Ghost

0702

I didn't realize what I was doing until I was already downstairs, standing before five gaping mouths.

"How dare you." My hands were in fists, clenched so tight they were shaking. I had to blink back my angry tears, ignoring the fact that all eyes were now on me.

"N-Natalie...," Audrey stammered, but then her eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't have been eaves dropping on us." I almost laughed.

"Yeah? Well you shouldn't have been talking behind my back." I was about to unleash all the tension that had been building up between her and I, but the sound of the front door opening interrupted me. I turned expecting to find my mother, but instead found a girl I'd never seen before.

"Oh." She had her hands frozen in the inside of her purse where she'd been previously fumbling for something. "Looks like I came in at the perfect time." She let out an awkward laugh, tucking a strand of hair back into her side-swept afro.

"Yes, seems so," Valerie said. My eyes flashed over in her direction, her bright red lips rising into a smile. I started to lose my gusto as I realized the situation. All eyes on me. Me. A sophomore in the face of a pack of seniors.

"Should I wait outside?" The girl asked.

"No, don't worry, Liz," my sister said. I shot her a glare, my stomach a swirl of anger and anxiety. "She was just throwing a fit because I told her little secret."

Liz raised an eyebrow, and Valerie cupped her mouth in her direction.

"She can see dead people."

I could feel tears brimming my eyes. I couldn't believe this was happening, that my sister would do something like that. I felt like my ribs had been pulled back to reveal my insides, leaving me naked. And I was just standing there in front of them left bare. A sickened feeling washed through me, and I started to rush for the stairs, but Liz stepped out in front of me. I backed away, unsure what she was going to do.

"So, you can really see the dead?" She asked.

"Uh, that's not something I really feel comfortable-"

"Just answer the question."

I hesitated, suddenly feeling trapped. I looked behind me, where the rest of them were staring at me expectantly. I could still make out the smirk on Valerie's lips. "Why?" I asked. "So you have a reason to tease me?"

I tried to dart past her again, but her hands clamped my shoulders and pulled me in front of her. She looked me dead in the eyes.

"No," she said, her expression surprisingly soft. "Why would I do that when I can sense the dead too?"

My heart started to pound.

"What?" I almost thought I'd asked it, but it was my sister's voice. The words coming out of my mouth were jumbled.

"You heard me." Liz said with a confident shrug. "I can feel the presence of the dead."

She said it so nonchalantly, I felt the need to sit down, to hold my head. How could she just say it like that? So easily? How did the words come out of her mouth without any doubt?

And then I really thought about it.

"You're just trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

Liz's smile deepened. "Why would I make up something just to mess with someone I don't even know?"

"Then prove it," I said, finding my guts as I crossed my arms. "How many spirits are 'present' in this house right now?"

"Three," she said without hesitation.

"Wrong," I snapped. "There's only two. Nice try."

"Did you check your closet?" I heard Brian say behind me, and my ears started to burn. I knew they were just trying to mess with me.

"Well," Liz said with a shrug. "Only one of us can be right."

"Yeah," I muttered, attempting to walk past her again. She let me go this time, and they all quietly watched as I ascended the stairway.

As soon as my bedroom door clicked shut, their laughter echoed through the house.