The American Dream (or 400 Years Without Improvement)

Merle, who'd been quiet for far longer than normal, was the first to break through Beth's haze of shock.

"Holy fuckin' shit."

He was on the edge of his seat, eyes wide and voice breathless with disbelief. Then he cackled nervously. "Y'all are jus' two ghost-seein' peas in a weirdo pod, ain'tcha?"

Beth blinked rapidly and tried to comprehend everything that had just come from her sister's mouth. Maggie sat before her, a plain expression on her face, teary eyes searching Beth for acceptance and understanding.

Merle huffed out a breath, a half-chuckle mixed with a squeak of awe. "Jesus tits, blondie. It was yer fuckin' sister the whole time! This overbearing bitch got the same goddamn Gift as you! An' here I was thinkin' the ol' Swamp Witch was jus' teasin' ya 'bout yer dead mama. Christ almighty!"

Beth nearly laughed out loud. But it caught in her throat and died just as quickly as her smile faded. She shook her head, staring at Maggie in utter disbelief.

"You gotta be shittin' me," she muttered. The words escaped before she could stop them.

Aw hell, she'd spent too much time with Daryl. And Merle. That wasn't how she'd wanted to react.

Maggie smirked in good humor and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear awkwardly, her face still pale as she glanced away and shook her head. "Bethy, I - "

But Beth quickly interjected, "No - I mean, it was you. It was you the whole time." She took a deep breath and straightened her back. "That guy I talked to yesterday - the Witch - he had this moment where somebody spoke through him. It kinda sounded like… like her."

Maggie raised her eyebrows. "Florence Newton?"

Beth nodded. "She called me 'the child born twice.' She told me ta look into my home. Into my heart. I didn't think it would mean… this. You. I didn't think I'd actually get any answers. Especially not from myown sister."

She huffed out a soft laugh and it seemed to break the tension immediately. Maggie chuckled and her shoulders relaxed.

"I know what you mean," she assured. "I thought I was crazy. Fer a long time, I thought I'd imagined the whole thing. I never thought it would end up meanin' anything fer you, Beth. If I'd known…"

Beth shrugged. She shared a look with her sister that said, how could either of us have ever known?

"But," Maggie frowned, a puzzled expression forming on her face. "How d'you still have your Gift? Did you know about it before it had a chance to fade away? Or was it different fer you somehow?"

Beth shook her head and glanced away, reminded of the shame she'd felt as her dark secret had been laid out before Daryl and Merle and Morgan. It wasn't like her sister didn't already know - hell, she'd been the one holding a towel around Beth's bleeding wrist while Shawn drove them to the ER. But it somehow felt more shameful, more stupid, now that she knew exactly how much damage that decision had caused. She was a little scared that Maggie would use it as another opportunity to remind Beth of how immature and selfish she'd been to do such a thing. Though they hadn't actually talked about it in years.

But before she could explain, Maggie was speaking softly - tentatively. "Was it… your wrist? When you thought you wanted ta kill yerself?"

Beth met her big sister's teary gaze with trepidation. She nodded slowly. "The guy I talked to yesterday - the Witch - said it was 'cause of how I died before I was born. He said I've been steppin' back and forth between here and The Other Side basically my whole life." Maggie was clearly listening, which gave Beth the confidence to go on. "I guess it went away like yers did, but when I had - my accident… it sparked it back up, pretty much. He said I took a… a leap to The Other Side. An' it's been like that ever since. I jus' didn't realize it till a dead guy showed up in the woods and asked me for help."

Maggie pursed her lips and glanced down at her hands, wiping away a stray tear before raising her head again. "A splintered trail strewn with damaged hearts - that's our family, I s'pose, me an' Dad losing my mother; a great loss - that was Annette's cancer, our mom dying; a toe-dip into the waters of the Underworld, a lifelong Visitor reborn - that was your accident…" She huffed out a breath of astonishment. "You needing my guidance an' me choosin' whether to turn my back on your plight or not… The Witch of Youghal was right. About everything. I jus' didn't know how ta make any sense of it till now."

"You really didn't know?" Beth asked softly. "You had no idea that we both inherited Gifts?"

Maggie sighed and looked away. She almost looked ashamed. She always hated admitting that she was wrong, or that she didn't know something. But this was different. In a way, Beth already knew the answer. She just wanted to hear it out loud.

