"Allie, pass the popcorn, please!" I reached a hand, opening and closing my fingers.
"You've eaten half the bowl, already," she pouted, holding it close.
"Ladies, ladies," Cat placated, "There's more popcorn to be made."
The upbeat pop song and end-credits to Mean Girls rolled across the television in the Romero-family basement. The lot of us sat opposing it, camped on an assortment of blankets over the sofa.
"No, no," Allie argued. "Hold off. I'm bargaining for info; I want to know what's going on with you and Leo!"
"Leo? Do you mean Mason?"
"That too," Allie nodded, her face serious, "But Anthony said he saw you and Leo at the Palazzo and it looked pretty intense."
"I congratulated him on his engagement," I said simply.
Allie scowled, "Anthony said Leo was trying to ask you to dance."
"He was trying to annoy Mason. Thought I'd like to be in it, that's all."
"How'd Mason take it?" Cat wondered.
"I didn't go through with it," I said indignantly, "Why do you ask?"
"I've never seen a cold shoulder like the one you've been giving Mason..."
I winced.
It was one thing for highly observant vampires to notice my disdain, but for humans to notice was unacceptable. I hadn't avoided Mason, though. I'd let him sit next to me in the classes we shared, but I'd ignored his presence like an annoying sibling. His human tics betrayed irritation: finger and toe tapping, ruffling his own fiery locks, searing sideways glances at me... I hadn't given in.
But I also didn't known what to do.
I'd confirmed the well-being of the mauling victim in the hospital last night. Or, at the very least, I'd confirmed she hadn't been further injured by the vampire doctor. Judging by her lack of consciousness and the multitude of stitches, however, she might not be long for the world. Other than doing that, I was outnumbered. I couldn't take down the coven on my own.
More importantly, I wasn't sure it was a good idea anymore.
"Mason's... odd," I shrugged finally. "I don't know what to make of him."
"There's no spark?" Allie wondered.
"Spark..." I echoed, frowning, "Mason is handsome, I guess. But he'll say things that just irritate me. Like he thinks he knows better than me or something."
Putting my chin on my palm, I huffed a sigh.
"Mason's the smartest of his family," Cat explained, picking at the blanket in front of her, "I mean, he gave Allie a run for valedictorian, but he's also an introvert. Like me.
"Sometimes us introverts, we just don't speak up unless we think its important. And we can get real passionate when that happens, sorry, but maybe it's that. Maybe he doesn't mean to sound like he knows better. Maybe you just get him talking."
"Mmm..." I hummed doubtfully.
"I'm serious," Cat protested, "He seems like someone who doesn't talk unless he really wants to or..."
Cat's eyes lit up behind her glasses.
"...he's found someone worth talking to."
"It's gotta be," Allie agreed, "He's given you the look, he always runs his fingers through his hair when he's around you, and he sits next to you during class instead of next to his other friends."
I frowned. Could the vampire be genuinely interested?
I'd caught his scent around my property again yesterday morning. That indicated hunting obsession rather than genuine affection. Leo's intrusion at the Palazzo indicated the same.
They were vying for my blood.
And yet, they could've done far more to that end. There were plenty of times I'd been alone - driving on back roads, walking to and from class, using the restroom - any of those were opportunities to steal prey. It was too confusing. I needed more information before deciding on what to do. That, and more time away from the subject entirely.
"Enough about me," I waved a hand, "I want to hear about Trevor."
I raised my eyebrows expectantly at Allie and she withered.
"I've been hinting."
"Ah," I shook my head, "But no asking?"
"I don't want to go out with a guy who doesn't have the balls to ask me, you know?"
"You made an exception for Mason," Cat reminded her.
"Well, that's because he's gorgeous. His cheekbones could cut diamond. And something about his mouth, his smile, and the way he talks, when he does talk, makes you wonder what else he can do-"
"Allie," Cat protested as I covered my giggles with a hand.
