A/N: I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but haha there will be one more :) Enjoy xx Mariah
Jim - 45
Payne - 43
Melinda - 41
Ned - 19
Colton - 16
Katie - 16
Hannah - 16
Aaron - 12
Mackenzie - 6
Katie stared at an empty word document, leaning back in defeat. She had been trying to put together an essay for her History class for over an hour, but she had yet to get anywhere.
It didn't help that her hospital room felt emptier than a crypt. She didn't know how much longer she could just sit here watching the walls, no matter how pretty the color yellow on them. She needed to see real people, to talk to, or to laugh with, but no one had been by since her mom left the night before.
She couldn't wait until her dad got off work. She'd been counting down the minutes to when she got to go home since she had gotten here in the first place. As much as she loved the hospital, she didn't like spending the night there. Mostly because it was sterile, cold, and not her bedroom.
Time flowed like cement. She checked her cellphone for the time. Ten minutes had passed since she last checked an hour ago, or so it seemed. Sitting there on the hard hospital bed with nothing to stare at but a wall was excruciatingly dull and there was no telling when her dad would be coming to free her.
She glanced over her history notebook and flipped through the pages of information she'd handwritten out the week before. She just didn't have the energy, or the desire to do anything. She knew it was the ghost's energy dragging on her, but Katie didn't even have the drive to want to cross Millie over anymore either.
It all felt so pointless too. She began to drift into an unpleasant daydream or was it a paranoid fantasy? So hard to tell and she didn't care. It helped to pass the time and before she knew it, the door opened and startled her awake.
"Ready to break out of here Katiebug?" Her dad said, coming to engulf her in a hug. "Oh, did I wake you?"
"Oh, yeah," she yawned and rubbed her eyes before leaning over to hug her dad. Jim was crouched down, face to face with her as she closed her laptop and slid it into the case that lay next to her. "Sorry. I must've dozed off. I've been stressing over this history paper that's due soon." She said, grabbing her bag and stuffing the last bit of stuff inside, smiling up at him. "I've been counting down the minutes until you came to get me."
Her dad nodded knowingly and smiled at her all the same as he waited. "I just signed all the paperwork, so let's get out of here," Jim said, ushering her into the hallway and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "So how are you feeling, kiddo?"
"Just a little achy, but that's mostly from the airbag. My head feels fine. I just want to go home," she shrugged, trying to avoid the longing glances of a few spirits in the ER as they walked through the double doors and down toward the employee parking lot.
"Something on your mind, bug?" He asked and took Katie's overnight bag from her as they approached the car.
Katie didn't answer at first as he unlocked the truck and she walked toward it. "No. Just trying not to attract anyone to the house with me," she sighed, opening the passenger door. "I already have enough on my plate right now."
Jim tossed her bag in the backseat carefully and then climbed in the driver's side. "I definitely know the side effects of your mother's gift. If you need to talk, I'm here." He said, turning on his truck.
She knew that, and despite all of the information being there she still worried about telling him the full truth. Would he think she's crazy even if he'd married her mother? "I don't know, dad." She sighed and let out a groan of frustration. "It's just a lot to take in at once and I've been dealing with this my entire life."
When the inner frustration about how draining her gift could be built up to the point where she might explode - she took a deep breath. Katie wanted everything in the world to just shout, have a tantrum, and beat her hands on the dashboard like she was a toddler again. To scream her head off about how much weight was on her shoulders to figure everything out, plus not to mention high school and all the drama that came from that.
She wanted to vent and let it out to her dad, but she didn't want to say words she didn't mean or be hurtful. It's just so easy to be cruel in the heat of the moment and then the damage was done. And she didn't want to do that.
"And now with the car crash and everything I learned about the tunnels under the town everything's gotten a lot scarier." She explained, sighing. "Plus Millie's energy has been really draining. I don't feel like I want to do anything."
"Who told you about the tunnels?" He asked, his brow furrowed.
It was like she'd flipped a switch and she could cut the tension with a knife. Her father's grip on the wheel tightened and he turned to look at her before he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Professor Payne mentioned them before," she said cautiously, testing the waters. "Mom did not seem too happy about it."
"She didn't mention it to me," he muttered softly as he turned onto the main road.
"Is there something wrong dad? What happened?" She asked. "I never got the full story. The Professor said you saved mom. Is that true?"
