Life After High School - Ten Years Later
By Risty and Silver
Disclaimer: The short answer is: No. The long answer is: Nnnooooooooooooooooo.
Summary: You've read this far . . . man.
+~+~+~+
(Jamie's POV)
As soon as I heard the message, I knew Benny was lying. I could tell it in his voice. I put Kirby on the couch where she slept for a few hours. Maggie was in a recliner chair, also sleeping. I went into the kitchen with Frodo and Debbie and we had a cup of tea. Nothing could really upset me at the moment. Not even my former best friend. After I had drained my cup, I went upstairs and made up beds in the room that Kane and Vince had occupied when they had stayed here. I had already decorated the room with pictures of happy things and little girl things. But when I saw a hazy part of the room, I knew what was going on.
"Hello Mark." I said, busying myself with straightening the sheet. "How are you?"
"Good Jamie." I knew he was lying. Call it a gift.
"Bull crap. Don't lie to me, Mark. What's up? You don't visit unless I'm upset or angry or unless your ghost is completely off your head."
"Just saw Benny." I knew he was a little upset.
"Shut down, huh?" using the talk that we'd used when he was alive. He managed a smile and even a bit of a chuckle.
"Yeah. Shut down. He said not to help him but you. He's changed so much, J. He doesn't care about me anymore."
"Now you know how I feel after Emma dumped me." I said with a shrug. "Friends." I said. He joined in with me.
"Can't live with them. Can't kill them." We laughed. It was good to talk to my brother. Even if he was a ghost.
"Mark." I said. "What's going on? What is wrong with Emma?"
"She's in a bad way at the hospital. When I left she started to slip away. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not."
"Oh no." I said. "I hope she's okay. But She doesn't want to be my friend and doesn't want my sympathy, so there's not much I can do, is there? I'll pray for her though."
"You aren't even religious." Mark said with a straight face.
I laughed. "You're right. But, no harm in trying. By the way, Frodo and I adopted a little girl."
"I know. I am a ghost remember. I follow you round a lot."
"Hell, you must get bored, to follow me around, I mean."
He laughed. "What's her name?"
"Kirby Louise. She is so precious."
"Your kids all have weird names. Oh right, you are weird."
"Thank you so much for reminding me of that fact. Now I wish I could sarcastically punch you and actually hit something." Mark grinned.
"Well, I'd better go, J. The big guy wants me to play a round of golf."
"Who? God?"
"No. Santa Claus. He's big, ain't he?"
"Dumb ass." I said and threw a cushion at him. Of course, it went straight through. "I wish you were alive again, Mark. I miss you so much."
"Maybe there is something we can do. Remember how I used to read those magic books a lot. Elfin magic and stuff?"
"Yeah?"
"I read something about reincarnation into the old body. Could you look in my room?"
"Sure." I said, half doubtful, half hopeful. "I'll go tomorrow."
"Great. I'll come by tomorrow. Be sure to tell Frodo and Debbie and all the rest of them, okay?"
"Aye, aye, captain." I saluted. Mark faded from sight, laughing. I grinned to myself and went downstairs.
"Hey," Frodo said, giving me a kiss. "What were you doing?"
"Mark gave me a visit."
Debbie looked up in surprise. "I thought Mark was dead." I had a job, explaining to her that Mark and I were so close that our bond couldn't be broken, even through death. But she seemed to understand, that was the main thing.
~Next Day~
Kirby and Maggie slept in, relishing the feel of having a real home. Debbie promised to look after them and Frodo came with me to Midgewood. I grabbed the key to our old house and we rode fast. I was hoping it was true.
When we got to the old house, I opened the door, after having a chat with the neighbor, Gordon McNamara. I raced up the stairs and opened the door to Mark's room. I scanned the bookshelves, because nothing had been disturbed since I had come in here a couple of years earlier. There! There were the three books that he had always read. I got them down and began to flick through them. Frodo, who I had told the plan, helped me.
