REFLECTION

11. Wonder

   Night time began to sneak up on us. The wind was whirling outside and making the house creak and settle more than usual. This house didn't seem right... It definitely gave me goosebumps.

I could see Josh turn to me at the corner of my eye. I felt my body get cold and it sent chills up my spine as my skin grew my goosebumps.

"Are you cold? Do you need a blanket?" Josh asked and scooted closer to me. I shook my head and smiled. I really didn't want to bother him; getting me a blanket would be too much of a hassle.

Josh opened his mouth to say something, but his brother came running down the stairs with a board in his hand.

"Hey want to try this!?" Jacob asked and put the board of the ground. Josh shook his head in return as his eyebrows furrowed at his brother beginning to sit in front of the board.

"What is it?" I asked Jacob. I was really curious to know what this board does, especially since it's a blank board with letters across the bottom of it.

"You can talk to demons with this board!" Jacob said with a sly smirk across his face. His eyes got in contact with mine.

"You're going to attract the paranormal to our house, are you mad?" Josh asked as he pulled me back against the couch. I looked at Josh with a confused expression across my face. "Don't to it..." Josh continued in a whisper as he looked into my eyes.

"You guys are being babies, you know I can't do this alone." Jacob sighed and stood up.

"I'm just making sure we don't lose another family member because you wanted to toy around with the paranormal." Josh spoke fast. The room suddenly got quiet... You could only hear the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees. I looked at Josh, noticing he was staring at his brother with the most serious expression I had ever seen in my years.

"Josh... Baby..." I whispered and rubbed the boy's arm slowly. I was trying to comfort him, even in the slightest. At least I was trying... Right?

Josh looked over at me and smiled slightly before standing up, hinting I should follow him. I nodded and held up a finger, asking him to wait.

I wanted to learn about this board and what it does, especially why Jacob would want to try it again, even after they lost a brother due to it.

I watched Josh walk upstairs, most likely to his room.

"What does it do, exactly? How does it work?" I asked and sat at the edge of the couch, looking at Jacob. The boy looked up at me with a shocked look.

"You talk to the demons and ghosts. But it's highly dangerous and the demons could link onto you if they really wanted to." Jacob explained while folding the board in half.

"Then why do it if you know the dangers?" I asked as my voice cracked. This is honestly terrifying, does he want Josh or me to die? Wait, don't answer that.

"It just seems fun sometimes. It also gives me this feeling that I enjoy feeling." Jacob mumbled and looked at me again. His eyes just didn't look the same anymore, they seemed matte... Like Tal's.

I stood up and walked outside, standing on the porch. I looked off in the distance and watched the leaves on the trees being blown by the wind.

I then sat on the porch steps and thought about that night with Tal... Thinking about how scared of him I was and what he would do with me. I still feel it sometimes, but I wonder if it would be different with Josh. Let's see...

"Oh Josh... I wonder if it's just a dream. Everything seems different with you. You seem like a boy who would save me from the frights of life, but also let me face them and morph into a stronger person. Would you do this? Would you live through life with me...?" I spoke as I stood up from the steps, running my fingers across the bark on a tree. I was so focused on what I was saying, I didn't even realise Josh had opened the door and stepped onto the porch.