Sara had only one person to turn to, her best friend, Ashley. She and Ash had been together forever. They met in kindergarten when one of the other girls made fun of her for her dirty and tattered clothes. Ash jumped in and defended her, chasing the other girls away, and they were best friends ever since. Her family took her in when her own family was too messed up to take care of her. They became the example of the family she wanted one day.
Coming from a background of abuse, one would think she would have seen the signs and ran, but it took talking to Ash for her to realize her relationship wasn’t healthy. When Jeremy found out about Ash, he demanded Sara never speak with her best friend again. He said she was trying to tear them apart, and she was a bad influence.
Sara called Ash the next day to tell her she wasn’t allowed to speak with her anymore. Ash drove from Dallas to her house in Corpus Christi to pull her out of the situation. She kicked Jeremy out of the apartment, left all of his belongings on the doorstep, and had the locks changed before Sara could blink.
For the first time in what felt like too long, a dark cloud lifted from over her head. Sara saw the light at the end of a long tunnel and embraced it for all it was worth. There was only one problem. Jeremy decided he wasn’t done with her and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He hung out with the neighbors at their apartment building, watching her comings and goings from their balcony. Sara asked him to leave, to stop hanging out with the neighbors, but he said he could be friends with whoever he wanted. The neighbors thought it was sweet he wanted to get back together with her. They did not understand why they broke up. They thought she and Jeremy made such a cute couple and she had no desire to inform them of the person he was under the facade. She wanted him out of her life.
Jeremy had a dozen red roses delivered to her front door with a note saying he was sorry attached to them. She sent them back. Jeremy tried to tell her things would be different if she gave him a second chance, but she stayed firm and didn’t give in to his pleading.
When her lease ended, she moved to the other side of the city. Her new apartment was further from work but closer to school. She started University classes again, studying computers, and worked her ass off to graduate and succeed. A small part of her wanted to prove Jeremy wrong.
Sara came home to find a dozen red roses sitting on the mat in front of her new apartment. After freaking out and calling Ash, she put a restraining order on him. He wasn’t thrilled with that and came to her home to tell her so. She called the cops, and they arrested him for violating the restraining order, but he didn’t stay in jail for long. His father was a prominent politician and pulled strings to have him released.
The upside of Jeremy violating the restraining order was that she could file for a protective order, which was a step higher in the system. She didn’t hear from him for over a year and thought the ordeal was over.
As she was walking out of the auditorium at her graduation to find Ash and her family, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. It was Jeremy. He wanted to tell her he was proud of her and he always knew she would succeed. He wanted to have dinner with her and catch up. She told him no as Ash and her family joined them. Ash went ballistic on Jeremy, causing a huge scene, and security asked them to leave the grounds. That was fine with her.
Sara received her first job out of state and gladly moved, not telling anyone but Ash where she relocated to. She didn’t know which friends to trust and which friends would tell Jeremy where to find her. He was charismatic on his worst day and could charm information out of anyone he worked over.
She trudged through her first job, working ten to twelve-hour days, to get the experience she needed to go off on her own. Forgetting about Jeremy, she couldn't believe her eyes when she found another bouquet of roses on her front step. She despised roses.
Sara called the cops again, but since there was no proof he had left the flowers as they were sans note this time, there was nothing they could do. She quit her job and moved back to Texas thinking it would be the last place Jeremy would look.
By this time, she was lonely, and now that she worked from home, she decided it was time for some companionship. She went to the animal shelter and adopted Chico. He came from the streets, had hardly any fur and a snaggletooth, but he looked so scared in the back of his cage she couldn’t pass him by. She took him home and fell in love.
Several months later, Chico's barking in the pre-dawn hours woke Sara to the smell of smoke. She ran into her living room to find the doorway and wall engulfed in an inferno. There was no way out, she lived on the third floor so she couldn’t jump, and the flames were covering the door.
Sara called emergency services and grabbed the fire extinguisher that came with the apartment from under the sink. It was like trying to put out a bonfire with a squirt gun. She dropped to the floor, held Chico close, and prepared for the end. Fate smiled on her, and the sprinklers activated, dumping hundreds of gallons of water onto the flames before the fire department arrived.
When the firefighters tried to enter Sara’s apartment, another issue presented itself. An industrial grade bonding compound sealed the door shut. Firefighters rustled around outside the door, and a huge chainsaw appeared through the frame to release her from her prison. They ruled the fire as arson and attempted homicide, and she pointed the finger directly at Jeremy. She couldn’t believe she never knew how insane he was.
Again, a lack of physical evidence and his family connections kept him out of jail. She went to stay with Ash but was scared every day that the lunatic would hurt her best friend. When nothing happened, she looked his name up on the internet and found out he was arrested two days after the fire for a fourth DWI. He received a jail sentence of eighteen months though she doubted his incarceration would last that long.
Sara took the next year to go through the process of changing her last name and identity. She went through extensive therapy until she could face being alone without jumping at every sound. A month before Jeremy’s release date, fourteen months from the day he went in, she moved to Salem.
