Chapter 2 – Birthstones
After school Miley had wanted Lilly to come and hang out at her house. But Lilly politely declined. She had other things on her mind. And after Miley left for home Lilly stayed at school for a few extra minutes.
Studying each student that came out the door, she kept a careful eye for the short blonde with pink glasses. Many blondes and many students with glasses passed. But yet it was to no avail. There was absolutely no sign of Erin.
'Oh well. Maybe tomorrow' she thought as she began the trip home. She would often skateboard home after school. Each road was filled with many things to jump over, or skate by. But today she ignored them all. Still unable to grasp the feeling that something just didn't feel right.
The rest of the day was uneventful. And Lilly was eventually able to brush the thought of Erin from her head. 'If I seen her once at school. I'll have to see her again' was her logic.
The next morning she awakens to the most annoying sound. And in her sleepy state of mind couldn't figure out what was making all of the racket. But after a few more seconds of the buzzing and beeping it occurred to her. It was just her alarm clock. It was time for school again.
She groggily gets out of bed and steps over to her closet. After a few minutes of deliberation she decides on the outfit she wants to wear, a pair of blue jeans with a green Aeropostale top. By the time she sat down at her vanity mirror she had fully woken up.
She then proceeds to put on her makeup. All that was needed to finish was her eyeliner. Looking around her desk it was no where to be found. Emptying part of her pocket book on the table she finally finds it, and begins applying it to her eye.
As she applies it she catches a glimpse of something in the mirror and stops. Putting the eyeliner down she looks back at the mirror. A sense of confusion comes over her as she looks at the image. She was not the only one in the room. Behind her was the girl from yesterday at school. It was Erin!
"How in the world did you get in my room?" Lilly asks as she turns around quickly to confront her. But no one was there, just her bed and the soft light of a new day shining through the window. 'Wow I must still be half asleep' she thought turning back to the mirror.
As she looked into the mirror once more a cold chill ran up her spine. Unable to move she could simple just stare into the mirror. It showed Erin still in the room with her. Standing just inches behind her.
She looked different than before however. She was deathly pale and her glasses seemed to be broken. She wore the same clothing from the day before, a light pink skirt that came down to her knees and a matching pink tank top. Except now the clothing was wrinkled and tattered in places, with both light and dark brown stains.
The image then stretched an almost translucent hand over her shoulder as if reaching for the vanity top. The image was no longer just in the mirror now. She could see in the corner of her eyes an arm reaching over her shoulder. A very real and very see through arm.
It was at this time Lilly noticed she had poured more than just makeup supplies from her purse. She had also put the ring on the table. Before the ghostly hand could reach the table however Lilly found the courage to finally speak. "Look if this is about your ring you can have it! I was going to return it. I swear!"
She then felt a light chill in her right ear as if a light breeze was blowing. And then she heard a whisper. "Put it on." The ghost seemed to whisper. Now Lilly really didn't know what to do.
Seeing how she was now scared to death Lilly felt she had better oblige to the ghost's request. The last thing she wanted to do was anger her. So with a heavy hand she slowly reached for the ring. Praying that what she told Miley would be true, and the ring wouldn't fit. Slipping the ring onto her right hand, she realized it fit perfectly.
'Oh god' was Lilly's only thought as she looked around what used to be her room. She was no longer in her room. No longer in her house for that matter. She was back at school, but was unable to recognize any of the students. Except one, Erin.
She was sitting on the same bench from the day before, as if waiting on someone to arrive. Lilly walks over to her, she was going to demand answers. "Where am I?" She asked in a serious tone. But Erin ignored her, as if she couldn't even see her.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She screams and in an attempt to get her attention smacks at her face. But then another chill runs down her spine as her hands simply passes through Erin's face. She then realizes that no one could see or hear her.
A young man arrives moments later and greeted Erin with a kiss. He then politely sits down next to her. He looked to be about the same age as her but slightly taller, with dark brown hair and muscular arms. 'Must play football' Lilly thought as the young man spoke.
"Erin you are the love of my life." He says taking her hand in his. "And I want you to have this so that you may remember me forever." He then reached into his pocket and revealed a box.
"Michael! You shouldn't have." Erin responds blushingly. She opens the box to reveal a gold ring with one purple and one light green stone in it. "It's our birthstones." Erin continues smiling from ear to ear.
"You are my one and only Erin." Michael responds and places the ring on Erin's hand.
"And you are my one and only." She responds holding his hand and leaning in for another kiss. Afterwards she looks directly at Lilly. As if she could see her once more. Then the two of them stand and walk away passing right through the middle of Lilly.
'How do I get out of here?' Lilly asks herself. She thinks for a moment and comes up with an idea. Remove the ring! Why had she not thought of it sooner? She tugs delicately at the ring and it comes off slowly but without much trouble.
