Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ My Ghost ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Hey, guys! So I now have a lot more time to dedicate to writing, since I only have one job now and I only work there one or two days a week. So while I'm stressing about a lack of income, at least I am able to dedicate more time to writing, right? Too bad I can't make this my full-time job. That would be nice. But I digress. So I promised this chapter would be longer, and I'm going to try everything in my power to make sure that happens. And hopefully I will entertain you in the process. If you haven't yet, you should read my other story, Abnormal. The prologue and the first chapter are finished, so you should read it and let me know what you think. Okay? Thanks. And now I'm going to stop writing this horribly lengthy author's note and get to the actual story.


Callie hadn't wanted to admit it, but her head was bothering her a lot more than she led her parents, or even Will, to believe. Still, she wanted to know what Will's room was trying to say to her. She wanted to know what the images were, and what happened to Will that night, so many years ago.

The pain seared again. Callie winced, dropping the spatula she was using to cook her omelet, and reached out to grasp the counter. She gritted her teeth, trying to will the pain away. The eggs sizzled in the pan next to her. Just don't come in here, Will, she thought to herself. I don't want you to worry about me. The pain let up a little, and Callie picked up the spatula she'd dropped, placing it in the sink. "I'm okay," she mumbled, trying to convince herself. She grabbed a new spatula from the drawer and walked over to flip her eggs. Fortunately, they hadn't burned.

Her phone was ringing. Callie winced again. The sound of the phone was not helping her headache. She reached into the pocket of her pajama pants and pulled out her phone, flipping it open. "Hello?" She said, trying to sound normal.

"Callie? I didn't wake you, did I?" It was Ashley's voice. Callie was about to respond, but Ashley continued. "I'm sorry. I know it's like seven in the morning, but--"

"It's fine, Ashley. What did you need?" Callie picked her omelet up with the spatula and placed it on her plate.

"Oh, um...well, I wanted to know when you wanted to get together to look at the journal some more."

"Have you read it since yesterday when you guys were here?" She turned the burner off and walked into the dining room.

"No, we decided to wait for you. Did you want us to read it ourselves?"

"No, that's fine." She sat down at the table and began eating. "So you want to come over, then?" She asked, swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Yeah. I mean...my parents are both at work right now, and my brother's already out--"

"Wait, what?" Callie set her fork down. "Where is Aaron?"

"I'm not sure, really. Apparently he had plans with some friends. Why?"

"No reason," Callie said. "So it's just you there?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "That's kind of another reason I called. I get kind of freaked out when I'm home alone."

"Yeah, you can come over. We really do need to check out the journal, and it's not like my parents are going to let me go anywhere today, so I can't go to your house."

"Why won't they let you leave?" Ashley asked.

"Oh...well, this morning I kind of fell and hit my head."

"Oh my God!" Ashley shrieked. Callie had to move the phone a few inches from her face. "How did that happen?"

Callie proceeded to tell Ashley about that morning's events. When she was finished, the other girl was silent. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking...does that mean that Will's room holds the answer? Maybe if someone else goes in there, it would help."

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure there's nothing actually in there anymore. Nobody uses that room, but it has been remodeled along with the rest of the house."

"It's worth a try, though, right? But we should probably look at the journal for clues first."

"Yeah," Callie said, swallowing her last bit of food. "So when do you think you'll be over?"

"Oh," Ashley said, laughing. "See, when I asked if I could come over, I was kind of already halfway there. As it is, right now, I'm at your front door."

"What?" Callie ran to the door and saw Ashley standing there. "What would you have done if I said no?"

"Come over anyway?" Ashley suggested. She pointed to her phone. "Why are we still talking on these things?"

"Oh, right." Callie sheepishly hung hers up. The phone conversation had made her forget about her throbbing head. Now it was a very dull pain.

"So where is Will? He should be here for this."

"Yeah..." Callie looked up the stairs. "Will?" She called, her voice barely above a whisper, so that she wouldn't wake her parents.

He didn't answer. Callie looked at Ashley. "Let's go to my room. We can look at the journal there, and my parents won't be able to eavesdrop."

"But I thought Will won't go in your room."

"Will can just get over it." Callie rolled her eyes. "If he wants to be a part of this, he can come in."

They walked into Callie's room and sat on her bed, leaning over the book. "Okay, so...we left off on February first, right?"

"Yeah. My great-grandfather was talking about his brother betraying him by dating my great-grandmother." She paused. "Wow. That sounds a lot more dysfunctional when you put it that way."

Callie laughed. "A little. Okay, so we need to find the next entry." She flipped through the pages. "So after February first, we have..."

"July sixteenth," Ashley finished. She looked at Callie. "That's the day Will died, isn't it?"

Callie nodded, studying the page. "So he just gave up on writing for five months, until his brother disappeared?"

Callie glanced toward her doorway, where Will was standing. "Come over here and read this," she said. He looked uncomfortable. "Please?"

He hesitated, but then he took a step into the room. After that, it seemed easier for him to walk toward the bed. Callie smiled. Neither of them spoke as they studied the page in front of them.


