|
Post by Friday on Jan 19, 2010 15:57:25 GMT -5
“Oh Kasey, it's been so hard these past few days, just watching you but not being able to do anything, I wanted to talk to you so bad, and when you were crying after the accident,” he said his face buried into my hair. He scooped me up to cradle me in his arms and then carried me up the stairs to my room. “Dakota, I've missed you so much.” I said trying to hold back tears, of happiness, longing, excitement, I wasn't really sure. “I had to come back,” he replied and winked at me as we were halfway up the stairs. “I had to keep my promise, I told you I would carry you up these stairs.” I smiled up at him, and snuggled closer to his chest and didn't say a word to him. He made it to my room and laid me down on my bed and then laid down next to me and held me in his arms gingerly. “You're so warm, Kasey. I never thought I would come to a day when I told you you were warmer than I am, but I can't hardly touch you. You're just hot to the touch,” he said but didn't pull away. Something told me that he had missed me even more than I had missed him despite the fact that from what I could tell, he had watched me the whole time. “You're cold,” I told him with a giggle, loving being with him. “Kasey,” I could hear him choke on my name as he said it and I looked up to meet his eyes. “I'm so sorry you've had to go through this alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help,” he said, and I could hear the true regret in his voice. His cool fingertips reached up to gently touch my black eye. “I'm sorry I couldn't help you deal with Jeanine's collection, or was there to hold you when you cried. I promised you I would always be there and I let you down. I fought so hard against them to let me talk to you, touch you. But they refused, I had to learn the rules first, and they wouldn't let me loose until they were satisfied.” He pressed his lips to my forehead an once again I felt the cool tingle that lingered behind when he pulled away. “Satisfied with what?” “Satisfied that I wouldn't screw up the human world, although, there's not really all that much I can do. I can move small things, but even that requires a great amount of energy, and you exhaust yourself. I haven't done it myself to know, but apparently, it's not good when you do,” he said holding me gently still. Dakota had always been touchy feely, but now he just seemed to not want to take his hands off me. And I wasn't against it either, I didn't realize just how much I had missed his hands on me, until they were back. “What all did you have to know?” I asked curious, hoping maybe that he could tell. “Well, I'm not supposed to tell you...” he said his voice trailing off, and before he could say anything after that I let out a loud agitated sigh. I didn't understand why they couldn't tell me anything. “Woah, woah, hang on just one minute, my little Runner,” he said propping himself up on one elbow. “I never said I wasn't going to tell you,” he added with a sly grin, so ask away my sweet Runner.” My face lit up, and I could see it reflected in his silver hazel eyes and in the smile on his face that matched my own. “You know Kasey May, I freaking love that smile. I haven't seen you smile in four days, and I love it. I've missed that so much,” he said and then leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back and once again felt the tingles on my lips, that I was coming to enjoy quite a bit. “Now what do you want to know?” “What am I supposed to be doing?” I asked, voicing my most urgent question first. “Well, there's a lot of things you can do, but the main thing Runners are here for is to send ghosts on to there final destination,” he answered easily enough, but it was obvious to me that he was being careful about what he was saying. “So being a ghost isn't the final destination?” “Oh no, you see, Ghostland is not the final destination, it is just a pit stop for some. Not everybody gets to be a ghost, or needs to be I should say. From what I can tell, it's if you have unfinished business or a really good reason to stay, it's not a conscious choice you make. Or it wasn't one I made in any case, I died, and then I was a ghost. It was that fast for me,” he said using his hand that he wasn't laying on the rub my hair softly. And even though that one statement brought about many questions for me, most of them were personal, and I wanted to talk about this ghost business more before I lost my chance. “How do I send ghosts on? And what is the final destination?” He laughed at me before he answered me, and I was too curious about these answers to be offended over the chuckle. “The final destination is different for everybody, Heaven, Hell, some stay in Ghostland, Paradise, Nirvana, some go to be reincarnated, it depends on what you believe as to where you go. There are a number of different places people can go. However, no one, not even ghosts know for sure just where it all is, and where you really go, it's all just guesses,” he said with a shrug. “And to how you send people on, there is two ways. You can help a ghost finish what he was staying on Earth in Ghostland for, it's all about that reason they were here for. The other way, is that Runners, like you have the ability to force people to move on. I couldn't tell you how you do it, but I know you can,” Dakota said answering my next question before I could even ask it.
