Indwell (Chasing Natalie's Ghosts) (18 page)

“Continue.”

“Once I have located the one I have been ordered to seize, I watch them. I always observe them for a time until I can justify why they have been selected. You will find that there is always a good reason. Sometimes it takes a little longer to surface in some more than others. For some it’s immediate and I go for the capture. I will come to that later. First, my darling, you have one big problem that we have to fix before you can join me,” he said this, almost laughing.

“What is so funny? What big problem do I have?” I asked, really not seeing anything funny about this discussion.

“Well I’m going to have to teach you how to recognize a ghost from a living human, because for some strange reason you can’t,” he said, biting his bottom lip, staring at me.

“I’m going to have to figure out a way to show you. We will leave the apartment tonight after midnight. We are going to go downtown, that is if you feel you are ready for this?” he asked, making sure I was with him still.

“Can I stop in on Ava? I’d love to return her clothes,” I asked, hopefully.

“You can run in but not for long, you can visit another day.” He seemed annoyed with my request. I thought about Ava and Mark and wondered aloud.

“Why can’t they help you?” I asked.

“Their senses are of no use to me. All they can do is get a feeling of where the ghosts are. They can’t always hear them and they definitely can’t touch them, let alone capture them,” he explained.

“You have been given to me as a gift Natalie. You can physically handle them. You are meant to unite with me. Combined, we will be a force and make a difference in this battle. I know you don’t understand yet why we have to apprehend these phantoms but you will. I can’t explain it any more, you’ll just have to watch and learn,” he said, holding my hands again, he pulled me to him and held me, like I was a treasure he never wanted to let go of. I really hoped I would be what he needed.

That evening we changed for phantom tracking. Hayden was dressed beautifully all in black. He even had a new outfit laid out for me on his bed.

“When did you go shopping?” I asked. He had been with me all day.

“I have my ways,” he said smiling devilishly.

“Please let me see how it looks.” I dressed while Hayden watched from his bench at the foot of the bed.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked posing for him.

“Perfect,” he said walking over to me, he stopped just in front of me and slid his hands around my waist. He gently kissed me.

“It’s time to go my little stalker,” he whispered.

I felt dressed to go out to dinner and the theater not hiding in alleys and rooftops to spot phantoms. He bought me a beautiful pair of black pants that fit perfectly. The top was long but fit snug, it was black as well and he gave me a grey sweater to wear if I was cold.

“You know that they are everywhere but we are only concerned with the poltergeists, the trouble makers, the mischievous spirits,” he said placing his hand on my knee, he was starting to feel excited about the lessons he was about to begin with me. He wanted to start off slow though. He drove to a neighborhood that was full of old heritage homes. The street was lined with black lamp posts and the homes were rather large. The driveways were longer than most in the city. The houses would have been worth a fortune. The gardens were lush and the lawns were perfectly maintained. Hayden parked out front a large red brick home. It had a huge wrap around porch and it looked as though there was a third floor, a large attic I assumed. We didn’t get out. He told me to just watch, to look in the windows, any window would do.

“What if someone calls the police?” I asked, feeling like a thief, surveying the area.

“No one living is home, it is okay Natalie,” he assured me. I was curious as to how he knew that, but before I could turn around and ask him I saw someone pull the curtain back to look out a second floor window.

“They know we are here?” I told him.

“They know we are here but they don’t know why. We won’t stay too long, it might make them nervous,” he explained.

“How many are there?” I asked.

“The house is full,” he stated casually. I was shocked. How could the people that live there handle it? When Adam was in my house, he was overwhelming to me sometimes. He could make my head spin with his energy. I loved it but it was tiring. I couldn’t imagine what a house full of them would do to me.

As I continued to watch the windows, a beautiful young girl looked out the attic window and quickly shut the curtain. A moment later an older woman opened the front door and stood on the porch as if to stop an intruder. I smiled at her but she continued to look severe.

“We better go now,” Hayden said starting the car. “I would hate to see all of them standing on the porch. That might be too much for your first night.”

“Definitely,” I said, still startled by the amount of them in one house.