July 16, 1927

This must be some sort of nightmare. It was just yesterday that Will, Sam, and I patched up our differences and went fishing on the lake. Now Will is gone and Sam won't talk to me. I will write more later. I must look for Will.


July 17, 1927

Still no sign of Will. Now Sam has wandered off, although he promises he will be back later tonight. He seems distressed, somehow. Nora came by earlier, expressing her condolences to our parents. She seemed relatively calm. It surprised me. But maybe she has hope that he is alive.

It is strange that my brother disappeared without any trace whatsoever. I don't think it could have possibly been his own doing. Why would he wander off by himself without any warning? Maybe he will return later, with some explanation for his actions that will clear everything up.

It is becoming difficult to presume that he is alive.


Callie looked at Will. "This isn't...too difficult for you to read?"

He shook his head. "No. I knew all of this. I was here, remember? I remember how Sam left. I remember Nora coming over to tell my parents how sorry she was for my disappearance and our break up. And how Ed was out there, every day, looking for me."

"You didn't tell me that part."

"What part?" Ashley asked, looking up at Callie.

"Will said that Ed looked for him every day. Do you mean he kept searching after everyone else gave up?"

Will nodded. "I saw him and my parents fighting about it. After a few weeks, they decided that it was futile, because either I was dead, I was not coming home, or if I was coming home, I'd do it on my own. I can't really blame them. They were getting no help from the community or the police department."

"Which I don't understand. If it had happened today, everyone would be all over it until you were found."

"Times change," Will said, shrugging. "But Ed kept searching for months after everyone else stopped." He gestured to the journal. "See for yourself."


July 25, 1927

Still no sign of Will. The police have already stopped looking. My parents seem to be losing the will to continue. Sam has given up. Even Nora is trying to convince me to let it go. She tells me that there is no use continuing to look for someone who is either dead or does not want to be found. Does no one understand that he is my brother? I know that he would never leave like this on his own. Even if he is dead, I must find him so that he can have a proper burial like he deserves.


"So I am rethinking the whole 'Ed killed you' theory I had going," Callie mumbled. Will smiled.

"I told you he wouldn't do that."

"That was a theory?" Ashley asked. "Man, I feel left out."

"Sorry," Callie said. "I just had a theory that Ed killed him because of his relationship with Nora. But Will told me he'd never do that. And now I see that he was right."

"Gotcha. Well, anyway, while you two were talking, I figured out that the next few entries are basically the same as this one. Blah blah, searching for Will, blah blah, finding nothing, blah blah. So we can skip those."

"Okay. So we're all the way to October fifteenth." Once again, the three of them leaned over the book.


October 15, 1927

Sam is gone. He moved out last night. He still hasn't spoken more than a few words at a time to me since Will left. I don't mind too much. Something about him seems wrong to me.

However, I have spoken to Nora lately. With Sam gone, and Will...well, anyway, I am the only person around for her to talk to. She says that while my persistence in searching for my brother is noble, it is a hopeless cause.

I am inclined to disagree, but the forcefulness of her words is convincing me that she may be right.


October 19, 1927

I am sorry, Will.

It took a great deal of deliberation, but I have ultimately decided to end my search for my brother.

Even now I can feel him in here, watching me. But I know that he isn't here.

I won't give up the search completely, but it will no longer take up all of my spare time.

Also, Nora and I are becoming even closer. At least something good is happening.


Callie flipped the page, but it was blank. She looked questioningly at Ashley.

Ashley frowned. "He couldn't have ended it here...could he?"

Callie flipped through more pages, but none of them contained any writing. "It looks like he did." She sighed, disappointed.

"That's not like Edward," Will said, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"He was always writing. It's strange enough that there were such long gaps between entries, but it's not like him at all to end a journal so soon. He would have filled the book up and moved on to a new one. And I know I saw him writing even after October."

"But there's nothing else here..."

"Unless..." Will looked at her. "Unless this one was a decoy."

"What? You mean he had another journal?"

"Yes, if he thought that someone would find and read this one, he definitely would have had another one, hidden, that no one could find. Everyone knew he had this one. They saw him writing all the time. So if someone thought he knew something, and would have written it down, they would find this one..."

"But the real journal would be hidden somewhere else..." Callie frowned. "But we don't know where that one is."

"No, we don't," Will said. "And knowing Ed, he would have hidden it someplace where no one would ever look."

"And where is that?" Callie asked. "Sorry," she said to Ashley, smiling weakly. "I know you're only hearing one side of this conversation."

"I don't know," Will said. "I'll have to think about it."

Callie groaned in frustration. "Every time we get a little closer to finding out what happened..." She sighed, looking at Will. "Sorry. I know this is a lot harder for you."

Will shrugged. "I'm not in a hurry. I told you that. I also didn't expect us to get even this far."

"But I promised I'd help."

"And you have. More than you needed to. But Callie..." He sighed. "Maybe this is just something that was never meant to be solved."