Chapter 3

"Kaidence you've lost it girl, no I mean it!  Your seeing things! Ghosts, and not just regular ghosts that float around and try to scare you, but ghosts that kiss you and make you believe they are real."  Brenna said almost panicked.

            "Brenna, it was real! It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life!  For that brief moment he made himself real, he was there in the flesh, I could actually touch him!" Kaidence said desperately.

            "Just stop it ok!  I am really worried about you girl; there is something really wrong with you.  There are no such things as ghosts!! And if there were they would certainly not go around making themselves known by kissing curious girls who wander around their house.  They don't exist and as badly as you wish this guy was real he isn't!" Brenna was angry with her because she was scared; scared her best friend was losing her mind.

            "He's real damn it! And I am going to prove it to you.  Tomorrow night, after 5 come to the store, I close now so I will be the only one there.  I will show you him, and prove to you that he does exist." 

            She heard Brenna sigh on the other end of the phone,

            "C'mon Brenna, I am not crazy, just let me prove it to you."

            "Ok fine, but if he doesn't show up, which he won't, then no more talk of ghosts ok?" Brenna said sternly.

            "It's a deal, see you tomorrow after 5." Kaidence smiled; he would show up, he wouldn't abandon her when she needed him the most.

**********************

The day couldn't have gone any slower if Kaidence had wanted it to.  Hardly any customers came in through the day, which made for an incredibly slow and boring day at work.  Time seemed to crawl to a standstill and every time she looked at the clock barely a minute would have passed.  But somehow closing arrived and Trevor left after a quick kiss on the cheek and the store was hers again.  She immediately flipped the closed sign and then bolted up the creaky steps to the top two left rooms.  This time she didn't even bother cutting on a light, the sun provided plenty, bathing the room in an almost cozy glow.  She didn't call out this time, somehow after yesterday it seemed inappropriate.  She slowly walked into the room and looked around, she had never really noticed the other stuff lying around before.  Bars to clothing racks, entire clothing racks, panes of glass for shelves, and countless boxes of unidentified things.   She waited impatiently wondering were her ghostly friend was and what was taking him so long.  She started poking around in boxes when a light breeze tugged at the hem of her flowered skirt. She quickly turned smiling knowing it had to be him but saw nothing.  She frowned and figured she must have imagined it and went back to looking in some of the boxes.  Another puff of chilly wind lightly blew her skirt against her knees and she realized he was playing with her.  She giggled and called out to him,

            "Ha ha, very funny but you have a slight disadvantage over me, your invisible and I am not so at least play fair."  She called out to the air.  

            She heard a slight chuckle that made her jump.  He appeared suddenly in front of her smiling.

            "You laughed!" was all she could think to say.  She had never heard his voice before today and it was amazing to her.

            He continued to smile and nodded affirming that it had been him she heard.

            "Say something to me, I want to hear your voice."

            His smile diminished slightly and he looked away from her.

            "What? What's wrong? You can talk so say something to me, please." She took a step toward him.

            "Are you shy?" Kaidence asked suddenly smiling at the thought.

            He shook his head no, and motioned for her to follow him to a dust-covered mirror, there he spelled out something in the dust.

            "Oh, it's been such a long time since you talked to anyone.  Well how about I start us off?" she offered.  He nodded and smiled and turned his full attention on her.

            "Uh well, how about we start off with our names since neither of us know the other to well.  My name is Kaidence Wind, I know strange name.  Now what is yours?" she asked.

             He looked down for a moment and then slowly brought his gaze level with hers.  He opened his mouth but nothing came out.  He stood up a little taller, looking as if he were pulling his strength together.

            "Lu-Lucas.  Lucas Forest." His voice shook a little but was strong and deep.  Kaidence felt more excitement then she had ever felt before in her life bubble inside her.

            "That's a wonderful name." Kaidence breathed.

            "So- so is Kaidence." He said more confident in himself this time.

            Kaidence felt her heart skip at the sound of her name coming from him; it evoked such strong feelings inside her that she had to focus to snap herself out of it.