“I’m used to my ghosts being on a one on one basis, I can’t fathom a room full,” I told him.

Hayden drove downtown quickly. He stopped out front Ava’s house and turned off the car.

“I can’t stay here long, I’ll walk you to the door and I’ll wait in the car for you. When you’re leaving, just flick the porch light for me, okay?” he asked.

“Yes, but why can’t you come in?” I asked.

“There are some ghosts here that are afraid of me and I don’t want to spook them. I don’t want any drama tonight I just want to show you what we are up against. I don’t want to put you in the fight until you’re ready,” he said raising a hand to my cheek.

“Are you still with me?” he asked, cautiously. I gulped, more from the tingle his fingers gave me than from more ghosts running around.

“Yes, I’m with you Hayden,” I said, reaching for him. He held me close and gently kissed me. He held my hand as he led me to the door. Ava answered almost immediately. She was shocked to see us.

“Natalie, hi, I’m so happy to see you!” She gave me a quick hug then eyed Hayden.

“Hi Hayden, it’s been awhile,” she said carefully. I was surprised by this tension between them. I’ll have to remember to ask Hayden about it later.

“Hello Ava, how are you doing?” he asked briskly.

“I’m good,” she answered. Looking back at me, she gestured for me to come in.

“I’ll be right out here. Remember the light and don’t be long,” he whispered in my ear as he gave me a quick hug. He quickly returned to his car as I walked into Ava’s house. Mark was at the end of the hall watching us. As soon as Ava closed it he greeted me.

“Natalie honey, how ‘ave you been? Come give me a hug,” he ordered. I walked over to him smiling.

“Hi Mark. It is so great to see you again.” I turned to Ava, holding up the bag of clothes and the Doc Martens she lent me a few nights ago.

“I’m sorry it has taken me so long to return them, I’ve been recuperating,” I said laughing lightly.

“Thank you and no worries. I just really wanted to see you and make sure you’re happy. Is Hayden treating you well? He seems too serious for my liking,” she inquired. I smiled.

“He has been nothing but wonderful to me, very caring and sweet. I shouldn’t have run away before. I was just panicking, I do that. I don’t always think through my decisions before I act on them,” I told her. She nodded as though she understood.

“Millicent and Joshua will be happy to know your safe. They have wanted to try and find you but they can’t get into Hayden’s ward, he has unearthly defenses,” she informed me as if I knew what `Hayden’s ward’ was. I had to ask.

“I’m sorry Ava, but what do you mean by that?” I asked. She realized her mistake immediately. Before she could answer I heard Hayden beep his car horn outside. I thought he was being rude. I hadn’t been here that long. I smiled through my embarrassment.

“I am so sorry Ava, Mark, but I guess I have to go. I will come back and see you as soon as I can,” I said walking towards the door. Mark walked only to the hallway entrance then stopped in the same spot he was in when I arrived. Ava walked me the rest of the way.

“Take care of yourself Natalie!” Mark said seriously, tilting his head to the side as if he was listening to a faint voice. I didn’t sense anyone here but I knew someone was close by, I could feel a slight stirring of the air.

“I will,” I said smiling. I gave Ava a quick hug and flipped her porch light switch on and off. As soon as I opened the door Hayden was standing there reaching for my hand.

“Bye,” I said as I quickly ran towards the car with Hayden leading the way. He opened the door for me and swiftly walked around the car, waved to Ava and sped away, not even noticing the red lights.

“Hayden, please, you’re scaring me,” I said quietly. He slowed and reached for my hand.

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain later I promise. I just have to get us out of this area as quickly as possible,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road. He looked almost angry. I hopped I hadn’t upset him. His eyes were slanted and his jaw seemed clenched. I watched him as we drove. He was captivating to watch. He was so serious, as Ava had described him. Once I realized we were closer to his apartment he seemed to completely relax. He looked over at me and smiled while placing his hand back on my knee.

“I’m very sorry if I upset you,” he apologized.

