Letters With a Ghost

Chapter Six

She didn't sleep another wink until her alarm clock blared beside her. She switched it off, quickly this time, as to eliminate the risk of her mom hearing it. She wanted to avoid any more potential confrontations.

She got out of bed and once more shuffled to her closet. This time she chose her outfit a little more carefully.

In the night, as the hours dragged on, she had a lot of time to think. One thing she contemplated hard about was Mrs. Carol's offer for her to go to the Aspiring Writer's Club after school. Based on what she heard, it's a place for kids who like writing to go and basically talk about writing. They would share ideas, talk about their inspirations, and eat pizza. It sounded pretty chill. Maybe it would prove to be just the escape that Camryn needed.

She selected a pair of dark acid wash jeans and a black top with a lace back. She added her favorite pair of combat boots, touched on some light makeup, grabbed her schoolbag, and quietly left the house as to not disturb anyone.

When the bus arrived, she greeted Janet and took her seat. Once more, she listened to her music, and this time, she made sure to turn away when the bus passed Ayden's house.

When they got to school, Camryn hurried to her locker to gather her books, breathing a silent sigh of relief when she saw Taylor walk past without even looking in her direction. Her cheek was no longer red, but her face wore a dark expression that promised trouble to anyone who would dare challenge her.

Camryn shut her locker and snapped her lock into place. When she turned around, she nearly collided with Ayden's older brother, Alex.

Alex was a senior, one year above Camryn, but he looked just like Ayden, with the same blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes.

Alex said nothing and kept walking. Their mother never treated her kids right, and lived most of her life perpetually smashed. When Ayden was just a baby, their father left, leaving their mother with two small children and a wine cellar full of alcohol. Every time a problem arose, she would saunter down to the wine cellar, select one of the many fine wines, and pour herself glass after glass until the thing bugging her evaporated into a groggy cloud of peace and serenity that lasted until the hangover kicked in. Once that hit, she would take the headaches and the sick feelings out as physical abuse on her children.

Camryn pondered this fact as she sat in her first period classroom, waiting for her teacher to arrive and commence yet another boring history lesson. Alex and Ayden's bond grew because of their mother's drunken habits. They always worked together to find ways to trick and conceive her while she was drunk and hide from her while she was hungover. Alex loved his brother. They were a team. When Ayden died, he was just as shocked and confused as everyone else was.

What closure could he possibly provide her with? From her dream, Camryn kept replaying Ayden's voice telling her to "ask Alex." Ask Alex what? How could she approach him if he wouldn't even look her in the eye? Her mind wouldn't rest off of this topic for the rest of the day.

When the time came for AWC, Camryn walked slowly to the library and entered cautiously. As soon as she stepped inside, Mrs. Carol noticed and waved her over.

"Camryn! I'm so glad you made it," she called. "Please, come join us."

Camryn walked over to the group. Four girls, all underclassmen, looked at Camryn with smiles on their faces as she approached. Mrs. Carol introduced them.

"Camryn, I would like you to meet Chelsea, Lilly, Danielle, and Sarah. Girls, this is Camryn Parker. We also have another member, but he's out picking up the pizza right now. Please, have a seat."

The members welcomed Camryn to the club and made room for her on the big couch.

"So!" Mrs. Carol clapped her hands together. "Today I would like to focus on inspirations. Jonathan should be back any minute, then we can- Oh! There he is now."

A brown haired blue eyed boy approached carrying a large pizza from a place called "Taste of Italy" and a two liter bottle of soda. "Dinner has arrived," he said dramatically, placing the pizza on the table in the center and handing some change to Mrs. Carol.

"Thank you very much, dear," Carol said, slipping the change into her pocket. "Jonathan, I would like you to meet our newest member, Camryn. She's a junior, like yourself."

Jonathan looked at Camryn and smiled, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said politely.

"Likewise," Camryn responded, taking his hand.

Once the pizza was served and the soda was poured, everyone settled in, ready to start the discussion.

"Inspiration," Mrs. Carol began. "Where do you all find yours?"

"In nature," Danielle said happily. "Just hearing the sounds of running water or chirping birds is enough to get my mind running with a bunch of different story ideas."

Mrs. Carol nodded. "That's very good. Thank you, Danielle." She paused. "Anyone else?" she asked. Still, no one spoke up. She smiled at Camryn. "You're a good writer," she said with a smile. "Where do you find inspiration?"

Everyone looked at Camryn with anticipating eyes. She felt the heat rise in her face. She never did like being the center of attention.

"Umm..." She cleared her throat to keep her voice from shaking. "I guess I kinda find inspiration in everything."

Everyone continued to look at her, waiting for her to continue. She cleared her throat once more. "The thing is, I see life as one big story that branches off into a bunch of smaller stories, the ones carried by each person. People are inspirations. I find it fascinating how each person is their own book of secrets, their own exposition. I get inspiration from those people, because I feel like I can write those stories, based on how I see that person."

At this point, everyone was smiling at her. "That's really cool," Jonathan said.

"I would love to read your writing," Lilly added. "You sound like you really know what you're doing."

"Yes," Mrs. Carol agreed. "That's a very interesting. Thank you, Camryn."

For the first time since Ayden's death, Camryn felt a split second of real happiness.

Dear Ayden,

AWC was amazing. I actually felt like I belonged, like I fit in.

We talked about inspirations, and I automatically thought of you. I remember that I would base at least one character off of you in every story. You were my number one inspiration, after all. You were the only reason why I kept writing.

I haven't written anything since you left. I lack inspiration. Well, that's not entirely true. I write letters. 170, to be exact.

You would want me to share them with someone. You always said that I should share my writing with the world.

Well, I am sharing them.

I'm sharing my letters with a ghost.

--Camryn