I wiped my face clean and stood up as she poked her head around the corner, “What’s going on?”
“Oh, yeah I just remembered he had a .... basketball game that he had to get to so he went home early. Sorry, I forgot. ” She tightened her lips as if unsure, before checking her wrist watch.
“Well, okay, but we really should get going.”
I waited for her to turn back around before I scrunched up the note in my hand, tucking into my pocket. The next bin I find, I’m going to rip this thing to shreds.
The train ride home was eerily quiet. Mum must have been just as tired as I was, her head rolled over against her shoulder and her eyes closed lightly so that her eyelashes fluttered.
I watched outside through my small window as the world flew past me in way that felt alien. I would look up at every passenger who climbed on, in hope it was Evan. Sadly, every time, I was mistaken.
When the train reached the city, it was packed with people in business suits. I followed Mum off the train and up the stairs. She was in a rush as she swiped her ticket past the sensor and the gates kicked open just large enough to fit her and the luggage through. I dragged my feet behind me in absolute dread.
Should I tell her or act surprised? My silence was as my way of saying I’m guilty. I was, of course, referring to the destruction of our apartment.
“Come on,” Mum pinched my sleeve and hurried me alone, glancing every now and again at her watch. “Crap. I’m not going to get there in time...”
“What are you worried about?”
She sighed as if frustrated at herself, “I thought I would be back sooner than 10 so I’ve made an appointment at 10:30 to meet one of my clients. They’re on the other side of town, as well. ”
“Mum, you should go to your appointment you have your book don’t you? I’ll just get myself home, that’s fine.”
“Oh, no no no!” She looked at me like she had figured out what ever game I was playing, “You’re not being left alone again. I’m calling my sister; she’ll be babysitting you while I’m gone.” Mum flipped her mobile phone up to her ear and held it in placed against her shoulder.
“What? You got to be kidding! Muuummm.”
Mum charged on into our apartment building, up the elevator and bolted down the hallway towards number 14. Despite my continuous protests to go somewhere else, that I was hungry or I wanted a drink, she wouldn’t be deterred from her plans.
She was moving so quickly that she collided with another man walking down the hall in the opposite direction. She apologised, as she had accidently caused him to drop his painting tools. The man pulled the bill of his hat down and muttered under his breath, scooping up the tools before wobbling away. Mum picked up the pace and opened the front door.
I waited for her to enter first as I lingered at the entrance, untying my shoe, in anticipation of her soon-to-be-infuriated outburst. But she bolted out just as fast as she bolted in, kissing my cheek on her way down the hall. I moved into the lounge room thinking that Mum must have overlooked the HAG scorched wall in her rush, but the wall was completely bare. It had no signs of any scratches or vandalizing at all. If anything, the apartment seemed cleaner than it usually is.
My Aunty Robyn turned up about half an hour later and stayed until tea time.
School started the following week. As I dressed myself up in the typical light blue skirt and eggwhite top, I still felt like I didn’t belong to this world.
I greeted my friends outside our lockers, they each gave me a big hug and asked about my summer break. Some even complimented that I looked healthier than I did when we met up at the movies. Some asked about Lock, and I just shrugged my shoulders at them.
First class was assembly and then we moved into our tutes. With a new timetable in hand, I moved into my classes that continued for the rest of the week.
Day after day, I stopped looking for Evan. At night time, instead of whispering out his name or watching the shadows of the city outside, I played on my laptop and finished my homework. I decided to join the basketball team where we trained after school every Tuesday. During History, I sat next to James Rendell and eventually got the courage to ask if I could borrow one of his pencils. Slowly, things were starting to fall back into place.
It was a normal Thursday night and I got home at around 4:30. Mum was home already and had immersed herself completely into her work.
I sat down on the dining table next to her and did my homework. Once it hit 7.30, Mum finally put down her pen and decided to organise some pizza. As we ate, I caught Mum looking at me out of the corner of her eye.
“What?” I wiped my face for pizza sauce.
“Oh nothing,” She quickly took another bite, “I’m glad that you’re okay that’s all. You were acting really strange while we were in Whitehaven. I was just getting worried that, because of your father, you may have changed.”
I nodded my head and put the pizza slice down. “Yeah. Whitehaven is a strange place. I don’t think I would ever like to go back there.”
“That reminds me, I haven’t seen that Dean kid for some time. Did I scare him off?”
I nibbled on my lip self-consciously. “It just wasn’t working out between us, that’s all.” We exchanged sad smiles before ordering some ice cream.
That weekend I decided that I wanted to go and visit the new aquarium that just opened up on Filler Street. I mentioned it to James during History as a topic starter and it had somehow warped itself into an informal date.
That morning I took extra time to ensure everything was perfect. I curled my hair into loose ringlets and pinned my side fringe back with a red ladybug hair clip. I arrived at least fifteen minutes too early and sat myself down out the front. As I waited, I kept patting down my cheeks, already able to feel the heat rising in my anticipation.
James greeted me on time outside the front entrance. He looked so cool in his dark grey jeans and open black shirt that I couldn’t stop the uneasy fluttering in my stomach. I urged myself not to go all shy on him. Together, we walked into the aquarium and followed the corridors through the building. The fish looked beautiful as they glided through the aqua blue water.
