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Cassy
Author's note:
This is a story I wrote for creative writing class and it turned out alright. I wanted to write something with some LGBT recognition in it, so there's that.
It’s been exactly 26 days since I told my mom and step-dad that I’m gay, with that being my New Year’s resolution and becoming illegally drunk to do so. It’s also been 26 days since I’d last been at home. My step-dad, Carson, totally flipped out, I really had no choice but to leave at that moment and hope that he’ll soon cool down enough for me to return home to my mom again. I’m staying at my girlfriend’s house. Ria’s parents had gladly let me in without hesitance.
Ria and I were in her room working on homework with Florence + the Machine playing softly on Pandora. I glanced up from my pre-calculus notes to look at her. She was reading from her AP Lit book. It was a beautiful sight, something like hipster pictures you see on tumblr- long, dark brown hair cascading down covering her face. In one effortless motion, she combed back her hair with her fingers. Her brows were knit and her lips were pursed, the expression her felt held when dealing with strict concentration.
Ria looked up to me and immediately her expression shifted to being relaxed and smiling. “What?”
“Nothing, just got distracted. That’s all.” I quickly look looked back to my work.
In the next moment, Ria scooped up her textbooks, notebook, and collected of pens, pencils, and highlighters and scooted next to me.
“What?” I asked, slightly confused.
She grinned and rested her head on my shoulder. “More comfy.”
I chuckled. “Ah, okay.” I kissed the top of her head before going back to work.
Someone rang the doorbell.
“I got it!” Ria’s mom yelled from downstairs.
A minute later she was knocking on Ria’s door.
“Yeah, Mom?”
The door opened and Mrs. Clark stood there looking distraught.
“What’s wrong?” Ria immediately sat up.
She took in a deep breath. “Cassie, your step-dad called the police and they’re here to take you home…”
“What?” A lump formed in my throat.
She nodded. “You need to quickly pack up, they’re in a bit of a hurry.”
Ria remained silence, so I did what I was told.
Once packed, I followed Clark down the stairs to the front door with Ria trailing close behind, our hands interlocked.
Like she had said, there were two police officers standing outside the door on the front porch.
I spun around to face Ria who immediately pulled me close for a tight hug. I pulled away and gave her a quick kiss. “I love you.”
She nodded. “Love you too. Call me when you’re home.”
One cop guided me to the back seat of their car while the other thanked Mrs. Clark. The ride home was silent, super uncomfortable, and full of anxiety for myself. Would they believe me if I expressed my fears for returning home? I mean. They’re cops, so perhaps… I pushed the ideas away and remained silent. My step-dad has never done anything that would be enough to get the cops involved. As we got closer to my home, I began to pick at my fingers, a habit out of anxiety I’ve always had.
But wait, I could go home might not end up badly. I mean why am I worrying about what I don’t know? Why would Carson call the cops to bring me home if he didn’t want me? These thoughts cheered me up a bit. My cell buzzed with texts from Ria, but I ignored them for the moment. We pulled up to my house and I grabbed my bags and followed the cops up to my doorstep and waited for the beat up, faded blue door to open. The house had been here for decades, but it’s homey and where I grew up.
Carson finally opened the door and when he saw me he smiled. “Cassy! I’ve been so worried about you! Why don’t you come in and go unpack your things in your room while I thank these very kind officers.” He nodded to them.
“We’re glad to help, sir.” The shorter of the two returned a polite smile.
Relief spread over me while I climbed to oh-so familiar steps to my room—second door to the right. I returned my clothes to their appropriate drawer and stacked notebooks and bathroom items onto my desk.
A few minutes later I heard the front door shut and the engine of the cop car start up and zoom away. Heavy footsteps caused the steps to creak. The footsteps became louder until my door slammed open. Carson was enraged.
“You little-“He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up to him.
I yelped. “What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of another little dyke before it ruins the world.” He punched me, over and over again with one hand, still holding my by the hair with the other.
“Please stop!” I cried.
The more he beat me, the more my vision began to darken around the edges. I was gasping for air, my asthma attacking me when I had no way to get to my inhaler. Carson threw me down and my head hit the corner of my desk, then everything went dark.
