by L. Foster
'Of course, what's up?' Laura still had her perfected fake smile plastered on her face.
Rebecca could bet something was wrong, but decided not to press the issue any further. She knew she would not get a word out of Laura on occasions where she was hell bent on staying silent such as this. Not that she really cared to know anyways. She resorted to asking Laura if she was getting along well with Abigail.
'So, how are you and the new girl getting along? Everything okay?'
'Fine. Everything's fine. Why?' Laura turned her response into a challenge. This usually helped deter people from probing into her world.
'All right, just making sure you're both okay.' Rebecca put in having clearly caught the drift.
Laura looked at Rebecca and tried to block her view of the damp trousers under her bed. She hoped the perfume spray she used some minutes back was enough to combat the smell. She figured the longer Rebecca stayed, the easier it would be for her to find out, so she shooed her away giving the excuse she needed to get herself ready.
Rebecca promised Laura could come to her if she ever needed to talk or sought help. She looked Laura over one last time and then exited the room to get the cleaning crew to work. Laura shut her door and rushed to soak her trousers and underwear in the small wash sink in her room with hand soap and water. With that done, she walked back to her bed and collapsed. Tears and sobs came without stop.
Laura didn't know how long she slept, but her eyes were literally on fire when she woke up. A noise outside of her door had woken her. She got up and adjusted her bathrobe before opening the door a bit to see who it was. On sighting Abigail, she ran out of her room.
'Abi!'
Abigail turned towards Laura. Her left eye was swollen shut, her mouth was bleeding and her lips were bruised. She appeared to have scratches all over her arms and one on her face. Her clothes were torn and soiled.
Laura was left dumbfounded.
Abigail continued to her own room and unlocked the door with her bleeding hands. She pleaded with Laura, who had followed her closely, to leave her alone before shutting the door in her face.
Laura paced in front of Abigail’s room door back and forth for a couple of minutes, but still couldn’t bring herself to knock no matter how hard she tried. She bit her fingernails and then walked towards the stairs. She would let Rebecca know. This had certainly gone too far, she thought. She was so determined to get help for Abi and was convinced that even Rebecca wouldn’t be able to ignore the abuse this time.
'Where do you think you're going?' Ella's voice came booming from the bottom of the stairs.
'I... I was....'
'You was? You were what?' asked Ella, her hand around Garry's waist.
Garry gave Laura a dirty smile. 'So, this is the one who pisses herself, huh? I guess I could do her too...' His hand went down to the crotch of his jeans, scratching and adjusting them. His eyes never left Laura all the while.
Laura took a step backwards on the stairs.
'He's kidding. Nobody wants a worthless lezzie like you! But if you think you're going to tell 'Becca about this, then he'll make sure nobody will ever want a lezzie like you!' Ella fired.
Garry brought a can of beer up to his mouth and chugged it. He looked over at Ella.
'I think that'd be fun. Maybe this one will moan like her bitch friend did?'
Ella laughed and looked at Laura. 'I told you we'd sort that skank out. Now, go upstairs before you make another mess! The whole place will be smelling like piss again.'
Holly and Brenda laughed at this. Garry looked up at Laura again but didn't say a word. Laura turned around and went back to her room. She stopped briefly at Abi's door, but continued to her room feeling defeated. She bolted the door behind her.
'I told you it'd be worth your while'. Ella turned to Garry. 'Now, why don't I take you upstairs and show you your reward?'
'Yeah, whatever. Maybe another time. Stop hassling.' Garry said and put a hasty kiss on Ella's cheek. She tried to pull him upstairs, but he shoved her away.
Ella watched Garry as he left, chugging great gulps from his can as he walked away. He stopped, turned and looked up towards the stairs where Laura had been earlier being scared off, then left. Holly and Brenda patiently watched this one sided show of trouble in Ella’s paradise with keen interest. Ella could also sense the cloud of excitement hanging above her posse which only fueled the anger rising within her. She didn't trust her entourage, and hell, she wasn't going to show any sign of weakness before them. With every fiber of bravery left within her, she barked the girls away and stormed off.
