Shoutouts!
Fists1: Aw…I'm glad I could brighten your day…and don't worry, I'm hoping to find a way to work interactions with the ghosts into the story, but they left the house and all…but I have my ideas…
Magdalena Iris Roth: Hmm…explain to me why Dennis is the 13th ghost. I'm not quite sure I understand that fully. Excuse my ignorance…I just never thought of it that way.
Come on, people…I need more reviews…but thank you to my two reviewers! Cookies to both of you!
I listened to the whole story. Everything about my brother's powers, the glass house, the trapped ghosts…it should have been so hard for me to believe. But something about Arthur told me that he couldn't possibly be lying. He had these emotions behind the story, these moments of anguish and absolute terror, so that eventually it seemed that he didn't really remember who he was talking to…he was just getting the story out, finally telling someone who actually believed him.
Dennis had died saving this man and his family. He'd sacrificed himself so that Arthur could save his children, even after helping to catch all of the ghosts.
Arthur didn't describe to me exactly how Dennis died. I could tell that he didn't want to remember; I could tell that being right there and not being able to stop it had taken a great toll on Arthur. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to hear how those creatures killed my brother.
"He was like a little kid…he just looked so helpless…and there was nothing I could do about it," Arthur reiterated after finishing the whole story. He almost seemed like he was trying to convince himself that there was nothing he could have done. "I shouldn't have been so hard on him; it wasn't his fault, none of it was…"
I couldn't hold back anymore. I started crying quietly, wishing above anything that I could've been there for Dennis when he died, that I could've hugged my big brother, had the normal sibling rivalries that other kids had…but no. All because my parents thought he was a freak, I would never know him.
Arthur slid a box of tissues over to me, and I tried to stop crying, as hard as it might be.
"Where is the house?" I asked quietly, wiping the tears off my cheeks. Arthur's head shot up and he looked me in the eye for once.
"No. You can't go out there. No way."
"All the ghosts are gone, right? You said you thought they left," I said.
"That place is…it's evil. And there's no way to be certain that they're gone. And you wouldn't be able to see them even if they were there."
"Why wouldn't I be able to see them?"
Arthur sighed. "When we were at the house, Dennis and Kalina gave us glasses that allowed us to see the ghosts. Without them, we never would have been able to see them."
I suddenly remembered the weird glasses that were sitting in the passenger's seat of my car, and inside I was overjoyed. "Oh…I guess it wouldn't do much good to go, then…" I said, hiding my excitement from Arthur. I knew he wouldn't help me find the house, and his daughter probably wouldn't either. But maybe Maggie…but Arthur probably wouldn't tell me how to find her, either.
Another dead end.
Kathy came in with a plate of cookies, setting them down on the coffee table and putting a comforting hand on her father's shoulder. He smiled weakly, looking up at her with a deep love in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more about him. I just didn't get to know him under the best of circumstances," Arthur said, and I nodded.
"That's why I want to go find him. He came back to help you. I think he would come back to the glass house one more time to see his little sister," I explained.
Arthur shook his head. "You have no idea what kind of evil that place harbors. And like I said, you wouldn't be able to see him. So there's really no point in going."
I bit my lip. "Well…could I at least have Maggie's phone number so I can ask her about the time she spent with him?"
Arthur eyed me carefully, and I gave him the best 'puppy eyes' that I could manage.
"Fine," he said, jotting down the number on a sheet of loose paper on the table. He handed it to me and I thanked him.
"Listen, thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me…to hear that he didn't die for no reason," I said as I stood up. Arthur nodded and walked me to the door, and I put my jacket back on and started to walk out.
"Julia."
I turned around, and Arthur was watching me with a small smile on his face, but at the same time his expression was lined with worry.
"Don't go to that house. Please, don't go."
I smiled. "I won't."
I walked back to my car and sat down in it without starting it, instead pulling my cell phone out of my purse. I called the number that Arthur had given me, and after only a couple of rings Maggie picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Maggie? This is Julia Rafkin."
"Oh, Dennis's sister, right…"
"I…I want to know where the glass house was."
A pause. "Arthur wouldn't tell you?"
"No. That's why I called you."
"Why would you wanna go back there? There's nothin' but rubble left."
"And maybe my brother."
Another pause, longer this time. "There's no way you could find it. It's out in the middle of nowhere. And none of us are gonna show you the way. Sorry, honey."
I decided not to press the issue, saying a quick goodbye and then laying my head on the steering wheel.
I had to find a way to get to that house. I had the glasses, now all I needed was to find him. But it was getting late, and I was exhausted.
I couldn't go back home; my parents had already tried to call my cell phone eleven times, judging from my missed calls, and if they caught on to what I was doing, I would have no chance of getting out to that house.
So I would go to my home-away-from-home. Ashley would never turn me away at a time like this; she may not believe me about all this stuff, but she wouldn't think I was nuts, either. I'd known her since kindergarten.
When I got to Ashley's house her parents were out to dinner and a cocktail party with friends, and so I sat down in the family room with her and explained everything to her- everything about Dennis and Arthur, the house, and the ghosts. I even showed her the glasses, but thought it wasn't a good idea for either of us to try them on quite yet. I started crying once again as I had to tell her how he died, but she seemed to be taking all of this in quite well.
"Julia…I don't know what to say," she finally said after a long silence.
"Just say that I can stay here for tonight. That's all I'm asking," I begged.
"And tomorrow you're going out to that house?"
"Yeah…I think the lawyer who told us about Dennis might tell me where the house was. I have his business card."
"Well then, I'm coming with you."
My mouth dropped open. "No way. I have no idea what's out there."
"All the more reason for me to go with you. I mean, if that place exploded, it's probably pretty unstable. You'll need a helping hand to maneuver around that mess."
"You don't have to do this…I mean, you can't just skip school."
"It's not like my parents will care anyway. You call in for me, I'll call in for you. We deserve a day off after that chemistry test," she said. "Now…let's get some sleep so we'll be ready to go bright and early."
I followed her advice simply because I knew I'd never be able to convince her otherwise. It took me a good hour and a half, but I finally managed to fall asleep…but I didn't manage to keep the tears from falling right up until I slipped into sleep.
Well….it's 3:30 in the morning…..and I need sleep. So please review for the poor, sleep deprived teenager…..and I didn't bother to spell check this chapter because I'm dead tired, so please don't kill me for any screw ups….
Next chapter, Julia and Ashley start their "adventure"…which gets a whole lot more dangerous than they could ever imagine…