"I'm not sorry!" she laughed, then bounced to her feet, her auburn curls swaying. Her eyes glittered with mischief, "I say we divine information about our love lives..."
She wiggled her fingers as she stepped and reached for her backpack. From within, she swept something out that was black and folded in quarters.
"...through a seance."
I frowned, narrowing my eyes.
"No!" Cat's eyes widened with horror.
"Aw, c'mon, why?"
Allie sat back down and shoved the excess pillows away from an even patch of hardwood floor. She began unquartering the board.
"Porque no!" Cat hissed, glancing up the stairs of the split-level home, "I can't believe you brought that thing into my house!"
"Oh, you don't mean this little, 'ol Ouija board," Allie smirked, setting out the planchet.
"We've gotta be careful," I chastised, but ran my fingers over it.
By the way the board folded, it appeared to be mass-produced. Less potent. And within a cookie-cutter suburban house, we'd be guaranteed to talk with empty air. I'd have to tamper with the game a little bit to make it fun.
I smirked to myself, then watched Cat scoot away.
Or maybe not...
"Where'd you get this?" I asked.
Allie's brown eyes glittered with excitement, "Supposedly it's from the seventies - passed down the Brown family-line for generations."
That's, like, two generations; max," Cat snipped, trying and failing to muster sarcasm.
"Oh hush."
"I can guide the seance," I offered, "I'll keep you both safe."
"From my mother too?" Cat laughed dryly, " If she finds out we did this in her house-"
"What happens at girl's sleepover, stays at girls' sleepover," Allie announced, collecting various yankee candles and dumping them before us.
"We're really going to light Pumpkin-Spice, Summer-Tangerine, and Ocean-Balsam all at once?" I laughed, "They'll smell like vomit altogether."
"Ay, dios mio!" Cat huffed, stealing the Tangerine scent, "The other two should be fine."
"We wouldn't want to be nauseous and be dealing with a poltergeist at the same time."
"Callete!" Cat pointed a severe finger at me.
"Lo siento," I chuckled, raising my hands in surrender.
"Alrighty, then," Allie said, waving at me, "Go on then, witchcraft expert."
"Do you have any dried sage, Cat?"
Cat complied immediately, scampering up the stairs on the very balls of her feet. Sage wasn't my preferred incense to burn, but it was more mainstream and equally as effective. Cat wasn't likely to have frankincense or terebinth.
"Woah, wait really?" Allie asked, "I haven't used any of that before."
I shrugged, "Better safe than sorry."
"So you really believe this stuff?" she insisted.
"With some salt," I smiled reservedly. The top of the split-level stairs creaked as Cat returned, padding lightly. "You?"
"I think it's fun!"
"Careful now," I teased, "Humans aren't the only mischievous creatures out there."
"Sara," Cat passed me a sprig of dried sage from her family's spice cabinet.
It lit eagerly, singing the air with sweet herb-smell.
"Tell us what's next, Witch!" Allie ordered.
Smirking, I dramatically swirled my hands in the air above the candles, making them whirl and buck in the drafts.
"We must meditate on good thoughts," I instructed solemnly, finally bringing my hands up to my temples with a dramatic flourish, "Imagine yourself -
"Enveloped in a warm white light!" Allie finished eagerly and I hummed my agreement.
"We must realize that we are about to embark on a journey of helping others, be willing to exercise patience, and practice acceptance of those that may not be ready to accept our help."
Allie nodded excitedly. Cat breathed deeply in through her flared nostrils, then out in an 'o' through her plump, pursed lips.
"Are we ready?" I asked the circle.
"Yes!" Allie exclaimed.
"Don't we need to banish negativity?" Cat asked, picking at her nails worriedly.
"No," I shook my head, "Ghosts were once human. Just because they've passed on doesn't mean it's suddenly wrong for them to have negative emotions."
"I guess that's fair..."
I smiled, "Now are we ready?"
"Yes," the pair said in unison and Allie ran to flick the light switch.