|
|
|
Post by Friday on Jan 19, 2010 15:59:47 GMT -5
“What else can I do?” I asked, because I would hopefully be able to do more than just send people on. “Well, from what I gathered, you can travel between the two realms, Ghostland, and Earth, basically at your own free will. You always have a foot in both, but you can push yourself to one side or the other. Be a human to ghost, virtually untouchable by us, or be a ghost to a human, meaning you are untouchable to the humans. Where as right now, you can be touched and heard by both. You have some powers to protect form otherworldly creatures that aren't ghosts, such as Jeanine,” he said and I just listened quietly trying to take everything in. “So, I take it you don't know how I do any of this?” I said hedging a guess. Sadly, Dakota shook his head and just frowned before he said, “I have full intention of helping you with everything. I'm not going to leave you.” I smiled up at him and pushed him over so that he was laying on his back, and then I put my head on his chest and curled up there. Dakota automatically wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him. “Dakota, you said earlier that to be a ghost you had to have a reason to stay. What was your reason?” I asked him in a quiet voice, not moving on his chest. He was quiet for a moment before he said, “You. Kasey May, you are the reason I stayed.” We sat there quietly for a moment, him just holding me in his arms. On his chest, in his arms was my favorite spot in the world. I loved it when I was there. I felt safe, protected from the world, and most importantly I felt loved. “Why?” “I couldn't leave you, I can't stand to be away from you. Even if it means I have to be a ghost forever, I would stay like this to be with you,” he said and then tightened his arms about me as if to prove his point. “I would do anything to be with you Kasey. I would walk to Hawaii if it meant I got to be with you.” I smiled and looked up at him with all my love for him shining in my eyes. “Dakota, I love you,” I said not knowing what else I could say to that. “Kasey I love you too,” he said and then pulled my chin up with one hand to bring my mouth to his. He placed a long slow kiss on them and held his mouth there close to mine, not even an inch away from his. We sat like that for I don't know how long until I pulled away to place my head on his chest again. I was just enjoying being with him again, I loved it. And I wasn't ever going to take another minute of it for granted. I had lost him once, and I planned on never letting it happen again. “It didn't hurt much did it?” I asked after we had been sitting for a while in silence. “Did what hurt? “Dying,” I said quietly because I was almost afraid to say the word out loud. He was silent for a moment, and I could almost hear him thinking in the quiet of my room. “You don't feel it,” he said at last, but I could tell by the way he said it that he wasn't done. “I saw it coming, and I knew there was no way to stop. People talk about approaching a bright light, well when it hit me, everything went white. I couldn't feel, I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. Everything was just white. I have never been more terrified in my life. It felt like I was there forever, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. When I came to like this, as a ghost, my body was out of the car, you were on the ground sobbing. I wanted to touch you then. I almost was, but I was stopped by another ghost, they wouldn't let me go to you,” he said his eyes focused on the memory, and I could hear the pain in his voice. The pain that was there, not for him, but for me. “I'm sorry,” I said quietly still watching him. As I said this his eyes focused on me and the present time instead of the past. He shook his head quickly. “Kasey you have nothing to be sorry for.” “But I brought it up, I made you remember.” “No,” he repeated, “you had the right to know. I'm sure it's been killing you not knowing anything.” I nodded and swallowed the lump that had developed in my throat listening to him talk. “It's not your fault Kasey, listen to my mother, what she said was true. And if you can't listen to her, listen to Allen, he won't hesitate to tell you that it wasn't your fault either. If neither one of those two are enough, I hope that you can listen to me when I say you have nothing to be sorry for. None of this was your fault. Not the accident, because that's all it was. It was just an accident. And your Runner abilities, that isn't your fault either,” he said in a firm tone, and I knew without a doubt that I could believe him, that none of it was my fault. But like everything he had said this just gave me even more questions to ask. “Dakota? Why did I get to be a Runner?” He