Dear Diary
I can't do it. I can't. I'm sorry, Laura. I can't do it.
Always
Abi
Chapter 18
Laura awoke the next morning feeling a bit stronger than she had been the day before. The thought of her inglorious encounter with Ella and her gang gave her a slight headache as she put her robe on. She looked over to her door and could see a large blue envelope had been slipped under it overnight. Laura picked it up and examined it. It was from Abigail. Laura's hand traced the writing on the envelope.
With a slight smile, she placed the envelope on her dresser and headed for Abi’s room. She walked over to Abi's room and put her hand up to knock. But again, she didn't, she had a better idea.
'Maybe she'll want breakfast in bed?' Laura said to herself. She knew Abigail would do all she could to avoid bumping into Ella’s bully squad one more time. She thought it best to bring Abigail breakfast and looked forward to having a conversation with her where she could apologize. She still felt guilty for what Ella did to her.
Laura walked down to the common room to procure breakfast for her friend. She placed a cup of tea on a tray that had an apple, some bread, and a bit of bacon with eggs on the side. As Laura started to gather napkins and a fork, Ella came downstairs with her gang.
'Hey, lezzie. Feeling okay this morning? Hope you're able to control yourself a bit better? That skank friend of yours, just like you, couldn't help herself. Messed up my man's trousers too. The bitch!'
Ella proceeded to take an apple for herself, then continued. 'Anyway, my man was okay. He right enjoyed himself. Likes a bit of a fight back. Give it to her good and proper. Actually, I'm surprised she could even walk it back!' Ella covered her mouth stopping a chuckle. 'I mean; the way he was going at it. Ain't that right, girls?'
The girls laughed as the meaning hit Laura. The rest was a blur. She threw the tray down and started running upstairs towards her friend's room.
'Messy cow!' shouted Ella towards the stairs.
Laura ignored Ella and pushed past Holly to get up the stairs. She stopped when she heard a scream. It wasn't from the girls below, but from a cleaning woman positioned in front of Abigail's room. The door stood ajar. Laura shoved her way past the woman and into her friend's room.
'Abi! I'm so...' Laura's voice died in her throat.
Her eyes absorbed the hellish scene. In the corner of Abigail's room, her body lay motionless. Her eyes bulged out. Her face was pale blue with a ligature hanging from an upended part of the bed to her neck. Laura turned away and screamed. She ran directly into Ella, who had followed her up the stairs.
Ella laughed.
Part Three: Gethsemane
20 years later
Chapter 19
Colin looked down at his watch. Another minute ticked by and he still couldn't see his friend. Colin's tailored wool suit started to saturate with sweat.
'He's got five more minutes...' Colin said as he fiddled with his mobile.
Henry Bradshaw had grown up from being the average Irish kid Abigail knew to the average Irish adult who walked up to Colin and apologized for his lateness.
'Bloody hell, mate. I don't have much time. Lunch break, remember?' Colin said, pointing at his watch.
'I owe you one.'
'One? One was just getting you here. You owe me more than one for waiting in this god awful heat. I think I just st
ained my breeks.' Colin said as he tried to vent the heat out of his suit trousers.
'I'm good for it. You know that.'
'Yeah, and you bloody better be. Colin managed a smile, then continued. 'This one mate. This one's giving me the real arsehole.'
Henry explored the outside of the flat.
'It doesn't look so bad to me. Fence up front, windows look all intact, wouldn't have picked that color. Brown on brown? Now that's a crime.' He grinned.
'Haha. Funny. You know damn well what I mean. I didn't ask you here for your decorating skills.' Colin took a key out of his jacket pocket and walked up towards the door. He turned over his shoulder to Henry. 'This thing should be smoking hot to sell. Like shit off a shovel. But...'
'But?'
'Owner left in the middle of the night. Grabbed his kids and ran. Hasn’t been back since. Not even to collect his bloody mail.'
