Burn My Paranoia One Last Time

6. Call from the Beyond

Madam Vadoma's eyes glistened with a distant sadness, yet no tears fell from her dark eyelashes.

"Rain Wilson? Who could ever forget," she concentrated on the tarot pile before her.

"Did you know her?" Carmen asked softly.

"She's a town legend, I'd be surprised if someone didn't. Everyone who's lived here long enough knows her name, but not her story."

"What do you mean by that?" Amber leaned an elbow on the lunar embellished table cloth.

"I'm sure you've heard about the hanging, in the graveyard," the woman looked at them somberly.

"Yes, but it's difficult to know why she did it. As a matter of fact, we were wondering if you had any advice for us. Like, is there a better way to communicate with her?" Shelby pondered. "She reached out pretty aggressively when we went out last time. We just want to give folks the full story, you know? We want to be safe."

"Rain wasn't a bad person when she was alive. At least from what I've heard. But if her spirit reacted so aggressively, she must have suffered terribly until her last day."

"I would expect so. I mean, she ended her own life," Amber deadpanned.

"But she didn't."

"What?" the girls said in unison.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret," the psychic leaned in close, and the girls leaned in closer. The tang of heavy perfume and fine wine hung around her. "I knew Rain when I was younger. She was bright, adventurous, and had her whole life set in front of her. I knew her. She wouldn't have killed herself."

"Then what are you proposing happened?" Amber stood up and stared horrifyingly at the woman.

"Rain Wilson was murdered." She stared back into Amber's eyes with fierce determination and anger. "You three had contact with her spirit that night. She reached out to you for a reason. You have to find her killer and serve justice. Please, you're her last hope. Tell her true story."

"Wait, hold on," Carmen clutched her head. "Why me? Why did she show me her life through dreams? Why not Amber or Shelby?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't reach out to just anyone," Amber sat back down pensively.

"Yeah, we're not the only ones who have tried talking to her," Shelby added. "A lot of kids from our school have gone hoping to see something but nothing happened to them."

"Hmm," Madam Vadoma rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "It could be that one of you carries a connection between this world and the spiritual realm. Specifically, to Rain's realm of existence."

"What, like the ghost world? The eighties?" Shelby threw her arms up.

"Something like that. Until you figure it out, you should keep communicating with her. You need to find out what happened in her past."

"Look ma'am, with all due respect..." Carmen stood up slowly and pushed in her chair. "I'm sorry for what happened to your friend. I really am," she offered her sympathy in a shaky voice. "I just don't see why any of this is our responsibility. You're asking us to risk a lot here. Do you not see the scratches on my friend's neck? What if something worse happens? It's just too dangerous. I'm sorry."

Carmen flung her tote bag over her shoulder without looking back as she left and shook her head, her heart heavy with disillusionment. She was aware she might have acted like a Class A b*tch, but to her, it simply wasn't worth the risk.

It's not like she wanted to go to the graveyard in the first place. It was supposed to be all fun and games, just a push to see how far she could go before being scared. If she wasn't terrified before, she was even more terrified now. Hopefully this ghost wouldn't haunt her. Hopefully, this cowardice wouldn't haunt her.