didn't answer just stayed quiet, and I just patiently waited for him to say something. I waited a long while, and still didn't get a reply. He was so still beneath me I could have been laying on a cold marble statue for all I knew. “Dakota?” I prompted after a while of him being silent. I felt him twitch underneath me and I knew then that he had dazed off again. To what he had dazed off to this time I wasn't sure. “There's a lot of things,” he said vaguely, and I knew it didn't want to answer it, but I wasn't going to give him a choice. “Tell me, please,” I said using my sweetest, most tempting voice I knew how to use. I'd pulled this leaf out of Emma's book. I knew from her that Dakota had no resistance to sweet little girl voices wanting something. I saw him close his eyes and visibly try to resist me. But it was a lost cause for him. When he opened his eyes, I was staring up at him with the best little lost puppy dog impression that I could give him. “Oh damn it, Kasey, you know I can't resist you. Especially when you look at me like that,” he said and gave me a hug.
|
|
|
Post by Friday on Jan 19, 2010 16:01:36 GMT -5
“You are a Runner, because of three things. One, you watched someone very close to you die in person. Two, you've already been the focal point of a few ghosts throughout your life whether you knew it or not. And three, you were already predestined by different things to become a Runner. In Ghostland, you've always been seen more clearly than other humans, and you've always had a faint silver glow. When you witnessed the accident, that just triggered it all. You now stand out in Ghostland, and your silver lining shines more than any of ours do.” I listened, as I had done the whole time since I found him as a ghost. It seemed I was going to be doing a lot of listening from now on. Mainly because there was a lot I needed to learn. “I see,” I said letting him know that I was listening to him despite the fact that I was still trying to absorb it all. He held me closer to him but didn't sat anything as if he knew I needed the time to think. So I was a Runner. Part of the otherworldly beings that I had never believed in until fours days ago. The only reason I was made a Runner was because I saw a death, and had some predetermined fate to be one. Dakota had also mentioned ghosts already having an eye on me. I didn't know why that was, and I didn't know what ghosts would want to watch me when I wasn't able to communicate with them. But one had all the same. I was expected to send ghosts on to their final destinations where ever that may be, to each his own. I didn't know how to forcefully do it, but I wouldn't want to do that anyways. I was to nice to really want to force one of them away. But I could help them move on by fulfilling there reason for being here. And if that was the case, I guess ghost Dakota would be around as long as I was since his purpose for being there was me. And even though I hadn't developed any of my so called powers I was already expected to help these ghosts. I knew for sure that I was was already expected to deal with Jeanine's crew, and with her from the sounds of things. If I didn't deal with her, who would? Surely there were other Runners out there but from the sounds of things we were few and far between. And I also knew that I didn't want Jeanine doing any more of what she was trying to my father. I could also take a guess that Amy wanted my help to. All her helpful tips all her guidance was just for her to feel me out. She didn't want to be forced away. She wanted me to do something. What that something was, I wasn't really sure yet, but I'm sure I would find out. And I would put money on that being her reasons for feeling me out, and watching me take care of the boys in the clearing were to find out whether or not I would help of force her own. That's what that wink had meant. She knew I wasn't going to force anyone away. I was here to help. It all made my head hurt, and it made me want to throw a fit and scream. I wanted to know why all this had to happen to me, and what I was supposed to do with it. What was the purpose. None of it made sense to my mind, and I couldn't make any sense out of it no matter how hard I tried. But slowly, much more slowly than I liked, all the pieces were slowly falling into place. The only thing of what I was sure of was that I was given this gift to do something with it. I wouldn't let it go to waste. It was going to get used, even if it meant I had to go out and hunt down ghosts. I didn't think it would come to that though. I had enough problems just dealing with the ones that found me as it was. Maybe once I had dealt with them, I could go looking for bigger ghost problems, ones that might actually mean something.