When I regained consciousness, the evening twilight had already set in. I sat up. Nothing hurt, surprisingly, and my step-dad was nowhere to be found. I stood to my feet, something outside the window facing the backyard caught my eye, so I walked over to investigate. Carson was out there on the garden with a shovel smoothing down the soil. What the heck was he doing? There was a large patch that had obviously be covered and now he was putting flowers back where they had been. Whatever he’s doing, I’m just glad I’m not a part of it.
My phone buzzed from the floor. The screen was shattered. I walked over to it and grabbed it. It didn’t move… I reached for it again, but my hand passed right through it. Over and over I tried to pick up the object that showed so many worried messages from Ria, but to no victory. I looked down at my hands and studied them. Now that I looked closer at them, they’re slighty translucent…
Pounding footsteps stomped up the stairs and to my room yet again. I jumped back in alarm, but when Carson entered the room he didn’t even notice me. He picked up my phone and rooted through my drawers, pulling stuff out at random and shoving them into a trash bag. Lastly he grabbed my duffle bag that I usually use and added that to the trash as well before he left, shutting the door behind him.
I stood there in disbelief. What’s happening? What’s wrong with me? Nothing is making sense.
I laid down on the floor to think. The last thing before recent events was being knocked unconscious…what happened after that? I woke up completely fine, unable to pick anything up and I have kind of see through skin…
I took longer to process than it should have…
I’m dead. That must be it, it would explain everything. Is that what…what Carson was burying, he was burying my dead body? Oh my goodness, my step-dad killed me and buried me in the back yard! Maybe I can do something to tell somebody! I jumped up and ran for the door. I went through it, but couldn’t go any further than right outside the door. It felt tethered; like something was pulling me back. I backed up into my room and sat in the corner waiting for someone to come.
My mom came into my room. I slowly stood from where I’d been sitting in the corner. “Mom?”
She had a box with her. “Why’d you have to run away, girl?” She sighed. “I thought I was doing okay at parenting.” She mumbled to herself while stuffing my belongings into said box until everything but the furniture was left.
Before leaving, she took one last look around. “I’m gonna miss this house…”
“I love you, Mom.” I whispered even though she couldn’t hear. She thinks I ran away? That’ what Carson told her? I felt a pang in my stomach. Mom will never know about what happened. I returned to my spot in the corner and began to cry. For a ghost, I’m pretty emotional, jeez.
Someone new was moving into the house. I could hear the many footsteps and unpacking in of boxes, plus there was a moving van outside. There were two kids, a boy and girl, plus the two parents. The door opened to my room and the girl entered with a backpack and large suitcase, her mom helped her with two more large boxes. I watched her unpack and set up.
Her style definitely was more punk than me, the abundance of posters and knick knacks made the room seem entirely different. She removed a Nightmare Before Christmas snow globe from the cardboard box with one hand, and had some version of Nintendo DS in the other. I took a few steps closer to see what else she hadn’t unpacked yet. In the box was a ceramic skull, a little brown, wooden box with a handle on the top, a…wand…, a larger slice of rolled up paper that was pretty tattered, comics, and a lot of CDs. All the bands, with the exception of The Nightmare Revisited, Green Day, and Paramore, were not familiar to me. Though I’m into trying new things, I’m not sure I’d like Black Veil Brides and Korn anyways.
Once that box was empty and the contents in a place that suited her, she plopped onto the bed and pulled up the flop of hair on the top of her head (all the sides were buzzed) and tied it into a top knot. I wonder how she’d react if she knew she was sitting on a dead girl’s bed.
She unzipped her back-pack and slid out a MacBook, placing it on the desk and sitting down on her chair. She sighed. “Darn, no Wi-Fi yet.”
An idea struck me. If I could somehow contact her, I could tell her everything. I mean, I’ve watched ghost hunting shows and they have ghosts connect to them, so I could probably do it to!
I tried desperately to get her attention, grabbing at different objects on the desk, poking her, calling out, nothing worked. Okay, think, there has to be some way… I concentrated very hard and let out a frustrated sigh.
The girl jumped and whipped her head in my direction. Hesitantly, she turned back to the screen of her laptop.
Something I did worked. Was concentration the key to connecting with the living?
I focused my mind on one task. “Hey.”