She was back in her room again. Looking around confused she was almost dumbfounded. Unsure if what she had just seen had been a dream, or reality. Glancing down she still held the ring in her palm. And she quickly slaps it onto the vanity.
"You can take that cursed thing back!" She shouts out loud. And then almost felt foolish when she didn't receive a response from the ghost. But as she got up to leave for school she couldn't help but notice a brief movement in the mirror once more. A quick glance back revealed an empty room. But Lilly still left with an eerie feeling that there was more than met the eye.
Later at lunch Miley, Oliver, and Lilly all sat eating and talking about the daily happenings. Miley and Lilly discussing what they each wanted to buy from the mall when they went later this week. And Oliver trying his best to fit in on the conversation pointed out that he was thinking about getting some new shoes.
"Yea these just don't match my eyes as well as the red ones would" he mocked knowing that he wasn't really going to buy new shoes. His comment was met with a cold stare from both Lilly and Miley. The two of them quickly turning back to their own conversation.
After they were finished planning the shopping spree Lilly looked the both of them and in a more serious tone asked "Can I ask you a serious question. And well… you all not think I'm crazy?"
"Of course Lilly! Can't be any worse than some of the things Oliver comes up with." Miley replies grinningly.
"Hey!" Oliver objects to Miley's statement. Then finishes with "What's on your mind?"
"Well," Lilly begins lowering her voice so that only the three of them would be able to hear, "do you all believe in ghosts?"
"Not really. Nothing can scare Smokin Oaken these days." Oliver responds trying his best to seem macho.
Miley's response wasn't to much different however. "I used to believe in ghosts. But I eventually realized that what I thought was a ghost was almost always something ordinary." Then Miley noticed that Lilly was frowning slightly as if she was wanting a different answer. "Why do you ask?"
"Well now I know this is going to sound crazy. But I think my house is haunted or something."
Miley and Oliver share a short laugh. But then, as they realize she wasn't joking, they both abruptly stop laughing. "Why would you think that?" Oliver asks rising an eyebrow.
"Well this morning I saw something. I mean it could have been a dream. But it was so real! And…" her voice trails off. She did not think they would believe her if she told them all that happened. So she just stuck with the basics. "And I saw a ghost standing behind me in my vanity mirror!"
Miley and Oliver's eyes were both very wide now. They didn't know what to think. But Miley spoke for the two of them when she gave her verdict. "Sounds like a bad dream. I mean come on ghosts don't really exist Lilly. You know?"
Lilly was afraid they might think she was just dreaming it. So she played along. Its better for them to think it was a dream. Than to actually think she had lost her mind. The last thing she needed was to have to see a psychiatrist. "Yea I know. It was silly of me to think it was real. I'm sure you have all had surrealistic dreams to."
"Oh yes I have!" Oliver replies seeming overly excited. "Like this one time I had a dream about Becca and."
Miley quickly interrupts, "Whoa there Romeo! I don't think we really want to know." Lilly and her share a knowing glance and then a short chuckle. And before Oliver could object to the interruption the bell rang to head back to class.
After school Lilly was reluctant to head home. Her room seemed to have an airy chill hanging in it. Giving a passing look at the mirror she was afraid to see what may lie in it. But nothing appeared in the reflection. Just her worried face.
Walking over to her bed she stubs her toe on something protruding from underneath. "What in the world?" she asks aloud and then recognizes the object. It was the Ouija board. She didn't really want to play with the board any more. But she placed it on her bed once more.
"This is the last time I'm going to do this Erin. Or whatever your name really is." She announces to the empty room. "So you better give me the answers I want." She continues with a commanding tone.
Placing the lens onto the board she asks a very specific question. "Why are you haunting me. What do you want?"
It took only seconds for a response this time. And as the lens moved by itself from letter to letter she wrote each of them down in a notebook she had retrieved from her backpack. When the lens finally came to rest it had spelled out 'Need your help. Put on the ring.'
"Hell no!" Lilly objected. She was not about to put the ring on again. She was unsure what happened the last time. But she did not like the feeling. Did not like the feeling one bit.
The lens then moved, by itself again, across the board more frantically now. Spelling out the words 'Wear ring. Wear ring. Put it on.'
"No!" Lilly screams as she slams the board closed leaving the lens inside. Throwing the board back in its original box she grabs the ring and tosses it in the box also. She then throws the box in a corner and covers it with a blanket.
"I'll get to the bottom of this. I'll return it to the yard sale lady. And I will demand an answer! Surely I'm not the only one who has had weird things happen to them. The lady must have had a reason to sell this cursed thing so cheap."
'But first I'm going to take a nap' she thought lying down on her bed. It had been a long day at school and she was truly tired. But as soon as she woke up. She was definitely taking the board back to the yard sale lady. And she would get answers.
A/N: Well that is the end of Chapter 2. Why does the ghost want Lilly's help? Did the yard sale lady have a reason for wanting to get rid of the Ouija board?
Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think so far. Chapter 3 coming soon!
