Lucy groans as she hears the screaming sound of her phone. "Mm." She rolls over, trying to bury her face under her pillow and go back to sleep. A small weight jumps on her back and begins rubbing its face against the back of her head through her pillow. "Go away, August." Lucy grumbles as her phone begins ringing for a second time. The cat pats at her head, causing the small redhead to growl. "Fine, I'll answer it." Lucy sits up in bed, causing the red-haired Somali cat to fall beside her on the bed. Lucy glances briefly at the cat, who just curls up and falls right back to sleep now that his job is done. "Traitor." Lucy grumbles before grabbing her phone. "Hello?"
"Luce, it's me. Andrea just called. Meet me at the store right away." Any sleep Lucy had left over now vanished in an instant.
"On my way." Lucy quickly hangs up and grabs the jeans she wore yesterday and slipped them on. She grabs her raincoat and pulls it on over her tank top before grabbing her keys. She gives one last look to her plump furball, quickly saying, "I'll be back in an hour or so, don't throw any parties while I'm gone, you know how much I hate those street cats in the house. They make the entire place a mess." Lucy knew the cat didn't understand her, but it made her happy talking to the cat in such a way. For her, this cat was the closest thing she had to a child. Plus she liked to be silly. "Be a good boy." Lucy kisses the cat's head, causing him to purr a goodbye before his redheaded owner rushed out into the cold heavy rain. She hops into her jeep, starts it up, and makes her way down the road.
Normal girls Lucy's age would not be going out at three in the morning. Most would be snuggled up to a handsome man with possible kids down the hall. But Lucy has long ago accepted that her life wouldn't be normal. Ever since she could remember she's been able to see and talk to spirits. At first, she thought it was normal, all the kids were like her, but once she started school she was quick to learn that she was indeed not normal. The only people who she could share her gift with was her grandmother and sister, two of the most important people in her life. Sadly, her grandmother passed away when she was still young. And now, her best friend has died and Lucy and her sister have been trying with all their might to get their friend through the light.
Lucy used to hate her gift. Always scaring away potential friends. It made her the freak where ever she went and she could never be with any guy for long because in the end they always asked questions. She used to hate how her gift promised a future of forever being alone. Her sister was lucky to have met a man willing to accept her for who she was. It was something that Lucy has yet to have happened to her. It used to bother her, seeing her sister so happy, but now she has come to see her gift as a way to help people and that is more important than her own happiness. Now more than ever is it more important. With not just her friend, but thousands of others out there in need of someone to help them cross over. Her gift is ten times more important and she can not just ignore it. She couldn't leave them to suffer. Every day more people die and every day her gift becomes even more important.
It is this reason why she is now driving in the pouring rain to see her dead friend. If her sister told her to meet her at the store, an antique store in which the sisters owned, then that meant that her sister possibly had an answer in solving their current problem.
When Lucy pulls up her sister's car is already parked outside. Lucy took a deep breath before turning her car off and jumping out. The rain hit her hard and covered her head in water in an instant. The rain plastered her ginger curls to her head, while her navy eyes only seem darker against the stormy night. Her pale skin seemed to glisten with the water running down the chubby cheeks and her pouty red lips, the drops of raining catching on her long thick lashes.
When Lucy gets inside she takes a deep breath and shakes the rain out of her curls. "Melinda? Andrea?"
"Over here." Melinda, Lucy's sister calls. Lightning flashes, causing the room to light up and reveal Andrea and Melinda. Lucy makes her way over, careful of the furniture around the room.
"Andrea, how are you holding up?" Lucy asks, rubbing her cold arms. "I've been worried." Lucy couldn't imagine what Andrea was going through, but she was determined to help as much as she possibly could.
"Tell me everything's gonna be okay." Andrea begs in a frightened voice as Lucy stood beside her sister. The two looked nothing alike. While Lucy was bright and pale, Melinda was tan and had dark hair and eyes.
"I think maybe it is." Melinda starts, causing Lucy to glance her way.
"Did you figure out a solution to the problem?" Lucy asks, unable to hide the hope in her voice. She would give anything to change what happened.
"Andrea may not really be dead." Lucy looks at Melinda in surprise. They have been seeing Andrea's ghost for days, how can she not be dead?
"Melinda, you're not making any sense. We're seeing Andrea's ghost." Lucy begins.
"It's true. Jim found you, Andrea. Your body. You're in a coma at Mercy Hospital, but you're gonna be okay." This wasn't making any sense to Lucy. Sure people have been known to astral project themselves out of their bodies when in a coma, but for this long? And being this strong? Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Andrea was going to live. "She's just out of body until you come out of the coma." Melinda reassures both Andrea and Lucy. "The doctors are working so hard."
"You're not lying to me?" Andrea asked excatly what Lucy was silently wondering. "You're not just trying to make me feel better?"
"Look, you're not out of the woods. You have some injuries. And they're serious, but the doctors think that you're gonna pull through. We've been with you at that hospital every day." Lucy frowns as she hears this. She hasn't been told about Andrea and she hasn't been at the hospital. Why would Melinda not tell her about this. This doesn't seem right.
"It's scary here." Andrea tells them.
"What's it like?" Lucy can't stop herself from asking. She always wanted to know but never had the guts to ask the stranger ghosts, but this wasn't just a stranger ghost, this was her best friend.
"I don't really like to look around too much. There… There are people here."
"People?" Melinda asks.
"Not people, I guess, maybe, um, beings or something?" Andrea looks around, obviously very frightened. "But they're dark, and they're always watching. I can't really see."
"Melinda!" Lucy frowns as she sees Jim rushing to the door.
"I don't know."
"Melinda! Lucinda!"
"It's like I'm looking at you through a curtain."
"Melinda! Open the door!" Lucy moves towards the door, while Melinda listens to Andrea. "Open the door!"
Lucy frowns as she finds it locked. "I can't! I can't open it! Mel, help!" Melinda moves and begins tugging on the door with her.
"The door."
"It won't open, Jim!" Lucy looks around as Melinda keeps tugging.