This time she jumped so much she fell out of her chair and landed on the floor with a thud.
“What the…” Something seemed to catch her attention the bed. She shuffled under it slightly and I could head her pulling at the loose board that’s always been there.
I dropped to the floor to see what was going on. I gasped. My charm bracelet that Ria had given me was caught between the boards. It must have fallen off when Carson was attacking me, the clasp had been all but broken from wearing it so often.
The girl freed it from the boards and sat up, holding out the silver bracelet to examine it. There’s seven charms on it: a heart, a rainbow, a book, a moon, a flower, a star, and a turtle. All had a specific meaning. The heart and rainbow signified Ria and my relationship, I love flowers and books, the star and moon represent stargazing, one of Ria’s favorite things to do, and the turtle coincidentally is both of our favorite animals.
The girl returned to the desk with the bracelet still in hand. She opened a drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled out a little box. I peer over her should and saw that the little box contained various jewelry pieces. She also pulled out small pliers from the same drawer as well that she used to bend the metal on my bracelet and pull the old clasp off, replacing it with a new one from her box. Once the repairing tools were band in the desk, the girl put on the bracelet. Two emotions flooded me- anger and jealousy. Angry because she had on my bracelet that was special to me, jealous because she was able to wear it.
“Please take it off, that’s mine.” I pleaded.
I could tell by her expression she was beyond freaked out. She fumbled around for a blank notebook and pen. One the first page she wrote the following:
3/10/14, 10: 15 p.m.
Sigh
Hey
Mine
So she’s definitely heard me clearly.
She unlocked her cell phone, swiped a bit, put the phone up to her ear. “Maddie, I think I’m going crazy. Can you come over? …I know what time it is! Please, it’s important. …Thank you!” She hung up.
We were both silent. I watched her carefully studying the room, trying to find an explanation for the sounds she was hearing. I wasn’t gonna try anything again, those few connections actually tired me out. Who knew ghosts could become fatigued. Definitely not me, that’s for sure.
Her friend came a little while later, the Maddie. She knocked on the door before opening it up. “There’d better be a good reason you made sneak out on a school night, Jade.” Maddie crashed down on the girl, Jade’s, bed.
“I didn’t ask you to sneak out.”
“You really think my parents would let me come over this late?” Maddie raised her eyebrow.
“No,” Jade turned towards her friend. “So I called you over here because I was hearing things.”
“What?” Maddie leaned towards Jade.
“This,” Jade handed her the notebook. “It was I heard.”
Maddie looked over the three words. “You don’t think it could’ve been the fam?”
Jade shook her head. “No, it was like it was whispered right into my ear, plus it didn’t sound like any of them.”
“Huh, that is kinda spooky…” Maddie tilted her head. “So you think this is paranormal?”
Jade shrugged. “I don’t know, friend. Could be a possibility, don’t you think?”
Yes, yes, Jade, you are correct. I am very paranormal. Come on Maddie, listen to your friend.
“I supposed… I think you should just ignore it for now, and if it keeps happening, then we can look into it more. It could just be your imagination. You look slightly sleep deprived. I’m gonna go now. I’m gonna go now, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“Alright, see ya.” Jade didn’t get up to lead Maddie out, she just stayed completely still. Finally she spoke. “I know there’s someone or something here, I have a feeling. Just please don’t hurt me or anything.”
I concentrated hard. “I won’t.”
Jade grinned from ear to ear. She heard it.
Out went the light and Jade collapsed onto her bed.
I looked up when Jade’s alarm clock went off and she rolled out of bed, groggily walking to the bathroom. As she went, farther away from the room, I began to move uncontrollably into her direction. When I stood up and tried to go the opposite way, it was like I was walking on ice. Jade opened the bathroom and went back to her room. This time I followed close behind her, the pulling feeling wasn’t there. That’s weird…
I evaluated the outside while Jade got dressed for school. You could see frost on the ground, the sun wasn’t quite risen, and it was quiet. A woman jogged passed the house, a car down the street pulled out of the driveway and left. The trees were still on the dead side from the just ending winter. Well, technically winter isn’t over yet, the spring equinox has yet to come.
