Beyond - Volume 1 (YA Paranormal Romance) (2 page)

“Come on, let’s try,” Lillian says.

Simon rolls his eyes at the board, and his brows are furrowed. The freckles on his cheeks complement his face, and I find it very hard not to keep staring into his dark green eyes. “Right …” he says.

Lillian throws him a dirty look, as if he isn’t allowed to dislike the entire idea. Simon laughs it off, after which Lillian continues the preparations. It’s as if no one dares to go against her.

“Let’s sit on the floor.” Lillian throws a couple of pillows in front of the coffee table where she put the board. We move off the couch and take a seat on the pillows.

“Listen up. This wooden thing is called a
planchette.” She holds up the arrow. “It’s used to talk to ghosts. Put your fingers on it.”

“Okay
,” I say while forcing a smile. With hesitance I place my finger on the arrow.

“I’m going to ask one question and then we’ll wait for an answer. All right?” Lillian looks at us one by one, as if she’s seeking confirmation.
She’s squirming in her seat. It’s almost frightening seeing how happy she appears right now. I look around. Emma’s nodding and Simon’s eyes scout the entire place, except the Ouija board. Nobody seems excited. At least I’m not the only one.

“You’re not scared, are you?” Lillian asks.

“Of course not,” Simon replies. He blows some air out of his mouth. “This is easy.” But from the corner of my eye I can see Emma’s eyes flickering at the board.

“So, are you guys ready? Let’s begin.” Lillian is wobbling out of enthusiasm.

All the fingers are ready on the wooden arrow which lies in the middle of the board.

“Is there anyone in this room?” Lillian asks with her eyes closed. I
squeeze my lips together to prevent accidental laughter from spilling out.

“I
s there someone in this room?” she repeats. To my surprise, the arrow jerks up and down. I hold my breath. Maybe it’s possible there are in fact ghosts around us.

“Who’s doing this? Is this you?” Lillian asks me. I shake my head and look at Emma’s and Simon’s faces that look more pan
icky as the arrow moves a bit sideways.

“
What’s your name?” Lillian asks. The arrow starts moving again. This time it darts toward some letters.

“S,” Lillian says. The arrow travels
from letter to letter, and I start to feel queasy. This can’t be real, can it?

“A.”

Is it true? Is a real ghost pushing that pointer? The wooden arrow feels as light as a feather under my fingertip.

“M,” says Lillian. The arrow comes to a stop. “So your name is Sam?” The arrow starts moving again and ends up right upon the word ‘YES’.

At the same time I feel a shock going through my fingers. It travels up to my head and causes an intense headache. I take my fingers off the arrow and push my hands against my forehead. My brain feels like it’s boiling, like my head is going to explode.

“Raven? Raven? Are you okay
?” Emma says. Then everything goes black in front of my eyes.

***

I lie between shadows, lost in a gloomy endless waste that stretches out before me. The shadows resemble real people, but when I look closer, they aren’t. They’re just shadows. Like clouds they float past me. They don’t look at me.

Where am I, exactly?

I try to push myself up, but I can't. I can't move a muscle. I can't even remember where I was before I came to this shadowed place. Is this a dream, or another delusion? I dissipate at a slow rate, away from the colorless, gray world. The shadows disappear from my sight, until there is only nothingness left. There is nothing here. No trees, no houses, no sun nor a sky. Only a vast, white land, an empty space filled with loneliness.

“Raven … ” My name
echoes in the distance. It comes in through one ear and out the other. The sound is all around me. “Raven.” The calling is much louder now … and is closing in.

“Raven!”

I’m pulled back into reality and expect to see my mom there, standing beside my bed, trying to wake me up. Her concerned smile, her warm hands on my skin.

But it’s not her. This isn’t my mom. I’d recognize her voice anywhere
, and this is not her. This is Lillian.

I
crack my eyelids open with caution and catch a glimpse of light. My head is still throbbing, though not as much as before. I can’t see much yet, but I’m on the floor.

Someone pulls my arms
, and another pushes below my back. They place something soft behind my back so I can sit up straight. My whole body aches.

“You lost consciousness,” Emma says. Her voice sounds close and she puts a wet towel on my head. Encouraged by the oth
ers, I force my eyes open more.

So I truly am at that party and we did use
a Ouija board.
Wait … the Ouija board!

I rub my eyes and ga
pe at the board.
No, this isn’t real. I’m still dreaming. I’m not awake at all. What I’m seeing now can’t be true.

In front of the table is a man, black mist surrounding him.

“Who …” I mumble. I can’t pronounce the words. My throat is dry, and my vocal cords feel tight. In front of the Ouija board is a ghostly figure with a blurry, black glow around him. His body is an outlining of a human figure, the inside a black current of sweltering fog. I can see right through him. On his face is a sinister smile. He’s staring at me.

“Who is that?” I scream. The girls look at me with raised eyebrows. My hand shakes as I point at the smoky man who’s touching the Ouija board.

“Who? What are you talking about?” Simon asks as he puts a finger underneath my chin.

A cold shiver runs alo
ng my spine as I realize what’s going on. This is impossible. I’ve never had such powerful hallucinations. There’s a phantom-like human near us, and the people around me don’t see him.

As my heart is thumping in my throat, m
y muscles start working, because I can push myself up from the floor. The wet towel falls off my head as I look at the figure one last time. He doesn’t say anything, but creeps toward me, floating. This has to be another delusion, but not one I will soon forget. This hallucination moved the Ouija arrow.

