The Girl

Chapter 2: Rae Manor - The Unfinished Business

The alarm’s beeping sound echoed in my head. My hand was trying to reach for the clock by the nightstand, to switch it off. I pulled my pillow over my face, trying to steal another five minutes of sleep, but instead, I was suffocating under it. I didn’t have a good sleep last night. I was too stressed out to sleep. Yesterday was my first day at school, yet someone had caught me and my family’s big secret. Talking to the dead.

I sat on my bed, hazily looked at my room. I'm still not used to it. We just moved here around a week ago. I slowly got up from my bed and headed to the bathroom, which I shared with my sister - Reinn. She’s already there; drying her wet hair in front of the big mirror.

“Morning sunshine,” she greeted and smiled at me, showing her perfect white teeth while pointing the hairdryer at me, pretending that it’s a gun. “Ouch! don’t you look so dreadful,” she said and I rolled my eyes in reply.

I climbed to the shower and pulled the curtain over. I took off my clothes and threw them on the floor. Maybe or just maybe, the shower could bring back my mood for today.

The image of his face was flashing in my head, I could clearly see it. A strong face with a squared uneven jaw, which made his feature even more perfect in a masculine way, and those big round milky brown eyes looking deep into mine when he asked the question.

I first saw him in the hallway. I was walking past by him and saw both of them standing in front of a locker. It turned out that one of them wasn’t even a human. Well, he used to be one but now he’s dead. I realized that in the classroom, the other boy wasn’t sitting but standing beside him. I tried to pretend that I didn’t see which I was so good only by counting the hours.

The other boy was by his age, around 16 years old - just like me. They were both almost the same height, around six feet, while the human boy was perhaps an inch taller. They had the same bright brown hair, with a little twist curl that fell lightly on their forehead. If he’s alive, they might look like twins.

I knew the human boy's name was Jason Burrow. I saw his picture on the news wall, down in the hallway. He’s one of the athletes in the football team that rescued his team with a heroic touchdown on their last game, about two weeks ago. The other boy I didn’t know, as matter of fact, I don’t want to know.

I was so shocked when I saw him standing in front of the girl’s locker room. His face was so pale as if he saw the ghost himself, by that time I knew that he heard me talking to the ghost girl. I tried to run as fast as I could, but I heard him saying how freaky I was. I snapped. I turned around and furiously said things that I shouldn’t have. He was stunned when I yelled back at him. I realized that he wasn’t the one who called me a freak, but the ghost did. I tried to run away again but he caught me. 

I touched my arm, where he had a grip on me. It’s still hot with unexplained heat that made my heart sink. He asked the question, whether I saw someone other than us. I was avoiding his eyes. I was so sure that if I looked back into it, I’d voluntarily answered yes, which I didn’t want to say. So I forcefully freed my hand and darted off to the classroom.

I knew that he’s looking at me the entire hour of the class. I felt butterflies flying in my stomach, and my heartbeat so fast as the adrenaline rushed through my blood. When the bell rang, I ran away, never looking back because I knew that he’s going to catch up with what we’ve left off before.

“Rae! Breakfast!” My Mom called me from the kitchen downstairs.

I looked at my own image in the mirror. I could see the dark circles under my eyes, and my pale face became even paler than it already was. Reinn would know what to do with the dark circle; she’s more fashionable than me.

I rechecked my appearance - I wore a navy blue blouse and a knee-length white skirt. I’m okay. I’m not gorgeous or anything or perky, that department belongs to my sister. I reached for my denim jacket before I went down.

I climbed down to the kitchen, to have my breakfast. My Mom was on the phone, giggling like a high school student.   I knew that my father was on the other line, making this routine morning call every day. He’s still at our old house in San Angeles - he got some unfinished projects there.

My Mom, as Ms. Clairmont had said yesterday, was a medium. Sameera was an old-line Roma family that moved to the country in the late 19th century. They had this ability that passed on in the family, my mom had it and so were we - me, my sister, and my baby brother.

My Mom said that the power would go stronger with each year we’d grown. First, we could see things no one could - like ghosts - and then we’d have our own special thing, different from each person. So I was in phase one, able to see dead people, just like my sister.

I’m never ashamed of my Mom’s profession, I’m proud of it. She helped the police many times and mostly in missing person cases. It’s not like they could use her info in the court, but my Mom helped them by leading the way, where to investigate more deeply, or who could be the suspect. With those leads from her, they would look for evidence to tie the perpetrator.

My Father, on the other hand, was prouder than I am. He could accept my Mom and her weird family with open arms. He’s not being indifferent, he just knows they have what other normal people wouldn’t have and that’s enough for him. They love each other so much, and so other issues were tolerable. I love him so much too.