When Jade was ready and had her backpack on, she went downstairs with me being pulled behind. She stopped in the kitchen. I hadn’t been her in what felt like forever. New homey décor was placed strategically on the walls or counter. A pot of herbs sat on the island that used to house boxes of cereal, it was a system my mom and I had worked out.
A woman, I’m guessing the wife/mom because she had the same green eyes and pointed nose as Jade, was frying eggs and sausage on two separate frying pans at the stove. Had my mom and step-dad really left every piece of furniture and appliance here? The dining table and chairs were different, a dark oak compared to the cheap, light colored, who knows what type of wood with miss-matched chairs that had been obviously very used.
“Can you eat some breakfast quick? The bus will be here very soon.” Her mom dished out some breakfast eats onto a plate.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jade scooped some eggs into her mouth. “Can I have some lunch money? I forgot about packing lunch. “
“Yeah just grab a five from the jar.”
I looked at the living room. Same blue carpet and walls, different couch, coffee table, entertainment center, and TV. And décor of course, they had family and individual pictures hung or placed.
They may have changed up a few things, but I’ll glad they kept the spontaneously painted walls.
I lost track of Jade because the next thing I knew I was being pulled through the kitchen and foyer and out the door. I caught up walking close behind her, back into the same routine I’d done many mornings. Jade arrived at the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. Her friend Maddie was there too. I can’t believe I didn’t know she rode my bus. I guess she looks slightly familiar, but I don’t exactly pay attention to who rides my bus, it’s more of a headphones in, book out sort of ride. I slipped in behind them and stood in the isle-way next to seat 12 where the two of them sat. I didn’t exactly fancy the idea of being dragged behind bus 23.
“Did your parents catch you sneaking out and about?” Jade inquired.
Maddie smirked. “Nope, I’ve done it enough times to know what I’m doing. You don’t still think there’s a ghost in your room do you?”
“Actually…” Jade fiddled with my charm bracelet still around her wrist. “I heard it say something else, it actually replied to what I had said.”
Maddie looked at her. “What?”
Jade nodded enthusiastically. “I believe my hypothesis was correct, there’s a ghost in my room and I want to find out more about it.”
“Doesn’t this freak you out?”
“No.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Probably.”
Maddie sighed. “So, let me guess, you want me ask my brother for help?”
“Yes please.” Jade smiled at her.
Yes, yes, yes. This is good, very good. So much excitement boiled in my chest. I’d been thinking a lot as to why I’m still here, you know as a ghost. I’ve grown up religious as all, I have my beliefs and faith there, and so why am I a ghost? The only logical explanation would be that I had unfinished business, that being knowing my killer has not yet been charged for his actions. I just need to figure out how to get more than one word heard at a time. Plus, it takes to much concentration and energy trying to communicate.
I figured out pretty fast that Jade is a freshman. She had many of the same teachers I had three years ago during my freshman year. The school hadn’t changed much, a few new posters here and there. Fundraisers for Junior and Senior Prom were being advertised, along with posters for the spring musical. They were going to perform Beauty and the Beast. That should turn out good. I was always on stage crew. That was a lot of fun…
The end of the day couldn’t have come fast enough. Even as a ghost I was terribly boring. And she had to run the mile in gym class. It was the first mile I ran without having an asthma attack or becoming exhausted, I literally felt nothing. She had geometry for last period, a class I somehow excelled at when I took it. Mr. Jenner, the teacher I had, surprised everyone with a pop quiz. I could tell Jade was panicking, she lost the color in her face and looked like a nervous wreck when she look over the quiz. I watched her try to put together the first problem. I had to admit, it was a difficult proof, but I was able to piece it together.
“No, that’s angle-side-angle.” She had written angle-side-side, but there’s no ass in geometry.
Jade jumped, then look behind her. Her gaze went ride through me to the boy behind her who had his head down, working hard on his quiz. She looked back down at her paper and erased what she had down to what I had said. The rest of the quiz she heard what I had to say and wrote down the answers correctly.
At the end of class, Mr. Jenner called her to his desk.
“Jade, I was grading your test and, well, I am completely astounded. You had all the right answers with almost no work…”
“Mr. Jenner, I swear I didn’t cheat.” She stuttered.
