'I'll see you later, yeah?' I shouted out as I watched my two best friends walk off in each other arms. They had hooked up towards the end of last year and have been inseperable ever since. Even to the point of where one won't go anywhere without the other.
I sighed as i walked down the sloping lawn towards the gardener's shed. I wasn't able to afford housing and schooling, so I was told i was able to stay in the garden shed. I fumbled a little as my foot hit a rather hard, heavy something. It was a book.
I looked closer at the title and it began to flicker, from what looked like a few intriquite scribbles to a rather well written English. 'The anointed ones?' I read off of the spine of the book.
'Uh, that's mine', a voice said behind me as a glove clad hand reached over my shoulder and snatched it from my hand.
'Ella, Ella, why so quick to snatch?' I tutted out of nowhere, I didn't know this person, nor did I remember even thinking that, let alone moving my mouth to say that.
'You know me?' she asked, looking at me oddly as I shook my head.
'I don't know you, honest, all I did was pick up the book and then you turned up', I stated worriedly as she just nodded.
'Come with me', she ordered before walking off. I just stood in the same place as I was before, not daring to follow a stranger. The possibilities of what she could do to me are endless. She could rip my skin from my bones, or, or, get a muscular friend who is cute, but an asshole to rape me or…
'Do not worry, the things racing through your mind, I will not do. However I could find you a cute guy, and the feelings will be mutual', whispered someone in my ear as I watched the girl ahead of me stop.
'Stay away from her, Morticai, don't bring her into this', she yelled as I just stood there wide eyed, not sure of what was going on, who was currently nibbling on my earlobe, or who the hell this girl was in front of me.
'I don't see your name on her', he shouted as I turned around and brought my knee up hard and fast to collide with the area most sensitive to men alike.
'I have a name, and I belong to nobody', I shouted at him before spitting on him angrily, 'find your booty call on the corner of Bogan street pal'.
'I think I'm going to like you', I heard the girl ahead of me whisper before she walked off. Now i was intrigued.
'What's your name?' she snapped at me as she pushed me down onto her bed. This was not the best idea I have ever had.
'Azeana', I muttered as she twirled around to look at me.
'Azeana?' she almost whispered, looking between me and the book I had found earlier.
'Yeah, Azeana Fanastcha', I nodded.
'You weren't due yet', she growled, going through a book case of several other books like the one i had found. I looked over at the leather bound book and sighed. The intriquite scribbles were back again, replacing the fluent English.
'What language is that?' I questioned, completely ignoring her previous comment.
'That is the language of the anointed ones', she sighed.
'Looks hard doesn't it', came a voice beside me. I smiled and turned to face the owner of the voice before I screamed and back flipped off the bed, landing with a loud thud and crunch on the floor.
'Must you scare her, Thelma', the rather busy girl scolded.
'I didn't mean too', Thelma sighed, laying on the bed and looking over the edge of the bed at me. 'You may have broken your leg'.
'Thank you for stating the obvious', I snapped, hobbling up and sitting on the bed beside her. I gently placed my leg onto the ground, ever so gently rubbing my hand up and down it slowly. I heard Thelma gasp beside me.
'Ella, are you seeing this?' Thelma gasped, 'Ella?'
'How did you do that?' Ella gaped, as I flexed my newly healed limb.
'I've been able to do it ever since I was a little girl, I can remember the first time I figured it out', I sighed, thinking back to my childhood. 'I fell out of a tree, and the doctors had said I had broken my neck, that I was going to be paralysed from the neck down'.
'If you couldn't move, how did you...' Thelma just rubbed her arm, as if that was explaining what she meant.
'My right arm healed itself, I just rubbed my neck, it was starting to get sore, and the next thing I knew I was just tapping body parts and they'd be able to move again', I muttered, staring at my right hand.
'That's amazing', Ella whispered, completely shocked and amazed at the same time.
'That's better then being dead and perving on people', Thelma laughed, causing me to smile softly.
'Ella…' I muttered, staring at her books again, noticing the titles flickering as I rested my eyes on a new one.
'Hm?' she sighed, turning to me.
'Why do you're books do that?'
'Do what?' she mumbled, turning around and looking at me.
