Ghost of You

Twenty Six

It had been a few days since the Josephine blow up, and she had not died down, in fact it was only getting worse, Stevie trying to ignore but it was becoming impossible

Lindsey had left for work when she was upstairs changing into her clothes, suddenly doubling over with terrific pains in her stomach, it didn't feel like anything she'd ever felt before, seeing blobs of red through the material against her stomach

Running over to the mirror, she lifted her shirt up quickly, her eyes filling with tears as she saw the word 'Bitch' scratched across the skin of her stomach, Stevie practically throwing up where she stood

She looked again, and the marks were gone but the skin there still stung. She felt her son moving around in her belly, her tears subsiding slightly. Her shirt no longer had blood seeping through. Maybe it was in her head, she thought.  Just as she was going to go back downstairs to make herself something to eat, she felt an enormous force from behind her. Her body was propelled forward and had she not been holding onto the railing, she would have been pushed down the stairs. The windows rattled, the lights flickered and multiple voices filled her senses. She turned, hearing her name and the attic door swung open, the stairs fell down and a great number of grey shadows flew toward her like bats. She ducked, all of them disappearing into the walls. Smoke as if the attic were burning again rolled down the small staircase and terrible shrieks and wails surrounded her. A maniacal cackle shook the floorboards and it felt as if they would be all pulled up. Glass from a mirror shot toward her and she ducked once more. When she turned again, it was all gone.

"I can't do this anymore" Stevie said to herself.

"Stephanie, up here!" Vanessa said, beckoning to her. Stevie carefully climbed the stairs and pulled herself up. "I'm sorry she's torturing you. I wish I could stop her but she's too strong."

"She's killing me and Noah..." Stevie sobbed hard, clutching her bump, Vanessa doing her best to soothe the pains

"She's etching stuff into my skin, it hurts so much!"

"She always was a psychotic bitch, it's not really happening, she's just making you see and feel it. Lindsey needs to talk to Fletcher as soon as possible!" Stevie nodded in agreement

"He's not going to stay in there for too much longer, she will hurt him when he's out I just know it." She gestured to her stomach

"I will do everything in my physical power to stop her doing that!" Vanessa promised "Oh and your hair looks so beautiful, I'm sorry she cut it!"

"It will grow back..." Stevie said, she was still pretty emotional about it

"I know you're in pain, but we have to try to stop her by getting to Fletcher first"

"I'll be okay." Stevie said.

"I shouldn't have brought you into this but you're the only way."

"I know and I want to help" Stevie said. Vanessa continued to try to soothe the pain. "When Lindsey gets home I will try again but you have to help too. Now that he believes, it will be much easier."

"Fletcher is stubborn...maybe he doesn't want us"

"He does, he told me he does."

"Then why can't he come here to me?"

"Because he's bound to me!" Josephine's voice echoed in the walls but she could not manifest. "I may not be able to be in the presence of your precious mirror but I can still destroy you"

"The mirror...." Vanessa whispered to herself, thinking aloud. "We can use the mirror"

Stevie's back grew stiff and she knew she had a lot of thinking to do. Vanessa understood and watched carefully as she descended the attic stairs and went to her bedroom. At first, Stevie was afraid she would endure the wrath of Josephine but she was much too tired to give it a second though. She got out her journal and began to brainstorm.

She had that familiar pain again as she wrote word after word "Josephine! Stop it you bitch!" Stevie screamed, soon in pain, she knew there would be more words on her when she looked, looking in the mirror she saw it "Bastard" wrote across her stomach, soon there was a pain on her chest to, Stevie opened her eyes to see the word "Whore" across her chest

"You fucking bitch!" Stevie said angrily before she felt something round her stomach, looking at her reflection she couldn't see anything, but her feet were just off the floor

"Josephine stop!" She felt sharp stabbing pains as her clothes became crimson, Stevie's eyes going wide when she saw the large stain growing red by her crotch "No no no! You leave him alone!" She sobbed being dropped back to the floor, looking down and seeing no blood and no cuts. Vanessa was right, Josephine was making her see things, and it was scaring her to death.