            "What are you doing up here?"

            He moved away from her and closer to the window.  He seemed more then reluctant to talk about why he haunted the upstairs of a clothing store.

            "Lucas?" she gently pushed.

            He looked at her with anguish and yet she also saw a slight glimmer of something else, hope?

            "I want to tell you, but if I do, it could put you in great peril." He said looking at her with such torment.

            "Peril?" she thought, "who talks like that anymore?" but she had to remember that she was talking to a dead man so rules of society didn't apply here.

            "Umm, what danger would I be in if you told me why you're here?"

            He slammed his fist, or would have had he been alive, against the windowsill but instead of making the desired contact with the wood his hand sailed right through it.

            "I can't tell you that here." He whispered.

            "Well if not here then were? Can you leave this room?" she asked.

            "In a manner of speaking...yes."

            "Well that's great, umm, do you want to go downstairs? No one is here except me-."

            "HELLO? Kaidie are you here? You better be here or I will be pissed!" Brenna's voice rang out from downstairs.

            "Who is that?" Lucas asked suddenly looking upset.

            "Oh, that's Brenna, my best friend.  Lucas I need a favor, I need you to let her see you." She asked.

            "No, Kaidence that is dangerous! No one but you can know I am here; you're in enough danger as it is without subjecting anyone else to it.  I can not show myself to her." He said moving to stand right in front of her.

            "Lucas please, she thinks I'm crazy.  That I'm losing my mind, please for just an instant, just a glimpse, let her see you so I can prove to her that I am sane. Please Lucas do this for me I'm begging you." Kaidence pleaded.

            He looked at her upset for a brief moment and then gentleness crossed his features softening them.

            "If I do this, if I show myself to your friend, she will have to-agree to the same dangers as you have by repeatedly coming to see me. Is that fully understood?" He said quietly.

            "Yes, but what dangers are you talking about?"

            "Kaidence! I am so not kidding! Where are you?" Brenna called again.

            "I'll be right back, please don't disappear, promise?" she looked back as she reached the door.

            He looked torn, like he knew what he was about to do was wrong, but wanted desperately to do it for her, and nodded.

            Kaidence ran quickly down the stairs and found Brenna standing next to the checkout counter.

            "Hey, great you came." Kaidence smiled and hugged her friend.

            "Kaidie I wanted to say I am sorry for last night I didn't mean to snap but this ghost talk is wigging' me out big time."

            Kaidence just smiled and told her to come upstairs with her.

            "Kaidence this is a waste, you know there is no ghost up here, or maybe you don't, but I do." Brenna mumbled as they made their way into the two far left rooms.

            "Lucas, please come out, this is Brenna." Kaidence said to the apparently empty room.

            "Oh he has a name now? And how do you know his name?" Brenna asked sarcastically.

            "He told me." Kaidence said simply as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

            "Oh right, he can speak, I am so sure-."

            "Actually I can speak, I just have not had anyone to talk to in so long that I did not bother with it. That is until Kaidence came into my world." A smooth and honey rich voice said.

Kaidence looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lucas glimmering into view to her right.

            "Brenna Hewlett meet Lucas Forest."

Brenna looked absolutely terrified.  Her face drained of color and her breath came in rasping gasps.

            "He's a-a" she couldn't finish it.

            "A ghost, a phantom, a spirit." He finished for her.

Brenna stumbled and Kaidence grabbed her.

            "Whoa, don't pass out on me Bre, I tried to tell you.  He's just as real as they come, and everything happened as I told you it did." Kaidence helped Brenna to a sitting position.

She looked at Kaidence.

            "Oh gosh Kaidie, I am so sorry how could I not believe you.  You've never lied to me, never, and I didn't believe you when you had something really important to tell me, when you needed me to believe you.  What kind of friend am I?" she almost started crying.

            "Oh Brenna no! Don't say that, you are the best friend anyone could ever ask for.  You didn't believe me because it was almost too incredible to believe.  I wouldn't have believed you either.  But you didn't leave me, you stayed and even went so far as to let me prove it to you." Kaidence hugged her friend close and they embraced each other tightly.