'Flicker like that? Like one will be in English and then when I look back to it, it seems to be a different language', I smiled, staring from her to her books, causing her to gape at me, then her books.
'Who are you?' she whispered, more to herself than me, but I still gave her a funny look.
'Ella?' Thelma whispered beside me.
'I know, Thelma, I know', Ella snapped, snatching her books from her shelf and dumping them out of my gaze. I turned to her, looking like I had just been slapped.
'What… what's going on?' I muttered, as Ella looked around her room for more stuff to hide.
'You weren't meant to turn up yet', Ella muttered, looking from me to a book on her bedside table.
'What do you mean?' I snapped, confused, irritated and slightly worried at the same time.
'You weren't mean to turn up yet, let's just leave it at that, all right cup cake?' Thelma smiled beside me.
'Thelma, are you a lesbian?' I said out right, catching both Thelma and Ella off guard.
'And proud of it!' she burst out, causing me to laugh.
'To bad you're dead', and I smiled wider as I stood up off the bed and turned to Ella. 'I take it you'll tell me what's going on when the time is right, so I'll be going now'.
'Uh, yeah, sure', Ella said looking rather dishevelled.
'Did you just…' I heard Thelma splutter as I walked out the door and down the hall.
'I'm being strangely calm about this', I muttered to myself, before smiling. I was special.
I walked further down the path towards the rather scrubby building at the back of the school grounds. I had seen a blonde haired girl standing there, and strangely enough, she seemed to be staring at me, smiling even.
'Hello?' I called out, as I came closer. It seemed to be an abandoned cremation building or something that was now being used to dump things. Nobody answered me as I moved further in. 'Hello?'
'Azeana?' someone whispered behind me, causing me to jump slightly, twist my ankle awkwardly and fall backwards. I cracked my head onto something hard, I didn't know what.
'Shite', I mumbled, using my right hand to rub my head ever so gently, before seeing to my ankle, not even bothering to see who had called my name. Pain comes first.
'Azeana?' the voice whispered again, this time much closer then before.
'What?' I snapped, looking up into the blue eyes of the blonde haired girl I had seen earlier. 'Who are you?'
'My name is…' she started but something outside of the building stopped her.
'Azeana?' someone was looking for me. But who?
'We'll meet again', she sighed sadly, smiling softly before disappearing without notice. What the hell was going on here?
'I'm in here', I called out, blinking hard and quickly trying to clear my vision.
'What are you doing here?' It was Thelma.
'I saw…' I started to tell her about the blonde haired girl but as soon as I went to say it, it seemed as if I couldn't. Was she not meant to know?
'Bugs? Spider webs?' Thelma smiled, holding her hand out to me. I took it without even thinking and she hauled me up.
'So what are you…' I started to say, but the look on Thelma's face stopped me. She had turned paler, if that was possible for a ghost, and her face had dropped, to one of complete and utter terror.
'How did…' she tried.
'How did I what, Thelma, what's wrong?' I stuttered quickly, grabbing onto her, holding her up. She screamed and stepped backwards, making me jump. 'Thelma, what's wrong?'
She didn't say anything, she just looked at the places I had touched her, then back up at me before, looking back at herself again. It took me a while to figure it out, but when I did, I had about the same reaction as Thelma had had.
I screamed. Thelma screamed. Then we stopped.
'I touched you', she said stupidly.
'I touched you', I repeated, pointing at her.
'We touched each other', we said in unison.
'What does this mean, Thelma?' I asked, getting rather worried now. I didn't want to be dead, and the only way I could touch Thelma was if I was, in fact, actually dead.
'I think we need to talk to Ella', she said quietly, causing me to nod and hold out my hand.
'We need to talk to Ella', I muttered. She cautiously placed her hand in mine and I gripoped it reassuringly, before leading the way back up to the school.
'Ella?' Thelma called out, as we entered her room.
'Not here', I mumbled, letting go of Thelma's hand and making my way further into Ella's room.
'Obviously', she muttered, closing the door.
'What do you think is going on?' I asked, turning to Thelma, who in turn, looked at me with a look that said in few words "I don't know everything you know".
