Lainey
Once I have cooled down, I go back to Owen's room, only to find him at his desk with his laptop open.
I plop onto his bed and stare at his room. I still can't get over the fact that his room has any personality to it at all.
What surprises me the most is the guitar in the corner. "Do you play the guitar?" I ask.
"That's none of your business," Owen snaps.
I sigh, Oh, what an ass.
"So what are you doing? I ask sweetly, even though I'm frowning.
"Trying to figure out what's wrong with you," Owen replies.
Well, what do I say to that?
"Any luck?"
"Nope. Unless you think you're a possessed demon spirit. Because that's what Google says you are."
I roll my eyes and he turns in his chair.
"We could get some sage and we can see if it sends you away," He suggests.
"I'm not a ghost or a demon-possessed spirit," I snap.
Owen shrugs and then throws a pencil at me, which hits my chest.
I give him a dead look. "What the hell was that for?"
He writes something down in a notebook. "The pencil didn't pass through you so you're not a spirit."
I groan, "I've already told you, Huntley, I'm not a ghost, I'm not a spirit, and I'm definitely not demon possessed."
Owen just simply stares at me as if I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve. "We should get ready for bed," He says gently.
I nod. As he stands up, I feel like I need to take a shower to wash off the feeling I got from him staring at me.
"I guess I can sleep on the ground," I say.
Owen pulls some pillows out of his closet, "You're not sleeping on the ground."
I cross my arms across my chest, "I'm sure as hell not sleeping beside you."
Owen rolls his eyes and lines the pillows along the middle of his bed, creating a barrier.
"I don't see why you would mind since you've already been in my bed." He says with a smirk.
I glare at him. "Not by choice."
He chucks a pillow at me. "You think I would choose to share a bed with you?"
Owen's insults sting even though I expected nothing else. "No, because you prefer snobby, fake girls," I throw back.
He stares at me with an unreadable look, "No, I prefer nice girls who are grateful for someone giving them a place to stay when they have nowhere else to go."
I simply blink, we've always been crabby with each other, but he's never outright scolded me. Because no matter how much it kills me he's right.
He's giving me a place to stay when he doesn't have to.
I start to say something, but he holds up his hand as he walks to his side of the bed.
The lights turn off and I hear blankets being pulled back and the bed groans as he sits down.
"Are you going to get in bed or are you just going to stand there like a lost puppy?" Owen snaps.
I gently pull the blankets back and slip into his bed which smells too good for my liking.
I turn on my side, but I can't help but notice the light coming from his side. He must be on his phone.
"You know the blue light from a cell phone screen is bad for you to look at before bed," I say softly.
A sigh sounds from his side and the light disappears.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, it was pretty crappy since you are giving me a place to stay," I whisper.
I know I would have never been able to sleep if I didn't say it. But all I get from him is, "Yeah, it was pretty crappy."
I go to sleep with anger sitting in my stomach, but my chest feels lighter.
~~~
I wake up before Owen does. How do I know thit you ask? Well, the little grumbles that sound from his side of the bed are his snores.
When I heard them last night I almost broke out in laughter. They sound like my cat's snores.
If I didn't dislike him so much, I would find them cute, but I despise Owen so they're not cute, they're gross.
I sit up and my eyes glance to his side. The pillows stayed in place, and he didn't steal any covers from my side.
Since Owen's asleep I let my eyes study him. He has one arm under his head while the other is lying across his stomach.
His blanket is pulled down to his waist and his shirt is scrunched up to reveal his stomach that's covered in muscles.
So not fair.
After I finish staring at his abs my eyes slowly move up his body to his face where I find him smirking. "Enjoying the view?"
I roll my eyes as he props himself up on his arm. "It's kind of gross to wake up and find you checking me out."
I take one of the pillows between us and throw it at his face, "I was not checking you out."
He smiles, "Just admit it, you think I'm hot."
I dry heave and I hear him scoff. When I look up, he is standing beside his bed. "Come on, get up we've got shit to do," Owen says dryly.
I glare at him, and he simply walks out of his room with his hair sticking up in every direction.
~~~
Owen
"So, we're going to a pastor to see if he can tell what I am?" Lainey asks me, as I pass a car that's going to slow.
