Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ My Ghost ❯ Chapter Twenty ( Chapter 20 )

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

My Ghost

Chapter Twenty

Callie's eyes opened. Her head was spinning. She was fairly certain that if she tried to move, she would vomit. She closed her eyes again and opened them, finally focusing on her surroundings.

She was in her bedroom. She frowned. “What…?” she managed to whisper before her voice failed her.

“You're awake. That's good.” That voice…Callie knew it, somehow.

“Ashley…?” she mumbled. She tried to turn her head toward her friend, but couldn't.

“Yeah,” the girl said, squeezing Callie's hand. “You passed out. Your mom is freaking out, you know. She got home from the doctor and ended up having to call him back to come see you, instead.”

“I was supposed to watch Carrie,” Callie said. “Then Will and I read the journal…”

“Our great-grandfather's journal?” That voice belonged to Callie.

“Yeah, the…other one.” Callie winced. Her head was pounding. “And we found out how Will died.”

“So…is he gone now?” Aaron asked.

“No.” Callie tried to shake her head, but it was useless. “We still didn't know why, where his body was, or anything. So I went to his room, because…because last time I tried, I blacked out for a minute, because everything was rushing at me at once. And it was like I went back in time, and I was watching everything as it happened. Sam led Will to a pond to go fishing, and he and his friend shot Will and buried him in the flower field.”

“The field?” This time it was Will's voice. “That…makes sense.”

“Will?” Callie said. “You are still here…”

“I am,” he said. His voice was closer now. “”Do you know why they…you know…killed me?”

“I don't,” Callie admitted, sighing. She felt a little stronger, and managed to prop her head up on her pillows, so that she could look at everyone in the room. “James said that it was beyond friendship, though. I'm not sure what that meant.”

“Money, maybe?” Aaron suggested.

“Your parents did have money, right? So maybe Sam was counting on inheriting it, with you gone, and he was going to give some to James,” Callie said.

“Yeah, but by rights, Ed was the heir, not Sam. Although the money thing makes sense, because while my parents weren't exactly wealthy, they were better off than James's parents.”

“But most of our great-great grandparents' money was lost during the Depression,” Ashley said. “So he wouldn't have gotten hardly anything, except the house…which nobody even lived in for years after they moved out.”

“They wouldn't have known that was going to happen at the time, though,” Aaron said. “So it could have been the money, but I doubt it. It could still go back to my great-grandmother.”

Callie shook her head. It required less effort than she expected. “No. Sam said that he didn't need Will's permission to see her.”

There was a strange look on Will's face. “He did say that. I remember that. It was right before…”

“Right before James killed you,” Callie finished. Will nodded. “Sorry,” she said. He shrugged.

“So if it wasn't the money and it wasn't the girl…” Ashley frowned. “What else could it have been?”

“What else could what have been?” Callie's mom asked, entering the room. The conversation immediately ended.

“Nothing, Mom. We're just talking about school stuff,” Callie said, smiling weakly.

“It's good to see you're awake,” her mom said, walking toward her. Ashley scooted away so that she could sit down. “How do you feel?”

“Okay. My head felt like an elephant landed on it, but it feels better now.”

“The doctor thinks you might be anemic. I'm supposed to take you in tomorrow for some tests. Or maybe you haven't been eating well?”

Callie laughed. “You know that's not true. You make all my meals. I'm just exhausted, with the move and school and everything.” She was amazed at how naturally lying was coming to her now, after only a few days.

“I think you should try to get some more rest.” Callie's mom looked at Ashley and Aaron. “I think you two should leave, too. She can see you tomorrow.”

“Mom!” Callie protested, by Ashley smiled.

“She's right. You do need your rest,” she said, patting Callie's arm. “We'll talk later.”

“Feel better, okay?” Aaron said as he and his sister followed Callie's mom out of the room, closing the door.

When Callie was certain everyone was gone, she turned to Will. “So…any other ideas regarding a possible motive?”

Will frowned. “Not really. I still think it was about Nora.”

“But what has that got to do with James?”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out. Something beyond friendship?”

“Money, or love, or…” Callie wrinkled her nose. An idea came to her.

“What?” Will asked.

“Well, I know that the only thing more important to me than my friends is my family. So…maybe…were there any family secrets James didn't want anyone to know, maybe that he told you and no one else?”

Will's eyes widened. “Actually, yes. I mean, it was a secret regarding him and Sam, actually.”

“What was it?”

“James's dad was actually Sam's real father. It's not that it would have been bad for James's reputation if that came out, but if it did, and James's father accepted Sam as his son…as his firstborn son…”

“James would no longer be firstborn…”

“And would therefore not get his inheritance. And while his parents were not as well-off as ours, it was still his inheritance, and his family at stake. Plus, I'm pretty sure James's mom never knew the truth, and would be understandably upset if she found out. Sam must have told him that I told Nora about Sam's birth, and Sam probably convinced James that I would be willing to tell other people, too. So in order to protect himself and his family, he thought that killing me was the only way to keep me quiet.”

“Instead of, you know, asking you to please not tell, so that his life wouldn't be ruined?”

Will smiled sadly. “Well, he was a seventeen-year-old boy. What do you expect, honestly? Teenage boys aren't known for their good decision-making skills.”

“That makes sense, I guess,” Callie said, frowning. “But it still seems odd. He was your best friend.”

“And Sam was my big brother. It'll never make sense to you, because you're not in the mindset that they were. Thankfully,” he added. “You just aren't that conniving or vicious.”

“And I suppose you're saying that you are?”

Will shrugged. “Well, yeah, sort of. You know the sorts of things I did. Telling Nora about Sam was vicious and unnecessary. And ultimately, I think that's why I died when I did.”

“There's no way to verify it, though,” Callie said, sighing. “And that's probably what you need, in order to cross over.”

“That and my body being found, probably.” He continued when he saw Callie's blank stare. “Just because you know where it is, doesn't mean it was found. We're the only ones who know where it is.”

“You're right.” Callie grabbed her phone and sent Ashley a text message.

To: Ashley

Do me a favor. Take the journal in to the police station. Tell them you know where your great-great uncle is buried, that you figured it out reading the journal or something. They'll probably think you're crazy, but hopefully they send someone to check it out. If not, we can do it ourselves, I guess. It's in the daisy field where the gazebo is, about twenty feet away, directly between it and the edge of the woods. It might take some digging, but it's there.

~ <3 Callie ~

“There. Maybe that will help.” Callie yawned. She was amazed at how tired she was, but it probably made sense, considering the circumstances.

“You should get some sleep,” Will said, echoing her thoughts. “Who knows? Maybe you'll get some proof in your sleep.” He was joking, but Callie knew that he might be right.