|
|
|
Post by Friday on Jan 21, 2010 15:13:47 GMT -5
Chapter 13: Amy's Truth
I didn't go to school the rest of that week. I didn't see the need to and I definitely could not find the motivation to do it. I spent every waking minute with Dakota, learning about ghosts, and making up for lost time. Dakota, Sam and I made up a family. It might have been a weird family, and we might have been a little odd, but they were my family none the less. I spent more time with them than I did anyone else. And no matter how much time I spent with them I could not get used to how cold they constantly were. It made it hard to even want Dakota to hold me when I seemed to freeze if I stayed against him too long. So I took to wearing hoodies all the time. It didn't keep away all the cold, but it definitely provided a buffer between my skin and theirs, if that's what you could call it. Since I hadn't left my house, I hadn't encountered anymore ghosts besides Dakota and Sam. Although at night when I was asleep, I could've sworn the woman ghost I had seen before came and talked to Dakota. I couldn't be for sure, because it was all mixed in with dreams. But nevertheless I knew there was no way Dakota was alone the entire night. It wasn't until Saturday, that I ran into another ghost. Dakota, Sam and I were at the grocery store getting groceries for me for the week when I saw Amy again. She was sitting on the meat counter when I first saw her and her me. She waved and then jumped off the counter and came to see us. “What's up Kasey?” She said falling into step beside Dakota and me. Sam yelped her own greeting to Amy and jumped up on her, which Amy did as was wanted and picked her up. “Not much you?” I asked not worried about anyone overhearing me. I had brought my own hands free Bluetooth headset in full anticipation of talking to ghosts. I had seen it often enough. Some lady would be talking, and I would mistakenly think she was talking to me. Then I would turn around and look at her only to hear her continue talking and see a tiny black headset in one ear. I figured it could work the same way with me, just no one would be on the other end of my pretend phone call. “I haven't seen you at school,” she said and I could tell by the way she said it she was trying to get at something. “No,” I said easily, “I took a few days off.” I shrugged as I said this and looked at onions carefully trying to pick out the best ones. “Kasey,” she said and she sounded so serious and in need that I actually put my onions down to look at her. “What is is Amy?” I asked turning to face her. “I need your help. I should have asked you earlier, but I didn't know what you would do, I had to know, but I can't wait. I'm ready to move on, and I need you to do something for me.” “Anything,” I said and without more than that, I left my cart in the middle of the isle with the few things I had already picked out, and walked out of the store. “Where are we going?” “2205 Willow Creek, it's in the subdivision across the street from the school,” she said and I could almost hear the relief in her voice as she gave the address quickly. We all piled into my car, Dakota, Sam and Amy and myself. I started the engine and easily pulled out of the parking lot heading for the school. “So, I know this is out of place in the situation, but how can ghosts sit on things and stuff like that when I've seen you walk right through walls?” I asked curious, surprised at myself for not asking the question earlier. Amy giggled and Dakota gave a chuckle, while I just sighed in annoyance. I hated how both of them found it amusing that I didn't know anything. However, both of them had guidance and a sort of a crash course in the ways of ghosts before they got completely thrown into the world. “We can still go through them,” Amy said and to demonstrate stuck her hand through my seat so that I could feel the cold pressure of her hand on my back. “Then how do you sit?” “Well you see, we can make ourselves somewhat solid to material objects without really using too much energy,” Dakota added from the passenger seat next to me. “Interesting,” I said with nothing more I could think of to say. I had been doing this ghost thing for almost a week and I still couldn't get it all figured it out. Dakota and Amy just laughed and Sam gave a quiet little yip from her seat in the back next to Amy. I just sighed and rolled my eyes at them, glad they at least were finding some amusement out of it. “Oh Kasey, you're going to turn in here at this next light,” Amy said pointing with her hand coming over my shoulder. “You got it,” I said switching lanes and turning into the neighborhood. Once I was there it wasn't hard at all to find the house Amy wanted me to go to. It wasn't an upper class suburb by any means. Most of the houses were modest homes, small, and old used cars sitting in the driveway. I pulled up against the curb outside and let my car sit and idle for a moment before I turned it off. I didn't know what I was getting into, but I knew this was my first real test in the realm of ghosts.
