Obsession

Chapter 10

"So your telling me this tree took your sister who no one remembers..." Jesse looked at the tree with a glare. We were now standing a good 50 yards from it, watching its branches sway to and fro.

"Yes." I answered.

He looked at me. His face was slightly pale. "How long ago?"

"A little over 5 years..."

Jesse sucked in a breath. "So you said it moved locations?"

"Yes."

"Fuck."

"What? What's wrong?"

"This tree... It took my brother."

"What?" I was shocked. I thought I was the only one who had a trauma like this.

"It was in a different location but it still took him. My parents didn't believe me, and Mitchel didn't remember him, being that they were best friends. This happened around 6 years ago... When my brother was 10."

I was completely shocked but managed to mutter, "Maybe it likes 10 year old's."

"Or making us its slave. Do you ever hear your sister's voice sometimes?"

I nodded my head.

"Me too, well, my brother's voice..."

"What happened?"

"The tree had a parachute army man stuck in the branches so Johnny, my brother, untangled it. I think he secretly wished to become like the soldier with the parachute. A couple years later, when we went to South Africa to visit my mother's friend, the tree was there, in the backyard. And I knew it was the tree because Johnny, Mitchel, Clinton, and I had all carved our names into it. I was freaked out but Johnny walked up to it and started to pull the parachute man from the branches. Much like your doll story, he turned into a parachute man. The parachute grew out of his back and he was crying the whole time while his body turned that camouflage green. Then he fell backwards, melting into the ground. My mom came out to call me in for dinner. She didn't remember Johnny. I called Mitchel to tell him, but he had no idea who I was talking about so I gave up on trying to tell people. I still remember my brother, but I have never again gone close to that demonic tree."

I nodded. My mouth was dry. "This tree has probably taken many others. I think it's like a sacrifice. It gives you a wish and takes it too literally. The one person who knows about the wish and witnessed the tree taking the kid suffers with the burden of knowing that they could've been saved."

"Well, I believe it effected us too. Not just in that way... But... Well, Clinton told me about that Blake guy in the midst of telling me about you. This obsession thing. It's happened to me too. This one girl got so crazy because I wouldn't kiss her that she tried to stab me. This other girl and her best friend fought over me and let's just say one of them didn't survive in the end... But I've never had two sisters fight over me... I think you're in for it. This could get really bad."

"So you think this tree gave us the power to have people become obsessed with us. Whether we like it or not?"

"Correct..."

I took a breath in. "This is just... Too much. Does anyone else know about all of this?"

"Clinton knows pieces. He knows about the girls who are obsessed with me but that's because he thinks I'm a player, which I'm not..."

I nodded. "Maybe we should talk to the boys about this."

"Good idea." Jesse looked at the tree again. "Maybe we should even try and cut it down."

"No! Don't!"

"Why not? It killed our siblings."

"But that's how they communicate with us. I know a weird tree is nearby when I hear my sister and now that I've found it, I'm surprised she hasn't reached out."

"Yea... My brother hasn't said much either. Maybe they met each other in that spirit world."

"What?"

"You know... Where souls go in between?"

"Oh, like limbo?"

"Yes."

"Maybe you're right, Jesse." I looked at the tree again. "Maybe that's limbo."