Jim avoided the answer for some time, but eventually let out a sigh and glanced over at her. He nodded curtly, giving some truth to that he had saved her mother from whatever danger she had been in. "Your mother was curious, as always, about where the tunnels led to because of a spirit long before you were born. I had offered to go with, but she had gone without me and assured me she'd be back in time for dinner." Her dad paused and as he braked for a stop sign, stopped there for a moment too long as he stared ahead. There was a lot written all over his face, but she wasn't sure what to make of it. There had only been so many times she'd seen her dad get emotional in front of her, and while he had every right to be she wanted to know why. "Except there was a collapse… and there wasn't a lot of air and your mother nearly died, okay, Katie?" His voice rose to an unnatural level, one that like only two other times Katie had heard him get to. "It took everything in me to find her, and I barely made it in time. "And if that had happened we would've never had you... or anything more than just a few years of marriage."
One time was the only time she'd actually heard her parents ever full-on scream at each other, and then again when Mackenzie had gone missing for a few heart-stopping moments at the state fair last year. That was it.
"Okay. I'm sorry I asked," she whispered and turned to look out the window. Her eyes traced over the rooftops of houses, listening to the radio-filled silence. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just... nevermind."
It wasn't long before her father cleared his throat as he stopped at a stoplight. "Hey, bug, I didn't mean to yell." He began to drive again and she turned to look at him. "I just don't like to think about it and I never want you or any of your siblings to go near the tunnels no matter what."
He turned onto their street and reminded her again that he never wanted her to go near the tunnels as he parked behind her mother's rental car. It was silver. That was a strange colored car to see parked in the driveway.
"Okay, Katie?" He asked.
"Okay, dad. I won't go near the tunnels," she said. "Promise."
His anger simmered and fizzed like a firework in a chill autumn breeze, then he put the truck in park and hugged her. She remained as still as she wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the moment.
It wasn't all the time when her dad got off from the hospital before dinner, and of course, he'd done that to drive her home and make sure he got his daughter home safely. Melinda wasn't the only one who'd gotten a scare from the car accident.
"We better get inside, dad," she motioned above them. "It looks like it's gonna rain."
"One more minute. I was so worried about you," he whispered, not really caring if they got rained on.
After a close-knit family dinner, Katie retired to her room and was scrolling through the blah posts of Instagram when Hannah snapchatted to her. Usually, she wasn't someone to reply immediately, but she wasn't doing anything and clicked on the video. It was one of said best friend dancing, the loud music of a high school house party in the background and she sighed.
It was supposed to be the best party of the year and she was missing out because her parents pretty much had her on lockdown. There was no way she was getting out of the house tonight. She replied with a sad face and a few words.
Boohoo. I wish I was there.
It was barely a minute before Hannah had replied, urging her to come to Madison's house (the head cheerleader and a senior) a couple of blocks down. Katie replied quickly knowing there was no way to get out of the house.
Have fun for me. The parentals are on the couch.
Hannah called her this time, the music a hum in the background which meant she'd probably stepped outside. "Katie, please? It's so boring here without you," Hannah sighed, groaning. "You are my best friend, not any of these people."
"Well, what am I gonna say to my parents?" She asked, moving out of bed slowly. She didn't even know what she would wear to said party.
"I don't know, just think of something. Say you're going for a jog." Hannah replied.
"A jog? At ten at night?" She laughed, pulling a pair of jeans from her dresser and going to her closet to find the right shirt.
"You could say you want to get some ice cream from the store down the street and clear your head," Hannah suggested. "You've had quite the week. I bet they won't think anything of it."
"Eh, that's still probably not good enough. My mom is basically a detective," she said, pulling out a particularly cute red crop top. "That wouldn't buy me much time anyways. They'd probably want me to bring them something back."
"Well, Ned just pulled up and he's alone, so there's your incentive." Hannah laughed. "If you don't come, Katie, I get it but know I will be eternally bummed if you don't. It's like the party of the year and there are so many hot boys here!"
"Trying to peer pressure her now?" She bit her lip at the sound of Ned's low voice in the background. "Katie, it's your best bud Ned here."
"Hi, Ned," she leaned against her closet door, feeling her cheeks blush. "Didn't think you'd be at a high school party anymore."
"I'm only stopping by for a little bit. Madison texted me," Ned sighed, laughing a little. "Are you gonna come?"
"Oh, right. Madison. I heard she broke up with Trent, so I bet that's why she's throwing this party." She nodded. "But I don't know if I'm gonna come. My parents are on the couch, so I'd have to lie to them about where I'm going. Hannah says I should say I'm going to get ice cream."