|
|
|
Post by Friday on Jan 21, 2010 15:14:24 GMT -5
I sighed and pushed my door open and slammed it shut not bothering to wait for my ghost friends. I knew they could find their way out without any assistance for me. “So what am I doing?” I asked, focusing all my attention on Amy as she came to stand next to me. Dakota hung back on my other side, and Sam sat down on top of my feet, but right then, I only had attention for Amy. “I need you to tell my mom something, there is a note in the kitchen, it fell back under the fridge when I died. I need you to get that note and show her that too,” Amy said her playful mood completely changing into a more somber serious mood. “I died last year on New Years Eve. My mom thinks I was running away, I've watched her all these years, but I was just going to the store so I could get a bottle of sparkling grape juice for us to share. I had saved up money for that, to get us that. She was missing a party to stay at home with me, but it's what she wanted. She didn't have money, we were waiting on the paycheck, it was something I had planned on doing when my mom said we weren't going to do anything for New Years. We had quarreled earlier in the day, and we hadn't made up yet. She thought I was leaving,” she stumbled over the words as she spoke, and I could see silver tear drops forming in her eyes. “The roads were slick with ice. The driver was coming around the corner too fast for me to react. His car hopped the curb and that's what killed me. I later learned that he was drunk, but he drove away from the scene, and just left me there. I was found an hour later, but by then it was already too late.” “I need my mom to know the truth, I need her to know that I wasn't leaving her,” Amy said, and her voice caught in her throat and silver tear drops slipped down her cheeks. I pulled her into my arms and gave her a big hug before I stepped away leaving my hands on her shoulders. “It's ok, we are going to fix this right now,” I said. I gave her another quick hug and then walked across the lawn to the front door. I took a deep breath and took stock of what I looked like. The bruise on my eye hadn't faded a bit and it was still a nasty dark purple color. I wasn't wearing anything fancy, just jeans and my normal t-shirt. It wasn't what I would have chosen had I known I was going to do this. I probably looked like a random hoodlum and I just hoped that Amy's mother would give me a chance. Gathering all my courage I knocked on the door to house and took a step back. It wasn't long before I heard the lock and the door turn and a thin, pale woman opened it. I swallowed and then said, “I know you don't know me, but my name is Kasey May Parker, and I need to talk to you.” The woman looked hesitant and I saw her narrow the gap between the door and the door frame. “It's about Amy,” I said quickly trying to convey the urgency of what I had to tell her. Her eyes grew wide and she opened the door and got much more enthusiastic as she opened the door wide. “Please, come in,” she said waving me in with one arm. I gave a quick look to Amy and saw that she was wringing her hands together, and biting her lip in nervousness. She didn't know how this was going to go either. I followed the woman inside and saw a sparsely furnished living room with one old TV set and a battered couch and rocking chair. “Please have a seat,” he said and I could see the anticipation on her face as well as hear it in her voice. Dakota, Amy and Sam all followed me in, however the two humans hung back close to the door, while Sam came and sat at my feet providing me the moral support I needed.