“It’s alright,” I said looking ahead. I realized we weren’t heading back to his apartment like I thought. I didn’t recognize this neighborhood. There was a stretch of stores and restaurants. He parked out front an Italian restaurant. It looked as though it was one of the oldest restaurants on this block. The building was large, half of it was vacant and the other half was a restaurant. The windows on the second floor were dark. There were a few people inside having dinner. He opened the door for me. He held my hand as we walked past the restaurant to the empty space beside it. He stopped out front and told me to look in the window. I slowly walked closer to the building. Shaking, I put my head closer to the window and looked in. There was a young couple dancing. She had curly, dark brown hair and wore a black dress under a camel colored wool coat. Her lips were a deep red and her eyelashes were jet black. Her skin was pale. She was beautiful as she twirled in his arms. He was a smooth dancer. His hair was sandy brown and was slicked back. His suit was black and kind of baggy compared to the way most suits fit men and his suit coat was long. Not that my dad ever wore a suit, but what I’ve seen from the movies I could tell it was an older style. I imagined Hayden looking breathtaking in a well-tailored suit.

This handsome man dancing with this startling woman really was mesmerizing. I smiled as I watched them. They didn’t seem to notice me at all. It looked like they were talking and laughing as they danced. When they stopped, he held her close and kissed her cheek. It was so sweet and innocent. He held her hand as he put on his long black wool coat and hat. They couldn’t have been much more than twenty years old. Their skin was flawless and their teeth were bright white. I couldn’t pull myself away, even though I knew they were heading towards the door now. The man opened it and they skipped out onto the street. That’s when an old black Rolls Royce sped down the street towards them.

“No! Stop!” I shouted.

It was too late, I quickly looked away. I was shaking as I looked back towards the spot they were standing in the street and saw nothing. They were gone and the car had disappeared. I turned to look at Hayden standing back from me, leaning against his car watching. He gestured to the window again. I felt tears in my eyes as I looked back into the window. There they were. He was taking off his coat and hat. He helped her out of her coat and hung them, then took her hand as he led her to the middle of the room. He held her close as they danced to music I couldn’t hear. I looked at Hayden again. He was close behind me now, holding his hand out for mine. I quickly took it as he held me. He kissed my forehead and led me back to the car.

As we were driving back toward his apartment, I cried softly, realizing that they had died together and were now trapped in that evening forever. It seemed so sad. Hayden looked at me and sighed.

“Please don’t cry. It isn’t as bad as you think. They can stop dancing if they want too. They may not be able to go far but every evening they dance. It actually is quite beautiful,” he said looking distant. He touched my knee gently and reached for my hand. I stopped crying and rested my head on his shoulder as he pulled into the parking garage.

14. WILD FLOWERS

My dreams came back to haunt me during the night. Even though Hayden was only an arms-length away from me I awoke screaming again. He held me firmly, rocking me back and forth whispering in my ear.

“You’re okay. I’m here to take care of you. Wake up Natalie.” I held onto his arms that were wrapped around me. I was awake now but shuddering at the twist my dream had now taken. It wasn’t Adam and I that were walking hand in hand on that path anymore. Hayden was with me. The dark shadow that was coming quickly towards me was not one but three shadows. Hayden didn’t let go of my hand, like Adam did, and surprisingly that’s when I awoke, screaming.

“I’m alright. Thank you,” I said still clinging to him, not wanting him to move, he held me tight.

Later that day Hayden decided he wanted to bring me back out for more training. He hinted that time was becoming a factor. I was frightened by the reason behind his fears. Something was coming. I shuddered remembering my dream.

“So where is it we are off to today?” I asked after finishing lunch. He was leaning against the counter watching me. I smiled, feeling a little self-conscious.

“I think we need something fun today too.”

“That sounds good,” I said smiling. “When do you want to go?”

“Well, the sun is shining so I think in about an hour. I suggest you wear something comfortable, there will be some climbing involved,” he advised.

“Climbing?” I scrutinized him.

“Don’t worry, its nothing you can’t handle,” he grinned. He walked over to me as I stood up. He grabbed my hand and kissed me gently. He led me to his room. Now I knew why he didn’t want to leave right away.