Chapter 5
Grabbing my knife, I dashed into the kitchen. Where is it? Hmmmm....... Oh here it is. Taking a bowl and cutting board I lay out my 'ingredients'. Putting the onion on the cutting board I begin dicing and swiftly put it into the bowl. Thank God Im dead, stupid onion always made my eyes water. Pour a bit of vinegar into the bowl and grab a clove of garlic. Smash and dice....There I put it into the bowl stirring with a big wooden spoon. Laughing to myself. I feel like a little homemaker. Oh well better wake up Stephy. Bringing the bowl to where Stephy lay unconscious. I dipped my hand into the concoction and began to smear a bit just below her nose. Giggling I looked at her face. A little Hitler mustache on her face. I looked as she began to twitch her nose and scrunching her eyes. She quickly opened her eyes with a look of disgust.
"DANA Why'd YOU put that GONK on my FACE!!!!!! AGAIN!!"
I couldn't hold it in, I began to laugh. For the first time I could relax and forget everything. Revenge. Hurt. Pain. Being dead. Well maybe not that but at least I wasn't sad or mad.
"It's not funny!!....." Looking at the flash of annoyance turn into surprise. Guess she remembered I'm dead.
Her eyes widening she began to sway. Oh great.
"STEPHANIE 'I'm A Gothic Little Princess' ROGERS!!! You will not faint again. Do you hear me!!! God. I spent all that time whipping my wake up drab and you are about to faint again."
Looking shocked, and slapped her hand on her head.
"Where are you Dana? This is an mean hoax trying to convince me you died. Come on come out where I can see ya. Damn going through all that trouble to get a plastic replica of you...shit. Why'd you have to scare me?!?!"
"Um.. You see, I can't come out because I'm right in front of you. I'm dead, Steph. Let's just say I'm kinda stuck here on earth. Here I'll show you."
Taking a deep breath, I began solidifying. I heard her gasp as she took in my appearance.
"What have you done to yourself. Why? Why'd you do it? I mean hey you have friends, a hot boyfriend, an ok job..."
Feeling a bit sad I sat beside her on the floor. I began to tell her my story. Depressing, horrible, and pitiful. She looked at me....just a sad look on her face.
"Dana, you should have talked to me. I would have listened to you, helped you in any way I could. I know we've been drifting apart but still, I would have been there for you."
"Well now that you mention it I do need your help." Smiling at her. It seemed to unnerve her.
"Shoot"
I told her my 'plan' of revenge. She agreed to help me on one condition to help her get outta town. Getting my knife I saw blood on the handle. It was Melanie's blood. I pressed my finger and left a fingerprint on the doorknob. I punched in the window. Spraying glass everywhere inside. Steph screamed when she heard the crash. Quickly I went to her and told her to start on our plan.
Steph got to the phone and dialed 911. As the ambulance and police came, she just got a faraway look in her eye. She seemed sad. But in truth she was thinking of the reasons why she wanted to leave town. Sadness at something she felt ashamed and couldn't tell anyone. The police bought her story that a girl was seen fleeing the crime scene. She described the perpetrator matching it to Melanie. She was reassured that her identity wouldn't be revealed. She called Dana's mom to give the news.
Dana began pacing back and forth. She strode to the sofa chair.
"All right phase one is complete. Are you ready to go do the next step?"
"Yeah I'm ready"
Suddenly the door swung open. There in the doorway was Laurel. My mother. I began to seethe as I saw her body's outline. Yet when she stepped in I saw her tear-stained face.
"Stephanie. Where is my daughter. Where is Dana? Tell me." as she began shaking her roughly "Please. Please, tell me. I want to see my daughter."
"Um she's at the morgue."
Grabbing Steph's hand mom dragged her to the car. Gliding towards the car I went to the back of the car. This was different from what I expected. She couldn't care less about me when I was alive so why would she now? Silence filled the car as it sped to the city morgue. After Laurel talked to mortician, we walked past to where he showed her my dead body. A sharp intake, and she began crying, wailing. Not caring that I had been dead for a day or so, she grabbed my dead body, and embraced it as if it were a fragile child. Rocking back and forth, gently running her hand through my hair. It was a gentleness that I was unaware that my mother possessed. Steph and the mortician left her alone in the cold room.
"I'm sorry baby. I failed you. There were many things I should have done, but I was too drunk to do anything. I love you so much. I should have died instead of you. Baby, I'm so sorry....I'm...*sniffle*...sorry... I wish I could make it up to you.....there is nothing more important than you. You are my sunshine. Even though I never showed it, you were my pride and joy."
She continued wailing and as her tears dried up it left a pitiful woman holding a dead girl. She then kissed her forehead.
As she left the room, she whispered, "I love you."
I quickly left after her departure. There was Steph waiting outside. I walked beside her.
"I'm here, Steph"
She looked in my direction. And we walked towards my mom's car. A shot rang in the air. Steph began running to the car. There she screamed for me to come. As I got there I saw her splayed on the floor. Blood spilled and seeping into the concrete. I felt a void. Realizing she never did have anything in her life going for her. Except her. There was no 'ghost' that sprung from the dead body. Her mother died and that was it. She didn't stay on earth, maybe she passed on. She felt a tear run down her cheek. Reaching up to brush it off she felt nothing, there was no tear. It was her imagination. I wish this was my imagination.
Steph appeared with the mortician. Again the police came. They investigated the site and concluded the scene was just suicide and that no foul play occurred. As they brought her into the morgue they laid her on the cabinet next to her daughter's side. Steph walked into the room.
"Let's go, Dana."
"Alright"
Nothing is happening exactly like I planned. What if...? Oh I don't know what I'm thinking. Just focus on the part of getting revenge on Melanie and Daniel. Yes that should work. Walking with Steph, I took a last glance at the morgue. Goodbye Mommy.