Shoot, if I get her in trouble I’m going to feel so bad.
“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t believe you did. Actually, I was going to ask if you would want to join the math quizzing team. You’d been struggling, but you’ve seemed to turn yourself around so well, I think you could handle it.” Mr. Jenner smiled at her. “So, what you say?”
Jade looked completely and utterly shocked. “Um…I’ll have to think about it. Can I sleep on it?”
“Absolutely.”
The bell rang. Jade grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room to the buses waiting outside, I had trouble at first keeping up, but then I remembered I’m a ghost. I can run through people. Boy, let me tell you it is freaky at first going through people. Especially when you see someone you know, but I had to ignore my friends and keep up after Jade. I’ve come to hate the feeling of being dragged.
I thought of my friends again, they came up in my mind often enough. Andrew and Christi were my closest, but Laura, Kelly, and Leo were friends too, but it was more of an acquaintance thing going on. Missing people really does suck…I pushed them out of mind.
Maddie was already on the bus when we got there.
“Oh my goodness, Maddie, we need your brother ASAP.” Jade whispered spastically at her.
I feel like I’m already driving Jade mad.
“Why?” She mocked Jade, whispering back.
So Jade explained everything that happened in geometry. “And it was the same voice!”
Maddie looked undoubtedly convinced. “Alright, let me text him. I’ll have us meet up with him at your house.”
“Yay!” Jade giggled.
“So weird.” Maddie muttered under her breath.
All of us including Maddie’s brother, who looked like he could be her twin, were in Jade’s/my room with a big plastic tub in the middle on the floor.
Maddie’s brother, Robbie, pulled out equipment that I recognized from ghost hunting showing, laying it all out on the floor.
“Alright, if you have paranormal happenings going on in here, my gear will definitely pick it up.” Robbie looked like a kid in a candy store. I wonder how often he did this.
He plugged stuff in and turned stuff on. I wish I could remember what their names were. Wait, no, there was an EMF reader. As soon as he turned it on it went off.
“Does that mean there’s a ghost in here?” Jade was practically jumping up and down.
Robbie stared at the EMF reader in disbelief. “Wow, yeah, I believe so.” He motioned to a small black box with flashing lights and buttons. “Okay, this is a ghost box. Whoever is here with us, you can use it to talk through to answer our questions.”
“Robbie, I’ve heard it before…” Jade said.
Robbie nodded. “Maddie told me. But this might make it easier for the spirit to communicate.”
I hope he’s right, although it was beginning to become easier. Nonetheless, I knelt down next to the box. “Please help me.” The words came out slowly in a monotonous voice.
Maddie’s arms flew around Jade.
Robbie just smiled brightly. “This is amazing!”
I looked at Jade who had genuine concern covering her face. “Wait, what do you need- What is your name?”
“Cassy.” The monotonous voice repeated.
“Did you live here?” Jade asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you talk to me last night and in school?” Jade looked at Maddie hopefully.
“Yes.”
Jade sighed with relief. She was serious again. “How did you die?”
I gulped. “Murder.”
“Aw, I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” I said, but not into the voice box.
“You’re welcome.” Jade replied.
Robbie and Maddie both gave her a dumb look.
“What?” Jade glanced back and forth at the two of them.
“Who are you saying ‘you’re welcome’ to?” Robbie asked.
“You didn’t hear her?”
“No.” Maddie squeaked. “Okay, this is really freaking me out.”
“Oh hush.” Jade put her arm around Maddie. “Cassie won’t hurt us. She just wants our help.”
I smiled. This Jade character is so sweet, of all the people to move into my room, I’m glad it’s her.
“So, someone killed you?” Jade returned her focus to the ghost box.
“Yes, my stepdad.”
“Does anyone know?” Robbie asked slowly.
“No.” I said quickly.
“So, you want us to help convict him?” Maddie asked.
“Yes.” I can’t believe this is actually happening. Soon, soon I’ll get him. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy… No, I have been, when Ria’s arms were around me. A pang of sadness formed in my gut. “Ria.” I jumped as the name came out of the ghost box. Oops.
“Who-Who’s Ria?” Jade asked.
“My girlfriend.”
“Woah, so you’re, like, a lesbian?” Robbie grinned.