"I think I did," Maggie said. "Deep down. But I didn't want to know. It felt like a curse to me, and the way Florence talked made it sound like life or death. She said that man would turn your life upside-down. I didn't want that for you, Bethy. I just wanted you to be normal an' happy… She said 'only time would tell' and I-I thought time did tell. I thought maybe, just maybe… whatever she saw about you was bullshit. Maybe she misinterpreted it. Or maybe if I kept an eye on you, kept you on the right track, none of it would ever matter. Like maybe I coulda proved her wrong despite everything else."

Then she laughed, which startled Beth. She reached out and playfully nudged Beth's knee. "What was I s'posed to do - ask you if you could hear dead people talkin' to you?"

Beth smiled and felt a small laugh bubbling up in her throat. It burst from her lips and she shook her head, grinning.

Maggie's smile faltered and she said, "I wanted you ta trust me, Beth. I didn't want you to be afraid of me, or think I was crazy or somethin'. I just wanted ta make sure you'd come to me before anybody else if you ever needed help… That's what sisters are supposed to do. Right?"

Beth felt fresh tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them away, quickly nodding in agreement.

Merle ruined the moment, though: "Ga-a-ay! The fuck is this, some kinda Lifetime movie?"

Beth pressed her lips tightly together and forced herself to ignore him, keeping her attention focused on Maggie.

"I was scared ta tell anybody," Beth admitted. "I thought you'd be hauling me off to a mental institution. When I was little, I tried ta talk to Dad about it, but he always said it was - "

"Old wives' tales," Maggie finished for her.

Beth nodded.

Maggie frowned and said, "Dad wouldn't get it. He's got his faith an' that's all he's ever known. The whole damn thing came from his blood, but he'd never admit it… just like Florence said. People like him would only be scared of what they can't understand. And fear makes people do awful things. There was lotsa times - when you were little - that made me think, maybe…"

Her voice drifted off wistfully for a long moment. Beth furrowed her brow. "Maybe what?"

Maggie cleared her throat and went on, "Maybe you did have a Gift like me. Maybe the Witch was right about you needin' my guidance. You used ta talk to empty corners and bare ceilings. When you were a baby, a toddler, a dumb little kid - every single night, I could hear you giggling an' babbling like somebody was in yer room with you. You always seemed ta be distracted by somethin' - somethin' nobody else could see. You'd have some crazy story about somebody we'd never heard of every mornin' at breakfast. And I heard you askin' Mom an' Dad some really weird questions a couple times… They said you had a wild imagination. So I believed 'em. I jus' thought Florence was wrong, or that she'd never been real to begin with. I thought maybe I had a wild imagination, too."

She paused, worrying her lower lip and glancing away for a moment. Beth was barely blinking as she listened.

Maggie's voice lowered and she continued, "I did a research project in high school - I traced the Greene family all the way back to Ireland. I found documents for the Gifted girl that Florence told me about. There's records from when she came to New England with that blond Greene boy she met in Islandmagee - they came to the Colonies, decades before the country was even a real country - and there's birth certificates for all five of the kids they ended up having together. One of those kids had a kid that moved down south, and one of their kids bought this farm an' built this house. I couldn't find the girl's maiden name, but it was her. There's no doubt in my mind that she was the girl Florence told me about. She was only sixteen when she came to America, still pregnant with her first baby." She paused, her face going stiff and resentful. Her tone resonated the same resent as she explained, "But when I showed it all to Dad, he said I should leave them out of my research; he said they were crazy devil worshippers, that they'd fled horrible crimes back in Ireland… They were basically a big shameful stain on the Greene name. That's what his granddaddy told him, and his granddaddy's granddaddy before that. So I just… put it all away. 'Cause it made me feel like I actually mighta been insane. And then you went through puberty an' you never, not once, ever came to me about any weird stuff, any ghosts or dead people or witches. Nothing that made me think you could've had a Gift."

The corner of her mouth tugged into a bitter smile and teary green eyes flicked up to meet Beth's. She huffed out a humorless laugh and concluded, "I guess I thought we were all in the clear. I thought we'd dodged a bullet or somethin'."

Beth sighed sadly. "I screwed it all up by bein' a selfish brat."

Maggie's brow creased. "What? No, you didn't screw anything up, Beth."

"If I hadn't been stupid an' tried ta kill myself, this lousy Gift would've gone away and stayed gone," Beth argued.

