Slash (Novella I) (9 page)

Sidnee stepped outside. “Actually, I think I’ll try another neighbor next time.”

Rose sneered at Sidnee and slammed the door in her face. Sidnee could only laugh at the woman’s attitude as she started across the street. She didn’t dare go back into her own home alone, taking a seat on the curb. Bravo arrived and stepped from his vehicle, wearing pajama bottoms, sneakers and a gray long-sleeved shirt.

He walked up to Sidnee. “Why are you sitting out here?”

She stood from the curb. “My neighbor needed her beauty sleep. Hopefully it improves her beauty on the inside.”

Bravo faced Sidnee’s home. “So, what’s really wrong?”

She rested her hands on her hips. “It’s perfect on the outside, insane on the inside.”

Bravo started towards the house. “I guess we should go have a look inside.”

Sidnee grabbed onto his arm. “I’m not a damsel in distress.”

He laughed. “No, you’re just freaked the fuck out.”

“
Exactly.”

Bravo cautiously pushed the already opened door of the home and entered first. Sidnee’s grip on his arm tightened the further he made his way into her home. She peeked into the kitchen to notice the wires no longer hung from the ceiling. She stomped down against the floor, its boards not reacting.

“
Nothing seems really wrong,” Bravo said.

“
I was attacked by floorboards, the kitchen drawer and wires from the ceiling.”

“
I won’t argue with you. I know mad things exist in this world. I believe you.”

“
A repair man can’t fix this.” Sidnee sat on the stairs. “I don’t want to lose this home.”

“
I think you need to call a speaker. They can contact spirits. Maybe it’s a haunting.”

Sidnee stood on the stairs and looked around her home. “Then definitely I can’t sleep here tonight.”

“
Well, you can have my bed and I’ll take my couch.”

“
That sounds better than getting strangled by my bed sheets.”

Bravo escorted Sidnee up to her bedroom. She grabbed her keys, phone and some spare clothes. They drove to his apartment in their own cars. Bravo had worked a long shift and went directly back to bed the moment they arrived at his place. Sidnee sat on his couch in the dark watching infomercials. She replayed the events of tonight repeatedly in her mind until fatigue started to set in. Sidnee shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after having homemade breakfast with Bravo, Sidnee did a quick online search that gave the location of the nearest speaker. She headed down to her car and took a drive to the trailer park where the speaker lived. The front lawn of the speaker’s trailer was neatly kept, unlike the neighboring trailers. Sidnee parked and knocked on the trailer door.

An elderly woman with witch like facial features and curly dark red hair, answered the door. “Yes.”

Sidnee pointed at the woman. “Are you the speaker?”

“
No, that’s my grandson and he’s dead.”

A young man stepped before woman. “Stop telling people that grandma.”

“
I told you not to post that ad,” The woman nagged.

He gently shoved her inside the trailer and shut the door. “That’s my grandma, Tatu.
I’m sorry about that.”

Sidnee smirked at him. “That’s okay.”

The speaker had buzz cut dark hair, a honey colored complexion and stood tall, his shoulders hunched. His brown eyes were staring back into hers, Sidnee unable to look away. She did not expect somebody so handsome to be standing before her this morning.

“
I’m Levi,” He introduced. “I’m the speaker.”

“
I’m Sidnee and I need your help. I think my house is haunted.”

He excitedly clapped his hands together. “Awesome, I love hauntings.”

“
I wish I was as excited as you.”

“
I’m sorry but it’s rare that I’m requested to deal with hauntings.”

His words didn’t bestow a lot of confidence into Sidnee, but she was willing to give him a chance.

Levi thumbed over his shoulder. “I just need to grab some gear and I’ll meet you at your car.”

“
You don’t have your own car?”

“
I live in a trailer with my grandma. I’m not the wealthiest guy out here.”

“
I’ll be in my car then.”

Sidnee waited for Levi to return. Yelling met her ears and she stared back over her shoulder to notice him and his grandma arguing. Tatu was using a wooden spoon to smack at Levi’s arms as he struggled with a couple of duffle bags. Sidnee unlocked the car doors as he approached the vehicle. Levi tossed his bags in the backseat and joined Sidnee in the front.

He smacked the dashboard. “Drive.”

Sidnee pulled from the driveway. As they drove from the parking lot, Tatu chased after the car, threw her spoon and shouted cusses. The old woman didn’t make it out of the trailer park before growing tired. Levi sunk down in his seat, furrowed his brows and twisted his lips.

They arrived at Sidnee’s home. Levi grabbed his bags; Sidnee led him to the front door and let him inside first.

He dropped his bags before the stairs. “Yep, there’s definitely a spirit here.”

Sidnee instantly felt watched and her privacy invaded. “How long before it’s gone?”

“
It’s hiding at the moment, but I know it’s here. I can feel it in my bones.” Levi got down on his knees and placed his ear against the floor. “This spirit is old and smart; it knows when to show itself. The process of eliminating this spirit won’t be a short one, but it rarely ever is. If I have to face it, I must be here when it decides to show itself again.”

“
Wait, what?”

He stood to his feet. “I’m moving in until it moves out.”

“
Is this some kind of scam to get away from the trailer parks?”

He laughed. “No, this is normal procedure, though it is nice to be away for a while.”

“
Especially from your grandmother I would guess.”

“
She’s overprotective. She’d rather have me live with her and work in her pawn shop all my life.”

“
How much will this cost me?”

He shrugged. “The standard rate is about four hundred a week.”

