Torment

Chapter Nine

"Matt, I-I can explain." I stuttered, "Explain what exactly? Because I'm so confused right now." He continued, fear in his eyes. He was scared, scared of me. "W-wait, you think this is me?!" I gave off a surprised look. No way Matt would believe in ghosts. No way! "She looks exactly like you, and she's the same age!" Matt continued, gesturing towards the paper. "Matt, this paper is 10 years old! And besides, I'm here aren't I, this girl is dead!" I yelled. "I-I don't know what to say… Then why does she look like you?" He continued, "People look like people all the time, it's a thing, everybody has a doppelganger, it's scientifically proven." I answered. "Then how come I've never seen your aunt? How come nobody else knows you?!" He continued. "Because, because-" I stuttered trying to aid to my lie with something. "Because what?!" He raged, "Because my aunt is sick okay! She has cancer!" I lied.

A cancer joke is a horrible joke! It was a horrible lie, but it was the only lie I could come up with. I felt horrible. "Kate…" Matt lowered, "No, whatever Matt." I said and marched out.

"He found out who you are?!" She asked, "No, he doesn't believe in ghosts." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "What makes you so sure? I told you not to continue with this madness!" She raged on. "Oh right, this is the ‘I told you so’" I sighed. "Enough with your sarcasm, Norah!" she yelled. "Look, Spirit, I need your help…" I blurted out. "You need my help? Really?! What makes you think I'll help you?" She asked, arms crossed. "Because you care…" I shrugged. "Oh please, spare me the kumbaya!" She rolled her eyes. "Look, I just need you to act as my aunt, because I know we can somehow show ourselves as the actual age we are, you know, with you being 30 and all… ” I shrugged. "What? How do you even know that and why would I do that anyway?!" She raged. "Please! It's the only way that'll explain the non-existence of ghosts to Matt, it's the only way!"

"This is all your fault!!" She raged, "How long have you even been acting alive?!" She continued, "Wait," she paused, "you're alive right now aren't you?" She asked. I guiltily stared up at her. "Oh my God, you're alive?! How did you even get in here?" She asked, "Somehow, my powers have continued to work." I shrugged. "That's not possible!" She gasped, "Well, somehow it is." I lowered, "Has anything else been weird? Anything I should know about?!" She asked. And instead of telling her about my new anger issue, I held it back. I didn't want any more of her scoldings. I'll sort the rest out by myself.

"Okay. Tomorrow my mother will be out shopping, groceries and whatnot. She'll be gone for exactly 2 hours, it's a regular thing. So we only have 2 hours to convince your boyfriend and then it's over, okay!?" She said, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" I cheered. "But then, you have to say your goodbyes…" She added, and my happiness instantly vanished. "Say my goodbyes? What do you mean?" I asked. "After tomorrow, you have to go back to being dead for good or you'll be lost forever. You'll be nothing but a confused soul, and you'll only end up getting hurt." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "S-sure." I stuttered, giving off a reassuring, sad look. I needed her to believe that I was truly done with being alive and living, because I know I didn't believe it, no way I would…

The next day I swallowed my pride and anxiety and knocked on the Williams's door. "Oh, hey Kate. C'mon on in." Winona said, not very cheerful. She seemed somewhat distressed, somewhat sad. I could read it right off her.

"Oh um no, I'm just here to get Matt." I quickly replied. I couldn't enter the door and get sucked in by the pain of an unfaithful husband, an unfaithful father, I knew the anger would once again consume me and I knew that I wouldn't be able to control it when it did.

She quickly got Matt. "Kate?" Matt raised an eyebrow. "I want you to meet someone." I kept a straight face and marched ahead. "Hey, wait up!" Matt came jogging after me, "meet who?" He asked, "My aunt of course, I mean, that way you won't believe I'm a dead girl!" I replied. "Hey, Kate, that's not, look I'm -" "Sorry? Please, you're completely nuts!" I went off, "Nuts?" He yelled back. "Yeah. You don't seriously believe in ghosts do you?!" I turned back to him for a second. "Well, n-no!" He looked me in the eye. "Good! So then give me your hand." I reached out my hand. "My hand, what do you-" "Just give it to me." I said, and he gave it. "Feel this? Flesh, skin, nothing spooky about that, right?" I asked him, pressing his hand on my cheek. "Kate, I'm sorry, it's just that I got really freaked out when I saw-" "My doppelganger? Yeah, me too, well, when I first saw her." I explained. "So, how come nobody mentioned her?" He asked, "I don't know, maybe because she was forgotten. It was a tragic death." I said when we finally arrived.