Ghost

Chapter 9

Celia had told us to get some sleep, which hadn't really worked for any of us.

Mel stayed on the other side of the room from me, completely ignoring my existence. I made no efforts to change that. I'd learned after many years that it was best to just let her cool off. Interference with this process would be fatal.

"Nope." Alec said, sitting up. "I give up. I can't sleep."

"I can't either." Celia sighed.

We all got up and sat in the centre of the room, our only source of lighting was still only candles. We got lucky since Mel had an unlimited supply, along with four different sized flashlights.

"So," Alec broke the silence, "what do we do now?"

Although Alec had just broken it, the silence had replenished itself and continued.

"I think," I paused for a moment, wondering if I should really say it. "I think we should kill Elaine."

Everyone stared at me in shock. Kill was definitely not a word you said lightly with that sort of context.

"I agree." Alec said.

"I don't." Mel spoke for the first time in what was probably over an hour. "It's not Elaine's fault all this is happening. It's Adalyn's."

"They're the same person!" Alec exclaimed annoyedly.

"Actually," all of our heads whipped around to Claire, who's face was immediately coloured red from the sudden attention. "Um... I have a theory about that." She said to the ground. "I-I might be wrong. But I think she might have multiple personality disorder." She glanced up at are confused expressions before quickly continuing. "It would explain what she meant by 'only kind of' Elaine. That would mean that Elaine was the core personality and Adalyn was her second personality in the same body."

Claire looked up again, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"My parents had me tested for it after my first... Outburst."

"So that's happened before?" Curiosity got the better of me.

Claire nodded.

"I've seen it before." Mel piped in.

"Me too." Alec said.

"Getting back to our original conversation, I agree with my sister." Celia said. "I also think that what she did was awful. But killing would get us nowhere."

"I still think we should kill her." I said, "she doesn't deserve to stay alive after what she did. She killed Holly and enjoyed it. She's insane! Nothing about what she did was okay!"

Claire twitched when I said Holly's name.

"Mack's right." Alec agreed. "She needs to go."

"It's not her fault she's like this!" Mel exclaimed, "her father's the reason she does all this!"

"Claire," I said, "you're the tiebreaker. What do you think?"

Claire looked from Alec and I to Mel and Celia before clenching her fists and staring coldly at the ground.

"You idiots!" She yelled. "Why the hell do you think you can kill her!? She's already fucking dead! And you!" Claire turned towards me, "would you shut up already!? Holly this, Holly that. What the hell do you even know about her!? She just had you wrapped around her painted little finger like everyone else!"

"Claire, don't." Mel warned.

"No! This dumbass thinks he knows everything about her, like she's some kind of sweet angel. Well you know what?" Claire turned to me again. "That girl was a complete bitch. The second all the boys turned their backs, she was harassing Mel and a ton of other girls."

"Claire!" Mel stood up and stormed out of the room. I immediately followed her, although we didn't make it very far. Since outside, perched neatly on the bottom step of the staircase, Elaine was there.

"You know, I never liked that girl." I recognized from the way she spoke that the girl was Adalyn. "She was very selfish. Although I guess all people are." She grinned at how little we could move.

"I think I'll tell all of you a bedtime story." Adalyn stood and jumped off the low step lightly. "You all remember how Elaine's father killed her, right? He was rather funny afterwards. He felt so guilty that he'd killed her. Well, not really about killing her, just having killed in general. He locked us in a room for eight whole months because he didn't want to go to jail. He even gave the police lots and lots of money so no one would know. They were selfish, rotten men, the policemen and Elaine's dad. Even his insides were rotten when I cut Mr. Benji open." Adalyn turned to us. "Its okay though," she added. "Since everyone is selfish." Adalyn spread her arms wide to display her point.

Then Adalyn grabbed Mel's wrist. "I can even prove it!" She said brightly, then she yanked Mel into the room with the chalk walls and slammed the door.