Hopkins, Minnesota - 1998
"Wow!" Emma was impressed. "I can't believe they just left a key under the doormat. Can't get any more cliche than that." She looked around, taking in her surroundings. There was a nice TV, probably more expensive than everyone in her life had ever bothered to spend on her altogether. A videogame system, a computer, even a taxidermy buck head mounted on a wall. And that was just what was within her vision, she hadn't seen the kitchen, the bedrooms, bathrooms, or second floor yet. "Honestly surprised no one's robbed this place."
Lily smiled mischievously. "Yet. Our picnic will hold us off for a while, but eventually we'll get hungry again and totally raid the kitchen."
"You are such a snoop!" Emma shook her head with a laugh. Her new friend was an interesting one for sure. Way cooler than any of her foster siblings ever were.
"And you're so innocent?" Lily rose her eyebrows at her pointedly before going off to the kitchen.
"Hey! Don't leave me alone in here!" She jogged after her and ended up jogging right into her.
"Oof!" Lily was temporarily winded. "Would you just relax? I'm looking for a flashlight for our ghost stories." A candle caught her eye. "Or...Or we could chat up some real ghosts!" She grabbed the candle with a grin and spun to face her blonde friend. "We need to search closets and cabinets now, probably upstairs."
"Wha -?" Emma was baffled. "Real gho - huh? Why?" "
Seances are a lot more successful with spirit boards! Come on, now!" Lily grabbed Emma's hand and tugged her along out of the kitchen toward the stairs.
"Woah!" Emma stumbled as she tried to keep up. "Where's the fire?"
"First, you complain about me going off without you, now you're complaining I'm bringing you along?" "
No, just...would you mind slowing down a bit so I don't smash my face on the stairs?"
Lily sighed and slowed down as she began ascending the stairs. "I'm sorry, Em. I'm just excited. I haven't had someone cool around to hang out with for a long time. To be honest, I'm surprised you agreed to come here with me."
"Why?" Emma asked, confused. "I haven't had anyone cool to hang out with either." She followed, her hand still in Lily's.
Lily didn't answer until they had reached the top of the stairs. "Because." She faced her. "I may have an ulterior motive beyond a ghost story buddy."
Emma swallowed. "And what would that be?"
"Well, I-I'm not sure I should say. You might think I'm a freak and never want to see me again."
Emma grew even more concerned at her new friend's sudden self consciousness. "Try me," she encouraged softly, looking into her eyes.
"I...well, I'm fifteen and I've never been kissed, and anyone I've ever liked even the slightest bit would never like me back or be caught dead kissing me."
Emma nodded understandingly and gave her hand a squeeze. "You like girls," she stated without judgment.
Lily's eyes filled with tears, not used to such kindness.
"I do, too," Emma revealed. "I'm nearly fifteen. I'll kiss you, if that's what you're wanting?"
"Really?!" A tear trickled from Lily's eye even though she was smiling widely.
Emma carefully reached out and brushed it away with the pad of her thumb. "Yeah," she murmured softly. "We have no idea how much time we have before something, or more likely someone, separates us. So we should make the most of what time we do have. I don't want to turn eighteen and be inexperienced in everything. This is supposed to be the time for cliche school crushes and dances, but if you're bounced around as often as I am, you're always the new kid no one really knows and you don't get enough time for them to ever know you before you're off to a new place. I can be your ghost buddy and kissing buddy."
Lily nodded. "That's too true. I'd like that."
Emma took a step forward and slowly leaned in. She saw Lily close her eyes and did the same just before their lips touched. It was a chaste kiss, no tongue, not much movement, and it didn't last long. But both girls broke away breathless with wide grins. "Now, let's go find that thing so we can talk to your ghost."
Lily practically skipped along to a hallway closet. Emma smiled and followed, glad she could make her new friend happy and get her first taste of what a kiss is like. Lily dug into a coat pocket and found a lighter. "Em, catch!" She tossed it behind her.
