A Distant Memory (Josh Washington Fanfic)

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Turn of Events

"Are you sure you want to do this Artie?" Josh asked. "I mean, we did have this whole conversation about you not liking the paranormal junk."

Artemis chuckled, "I mean... I got nothing else to do since Sam over there is hoggin' up the shower so.." Artemis trailed off to look at Josh in the eye. She gave him a bright smile. "Besides! I have a big strong man to protect me, ain't that right?" She snaked her arm around his and pulled him closer.

She let out a small giggle as she saw Josh's face dusted in pink before he let out a smart remark. "Hell yeah you do!"

When they arrived at the living room, Chris and Ashley had already set up the spirit board. Chris walked up to Artemis with apologetic eyes.

"Look Artemis . . . I'm sorry fo-" he stopped talking when Artemis raised her hand.

Artemis let out a small sigh, "Chris. It's fine. Just please don't do it again? Deal?" She let out her hand for a handshake.

Chris took the hand and shook it, "Deal."

Josh slapped Chris back and grinned. "Alright! Let's get this party started!"

"I hardly call, speaking to the dead, a party." Ashley snorted.

"What do you mean?" Artemis said, "calling dead people really livens up the party!"

Everyone stood in silence. Josh let out choked laugh. Soon everyone started to laugh uncontrollably. But Artemis felt like the laughter was aimed at her rather than with her.

"A-Artie. I think you should leave the jokes to me and Chris." Josh wheezed out.

Artie puffed her cheeks and pouted. "Humph," she crossed her arms on her chest and looked away from the group. "Let's just start already," Artemis mumbled.

They all sat in the circle with the ouija board in the center. Chris, Ashley, and Josh were the first to lay their hands on the planchette. But Artemis hesitated. Suddenly, her hands seemed to clam up and shake.

"Artie, you don't have to do this you know," Josh said. "No one is forcing you." 

Artemis shook her head. "No I want to do this." She placed her hands on the heart shaped piece of wood and looked at Chris. "Let's just get this over with . . ."

"So it says here: 'to communicate with the spirit world you must free your mind of all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions and generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whims of the Spirit-Master' which is me. . . " Chris joked.

"It doesn't say that-" Ashley said.

". . . and all present will remove their garments at my sole discretion."

"Chris come on this is serious-" Josh started.

"Oh I'm deadly serious," Chris said lowly.

"Just shut up and let's play already," Artemis groaned.

"Okay then, lets see what happens. Ashley since you're a recent convert, why don't you be our medium for today?" Chris asked.

Ashley nodded slowly and began. "Okay. . . um, is anyone there?" She stuttered. "Will you reveal yourself to us. . . If you're there?"

And, at the cost of Artemis' silent heart attack, the counter start to move.

"Wait a minute.." Chris said in disbelief.

As they kept their eyes on the planchette, it seemed to refuse to move. "Did you do that?" Josh asked.

"I didn't do anything!" Ashley exclaimed.

"It's moving again!" Chris said.

Surely enough, the wooden piece moved to a letter.

"H . . ." Ashley watched shakily as she spelled what the spirit wanted to say.

"What's it spelling?" Josh quivered. "How is this happening?" Josh seemed shaken and pale with fear. Artemis on the other hand was too paralyzed with fear. She couldn't speak nor comprehend what was happening before her very eyes.

This has to be a joke.. Someone is playing a sick joke. I can't believe I let myself do this. Artemis thought.

"A-Are you moving it...?" Chris looked at both Artemis and Ashley for answers.

Artemis and Ashley both shook their heads no.

"I swear it's just moving!" Ashley countered as she watched the piece move across the board to each letter. "'Help'?" She said with eyes widened.

"We need to know who it is if we're supposed to help them." Chris said.

"Who are you?" Ashley looked at the board and bit her lip when the board started to move again.

Everyone began spelling out the word.

"S,"

"I,"

"S,"

"T,"

"E,"

"R,"

"Sister?" Artemis said as her lips quivered. She pulled her hand away from the wooden piece and slowly excused herself. She ran away to her room as quickly as she could.

"Artie wait-" Ashley was about to leave when Josh stopped her.

He looked her dead in the eye and asked, "Whose sister?"

"Josh it's gotta be-"

"Yeah? Then ask it which sister," he said.

"Who are we speaking to? ...Hannah? Is that you?"

The piece moved to yes. Chris and Ashley looked at each other then to Josh. He had an emotionless face, staring into the heart shaped wooden piece. 

~•~

Artemis sat in her bed trying to calm her shaking hands. She didn't want to think about the stupid ouija board. She didn't want to think about which "sister" she was talking to. It killed her inside to know that Hannah or Beth, or maybe even both, weren't alive and well.

But Artemis knew it. She knew that Hannah and Beth couldn't had survived in the wilderness for a whole year. They could've died of hypothermia. And if they could fix that problem, there is a food problem. They both don't know how to hunt nor do they have the necessary tools to actually hunt. They could've starved. And it was Artemis' fault for not finding them. If she had known about the prank, if she hadn't spent so long talking and scolding the group, she could've stop it. But she didn't.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. Artemis had to be strong. For them. For the Washington sisters. It's what they would've wanted.

Artemis walked back down the stairs and saw Josh leave Chris and Ashley angrily.

"Wait what happened?" Artemis said.

"We got to fill you in, but for now, follow us to the library."