We plunged into flickered-yellow darkness. All room-edges disappeared from sight. Only the ouija board in front of us and the flat planes of each face were visible in the dancing light of the candles. Wordlessly each of us put a finger onto the planchet and, in unison, pushed it over to 'Hello'. We waited, silent, our faces dynamic even in stillness; the flickering shadows made our features dance.
"Now what?" Cat whispered.
"I can go over some of the usual questions," I shrugged.
Allie was sober now, consumed by the atmosphere, and only managed to shake her head.
I took over, "Hello ghostly travelers. We come to you tonight to foster conversation so that we might learn a bit about each other. If any of you out there wishes to talk, please begin by spelling your name."
My voice tapered to silence. Then my eyebrows raised. Near immediately, the triangular planchet began to drift under our fingers. How unusual. It seemed we truly had a ghost.
"M..." I echoed as it rested on the letters, "A... R...G...R...E...T. Margret? That sounds familiar."
I frowned. Very familiar. The name's importance pulsed like a headache.
"The only Margret I know is my grandmother, but she's alive," Allie breathed, awestruck but baffled, "You know, I don't think I've ever gotten more than three letters that made sense before. Er, Margret, how are you feeling?"
We sat patiently as the planchet magnified a few more letters.
"Sad?" Cat repeated, troubled.
"Can we ask her to answer why she's sad in one word?" Allie asked.
"I've made that mistake before," I chuckled bitterly, "They usually answer with the word 'dead'."
Suddenly, I blinked as the name registered in my mind. A little gasp sucked through my lips.
"Sara?" Cat pleaded.
"Oh," I mumbled, lips bowing in a frown, "I think I know who this is. Margret is the name of the woman who was mauled and left in critical condition. She must have passed..."
The planchet drifted to 'yes'.
"Woah," Allie mumbled, "We're pretty far from the hospital, though, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are," I mumbled, eyes narrowed.
"They said it was a bear," Cat murmured, "That's awful, I'm so sorry Margret."
Suddenly, the planchet became animated.
It swerved vehemently onto 'no', backed away, then jerked back on over and over again.
'No, no, no, no, no...'
I shivered, "Stay calm, Margret, we'll work through this."
The faces of my companions had gone completely pale in the candlelight.
Cat's eyes started to brim with tears, "This is freaky."
"Yeah, this isn't fun anymore," Allie seconded and I looked from one to the other.
"She needs help," I pleaded.
"Well, she's freaking me out."
Allie's breath puffed out in front of her when she spoke. I wasn't the only one to notice it.
Cat whimpered, hand trembling on the planchet.
I pursed my lips and scanned the room, my low-light vision aiding me in searching the corners. As I scanned from the far edge of the bookshelf to the cracked-open utility closet, and, finally, to the base of the stairs, I saw her.
Hair matted, eyes obscured, and her half-naked corpse drenched in blood she stood resolute. Her face, downward tilted toward the ouija board, appeared intact enough to be identified as middle-aged, but the severe angle at which her head sat on her neck -
"It's alright," I said softly, speaking to everyone gathered, "We just need to stay calm."
"What we need to do is say 'Goodbye'," Allie insisted sharply.
"Shutting the door on an agitated ghost is a recipe for trouble," I insisted, keeping a watchful eye on Margret, "She needs to know that we won't let her death go unresolved."
"No way, just-!"
Margret lifted her head.
"Dios Mio!"
I glanced sideways and saw that Cat's gaze had followed mine.
"Let's just say 'Goodbye', please!" Allie pleaded, voice thick with tears.
"I won't let it go unresolved," I insisted, looking back to where Margret stood, slumped on herself, head on a tilt. She'd been mauled, yes, but there was more to it than that. There had been a certain care in the way she'd been mutilated: as if the injuries had been fabricated to merely look like animals' claws and teeth. Guilt knotted my gut. "Don't worry, Margret, I'll-"
Suddenly, the planchet jerked beneath my fingers again and I snapped my gaze down. Allie had forced a goodbye.