I sigh, "Yes, we have gone over this twice."
After a lot of research, I still have no idea what Lainey is or what may have happened to her.
My last option is to take her to a priest. My mom's friend is a priest, so he agreed to see me, or in our case us.
"He's not a pastor, he's a priest," I add.
Lainey rolls her eyes. "Not like I would get the chance to call him a pastor since he can't see me."
I don't respond.
Once we arrive Lainey follows me into the chapel. When got inside Father Gary greeted me and we followed him back into his office.
The whole time I keep an eye on Lainey to make sure she doesn't disappear.
We're in a church and she could be a soul/ghost/spirit thing walking around, and I don't know what may be lurking around in here.
Father Gary closes the door, and I take a seat in front of his desk; Lainey leans against the wall beside me.
"So, what brings you in today, Owen?" Father Gary asks.
I take a deep breath, "I can see a person that is supposed to be in a coma and lying in a hospital bed."
He simply stares at me and I continue, "I'm the only person that can see her. It's like she's invisible to everyone but me."
He nods his head as if I didn't just say the most outlandish crap that ever existed.
"Is she here with you?" Father Gary asks.
I nod and point over my shoulder to where Lainey is. Lainey scoffs, "He probably thinks you're insane."
"You know I'm trying to help you so maybe you could be a little nicer," I throw over my shoulder.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lainey stick her tongue out at me, but before I can say a crude remark Father Gary interrupts me. "Were you talking to it?"
"It!" Lainey wails, "I'm not some fucking demon, I'm a real person."
I cover my laugh, "Yes, and she didn't like you calling her it."
Father Gary smiles, "Tell her I am sorry, I didn't catch her name."
"Does he think I can't fucking hear him?" Lainey snaps.
I take a shaky breath to keep from laughing, "Her name is Lainey and I don't have to translate for you she can hear you."
Father Gary nods, "I am sensing a strong energy."
I scoff and I notice Lainey close her fist, most likely refraining from flipping me the bird.
"Can you touch her?" Father Gary asks.
"Unfortunately," I mutter.
"So you can have a conversation with her as if she's here, but no one else can see or hear her," He asks.
I nod. "Interesting," Father Gary hums. "Can she pick up things?"
I glance at Lainey and she pushes off the wall and picks a pen up from his desk.
For me, it moves, but from the frown Father Gary wears he must not see it. "She just picked up your pen," I say.
"Is she beside me," Father Gary asks.
I nod as Lainey flips the pen in her fingers.
"I can sense her. I can't explain what I'm sensing, but it's something," Father Gary whispers.
Lainey sets the pen down and touches her fingers to his arm. "She's touching my arm isn't she?." Father Gary says.
I nod and she moves back to the wall. "I felt a tingle when she touched my arm. But I had to focus to notice them," Father Gary says as if he's talking to himself.
"She swears up and down she is not a ghost, but if she's not then I don't know what she is," I say to break the silence.
"I just don't understand why out of all people I am the only one who can see her," I add.
"Did you know her before this happened?" He asks.
"Yes, we go to the same school."
"Maybe Lainey isn't a ghost, maybe you're seeing her spirit. To you and her she's here as if she's alive, but to everyone else, she's in a coma. Or maybe she's stuck in between here and the afterlife," Father Gary suggests.
"I'm not saying she's a ghost because I don't sense a ghostly present, but more of an energy of some sort," He adds.
I sigh, "So what do I do to get her back to normal?"
Father Gary shrugs, "That's up to her, the universe is a funny place. Maybe there's a reason you're the only person that can see her or maybe not. Maybe it was purely by accident."
"So, there's nothing we can do for me to go back to normal," Lainey whispers.
Despite my loathing, despite how much she gets on my everlasting nerves it hurts to hear her that upset. "So there's nothing we can do?" I ask again.
"In my experience, nothing just happens, there's always a reason. Maybe you don't know it or you just don't want to acknowledge it, but there's a reason you're the only person that can see her. You just have to figure out why."
I nod even though I think what he just said is a load of crap. Lainey and I are sworn enemies, we're destined to hate each other.
I think the universe either messed up or I was a horrible person in my last life.
As always please leave your thoughts and opinions!!