365 - Lilly K and Hayley LeBlanc

Chapter 12

Conditional Acceptance isn't acceptance. 


Day 202 - Default POV


   "I'll meet you back in there," Hayley said.

   "Thanks," Lilly said, blowing a hair out of her face as Hayley walked out of the bathroom and over to the kitchen where Grace and Tate were chilling out. Grace had hid a knife inside the bedroom. 

   "We're going to sleep soon, right?" Hayley asked.

   "It's up to Lilly," Tate said, "But probably,"

   "Yeah," Grace said, "I'm ready for bed. It's what? 3 AM?" 

   "Grace," Lilly said, "Let's go,"

   "Or is it," Grace said and beckoned Tate and Hayley. 


   "A ouija board?" Hayley asked, "Are you retar- I mean, are you stupid?" 

   "No," Grace said, "See the thing is, this is a decoy."

   "What do you mean 'decoy'?"

   "Look," Grace said, "I can talk to the dead directly,"

   "No," Hayley said, "You can't."

   "Yes," Grace said, "I can."

   "You can't."

   "I can,"

   "I spent the night at your house, Grace. Remember? I didn't see Violet. She wasn't there. Why should I believe you?"

   "Because she was there," Grace said, "She's here now too,"

   "No, she isn't," Hayley said but Grace broke out into a grin. 

Day 205 - Default POV


   "I'm worried about my friend too you know," Hayley said. 

   "What's her name," her therapist asked her, "And what's her story?"

   "Her name is Grace," Hayley said, "And she won't stop telling us that she's seeing ghosts," 

   "Really? Have you also seen ghosts?"
  
   "No,"

   "Clearly you don't like the fact that she's talking about seeing ghosts. How does it make you feel?"

   "Bad," 

   "Why?"

   "I can't explain it, but I think she's crazy,"

    "Hmm," She said, "These are just random ghosts coming to see her then? Maybe an 1700's regal Madame or a Victorian-Era child who died too early in a pond."

   "No,"

   "Then what kind of ghosts are they?"

   "She says," Hayley paused, "It's her sister. Only her sister, but her younger sister who drowned last year."

   "Ah," The therapist said, "She's seeing her sister?"

   "Yeah,"

   "So clearly this hurts you because you want to be able to see your sister?"

   "No,"

   "But you won't actually tell this to your therapist, will you?" The therapist leaned forward to stare Hayley in her dirty face. 

   "No,"

   "Why not?"

   "No,"

   "Say it," The therapist said smiling at Hayley. 

   "I'm not,"

   "'Cause you're just a scared little girl who troubles everyone around them." 

   Hayley snapped out of it and shook her head. 

Day 203 - Grace POV

   "Good morning," Lilly said, "Talking to the dead, huh?"

   "You saw it. Did you see what happened?"

   "All I saw," Lilly said, "Was you fall asleep." 

   That can't be. It was clear as day. We all saw it. They were standing in front of me. Tate was there and Lilly and Hayley and everyone was here. Everyone needs to remember. 


   Last night Violet appeared first to us, not in a dream, I was awake. Thunder boomed outside as Violet walked around the room, making the floor wet with the dampness of her feet with each step. I gulped. Tate and Hayley and Lilly were no longer standing. In fact, they're asleep. I try to tell them to wake up. They won't. They had to have seen her for at least a moment before they fell asleep.

   There are now six people standing side-by-side. I recognize Caden right away. There's a teenage girl who I sort of recognize. It's probably Hayley's sister. This is new. Violet's been here. I don't know who the other three are. 

   "Hey, Grace," the teenage girl told me. 

   "Hi," I said, "What are you doing here?"

   "You know why I'm here," 

   I don't know why she's here. She's either lying or she thinks I know something which I actually don't. It doesn't matter though. Caden and another probably fifteen-something boy come over to me and pull me by the arms to a chair in the back of the room. Lights turn off and back on. They start blinking on and off. They kick back on brighter than before.

   A bright light is shining in my eyes. I try to struggle out of the chair, but my arms are stuck inside a coat. I look down, it's a straitjacket. I let out a scream. Water starts to trickle on my face. I look up. Violet's on the ceiling like a spider. Her mouth is open and droplets of water slowly drip onto my face. The drops turn into a flow of water. Then a large flow. Before I know it, gallons of water are coming out of her mouth and filling up the room rapidly. I struggle to get out the chair, but I can't. I'm soaking wet. It's up to my neck. It slowly fills up and up more and more. I'm now completely submerged and Violet stares me down. As air leaves my lungs for the last time, Violet opens her mouth and swallows me whole. I wake up staring down Lilly. Then I pass out. 

    I awake. I'm in a hospital.