Chapter.15- The Ghost From My Past

Fifteen: The Ghost From My Past.

CALEB'S POV

"I was hoping I could see you again... I wanted to see your eyes to confirm something. Eyes that remind me of someone I used to know, someone whose eyes... had no warmth."

Cruel words, I know!

I wanted to say those words, but I held back.

Her eyes were warm, yet they'd turn cold and cruel towards me. I'd wanted my words to cut her deep just as they did me when I'd deliberately spat those words. I'd felt like punching myself in the face. And the look of genuine surprise and hurt when I'd told her that made me regret them later. And something about her response unsettled me.

Then maybe we should both go our separate ways!

I wasn't expecting that. Those callous words echoed loudly in my ears that I just couldn't seem to get them off my mind.

It's funny how loud and raucous the crowd was here with their chants and I could feel the tremor of people jumping and going rowdy above me. Yet, I could still hear her voice, those words ringing loudly in my ears. I was sat on the bench, knees bouncing up and down, thumbs twiddling in anticipation as the game would kick-off in five minutes.

I ran my fingers through my hair and looked up to see Lucas making his way over to me with an all too knowing look. The lads were shaking off nerves and couldn't wait to get on the field. We had a game at the Stade de Genève, in Geneva, Switzerland, for the pre-season friendlies.

We were going to compete against the Olympique Lyonnais or simply known as Lyon. I sighed and tightened my cleats and shin pads. It'd been two days since that encounter and what went down bothered me a lot.

Luke lowered on the bench beside me, he set his sipper down. "You all right, mate? You seem a bit distracted." A look of concern crossed his face, and an all too knowing look etched.

I nodded my head. "I'm alright." I flexed my fingers.

He didn't look convinced. "Don't let it bother you, give her some time to ponder on her actions and she'll come around. I think what's best now is to take her advice, don't cross paths with her and avoid her, and if I know her as I do then she'll feel remorse and apologise. Don't let that distract you today." He squeezed my shoulders and stood up when they said it was time to get on the field.

I didn't utter a word and nodded, a look of understanding passed between us and I stood up as well. It was time.

I felt a surge of excitement course through me when we huddled together and said our chant. We made our way towards the field with mascots of our own, they were all children. I'd held a little boy's hand and he looked up with a shy smile.

"What's your name?" I asked him with a smile.

"David Müller," he replied meekly.

"Do you like football?"

His ice-blue eyes widened and he nodded his head with excitement. "I do and I want people to cheer for me like that one day," he spoke, his accent heavy with every word he uttered.

"You will," I assured him. Then looked forward as we made our way to the field and lined up.

I could hear the crowd's deafening screams get louder each passing second. Our team won the toss and the game began. Adrenaline pumped through my body and I felt so alive as the whistle cut through the air. I couldn't wait to get the ball, because the only way I could take out my frustration and let some steam was through football. And that's what I did.

Time to kick some Lyon derrière!

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

Did I take things too far?

I pondered as I turned off the shower and stepped out of the steamy glass enclosure whilst wrapping a towel around my waist. Water dripped down from the sides of my face, creeping down my neck and slid off my back seeping into the towel.

Of course not! Did you forget what she did to you? My subconscious taunted me.

I was stood in front of the mirror and swiped my hand across the foggy mirror, a squeaking noise followed the action as my hand slid across the mirror. It'd been exactly seven days since that incident took place and I haven't crossed paths with Harper. We did make eye contact once briefly and she looked like she wanted to say something but I'd turned around and left not wanting another fight.

As I stared, I saw a reflection of my younger self staring back at me with disappointment.

She deserves this, she used to make your life a living hell! My younger self disputed.

But I was the one who started it! I closed my eyes and reasoned. She wouldn't have if I didn't start it. Maybe... maybe she's changed? I placed my palms against the cold sink, my body leant forward.

Do you even hear yourself? She hasn't changed! She even tried to hit you back at the hotel!

