Down the Spiral Hill – Chapter 7: Janie Thomas
Klaus crept into his bedroom through the window, careful not to crash into anything and make a racket. It was late and if Grace found out that he had snuck out after curfew, there would be severe consequences but in his mind it had all been worth it to meet up with the cute cashier from the corner convenience store. The just hoped that he didn't have any visible hickeys on his neck again.
Once he was perched on his bed safe and sound, he carefully shut the window, wincing when he squeaked loudly before coming to a close. Letting out a breath of relief, he turned around to get out of the bed with the intentions of taking a shower and calling it a night, but then the temperature in the room dropped and a chill rolled down his spine. His breath hitched in his throat and he closed his eyes, silently hoping that if he ignored it long enough then it would go away.
But then something cold and wet touched his hand.
"Don't scream. Scream and you're dead. Understand?"
Klaus clamped his mouth shut and turned around, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Standing there was the little ghost girl from the other night: Janie Thomas.
"You're a real cry baby, aren't ya?" Janie demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
"What do you want?" Klaus whispered, pulling his pillow into his lap and holding onto it tightly. He tried not to look at the bullet hole in her forehead, but it was seeping blood all down her front.
"I want to see my mommy," Janie told him, her lower lip trembling. "I miss her so much."
Klaus stared at her and opened his mouth, but no words came out. How the hell was he supposed to tell this dead little girl that he couldn't help her? Not the way that she meant. She didn't want to see her mother, she wanted to be with her. She wanted to hold onto her mother and be told that she was loved and that everything would be okay, but that would never happen and he hated himself for having to tell her this. Even if he found her mother, Janie wouldn't get the goodbye that she needed.
"Go home, then," Klaus told her helplessly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Your mom will be there. What do you want me to do? I mean, I could pass a message along but that's about it…"
"No! I can't find her," Janie cried loudly, her voice echoing in the quiet house and startling Klaus. "I went home but she wasn't there! I waited and waited but she never came home."
"Well, maybe she can't go home. I mean, it's a crime scene. Could she have gone to stay with a friend or relative? I think you should go check and see," Klaus offered, leaning back as she took a step forward.
Janie stared at him with a hard expression. "I think my daddy killed her too. She didn't come home that night."
"Oh," Klaus said softly, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm…sorry. I – uh – I'm not sure that I can really help."
"But you can see me!" Janie exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground. "Find my mommy! I wanna see her! I'm not leaving until you find her! I'm going to stand here and scream until you do it and I'm dead so I won't turn blue or stop to take a breath."
"I don't know how!" Klaus replied in horror, but she was already opening her mouth to scream. "Wait, wait, wait! I'll try, okay?!"
"Okay. Do it," Janie agreed instantly.
"I – I don't know how," Klaus repeated in a timid voice, but hurried and continued when she opened her mouth again. "I'm still learning how! I promise that I will practice and look for her, but it's hard to concentrate with you around. Just…go away. Go to heaven and when I find your mom, I'll call you."
"No, I wanna stay here with you," Janie objected, shaking her head and splattering blood all over the room.
"You can't stay here," Klaus said hurriedly. "I can't do my magic with two ghosts at the same time. Look, your mom would want to know that you're safe and happy in heaven. Go wait there until I find her. Do you think she would be happy knowing that you're waiting here scared and alone?"
"No," Janie said sadly, her shoulders slumping.
"No, she wouldn't," Klaus agreed, shaking his head.
Janie sighed and looked down at her bare feet. "Promise you'll call me when you find her?"
"I promise," Klaus agreed earnestly.
"Will there be other kids there?" Janie asked hopefully, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Lots of kids," Klaus said with a nod, sending her a smile. "There will be kittens and unicorns too. Ice cream for breakfast with extra sprinkles. There's a castle waiting for you and clouds made of pink cotton candy."
"Really?" Janie asked, her eyes sparkling with delight as she grinned widely. "Okay, it's a deal!"
Out of nowhere, she threw herself at Klaus and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Klaus stared down in horror when he noticed that the back her head had been blown off from being shot. However, when she finally pulled away her bullet hole had disappeared and she looked like a normal little girl.
Janie waved goodbye and disappeared from sight, the chill in room disappearing with her.
Klaus closed his eyes and sighed, putting a hand on his rapidly beating heart.
He had a lot of work to do.
