Torment

Chapter Six

"Well, how?!" I inquired. "Okay, relax Curious George." She responded. "The reason why I didn't want to tell you this in the first place was because you'd get this excited and want to try it out! Look, I was once just like you; new to all of this and I taught myself to do it, you know, show myself to my mom. It gave her the biggest freight of her life. She cried more than anything. She couldn't even get a word out-" she paused, "I realised that all I could do was tell her I was happy and okay, you know, make her think I was in heaven or whatever. And then for her safety and sanity, I had to disappear forever. But that, of course didn't stop me. I explored, went outside and made myself visible to everyone. It was great at first, but I was limited to things. Spirits have limitations. I couldn't head out to the beach with my new friends. Salt can hurt us as well as metal, which I call the harrowing element. I thought I could be human, thought I could live again, but it was a fantasy, a lie I told myself just to feel again, to be alive again…" She paused again, "I got confused. So I forced myself to stop. I had to, or I'd be lost forever." She lowered, sadness in her voice.

"Wow." I rested my arm on her shoulder. "What happened to your friends?" I asked, "They're all grown up now. Happy with children. They never knew what I was, obviously. Bet they don't even think about me." She said. "Hey, that's not true. I'm sure they do tell their kids about you." I smiled.  "Okay, that's enough heart to heart. Let's do this." She said, getting up and shaking the sadness off her cold body.

"So, this is the easiest thing to do actually." She said, standing before me.

"Okay, well, show me." I smiled. "So first off, if it's one person you want to show yourself to, you have to stand before the person, close your eyes and allow your body to mix with the energies around you. Your mind has to be cleared. Dangle your fingers around in the air, until you feel as though they're getting heavier, and heavier. And then open your eyes. The person should see you by now." She stopped. "And that applies to the more-than-one-person situation too?" I asked. "Well yeah, but then again, you're never going to do it because you swore." She said. "Of course I'm not. But hey, it's getting pretty late, and I feel like I know enough now like; to stay away from salt and metal…" "And never show yourself to humans." She added, "Yeah and that." I smiled. "Okay, well then, that will be all. May I never see you again, Norah." She said. "Sure thing, spirit!" I cheered and rushed out of the house.

The streets were empty. The lights were dimmer. Hallowean was slowly fading and I was happy. I dashed down the street. Dogs were barking and the wind started howling. I had the impression the wind might've been my fault.

I swam through the door, totally oblivious to the fact that I had done it. The house was quiet, the lights were out, but I heard mumbling, whispers. Calmed and curious, I followed the sound.

I was standing in front of Billy's office. The mumbling was coming from inside.I hesitantly entered.

He was looking out the window, as if worried someone might see him. He was on the phone, speaking in a hushed angry tone. His voice was rising up and falling down like he was arguing with someone on the other end. I stood right opposite him, confused.

"Lorri, it's 2 am! How do you expect me to come over right now?!" He quietly revolted. "My wife and kids are home! What do you not understand?!" He continued and the more he spoke, the more my heart pulsated. "L-listen to me, I'll see you tomorrow okay...Yes, I promise!" He lowered and quickly put the phone down. He massaged his temples as his breathing slowly caught up. He was hunched over his desk. Finally he pulled himself together and left the office. He locked the door and I heard his footsteps getting quieter and quieter.

I just stood there, feeling so angry, so agitated but more than anything I felt so hurt. Billy was cheating on Winona, cheating on Katy, cheating on Matt. Billy was cheating on his family. He was cheating on me.