Between Life & Death

by E K Bennett

  Lydia snuck a peek at her true form in the mirror and gasped. Lotty giggled, because Lydia didn't seem to like the fact that clumps of hair were ripping out of Lotty's little head, along with a few chunks of bloody scalp.

  That was the trigger. That wave of terror allowed Lotty to open her mouth and communicate.

  "Lydia," she spoke out. "I need your help. I'm Lotty, you've figured out that much. You and I have something in common. We're both strong. Well I was when I was alive. And here's the thing. I have this plan where I..."

  Lydia didn't seem to understand what Lotty was saying. She just backed away slowly, a look of terror on her face. Frustrated, the Lotty in the mirror started screaming while the other frantically kept talking.

  "Well you can help me! I need to finish what I started so many years ago! My friend, she wanted my help and when I died, she disappeared. I failed, and I won't let you fail me. She said that youth was the key to... Why aren't you listening!? Don't you care!?"

  Lydia just stared at her, wide eyed. Lotty didn't even realize that she had her hand held out, clutching the paper. She looked down at it as an offering, and Lydia started protesting. She didn't want to take it. Lotty sneered at her and kept holding out the paper. Finally, Lydia reached over with a shaky hand and snatched it. A huge wave of energy surged through Lotty and she suddenly screamed and like a flash of lightning, she disappeared.

  13. She Meets Someone

  In my room.

  On my bed.

  Like a normal human.

  Brushing her hair.

  I stare at the place she had been sitting before she disappeared. How was she able to pick up my hairbrush? How did she hand me a note? She's a ghost, that shouldn't be possible. Ghosts aren't...

  I hear voices in the living room, my mom and... For a moment the whispers crawl around in my head but then I realize it's just Sam. I blink a few times and stand up, shakily. I feel like I haven't slept in days, or that maybe I'm really, legitimately going insane. My door opens, and in my lost thoughts I jump.

  Sam looks at my room, messier than usual, then at my face. "You look like you've just seen a--" she cuts off then grins at me. "You did, didn't you! Oh my god I was like THIS close to being there! That's why you had to get off the phone, huh? To talk to Lotty!"

  "I..." my voice is rough, like I haven't said a word in days. I clear my throat. "I wouldn't say we were talking, really." The whispers echo in my brain, and I get a pang in my chest like they'll never go away.

  "Well don't just stand there, ya dingus! Tell me what happened!" she grabs my arm and tried to lead me to my bed, but I slide down on the floor instead. She gives me a puzzled look and takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

  "That's where she was, Sam. Right next to where you're sitting. And she looked...normal. Like, her reflection looked the same as in the picture, but in real life," I have trouble saying real life; Lotty is dead, "she looked like an eight year old girl. It was really weird. And she was cold. And she kept doing weird things with her hands. And she was, I don't know, like, solid. I think."

  "You think? Did you touch her?"

  "Well, no. But she took my hairbrush and actually used it. And she took this," I hold up the piece of paper, "which is why I tore my room apart to look for it."

  "That is so weird!" Sam says. She pats around on the bed as if maybe Lotty were still sitting there and he could feel the cold. "Did she do anything else?"

  I hesitate. I can't bring myself to recount the horrible whispers that now dance around in my head and won't go away. I shake my head. "No, that's all. And just before you got here, she screamed and disappeared."

  Sam's brow furrows. "That is just unreal. I wish I could have been there..."

  No, you don't, I think.

  "It was the weirdest thing ever. Kinda cool, like I wanted her there at first, but then..."

  But then she started talking and it scared the fuck out of me, simply put.

  "But then it just got weird."

  Sam purses her lips. "Well, I can believe that, you're still white as a sheet! How about we call Adam and he can bring us back to the real world for a bit. That damn skeptic is so stubborn, he probably won't even touch the subject of Lotty."

  "But I thought you wanted to investigate Lotty...?"

  "It can wait, darling. You seem to be in a harsh mental state, I can tell just by the way you keep looking into space. You need to channel the real world, so we'll just go to Adam's, kay?"

  I nod slowly, warming up to the idea. "Okay, let's go."

  ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

  We ring the doorbell and a few seconds later hear footsteps from behind the door. The door opens and a boy I've never seen before appears. He's at least six feet tall with milky brown hair and freckles. His brown eyes light up when he sees us and he smiles. "Hi, Sam," he says and opens the door a bit more for us to come in. "Adam's just upstairs, we've just been chilling in his room. And who's this?" He nods smiles at me.

  "I'm Lydia, Sam's--"

  "Best friend," she finishes for me. The boy laughs.

  "Cute," he says to Sam, then looks back at me. "I'm Josh. Adam's mom is friends with my mom, so we're pretty close. I'm surprised we haven't met."

  "Yeah, it's weird," I say. "You don't go to our school, do you?"

  "Nah, I go to St. Mary's."

  "The private school on the other side of town?" I ask.

  "That's the one," he smiles again. I smile, too. Then I realize Sam's already gone upstairs.