"Lucy!" Lucy glances to where Melinda was looking and saw a dark figure with a hat on. "Andrea, no!"
"Andrea!" Lucy shouts. "Andrea!" Lucy screams. "Andrea!" She screams until she tastes blood in her throat. Only when the man vanishes with Andrea does Lucy wake up.
She's in her room in her big house, all alone with only August. The red cat moves to her and stares up at her with concerned blue eyes. "Oh, Augie…." Tears rolled down Lucy's cheeks as she pulls the fat cat into her arms and cries into her thick fur. It was just a dream. Andrea is still dead and still very much so in danger. It was just a dream.
Lucy bursts into tears feeling so helpless and all alone. She didn't have a Jim of her own to comfort her and Lucy could practically feel her twin's fear and sadness vanish and knew it was because of Jim. This fact alone only made her cry harder. She was all alone. Melinda was her twin, but she has Jim. Andrea didn't have a boyfriend, she was single just like Lucy and in a way it made Lucy not feel as alone as she used to, but now she feels even more alone than ever before.
Like every time Lucy is upset, the sound of Melinda's ringtone comes through her phone. It's cheesy and Melinda always made fun of her, but the special ringtone that Lucy has for Melinda is ghostbusters. The ringtone makes Lucy give a watery chuckle before finally pulling away from her cat and picking up the phone. "Hello?"
"Are you okay?"
"You had the dream too?"
"Yeah… She visited me. Just a moment ago. She said a name, Romano, just before she vanished."
"I miss her, Mel." Lucy whispers. "And I'm scared for her."
"I know. Me too, but I promise you, Luce, we will save her." Lucy closes her eyes and lets her sister's comforting words surround her, enveloping her in a comforting embrace.
"I know."
"Do you want to come over?"
"No, I'll be okay. I got, August. I'm just going to try to go back to sleep."
"You know I'm always here, Lucy."
"I know." Lucy sighs, running a hand through her hair. "You know what? I might take a shower… yuck." Melinda's laughter could be heard from the other end, making Lucy smile. It was strange how just simply talking to her sister could comfort her so much, but that was Melinda. She was always able to comfort anyone. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Do you think you'll be able to handle the funeral?" Lucy has always been more fragile than Melinda. Melinda was more naive and trusting, which often got her hurt more, but Lucy was more sensitive and had a harder time handling things. She was more her mother in that way.
"I'll be okay. Talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay, I love you Lucinda." Lucy cringes at the use of her full name.
"Sure thing, Melinda." Lucy grumbles, causing her sister to laugh.
"Jim and I will pick you up tomorrow." Lucy doesn't bother to argue, she knows Melinda well enough to know that she was too stubborn to be talked out of something. Lucy hated how much Melinda babied her, but apart of her cherished the attention. Growing up their father was never around much after the divorce and their mother had always been distance. Melinda and Lucy had only each other, but once Jim came Lucy didn't have Melinda as often. Melinda was still always there, but it was different. It turned into Melinda, Jim, and Lucy instead of Melinda and Lucy. Lucy is happy for her sister, but she so desperately desires the same attention that Jim gives Melinda. Lucy knows she can't give up hope, but as each year passes so does her chance of settling down and having a family. It hurts to imagine her life with just August to care for, but she knew it was out of her hands. And with Andrea now gone, Lucy just has to push through.
By the time it came for funeral Lucy had cried so much that she couldn't wear anything more than lipstick due to the constant running. Dressed in a simple black sundress with heels and her nails painted black, she stood beside her sister in the graveyard.
"Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Everything remains as it was. The old life that we live so fondly together is unchanged." Lucy runs her thumb over her ring on her right hand. Both Melinda and her have one. A simple band with their birthstone, emeralds, running across the silver band, their names engraved inside with the simple message, 'Don't be afraid'. Lucy closes her eyes as she remembers her grandmother, a woman who inspired Lucy and Melinda to do what they do. This ring is something she cherished as does Melinda. Lucy never takes it off. It was times like this when she thought of the woman. The time when the true meaning of how short life is, is presented before Lucy.
"Is Andrea here?" Jim asks, causing both Melinda and Lucy to look around. All around them are spirits, but none are Andrea.
"No." Melinda answers. "I just don't understand why she's not coming to us now." Lucy swallows the lump in her throat as she stares at the coffin. Andrea was too young and to end up where she is now… Lucy closes her eyes as she can feel the pain building inside.
"Lucy, are you okay?" Lucy nods and tries to wipe away her tears as discreetly as possible, but she knows Melinda saw. She's thankful that Melinda doesn't press her about it.
"I just… I need a moment."
"Okay, take a moment. I'm going to go talk to her brother if you need me-"
"I'll be fine, Melinda." Lucy turns and makes her way through the graveyard, needing time away from everyone. She knows that Melinda is in as much pain as she is in, but Melinda has Jim. Who does Lucy have? She used to have Andrea, but now… She doesn't even have her.
Lucy stares out at the many tombstones, holding her arms tightly around herself as tears run down her face. She felt so alone and so scared. She didn't know what to think or who to turn to. She feels like the walls are closing in on her and she feels as if she can't breathe. "Lucy?" Lucy sniffles, wiping away her tears and turns to her sister.
"I'm okay, just…" She took a deep breath. "Are we going to go check on her apartment now?"
"Yeah, yeah, come on, Luce, as long as-"
"Melinda, please stop treating me like a china doll ready to break. I'm okay. I just want to get Andrea crossed over as soon as possible." Lucy says before making her way through the tombstones and out of the graveyard. Melinda takes her sister's hand in hers.
"I miss her too, Lucy. I'm scared too. I'm hurting too."
"I know." Lucy whispers. "I just… I need to deal with this on my own. I'll be okay." Melinda squeezes her sister's hand.
"Okay."