"Nah, that won't fool them for long before they get worried," Ned said, humming as he thought of something. "Say you have to pick up Hannah or something and you think she's gonna break up with Brandon and needs to talk."
"Hey! Brandon and I are perfectly fine," Hannah yelled in the background.
"I didn't say you weren't," he sighed, wincing. "That hurt! I'm just saying she should tell Melinda and Jim that."
"Good god no! I don't want Melinda to think Brandon and I are on the verge of… ugh no. Then she will have a million questions the next time I see her," Hannah said as she took back her phone. "Don't tell your parents that Katie. Go with what I told you."
"I'll think about it. I don't really want to see Ned all over Madison at the party," she sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I'll talk to him for you," Hannah said, a tone in her voice.
"No. Don't you dare," she muttered, sighing. "Or I won't come."
"Bye Katie," Hannah giggled. "See you soon."
Katie drank way too much at the party. It was not blackout drunk or anything, but she found herself acting a bit more outgoing than she usually would be. She had learned a card game from two of her classmates Carter and Jessica, two people she'd barely talked to all year. Then played beer pong with Brandon and she even helped Ned pierce his beer with his pocket knife when he started barking about wanting to do a shotgun.
She had a lot of fun. More fun than she'd usually allowed herself to have. It was good to dance with Hannah after a whirlwind few days.
It's when she ran into Colton, a kid she'd gone to school with since he'd moved to town in third grade. At first, she had been cautious to talk to him because even though she knew everyone in her class that didn't mean she talked to everyone.
Colton was a part of the sports crowd, one of the star forwards on their high school's junior varsity basketball team. And well, Katie ran the tutoring center in the library and was on the dance team. She sometimes went to parties when Hannah got invited to them, so they'd crossed each other's paths once or twice but other than that zilch.
He'd been drinking too. She had beat him in three games of beer pong, and she could tell that he and some of the other boys had pregamed before the party. They had danced together too, a little too closer than she would have if she was sober, and god it had felt good to just let go and enjoy herself.
Colton's blue eyes were glassy and unfocused and while most of his weight was supported against the concrete wall, he leaned into her as well for balance. His hair was disheveled and she almost wanted to comb her fingers through it, she thought, just as her hand lifted and her fingers tangled into his hair.
He leaned in closer as she did, and the heat of his body swallowed her completely, more intoxicating than any of the liquor she's consumed. "Are you having a good time, Katie?" Colton smirked. "I think this is the first time I've seen you at a party in a while." His hand touched her waist and then quickly dropped away after a moment, leaving the exposed skin he'd touched beneath the hem of her crop top on fire.
"Yes, I am," she said with a slight nod and her fingers left his hair and trail down his cheek, catching the light stubble on his jaw. "I think I need another drink... would you be so kind?" She glanced at her other hand which held her cup which was nearly empty.
Colton mimicked her nod and then for a moment she thought he might kiss her. They swayed together for a while longer, his touch brushing higher up her side, lingering just beneath her ribcage. Katie swallowed a large breath and forgot the last time she'd felt like this for someone other than Ned Banks.
Ugh. Ned. Banks. She hated him and loved him. It was a daily dilemma for her these days. Then she hiccupped. Loudly.
She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and hiccupped again, laughing out loud now. The boy in front of her blinked rapidly, his curiosity quickly fading into amusement as he leaned down to kiss her. Colton tasted like beer and cheap vodka, and his lips were wet and slippery against hers. When his tongue dipped into her mouth to touch hers, she let out a hum from deep in the back of her throat and clung to his shirt tightly.
He pulled away slightly and already she kind of missed kissing him. "I'll get you another drink, Katie," he pushed off from the wall and disappeared toward the kitchen.
"Okay, I'll be waiting right here for you." She said and finally let out the breath she'd been holding onto, touching her lips slightly.
"Smooth, Clancy." Ned chuckled, his voice startling her. "With Colton Tyler?"
"Fuck you, Ned," she scoffed, starting to walk toward where Colton had disappeared off to. "I can kiss who I want to thank you very much."
"I never said you couldn't, Katie. You are a free woman and kiss whoever you want. I just thought you would pick someone better," Ned explained as his hands shot up in reflex. "You know, someone who would want more than some sloppy party hook-up to talk about in the locker room."
That had stopped her dead in her tracks and she whipped around to rip him a new one. He didn't get to treat her like this anymore. She was a child, and she could stand up for herself. "Do you really think I'd do that? I have more respect for myself then that, Ned," she scowled at him, but her intimidating demeanor was interrupted by another hiccup. "I'm not even ready for that sort of thing. I've only ever gone to second base anyway if that matters, and why are you even here? This is a high school party."