By the time it hit 1 PM I was starving so we headed back to the main food court. It was really nice to finally sit down and get off my aching feet. James offered to shout me lunch, which I gratefully accepted, before he headed off into the queue.
I glanced over the crowd in anticipation. I could feel my hands start to sweat as I pictured what will happen when it comes time to say goodbye at the end.
Would he kiss me?
I played over the possible kissing scene in my head and immediately felt uncomfortable.
There was a strange man hovering over James’ seat that I hadn’t noticed. He had dark rings under his eyes and a face that looked as if his mind held nothing but angry thoughts. I clutched my purse closer to my chest, and looked around myself. It was chaotic in the food court; there was no way he was going to do anything with all these witnesses around.
The man lingered for only a moment before coughing loudly into his palm and twitching his neck. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath before he limped away. It sounded like he said ‘Lock…’
By 5 o’clock it was closing time. James and I said our goodbyes at the front entrance; James had his bike parked out the front while I had a tram to catch. There was a very awkward half hug slash half wave goodbye thing that I blushed at.
As I turned around, I gave him another shy glance over my shoulder and a small wave. I started to head for the tram, disappointed at the lack of progress I’d made with him, when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned to see James’ face smiling back at me.
“I forgot to tell you something.” He leaned down and gave me a quick peck on my cheek, “I had a lot of fun today, let’s do it again sometime soon.”
I couldn’t think straight enough to control the sloppy, stupid grin I felt moving across my face. But my thoughts quickly moved back t
o Evan and I stopped smiling immediately.
“Yeah. I hope so, too.” That night I searched for Evan again in the shadows of my room. I felt so foolish and alone. What happened to the days when heartache didn’t hurt or matter… when a scraped knee was the worse pain in the world to you?
Chapter Thirty-Four:
Three weeks have passed now since Evan’s disappearance. Every time when I hear the name Evan or the word “lock” I get a little frustrated. Three weeks turned into four, and soon it had reached two months into the school term. With a few assignments handed in and a birthday party that’s past, it had already entered into semester two.
Life was good. It was stable, and I didn’t feel like I was under constant threat while walking down the streets. Maybe it was better that Evan abandoned me.
As an annual tradition, our school holds a year 9 social event down at Buckley Hall on the last Friday of term two. It’s a humongous deal for all the girls, all of whom within 3 months preparation have their ideal dresses prepared and all necessary appointments pre-booked. The boys, I figured out, didn’t worry so much about the little details. They were happy just to have a tie around their necks and pants without food stains. Only with teacher permission were outside people allowed to attend.
On the day of the dance, it was all the girls could talk about.
We had our hair coloured and professionally styled; our skin was coated in fake tan and our faces shiny with makeup. In the limo ride over to the party, we screamed our lungs out to the latest music and took more photos than just one memory card could hold.
Buckley Hall was decorated in a vast array of purple and blue streamers and spiralling disco lights. In the centre of the room was a vacant timber dance floor, with a DJ station set up opposite.
It was one of those nights that you wished would never end. As the thumping techno music blasted across the room, everybody was running on adrenaline; the room was packed to the point where people were dancing in between the dining tables and chairs. All my peers looked like completely different people when dolled up. It was really refreshing.
There was one boy in particular that stood out from the rest. He must’ve been someone’s boyfriend or tag along friend because he didn’t belong to our year level. It was hard to miss how good looking he was; his face was shaped like a perfect heart and his skin was as flawless as porcelain.
He wore a tux just like all the other boys but unlike them, he didn’t look as if he was swimming in adults clothing. I looked around the room for James. He was mixed in with all of his friends at the back of the room, pointing at something in the corner and laughing.
As I glanced back at the mysterious boy I made eye contact with him. Instinctively, I looked away and continued scoping the room, pretending I hadn’t noticed his eyes moving to mine. I took another sip, glancing back. He was walking towards me.
“Rachael?” He was facing me now. His eyes were of walnut brown with tiny flecks of gold.
“Yes? I’m sorry have we met?”
He watched me, as if trying to un-riddle my thoughts. His amber red hair was slicked back with heavy wax, but for some reason it really suited him.
“I recognised you from the school photos,” he said, “I’m sorry for being rude. Do you mind if I have a quick chat with you outside, it’s just a bit hard to hear you over the music?”
“Umm...” I glanced around uneasily, so many girls were glaring this way and I could feel their eyes like heat on my face. “Sure, of course.”
I followed him as he made his way through the crowd. It was amazing, as he walked the people parted out of the way as if moved by some invisible push. It was like the parting of the Red Sea. The teachers seemed a little concerned as we were heading for the door, but they didn’t pursue us when we left.
The night was chilly against my exposed shoulders as the boy hooked his arm around mine and smoothed his hands across my fingers. I felt a bubbly warmth rise in my cheeks and up my neck.
“Let’s talk in private, okay? Just over there.” His eyes roamed down my face, lingering for just a moment on my lips before they followed the pink blush brushing up my cheek bones. “You look very beautiful tonight, Rachael.”
I smiled self-consciously; I was never really good at accepting compliments.