When they arrive in front of Andrea's apartment the press are outside talking about the crash. Lucy moves quickly out of their sights and starts inside before anyone could stop her. She didn't feel up to talking to the press and she knew they'd want to talk to her and Melinda. Lucy walks into Andrea's apartment, looking around at the place she has grown so fond of. Andrea and her used to spend Friday nights up here, drinking a glass of wine and watching cheesy romance movies. Some of Lucy's best memories happened in this apartment with Andrea.
"Hey, you ready?" Lucy nods at Melinda, not able to say a word as she looks at all the pictures of the three of them together. Some had just Melinda and Andrea, others just Lucy and Andrea, and there was one of just Lucy and Melinda that brought tears to Lucy's eyes. It was their birthday and Andrea wanted a good photo to remember how great the day was. Lucy turns away, the tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt Melinda's arms wrap around her and took a deep shaky breath.
"I'm okay." It was something she said so much today, but it was her mantra, the thing that was helping her get through all the pain that threatened to drown her. "I'm okay." The sound of the closet door opening has both twins turning towards it. Shivers ran through Lucy, but she stepped into the closet regardless.
The doors closed after them, leaving them in total darkness. Melinda reached up and turns the light on, but it seemed to do almost nothing for the deep darkness around them. The two turn as they feel a presence behind them. They turn to see the same older man in the hat. "Where's Andrea?" Melinda asks as Lucy stares at the man.
"I'll be glad to take a message." It was times like this where Lucy hated not being able to hurt ghosts. She just wanted to punch him, kick him, scream at him, but she could only scream and she didn't think Melinda would appreciate it.
"What are you doing to her?" Lucy asks.
"I don't have to do anything. She's doing it all to herself."
"Who are you?" Melinda asks.
"I was alive once. Just like you." The man explains. "I had names, I had lives."
"Romano. Is that your name?" Melinda asks.
"I'm just a humble teacher."
"Teacher?"
"Trying to spread the word."
"What word?" Lucy snaps. "That dying is good? That staying here is okay?"
"I'm much like you."
"You're nothing like us!" Lucy shouts.
"What are you doing here? What do you want?" Melinda interrupts.
"I have what I want." Shivers of fear ran down Lucy's spine.
"No, no you don't. Andrea will not go with you. I know her." Melinda defends. "She's going into the light."
"I'm going to have her, and I'm going to have the both of you." The man leaned down and leaned into both their ears and whispered, "It's just a matter of time." The doors of the closet bursts open and wind rush through their hair as they step out.
Lucy barely sleeps that night. Holding her cat and burying her face in his fur as she struggled to sleep. By morning she barely got three hours of sleep. She covered it up in makeup and took a warm shower to get some life back to her. She dresses in a pair of jeans, her worn out converses, and a simple, but nice tank top. She lets her hair fall in their nature curls down her back, her bangs sweeping over her left eye.
Melinda told her about a professor she found that could possibly help them, so she's picking Lucy up to visit him. Lucy was just getting her jacket when she heard the honk of Melinda's car. Lucy slips on the quarter sleeved jean jacket before kissing August goodbye and heading out to Melinda. "You ready?" Melinda looks her over as if trying to find any signs of stress and exhaustion, but Lucy got to be an expert of hiding her pain and insomnia.
"Yup, let's go." Lucy says as cheerful as ever. She is hopeful for this professor Payne and that hope makes her feel just a bit better. He works at a local college and seems to have a good record, which is good enough for Lucy to give him a chance.
When they arrive Professor Payne is in a lecture, so Lucy and Melinda quietly let themselves in. "All these questions bring us back to the power of the mind. Something so powerful that it creates that which we want to be true. That's why athletes are taught visualization techniques because if you imagine it, it will happen. Now, how do we extrapolate this theory to the world of the supernatural?" The man was impressive sounding and professional enough looking. Blonde hair slicked back, a suit and tie on. She couldn't see too much of his psychical appearance from this far, but he seemed to be quite good looking. "Specters, demon entities, poltergeists, hauntings. Well, what do we do?" Lucy smiles as she listens to the guy. He sounded like a skeptic, but he was rather interesting to listen to. "We say all these things are complete bull, or they're all explainable in some way or another. Now, my question to you is this- could it be all of these phenomena are just an extension of brain function an extension of our collective minds creating myths, filling in the blanks, if you will." It takes a lot to make Lucy not laugh as she listens to him. He was defiantly a skeptic, but his ideas are interesting enough. "And that is what we will be studying in this class." Once he dismisses the class Melinda and Lucy wait for him outside.
"Professor Payne, hi, Melinda Gordon and this is my sister, Lucinda." Lucy cringes at the name but smiles nonetheless at the man. Up close she could get a good look at him. He had messy dirty blonde hair and eyes that resembled the ocean. He was thin and didn't have a ton of muscle on him, but he was quite handsome in a carefree sort of way.
"Good for you." The man says once he is done with shaking their hands.
"No, we spoke on the phone, remember?" Lucy raises a ginger eyebrow as they walked. Melinda had told Lucy that she got it all covered, but with Melinda, it never works as planned.
"About what?"
"I read about your work."
"Why?" Lucy bites back a laugh at the humor the guy obvious receives from knowing about her reading his work.
"My sister and I need some help."
"I need a lot of help too, more than you can imagine,"
"Unlikely." The professor looks at Lucy who smiles innocently at him as Melinda looks at Lucy a bit surprised.
"But I don't come to your workplace and ask for it, do I?"
"Look, professor, my sister tells me you're supposed to be some kind of expert on the history and beliefs of the occult and the supernatural."
"As it pertains to contemporary psychology." He interrupts Lucy, stopping to stand rather close to her. "If you want to find your dead aunt's will, I can't help you."
"Too bad I don't have a dead aunt then." The professor smiles slightly at the redhead.
"Is it necessary to be this rude?" Melinda asks.
"Necessary, no. Amusing, always."
"Well, you have to find amusement somehow. I'm sure your boring little life lacks in that department."
"You're feisty."
"And running on a strict time limit. You're supposed to be the go-to guy and I could defiantly use the whole go-to." Lucy says, causing the man to eye her over. She clears her throat. "I mean, my sister and I could both use the whole somebody to go to. They say you're a genius. You can't even spare half an hour."