With her breathing under control, she looked up from her knees, and caught the living room mirror with a glance. Her spirit was sitting next to her in the same position she was in, looking at her with a worried frown. He reached out as if to pat her head before pulling his hand back and continuing his vigil.
“You’re fine, you’re ok. He didn’t find you, it will be ok.” Sara repeated the lines to herself one more time before unclenching her hands and letting her knees fall to either side. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Sara dialed the first number on her favorites list and waited for the answer.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Came the first words over the connection.
“It’s like ten, don’t complain,” she answered, grinning. Ash’s voice on the other end, no matter how cranky, sounded like a choir of angels.
“That’s seven here if you’ve forgotten, I moved to Oregon.”
“I found a dozen red roses on my front step.” Sara looked over her shoulder and out the small window next to the door.
Silence followed her proclamation. “Do you think it’s him?”
“I don’t know. These are different. Usually, his come from a florist in an arrangement, these are just scattered all over the place.” Sara brought her thumbnail to her teeth and chewed on it while she waited for Ash to answer.
“You said a bunch of odd stuff happens around your house,” Ash said, her voice filled with concern. Sara knew Ash didn’t like Jeremy knowing where she was any more than she did.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m being paranoid.” Sara laughed, but it came out more hysterical than she intended.
“Do not say that, you know it’s not true. Look, I’ll be out your way for that conference next week. I’ll change my flight and come out the day after tomorrow instead. We can spend time together and talk. He won’t try anything if I’m there.”
Sara sighed, she forgot about he
r friend's work conference with everything else that was happening in her life. “Do you need me to pick you up from the airport?”
“Sure, I’ll text you my flight info. I’ll send it before I get on the plane in case Jeremy knows about my trip. At least going a few days early will throw him off.”
Jeremy had tracked Ash’s movements before as a way to try to get to her.
“I can’t wait to see you.” Sara wasn’t able to hide the waver in her voice.
“You too, Sar-bear,” Ash responded.
Sara groaned. She hated that nickname, and if anyone other than Ash used it, they would feel a lot of pain. “I swear to God, call me that again, and you will find your feet stuffed into the concrete before you take a long swim in the lake behind my house!” The last thing she heard before Ash hung up was her hysterical laughter.
Sara stood, looking out the windows next to the door one last time before going to the back to let a waiting Chico into the house. She locked all the doors, double checking to make sure they were secure and went into her office. It would be expensive, but she was sure she could find a home security service to install cameras by the end of the day.
16. SAMUEL
Samuel lay on the couch trying not to let the sound of the seconds tick by on the clock over the mantle drive him mad. The television was on, providing background noise and the occasional canned laughter, but he wasn’t interested in it.
Sara left the house several hours ago without any word on where she was going, not that she would think to tell a ghost about her plans anyhow. She picked up Chico, gave him kisses, and said she was bringing him a surprise before shutting him into his crate.
He groaned, tapping the heel of his foot hanging over the side of the couch on the hardwood floors, though it made no sound. Looking at the clock and cursing the molasses-like movement of the minute hand, he turned his head and glanced up at the mirror. Through it, he could see the outline of the front door on the other side of the house. Still no Sara.
When did he come to depend on having her around to amuse himself? Sure, she was there all the time, sitting in front of the screens in her office, talking to herself or the dog, dancing around to music when cooking food, or sitting in silence with a glass of wine and a small device she read words from. She was adorable when she first woke up in the mornings, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and glaring at the sunlight coming through the window over her bed. She was sexy as hell at night when pleasuring herself before drifting off with a smile on her face.
Then there was the issue with the gift he left her. He’d stayed up after she went to sleep, using all the energy he’d been able to gather over the previous two weeks to leave the grounds and find the roses. It was exhausting, the strain almost unbearable the further he got from his body, but he wanted to see her face light up with wonder. He didn’t plan on the amount of energy it would take and ended up in the basement, unable to move away from the door his body was concealed behind.
Sara’s scream woke him from his stupor and caused him to go flying up the stairs to find her. He’d never felt such mindless fear from her. The spike of emotion was instant and took several minutes to taper off, but it gave him the spark of energy he needed to go to her. Samuel’s heart broke when he saw her on the floor, tucked into a fetal position, rocking back and forth while muttering to herself.
The look on her face, for several minutes, while she tried to pull herself together, reminded him of the little girl who used to live in the house. When she would hide in the closet from her father, so vulnerable and alone, he wanted to comfort her but never could. He wanted to comfort Sara but had no idea how, so he sat next to her and watched, wishing he could do anything to make her feel better.
Once she was calm enough she stopped rocking back and forth, she pulled her phone from the pocket. Whoever she called seemed to make her feel better, and Samuel became jealous. He wanted to make her feel better, not some stranger on the other end of the small device in her hand. Immediately he felt ashamed. It didn’t matter who calmed Sara, as long as she felt better.