I wished that he’s here. So I could tell him what happened yesterday at school, he might’ve got the answer to my other issue but I thought I already knew what he would say; “Don’t bother it, just live your life like who you really are.” And I did, up until today and that won’t change. 

I bet Jason Burrow had spread out my freaky problem. Hey! I don’t care! I won’t change myself just to be accepted in high school. I’m too precious to be ordinary.

That thought had brought back my mood. I’m now ready to face another day in school.

“Come on girls, you’ll be late for school,” My Mom said, taking the dirty dishes off the table. “I can’t drop you off at school, because I have to go to San Angeles to consult on a case. Are you guys okay to go by bus?”

“It’s all right Mom,” I took my bag and kissed her cheek. “Say hi to Detective More for me.”

She smiled and nodded. Rukka - my 4 years old brother - sat on the floor, playing with his toys. I kissed his cheek and combed his baby hair with my fingers.

I was just going out of the house, followed by Reinn, when I saw a black ’67 GT Mustang parked in our driveway. Two figures were standing by the door - one was a ghost and the other was Jason Burrow.

I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. Thank God that I didn’t eat a lot at breakfast earlier, I might’ve thrown it up now.

He smiled widely at me, what a gorgeous smile he had. I bet that many of the girls fell for it. While the other one - the ghost - wasn’t smiling, he’s too busy examining me with his stare. That’s so rude - I thought.

“Hi Rae,” he called me, my name sounded so natural in his voice. “Mind if I drive you guys to school?” He politely asked and yet I felt that he’s trying to play me.

Before I could say anything, Reinn passed me from behind. “Wow! This is a sweet ride,” she commented on the car.

“She’s a beauty all right, a genuine ’67 Mustang,” he’s tapping on the car like a proud father showing his baby for the first time.

“Why are you here?” I managed to speak out even when my voice sounded a little bit shaky. 

His brown-eyed gaze back into mine, the same deep gazed just like yesterday. I forced myself to look back at him, eyes to eyes. 

“Are you trying to make fun of me?” I bit my lips, a pang of guilt slipping through my heart. It’s cruel, I knew that, but I had to know.

“Oh come on Rae,” Reinn said, looking back at me, amazed to hear what I said. “He’s kind enough to offer us a ride.”

“Mom told us not to go with stranger Reinn,” I said, trying to find an excuse. My Mom went out to the porch - she’d been spying on us from the window.

“Good morning Mrs. Manor,” he said, innocently smiling at my Mom. “Do you mind if I drive the girls to school with me? I’m Rae’s friend.”

My friend? Did he just say that he’s my friend? I guessed he did. My eyes went big by surprise. 

He tried to charm my Mom, but I knew my Mom was too smart to fall for that gorgeously looking face. 

Instead, she’s smiling back at him. “If you do that, you’ll be my hero today.”

I couldn’t believe it. She fell for him, just because he gave him the poisonous gorgeous smile.

“Thanks, Mom!” Reinn replied happily.

Jason gave me a winning smile, grinning like a little boy that escaped punishment for his bad attitude. He opened the door and pushed the seat forward for Reinn to slide over to the back. 

“For a beautiful girl,” he bowed, playing curtsy for her. She giggled and played along. He put the seat back to its position and looked at me now, “And this for the girl of the day,” she softly said to me, my heart thumping faster than before, racing like a car with an eight-cylinder machine.

I managed to give him a steady gaze, showing a little bit of refusal - when the butterflies in my stomach expressed the opposite thing.

He climbed into the car and started the engine; he put his sunglasses on, which kind of relieved me because I couldn’t see his hypnotizing eyes anymore. Up we drove away to our school.

“And who’s this handsome boy sitting beside me?” Reinn said out of the blue, staring back at the ghost boy who’s sitting in the back seat.

I could see Jason’s grip hardened on the wheel. 

“You can see him?” He asked Reinn.

“Couldn’t you?” She asked back, innocently.

Well, Reinn, not all people could see ghosts like us, I cursed her stupid reaction in my head.

“I thought you could because you two already like a best friend,” she said, popping her pretty head between the front seats.

“No I can’t,” he said. “But I can hear him.”

“Oh I see,” she sat back again, looking at the ghost face again, as he looked back at her too.

“I asked your sister yesterday, whether she saw him but she walked out on me,” he said, trying to lure me into the conversation. I knew that he’s glancing at me behind the sunglasses. I pretended that I didn’t care. I was focusing on the scenery outside the car’s window.

“That was so rude Rae,” she said with her soft voice. “He deserved to know, you know that.” Rein gently struck my shoulder and gave me her cute warning stare.

Once again, I kept my silence. I ignored them.

“You’re so cute and handsome. If you’re alive I would’ve dated you.” She even managed to flirt with the ghost. 

I heard a ghostly chuckle from him. If he’s human, I believed he would have blushed as no one is immune from her charm. 