"It makes me crazy the way they throw the word 'genius' around, alright? Although, coming from you, it does give me a certain tingle." Lucy blushes in embarrassment. "Will you buy me food?" Lucy nods.
"Yeah, sure, I guess."
"Follow me."
"Great." Melinda sighs as the three of them walk off the campus. The professor goes to a Chinese food and once he got food they head back to his office. Lucy makes herself at home, draping her jacket over a nearby chair and parking her butt on his main desk, he has many desks.
"I don't teach the supernatural." He tells them as Lucy eats. She was always hungry. She had a big appetite and having not had any breakfast then she could defiantly eat her fill right now. "I teach society's need to believe in the supernatural, the myths, and the legends throughout the ages." Melinda sniffs her food before putting it down on the desk.
"There are lots of myths about dark spirits and light spirits." Melinda tells him as Lucy licks her lips.
"We're just trying to find out more about them all." Lucy tells the professor before taking a sip of water.
"Why?"
"Because your subject interests me." Lucy tells him. The food was cheap but wasn't half bad. She took another bite as the professor rests against the desk, right beside her, opening one of his many books. "Plus, my sister and I both really need to."
"Well, most cultures favor the same motifs. Basically, it's demons, dark entities, shadows, phantoms." Lucy glances over his shoulder at a picture, frowning at how creepy it was before taking another bite of food. "You know, the relationship between good and evil has always been symbiotic."
"Yin and yang." Lucy comments after swallowing.
"Exactly, and speaking of evil don't try that shrimp." The professor says as he points to the box beside her that she hadn't eaten from yet.
"What function do they serve?"
"Apparently to make us violently ill." Lucy glances over at him with an amused look.
"I meant the evil spirits."
"Are you still talking about the shrimp?" Melinda asks.
"Aren't you?" Lucy laughs and takes the picture from his hands.
"We're talking about spirits. Dark ones." The professor smiles at her, moving more on the desk and coincidentally closer to her.
"Dark spirits and light spirits are linked at opposite ends, obviously." Payne hopes off the desk and moves to his second desk. His office is a mess. "And the dark spirits are here to create evil, not only to create evil but to grow it."
"And the light spirits?" Lucy asks, hopping off the desk and walking towards him.
"Light spirits make sure that the dead pass on to the other side. The light, heaven, whatever you want to call it." Lucy sits across from him at the desk. "They're the protectors of the souls. They, uh, they just go around spreading all things good. Love, happiness, blah, blah, blah." Lucy runs her fingers over a rather scary photo.
"And what about power? Can one dark spirit becomes more powerful than the others?"
"Well, that depends on how many souls they can take up, and that's why the dark spirits hate the light spirits so much because the light spirits are always taking souls away from them." Lucy swallows the lump in her throat as she saw one picture of a woman with a demon. She makes a face and puts it aside. "Well, uh, there's an East African version of the same motif where if a dark spirit can take over the soul of a light spirit, that's like triple bonus points right there. By engulfing the soul of a light spirit, the dark spirit becomes invincible." Lucy feels like she's about to be sick. "You okay?" The professor asks, obviously noticing her shaky pale face.
"Yeah…." Lucy picks up a notepad and pencil. "Have you ever come across this image?" She shows the professor of the outline of a man.
He laughs as he looks at it. "Heh, a villain from old-time radio?"
"That's not funny." Lucy whispers, causing the man to stop smiling.
"Alright. Do we have a name?"
"Romano, I'm not entirely sure." Lucy looks at her sister, who nods.
"Romano is the closest we got to a name." Melinda adds.
"Okay. Is your Romano a dark spirit or a light spirit."
"Dark." Melinda and Lucy say together, causing the professor to smile.
"Sorry… twin thing." Lucy mumbles she was used to people giving them strange looks when they did that.
"He's defiantly a dark spirit." Melinda nods.
"Oh, you're right. They are too careless with the word 'genius'." Lucy says with a smile.
"That's harsh. Who are you again?"
"Lucy. Just someone who wants some help."
"Lucy, not Lucinda?" Lucy throws a glare at Melinda, obviously blaming her for his teasing.
"No, Lucy. Just Lucy. And I need to learn."
"Can you just check the sketch for us." Melinda sighs.
"I'm already on it, good-bye."
"Good-bye." Melinda doesn't even wait for Lucy before leaving. Lucy rolls her eyes and grabs her jacket.
"So much for food."
"Take it." Lucy turns and looks at the professor. "You look hungry."
"Yeah, well, Mel says I'm always hungry, but thanks." Lucy grabs the carton she was eating out of and makes her way to the door.
"My kind of girl." She pretends she doesn't hear his whisper as her face grows red. She makes her way quickly down the stairs and outside where Melinda was waiting for her.
"You okay, you're a little red?"
"I'm fine."
"Really? Because it seemed like Professor Payne got you all hot and bothered." Lucy shoots a glare at Melinda.
"Oh shut it." Melinda giggles as Lucy hops into the car. "Brat."
"Just pointing out the truth." Melinda starts the car. "He's cute even if he is a bit annoying."
"He's married." Melinda raises an eyebrow. "Rule number 1, always check for rings."
"Oh."
"Yup." Those were the guys that usually hit on Lucy. Guys that were already taken, but wanted a little something on the sides. The good guys usually flee rather quickly from Lucy once they start to get to know her. The worst part of it all is that Lucy should be used to it by now and yet she still feels disappointed.
"You know, Jim knows a guy at work-"
"Melinda, I'm okay." Lucy cuts off. "I don't want a relationship. All I want is to get Andrea through the light." Melinda takes Lucy's hand in hers, squeezing it in a comforting manner.
"I know. We'll get her to cross over, I promise." Lucy nods as she buckles up. They pull away from the professor's building and Lucy watches out of her window at the passing scenery. 'We'll help Andrea, we have to.' Lucy thinks as she pictures her best friend. She must be so scared.