“Yes!” I laughed.
Robbie chuckled. “My first queer ghost. Awesome!”
“We need to figure this out. We’ve got to help Cassy.”
Robbie’s jaw dropped. “Oh God, Cassy, I know who you are! I know Ria! She’s in my art class, she thought you ran away…was a mess for weeks…”
My lip quivered. My girl, my poor girl. “Can you bring her here?” The box repeated.
Jade nodded. “I can arrange that. Hey, Robbie, how do ghosts travel?”
“Um, usually they’re in one place, why?”
Jade was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing.” But I could tell she was in some deep thought.
“I’m gonna have to cut this off for today, I’ve got to go and Maddie, I have to drive you home, the parents know you snuck out that night.” Robbie glared at her.
“What? How? Ugh, darn, okay, I guess I have to go then.”
“It’s fine.” Jade said politely.
They packed up, Maddie and Robbie left, and that was that.
I took my spot in the corner with Jade sitting on her bed reading a book, despite the late hour. She laid down the book on her lap and rubbed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was looking in my direction and looked light she’d seen a ghost. She quickly rubbed her eyes again and looked in my direction again.
“Oh my lord, how didn’t you get in my room?” Her voice cracked.
I pointed to myself in confusion.
“Uh, yeah you.”
“You can see me?” My eyes widened. “I’ve been here the whole time.”
“Cassie?” She stood up.
I nodded rapidly. “Oh gosh, you can actually see and hear me.” I jumped up and moved towards her, sitting at the foot of the bed.
“Wow, I never…I never thought this would be happening in a million years.” Jade studied me. “This is crazy. So you were helping me in geometry?”
“Yeah.” I bit my lip. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. And I didn’t think you’d hear me. It seems a connection between us is becoming stronger…”
“You’re right! This is so weird.”
“You’re going to help me right?” I looked away in embarrassment.
“Oh, absolutely, anything I can do, I’ll do it. But…how do I prove this? What do I tell cops? I don’t think they’ll completely believe me saying ‘a ghost told me this’.”
“Yeah…” I thought for a moment, then an idea struck me. The garden. “He…buried me in the flowerbeds in the back yard.”
Jade jumped up. “What?”
I nodded. “It’s true.”
Without hesitation Jade started yelling. “Mom! Dad! We need to call the police!”
They came rushing into her room, her dad with a baseball bat.
“What’s wrong, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” Her mom asked frantically.
Jade explained the whole situation.
“Not only am I skeptical, but you can’t expect the police to believe this.” Her dad said sadly.
“Who died in the garden?” Jade’s little brother wondered into through the open doorway.
“Oh, nothing, kiddo. Let’s get you back to bed.” The dad picked up the small child and carried him out to his room.
“Mom, please, we need to call the police and tell them about this.” Jade looked at me then back at her mom. “I promise this is real.”
“Can we do this in the morning?”
Jade looked at me.
“That’s fine.” I said.
“Yeah.” Jade told her mom.
Her mom looked a little concerned, but then said goodnight before returning to her room.
“I don’t know how to thank you enough.” I tried to make eye contact with Jade, a challenge I almost always faced.
Jade put her hand over mine, kind of, it just went through it but the gesture was warm anyway. “You don’t have to, I’m just so glad to be able to bring someone happiness, even in they’re dead.”
There was an awkward silence between us.
Jade broke it. “Well, I guess I’m going to go to bed now, exciting day tomorrow, y’know? You…don’t have to be in the corner all the time…”
“Oh, don’t worry I’m fine, it’s cozy really, and I don’t feel stuff like that.”
Jade looked down. “Good-night.”
“Good-night.” I smiled a little.
Jade turned out the light and pulled the comforter over herself. He soft snores filled the room pretty soon after that.
Three police cars pulled up in front of the house along with a police van. They were interviewing the parents, Jade, and had called up Maddie and Robbie to interview them too.
The police looked just as skeptical as her parents had when Jade told them all that she knew. “I promise I’m not making this up.”
“Uh-huh… Just to make sure I have this right, a lesbian ghost named Cassy told you she was murdered by her step-dad named Carson and was buried in the garden, correct?” The officer read off his notepad.
