Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ My Ghost ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

My Ghost

Chapter Nine

Callie stood in her back yard, surrounded by a crowd of people. She frowned. Is this some kind of party? She wondered. She didn't recognize any of the people, although she felt like she probably should. A boy with dark hair walked by. Aaron? She wondered. No…that's not him. His face is different. Maybe it's…

“Nora!” a voice called. Callie turned to face the speaker. It was Will, holding his hand out for her to take. “Would you like to take a walk, while everyone else is occupied?” Callie was surprised to find that her hand did not slip through Will's. Only now did it dawn on her that Will had called her “Nora.”

She followed Will for a few minutes, until they could no longer see or hear the party, and sat down on a bench in a gazebo. “I know you don't care for these events,” Will said, grinning. “Besides that, I wanted to talk to you alone.”

Callie cocked her head slightly to the right. “Why?” she asked.

“It's obvious, isn't it? I really like you, Nora. I know that Edward likes you, too, and I don't want to hurt him, but…” He held her hands, looking into her eyes. “I always pursue what I want.”

Callie's vision faded and she closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she was lying in her bed, listening to her alarm clock.

Still in a daze, Callie picked out some clothes at random and changed. Then she walked out of her room, searching for Will. She expected him to be right outside her door, as he usually was, but then she remembered the strange conversation they'd had the night before. He said something similar last night…something about going after what you want. She was even more determined to find him now.

Callie went back in her room, walking over to the desk to get the homework she had finished the night before. She reached for the notebook, but as she walked toward it, she tripped, falling against her desk.

Like in that other dream… Callie knelt on the floor where she had tripped and inspected the carpet. It looked fairly new, like it had been replaced in the past five years. “How pissed would Mom be if I ripped up the carpet?” Callie mumbled.

“What are you looking for?” Callie glanced up and saw Will standing in behind her doorway.

“Nothing.” She quickly stood, brushing imaginary dust off of her pants. “I had a really weird dream last night,” she said.

“Oh? What happened?”

“Well, see…nothing really happened. It was a lot of dialogue, though. Apparently a party was going on, and you were there. You led me to this gazebo that was somewhere behind the house…” She watched Will's face intently for any change, but there was none. “And you called me `Nora.'” She said.

Will's face twitched for a fraction of a second, but then he regained his composure. “That's a bit strange,” he said.

“Yeah, I thought so, too. Also, I saw a boy who looked a lot like Aaron, but his face was different.”

“Well…dreams are very strange things, but they don't really mean anything. Do you remember what we said in the dream?”

“Possibly,” Callie said. “Why? You said that dreams don't really mean anything.”

“Right,” Will said. “They don't. I was just curious.” He frowned. “I took you to a gazebo?”

Callie nodded. “As Nora.”

“So…again, I ask you…what did I say to you, as Nora?”

“You said that you loved her and that, while you were aware of Edward's feelings for her, you would make sure to get what you want. Basically.”

Will opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. When he opened it again, he said, “Well…that's a strange dream, then.”

“Uh huh. Maybe you'd like to confess something? Because, I mean, if I can see a ghost, then maybe me having what seem to be dreams about your past isn't so farfetched, after all.”

Will frowned. “Dreams? You've had more than one?”

“Yeah, something about a book inside a floorboard. Which is strange, considering that I have carpet in my room. Would you know anything about that?”

“Wait.” Will's eyes widened. “In your dream, you found a book? In this room?”

“Yeah,” Callie said. “So does that mean something?”

“Maybe,” he said. “It was Ed's room. I mean, maybe he had a journal or something and he hid it in the floor. But it would probably be long gone by now.”

“This was your brother's room?” Callie asked. “I would have guessed that it was yours, from your inability to come in. I thought maybe it was where you died or something and it made you feel uncomfortable.”

Will shook his head. “No, I really do just feel uncomfortable entering a lady's room.”

“Well, if the book thing means something, maybe the other dream does, too. Will, I'll give you one chance to tell me the truth.” Callie stared at him, with her hands on her hips, mimicking the pose her mother had used so often when Callie had been caught doing something she shouldn't. “What really went on between you and Nora?”

Before Will could reply, Callie's mother's voice interrupted them. “Callie! The bus is here!”

“Damn it.” Callie grabbed her books and turned to Will. “You'd better tell me when I get home later, William.” With that, she raced down the stairs and out to the bus, ignoring her stomach's hungry protests.

Callie sat in the same seat she had the day before, once again ignoring the screams of the kids also riding. The bus ride could not have ended sooner, and Callie jumped off almost immediately, eager to get out of the hell that was public school transportation. Unfortunately, she was about to enter another kind of hell: public school itself.

Once again, Ashley waved her over and Callie joined the kids she now called her friends. “What's up?” Aaron asked, grinning.

Before Callie could answer, Ashley interrupted. “Oh my God, Callie, you won't believe it! Aaron and I talked to our dad last night, and apparently, our Great Grandfather's name was…”

“Edward,” Aaron said. Callie's eyes lit up.

“Really? So…wait. Your dad's name is…?”

“Joe, and our grandfather's is Andrew. That sound right to you?” he asked.

“Exactly right. Oh, wow. So you guys really are…” Callie could barely contain her excitement. “Will is going to be so happy to hear that!”

Ashley and Aaron looked at each other. “Will?” Ashley asked. “Isn't that the name of the boy who died?”

“Um…yeah…” Callie said. “It's…um…” She bit her lip. Callie had never been the greatest liar. “I meant…I…I have to go.” She quickly walked away, before the siblings could say anything more. However, Callie realized that Ashley was in her first class, and she would undoubtedly have to explain her bizarre behavior in just a few minutes.