Later that night Lucy is home and just finishing feeding August his super when her phone rings. Ghostbusters, Melinda. "Hey, Mel, what's up?" Lucy asks as she puts the container of dry cat food back in the cupboard alongside the wet that she had mixed the cat's food with.
"I'm outside Andrea's apartment and the light is on. I think she's there."
"I'll be right there."
"I'll meet you inside. I'll find her."
"Okay. Be careful. We don't know if it's Romano and we don't enough about dark spirits yet to not worry about him."
"I'll be careful." Lucy grabs her keys, kisses August goodbye with a quick warning to behave before she heads out.
She drives quickly to Andrea's apartment. The roads were bare, not that traffic was common in the small town, so it only took Lucy a few minutes to get there. She didn't live far from the center of town, which is where Andrea's apartment is. She parks her car and hurries inside. "Melinda?" She stops dead in her tracks when she sees the inside of Andrea's apartment. There were many words scrawled across all the walls, doors, bookshelf, and every surface availalbe in what looks like red crayon. A lot of things were knocked over and the pictures were crooked on the walls, but it didn't appear to have anything damaged except with all the writing. "What is all of this?"
"It was like this when we got here." Melinda tells Lucy. They both look at Andrea's brother and could see that all of this was upsetting him. "How about we get out of here." Melinda suggests. No one argued with her as they filed out and headed to the square.
"Who could have done that?" Andrea's brother asks once they had gotten out of the apartment. Lucy couldn't even imagine what that looked like to him. She knew who did it, or could guess who did it, but Mitch had no idea about Romano or about his sister's spirit. "That's sick. I don't get it. The words… That name, Romano. I have no idea who that is, do either of you?"
"No, I never heard that name before." Lucy lies with ease. All her life she has lied to people, it comes easily to her now.
"Everything just seems a bit crazy right now." Melinda adds.
"Should I call the police?"
"It was probably just a couple of kids. They can be real delinquents these days." Lucy tells him. "I can clean up for you, Mitch, but I really don't think there's much the police can do. No one saw the person or people and it really won't fix the damage already done."
"I really don't know what's going on." Melinda says.
"You feel like you could know a person… I mean, really know who they are through and through?"
"I do." The twins say together.
"Sorry." Lucy automatically apologizes, but Mitch ignores it.
"I do. And I know my sister. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like something's wrong."
"That's not crazy, Mitch." Lucy says. "When I lost my grandmother I felt the same way. It's the grief."
"That's not it, Lucy. I feel like she's not at rest somehow. I can't shake it." Lucy wants to tell him, but she doesn't know if it'll help Andrea or him. "You probably know things weren't always great with us."
"She told me you didn't talk for two years." Melinda says. Lucy and Melinda never had a time when they fought, not really, so she couldn't relate to Mitch and Andrea, but she could understand what it was like to lose someone you care about and are family, so she knows Mitch is going through a hard time.
"It's worse than that. There's somethin' I never told her. Something she should have known."
"What?" Lucy asks.
"What difference does it make?" Mitch says. "It's too late." Lucy has to look away from Mitch, she could practically feel his pain and grief and it was too similar to drowning. Mitch walks away then, allowing Lucy to breathe.
"Maybe Andrea is at the store, come on." Lucy follows Melinda towards the store. They didn't bother with the lights. "Andrea, are you here?" Lucy could hear a soft sobbing sound coming from the back.
"Melinda." Lucy takes her sister's hand and leads her to the back. "I can hear her."
"Andrea?" Melinda calls as they walk into the back office.
"He told me not to believe a thing you both say." Andrea says to them.
"Romano?" Lucy guesses.
"I don't want to be dead!" Andrea says as she moves towards them, her body changing from what it looked like dead to what it looked like while she was living. "I shouldn't be dead!" Lucy jumps at how close Andrea was. She vanished shortly after. "Please… help me." Lucy turns and finds that Andrea was now behind them. "I don't want to be here. But I deserve it!"
"No, you don't!" Melinda exclaims.
"What'll happen to me if I go with him?"
"Andrea, listen to me. You can not go with him."
"He'll turn you into something," Melinda adds. "Something just like him."
"He makes me want to be with him!" Andrea cries.
"Andrea, it's all lies!" Melinda moves towards Andrea. "Please don't let him do it-" Andrea moves towards the door.
"I have to go."
"No, Andrea, don't leave." Lucy begs.
"Where?" Melinda asks.
"Back to the beginning." Andrea cries. "Oh, my god."
"Andrea, please." Melinda and Lucy beg.
"I have to go now." Lucy didn't like the way Andrea said that. So empty and emotionless.
"Andrea!" Melinda calls as Lucy stares at where Andrea had been.
"Mel, what if we can't save her?" Melinda turns towards her sister.
"We will, Lucy. I'm not giving up on her." Lucy runs a hand through her curls before starting for the door.
"I know, I know. I'm just…"
"I know, me too." They were both scared for Andrea and worried, but Melinda was right. They could give up. Not now. Not when Andrea needed the most help. If they give up now then Andrea was his and they will never be able to save her.
"We should get home. It's getting late and I'm sure Jim will worry." Lucy locks the doors after herself before walking with Melinda towards their cars.
"Do you want to come stay with us tonight?" Melinda asks as Lucy's phone begins to ring.
"Hold on." Lucy digs her phone out of her pocket and answers it. "Hello."
"Hi, Lucinda, it's Rick Payne." Lucy scowls at the use of her full name. "Uh, I just got back to my office. Is there any chance you can come over here? Right away?" Lucy glances at Melinda. Why was Professor Payne calling so late and why did he sound out of sorts. But it was late and Lucy was exhausted.
"Could this wait until morning? It's been…. It's been a long day."
"Mmm, maybe not." Lucy frowns, her brows furrowing in confusion and a bit in frustration. Not only was this guy married and cute, but a total pain in the ass. Maybe that's why his last name is Payne.
"Okay, fine, my sister and I'll be there in like fifteen minutes."