“Can I know what you’re name is? How do you know me so well?”
The boy bit back on his smile before glancing away into the distance, his hand kept stroking across my fingers to keep me calm. We crossed the road at the traffic lights and followed along a footpath illuminated by street lamps. The music from the social was now as faint as a whisper.
Opposite Buckley Hall was the city’s notorious lake and garden sanctuary called Garden of Hurstwood. During the daytime the garden was a masterpiece of colours and design; it was set up in way that the flowers from the lake up to the footpath were all coordinated in colour sections. The pinks and reds and oranges mingled at the sides as the blues and purples scattered through the middle.
But at night time the garden was only lit up by a few patches of lamp posts along the foot path, and was closed from public entrance. That didn’t stop us as the boy stepped over the metal chain barrier before offering me his hand so I could hoist myself over, too. We walked down away from the main footpath and through the garden bed before stopping near the bank of the lake. The water was calm and pitch black; the moon’s perfect reflection bounced off the shimmering dark surface the same as if it were painted on the water.
The boy turned and faced me so his back was towards the lake; I could get the full view of the moon and city buildings behind him. I felt like I was in the middle of some romantic movie.
“You’ve taken me away from my party, led me all the way out here, and you still won’t give me your name?” I smiled at him teasingly.
The boy kept his hands on mine as a strange figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. He wore a long black trench coat that was tattered on the edges with the hood pulled over his head so his face was completely masked. I flinched and went to pull my hands away but the boy kept them firm.
The masked stranger stepped closer before coming to a halt just a metre away from us.
“Who are you?” I tried again to pull my hands free but the boy remained completely unresponsive. The cloaked figure lingered for a moment as I searched his hands for a weapon; thankfully they were bare.
He then pulled the hood off from his face, revealing a head full of ashen, blonde hair and an ink print tattoo marked across only one of his eyes. Behind his shoulder trotted out a horse sized bull dog that snarled its teeth at me. My eyes expanded at the sight of them marching out from the shadows. It couldn’t be...
“I’m sorry Rachael... but it’s time,” the boy holding my hands then motioned towards the other male in a mean bark, “Reaper, you get your pet ready.”
The male nodded his head as the bulldog hunched his broad shoulders and peeled its lips back.
I was frozen to the spot, this just couldn’t be happening. The walnut eyes, the red neon hair, the perfect face and dreamy touch... it all came flooding back to me. “Gargoyle?”
Gargoyle bowed his head, “My apologies. I had to clear your memory of me so you wouldn’t run. I’m sure you understand.”
“No I don’t understand. I’m not a Host anymore, so why are you here?”
“It’s no longer because you’re a Host, Rachael. It’s because you’re one of them. I’m just doing my job.” Gargoyle’s voice was as soft as fur, even with such devastating news. I felt my nerves were calm and my head was clear. “Just keep eye contact with me, I’ll make sure you don’t feel any pain.”
“Please... Gargoyle... Don’t do this. I don’t want to die.” I barely spoke above a whisper.
“I’m sorry Rachael...” He leaned back and descended into the water.
Chapter Thirty-Five:
I kept my eyes fixated on him as I felt the water prickle at my toes and climb up my ankles, then to my calves. It was fre
ezing and I protested with every fibre in my body to stop myself from walking forward, but my feet refused to listen. Gargoyle didn’t once break eye contact with me and as promised, I felt no pain when stepping waist deep into the negative degree temperature.
I could sense everything around me as if touching it through numb fingers. The rippling current of water bounced away from my body, my expensive party dress floating freely underneath the surface as with every stride I felt the wet fabric pull against my legs.
I could feel the tears roll down my cheeks and the quiver in my lip. Gargoyle’s eyes were like magnets, his hands felt a part of my body as his voice soothingly ushered me forwards, come Rachael. Keep walking. The water was sitting at my ribs. Every breath felt pointless. I will not hold my breath once my head goes under water. Why try to escape the inevitable?
All I could think of were what the newspapers would to say,’ Teenage Girl Drowns Herself In Nearby Lake While At Social High School Party.’ Mum wouldn’t be able to speak for months. She’ll be alone and angry at the world. My friends would wear black wrist bands in my honour. On my birthday, flowers would be presented by my grave and everyone would wear colours in celebration of my short life. Dad would greet me as his ghostly self and welcome me home. And then I’ll disappear from him as well. I don’t know where I’ll go, but I won’t be here anymore.
Just as the water reached up to my bare shoulders, Gargoyle let go of my hands and stepped aside allowing me to walk into the depths unattended. The water wrapped around me like a heavy blanket, my eyes were hazy as though I was preparing myself for a long sleep.
I don’t want to die, even as I marched myself into my watery tomb, I still had a strong urge to turn around. The water now sat at my neck. Just a few more steps and my mouth will be under, and one more after that, I will be unable to breath.
There was a shift in the breeze and suddenly I felt a very cold tingling nerve spasm underneath my skin. I automatically took a step backward, my toes throbbing in pain as it felt like I had scratched them across the lake’s bed. I was shaking terribly from the core of my body.
My Demonic Ghost: Banished Spirits Page 27