Maggie rolled her eyes, then reached out and clasped one of Beth's hands between both of hers. "Shut up. Look, I know I'm not the type ta say some cliché crap like this, but I mean it: everything happens for a reason."

Merle barked out a laugh and Beth stifled a teasing smile of her own.

Maggie shot her a glare and reiterated, "It's true, okay?" Her expression softened. "Obviously you were meant to keep your Gift. And for whatever reason, you were meant to be the one to help these Dixon guys - even the dead one."

Beth quirked a brow and looked back at her sister with skepticism. Maggie sighed and shook her head, clasping Beth's hand a little tighter.

"I'm serious," she said firmly. "Listen, I thought all that crap about my future husband was made up. I thought it was impossible for her to know. But even after a decade with all that shit Ms. Newton said at the back of my head, there was no. way. I could've seen Glenn coming. I didn't realize that it was exactly how she'd told me it would be till we were already dating…"

Beth recalled how Maggie and her new fiancé, Glenn, had met: completely by chance. He'd been a pizza delivery boy who happened to mistakenly knock on her door instead of the apartment on the next floor up. From then, it had taken several weeks for Maggie to even admit they were seeing each other. And another few months before she'd bring him home to meet Dad and Shawn. She'd always been stubborn and unwilling to admit that she had romantic feelings for someone. She'd always been a little wary of letting her boyfriends get too close, letting them see her vulnerability. She'd always seemed put off by the prospect of trust and intimacy and commitment.

Beth couldn't help but scoff, a light blush rushing up her neck to fill her cheeks as she quickly diverted her gaze to the comforter beneath her. "What're you tryin' ta say, that me an' Daryl were meant to come together or somethin'?"

Maggie shrugged nonchalantly.

"'Cause that's stupid," Beth continued. "I don't know what the purpose is fer me bein' the one to hear his brother and help him, but I know it's nothing like you an' Glenn."

Merle laughed loudly. "'S that what she's implyin'? Good lord, somebody redirect this bitch. She ain't the type ta see the forest fer the trees, huh?" He laughed again, more harshly this time. "Now I see where ya get it, blondie. Both'a y'all are jus' wound up in catchin' men. No wonder yer so fuckin' lost."

Beth clenched her jaw and ignored him.

But Maggie was shaking her head. "No, that's not what I'm tryin' ta say. It's not like I think y'all are soulmates or somethin'."

Thank God, Beth let out a breath of relief. I'm definitely not telling you about the 'intertwined fates' thing.

"It's just… She was right about everything," Maggie went on. "The simple life I always wanted, the fear of losin' everything just like I lost my mom, just like we lost Annette - Death has haunted me the whole way, exactly like she said it would. But I'm determined. Like she said. I refused to let any of that stop me. There's things that are meant to be, but most of it is purely chance. It took a long time for that to make sense. But I get it now: we have to make our stupid mistakes and learn our lessons in order fer everything to play out like it's supposed to."

Beth nodded, absorbing these words and letting them roll around in her head. She felt more strongly reassured by her sister's confidence. Maybe the Witch of Youghal was right. Maybe Morgan was, too. Maybe their Gift wasn't such a curse after all. Or maybe she just had to figure out how to turn it into a proper blessing.

"You can't stop this stuff, Bethy," Maggie insisted. "And you can't carve out the road alone; you have to follow the path that's been built by many. Florence Newton knew what she was talking about. And if she spoke through your Witch, that means you need to believe him. Take whatever he said to heart before it's too late… Even if it makes you feel crazy."

Beth chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully, studying her sister's face. She couldn't remember ever seeing such pure honesty in Maggie's expression before, or hearing her speak in such a poignant sense.

Maggie sighed sadly and squeezed Beth's hand again. Her tone became apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Beth. You must've felt so alone yer whole life. I should've told you, I should've done something. I should've paid more attention and been the leader you needed… I should've been a better sister."

Beth quickly shook her head and reached her other hand over to place it atop her sister's. "No, stop. You didn't do anythin' wrong - I wouldn't have told anyone about that either. Not even you." She chuckled and Maggie smirked. "You told me now. That's what matters. And you don't think I'm crazy or delusional or on drugs… or that I should walk away from it."

Maggie retracted her hands, lips pressed into a thin line. She slowly shook her head. "No, I don't think you should… But I know you can. I think it's your choice. Not an obligation."