"Is there any chance you'll pass a noodle parlor?" If Lucy wasn't so tired she would have laughed, but the truth is she is running on little sleep and just the talk of food was making her hungry, so she was seriously considering this, but she also didn't want to deal with Melinda if she told her she was hungry. Melinda often got annoyed with how much Lucy could eat.
"None." Lucy finally decides to answer.
"Fair enough." Lucy hangs up and glances over at Melinda. "Professor Payne in the ass wants us to come by his office. Apparently, something important came up."
"Couldn't this wait until morning?"
"Apparently not." Melinda sighs and Lucy could see she was just as tired. "If you want I can handle this myself. Plus Jim should be home soon."
"Are you sure? This could be important-"
"Melinda, go home to your husband. I'll find out what Payne in the ass wants and report back to you in the morning."
"Are you really going to call him that from now on?" What Lucy felt like saying was something fiesty like, 'I'm running on three hours of sleep and he's calling me to come to his office, hell yeah', but she didn't want Melinda to worry.
"I think it fits." Lucy settles on before heading towards her car. "I'll see you tomorrow." She hops into her car and starts for Rick's office. With Melinda not with her, she does stop at a noodle place and gets some food because her stomach hasn't stopped growling since Rick mentioned it.
When she gets into Rick's office she is shocked to see exactly what was wrong. Pictures were all over the walls and ceiling. "What in the hell happened?" Lucy asks. "When did this happen?" Rick turns to face her.
"Today."
"Here, you owe me by the way." Rick smiles as he takes the container of food. Lucy settles down and opens her own container.
"Thank you." Rick looks around his office. "I'm teaching a class and then I go out to dinner-Polynesian food. Have you ever had tongue and papaya?" This guy sure had a strange variety of taste buds.
"Don't believe so." Lucy says as she puts her feet up on a chair. She was so drained.
"I don't recommend it. I come back to my office to get some books and all this has happened." He says as he waves his hand around at the pictures. The shirt he was wearing matches his eyes. It looks nice and those jeans he was wearing were rather low and shaped his ass. Lucy blinks and sits up. She needs to focus and stop staring. He was married. "I-Who could have done this?!" That was the second time she has heard that. "Some disgruntled janitor? No. No. No. Please. I don't think so. And then-ooh-check this out." Lucy eats her noodles as Rick moves towards a board he had with pictures taped on to it and lights to light up the surface. The warm noodles were only making Lucy more sleepy, but it was also filling her up, which was good. "Here's a drawing that I didn't even know I had." Lucy stood up and moves towards Rick, taking the picturing and look it over. It defiantly not creepy…..
"Do you know what it means?" Lucy asks as she licks her lips.
"Yeah, sure." Lucy looks up and just now realizes how close she was to Rick.
"Um…. so?" Lucy asks.
"Oh, sorry, uh, basically it's a warning. It's a dark motif favored by the Incans. 'Back off or die' being the fundamental message."
"That's…." Lucy didn't know what to say to that. It had to have been Romano who did all this, trying to scare Rick off from helping Lucy, but she couldn't very well say that to him.
"Who are you really?" Lucy glances around the room at the rather disturbing pictures rather than look at Professor Payne. "Come on, you come here asking me some very interesting questions. Next thing I know, my office is redecorated and I'm on the wrong end of an Incan death threat."
"Look, I'm really am just kind of a student. There are some things that I know and some things that I'm trying to find out."
"Okay, that's-that's great, but are you going to tell me this all happened because of a supernatural event?" She was right, he was a skeptic. Another type she avoided. Skeptics were never the type to date, not that she'd date Rick. He was married! If that's case then there was no harm in making him think she was crazy early.
"Yes."
"Oh, come on! That's crap! Who-Who sent you here?" Rick says he turns to look at her. "Who put you up to this? Is it Spiegelman from Princeton? That son of a bitch." Lucy's head was spinning. She was exhausted and this guy was making her even more so.
"I-I don't even know who that is." She huffs. "That sketch that I gave you. Did you get anything from it or not?"
"Someone's crabby."
"I'm tired." She leans against the desk. "You'd be too if you got only three hours of sleep." She noticed Rick looking at her with a rather concern look. It only annoyed her more. "Did you get anything or not?"
"I did actually." Rick says, but he doesn't go on, but instead says, "If you tired you can rest here."
"Surrounded by creepy pictures? I'm good thanks. Plus, I don't think your wife would appreciate some woman taking a nap in your office." Lucy pushes off the desk and moves over towards where she had been sitting. She sits down and goes back to eating her noodles.
"My wife?" Lucy glances over at Rick before motioning towards his hand, which has a ring on it. "You checked for a ring?" Lucy's cheeks burn as bright as her glare.
"Don't go getting a big head. I'm just observant."
"Uh huh." Lucy rolls her eyes and puts her container down.
"But you never answered my question. And why didn't your wife go to dinner with you anyways?" Rick leans against one of his desk, the one Lucy wasn't sitting by, and began to play with the ring on his finger.
"I moved here about two years ago. After my wife died." Lucy didn't know what to say to that. She felt a bit guilty about bringing it up.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." Rick slips the ring off and looks at it. "I've grieved, I've moved on. It was a while ago." Rick puts the ring down on his desk. "I guess I just got used to having it on that I forgot it was even there." Lucy could handle guys that were unavailable and guys that thought she was crazy, but so far Rick was neither. She didn't know how to handle that, so she did what she did best, she ignored the situation that she was in.
"What did you find out about the sketch? Did you find out who he was?" Rick looks back at her, he too looked like he was choosing to ignore the situation. "Oh, Yeah." Rick moves towards his desk which has his laptop on it. "There's an obscure sect in Algeria," Lucy leaves her food to go over and look over his shoulder. As she did so she couldn't help, but notice how brode his shoulders were nor miss how muscular his arms were. If he kept the ring on then that means he didn't have a woman to tell him to take it off, which means that he's single. He smelt really good. Like old spice. Lucy closes her eyes as she breathes in the rather distractingly good smelling cologne. Lucy wasn't often this close to a guy, except maybe with Jim, but he was practically a big brother to her by now. This was different and it made her all tingly inside. "It's sort of a quasi devil worship…." Rick turns and notices Lucy right there and he seems just as distracted by her as she was by him. "Sort of a quasi devil worshiping group." Rick continues, looking back at his computer, his cheeks pinker than normal. Lucy found she liked seeing him blush. It made him even cuter. The thought, in turn, made Lucy blush. She was half thankful and half annoyed that Melinda wasn't here. She would have been the block between them.