My younger version said with incredulity and added: And if she's changed I'll make her pay for whatever she did to me. She made me follow her around, stole my jelly babies, even beat me to a pulp when I refused to share some, made me piss my pants, and even made those other kids bully me resulting in fracturing my arm. I am a man, and do you know how humiliating it is to get bullied by a girl? The young boy sneered.

I looked intently at the mirror and cracked a smile. "Stop being dramatic! You're only a man when I tell you you're a man!" I recalled Harper's words, the way her eyes lit up like those same bonfires when we were kids.

Yes, she did, but none of those things seem like they matter now. I only got her all riled up because my ego and pride were bruised, and like she said, I need to grow up. That was all in the past and besides she did save me from those ruthless children, if it weren't for her I would've been hurt more. I defended.

Why do you speak for her? That was her fault as well! My younger self shook its head.

Yes, but she made sure I wasn't lonely. Maybe we should just give her another chance and start over?

The little boy was quiet, he wavered a bit as he pondered my statement.

Speaking of that... you're not entirely wrong, she wasn't that bad, she did encourage me to play football, taught me how to fight, made me feel confident, and stand up for myself. If it weren't for her then I never would've loved the sport. The young boy relented and concurred staring right back at me.

I smiled a fraction. Indeed, even though she's always exhibited abysmal skills at the sport, she always did encourage me to play football, I found solace in that, I came to love the game, it was as if the ball and I were one. She made me passionate for the game and said that I had great potential and would become a champion.

And I'd believed her every time I played. Whenever I needed inspiration I'd always remember her words. Her words gave me strength.

I suppose you aren't wrong, maybe we should give her a chance. The boy agreed and smiled, and I looked back to see myself smiling in the mirror.

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

Harper's always had confidence enough for three people and she was a good influence on me. I was always envious of her as a child. She could easily converse and make friends, she was so brave and I'd always wished I was that confident and brave.

I'd parked my car and walked to the place where it all began. There was this massive old worn out sign that read: NO TRESPASSING! KEEP AWAY!

Memories opened like the floodgates and resurfaced in my mind's eye as I walked through the flower field. Laughter of children running around, the flower field, flashes of faces that are now vague, sunshine and water flowing in a quiet stream. They played like a beautiful stop motion picture. Flashes of a young Harper kicking a ball and tripping over it and falling on her bottom, my younger self enjoying her predicament; trying my best not to laugh at her, passing around a packet of jelly babies then fighting over Bubbles, Boofuls, and Bigheart. Then she'd tell me that she wanted to be like Angelina the Ballerina when she grew up.

I exhaled as I was stood in front of the old decrepit Chesterton House. It was a manorial house, now covered in green moss and ivy creepers, the outside was a dilapidated structure with visible cracks that resembled lightning that appeared in the sky, but it was still imposing in stature.

I was here to face the ghost from the past!

When I say ghost, I mean literally!

My chest tightened at the nostalgic memories. I turned to my left to look at the second-floor window and I could have sworn I saw a shadow zap there.

Was that her? The woman who had...?

Only one way to find out!

I righted myself and inhaled as a cold wind blew past me. And before I knew it my feet moved on it's own accord and I'd already stepped inside the mansion. The door creaked so high, a groaning sound, like a rusty gate swinging shut behind me.

"Hello! 'Tis I!" I greeted to no one particular.

"Helloooo? 'Tis I!" A feminine voice in the distance responded. The hair on my neck stood up. "Harry? Where are you?" It called out again.

An eerie feeling and sense of foreboding came upon me. A feeling of being watched made my senses hyper-aware, I felt the same icy fear I felt when I was here the first time. But I wasn't going to run away screaming as I'd done then. With my resolve firm, I stepped further inside the abandoned mansion, a rancid smell enveloped around me, the house looked like it was straight out of a horror movie: broken glass windows, streams of sunlight peering in with a spectrum of dust particles visible to the naked eye, cobwebs decorated every nook and corner, it was cold and dark.

The white statues were worn and broken, a weathered look on them, paintings had layers of dust on them and water dripped from the cracks on the ceiling. I heard a door shut close from the other side and faltered.