“
I have spare bedrooms upstairs.”

Levi grabbed his bags. “You have to promise me one thing though?”

“
Yeah, anything, as long as you do your job properly.”

He winked. “I don’t want you watching my ass as I walk upstairs.”

Sidnee’s cheeks grew red as she rolled her eyes. He was a flirt, she didn’t mind.

Chapter 10 - Tea

MT depleted the little savings she and her mother had for a bus trip to the coast of Carolina. After a two hour bus ride they arrived to the city of Draper. The air was thinner, the people wore less clothing and the pine trees and cloudy sky they accustomed to back home were replaced with palm trees and sunny weather.

“
This isn’t home,” Fran said as stared blankly into an empty bus station vending machine. “It’s hot.”

MT took off her mother’s cardigan and stuffed it into her purse. “I know. We’re here to get you help though.”

“
I want to leave.”

MT grabbed her mother’s hand. “We will as soon we visit somebody.”

MT used a public phone to call a taxi. They were taken to the downtown area of Draper and arrived at a shop called Tatu’s. The business was located between a sub restaurant and a loan shop. Tatu’s infrastructure was rundown: cracked windows, webbings, and rotting wood. A cardboard sign with the word ‘Open’ hand written on it hung from a nail on the front door. MT held on to her mother’s hand and led Fran inside of Tatu’s.

MT shut the shop door and faced a crowded room of antique furniture, used musical instruments, rusting bicycles hanging from the ceiling and statues that reminded her of artifacts that should be pictured in a history book. She coughed and fanned dust from her face as she approached the checkout counter located toward the back.

MT tapped bell placed on the cluttered counter. “Hello?”

“
Levi you will suffer for ignoring my calls,” An elderly woman shouted into a phone as she exited from a backroom.

“
There’s much madness in this place,” Fran whispered under her breath.

The shop worker slammed her phone on the counter. “Hello, I’m Tatu.”

MT motioned at herself. “I’m MT and this is my momma, Fran.”

Tatu snapped her fingers and pointed at them. “You called. I remember the names.”

MT nodded. “Yes. I was told you might be able to help my mother. I think she’s gone mad.”

Tatu scoffed. “You think? It takes one look to tell this woman is not right.”

“
Don’t talk about her like that.”

“
I’m just being direct; beating around the bush won’t fix her. So, why come to me? Why not a doctor?”

“
Because the doctors only prescribe pills and therapy that leads to the same results.”

Tatu shook her hands and rolled her shoulders. “I could feel the madness emitting from her.”

“
Is there anything you can do?”

Tatu pulled at a strand of hair on her sharp chin. “Hmmm, maybe tea.”

“
I did not travel this far for you can suggest tea.”

“
This is a tea she needs. It’ll clear her mind, her heart and subdue the madness built up inside.”

MT’s eyes wandered toward the cash register. “How much?”

“
If it works, twenty-five dollars. I won’t charge you to leave here with a mad woman.”

MT looked at her mother who mumbled to herself. “You won’t be like this for long, momma.”

Tatu motioned at a burgundy couch placed in a longue space. “Now, just have a seat and we can get started.”

MT led her mother over to the couch and they took their seats. Tatu vanished to the backroom and returned with dark box. The shop owner sat on the floor and set the box on a coffee table that was placed before the couch where MT and her mother sat. Tatu removed a teapot, jars of spices and a dirty mug from the box.

Tatu sprinkled the spices into the mug. “Tell me about your mother.”

“
My mother was always full of life and spent a lot of time studying odd books about the strangeness in our world. She was so deep into her studies that she would start to skip days or even miss out on my life. I guess after reading so much and being shut away, all the information sent her…mad.”

Tatu smirked. “The woman studies and communicates with the madness. I am the same. Are you?”

MT shrugged. “My mother always mentions sensing the madness, but I’ve never had.”

Tatu narrowed her eyes at MT as she continued making the tea. “I figured that.”

“
What does that mean?”

“
MT, your mother isn’t the only one with a problem. There’s something different about you.”

MT rubbed her hands together and lowered her head. “I can’t feel the sun or nearly anything. It’s been awhile.”

Tatu laughed. “We’ll get to you next then.”

MT’s eyes widened. “You’ll…fix me?”

Tatu poured some red liquid from the tea kettle into the mug of spices. “I said we’ll get to you next.”

Tatu pushed the mug toward their side of the table.

“
Does it need to be heated,” MT asked.

“
If it did, I would’ve.” Tatu hit the table with her knuckles. “Now, let her drink.”

MT picked up the cup and faced her mother. “Momma, this is going to make you feel all better.”

Fran shook her head. “No. I want cookies.”

“
If you drink this we’ll have cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Fran snatched the cup and chugged down the tea. “Done.”

MT looked over at Tatu. “Now, what?”

Tatu returned a smile and nodded her head of curly red hair toward Fran.

Fran reached out and placed her hands on MT’s cheek. “You’re still cold.”

MT grabbed her mother’s hands and slowly lowered them. “Momma?”

Tears flowed down Fran’s face. “I’m so sorry this has happened. All I wanted to do was fix you and let you live a normal life. My thoughts are clear and now so are my words, MT, let me go. You’re eighteen and have so much more life to live. I refuse to have you spend it all looking after me.” Fran looked over to Tatu. “Thank you, for allowing me to get this message to my daughter clearly.”

“
I knew this is what you wanted the moment I looked into your eyes,” Tatu said.

Fran returned her attention to MT. “Maria, you’ve done enough.”