Dance with Darkness - Ghost Dance

Chapter 6

Friday, November tenth, nine o-clock p.m.

Beeeep.

“Lynn?  It’s Mom.  How are you?  Have you heard anything yet about your sister?  Be sure to check in with me and your father more often.  We haven’t heard from you in a few days and we’re starting to get worried.  I’m sure everything’s fine though.  Love you.”

Friday, November tenth, nine-forty-seven p.m.

Beeeep.

“Lynn, it’s Mom again.  You must be out with your friends after a long week and have your phone on silent.  Hope you’re having fun, but please call back.”  Still half asleep, I plodded into the kitchen, chuckling darkly at the assumption that I had been too busy having fun to answer my phone last night.

Saturday, November eleventh, seven oh-eight a.m.

“Good grief, can’t a girl sleep in on the weekend?” I muttered, switching my cell phone to my other ear as I reached in the fridge for the butter.

Beeep.

“Hey Lynn, it’s Dad.  I’m sure you’re still sleeping from going out or something last night, but Mom insisted I call you since it seems she’s having no luck.  Not to worry you, we just would like to hear that everything’s okay.  Talk to you soon.”

End of messages.  Press seven to delete—

I hit the end button instead, silencing the voicemail woman.  Her voice was too calm, and a bit reminiscent of Nakoma’s at times.  And I did not want to be thinking of her this early.

I shoved down the toaster button viciously, as if doing so could rid the memories of last night from my mind.

Unlike the previous day, I ate my breakfast in peace and quiet, sans uninvited ghostly colleague.  I hadn’t put the ghost ring back on since storming out of Triple H the previous night, and had no intention of wearing it again until I was forced to return there tonight…if I returned.  The jury was still out on that—the possession had thoroughly spooked me and I wasn’t yet sure if I could bring myself to go back there so soon.  Staying in my apartment all day sounded like a lovely idea.  I needed to clean anyway.

I refused to believe that Nakoma was here in the apartment with me like she had been the previous day.  No, this day was entirely mine alone—I would have no one around to ruin it.  And I would go nowhere near that ghost ring, just to be sure.

After I cleared my dishes, I decided it was time to call my parents.  Ever since my sister’s disappearance, they had started calling at least every three or four days to check on me.  I couldn’t blame them, and given Pat’s additional disappearance, it was a wonder they hadn’t demanded that I move back to live with them in Connecticut immediately.  Since they had met as news reporters and covered several murder cases and shootings together, even without Rachel’s disappearance, they were prone to worrying and fearing the worst.

“Hello?” my mom said, picking up after the first ring.

“Hi Mom,” I replied.

“Lynnette!  What have you been doing?  Why didn’t you call back sooner?” she blurted.

“Sorry.”

“What were you doing last night?  Why couldn’t you call?”

“Uh…I was watching a movie.”  A very bad, twisted one, I added mentally.  “And I left my phone in the other room so I didn’t see the missed calls when I went to bed right after.  I’m sorry.”  When it came to making up excuses, I was pretty good at it.  I didn’t like lying to her, but there was no way I could let her know what I had actually been up too.