I followed the sound and heard a rustling noise behind me, I froze and turned to my left to see a curtain that was torn and laying on the floor, there was movement under it, I took a deep breath and approached it squatted down and lifted the dusty material and in a flash jumped a blurred black figure. I jumped back and accidentally knocked down a statue, it fell on the ground with a crash. Thankfully it was a mouse, it squeaked and hid under the staircase.

I took a moment to calm myself down, but then I heard heavy footsteps receding and felt my heart race.

Please don't be that pale young woman with dark hair and green eyes! I prayed.

As I delved further into the house, I looked around and stopped in front of the sweeping staircase, that led to countless rooms. And also the room where I'd seen her. I lifted my feet to ascend the staircase but then heard a woman hum softly. I turned around and stiffened when something caught my eye.

"Shit!" I cursed as I tripped over a wooden plank when I'd hastily turned away from the staircase and moved towards the writing on the window:

Welcome back!

It was written in neat cursive letters, a smiley next to it was drawn on the layers of dirt. Then my gaze slid to the next window and another neat cursive was visible, the person had nice calligraphy if I am being genuinely honest.

I've been waiting for you for a very long time.

I stiffened. "What the fuck?" My body tensed at the memories that flashed before my eyes.

I walked towards the window and examined the writing on it. I felt a chill slither across my spine because I was pretty sure I didn't see that a few minutes ago, as I made my way further into the house, there were writings on the ground floor windows.

Help, he's going to kill me! And next to it a handprint was left as if they'd be dragged away.

Follow me to the maze! That's the only way you can escape.

I heard the rattling of a doorknob, I picked up the wooden plank just in case and stood up and walked towards the source of noise, I went through a set of doors, one led to the huge dining table that was now in ruins, there was no one there, so then went to the kitchen, it had water on the floor, I carefully stepped over it to not ruin my white daps, and saw wet footsteps that led to the garden outside and followed it.

I was a tad scared, not of the ghost but what if a serial killer was luring me to my death?

I took a brave step forward and stepped out into the garden, it was vast, you could see the maze, hear a crow cawing and it was a tad misty. I descended the stone steps, that were decorated with broken figures at the end of each balustrade.

My feet firmly planted onto the damp overgrown grass. Looking around, I saw a flash of dark hair pass by and disappear off into the maze, I squinted my eyes and bit my lip contemplating whether I should follow them or turn back around and leave.

I counted to three. 1... 2... 3...

I threw caution to the wind and walked towards the entrance of the maze, thick brown vines appeared out of it, I still held the wooden plank tightly in my hand just in case I had to swing it across someone.

The maze was huge, dark and secretive. Apprehension built in the pit of my stomach as I stepped further and began my trek, I took out my phone and checked to see if I could make an emergency call, and thankfully I had signal.

So far so good, I thought.

I walked and took a turn around the corner and there was a deviation on both my right and left, I chose the right and walked further, I realised I was lost. I turned around, the tall hedges looked like it was closing in on me and would swallow me whole, thick brown vines shot out everywhere, I decided to go back and this time take the path on the left side. I stiffened when I heard the rustling of leaves and crunching of a twig.

I turned around and there was that soft humming again, I took a step back , bracing myself, as I felt footsteps approaching. It got closer and closer until it became quiet and could hear my own breathing, I lifted the wooden plank ready to swing at whoever was coming at me.

I backed away slowly with anticipation as my body kicked to flight or fight mode, but I stilled as my back made contact with something, it couldn't be a hedge or a wall.

It was human?

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Turning around, I jumped back and fell on my bottom, dropping the weapon in the process as I stared in horror. "Fucking hell!"

A sinister smile etched on to their face.

_______________________

OOOOOOHHH what/ who do you think that is??? Could it be a ghost? Should we be worried that he's in danger? And did you all like this chappie in Caleb's POV? And the revelation and flashbacks to his childhood?

I hope this makes sense. Hope you enjoy it! Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Please comment, so that I'll know how it was. If you liked it then, please vote.

Have a lovely weekend! xx