  I shrug. "Well it's nice to meet you, Josh. You think it's safe to go upstairs, or do you think Sam and Adam are up there making out?"

  We laugh. "Let's take our chances," he jokes and starts up the stairs, me trailing close behind him.

  "Say," he turns around, and I have to grab the railing to keep from falling over. "Are you always this pale?"

  I laugh and regain my balance. "No, actually. I just have an interesting home life, you could say."

  He nods and turns backs around, smiling still. "Okay, because you look like you've seen a--"

  "Ghost, I know," I finish for him. "You could say that, I guess."

  He just shakes his head and keeps walking.

  Turns out there's anything but making out going on in Adam's room. Sam is sitting in a fold up chair, grasping an Xbox controller and cussing out zombies. "Bitch, I'll kill your dead ass You think you can escape me? I'll fucking shank all of you mother fuckers!" She presses a button and a grenade explodes in the video game she and Adam are playing.

  "Booyah!" she screams and Adam high fives her, then looks up at us. "She is so hot, right?"

  Josh grins. "I'm gonna respect the guy code and go with a no, I guess? He says and winks at me. I laugh.

  "And I'm just gonna go with a no. Cuz I don't roll like that." Sam was right, I feel better already. Just being out of my house has boosted my spirits, and I no longer feel tired.

  Sam is so lucky to have a carefree relationship. One where killing zombies sometimes trumps making out. One where romance doesn't always matter. I can even feel it in the air how into Sam that Adam's in. And how into him she is. I've never been jealous of them. At least, not that jealous.

  "So Sam tells me you saw this little gho--" Adam starts to say, but I quickly cut him off.

  "No, I'm fine. So what have you guys been doing before we interrupted your little party?" I try to change the subject of Lotty. If Josh is anything like Adam, I don't need two people thinking I'm crazy. And to be blunt, Josh is kinda adorable. And even if I never see him again, I secretly want to impress him.

  "Well," Josh replies. "Adam and I were playing Black Ops, but I guess not anymore, since little miss Buffy over here decided to take my place."

  Sam punches Josh in the leg while simultaneously taking out another zombie with her gun. "Buffy's a vampire slayer, dumbass. And I'm kicking more zombie ass than you probably have in your entire life."

  "Well at least she's modest," Josh chides.

  I feel slightly out of the lo
op, as Sam has obviously met Josh many times before. I still don't know how I haven't met him until now. They all seem to be pretty close, yet I've never heard his name once.

  I sit down on the bed and Josh takes a seat right next to me. It's a casual gesture, but i still smile. Someone’s got a crush! Logic tells me.

  I mentally roll my eyes, even if technically, Logic's right for once.

  "I'm just glad to be back home," Josh says. "They don't even have video games in Haiti."

  "They barely have houses, dude," Adam says.

  "You were in Haiti?" I ask.

  Josh nods. "Yeah, my family and I were helping clean up after the earthquake, but we barely made a dent. I've been there since late April, but there's still so much to do. My parents wanted me to come back up, though. Catch up on school and stuff, you know?"

  Adam blows up a few more zombies and turns. "Yeah, let's not forget about basketball. That didn't have anything to do with it or anything.."

  "Hey, I think helping the homeless is a little bit more important that basketball," he protests, but despite this he smirks. "But it is good to be back on the team."

  "Well that's really cool, that you've been helping out down there," I smile at him. This guy is too perfect to be true. I wonder what he thinks of me. Or rather, what I’d really want to know is what a ghost is doing in my bedroom. But you know, shit happens.

  "So, is there any reason that we've never met before this?" I ask. "I mean, you seem to be all sorts of close with my two best friends, yet I've never even heard of you."

  Josh raises his eyebrows. "Well, I’ve been in Haiti for most of this year, and my family travels a lot. Technically I live in Charlotte, but I'm gone for a lot of every year."

  My heart sinks. So much for a relationship.

  Ugh, this is not okay. I've got too much on my plate right now to be worrying about boys, anyway. I need a reality check.

  A reality check? You're the one who claims there's a ghost in your room. Trust me hon, you needed a reality check two months ago.

  "But now that I'm in high school," Josh continues, recapturing my attention, "we've decided I should probably stay here at Adam's until I graduate. I guess I don't mind, I mean I'll admit, it gets a little hectic traveling all your life."

  I can't help but smile. About that reality check....

  14. She Gets Hurt

  Everyone's wearing their jackets today, due to the noticeable chill in the air around us. The sky is overcast again and everyone's extra anxious to get to their cars after school.

  "Thanks for driving us," I say to Sam's mom, feeling the immediate warmth in the car when I pull the door shut. Sam sits in the front, then Adam and Josh cram in the back with me. I smile, mostly because Josh is sitting next to me. Also because it's finally winter break.

  "No problem," she says in her scratchy, monotone voice that I've grown accustomed to hearing over the years. "Am I dropping all of you off at Lydia's house?"