"That's creepy. What is that?" Lucy asks as she sees a pentagram on the screen, but it wasn't like one she has seen before. Each point had a different symbol and the middle of it was a shadow with a top hat.
"They use this image as the object of their reverence." Rick explains. "I also found another group in Morocco, and there's another one in Portugal." He shows her the image in both places.
"Wow. This is amazing." Rick stood up, brushing against Lucy, causing her to look up at him, her words dying on her lips. Rick looks down at her for a moment before moving off to another of his desks. Lucy swallows her nerves, looking back at the image.
"Hey, come here. Wait till you see this." She moves to another of his desk to find he has yet another computer, this one being a desk top.
"Jeez, how many computers do you have?"
"I get paid good." That meant good health care and… Jesus, what was Lucy thinking. Sure the guy wasn't married anymore, but he was still a skeptic… although skeptics have been known to convert-no, Lucy needed to focus on saving Andrea not some guy. She draws her attention back to the computer screen, which shows Romano in several black and white photos. He looks just like he did the other day. This must have been around the time before he died.
"Is this…"
"That's an American cult leader living in Spain-Went by the name Romano. This guy had one hundred and fifteen followers. And he convinced them all to commit themselves to their dark sides."
"And like you were telling me before that dark spirits like souls to be angry and toxic." Rick glances back at her, she is once again hovering over his shoulder.
"Toxic is an understatement. This guy convinced these people to commit the ultimate dark act that would assure them a place alongside him in eternity."
"Suicide?"
"On a grand scale." Lucy stares at the photo, it was horrifying, why would someone believe the man and do something like this. "You say you've seen this guy recently?" Rick asks, turning to look at Lucy, which made him all the more closer to her.
"Kinda?"
"You know, that's fascinating to me, considering this happened in 1939! Romano killed himself with all the others."
"And became a dark spirit?" Lucy asks as Rick gets up from his seat.
"Let's say for the sake of argument that dark spirits are real. I would say your friend Romano there was a dark spirit long before that happened.
"A living one? Is that possible?"
"As these entities get stronger, they have the ability to take over a weaker human."
"As in, literally take over their bodies?" Lucy asks.
"In theory-Look, that's a picture of some loser named Romano with an evil heart and a weak will. But once the spirit got a hold of him all the negative energy from that mass suicide-He was one hundred times stronger. And then when he died, he was released back into the Ether badder than ever."
"And now?"
"Now… Regrouping for a bigger bite. Maybe he's just sucking up soul after soul and building more and more strength until the next human being he takes over. He could do some real hurt to the world. And this guy's not gonna stop until he destroys everything that's good."
"You sound like a believer." Lucy points out.
"I'd like to believe. I would. I'd like to believe there's more than this short rocket trip to the grave." Rick looks down at his ring. "I'd like to believe in an afterlife." Rick looks back up at Lucy. "I believe in science. I need proof. I need facts and figures. I can't just take it on faith alone."
"And there lies the rub." Lucy says. "No faith, no belief." Rick looks at Lucy, a look that makes her belly burn hot and her head to spin. It's a look that makes Lucy feel naked and vulnerable. It's a look she doesn't often get and one she wasn't used to. No guy ever looked at her like that before. Not one that wasn't slimy and gross. Having Rick look at her like that was doing things to her.
"I have to plan breakfast in the morning." Rick suddenly says, breaking the spell they were in.
"Right." Lucy grabs her things and heads for the door before rethinking. She turns back to Rick. "Um... Romano… he didn't kill anybody himself, did he? I mean, he just convinced them to kill themselves."
"That also fits in with the dark motif. In order for these things to win, they have to take over a soul that acts with its own free will." That meant Andrea was safe until Andrea gives in to Romano. That means there's hope. "They have to cooperate in their own destruction."
"Right." There was hope, but Lucy also had more worry than ever.
"Hey, Lucy?"
"Hmm?" Lucy looks back at Rick.
"Did you want to join me for breakfast in the morning." Before she could answer Melinda's ringtone went off. Rick raises an eyebrow as Lucy groan.
"All I want is sleep." She whines as she pulls her phone out. "Hey, Mel. What's up?" She asks in a tired voice.
"I think I know where Andrea is. She went back to where she died. She's on the bridge. Meet me there?" Lucy really didn't want to. She wanted to go back home to her warm bed and fat cat, but she knew she couldn't. She had to help Andrea and tell Melinda everything that Rick told her.
"Yeah," Lucy sighs. "I'll be right there. I got some things I have to tell you anyways. I'll call you back when I'm in my car."
"Okay… Are you with Rick now?"
"Bye, Melinda." She hangs up and slips her phone into her pocket. "Look, thanks for helping and… Sorry about your office, but I got to go. Find out anything else, let me know okay?"
"Yeah sure." Rick says as Lucy rubs her eyes, trying to keep herself awake. "Although, maybe you should get some sleep. You look exhausted." She was. She really was, but she couldn't sleep. She had to go find Andrea and help her.
"I'll be fine. I'm not working tomorrow, so I'll just catch up on my sleep then." Lucy tells him as she starts for the door. "Thanks for everything."
"Sure, no problem." It's only when she's in her car did she remember that Rick had asked her to join him for breakfast and she never answered him. "Shit." She groans as she lets her head fall on top of the steering wheel. "I'm a train wreck." She grumbles before pulling her phone out and recalling Melinda. On the way to the bridge, she told Melinda everything that Rick told her.
Once she got to the bridge her and Melinda walked down it in hopes of finding Andrea. They got about halfway when they saw her in the fog by the edge. Andrea saw them too, so she got closer to them. She now stood right in front of them. "I can't cross over?"
