Chapter 2

 

 

            "I'm telling you that's what I saw and he even touched me! I swear I'm not lying and no I am not sick!" Kaidence said urgently to her best friend Brenna on the phone.

            "Ok so let me make sure I understand this, you went upstairs, someplace you are NOT supposed to be, and while there you met a gorgeous ghost who touched your face and hair and looked at you as if he was in love.  Am I straight on this so far?" she asked.

            "Yes."

            "Girl I think maybe the stress of Jason being an asshole to you and leaving you, and your new job is maybe creeping up on you.  There are no such things as ghosts." Brenna said patiently but making sure to put emphasis on her last statement.

            "Brenna, its one thing to think you've seen something, but I know I saw something, and not only did I see him but he touched me, how many people hallucinate about ghosts touching them that aren't on drugs?" Kaidence asked.

            "Not many people, but stress is a weird thing, it can do stuff to you.  And we all know you've had your share of it recently.  Look lets just leave it as a u.f.o, you saw something but not sure what it was ok?  And I highly suggest you not tell anyone else about this ok?" Brenna said her voice tightening with emphasis.

            "Alright Brenna, alright.  So how is Bryan?" Kaidence realized there was no use talking about it anymore so she switched it to Brenna's favorite topic, her latest crush. 

 

As Kaidence crawled into bed that night she looked out her window into the cloudless night at the millions of stars glittering against the blackness of the sky.  She had seen him, the boy with the sad jade eyes, he had touched her, and he had to be real.  There was no way she could have imagined the sadness she had seen in him, she couldn't have imagined the feathery touches on her hair and face, the warmth his gaze had made her feel.

            "I didn't imagine it, I know I didn't," she said as she lay down and closed her eyes.

            "Please let him be real." She almost prayed as she fell asleep.

 

 

The next morning Kaidence hurriedly dressed for work in dress kakis, a black button up blouse, and her black velvet shoes.  She skipped breakfast altogether telling her mom she was in a hurry to open the store and have everything ready.  In truth she was rushing to have extra time to herself before having to open the store.  She arrived a good thirty minutes early and ran into the store making sure to lock the door behind her.  She ran up the steps, cut on the lights and rushed into the next room.

"Hello? Hello, are you here? It's me, the girl from yesterday.  Hello?" she called out.  She wasn't real sure what she was expecting.  Maybe for him to just appear in front of her glowing and floating like he was yesterday.  Maybe for him to touch her like he had, or appear in a mirror.  For twenty minutes she waited, calling out to him, sitting in front of the same mirror, waiting for him to touch her.  Nothing, he never appeared, didn't display any sign to her that what had happened yesterday was real.  Kaidence felt almost heart broken; he had seemed so genuine, so vivid.  She made her way back down the steps and starting opening the store for the day.

"Maybe I am going nuts." She muttered.  She couldn't shake the disappointment she felt at not seeing him again.

"Am I so messed up that I hallucinated a ghost?" she thought to herself as she unlocked the door.  She glanced back at the steps and felt an ache in her chest; she was so lonely that she probably did envision him.  Trevor, true to his word, arrived an hour later and business was underway for the day.

"Hey baby, you ok?  You kind of look, I don't know, down."  He asked hugging her.

Kaidence smiled her best smile,

            "Yeah I'm fine, just wish business would pick up is all."

            "That's my girl!" He laughed.

Soon people starting coming in and Kaidence didn't have time to think about the ghostly man upstairs anymore.

 

 

            "So you going to close up tonight for me again?" Trevor asked again an hour before closing that day.

Kaidence felt the dull ache suddenly swell in her chest that would mean she would have to at least go to the top of the stairs to deposit the bank bag.  She didn't ever want to go upstairs again if she could help it.

            "Well I was thinking last night and I remembered that you don't want us going upstairs, and far be it from me to break your rules so-." Kaidence started.

Trevor cut her off,

            "No, no, I don't want you going into the two rooms beside the one with the vault in it.  So you're ok, are you afraid to be here by yourself in the evenings?" He asked concerned.

Kaidence felt her pride rear up,

            "No! Of course I'm not afraid, I just didn't want to break your rules is all.  I'll close up, you go on home."  She said smiling.

            "You're a peach!" he kissed her cheek, as was the custom every night and left.  Kaidence walked back to the front and hopped up on the sales counter and stared at the stairs leading up.  Had it all been a dream?  Had she made the young man up to try and fill up the painful hole Jason had left?  Was she that lonely?  She continued to look at the stairs and wonder.  But it had all seemed so real, his eyes, the cold fingers in her hair, the pain in his gaze; it had all been so damn real.  It was real, it had to be.

Kaidence jumped off the counter, ran to the front door and locked it.  She ran to the stairs and looked up them to the locked door.