“What’s your name?” She softly asked.

“I’m Alex,” the ghost said, staring back at her with a warm gaze.

“Hi Alex, I’m Reinn,” she said. “And this rude girl is my big sister Rae,” she tapped on my shoulder.

“I know, we’ve met before,” Alex said while looking at me.

“So your name was Alex,” Jason said, looking to the empty passenger seat behind from the rearview mirror as if he could see him with his own eyes.

“You never knew all this time?” Reinn asked. 

Jason shook his head. “Thanks to you, I know now,” he gave his charming smile once again.

We reached the parking lot, and I dropped off the car immediately after we stopped.

“Thank you for the ride,” I said, coldly.

He smiled. “Get used to it Rae,” he replied to my surprise. I was baffled by it.

“You got your answer and now leave me alone,” I harshly said, my book fell to the ground. He picked it up with one hand, while the other was inside his pocket.

“There are still so many things I want to know,” he leaned back to the car and cleaned up the dirt off my book. “Like for instance, why he’s haunting me.”

“Ask him yourself, you can hear him.” I tried to reach for my book, but he kept it away from me.

“Thanks for the ride Jason,” Reinn said in between our arguments.

“Anytime Reinn, so I’ll pick up you girls tomorrow at the same time okay.” It’s more like an order, not an offer.

“That’s so cool!” she said her excitement. “If you’re not so into my sister, I would’ve hit on you,” she winked at me.

The butterflies in my stomach were dancing again but I couldn’t let myself be drowned by his charm even more than I had right now. Yes. A little part of me had been charmed by him too, but just a tiny mini bitsy part of me - in the size of a nano. I mean, besides that I could see ghosts, I’m a normal teenage girl.

“You can have him!” I scoffed. He was laughing.

“If you have another cute friend, which is alive…“ She looked at Alex who was standing beside Jason, “You’ll introduce me right?”

“I know just the perfect candidate, and he is on his way here.” Jason was waving to his friend, which was from our class too, his football mate. “Morning Oli!”

“Hey, Burrow! Hitting on the new girl I see,” he joked around - landing a punch to Jason’s bicep. He’s looking at me and I smiled back at him, unwillingly.

“Hi, Rae right?” He asked for confirmation and I nodded. “It’s a cool stunt you did yesterday.”

“Oliver Wright, this is Rae’s sister, Reinn,” he introduced them. “He’s single and looking.” He winked at Reinn who was blushing by the gesture.

“Hi,” Reinn shyly said.

I could feel sudden chemistry flowing between Reinn and Oliver. They exchanged stares for quite a while before she broke the premature bond in between.

“I should get to my class,” she shyly said, again.

“Mind if I walk with you?” Oliver asked. 

She nodded her pretty head and waved her hand to me. We watched as they strode together to the school entrance door.

“I’m such a good cupid, aren’t I?” He said, rhetorically, feeling proud of his matchmaking accomplishment. “Let’s go.”

We walked together, to my disbelief, and despite my refusal to act, I followed him in reflex, like he put a spell on me.

“Back to our business,” he said to me in front of my locker and gave back my book.

“We don’t have unfinished business,” I replied without looking at him, too busy to enter my locker number. I could open the lock but the locker still wouldn’t be opened. He punched the edge a little bit to loosen the door, I jumped away, surprised by what he did.

He opened the locker door for me. “We do have unfinished business, both of us, me and my ghost.”

“I’m not your ghost,” Alex said. Annoyed.

“Okay, me and my ghost friend,” he corrected his sentence.

I pulled some books, looking for something I forgot yesterday.

“Rae, I need to know why I’m here,” Alex the ghost now spoke to me. He sounded so desperate.

“Why me?” I asked, desperately too.

“You want me to ask Reinn for help?” Jason said, and Alex nodded his agreement. I assumed it was a threat, rather than a question.

“Leave her out of this,” I said and I really meant it.

“We will if you help us,” Alex said and this time Jason nodded his head, approving.

Without even realizing it, they already made a bond between them, sharing something in common. To make me miserable.

I sighed and looked around, beside both of them. I noticed that other students were looking at us. Maybe they’re wondering why their ‘hero’ was all over me.

Oh, God! What I’d put myself into?!

“If I don’t help you, you won’t leave me alone but if I help you have an excuse not to leave me alone,” I said, almost surrendering myself.

He got closer, we’re just inches apart, face to face. I suddenly couldn’t breathe - all the oxygen in my lungs had escaped.

“I didn’t leave you much choice, didn’t I?” Another rhetorical question coming from him.

I waved my white flag - figuratively speaking. I surrendered. I nodded my head, agreeing. I had to do that otherwise I would’ve died suffocating. He pulled his face away, but still closed enough for me to smell his minty breath. I had to hold on hard to my locker, so I wouldn’t leap and reach for his face.