Jade nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir.”
Another officer hurried in and leaned close to the officer that had just been talking to Jade, Officer Maze.
“We actually found remains. Exactly where the kid had told us…” He said in a hushed tone.
Officer Maze’s eyes widened. “This is…how?”
A female officer entered the living room where this was all taking place with Robbie at her side. He held the ghost box and a recording device in hand.
“Maze, it’s here on this recording, the said ghost telling them.” She spoke with urgency.
Officer Maze turned back to the officer who had told him about finding my body. “I want information on the previous residence ASAP, then file for a warrant to bring this Carson into Custody.
“Carson Wells.” I told Jade.
“It’s Carson Wells.” She told the officers. Then quickly added, “Cassy said so.”
“Right. Get the previous residents information first. And get the team to finish excavating the body so we can take it back for analysis.” Officer Maze ordered and the officer left. “We’ll need to take all your ghost hunting equipment back as well.” He spoke directly to Robbie.
“Yes, sir. No problem.” Robbie said.
As soon as she was allowed to leave, Jade ran up to her room with Maddie, me dragged behind.
“Can you please warn next time?” I asked politely. “I’m always pulled along after you if I’m not ready.”
“Oh, sorry, yeah will do. Why, though?” Jade tilted her head.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, I used to not be able to leave my room, then you came and I seem to be attached to you.”
“That’s so weird.” Jade fiddled with the charm bracelet on her wrist. An assortment of other bracelets accompanied the silver charms. String ones ranging from as simple as a blue and white Chinese staircase to a complex green, pink, and orange one saying her name, along with a few rubber ones with band names on them. That was all on wrist surprisingly. The charm bracelet looked kinda cool with the others, like it was in place. The small charms were worn with small scratched and the silver wearing away at the corners. The new clasp stood out like a sore thumb, being nice and shiny, a different shade from the looped links.
Wait, my charm bracelet…my charm bracelet! I totally forgot. “That’s my bracelet!” I exclaimed.
Jade jerked up. “No kidding, that’s right!” From her expression, the gears were turning rapidly in her head.
Maddie looked so confused. “Jade, I have no idea what’s going on here, mind filling me in? Oh, by the way, when did you get that bracelet? It’s cute. Um, hello?” She became impatient fast when Jade didn’t answer her questions.
“I can’t believe I didn’t process this until now!” Jade jumped up. “I mean, I was wondering last night, but the pieces didn’t connect. But, I’ve got it now! Wow, man am I dim…”
“What?” Maddie practically screamed it.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand either…” I said in agreement.
“Why can only I hear and see Cassie without equipment? Why does she follow me around? Isn’t it obvious? She’s poltergeist to this bracelet! Don’t you see, it was hers! The first time I heard her, I found it in this room right after and fixed it and put it on. But before that she couldn’t leave, obviously because it was on the floor in here. After I started wearing it, though, she started following me around and our connection grew stronger! She’s not attached to me, she’s attached to this bracelet! I just can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.”
She had a huge point, and perhaps this is the case. I’m attached to the bracelet. It makes sense, I love and cherish it very much- it being a gift from my love. I haven’t see her in so long.
“That makes a lot of sense…” Maddie said slowly.
“Of course it does!” Jade beamed.
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen this before.” Jade said. Her laptop sat at the foot of her bed playing Rocky Horror Picture Show. We were sitting next to each other at the opposite end against the headboard.
“Yeah, I’ve never even heard of it until now.” This movie is so strange, and who’d of thought I’d be watching it after dead?
“Yes, but it great!” Jade grinned.
“I guess so.”
“Jade! Can you come here a sec?” Her mom yelled from downstairs.
Jade paused the movie and took off my charm bracelet, laying it on the bed where she had just been sitting. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared behind the door.
I looked around the room. I wonder how much longer I’ll be stuck here…they having caught Carson yet. Jade had told me they brought him into the station for questioning, but didn’t have the evidence together yet. Apparently, I don’t count as a witness. It’s almost funny. Almost.
Jade’s footsteps ran up the steps and she burst into the room.
I winced, the action being so familiar to Carson’s.
She was smiling like a madman. “They’ve got him.”
She didn’t even have to say who, I knew.