            "Now that the two of you are here I will tell you why I haunt this place and why Kaidence you have been in danger since the moment you stepped foot in this place and now why you Brenna also face danger." Lucas sat down in front of them smiling as Brenna scooted away from him and closer to Kaidence.

            "Danger? What danger? You never said anything about danger Kaidie." Brenna whispered.

            "I didn't know until just right before you arrived, but it's to late to change anything now." She answered.

            "What I am about to tell you will sound far to outlandish to be possible but I assure you that all I say is true.  I come from a world of pure fantasy and make-believe as I have learned you call it.  A world in which all that you believed was real when you were a child but forgot about as you grew up exists.  A world in which good and evil plays out like a fairy tale but often times does not go as smoothly as the stories do.  Dragons breathe fire; some burn villages, some eat virgins, and yet there are some who fight with knights and kings to save kingdoms and countries.  There are fairies that play at night and sleep during the day, there are elves, gnomes, sprites, unicorns, sphinxes, wood, water, earth, fire, and wind spirits.  There are also demons, trolls, zombies, lake monsters, Minotaurs, goblins, vampires, evil wizards and witches as well as good, and even an evil prince who rules over them.  All you can imagine is real in this world.  The stories have only hinted about the wonders that truly exist were I am from.  Nymphs, mermaids, Pegasus with his mares and stallions, so many fanciful creatures that I could never name them all and to try would be useless.  In this world I was the son of wealthy parents who were very close friends with our king and queen.  So when they had a son I became his playmate.  We could not have been closer had we been true brothers.  As time wore on I was given the royal title of the Prince's companion at arms.  Simply meaning that we went everywhere together and I was to protect him with my life.  We frequently got into trouble but never so much that we could not get out of it on our own.  Until one day when a beautiful stranger met us in the woods outside the castle.  She was a true beauty, long midnight hair, dark piercing eyes, and creamy skin.  The prince at once fell in love with the girl and took her back to the castle that day.  It was not long until the two were married.  But I did not trust her, it was simply to convenient that she happens to show up while we were riding and then suddenly is married to the prince of our kingdom but I said nothing.  Her name was Maura and that in its self should have been a sign to me, the bird who harks death but again I said nothing, not even when I noticed that she would leave the castle in the middle of the night and journey into the woods, I should have said something but I did not.  Not a fortnight into their marriage she came to me in the barn one night and attempted to seduce me right under her and her husband's very bedchamber window.  I was appalled and refused her offer and made it known to her that I would inform his highness of her conduct the next day.  The next day as he and I rode in the woods I told him of the lewd actions his new bride had acted out towards me.  He was beyond furious and not with her, but with me.  He called me a liar and traitor to talk that way about my future queen.  I tried to assure him that it was no lie but indeed the ugly truth and because I was his closest and dearest friend I had to make it known to him, his wife was a harlot.  He refused to believe me or even listen to me and I became angry with him, yelling at him and calling him a lovesick fool. He struck me in anger and rode away into a forbidden part of the forest to get away from me.  Incredibly dizzy and bruised from his blow I raced after him but could not find him at first.  Until I heard his screams in the near distance, such painful screams, full of torture and anguish.  I found him being ripped apart by large black wolves, no doubt hounds of hell, and being watched over by none other then his new wife.

            "Your time has come my husband, it is time for my master to rule this world, not pathetic weak mortals like you.  Does it hurt my sweet spouse?" she cooed wickedly at him, touching his face as the devil dogs ripped into his body.