'I think we need to go and find Ella, come on', she ordered, exiting the room, forcing me to follow.
We walked all over the school, even checked the girls toilets and bathrooms several times, but I think that was simply for the fact that Thelma wanted a perve. We made our way into the food hall and found Ella sitting at the middle table reading through a book with a bowl of cereal sitting in front of her.
'We've been looking for you', Thelma snapped, sitting on the table.
'Who's we?' Ella mumbled, not bothering to look up.
'Well, the only other person who can see me, get with it girlie', Thelma mumbled, moving to sit across the table.
'Hey, Azeana', Ella sighed, closing her book and looking up at me as I sat across the table with Thelma.
'We need to ask you something', I mumbled, looking around in case some people were listening in.
'Really? What's that?' Ella seemed rather disinterested today.
'Well…' I started, looking at Thelma.
'Azeana touched me, Ella, I held out my hand and helped her up', Thelma said hurriedly, 'Last time I checked, it's physically impossible for someone alive to touch me, Cassie couldn't'.
'Azeana's different, Thelma, she's not a member of the undead club, but she's different', Ella mumbled, taking a mouthful of her cereal.
'What's that supposed to mean?' I asked in an angry whisper.
'You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, you're not ready for it yet', Ella sighed, annoyed.
'I would like to know', I snapped, glaring at her.
'Don't push me, Azeana, I don't have the patience for this', Ella growled back.
'And I don't have the time to waste on you', I grumbled, standing up and walking off.
'Don't we need her?' I heard Thelma growl at Ella.
'Yes, Thelma, but not yet', Ella sighed back, running her hand through her hair.
'Hello?' I called as I walked into the abandoned building at the back of the school grounds.
'I told you we'd meet again', the voice of the blonde haired girl sounded from further in the building.
'So, who are you exactly?' I questioned, walking around a wall and finding her sitting on the floor against a wall with a bit of clear space. She was smoking.
'Cassie', she mumbled with the cigarette in her mouth.
'Wait…' I mumbled, thinking back to the conversation from this morning in the dining hall.
"'Azeana touched me, Ella, I held out my hand and helped her up', Thelma said hurriedly, 'Last time I checked, it's physically impossible for someone alive to touch me, Cassie couldn't'."
'Do you know Thelma?' I questioned pointing at where she had been before; obviously she was not there now. 'Hey?'
'Thelma died before I did', Cassie sighed, sounding rather upset.
'So you are…' I started stupidly, realising that she had just said she was dead in very few words.
'Noticeably', she smiled.
'Where'd you go?' I asked, now realising I was talking to thin air.
'Sorry, I'm still trying to get the hang of this thing', she sighed, appearing back where she had been before, still smoking the cigarette.
'So…' I mumbled awkwardly, adjusting my satchel bag on my shoulder.
'How's Thelma?' she asked me without faulting.
'She's a little creeped out', I smiled. 'She helped me up'.
'Why would she be creeped…' Cassie paused.
'Exactly', I laughed, dropping my bag to the floor and sitting on one of the wooden desks lining the wall.
'How is she apart from that?' she seemed desperate to know.
'Happy to have someone else to talk to apart from Ella, and…' I paused, not sure how I should word it. 'I think she's been upset about somebody, I think… I think it's you'.
Cassie didn't say anything, she just stubbed out the cigarette and looked anywhere but at me. 'What's Ella up too?'
'Ella, well, I really don't know, she seems to fail to tell me anything, keeps saying something about how I'm not ready or something', I snapped, before smiling sheepishly.
'And…' she paused, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. 'Malachi?'
'I don't actually know him', I muttered, seeing her face drop.
'Okay', she said stupidly.
'Can I ask a question now?' I smiled, holding my hand up nervously, feeling rather childish.
'Yeah, sorry, go ahead', she said hurriedly.
'Why are you…' I paused, looking at the floor before looking back at her, 'why are you here?'
'Azazeal', she sighed, as if I was supposed to know who that was, 'by the look on your face you don't know him?' I shook my head, smiling sadly. 'Well, he sent me here to keep an eye on you, on one condition'.
'And that is?' I said impatiently.
'That I am not allowed to see Thelma', she sighed.