Tears of joy and relief rolled off my cheeks, misting away as they dropped of my face.
“You’re free.” Jade’s voice cracked.
But I wasn’t.
Jade was just as surprised to see me when she woke up the next morning.
“I thought that would’ve let you pass on.” She said sadly.
I sniffed. “It’s okay, you’re not bad company.” I joked half-heartedly.
She exchanged an equally half-hearted chuckle. Jade paused. “What about Ria?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since…since I had to go back home and was…”
Determination filled Jade’s face. “There’s something I need to do. Where’s her house? Is it walking distance?”
I nodded. “It’s about two miles. It’s not that bad of a walk. I’ve done it many times.”
“Okay, let’s go.” She re-clasped my bracelet to her wrist.
I let her out the door and to Ria’s house. All the houses along the way were just as I had remembered them. House 253 on Cherry Street still had Gnome statues literally everywhere in their yard and garden, wind chimes rang from house 341 on Benson Avenue, Mr. Neal’s antique Ford truck from the 60s was sitting in his driveway under a tarp like it always had been, unless he took it to a show.
We walked up Ria’s driveway about 45 minutes later. All the cars were in the driveway; she was home.
Jade rang the doorbell, I had my back to the door. I was way too anxious. Mrs. Abbott, the neighbor across the street, has her little Chihuahua out, in its dog coat and all. It yapped like its usual way too much than a dog of that size should.
The front door opened. “Hi, can I help you?” Ria’s mom asked.
Jade cleared her throat. “May I talk to Ria please?”
“Uh, sure.” Ria’s mom sounded confused, but called for Ria anyway. She left when Ria ran up to the door.
I turned around and saw her for the first time in ages. “That’s her.”
“How can I help you?” Ria asked seemingly cheerfully, but I could tell the smile was fake.
Jade unclasped the charm bracelet and held it put to Ria, who gasped when she saw it.
She took it in her hands carefully. “I found it in my room, my family moved in to her house.”
“How do you…?”
“It’s a long story.” Jade looked away awkwardly.
“Oh…okay…well, thank you for bringing this to me.” Ria smiled for real this time.
“You’re very welcome. I’d better get going now.”
“Okay, bye! Thanks again!” Ria closed the door.
“You didn’t tell her about me?” I asked Jade.
She shook her head. “It didn’t seem right. I think she’d be happier not knowing.”
We shall see. “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
She nodded. “Bye.”
The tether linked to the bracelet began to tighten, I could feel myself being pulled. “Thank you.” But she didn’t hear me. I let Ria drag me up to her room. It was how it as before. There was still a framed picture of us on her nightstand. She sat on her bed staring down at the bracelet in her hands.
“I love you, so much.” Her eyes watered. She laid down on her pillow and closed her eyes. She sleeps when she’s sad. She fell asleep quickly.
I walked over by her side and softly brushed my hand against her cheek. “I love you too. I always will.” I noticed her laptop was open on her desk. Hm…maybe…
I sat in her chair concentrated. I jiggled the mouse pad and the screen lit up. A word document opened up, so I went to typing everything right away. As I was just about finished with my tale, it became harder to type, my hands were becoming more translucent every second.
I typed even faster:
It was you, you’re the reason I couldn’t pass on. I needed to see you one last time, needed you to have my bracelet. Oh, I love you so. Enjoy your life, please do, I’ll see you in the end,
Love,
Unable to finish, a bright light overtook my vision and I was taken out of the world of the living.
Ria jolted awake. Her alarm clock read 1:55am. She sighed, then noticed her laptop screen was brightly lit up and the once blank Word document was covered in words. She slipped out up bed and sat in her chair, scrolling up to the top. She read it, once, twice, then a third time to be sure she wasn’t mistaken. Her hand flew up over her mouth and her eyes watered, welling with tears. The likelihood of someone doing this as a joke was slim to nothing. Her family loved pranks, but weren’t cruel. They knew how much of a mess she’d been since Cassy’s disappearance. Ria read it a fourth time, very slowly, trying to picture everything, trying to picture Cassy. She saved the document onto her trusted flash drive and set the drive next to the picture of her and Cassy on her nightstand before laying back in bed to reminisce the nostalgic past.
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