            I tried to fight them off and succeeding in killing all but three of the hounds before my wounds sustained from them brought me down.  The Prince was dead, and the evil wife had but a few scratches on her.  She took me and the remains of the prince back to the castle and preceded to tell a wicked lie of how I was a foul spy for the dark prince and had lured her sweet and loving husband to the woods were I had him killed.  She told them that she had been with her hounds, the ones her wonderful husband had given her as a gift when she had found me murdering my beloved friend.  She told them that she sicked the dogs upon me but that I killed all but three.  Her tears were false, her supposed broken heart was not true, and lies flowed from her mouth like poisonous venom that infected the judgment of the king and queen who were like my second parents.  I was thrown in the dungeon to await my execution.  My wounds became infected and I suffered from a raging fever.  But worse then my beaten body was listening to the news that my friends and family were suddenly dying.  My mother and father both died in a riding accident, my younger sister of 14 drown in river near our home.  The queen suddenly took ill and died a few short weeks later, and the king, now wifeless and sonless died of a broken heart.  With no king the vile princess took over and brought the dark prince into rule the kingdom.  I sat in the dungeon my soul twisted in grief over the loss I had suffered, the loss our kingdom, our world suffered.  I was cursed, because of one fatal mistake I had cost the lives of so many.  I died in that dungeon, alone and in pain, forever cursed to never find peace, to live forever with the memory of all I had caused.  I did not know I had died, I felt as if I were dreaming, I dreamt of all that happened over and over again.  When I finally was able to awake, I was here in the top floor of this building just as it was being finished, sometime in the late 1800's.  I was a ghost, a free floating spirit trapped in a phantom form as punishment for my crimes."

            Kaidence and Brenna sat stunned in silence, the tale he told sounded impossible to believe.  Even if the fact that they were talking to a ghost did not help to convince them the pain, shame, and hurt on his face was enough to convince the most skeptical of skeptics.

            "Oh Lucas, I am so sorry." Was all Kaidence could manage.

            His face was twisted in a mask of grief and anguish at the memory of his fatal mistake, the deaths of his family and friends.  Kaidence went to touch him but her hand passed right through his face.

            "Damn it." She muttered, she couldn't even comfort him.

            "Well-umm-Lucas was it?  I am truly sorry as well.  But what I don't get is why all the danger stuff?  I mean what danger could we possibly be in by sitting up here talking to you besides people maybe finding out and thinking the two of us have lost it completely?" Brenna asked smiling her stretched, I'm losing my mind but hey it's cool, smile. 

            He looked briefly at her before suddenly glancing out the window and then at Kaidence.

            "Kaidence would you help me if you could?  Even if you were put in great danger, danger so great you could lose your life, possibly your very soul?  If there was but a small chance you could help me would you?  Would you risk your life, your salvation, as well as your friend Brenna's?"  He asked desperately.

            Kaidence heard the plea in his voice and saw the desperate hope flare in the green of his eyes.  How could she say no?  How could she ignore that heartfelt plea for help?

            "Yes, yes I would help you if I could but I don't see-"

            "HEY! No one asked me if I want to risk my neck for a dead guy I don't even know." Brenna suddenly piped up.

            Lucas ignored her.

            "Good, because night is falling, and you will have your chance to help me.  Do not be afraid, you will not see me but I am here and I will protect you like I could not protect my friend.  Just remember that no matter what happens I will not let you get hurt, please help me, I need you."  Kaidence felt his icy fingers on her face and knew she would do whatever it took to help him, to free him.

            "Um HELLO! I am still in the room, and what is the deal with the night coming on?  What do you mean we're going to have our chance?  Someone had better answer me." Brenna said standing up.

            In reply the door to the room suddenly slammed shut with an enormous bang that caused both girls to scream and Lucas to vanish.  A fierce wind suddenly swirled around the room and the shadows seemed to dart across the walls.  Kaidence looked out the window and saw the trees outside were as still as death.  The wind whipped hard against them almost knocking the two over and then a sound echoed throughout the room chilling the two to the bone.  A deep, evil, laugh filled the room shaking the mirrors on the floor and freezing Brenna and Kaidence's heart.

            "What the hell is that!" Brenna yelled.

            Kaidence grabbed her best friend and jerked her behind a stack of boxes.

            The shadows danced like demons across the walls, swirling and blending together until they all pooled together on the floor and a shape emerged from the sinister puddle.