“You know, it won’t hurt to be friendlier Rae,” he said. His hand pulled something silvery from his pocket. It’s my cell phone, which I thought I left behind in my locker. “I tracked your address using your number, and I already saved mine in your phonebook.”

He reached my hand, and slightly put the phone on my palm. I felt a little burning in the area where he touched me. I hoped he didn’t feel that.

“I’m okay being who I’m now,” I said, pulling my hand off his.

He took my book from my hand again, putting it together with his. “I don’t want you to change Rae Sameera Manor. I like you just the way you are now.”

I like you the way you are now…

I repeated that line in my head. I was stunned, more likely I was speechless, which was a rare moment because I always have the answer to almost everything. I could only stare back at him, but my mind was wandering around, spinning in great velocity.

“We’re late for class,” I said quietly.

“Come on.” He turned around and led the way to our first class together.

When we entered our morning class - the World Literature - Oliver was already there, he waved at us when we arrived by the door, pointing at two seats he saved for us. We’re sitting side by side now. Oliver was smiling at me, I guessed this morning conversation between him and Reinn went well.

Today’s subject was Tennyson’s poem - Lady of Shallot. It’s about a maiden - Lady of Shallot – who could only see the outside world from a mirror, she’s banned to see it directly or a curse may fall upon her. One day she saw Lancelot from Camelot passing across the Barleys, with his broad clear brow glowing under the sunlight, and his thick black coal curl under his helmet, she broke her promise and was tempted to see him directly from her window. Her mirror broke from side to side, the weather turned to dark, the curse fell upon her, the curse of death. She took a boat under the willow tree, wrote her name, and rowed to the stream up tide, singing her own death, and died slowly as her blood ran cold. 

It’s hard to concentrate on how sad this poem should be when the source of your distraction was sitting next to you, a foot away. He seemed focused, not like I was, uncomfortable with myself. I pulled my hair to his side; thinking I could hide myself, shadowing his face with my hair. He tapped on my table with his finger. I took a glance at him, unwillingly. 

“Oliver asked if it’s all right for him to take Reinn out this afternoon to the diner?” He was acting as a messenger of Oliver.

“Don’t you guys have football practice today?”

“Nope, we had it yesterday.”

I didn’t see any reason why he should ask for my permission. 

“If Reinn said okay, then it’ll be no problem.”

He’s passing my answer to Oliver. I’m guessing that this routine wouldn’t end with my answer and I was right. Jason was now looking back at me again.

“Oliver said that it’ll be great if we can join them, so he won’t appear that obvious.”

I was puzzled by his statement. “Obvious of what?”

Jason shrugged, he shook his head.

“I don’t know,” I said. I imagined that if I went there with Jason, wouldn’t it seem like a double date? 

The bell rang, interrupting our conversation. I was cleaning up my desk when another teammate from the football was calling for Jason. He made a signal with his hand that he would go to his friend first, I nodded. Even though I want to dominate him for myself, I had to give him some time with his friend, and we'll see each other again in the next class.

 “I think he romantically likes you,” Alex said to me. He’s been quiet during the entire class as if he joined and studied with us as an invisible student. I rolled my eyes in reply.

“Hey! Before I died, I was a boy myself and I knew how boys would’ve reacted to the girl he likes.”

I wasn’t wishing that would be the case but my heart was anticipating another reaction from Jason, for example; that he’s using me to get rid of Alex from his life.

“I don’t know,” I doubted. “I don’t think he thinks of me that way.” 

“Who are you talking to WITCH?!” A high pitched voice came from behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to see who that was, but I turned anyway. Claire Jarred and two other girls were looking at me with their mocking stares.

Witch. Freak. Mental illness. I’d been called with so many nicknames, it didn’t bother me. 

“I’m surely not talking to you,” I said, steadily staring back at her.

“I bet you put a spell on Jazz, witch,” she sneered at me.

“Don’t you have anything better to do, besides thinking such funny imagination?”

She was snapped by my words, moving towards me like a hyena wanted to attack her prey.

“Everything okay Rae?” Oliver asked, standing by the door. He’s not alone, Jason was there too. He was glaring, not at me but Claire. His hand folded in his chest, showing the act of an alpha male dominant.

“Rae, come here!” He ordered and I voluntarily moved my feet toward him. So you see - who’s putting spells on whom because I’m sure that I didn’t.

He wrapped his hand around my shoulder, a protective gesture, showing Claire that I was his territory. I kind of felt like a winner from Claire, with the way he put his hand around me.

“Don’t think about all she said,” He whispered in my ear, I could feel that my ear was burning red. 

How could I think of anything when my head was blank? But he didn’t know that so I just nodded.