  Just then, the curtain was pulled back again and a man in a long lab coat walked in. “I see you’re awake. I’m Doctor Isles.” The man reached out a hand, and I shook it. “I have your labs here, and it looks like you’re okay except for a minor concussion and a small fracture in your ankle. I’ll send someone from osteology to put a cast on that. Sound good?”

  “Sure, thank you,” I responded.

  The doctor nodded and smiled at both of my parents and then left us alone.

  “I’m so happy you’re okay,” Mom said, fresh tears streaming down her face.

  “Mom, don’t cry,” I said with a laugh. She and Dad smiled.

  We were interrupted again, this time by a familiar face. My grandmother walked through the curtains and stood at the end of the bed. Her hair had been taken out of its braid and looked like she’d been running her hands through it. Her eyes looked hollow, but they were her eyes. Her bright blue eyes.

  “Hi, beetle.” She gave me a soft smile back and my eyes brimmed with tears.

  I sat straighter on the bed and smiled at her. “Grandma,” I said as I reached out to her.

  She hugged me tight and rubbed my back in small, circular motions. When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes. “I’m so proud of you, and I know your grandfather would feel the same,” she said as she stared me directly in the eyes, making sure I believed her. “Violet, you have one strong girl on your hands, and smart, too.”

  My mom smiled and nodded.

  “You’re okay, right? Nothing wrong with you?” I asked my grandmother.

  “Yes, I’m fine, thanks to you. What happened at the graveyard?” she asked, grabbing at my hands.

  “You know how we thought it was the necklace?”

  “Yes, of course. Elizabeth wanted her necklace back.”

  “Who?” my parents asked in unison.

  “Elizabeth Harp. She was the woman that originally owned the necklace you gave me, Mom—Grandma’s necklace. She was possessing the town.”

  “Possessing?” Mom asked loudly, in shock.

  “Shh! Keep your voice down. And yes,” I said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do it without Grandad.” I smiled at my grandmother.

  “Your grandfather? Mari, he’s dead,” my mom said.

  “I know that,” I said, putting a hand on her leg. “It was his journals.”

  “His journals?” she asked. Her eyes lit up. “I thought those were missing. Where’d you find them?”

  “You know the Widow’s Watch? There was a hidden cabinet in the shelving. All of his journals were there.”

  “How did his journals help?”

  “He wrote about Elizabeth and the hauntings in Beaconfield. He wrote about the time she haunted the town before. When you were there, Mom.” She cast her eyes to the bedspread in front of her. My grandmother reached over and squeezed her knee.

  “Yes, I do remember that,” she said quietly. “That’s one of the reasons I never wanted you to go to Beaconfield. That was a scary time in my life. But, your father”—she grabbed his hand—“convinced me to let you. He said that you needed to spend time with your grandparents, and he was right. But when I came to see you that last time, you were hanging over the edge of the railing. I knew that something like this would happen.” She quickly wiped the new tears away from her face.

  “It was the necklace,” I said finally. “Elizabeth owned it back in the day, and when she died, she stated in her will that she wanted to be buried with what meant the most to her.

  “When Grandpa found the will, he thought it meant that the bodies of Elizabeth, her husband, and their baby needed to be buried together. But that wasn’t it. She wanted to be buried with the last piece of her husband she had—the necklace.”

  “But when Cecil buried the bodies of the husband and the child with her, everything went back to normal . . .” my grandmother conjectured.

  I shrugged. “Bringing Elizabeth and her family back together may have closed the door to the spirit world and made her go away for a while. Until West opened the connection with the board, and I showed up in Beaconfield with Elizabeth’s most important possession. This time, I made sure the Harp’s were buried with the necklace.”

  “So, everything is fixed?” my mom asked.

  “I think so.”

  We were all quiet, and Mom was still holding back tears.

  “I’m sorry,” I finally said. “I’m so, so sorry. I was such a jerk to you guys. I mean, I’ve been a jerk to you guys for years. I wanted you both to start treating me like an adult and let me do my own thing, but when it came down to it, what I needed was you two. The whole time I was in Beaconfield I was so scared and clueless and I wanted your help. I’m sorry.” I was in tears now, my whole body shaking with the release of all of my pent-up emotions. In eighteen years, I’d never apologized to my parents like this. I’d never taken responsibility for my actions or my words.

  “Oh, honey, come
here,” my dad said as he pulled me into a hug.

  I cried over his shoulder, staining his gray sweater with my tears.

  “Baby, what made you think of that?” my mom asked with her hand on my knee.

  “I saw the way the Ridge took care of West and realized that I need to take care of you like you do for me.” I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand.

  Mom patted me on the cheek and smiled with tears in her eyes.

  “Speaking of the Abbott boys. They’re here, too,” my dad said as he took a sip of his coffee. “Ridge asked for you a little bit ago, while you were still sleeping.”

  “He did?” I asked. “Where is he?”

  I stood in the doorway of the exam room, gripping the back of my hospital gown to keep it closed. He was lying in the bed, a bandage wrapped around his head. His eyes were closed, his long eyelashes touching his freckled cheeks.

  I watched him breathe for a few moments before a voice pulled me out of my trance.

  “He’s going to be okay.”

  I started. I hadn’t noticed the woman sitting in the corner of the room. Shay Abbott was curled up in the chair with a jacket draped across her like a blanket.

  “Mrs. Abbott, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” I turned to go.

  “Oh, no, please,” Shay said as she waved me into the room.

  I walked tentatively, worried that if I walked any faster Ridge would disappear and everything that we’d been through would’ve all been a dream. Standing by his bedside, I reached out for his hand, but thought better of it.

  “Did the doctors say what’s wrong with him?”

  “Oh, nothing. The bandage is for a few stitches he needed. He’s just asleep right now.”

  I felt my whole body decompress. He was going to be okay. I watched his chest move up and down with his healthy breaths. His hands had cuts and bruises all over them.