He only heard half of the conversation but from what he gathered, she was afraid some unknown person, a man he suspected, tracked her down. It didn’t matter, he would keep her safe. Just as long as she stayed in the house. If she left, he wouldn’t be able to follow her, which is why he now waited for her to come back. Although, he chided himself, what could he do for her other than rattle some blinds or shatter a few light bulbs?
Samuel groaned and rubbed his palms over his eyes, letting his fingers comb back through his shaggy hair. He needed to figure out how to free himself. Securing his freedom was the solely way he could make sure she would be safe. No one crossed him. Well, except some witches, but he would make sure their descendants paid for the sins of their ancestors.
Keys scraped the lock on the front door, and he heard something thump against the wood. Jumping from the couch, he vaulted over the back of the piece of furniture and ran to the portal, wondering if someone was trying to break in.
Bursting through the door, giggling with merriment, Sara looked at the other woman beside her and held a finger up to her lips. “You’ve got to be quiet, or you’ll wake up TIM,” she said, slurring her words and grabbing the other girl's forearm. Samuel saw a taxi pull away from the house as the second woman dragged a suitcase into the entryway behind her. The two women were schnockered.
“Who’s Tim?” The tall blonde woman looked around with wide eyes, as intoxicated as Sara. Dropping the handle of the suitcase, the item falling behind her with a thud, she closed the door.
“That’s what I call my spirit, TIM, short for The Invisible Man.” Sara grinned as she replied, acting like it was the most amusing name ever.
“You’re so stupid,” the other woman said, laughing.
“Stupid awesome!” Sara stumbled towards the living room, flicking on the lights as she went. “Come on Ash, let’s see if we can find him. I have to let Chico out too.”
Samuel turned the lock before following them towards the living room with wide eyes and his arms crossed over his chest. Sara bent down to unlatch the dog’s cage and released him. The little creature shot from the crate like a bullet, straight towards the woman Samuel assumed was named Ash. Chico jumped into her arms, trying to lick her all over, wiggling like he was about to have a fit.
“Cheekies! Oh, I missed you, little guy! Are you keeping your mommy safe? I know you are, you sweet little boy,” Ash cooed at him, adding another string of baby talk while burying her face in his neck and scratching him all over.
“Chico, time to go potty,” Sara told him, walking towards the back door and opening it. Chico jumped from Ash’s arms and ran outside to do his business.
“Nice house.” Ash looked around with approval while walking further into the room. Samuel stood behind her to the side, watching them with fascination. Her eyes wandered to the mirror, and she gasped, bending forward, “Is that him? Holy shit girl, he’s hot!” Samuel’s head shot up, looking from Ash to the mirror, seeing her gaze locked on him.
Sara giggled, “Yeah he is.” She was looking at him in the mirror as well, a sensual smile spreading across her lips.
“Keep it in your pants.” Ash laughed and tilted her head to the side. “Do you think he would turn around a few times? I bet those pants make his ass look great.”
Samuel’s eyes grew narrow, and he clenched his jaw, glaring at the two women. Now he knew what was wrong with those mirrors, they had a spell on them to see the occult. Sara had been watching him for the past few weeks. She had been watching him while he slept, while he relaxed during the day, and worst of all when she pleasured herself in the bedroom.
“Uh oh, I think he’s mad,” Ash said, grimacing.
“Yeah, he didn’t actually know about the mirrors.” Sara raised her eyebrow as she contemplated the looking glass, she seemed apologetic.
Samuel wanted to yell at them, curse them for deceiving him, tear the house down around thei
r heads and make them suffer. As he was working himself into a righteous fury, Sara sniffed and said, “Of course, it’s only fair with all the times he watched me when I wasn’t aware and later when I knew about it.”
He froze, thinking about what she said. Sara had a point, he had watched her in many compromising positions, and taken advantage of others, when he thought she couldn’t see him.
“Exactly,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression sullen. “Anyway, it’s time you found out. We need to have a chat.”
It was his turn to grimace. Good things never followed when a woman said she wanted to have a chat.
“Oh, speaking of,” Ash broke the tension between them. “I brought you a housewarming present!” Sara watched Ash with interest and followed her as she walked to her suitcase. Unzipping the top, Ash flung it back to reveal a bunch of clothes with a package wrapped in colorful paper and bows on top. She picked up the present and handed it to Sara who tore into it like a three-year-old on Christmas.
Sara got half way into the present before she looked up at Ash, tilting her head back with a stupid grin on her face. “Seriously?” She laughed, pulling the rest of the box out of the wrapping, “You got me an Ouija board?”
“Hey,” Ash replied, laughter in her eyes, “You said your house is haunted.”
“Tomorrow.” Sara placed it on the coffee table.
17. SARA
“I swear, that shower is the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced,” Ash sighed with contentedness as she walked towards Sara and the kitchen.
Sara grinned, stirring pancake batter in the measuring cup in front of her. “I know the steam shower was a splurge, but it really makes the experience.” Picking up the glass full of batter, she walked to the electric griddle and sprayed it with fake butter before pouring the lumpy mixture on the hot surface.
Ash sat at the bar and groaned when she saw what Sara was cooking. “I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to poison me.”
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