He laughed, only for a moment, and shook his head. "No. I don't think you would do any of that, Katie," he sighed, his face serious as he stepped closer to her and said something in her ear for only her to hear. His breath was hot against her neck and it ran shivers down her spine, but all that was gone with what he said. "I do know the basketball team has a tendency to drug girls. At least when I was in school, and I came by because a friend of mine snapchatted me a picture of you. The second I saw who you were with I had to come down here."
"What?" She'd never heard that, at least not about the basketball team. She'd heard horror stories about parties, but mostly college ones and she and Hannah stayed away from them after Homecoming. Was Ned telling her truth? Had he really only come here for her? "Really?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, Katie," he said, flatly, and then grabbed her hand. "Please let me drive you home right now before anything else could happen. You walked because your parent's house isn't too far, right? Is Han here?" There wasn't a hint of humor or deceit in his voice, and she knew he was telling her the truth. Katie nodded and leaned against him as they walked out of the house and toward his truck. Once he had her safely inside the cab of the vehicle he gave her a bottle of water he had pulled from the cupholder. "I thought you might need this. I'll be right back so sit tight."
Ned had shut the door as he left to go back inside the house. He resurfaced with Hannah, thrown over his shoulder as he hightailed it out of the house rather quickly and sat her next to Katie.
"Oh, hey... did you call him?" Hannah said, giggling as she tried to grab the seat belt but nearly fell out of the truck and onto Ned in the process.
Katie and Ned had both found themselves laughing as they helped her friend back into the truck and she buckled her in. "She's a sloppy drunk," she sighed. "Sorry about that."
He had only shrugged it off and then closed the door to run over to the driver's seat. She had moved over to the middle and was sitting right next to him as he slid in, their legs touching as he started up the car. "Sober up pretty quickly then?" He asked.
She leaned back into the seat to try and ignore every romantic feeling for him racing in her body. "When reality sets in?" She laughed uneasily and then sighed. "The only good side to tonight is at least Hannah doesn't have to worry about her parents finding out."
Her friend had passed out cold in the seat beside her and it was hard not to laugh at how her face was pressed up against the window.
"Is that really a good thing?" He asked.
"Sometimes I wish my parents would just stop caring so much all the time..." She said.
"Jim and Melinda stop caring about you?" Ned had laughed so hard she might've joined him if it didn't anger her. "You? Their favorite child?"
She frustratedly groaned, "And WHY does everyone always say that? Do anyone ever think about how that might make Mackenzie and Aaron feel?" She muttered.
It grew quiet then and he turned on the radio. "I didn't mean it like that," he said after a few minutes. "It was just a joke."
"Yeah, well, now you know how I feel about those kinds of jokes." She muttered and pulled out her phone. Katie saw it was only eleven, and since she'd told her parents she'd gone to get ice cream with Hannah to talk about boy troubles she probably had another hour before they'd get worried. "Can we drive around for a bit? I'm not ready to go home, and neither is she." It wasn't like she was going to school tomorrow and after tonight, Hannah wasn't going to either.
Plus her parents had somehow bought the quick excuse, but knew they were also too much into each other and the time they were finally getting to spend together.
"Sure," he said, tapping his hand on the wheel and glancing over at her. "You don't feel sick, right?"
"No. I'm fine," she said, shrugging. "Just woozy. My parents were watching a movie. They are probably waiting for me to come home before they go upstairs and lock up."
"Sounds like them," he smiled. "Think you'll get busted?"
"Probably, so might as well just bring me home," she groaned, shaking her head. "I'll be grounded. Forever."
"Not forever," he laughed. "I'll vouch for you."
She scoffed, "What brownie points do you have?" She rolled her eyes.
He took offense to that and shook his head. "Hey! Your dad likes me," he said, pulling off in front of her house.
"Yeah, I guess." She sighed and groaned, rubbing her forehead. "But I think either way I'm screwed because I lied, so I'll go in alone."
"I'm just glad I could get you home," Ned said as he helped her out his side because of Hannah, and led her up to the door because of how wobbly she still was. "And don't worry about Hannah I'll get her home."
She nodded, smiling at him. "Thanks, Ned," she whispered. "I don't want to think about what could've happened if you hadn't been there."
"Just promise me you'll make your own drinks at parties, okay?" He said, smiling in return.
"Okay. I will," she laughed, leaning in slightly. "Promise."