"There! I found it!" I said, pointing at a page. I took all three books anyway. Maybe there might be something useful to help Emma as well. It was early afternoon when we left Midgewood, because we stopped at Julia's to say hi. When we got home, I 'called' Mark, to tell him I had found the book. He appeared soon after.
"Wow." He said. "I would never believe that I was gonna try this." I nodded in agreement. We opened up to the page and read the instructions.
'In a place that the deceased has visited you recently, place the book in the middle of the floor. Recite the spell three times, turning clockwise and then twice turning anticlockwise. It is always wise to have something that belonged to the deceased with you, such as a necklace, ring or even a diary.'
I ran and fetched Mark's diary from my very secret draw. I swear I felt like a little girl again, trying to pull a white rabbit out of a hat. I place the diary next to the book and recited the spell as the book told me to do.
"Of this world you once were
Be one with this world again
Return to the people who love you
And forever hold your peace." I recited three times, turning clockwise and then twice turning anticlockwise. A wind began to blow from nowhere, even though the windows were closed. But I wasn't scared. The haze, where Mark had been grew clearer and clearer until he was in full form. Light poured from him*. I gasped as he looked about him and flexed his fingers. He was in the clothes that he was in when he had died. His longish hair was pulled back with a rubber band and his sapphire blue eyes were filled with wonder. I walked tentatively toward him and touched his arm. When I was reassured he was real, I screamed with delight and hugged him hard. He laughed and hugged me back.
My scream must have warned Frodo, he knew what I had been doing and had told Debbie and all my relatives. He ran up along with Debbie, Stacey, Tracey, Jake and Julia, who must have rode here soon after we left. They stood, staring in numb shock at out brother. Excitement took over and we all hugged, squealing and crying. Frodo held out a hand and Mark shook it.
"Nice to finally meet you, Frodo."
"It's nice to finally meet my wife's idol, too." Frodo grinned.
We were a family again.
*Think of Mark resurrecting as the scene in 'Beauty and the Beast' where the beast is turning into the prince again.
A/N: Yeah I know, a little dark with the spell and all. But hey, it worked, didn't it? Hope you like.
By Risty and Silver
Disclaimer: The short answer is: No. The long answer is: Nnnooooooooooooooooo.
Summary: You've read this far . . . man.
+~+~+~+
(Jamie's POV)
As soon as I heard the message, I knew Benny was lying. I could tell it in his voice. I put Kirby on the couch where she slept for a few hours. Maggie was in a recliner chair, also sleeping. I went into the kitchen with Frodo and Debbie and we had a cup of tea. Nothing could really upset me at the moment. Not even my former best friend. After I had drained my cup, I went upstairs and made up beds in the room that Kane and Vince had occupied when they had stayed here. I had already decorated the room with pictures of happy things and little girl things. But when I saw a hazy part of the room, I knew what was going on.
"Hello Mark." I said, busying myself with straightening the sheet. "How are you?"
"Good Jamie." I knew he was lying. Call it a gift.
"Bull crap. Don't lie to me, Mark. What's up? You don't visit unless I'm upset or angry or unless your ghost is completely off your head."
"Just saw Benny." I knew he was a little upset.
"Shut down, huh?" using the talk that we'd used when he was alive. He managed a smile and even a bit of a chuckle.
"Yeah. Shut down. He said not to help him but you. He's changed so much, J. He doesn't care about me anymore."
"Now you know how I feel after Emma dumped me." I said with a shrug. "Friends." I said. He joined in with me.
"Can't live with them. Can't kill them." We laughed. It was good to talk to my brother. Even if he was a ghost.
"Mark." I said. "What's going on? What is wrong with Emma?"
"She's in a bad way at the hospital. When I left she started to slip away. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not."
"Oh no." I said. "I hope she's okay. But She doesn't want to be my friend and doesn't want my sympathy, so there's not much I can do, is there? I'll pray for her though."
"You aren't even religious." Mark said with a straight face.
I laughed. "You're right. But, no harm in trying. By the way, Frodo and I adopted a little girl."
"I know. I am a ghost remember. I follow you round a lot."
