Chapter Five: Not Dead Nor Alive
"Why did you do that?!" Aiden nearly shouts at me in his bedroom. "Are you aware that you basically just forced my girlfriend to do anything you wish her to do?"
"Just put it this way," I say coolly, secretly upset that he's mad. "I'm a generous person. I can order her to do some things for you..." I smile coyishly.
That calms Aiden down a bit, but not entirely. "Is there any way you can take it off?"
"Not that I know of," I say. "Don't be sad."
"I'm not." But he looks subdued. He sits down next to me on his bed. We both just sit there awkwardly for a long time.
"Where's Rachel?" I ask. Rachel is his mom, and from what I hear, a pretty sucky one. I feel bad for Aiden.
"No idea. What's new," he laughs hollowly.
"Your dad?" I say.
"Noah couldn't give any less of a damn where I am." He smiles a brief smile. "I don't even really know him."
I touch his arm. "I know what it's like."
Aiden suffers, too, from the pain of not knowing his dad. Not being loved by him. Never getting to talk to him.
He reaches out and touches my long black hair. "I have nightmares about this."
I smile. "My hair?"
"It's so long," he strokes it and I freeze. We both just kind of stare at each other, his hand absently stroking the dark strands. "It seems real."
"I am real," I remind him.
"I forget sometimes," he says, leaning a little closer. I bite what is supposed to be a lip. I was only 11. I never knew the meaning of boys, but Aiden...
"You shouldn't forget," I whisper, the words trailing across his mind more than in his ears.
He leans in and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "I know." He whispers against my ghostly face. "I'm a fool."
The kiss feels solid enough, but I know it isn't. I just settle for resting my head on his shoulder.
"You're dead." His voice is quiet. "It's hard trying to remember that."
"Well, technically, I'm not dead," I say. I straighten up and look at him.
"What do you mean?" he says, looking hopeful.
"I mean... dead would be passing on, to the Great Beyond or whatever," I say wistfully, thinking about my mother. "But I'm not there. I'm still on Earth."
Aiden cocks his head. "I guess you're right. But you're not alive, either. Kind of like vampires. 'The undead'."
"I guess. 'Cept I don't have fangs."
Aiden smiles. "Thank God." He wraps an arm around me. "You feel solid, but you're not."
I laugh. "Yeah, that really explains a lot, Einstein."
"Hey," he protests. His hand rests on my shoulder. I can read his thoughts clearly. I'm the sister he never had, the sibling he never got to care for. I will play up to the role, even if my feelings for him would be like incest. Ehh.
"Do you ever wonder where you got these powers?" I ask him. "How you can see me, speak to me, read my mind..."
"Oh, yeah. All the time." His arm slides off my shoulder. "It all began when I got this phone call one day."
What is supposed to be my eyes widen.
"Yeah, the caller wasn't talking, but I could hear all this shit in my head. It was freaky. I woke up on the floor, but I didn't press the matter. I thought I was just delusional." Aiden shakes his head. "Maybe I am. Maybe you're nothing but a figment of my imagination. Every kid's got a childhood imaginary friend, right? Maybe I just can't seem to let go of mine."
"How can you say that?" I say, standing up. "Look at me, Aiden. I remember every single bit of my life when I was alive. I remember being mortal. I had blood, bones, and brain. I'm not just a figment of your imagination. I was real."
"Key word: was."
"But, Aiden, you can't say that. That phone call wasn't just a hoax. I remember getting one, getting powers after that."
"So what are you saying?" Aiden looks up at me, his dark eyes flashing. I know how much he wants to go back to being a regular guy, not having these strange powers. He knows how much I wish I hadn't died that day. We both just want this to be an impossible dream that we'll wake up from any minute.
"I'm saying we've gotta find that caller... make her pay. Make her pay for what she's done to all of us, to Sarah even. Make her pay for this hellish nightmare we're living through."
"Why did you do that?!" Aiden nearly shouts at me in his bedroom. "Are you aware that you basically just forced my girlfriend to do anything you wish her to do?"
"Just put it this way," I say coolly, secretly upset that he's mad. "I'm a generous person. I can order her to do some things for you..." I smile coyishly.
That calms Aiden down a bit, but not entirely. "Is there any way you can take it off?"
"Not that I know of," I say. "Don't be sad."
"I'm not." But he looks subdued. He sits down next to me on his bed. We both just sit there awkwardly for a long time.
"Where's Rachel?" I ask. Rachel is his mom, and from what I hear, a pretty sucky one. I feel bad for Aiden.
"No idea. What's new," he laughs hollowly.
"Your dad?" I say.
"Noah couldn't give any less of a damn where I am." He smiles a brief smile. "I don't even really know him."
I touch his arm. "I know what it's like."
Aiden suffers, too, from the pain of not knowing his dad. Not being loved by him. Never getting to talk to him.
He reaches out and touches my long black hair. "I have nightmares about this."
I smile. "My hair?"
"It's so long," he strokes it and I freeze. We both just kind of stare at each other, his hand absently stroking the dark strands. "It seems real."
"I am real," I remind him.
"I forget sometimes," he says, leaning a little closer. I bite what is supposed to be a lip. I was only 11. I never knew the meaning of boys, but Aiden...
"You shouldn't forget," I whisper, the words trailing across his mind more than in his ears.
He leans in and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "I know." He whispers against my ghostly face. "I'm a fool."
The kiss feels solid enough, but I know it isn't. I just settle for resting my head on his shoulder.
"You're dead." His voice is quiet. "It's hard trying to remember that."
"Well, technically, I'm not dead," I say. I straighten up and look at him.
"What do you mean?" he says, looking hopeful.
"I mean... dead would be passing on, to the Great Beyond or whatever," I say wistfully, thinking about my mother. "But I'm not there. I'm still on Earth."
Aiden cocks his head. "I guess you're right. But you're not alive, either. Kind of like vampires. 'The undead'."
"I guess. 'Cept I don't have fangs."
Aiden smiles. "Thank God." He wraps an arm around me. "You feel solid, but you're not."
I laugh. "Yeah, that really explains a lot, Einstein."
"Hey," he protests. His hand rests on my shoulder. I can read his thoughts clearly. I'm the sister he never had, the sibling he never got to care for. I will play up to the role, even if my feelings for him would be like incest. Ehh.
"Do you ever wonder where you got these powers?" I ask him. "How you can see me, speak to me, read my mind..."
"Oh, yeah. All the time." His arm slides off my shoulder. "It all began when I got this phone call one day."
What is supposed to be my eyes widen.
"Yeah, the caller wasn't talking, but I could hear all this shit in my head. It was freaky. I woke up on the floor, but I didn't press the matter. I thought I was just delusional." Aiden shakes his head. "Maybe I am. Maybe you're nothing but a figment of my imagination. Every kid's got a childhood imaginary friend, right? Maybe I just can't seem to let go of mine."
"How can you say that?" I say, standing up. "Look at me, Aiden. I remember every single bit of my life when I was alive. I remember being mortal. I had blood, bones, and brain. I'm not just a figment of your imagination. I was real."
"Key word: was."
"But, Aiden, you can't say that. That phone call wasn't just a hoax. I remember getting one, getting powers after that."
"So what are you saying?" Aiden looks up at me, his dark eyes flashing. I know how much he wants to go back to being a regular guy, not having these strange powers. He knows how much I wish I hadn't died that day. We both just want this to be an impossible dream that we'll wake up from any minute.
"I'm saying we've gotta find that caller... make her pay. Make her pay for what she's done to all of us, to Sarah even. Make her pay for this hellish nightmare we're living through."