  I glance at Josh as if he might change his mind, even if he has no reason to. Everyone nods and agrees. Trying to make conversation, I guess, Sam says, "So you haven't heard or seen anything from Lotty lately?" I think she's in denial. She still seems to be pouting about the fact that she didn't get to see the ghost last time she "visited".

  "Lotty?" Josh asks. Crap.

  "It's a ghost," Adam says faux-eerily.

  "No!" I interject, for my sanity's sake, and Sam turns around to stare at me. I give her a pleading look and she sighs.

  "It's just a joke," I assure Josh. He nods and smiles, but it's one of those oh-okay-not-my-inside-joke-i-get-it smiles.

  "It's okay, Lyd, Adam told me about your...um, problem."

  The car stops in front of my house and a wave of anger at Adam washes over me. "Oh, so I have a problem?" I snap at Adam.

  "You know that's not what I meant," Adam cries.

  "Then what did you mean? Because you're making me sound like a fucking mental case, dude!"

  I unclick my seatbelt and get out of the car, slamming the door in Josh's face, who obviously intended on getting out on my side.

  "Oh. Sorry..." I trail off softly, realizing that I just blew up on my best friends. And slammed the door in my crush's face. But no big deal.

  Everyone's staring at me, probably waiting for me to say something rude or bitchy or maybe just to apologize but I can't bring myself to say anything.

  "Do you think it was...?" Sam whispers to her mom. Her mom shrugs.

  I look at everyone in confusion. "Well let's go in, I guess."

  The guys seem hesitant and hang back a few paces while Sam catches up to me. "What the fuck was that, Lydia?"

  She says it tenderly, though. Not angrily. I shake my head. "Whatever. Things have just been getting a little hectic with the baby being due soon, I guess. Maybe I'm just stressed."

  Sam smiles at me and puts an arm around my shoulders. As proof to this theory, my home is chaos at the moment. I walk inside and Miranda's on the couch, screaming at Bryan.

  "Why don't you just fucking move in?" She yells.

  Bryan looks like a deer stuck in the headlights. I roll my eyes at both of them, and the rage that was built up inside me in the car is slowly making its way back into my system.

  "We can't support the baby if I don't have a job, Miranda... I need to focus on studying..." I can feel the weakness of his excuses like a balloon. And Miranda's shrieks are needles jabbing at them.

  "You need to focus on the fucking baby! Where were you yesterday during the ultrasound? Studying?" The tension in the air is embarrassing. I look at my friends with wide eyes and quickly edge into the hallway.

  "What the hell are all these people doing here?" Miranda screams at me from her pedestal on the sofa.

  "What the hell are you doing in my business? How about you get out of my ass?" I bitch at her, waving my hand to let Sam lead everyone into my bedroom and out of the battle front. They follow her out and I take a step towards Miranda.

  "Now could you two stop arguing? That can't be good for the baby."

  Miranda glares at me with so much hate, I can barely recognize her.

  "Get. The hell. Out." She growls.

  "You can't tell me where to go, you hormonal bitch. I'll be in my room."

  "No! Get the hell out of the house! You and your stupid ass friends are just gonna eavesdrop on our conversation, so--"

  "Conversation?" I shriek, waving my arms. "You screaming at your boyfriend so loud that the fucking president can probably hear you isn't my idea of a conversation! You act like we care about your petty little arguments! Just shut the fuck up and we won't have to hear what you're saying!"

  I take a deep breath and suddenly Miranda bursts into tears. Bryan takes a step closer and she flicks him off.

  "Fuck off, Bryan. If you can't move in, you should just leave," she says between sobs. "And don't come back."

  I gape at them, anger still coursing through my veins, saying nothing. After a long minute, Bryan says, "I'm not leaving this baby." There's a hurt in his eyes that I've never seen before in a person. My sister is such a bitch. "But I'll go. For now. I'll get my things and... we'll figure this out. I'll be back at 6 tonight."

  Miranda says nothing, but she lets Bryan kiss her forehead and he walks out the door.

  "You better hope he comes back," is all I say and I turn around.

  "Fucking bitch!" Miranda screams and something hard hits me in the head, knocking me to the ground.

  She gasps loudly and I groan, the smell of blood filling the room.

  A door slams shut and I hear footsteps. "What the hell happened?" I hear Adam's voice directed at my sister.

  "Did you...throw that at her?" Josh's voice comes next. Sam's shaking me but I can't move. I feel like I'm in a cacoon, a cacoon suffocating me and making me sweat and killing me.

  "No! I've been sitting here the whole time!"

  Sam stops shaking me. "But you keep it on that shelf across the room, right?"

  Miranda
whimpers. Josh speaks again. "What's that smell...Oh my god, guys. She's bleeding..."

  And that's when I slipped into unconsciousness.

  15. She Dies

  I was standing at the edge of a lake. It looked like one of those man-made ones, but I got the feeling it wasn't. It was dusk, and the sun grazed the horizon and made the water in front of me look yellow and murky. I heard a young voice and followed it to behind a large bush near an old cottage.