Forbidden Ghosts

IV

*Edited* 

Braylee tapped on her phone, currently walking out of the phone store with her brand new iPhone. She had already put in Willow's number but had yet to text her, she needed to think of something to say. Warren's demand was still at the forefront of Braylee's mind.

She knew she just couldn't ask her for a picture of her grandmother, yet it was the only thing Braylee seemed to think of, so with that in mind, she tapped Willow's contact and messaged her.

Braylee: Hey Willow, it's Braylee. We met at the library a few days ago?

A few minutes later her phone dinged.

Willow: Hey Bree! Glad you were able to get a phone easily :) Wanna chat over coffee soon?

Braylee: Sure, just text me where and when.

Braylee turned off her phone and continued back to her car. She quickly climbed into the driver's seat and her phone dinged.

Willow: I'm just about to get off my shift, are you in town? We can meet at this cute little coffee shop just a block from the library.

Braylee agreed and soon enough she sat inside of the small, comforting coffee shop where she waited for Willow. The air smelled like coffee and muffins, Braylee took a moment to breathe it in.

"Hey!" A cheery voice said to Braylee's left. Braylee looked over and smiled lightly when she saw Willow walking towards her. When Braylee stood up, Willow engulfed her in a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"How are you? How's living with Warren?" She asked, while they stood in line, waiting to order their drinks.

"I'm fine. Living with Warren is...fine," she hesitated slightly and Willow caught on extremely quickly and nodded her head.

"My grandmother always talks about how much pain Warren was. But, she loves him. She also misses him," Willow smiled sadly at the last part. Braylee nodded her head and patted Willow's arm.

After they both ordered their drinks, they were sitting silently, sipping their coffees. Braylee suddenly set down her mug and sighed.

"I have a question," she said, whilst looking out the window. Willow's eyes flashed to hers, and she nodded her head.

"Warren... he saw the newspapers. I told him his sister never died in the murders. He wants to see a picture of her. I wouldn't ask if he didn't sound so... broken," Braylee whispered the last part and looked over to Willow, who had a sympathetic expression on her face.

"Of course, I'll text you some," Willow smiled and Braylee breathed out a sigh of relief. Warren's anger had gotten slightly worse after Braylee told him about his sister. More things broken, more things Braylee had to repurchase that she had already replaced before.

When Braylee and Willow departed, they both hugged each other and Willow declared they would have an overnight hangout at her house somewhere in the near future. Braylee had agreed and loved the idea of finally having a friend.

When she was driving on the dirt road back to her cabin she noticed something outside, or rather there were more than multiple things, including everything she owned.

She quickly skidded to a stop, and jumped out just in time to find Warren throwing yet another lamp onto the ground in front of her.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She screamed, and stomped on her porch, avoiding all of her personal items. Warren's eyes snapped to hers and his gaze hardened.

"This is what you get for lying to me. My sister isn't alive, you're just trying to get on my good side. Now, I'm kicking you out of my home," he glowered at her and started to pick a vase up and make his way to the front door.

"I'm not lying to you! She is alive! Why can't you trust me?" She said exasperated, and tried to block him from going through the front door. He rolled his eyes and started walking straight for her, as if he was going to walk right through her.

Braylee shoved her arms out and her hands collided with Warren's chest and he stumbled back, dropping the vase, causing it to shatter on the ground. Warren reached out and grabbed Braylee's forearm before they both tumbled to the ground, Braylee landing on his chest.

For a moment, they were both completely silent. Braylee thought she could hear the echo of his heartbeat, but almost laughed to herself. Instead, she moved over to the side and landed on the ground beside Warren, who had a faraway look in his eyes.

Braylee pulled out her phone and tapped on the messages between her and Willow. She scrolled through the photos she had sent, and then tapped on the one video she had received, with a text below it that said, "Show this to him, he will believe it."

Braylee tapped on the video and held the phone in front of Warren's face. His eyes zeroed in on the black screen, and Braylee tapped the play button. For a few seconds there was silence, but then the phone camera was pulled up and Braylee recognized Elizabeth sitting in a chair and reading a book.

"Whatcha reading there grandma?" Willow's voice came from behind the phone, and Elizabeth looked up and smiled, then she showed the cover.

"This book was my brother's favorite, he would always have this in his hand," her smile wavered a bit, and then she set down the book.

"If there was one thing you could say to him, what would you say?" Willow asked, and Braylee held back a smile, Willow knew exactly what she was doing.

"Well, I would say how much I miss him. I hope he's doing well up there. I would also say how much of a good big brother he was to me. I know he gave up all those years ago, but if he were to come back, I know he wouldn't be the same Warren back then," Elizabeth smiled sweetly, some tears brimming her eyes.

The video had ended and Warren was still silent, then he stood up, and held his hand down for Braylee to grab. When he yanked her up, she was captured into his arms, which were tightly secured around her.

"Thank you," he whispered, and Braylee wrapped her arms around him and nodded her head. They stood like that for almost five minutes, and when Warren let go, Braylee moved to show him more pictures of his sister.

"She looks so similar yet so different at the same time," he said, his eyes never leaving the screen. Braylee nodded and continued scrolling through the pictures. When she had come to the last one Warren was smiling at the phone, his eyes were slightly watery.

"I told you I wasn't lying," Braylee laughed a little and Warren shook his head. He then started walking towards the front door again and walked out, then he came back in with a pile of clothes and a small smile on his face.

For the next hour they brought inside everything, and trashed everything that was ruined. Braylee had a small smile before she fell asleep. Progress.