Dwellings On The Past ~ (Lorraine's daughter)

Déjà vu

"He's just concerned about your safety." my mom tells me while I hand her the soaked nightgown. I'm not even surprised she brought an extra one here. She's prepared for everything. For my ego I'm blaming that on how long she's been doing this job.

In her eyes I search for the answer, I'm not sure about what question yet. "But he doesn't need to be such an... unkind person about it." I mumble. "Maybe he's not entirely wrong about his point, but he's the one who convinced you to let me go in the first place."

The nightgown lands on a chair next to the door and my mom faces me again. "He's not being mean about it." she defends him.

"He questioned if it even was the right thing to do this. To help people." I counter. My mom looks surprised, then shocked and then her face switches back to normal. "You heard us arguing." she realizes. "He apologized after, Linda. It's normal to think twice about going to haunted places like this voluntarily. And it's normal to not always agree."

But they always agree and in the unusual case that they don't, they always sort it out calmly. Just as I'm about to disagree with Lorraine again, my dad's back. "There was a rotten smell in the bathroom." he walks over to the bed where my mom and I already are. "I don't think there's much room for doubt now."

I look between my mom and my dad. "It's a demon haunting this house, isn't it?" I ask, even though I know the answer and kind of don't want to hear it. "We will call Father Gordon first thing tomorrow." my dad says while he lays back down on the bed.

"What?" I ask, when I glance at my mom I see she's ready to go asleep again as well. "But we need to tell the family. They have to know!"

"They will. Just not tonight." my dad says, turning so he's facing the wall. "Mom, we need to wake them up and tell them." I say, but she pulls me down towards the bed. "Your dad and I have some experience, okay. We know that if we wake them and tell them now, they'll freak out and may be even more scared than they already are." she explains in a calm tone. "Just try to sleep and we'll deal with it tomorrow."

Even though I kind of want to disagree with her on this, I'm really tired. And before I can think another thought about it, I drift off to sleep. Or at least I hope I do, because a vision would make me even more exhausted.

"What is it, witch?" I hear David's - when I think about it, kind of annoying - voice. I open my eyes and see the figure of the woman on the balcony. I'm back on the swings. "I can see a spirit." I say. "Never call me a witch again. It's not funny or good for your safety." I repeat my words from earlier. I'm not sure if that's what I said exactly. But if I'm right about this, what I'm seeing right now is what could've happened if I hadn't... freaked out.

"How do you even know stuff like that?" he wonders.

"My parents do lectures." I inform him.

The woman looks at me and an idea comes to my mind.

"Linda? What do we do?" David asks.

"Follow me." I whisper-shout before standing up and rushing towards the house. Through the library I basically run the stairs up, sensing David is on my heels. He doesn't seem to have any trouble keeping up with me.

I rush into Julie's room, I can see the woman standing on the balcony. She's the demon haunting this house, as far as I'm aware of. "What are you staring at?" David's voice sounds from behind me. But this can't be it, I strongly assumed she's the demon even before the vision. "What do you want to show me?" I mutter.

"What in God's name are you doing?"

I shush David before the woman turns and walks towards us. Everything in me screams to run, but I know I can't. To my surprise, even David keeps his position. "If you're seeing someone, you need to tell me." he whispers in my ear.

"You're not the boss of me." I whisper back, holding my pointing finger against his lips. "Just keep on following me." I order while I watch the woman - the demon - walk towards the stairs. She just walks past us, not even glancing at us. So from the point on, we're only watchers. "Oh, so you're the boss of me?" David mentions and I chuckle, following the woman downstairs. I'm still afraid of her, but in a vision she can't harm me. Okay, at least I think, or hope, she can't.

"I guess I am." I hum in a breathy voice. I'm not quite sure why David is here, in my vision. It doesn't make sense, mostly I'm alone in visions. At least watching alone, but David is fully here. The only explanation could be... but that would be nearly impossible. He can't be a clairvoyant, can he?

"Did that basement door just open on its own?" Oh shit.

In quick steps I rush towards David, who's standing in front of the slightly opened basement door. "Be careful." he says before walking off and disappearing. He just disappeared! Why would he leave me?

It's not important right now, I tell myself, and open the basement door so I can fit through. The dim light is on and when I look down, I see Julie. Her expression is neutral and the demon holds her by her shoulders. Suddenly I feel sick to my stomach. The woman is vomiting a red-brownish substance in the little girl's mouth.

"No!" I scream when I rush down the stairs. "Nononono." I repeat and the demon's head snaps to me. I feel disgusted, afraid, cross that, I'm terrified and I feel so sick I might as well pass out. I scream in pain at the burning pain coming from my stomach. Like someone stabbed me and then twisted the knife.

"Linda! Wake up." I hear my mom's voice.

"Come back to us." my dad says.

I gasp for air when I finally open my eyes and look at both of my parent's concerned faces. "She's in Julie!" I gasp. "I saw them in the basement! The demon possessed Julie. And the little girl kills the mother! That's why Julie's friend, Maeve, was so sad. She killed her mother." I explain. Tears sting my eyes and my hands are trembling so much my mom takes them in her own. "Maybe that's why the family before said they didn't have any issues. Carol mentioned they didn't have children, right? And the demon only possesses little girls."