She almost wished he'd kiss her. That just this once she wasn't sixteen and that he would kiss her on the goddamn lips to cross at least one thing off her bucket list.
When he leaned in to kiss her forehead she had felt like a child, and sighed. "Have a good night, Katie." He said, slowly backing off the porch and down a step. "It was nice to see you."
Just as Ned drove off, the front door opened and revealed her mother who had crossed her arms over her chest with a pointed stair as she came outside. "You do know your father and I have a tracker app on your phone, right?" Melinda asked.
"No," she sighed.
Melinda rolled her eyes and shook her head as she ushered her inside. "Well, now you do." The woman laughed, sighing at her daughter. "Your father and I know you're going to do things that we don't like or agree with, but that's just a part of growing up. We don't, however, want you to think you can lie to us, Katherine Ann. We don't have many rules for you, but when you do things like this it makes us want to make more."
She slowly moped inside, groaning. "I know and I'm sorry... I just- okay, I didn't tell you the truth because I knew you wouldn't let me go! Everything lately has just been so much that I wanted to get out and live a little." She explained as the door was closed behind her, but she didn't see that Jim was downstairs. "Is dad going to come down here too and lecture me?"
"Trust me this is not a lecture, my sweet girl, and I'm pretty sure your father is in his REM sleep already. I don't think I could wake him if I wanted to," Melinda helped sit her down on the stairs and pull her boots off each foot. "Did you have a good time? Was Ned with you? I thought I heard his voice."
"Yeah, that was Ned. He brought me home," she stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
Katie hadn't wanted to tell her anything else yet, mostly because she was still trying to comprehend everything herself. She usually told her mom everything, they had almost no secrets. Well, except the time she had broken a vase and blamed it on brother Aaron when he was two and she was six. She would take that one to the grave.
"And?" Melinda impatiently asked as she opened the fridge. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a little." She said, grabbing two cheese sticks and closing it. "Why?"
"So are you going to tell me anything else?" Her mom ushered Katie upstairs and into the bathroom that was connected to her room. She ate her cheese sticks while she watched as her mother grabbed ibuprofen and filled a glass of water. "Drink this and take these. It'll help for tomorrow, but your dad is making a big breakfast and that will too."
Katie had been in her head for far too long and was staring at the wall. Her leg bounced nervously as she chewed on her lip and Melinda noticed. The mother of three kneeled in front of her daughter and turned her gaze with a tap on her chin.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Melinda asked.
"I kissed a boy and then Ned showed up and ruined everything. I don't know what to think or if I should be grateful," she whispered, but tears rolled down her face instead of being happy. "Ned thinks that said boy I was kissing was going to drug my drink and got me to leave, so I'm confused about it all, and I still really in love with Ned. So yeah," she grabbed the glass and took a drink before she said anything else.
"Well, that's a lot of information, but that's really scary, Katie." Her mom ran her hand through her hair, cupping her cheek. "See, this is why I don't want you at these parties. Just go to the fun dances at school, okay?" Katie had almost forgotten it was her mother she was talking to, but really she was an open book to her mom about everything."You are my beautiful, smart, and unique daughter, Katherine, and I worry so much about you."
Katie set the glass of water on the bathroom counter and crumpled into her mother's arms. Tonight had been too much, and as she cried in Melinda's arms, her mom had known that too. "I don't know if I even like going to parties. Hannah usually just peer pressures me into coming," she sighed, finally beginning to run out of steam to cry any longer as she leaned back to sit up. Drunkenly, she had spilled a lot more than intended. "But I did keep staring at Ned's lips all night. Plus when he was driving I stared at him like the whole time. They look so soft. I wanted him to kiss me so badly."
"Uh, Katie. Too much." Melinda laughed and rolled her eyes as she helped her up and ushered her back toward her bedroom. "We'll talk about your punishment in the morning with your dad. I was just being cordial because you're drunk, and having a bad night it seems."
She nodded. "I know. I love you, mama," she smiled and leaned on her as they walked into her room.
"I love you too, bug. Sleep tight." Her mom helped her to bed and tucked her in, and before she knew it, Katie blinked as her alarm went off.
The red numbers were flashing in her face that it was nine in the morning. She groaned and shoved it off her nightstand to the floor. The blaring noise of her alarm stopped, but her head still pounded and burned through her mind to mush.
"That's not going to shut it off, you know?"
Katie groaned again as the sound of Millie's voice. She did not want to deal with a ghost this early in the morning when her head felt like it was going to explode.