Beth swallowed hard and looked Maggie up and down questioningly. "What d'you mean?"

Maggie sighed. "Don't get me wrong - it might be meant to be. Yeah, all of this happened for a reason and there's some kinda purpose for yer Gift… But what Florence told me applies to you, too: these souls might ask you for help, but you're not required to answer. This Gift is yours and yours alone, and so are all the choices you make. You can live your life however you want, you don't owe it to anybody else. Even if you feel like you do."

Beth's frown deepened and she knew Maggie could see the uncertainty on her face. The guilt.

It was the same thing Morgan had been telling her. Yet now she was much more inclined to listen. Because Morgan didn't know her - not like Maggie knew her.

"Bethy," she coaxed. "You're such a good girl. You've always wanted to help people - and that's yer biggest flaw. You put everybody else before yourself. That's what terrifies me the most about knowin' you have this Gift: you're not the type to remember that it's a choice. You're so goddamn selfless and kind-hearted that you'll end up sacrificing everything just for the chance to help somebody else… and then what? What's left for you?"

Beth blinked and shook her head. She responded without hesitation, "It's never been about what's left for me. Isn't that the whole point?"

Maggie raised her eyebrows meaningfully and gave Beth a sharp look. "That's exactly my point. Didn't you listen to what the Witch of Youghal told me? We're all stuck in a warped game that's bein' played between two forces we could never hope to intervene with; this shit isn't even fair."

Beth interjected, "What - you don't believe in God anymore? In His plan? Or any of that stuff we've had faith in our whole lives?"

Maggie scoffed, growing defensive. "Of course I do. Don't be stupid." But she immediately softened and said, "It's not a case of believin' in God or-or not havin' faith that the Good Lord has it all in His hands. It's just… you can't take it all at face value, ya know?"

Beth shook her head. She didn't know. She was more unsure now than she'd ever been. To learn that the God she'd always loved and trusted may very well be nothing more than an indifferent witness to a cruel game being played by all of humanity - it had her questioning all sorts of things. But from the sound of it, Maggie had been questioning all these things for much, much longer.

Maggie paused, contemplating her next words. Then she slowly and patiently explained, "I've been tryin' ta make sense of it fer as long as I can remember. It's not that I don't genuinely believe what Daddy's always told us, or that I love and trust God any less. I know He has a plan for us all… I just don't think any of it is simple enough fer us to comprehend. Not in this life, or on this plane of existence. I think whatever we do with our time here matters more than anythin' else. I think we should just try ta be good people for the sake of loving one another, not 'cause we think it'll earn us a reward after we die… And at the same time, I think it's all bullshit. I think every awful thing that happens to good people is bullshit, I think God can be a real big dick sometimes, and I think the Bible is all screwed-up because millions of egotistical men got their hands on it and wrote what they wanted to write."

Beth raised her eyebrows. She couldn't say she was surprised to hear this opinion. It wasn't something Maggie would ever say to their dad or anyone else in the family, but Beth certainly understood where she was coming from.

Maggie stared into Beth's eyes and continued firmly, "We've been raised to believe that we're s'posed to give an' give an' give without taking. Which is fine - it's honorable. We shouldn't want more for ourselves, we shouldn't be selfish. We should always wanna give and help others… But when it comes to somethin' like this? A Gift that literally pushes us into the middle of stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with us? That's not the same thing. Sure, it's honorable to wanna help; I know you think it's your God-given duty or somethin', like this is your calling somehow. But it's not. You're more than just this stupid Gift. You don't have to tear yourself into pieces just to make sure someone else doesn't suffer."

Beth glanced away uncomfortably. She remembered what Pastor Tee had told her: "God doesn't bring us to anything that He doesn't think we can handle. Every single person has a purpose, a power."

She wanted to believe it. She did believe it. But just because she could handle it… did that mean she should have to? Just because it was her power, did it have to be her purpose, too?

Maggie waited until Beth had met her gaze again, then she added, "We have to stop and think about ourselves every now and then. Otherwise, we'll be completely overlooked. We aren't doormats, Beth. You have a Gift, not a curse."

Well, she had a point. And it wasn't entirely different from what she'd been telling Beth for her whole life. Maggie had always been headstrong and certain. She'd always been fearless and demanding, and she'd tried to instill that same courage into her baby sister. It was simply stated in a separate context now, framed in a much different sense. Nonetheless, the message remained the same.