            "I'll sit up there all damn night if I have to.  I am not crazy."  She said determined and made her way up the steps, and into the far left two rooms.  She cut on the light and wished there was another bulb in the room.  She scanned around looking for one and ended up finding something better.  She carefully picked her way to the very end of the room and began tugging on four wooden planks that boarded up a window.  With much grunting and groaning she managed to pull all four off letting the sun stream into the chilly room.   She ran and cut the bulb off and then waited...and waited...and waited.  Nothing happened, for thirty minutes nothing happened and standing around in the freezing room was chilling her to the bone.  The sun coming through the window created a huge pool of light on the floor, it looked so golden and warm.  Kaidence sat down in the middle of the pool to warm up, it felt wonderful on her back but her front was still ice.  So she lay down in the sunlight and closed her eyes.  It was like lying in a warm bed, the sun penetrated her chilled body filling her with a peaceful feeling of coziness.  She was so relaxed that she was about to fall asleep, until she felt a brief flurry of coldness against her cheek.  She opened her eyes and saw him gazing down at her.  With the sun streaming through his translucent form he looked like an angel.  She didn't feel the first instance of fear this time, just a burst of happiness to see him.  Not just to establish her sanity but because she had wanted him to be real so desperately.  He was smiling at her and he stretched out his hand toward her palm facing her.  Kaidence flexed her hand at her side and then slowly raised it to his.  It was like nothing she had ever experienced before, his fingers passed through hers, stroking the backside of her hand.  And his hand wasn't cold like his touch had been on her face, no, instead it tingled, like the feeling her foot would get when it fell asleep.  It was magical, so unreal, and yet so completely more profound then anything she had ever experienced before.  She gazed at their mingling hands and then at him.  His eyes shimmered in the sun and for once she didn't see pain there, instead she saw his eyes sparkle with the same amazement and wonder that she felt.

            "Can you feel me?"  Kaidence whispered not wanting to break the spell they were under.

He looked at their hands and then back at her and nodded yes.

            "What do I feel like to you?" she asked.

He smiled and then with his other hand pointed to the light on the floor.  Kaidence looked at him confused.  He pointed to their joined hands and then to the sun again.

            "Oh I feel warm like the sun, is that it?" she asked.  He smiled again and nodded.  He leaned in close to her face, so close that had he been alive she would have been able to feel his breath on her lips.  His eyes filled her vision, all she could see was the deepness in them.  And then he leaned down and Kaidence felt coolness on her mouth, he was kissing her!  It was like receiving a kiss from an artic wind, it froze the breath in her throat for a moment.  Kaidence closed her eyes and wished desperately he were real, and suddenly he was.  He was fiery and alive and kissing her with more tenderness then she ever thought was possible, a solid hand holding hers tightly against his chest replaced the tingling in her hand.  Tears slipped down into her hair as Kaidence felt the sweetness of him fill her and heat her body like the sun could never do.  He slowly pulled back from her and she opened her eyes and gave a short cry of despair when she saw he was still a ghost.

            "But you were just real, I felt you, you were alive." Kaidence whispered wanting to cry.

The pain that had briefly left his eyes was back again, he pointed to his head and then to hers.

            "I imagined it?" she asked.

He shook his head no, and took the now wispy hand that was holding hers to his chest and made a gesture as if giving her something.

            "You made it seem as if it were real?" Kaidence asked confused.

He nodded yes, and picked up a small scrap of ribbon on the floor and handed it to her.

            "A gift?" she asked.  He didn't answer this time; he just looked at her and waited.  Kaidence thought for a second and finally understood.

            "The feeling of you being real and actually kissing me was a gift." She whispered.  He nodded.  Hot tears leaked out from her eyes. 

            "Why can't you be real?" she asked almost crying.  He looked down at the floor in despair.  Kaidence turned her head away from him and closed her eyes letting the tears come.  And he was there again, alive and real, looking at her with concern and warmth in his eyes, gently wiping the salty tears away.  She opened her eyes and at once the image was gone and his touch was arctic again.  She slowly sat up and stared at him.

            "I am not crazy am I?  You are real aren't you?" she asked him.

He nodded and smiled.

            "Can you talk?"

He looked down at the floor again but nodded yes.

            "Then why won't you speak to me?"

He didn't answer but looked at up at her again.  He stood up suddenly and began backing away from her.

            "What? What is it what's the matter?" she jumped up and followed him.  He pointed towards the open window; Kaidence turned and saw that night was falling.

            "So what, its just evening is all."  She gave a short "hey!" when she felt him push her towards the door.

            "What are you doing?" she asked upset.  He continued to push her towards the door until she was at the top step.

            "Why do you want me to leave?"

            He didn't answer but gave her pleading look to go. 

            "Will you be here tomorrow morning when I get here?" she asked.

He shook his head no, but then pointed to the window and nodded yes.

            "So you'll be here when I close?"

He nodded yes and then again gave her the pleading look to go.

            "Alright I'm going...good-bye." She said gazing at him.

His eyes sparkled in the dying light and he reached up with his hand and blew a kiss to her.  Kaidence watched him slowly fade from sight before hurrying down the stairs, locking the door behind her.

Continued next week...