The Ghostly Past

Chapter 4

Harriet was walking back to the village after the Academy finished and Clara walked with her, glad for the company. Her first day hadn't been so bad, she hadn't made any major mistakes and everyone had been surprisingly nice after the first few strange glances. 

"...so that's how I started doing video game competitions." Harriet finished up. "Then I went to Japan for a year to study but also to play. Akihabara is like my dream place. But then my parents were like, Harriet, you need to take life more seriously and use your talents. So I'm here now."

"Music is all I've ever wanted to study." Clara said, feeling boring in comparison. "I'm not well travelled like you. I spent most of my teens inside practising or locked in dark basement practice rooms. I wasn't exactly a social butterfly."

That was an understatement. She'd always been a nervous child and the music had been her excuse to shut herself away, to avoid going on the playground, to avoid the dining hall.

"Well, you're stuck with me now." Harriet laughed, "You'll not be able to avoid social interaction in a place like this."

A car was coming up behind them, slowing down to a crawl and then stopping just ahead. It looked expensive. James Carew stuck his head out of the window. "Hey ladies, do you need a ride back? I don't mind."

"Thanks, but we're fine." Clara said, "Unless you want to?" She turned to Harriet, not wanting to speak for her.

"We're good." Harriet smiled at James, "Girl power and all that."

"Do you have dinner plans?" He asked them. Maybe he liked Harriet, Clara thought.

"Housemates are cooking for me, sorry." She replied ruefully, "But I'll be down at the Knight's Castle tonight." She turned to Clara. "It's one of the local pubs. You should come!"

"Yeah Clara, come down!" James beamed at her.

She didn't want to be a third wheel, but they both seemed insistent so she begrudgingly agreed. She and Harriet parted ways when they reached the village, with plans to meet for a drink later. Mrs Barker had texted her with some shopping, so Clara dived into a few shops and returned to the cottage with arms full of groceries.

They got dinner underway. She found the old lady a good companion. She was interested, but not obtrusive and didn't mind Clara practising in her room for an extra half an hour while food was in the oven. They talked about one another's days and then Mrs Barker asked, "Any plans this evening, dear?"

What was everyone's obsession with going out? She wondered. It was a Monday night. "A friend from the school asked me to go down to the pub."

"Ah lovely." Mrs Barker said as Clara cleared the table, "Just make sure you're back before dark."

"But why?"

"Oh, there's a curfew in place now. There's some odd phenomena in the forest. The scientists are studying it, but it makes the temperature drop."

"I see." Clara replied, unconvinced.

With the warm summer nights, sundown was late. The Knight's Castle, with its thatched roof and inviting garden, was bustling with residents and students alike. All of the benches out front were full and inside was standing room only. Her stomach started to churn with anxiety at the thought of battling through.

A text pinged on her phone from Harriet. 'Where are you?' Clara sighed. She'd better go in. She'd changed into jeans, her leather jacket slung over her arm. "Clara! Over here!" Harriet shouted, spotting her. She wriggled her way through to the bar where Harriet had gotten two glasses of red wine. "I ordered for you. Hope you don't mind."