"We don't get a whole lotta choices once we're born female. We didn't four hundred years ago and we still don't, even now," Maggie concluded matter-of-factly. "But this? This is a choice. We don't owe anyone shit, Beth. Not God, not a Witch, not a dead person, and sure as hell not some Dixon boy."

"We fucking get it," Merle chimed in, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and an annoyed expression on his face. "Yer both strong, independent women who don't need no men. Whatever! You'll both end up lonely old cat ladies with a collection of vibrators, what-the-fuck-ever. That don't mean ya can't help a guy save his brother from bein' fucking murdered. Or did'ja forget about that already, blondie?" He cackled coldly. "Shit, it's a choice alright - I'll tell ya what. Ain't no choice I'd wanna make, though."

He was right. God help her, but Beth had to acknowledge that Merle had a point. The unseen weight upon her shoulders seemed to gain another ton, causing her to slouch in defeat.

Maggie must've noticed the way Beth's eyes flicked to the area behind her head, how she'd given a meaningful look towards what appeared to be thin air. Merle was sucking on his teeth, the displeasure palpable in his body language. It made Beth's muscles tense up uncomfortably.

Maggie paused and glanced over her shoulder precariously. "Is he here now? Daryl's dead brother?" She frowned. "Is that who you've been talkin' to?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah. He's sittin' in the desk chair. I try to ignore him, but… he can get pretty annoying."

Merle barked out an objection: "Oh, I can get annoying? Hah!"

"But I have ta help him. There's no gettin' rid of him till I know Daryl's soul is safe."

Maggie hummed thoughtfully. "The Gifted and the Damned walking side-by-side… That must be you an' Merle an' Daryl," she said. "So that was true, too."

Beth shrugged uncertainly. "I guess so. It… would make sense."

And it actually would. Even the part about the broken man finding a light within the Greene Farm. That was the scariest realization.

Maggie sighed. "I jus' don't know how much help I can be since I let my Gift fade away. I can't even see this Merle guy - I mean, I can feel him. But I can't hear him."

Beth furrowed her brow. "You can feel him?"

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. Like… some kinda leftover sixth sense, I guess. I know he's here. I know he's close. I could feel him hangin' around you yesterday. But then it was normal when I talked to you last night, so I thought it was just my imagination. Did he leave fer the night or somethin'?"

Beth nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. He came back before I woke up."

"I could tell," Maggie said. "He's a heavy presence."

Merle barked out a laugh. "Damn right I am, sugartits. My dick's awful heavy, too - wanna feel that?"

Beth sighed. "Yer so lucky you can't hear him."

Maggie narrowed her eyes. "What kinda stuff does he say to you?"

Beth shrugged, unable to repress a sneer of disgust. "Lotsa stuff."

But before Maggie could ask again, there was a knock at the door and a familiar voice calling out from the other side.

"Babe, you in there?"

It was Glenn. Maggie turned toward the door excitedly and called back, "Yeah, come in!"

The door opened and Glenn peeked his head into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw Maggie, then waved to Beth in greeting.

Merle laughed. "'S this the fiancé? Ya never mentioned yer sister had the yellow fever!"

Beth pursed her lips and withheld a scolding retort.

"Hey - you guys comin' down for breakfast? Your dad's about ta cook the eggs," Glenn said. Then he noticed the sisters' red-rimmed eyes and the serious expression on Beth's face. His brow furrowed. "Is everything okay? Did I interrupt?"

Maggie quickly stood up from the bed. "No, we were just talkin'. Tell Daddy we'll be down in a minute."

Glenn shrugged. "Alright. See ya down there."

He turned and headed for the stairs. Maggie waited until he was out of earshot before glancing back at Beth and reaching out a hand to help her off the bed.

"C'mon," she instructed. "We'll talk more about this after breakfast."

"I'm supposed ta call Daryl after breakfast," Beth said. "We - uh, we have plans."

Maggie quirked a brow curiously. "Plans… to save his soul?"

Beth nodded sheepishly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait another hour or two," Maggie said. "Yer not goin' anywhere with that Dixon guy again till I know exactly what y'all are gettin' up to."

There was no point in arguing. Beth already knew she'd never win.

to be continued...

A/N: Don't Make Me Haunt You has been nominated for a 2019 Moonshine Award :) Thank you to everyone who's reading and enjoying!