"Why not?" Lucy asks.
"Romano said I'd be punished."
"For what?" Melinda asks.
"That night. When Mitch came to the store and when you told him I was dead. When I realized that was true- That Mitch was alive and I was dead… For just one minute I wanted to trade places. I wanted to live so badly that I wished it was Mitch who had been killed by the plane and not me. I prayed for it."
"We were all in shock." Melinda comforts.
"But you have to talk to Mitch, Andrea." Lucy cuts in. There was no time for comfort. Andrea wasn't the type to be comforted. She needed it given to her straight, not rolled in comfort.
"He has something that he has to say to you too." Melinda adds.
"My own brother and I wished him dead!" Andrea cries. "I can't be forgiven for that."
"Yes, you can."
"I don't want to be." Andrea disappears into the fog.
The next morning Melinda makes plans to see Mitch and talk to him about Andrea, but Lucy needed her sleep, so they planned to meet back up later that night at the store to help Andrea crossover. It was where she was waiting when Mitch and Melinda walked in. Lucy felt much better. She had gotten the best sleep the night before and had more energy then she could even remember having. She was ready for this. She was ready to get Andrea crossed over.
"So… how do we…" Mitch trails off as he looks between Melinda and Lucy. "What am I supposed to do?"
"The best way is for you to tell us something about you and Andrea." Melinda tells Mitch. "Just tell me a story."
"She was traveling all the time. Always away and never too good about being in touch." Mitch begins. "My father was sick, and it got bad real fast. And I think my dad was hanging on so he could see her one more time, but we couldn't find her. I was with my pop the night he died. He knew Andrea would be heartbroken about not being with him. How guilty she'd feel. He wanted me to tell her that it was alright, that he loved her, and that he knew she loved him." Andrea appears behind Mitch. "And that he'd see her again. He didn't want her to hurt."
"You never told me that." Andrea says.
"She's here, Mitch." Lucy spoke up.
"Now? In here with us?"
"She wants to know why you never told her what your father said." Mitch sighed, a look of guilt comes across his face.
"Because I was so mad about her not being there. And I know it's wrong. And I'm sorry. I was going to tell her someday. I just- I never thought it would be too late."
"Would you tell him?" Andrea says, looking from Melinda to Lucy. Melinda took the lead on this one.
"Mitch, the night that you came to the store, Andrea was there. She was watching when I told you that she was dead. And for a moment, when she realized the truth, she wanted to change places with you. She wanted to be the one who was alive even if it meant that you were the one that was dead. It was only for a split second. And she feels full of shame about that." Melinda looks at Andrea. "It's part of what's keeping her here. She needs your forgiveness."
"Tell her I-"
"She can hear you." Lucy cuts in. She understands why so many people don't realize this, but the words were becoming more instinct than thought.
"Andrea… I wished the same thing. I wanted it to be me on that plane and you still safe- still alive. I mean, you were always the one who lived. I was always so cautious, and so worried about the rules. And what people think… You always charged ahead. You're the one who should have gotten more life."
"She needs to hear that you say that you forgive her." Lucy tells him.
"There's nothing to forgive. She didn't do anything wrong." Lucy could see that he was trying not to cry. People always got emotional in this, especially Lucy and Melinda. "Can you forgive me?"
"Let's just say we're even." Andrea says as she appears behind Melinda.
"She says you're even now." Lucy frowns as she hears whispering. Her and Melinda move towards Andrea and see Romano heading towards them.
"He says I'll be judged in the light."
"You won't." Lucy promises.
"Don't be scared." Melinda adds. "Don't let him inside your head."
"Why isn't he coming inside?" Andrea asks. Lucy smiles at Andrea.
"She can't now. There's too much love in here. And that's what's in the light, not judgment."
"Look, we all feel guilty about what happened that night." Melinda says, causing Lucy to look at Melinda. Why was Melinda feeling guilty? "But it's time that we let it go. It doesn't mean anything anymore.
"I'm scared." Andrea whispers.
"I know you are, Annie." Lucy smiles at her best friend. "Just try and remember all the good things that you're leaving us with. Remember that every person that knew you is better for it… Especially me." Lucy smiles. "You taught me to be fearless. To live in the moment. And you loved really well, and you were loved. And that's what you're bringing into that light, nothing else."
"Ahh… I see it." Andrea says as Lucy looks at where Andrea was looking. She never could see it, but she knew it had to be amazing. The look on the ghosts faces says it all. "The light… Oh." Andrea moves towards the light. "It's more beautiful than I ever could have imagined."
"Then go into it. You're free." Lucy tells her. "This is how it's supposed to be."
"Lucy…" Andrea starts to cry once more. "I'm gonna miss you and Melinda so much."
"You'll see us again." Melinda promises.
"And when we do get to that light, you better be waiting." Lucy says, tears rolling down her face. Andrea laughs. "You better be the first face that I see."
"I'll be waiting." Andrea smiles. "But Lucy… Promise me something." Lucy nods.
"Anything."
"Don't spend another Friday night watching cheesy romance movies and eating your wait in junk food. Live for me, Lucy. Live every second of your life. Don't let fear hold you back. Take chances. Promise me." Lucy nods.
"I promise, Andrea." Andrea nods, tears rolling down her own face. She turns to Melinda.
"I'll be waiting for you both, but look out for Lucy for me Melinda. She is a strong woman, but she's fragile. More than you even know. Help her find her way and don't let her get hurt. She needs someone in her life. Like you have Jim. She needs someone to understand her and accept her. Help her find him. Help her find her Jim." Melinda nods, sniffling and blinking back the tears.
"I promise, I'll look out for Lucy and help her."
"Goodbye." Andrea whispers.
"Say goodbye to pops for me." Mitch calls out.
"He says hi back." Andrea cries before disappearing into the light. More whispering occurs and Lucy looks back to see Romano, not at all happy. He gives her gesture before disappearing.
Live for the moment. Don't let fear hold you back.