“What are you doing? You just fainted!” Lillian says.

“I have to go,” I say. “Sorry.”

I can’t explain this. I turn around and run out of the room.
This is impossible.
Nobody will believe me.

I grab my coat and bag as quick as I can and don’t even make an effort to put my coat on. I have to get out of here.

My heart is pounding in my chest at the thought of the shade. He comes at me. As I leave, the rippling fumes cover the room behind me.

I pull the door open and run outside to fetch my mountain bike. Something tells me I won’t be able to escape this. This humanlike figure that I saw standing in front of the Ouija board will haunt my mind
; I’m sure of it. He touched the Ouija board and moved the arrow. It wasn’t a figment of my imagination. It was Sam.

Never
before have I felt such fear, suffocating and unrelenting. If my heart continues to beat the way it is, I might die. My hallucinations have never taken the form of a humanlike figure before. Just thinking about the smoke he emitted makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Th
e only things I’ve ever seen were items being moved around or floating lights, which made people think I was nuts. But just now, at the party, I saw a real shady figure, and he moved the wooden arrow.

I
pedal as fast as I can. I can’t look back, because I’m afraid I might see something that will make my heart stop. I have to get out of here.

Simon and Emma are yelling at me from Lillian’s home, but I’m not listening to what they’re saying. I just tell myself that everything has been a fantasy, even
though it still bothers me. Hallucinations should only affect me, not my surroundings. They’re not supposed to be able to touch a Ouija board.

Calm down, Raven.
Maybe my pills will work.

I pull the brakes
and come to a stop so quick that I have to put both feet on the ground so I don’t fall over. I grab my bag and rummage through it, looking for the bottle. The pills that reduce the intensity of my hallucinations should be in there. My mom always makes me take them along wherever I go.

But they’re not in my bag. How could I have forgotten them? How could I have been so stupid? In my
haste to get to the party I must’ve forgotten to pack them. What do I do without my meds?

I throw my bag on the
ground and exhale a few times before picking it up again. I snort and brush away the sweat from my forehead. Well, nothing I can do about it now. I’ll have to get home as quick as I can.

I
hop on my mountain bike again and force myself to pedal.
It isn’t real. My head is playing tricks. I’m me, not my delusions.

T
hey’re all fake.

I bike across the road
and swallow a couple of times. Maybe the anxiety will go away then. I check my surroundings to assure myself that everything I see is beyond a doubt there and not all in my head.

T
hen I see them, a group of figures in the cemetery.

Only t
hey aren’t just figures. Shadows are watching me.

Their faces are smooth and unwavering
. Their eyes are hollow. Surrounding them is a black and white mist-like fog. The people all look different, but with one similarity; I can see right through them.

I shriek and
peddle as hard as my feet will allow me, past the cemetery. I’m going nuts. I see things that aren’t really there. Delusions that are so terrifying I feel like I’m going to faint again.
This isn’t real. It can´t be!
I’m trying to convince myself.

Tears roll down
my face, and my lungs burn. The warmth of my overheated body makes my soaking wet clothes prickle against my skin. I’m heaving, totally out of breath.

In the forest
beside me, I spot the shades again. They’re everywhere. At least, I think, but they don’t look like just shadows anymore. They look like real people.

Am I hallucinating ab
out ghosts? Their black and white glow is as clear as daylight in the darkness.  The lampposts light the cement path. At first I think the entities are staring into nothing, but then they chase after me.

I
bike even harder, but my thighs burn. I’m already past my limit. I steal a glimpse, and the floating ghosts are still following me, floating.

“Stop! Stop it!” I
scream and close my eyes, hoping they will disappear, but when I open them again they’re still there.

O
ne of the ghosts drifts closer. It moves so fast, I’m unable to spot it until it’s in my face with its mouth open.

I shriek and flap my hands
, hoping to push the attacker away, but it doesn’t work. It’s already gone. The shadow went right through me.

I’m wobbling so much
I lose my balance and fall off my bike. My head hits the asphalt, surging burning pain to the side of my skull. I’m dizzy, and everything around me fades to black.

***

When I wake up, I have no idea how long I’ve been lying here. My head is thumping, and when I open my eyes, nothing happens. Everything is sore. Pain shoots through my arms and legs, and my heart is throbbing in my throat. Something heavy is on top of me.

I
try to open my eyes a second time, only managing a little. Specks of dust float around me. I touch the back of my head. It feels wet. Startled, I pull my hand back and bring it close to my eyes.
Blood!

I want to cry out for help
because I can’t get myself up. I can’t see straight, and I’m still dizzy. And those ghosts … they paralyze me.

I peek around, but
the street is empty, illuminated by a single lamppost.

In the distance
, vague noises of a motorcycle draw near. Is this a delusion again? Or will someone really pass by? Maybe I can call for help. I want to believe it, but after all I’ve been through tonight, everything feels like a lie.

The glimmering
shades start floating around me again. Their images are vague, but they still give me chills.

The motorcycle
nears, reducing in speed.
This can’t be all in my head, can it? It sounds so real. I can’t tell how far away it is. Did the person on it spot me?

Th
e grumbling sound stops, and the weight of the mountain bike lifts off me. The motorcycle becomes clearer. Its red shimmer makes me squint. A guy in a black leather suit stands before me.

He lifts me with warm, firm hands. The scent of leather enwraps me.