'Sounds like a good time for a sale then.'
'Mr. Joker are we? We tried that. Knocked off 20. Then 20 became 30 and now 40 percent off and still nothing. That's not 40 percent off any price, that’s 40 percent off the bleeding market price at that!'
The two walked inside of the house. It was fully furnished and decorated in a nouveau style that somewhat clashed with the outer fixtures. The sofa seemed brand new and the smell of leather hung in the air. Henry put his hand on the sofa. It was cold to the touch.
'You should be able to sell this in a snap. Who's paying the electric? The AC must be running over time.'
'That's the thing, mate. Electricity has been off this week. We had some fuse problems. Guy won't be here till tonight to fix it.'
'Huh.'
Colin told Henry about how he had been bringing people into the house to do some type of work. He mentioned how the owner grabbed his kids and left the house in the middle of the night telling everyone who cared to know, especially the press that the house was haunted. The story got published in the tabloids and put potential buyers off.
'Right, I heard something about that. Henry confirmed. 'The Rose-View Screw is what one paper said. They said the guy found the wall screws all bleeding like the wall was made out of flesh.'
'Bollocks. Do you see any walls bleeding here? There were a few stains, but it was probably just some water seepage from a blown pipe or something. Easy fix.' Colin said, pointing towards the wall and ceiling.
'Just repeating what was said mate. Just repeating what was said. Anyway, what do you want me to do?' Henry asked with much sarcasm.
'Well, I remembered you were into this sort of stuff. Besides, with you being a prof and all, a little word from you could go a long way. I figured, get good ol' Henry down here and let him snoop around. When you don't find squat, then—poof—the only ghosts here will be just a bad memory. A bloke who screwed himself out of a few thousand quid because he was afraid of the dark.'
'And if I find it is haunted?' Henry replied quite sharply.
Colin laughed and told Henry he had no belief in the existence of ghosts or haunting spirits like Henry did. After Henry had agreed to do him the favor, Colin handed him the keys, told him the power would be back on at night and asked him to carry out his supervision for a couple of days. He pleaded with Henry to write an “all is well” bit to restore the confidence in buyers.
Henry took the keys from Colin and looked around the house one last time.
'All right. I'll have the guys look at it. See if we can come up with some good news for you.'
'That's what I wanted to hear! Hey, gotta go mate. A cash buyer beckons...' Colin said as he pointed at his watch.
'Yeah, I have to get to class anyway. I'll get some recon on this and hit you back when I have something. How does lunch on Tuesday sound?'
'As long as you give this dump the official Henry Bradshaw stamp of approval? Lunch on Tuesday sounds bloody marvelous and on me.'
The two shook hands and started out the door. Henry turned to lock it and took another look inside before shutting the door. The place looked frozen in time. Henry thought he could see something on the stairway, but his eyes couldn't capture it.
'You coming or what? I can give you a lift back, but let's at least try to hurry like one of us has a paying job.' Colin called out from his car.
'Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming.' Henry said as he shut and locked the door. He put the keys into his trouser pocket and made his way towards Colin's car. As the engine came to life, Henry looked at the house at 15 Rose View Garden one last time. He shook his head and turned his attention towards the scenery in front of him.
Chapter 20
Father Andrew knelt in front of his mother's gravestone. His spectacles started to slide down his bulbous nose and he adjusted them with his left hand. His right hand held a single red carnation.
'I didn't forget, Ma. I'll never forget.' He put the carnation on the grave and looked up to the sky. His hand made its way to his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He dabbed it against his brow. The heat didn't mix well with the black priest robes. Father John Andrew thought it was a bit warm for the time of year. At least, he hoped it was just the seasonal warmth he was feeling instead of his heart problem.
He silently prayed for strength and made it from his knees to a standing position. He crossed himself over his mother's grave and began the walk slowly back up the hill to his church. There was a nagging pain in his arm.