"Shut what off?" She cursed.
"Your hangover, Dofus." Millie scoffed. "Nothing helps really. I used to drink all the time before my death."
She squinted at her, raising her head slightly, dry mouth sticky with thick saliva and moaned before retreating under the duvet. "I don't care. I need more sleep," she muttered.
There was a knock at her door then. "Katie? You up?"
"Not with that cheerful mother of yours. She'll never leave you alone," Millie laughed. "I'm getting out of here. I'll be at your mom's store."
She slowly sat up and leaned against her headboard as the door opened, blinking slowly as she tried to keep her eyes open.
"Hi, baby girl." Melinda smiled and stopped halfway through the doorway. "You look so cute with your hair sticking up in all places. Almost like when you were little."
"Enough to skip being grounded?" She sighed, slowly moving out of bed.
Her mother laughed decently hard at that one and she knew that might've won her something, but not a get out of jail free card. "Not so much," Melinda shook her head and waved her over. "C'mon, bug, breakfast is ready and we have to have a talk with your dad before he heads into the hospital."
She groaned and walked toward her mom, knowing there was no way of stopping the inevitable punishment that was coming.
Katie sat in the back office of her mother's store typing up the last bit of her history paper when she heard the stairs creak. She turned her head, even though she knew no one was down in the basement and kept an eye out for any spirit that could come from around the corner.
No one appeared.
She turned back to her computer and typed a few more words before the stairs creaked again. She sighed and leaned back into the chair, glancing back over to the darkened part of the back inventory of her mother's store. Technically she'd been grounded to this room because her parents didn't trust her to stay home alone, so that included the basement, right?
Her eyes flitted back to the essay on her computer screen that she needed to finish and thought it would be best to just stay put. She was in enough trouble with her parents as is. She didn't want to do any more damage and turned back to the desk for the better good, and her hands rose to her keyboard again.
"Psst, Katie," Millie's voice came to her ear this time just before she had the chance to press down on any keys.
Her eyes flitted back down the hallway as Millie appeared slightly. "What do you want?" She asked.
"Follow me and I'll show you," Millie said, turning back toward the stairs.
She shook her head. "I'm grounded," she muttered and resumed typing, but only nonsense that she just erased in the end. "I shouldn't leave the desk or my mom's gonna be upset. I'm in enough trouble right now after last night."
The ghost laughed at her. "What are you five?" Millie scoffed. "C'mon on shrimp, live a little and I'll tell you why I stuck around, okay? I think your mom will forgive you then."
She groaned as she slowly stood up and closed her laptop, grabbing a piece of paper. She wrote a quick note to her mom, just in case she did come back here before she happened to come back and then followed Millie down the steps to the basement.
Once she made it down the last step, Katie looked around and Millie reappeared again. "Your mom has a lot of junk," the girl said, rolling her eyes. "Does she think she'll actually sell any of this stuff?"
"Some people pay a lot of money for this so-called junk," she said, fishing her phone out of her pocket and turning on the flashlight.
"Whatever. We're going this way," Millie walked toward the door that leads to the tunnels and jimmied the lock with her energy until it slid free and the door opened. "You coming?"
"Wait," Katie glanced down at her battery on her phone and shook her head. "No way! I told my parents I would never go down there. Plus my phone is gonna die soon and I won't have a flashlight."
"What, are you scared?" The girl snickered, glancing back at her.
Katie glanced past the ghost into the tunnel which curled away coldly into the infinite dark, the flashlight on her phone showed the rough, dirt walls dwindling as it snaked away. Her skin shuddered and she could feel her brain starting to defocus, searching for a way out at the reminder that her mother was trapped in there…
She should go back upstairs...up to the desk and write her stupid history paper because she was scared shitless. Katie couldn't go down there, could she? She knew she'd promised her parents that she wouldn't. She'd promised them both separately and would they ever forgive her if she broke that? How else was she supposed to cross Millie over if she didn't follow her?
Her mother had taught her how to get herself out a messy situation if need be because of a spirit. Wasn't this what she'd been teaching her to do her entire life? To go and do it on her own?
"No. I'm not scared," she said, meeting the eyes of the ghost in front of her. "I'm going to help you."
"Then you go first," Millie said, glancing back into the darkness of the tunnel.
"Fine," she glanced over her shoulder and saw a flashlight sitting on the table nearby, grabbing it and turning the one on her phone off and putting it in her pocket "Let's go, and start talking. You promised me your story, and I want to hear it."