|
|
|
Post by Friday on Jan 21, 2010 15:14:56 GMT -5
“Actually, I'll just stand, I don't plan on being here long,” I said knowing that I was going to have to go into the kitchen. I could see the fridge from here, and I knew what was there beneath it. The look on the woman's face visibly fell when I told her that and it killed me to see someone look so sad and hurt. “Amy wasn't running away,” I said quickly, starting the only place I thought would work. The woman tilted her head to the side and watched me with a puzzled expression on her face. “But how did you-” I held up a hand to cut her off, “Please let me explain. It was all a misunderstanding. Amy, she left a note, but it fell,” I said quickly and without waiting for a reply I walked into the kitchen and knelt down by the fridge, I slipped my hand under it and found a slip of paper. I pulled it out from underneath the fridge, to see that it was a dusty pink post it note. Amy's mother had followed me into the kitchen. Her hands were shaking and she covered her mouth with one as she reached out for the note with the other. Her eyes were wide as I put the note in her hands and I could see her eyes dart over it quickly as she read the words I had just read: Hey Mom, I'm sorry about the fight. I'm going out real quick to get us a surprise. I'll be back soon. I love you more than anything in the world. Love, Amy. Tears welled up in the woman's eyes as she read the note over and over again. I saw Amy move and in her ghost like fashion, wrapped her arms around her mother. And I swear the woman could feel it because she looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes shut tight. “It was a drunk driver, a hit and run accident,” I said hoping that would help if she knew. She pulled her eyes from the ceiling to look at me. “How do you know all this?” she asked, and as I watched the tears spilled over her cheeks in a mirror image of Amy's beside her. “I'm sorry, I can't tell you,” I said shaking my head sadly. Without being told I knew this was a big no no of Ghostland. She pursed her lips and nodded as if seeming to understand. “Thank you...” Her voice trailed off as she looked at me. Then she moved closer to me and and gave me a hug, and I knew it was for her sake and not mine. “Tell Amy that I love her, that I miss her, that I'm not mad, and that I'm so relieved that she wasn't leaving,” she whispered into my ear. And despite the whisper I knew Amy had heard her, because her tears spilled over even more and she let out a gasping sob. Dakota wrapped his arm around her and she turned and cried into his chest, like I had done so many times. I knew better than anyone that that was a good chest to cry on. “She loves you too,” I told the woman and she smiled and nodded at me. “Is there anything I can do to repay you?” she asked me. And before the words were out of her mouth I was already vigorously shaking my head 'no'. “No,” I said reinforcing my head shake. “You don't owe me anything.” She looked at me and then swallowed and nodded her head slowly. “Thank you,” she repeated sincerely, and I honestly don't think I've ever had a thank you be that appreciative or that meaningful. After that I didn't stay long inside the house after that. We exchanged pleasantries, and Mindy, Amy's mother's, attempts to pay me back which I declined each and every time. She seemed much more at ease and happier when I left than when I got there. And it looked to me as if there was more color in her cheeks, and more life in her step too. Back outside in the front yard, without a warning Amy attacked me. “Oh Kasey, thank you, thank you and thank you!” she exclaimed as she squeezed me tight. “Your welcome,” I told her with a huge grin on my face. I felt accomplished, and it felt good to help not only one person, but two. “Now, it's time for me to go,” she said calming down some as she pulled away from me. But the big smile never left her face. I stepped back from her and smiled. “Thank you, Amy, and good luck with the rest of your journey,” I said grateful that she had found me first. She didn't say anything in response, but took a few steps backwards away from me. She spread her arms out at her side and looked up into the sky, and from the core of her being, she started glowing a bright white light. It was so bright I had to look away, and as it faded I looked back over to where she was standing and she was fading with it. She winked an eye at me, and then in one quick flash, she was gone, leaving shimmering silver glitter to fall to the ground where she stood. I watched in awe with Dakota and Sam, tucked comfortably underneath Dakota's arm, with Sam held firmly in my arms. It was beautiful and a tad bit sad all at the same time. But more than anything I was happy. Happy that I could help her, and her mom, happy that I was able to do it on my own, but most of all, happy that Amy was finally getting to be where she belonged.
|
|