"Hell, you must get bored, to follow me around, I mean."
He laughed. "What's her name?"
"Kirby Louise. She is so precious."
"Your kids all have weird names. Oh right, you are weird."
"Thank you so much for reminding me of that fact. Now I wish I could sarcastically punch you and actually hit something." Mark grinned.
"Well, I'd better go, J. The big guy wants me to play a round of golf."
"Who? God?"
"No. Santa Claus. He's big, ain't he?"
"Dumb ass." I said and threw a cushion at him. Of course, it went straight through. "I wish you were alive again, Mark. I miss you so much."
"Maybe there is something we can do. Remember how I used to read those magic books a lot. Elfin magic and stuff?"
"Yeah?"
"I read something about reincarnation into the old body. Could you look in my room?"
"Sure." I said, half doubtful, half hopeful. "I'll go tomorrow."
"Great. I'll come by tomorrow. Be sure to tell Frodo and Debbie and all the rest of them, okay?"
"Aye, aye, captain." I saluted. Mark faded from sight, laughing. I grinned to myself and went downstairs.
"Hey," Frodo said, giving me a kiss. "What were you doing?"
"Mark gave me a visit."
Debbie looked up in surprise. "I thought Mark was dead." I had a job, explaining to her that Mark and I were so close that our bond couldn't be broken, even through death. But she seemed to understand, that was the main thing.
~Next Day~
Kirby and Maggie slept in, relishing the feel of having a real home. Debbie promised to look after them and Frodo came with me to Midgewood. I grabbed the key to our old house and we rode fast. I was hoping it was true.
When we got to the old house, I opened the door, after having a chat with the neighbor, Gordon McNamara. I raced up the stairs and opened the door to Mark's room. I scanned the bookshelves, because nothing had been disturbed since I had come in here a couple of years earlier. There! There were the three books that he had always read. I got them down and began to flick through them. Frodo, who I had told the plan, helped me.
"There! I found it!" I said, pointing at a page. I took all three books anyway. Maybe there might be something useful to help Emma as well. It was early afternoon when we left Midgewood, because we stopped at Julia's to say hi. When we got home, I 'called' Mark, to tell him I had found the book. He appeared soon after.
"Wow." He said. "I would never believe that I was gonna try this." I nodded in agreement. We opened up to the page and read the instructions.
'In a place that the deceased has visited you recently, place the book in the middle of the floor. Recite the spell three times, turning clockwise and then twice turning anticlockwise. It is always wise to have something that belonged to the deceased with you, such as a necklace, ring or even a diary.'
I ran and fetched Mark's diary from my very secret draw. I swear I felt like a little girl again, trying to pull a white rabbit out of a hat. I place the diary next to the book and recited the spell as the book told me to do.
"Of this world you once were
Be one with this world again
Return to the people who love you
And forever hold your peace." I recited three times, turning clockwise and then twice turning anticlockwise. A wind began to blow from nowhere, even though the windows were closed. But I wasn't scared. The haze, where Mark had been grew clearer and clearer until he was in full form. Light poured from him*. I gasped as he looked about him and flexed his fingers. He was in the clothes that he was in when he had died. His longish hair was pulled back with a rubber band and his sapphire blue eyes were filled with wonder. I walked tentatively toward him and touched his arm. When I was reassured he was real, I screamed with delight and hugged him hard. He laughed and hugged me back.
My scream must have warned Frodo, he knew what I had been doing and had told Debbie and all my relatives. He ran up along with Debbie, Stacey, Tracey, Jake and Julia, who must have rode here soon after we left. They stood, staring in numb shock at out brother. Excitement took over and we all hugged, squealing and crying. Frodo held out a hand and Mark shook it.
"Nice to finally meet you, Frodo."
"It's nice to finally meet my wife's idol, too." Frodo grinned.
We were a family again.
*Think of Mark resurrecting as the scene in 'Beauty and the Beast' where the beast is turning into the prince again.
A/N: Yeah I know, a little dark with the spell and all. But hey, it worked, didn't it? Hope you like.