When Spirits Beckon

When Spirits Beckon, Part 1, Chapter 6

2 months ago, shortly before Christmas ...

All eyes were glued to the large screen display in the private suite within the Oval Office.

The nation's first female President, Chloe Elyse Drummond, winced while watching the reanimated Adrian's horrified reaction to the slimy ghost dip pouring onto him. Hairs all over her body stood on end as Adrian's eerie howl emanated from Sensurround speakers. Yet, her eyes remained unblinking – unable to turn away from watching Adrian dissolve in slo-mo Technicolor.

"Finding it too gory a vision, you wimp of a vamp?" asked a sneering voice that issued from a carved wooden elephant on the coffee table. Laughing wickedly, it continued, "I'd say that's a performance sure to win hands-down at the next MTV awards so long as you don't flash your tits getting out of your presidential limo."

"Oh, shut up Imp!" Chloe responded. "If you don't stop going on and on about my breasts, I swear I'll get them reduced the next time you get called away to the Angels Council."

"You wouldn't dare! If you do, I'll make all your gorgeous hair drop off and cause your bum to balloon so large that you'll be able to out-waddle a duck!"

Presidential aide Ramona Sherwood just rolled her eyes at the ceiling as she shifted to a more comfortable position on the sofa. She had learned long ago to stay out of the endless saucy bickering between Chloe and her spirit guide. The two would eventually get around to the subject at hand, once they'd run out of insults to throw at each other.

During the early days when she had intervened, the two had quickly turned on her instead. The merciless teasing sessions had been a real blast and she had come to understand why Chloe and Imp indulged in it so often. What she didn't agree on was Imp's careless use of the time dilation module simply to cater for their insult binges. But she had wisely kept her opinions to herself as Imp was an Angel-elect who outranked her in the Spirits Corp. Ramona was still a Skebis trainee level 2 with six more stages yet to climb before she qualified as a full Skebis. And even then, Imp would still outrank her – something which her spirit twin kept reminding her, insisting that she always take cognizance of protocol when dealing with her superiors.

While the constant reminder itself was enough of an annoyance, what rankled was the stark reality that her promotions hadn't come as fast as she had hoped. Ramona wanted to place the fault entirely on her former colleague and lover Damien; but she had to inwardly admit that she too had to shoulder part of the blame.

As Laura had promised her during the recruitment pep talk, the initiation of another soul into her mind hadn't been truly frightful. The new soul, who identified herself as Phyllis, had appeared in her dreams later that night and simply stayed on as a familiar mental voice in the background, like a conscience, during her hours awake. Phyllis hadn't reappeared in her dreams thereafter as Ramona had insisted on remaining in charge. In the ensuing years, the two had reached a comfortable arrangement as Phyllis continued to honor their agreement.

During the early soul-twinning days, Ramona was ecstatic at having successfully guided Damien to new technological discoveries while also luring him into her bed. But Damien's keen curiosity had been slowly dulled as they had settled into a stable relationship; he had no longer been as receptive to her suggestions despite the various sexual tricks she had dangled before him at her twin's suggestion.

Eventually, only the drastic measure of introducing a new nubile female (another Skebis trainee Level 1) into the lab had managed to pique Damien's interest to conduct esoteric scientific research again. A dismayed Ramona grudgingly let herself be phased out of Damien's life and soon found herself reassigned to another state altogether.