He rubbed his left shoulder and wiped his brow. The sweat was collecting on his forehead and it started to dribble down the side of his nose. He stopped walking for a moment and put his hand into his coat pocket.
'I am Your servant, my Lord. But I don't want to visit just quite yet. A few more, Lord. Just a few more...' His words were cut off by a spasm of pain. His face twisted and his body doubled over. The pain in his arm felt like a clamp gripping down. He tried to rub the area, but his other hand felt numb. With a strained effort, he produced two small pills from his coat pocket and put them into his mouth.
The taste contorted his face further, but the other pains started to recede a small bit. 'Thank you, Father of blessed mercy.'
He stood next to the cemetery gate and leaned against a spiked pole for support. His eyes were shut and he allowed the gentle breeze to cool him. 'Thank you, Lord. Thank you.'
Father Andrew opened his eyes and looked towards the grave he had just visited. Between two gravestones stood a young woman. Her attire seemed more out of the early part of the century than current times. She stood there with jet black eyes and stared back intently. Her pale face held a blank expression. Not even pity or curiosity glimmered from her face. Father Andrew stood and returned her gaze. The two looked at each other for a moment longer before Andrew made a faint sign of the cross and turned away.
'The Lord is merciful.' Father Andrew said as he continued his walk towards his church. He opened the church side door and entered without looking back.
Chapter 21
Laura Davis held a college prospectus in her hand. She was studying the class information for Parapsychology. Her mousey brown hair was flowing over her shoulders as she tried to make sense of the classroom numbering system.
'3E 100b? Does that even make sense?' she said rather loudly.
She tried to find a map of the building near the doorway, but that just made matters worse. As she kept contemplating where her classroom was, carelessly tossing and turning, she bumped directly into by a man rushing through the door. Her paper fell to the floor, with the man's folders. She bent down at the same time as he did to pick their stuff up. Their two heads knocked together.
'Wow. Hey....' Laura yelled first.
'Oww yourself there. Sorry, I'm a bit tense. Late, you see. It's my fault. Here...' he bent over, picked up his folders and handed Laura her prospectus.
'Thank you. And I'm sorry if I caused your head any pain. That was my fault.' Laura apologized.
'No, no. It was my fault. I was in a rush. Late for class.'
'Me too. I can't even find my class! Hey, do you know whe
re this is?' Laura handed him her prospectus.
'3E 100b, eh? Yes, it’s just down the hall.'
'How? Isn't this 2A? How is that 3E then?' she asked.
'This is 2B actually.' he replied.
'No, this is so not 2B! The sign says 2A!' Laura pointed out.
'2B or not 2B, that is the question then...'
'What? Ha-ha. Very funny. Listen, can you point me towards this class? I hate being late.' Laura pleaded now.
'Yeah, It's the least I can do for subjecting you to my humor.' the man said.
'Not to mention knocking my stuff out of my hands and then knocking my head around.' Laura teased. 'But if you just get me to my class, all will be forgiven. I'll even throw in a coffee!'
'We'll see. You might not want coffee with me in a bit.' He said as they walked down the hallway.
'Really? Something I ought to know?'
Henry shows a wry smile.
'Hmm. You'll see.'
They soon arrived at a door.
Well, here's your classroom. 3E 100b. As promised.' he said.
'So, that coffee?' Laura asked.
'Right. Maybe I should introduce myself first.' he said and ushered her into the class.
The classroom was plain. It had a few seats scattered along long tables. The tables seemed to be placed almost at random, almost like a cleaner was upset at his job and decided to let the floor waxer redecorate. Towards the far end of the room was a projector with its cord wrapped around. Near the projector was a blackboard that was smeared with chalk. A few broken fragments of chalk, no bigger than a fingernail, remained near the board. There wasn't an eraser in sight. Laura made her way towards the front row near a woman who was playing with hair. The hair looked greasy and smelled like old bacon.
'Sorry I'm late guys. If you're new, I'm Henry Bradshaw. But as most of you know, I'll be your teacher for all things Para tonight!' He made a spooky hand gesture.