'But you can still get messages to her?' I questioned, looking at her, hopeful.
'I don't know', she muttered, looking at her hands.
'Only if she doesn't see her, she can still communicate', snapped a voice from behind me causing Cassie to jump and me to fall unceremoniously off of the desk I was sitting on.
'And you are?' I growled, getting up quickly, a leg of an eaten away chair held out in front of me like it would do some good.
'Azeana, you silly girl', he laughed softly, as I watched Cassie get up out of the corner of my eye.
'Azazeal, I take it?' I smiled, his smile faltered ever so slightly. He sighed softly, picking at the wood falling off of a desk near him, before looking back up to me smiling.
'My Azeana', he purred, 'what has our little friend Ella been telling you?'
'Well…' I started before Cassie interrupted, placing a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to hear what she was saying but I couldn't. A bright blinding light shone in front of me and an excruciating pain flowed through me like the blood in my veins.
I sucked in my first breath of air as I shot up quickly from my position on the floor. Cassie was kneeling beside me, at least a ruler's length away and Azazeal was sitting on a chair at me feet. 'What the fuck was that?' I screamed.
'Cassie is here "illegally" if you will, and you being what you are, you cannot be touched by her or our kind', he explained, hands folded on his lap.
'Our kind, what do you mean?' I asked quickly, moving further away from Cassie smiling nervously at her in a way of an apology.
'Ella really hasn't been telling you much has she?' he laughed, and I watched Cassie roll her eyes.
'Rah, rah', I laughed sarcastically, 'you're victorious, can we now start acting like adults?'
'Touché', he growled.
'Okay, do me a favour; tell me how I can get in touch with you…' I stopped, realising how stupid I sounded.
'Yeah, I'd stop too', he smiled; Cassie tried to hide her laugh.
'Okay, do me another favour; no popping up out of nowhere until Ella's told me her side, Okay? I don't really like all this…woooo, stuff', I said stupidly, waving my arms around, causing me to get rather dizzy and lie back down.
'I can leave you be, but Cassie can't', he muttered.
'And I'm always with Thelma, how is that going to work out for you?' I snapped, rubbing my temples. This was beginning to get frustrating.
'Thelma can't really see me, Azeana', Cassie moaned, 'The only way she'll be able to see me is if she knows I'm there, and again, the only way she'll know that, is if you tell her I'm with you'.
'So how am I supposed to relay the messages?' I questioned sitting up slowly.
'Okay, how does she do that?' Cassie snapped, looking at Azazeal.
'I'm sure you'll work it out, but Thelma must not know that she is following you, got that?' he snapped, pointing at me.
'Got it boss', I winked, clicked my tongue and saluted him before attempting to stand up. 'I've got to get back to school'.
'We'll speak again', Azazeal muttered, as I snatched my bag off of the floor and walked passed him and out of the building.
'What classes are you taking?' Cassie questioned.
'Does you're father need to know that too?' I snapped, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.
'He's not my father', she answered quietly.
'I'm sorry', I whispered, 'I'm not liking the turn my life seems to be taking'. Cassie sighed and nodded.
'If it's any consolation, I didn't plan on dieing?' she smiled sadly at me and I just laughed.
'Well, I'm taking, well actually I don't know, I got given a time table and got told to show up to class', I smiled, and Cassie just looked at me.
'Are you serious?'
'I believe I am, yes, David changes my classes each week, I think my parents requested it', I smiled.
'I don't think I've ever heard of anybody ever doing that before', she mumbled, looking out at the grounds.
'Funny thing is…' I paused, smile fading off of my face, 'I've never actually met my parents'.
'How is that funny?' she grumbled.
'It's not really, but they seem to request all these things for me at school and I've not once met them', I sighed, looking out at the lake.
'Thelma was found in there', Cassie whispered randomly. 'Right there'.
'Really?' I mumbled.
'Yep, although, she was killed somewhere else', Cassie said knowingly.
'Okay, can I ask you something?' I muttered, looking at her.
'Sure'.
'Can we stop talking, I'm not feeling my greatest and this play by play on where people were killed isn't helping', I smiled before looking away.
'Right, sorry'.