She caught it almost effortlessly. "Nice aim!" She started playing with it, making it spark. "Woah, cool!" She managed a full flame. "Oooh. I don't think whoever owns this place is going to see this lighter ever again. It's awesome!"
Lily sighed in frustration. "I can't reach the top shelf, but I can see the spirit board. Can you reach it?"
"I can try." Emma went into the closet as well and stretched up onto her tiptoes, reaching as high as she could. Her hand landed right on the box. She inched it towards the edge of the shelf until she could fully grab it and bring it down. It was a bit dusty. Both of them coughed as dust flew from the shelf as Emma moved the box.
"Guess no one's usee it for a while," Lily stated.
Emma backed out of the closet with it. "Get out of there and close the door. That dust cloud is annoying, I don't want it to follow us."
Lily coughed and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." She did as Emma said and headed back to the stairs. This time Emma followed without a word. They went downstairs and back into the living room, sitting across from each other on either side of the coffee table.
Emma put the box on the table. "Hey, didn't you say this was called a spirit board? This says, 'Ouija board'."
Lily waved her off. "It's the same thing."
"Okay, so how does this thing work?" Emma asked, completely out of her element. She had never done anything like this before.
Lily put the candle from the kitchen in the center of the table. "First, light this. You still have the lighter, right?"
"Yep!" Emma removed it from her pocket and held it up for Lily to see.
"So, light it. But be careful not to burn yourself." Emma nodded. She wrapped her free hand around the candle and tilted it forward a bit. She kept flicking the thumb of her other hand along the rolling part of the lighter, sparking until she got a flame, which she carefully touched to the wick before setting the candle flat against the table again. She let the lighter's flame go out.
Lily smiled. "Good! Now, let's get the board out." She opened the box and removed the board, which she laid flat on the table, a good bit away from the candle, letters facing Emma. She put the pointer towards the bottom center pointing in her own direction. "If we make a connection, the ghost, spirit, whatever, is supposed to use this to communicate with us. If we ask a yes or no question, it will move the pointer to those words on the board. If the question requires a more specific answer, it will use the letters and/or numbers to spell it out to us."
Emma scoffed. "Seriously?"
"Yeah! That's how it's supposed to work. I'm not saying it will for sure, but if it does, that's how it happens."
"Alright, I'll play. How do we get it to talk to us?"
Lily moved the empty box and its lid onto the floor. "Put your hands out on either side of the candle, but not on the table because then you'll be touching the board."
Emma did as Lily instructed, holding her arms above the table on either side of the candle. "Now what?"
"Now, I take your hands," Lily answered, making the action as she spoke it. Emma smiled, not bothered by that part at all. "Close your eyes," Lily directed softly as she did so herself. Emma obeyed. "On the count of three, say this with me, 'Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us.'" Emma listened to each word carefully, trying to memorize it. "Ready?" Lily asked.
"Yes," Emma answered with a nod, even though Lily couldn't see it.
"One...two...three!"
"Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us."
"Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us."
They spoke in unison. They waited a few seconds, but nothing happened.
"Again," Lily stated. "Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us."
"Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us." Unison again. Nothing again.
"Again. Chant this time. Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us. Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us. Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us..."
"Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us. Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us. Spirit on the other side, if you are here, we request you commune with us..."
Minutes passed, and still nothing was happening. Lily sighed and opened her eyes. "Okay, stop. Apparently there are no spirits here."
Emma opened her eyes in time to see Lily blowing out the candle. The pointer never moved.
"Well, that was a bit anti-climactic," Lily stated as she began packing the ouija board away.
"What kind of questions would we even ask a ghost?" Emma asked.
"Who they are, how they died, how old they were, how long ago it was, if God exists, if they can see the future. Other random things."
"I see. Well, I'm getting hungry again, so let's raid the kichen, and then you can tell me some of those ghost stories."
Lily smiled. "Sounds like a plan."