Chapter 23

Jess was almost asleep when her phone rang.

She rolled over in her bed, frowning at the number she didn't recognize.

'Err... hello?" Jess said.

"Jess, it's me, Cat, I need to see you—"

"Cat? Wh-what's wrong?" Jess asked, sitting up in her bed and turning on the light. There was something in the girl's voice. Something worrying.

'She sounds like Annabelle,' Jess realized.

"Please can I come over? I know it's late," Cat asked.

"Erm," Jess looked over at the alarm clock. The little green dial read 10:38 but it was a Friday night, and her parents were at a charity function to raise money for the town's library. "Yeah, sure."

Cat lived a few streets away. Back in the old days she would sneak over in the night and climb through the window. Today she rang the doorbell like any other visitor.

As she heard her brother pottering in the kitchen, Jess flew down the stairs and barged last him as he dropped his cooking and went to answer the door.

"It's for me," she told him, planning on sneaking Cat up to her room. She wasn't sure how her brother would react to her presence in the house.

When he tutted and returned to the stove Jess pulled the door open and led Cat up the stairs.

Taking a brief glance over her shoulder, Jess noticed the red eyes, smeared make-up, and swollen cheeks—tell-tale signs Cat had been crying.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked, knowing full well the question was redundant.

Cat shook her head, sniffing back tears.

"Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. I’ve never felt so terrible—" Cat started.

"Look," Jess raised a hand to stop her. "I already told you. Until you admit it, I can't forgive you."

Cat's face twitched and flinched. She wiped at a tear that rolled down her cheek with the sleeve of her hoody.

Eventually, she nodded. "Fine. Anything. Just, please say you forgive me."

"Okay, my brother is in the kitchen. He's the one you need to apologize to. The one whose life you nearly ruined," Jess told her.

Cat flinched away from her before nodding. She followed in silence, looking at the floor as Jess led her into the kitchen towards her startled looking brother.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Johnny cried, a piece of pasta hanging from his mouth.

"She has something she'd like to say to you," Jess prompted.

Johnny poured the pasta sauce he was making over his bowl of spaghetti and took it over to the table. He looked up at Cat, who took a deep breath and followed, sliding into the seat opposite.

'This is it,' Jess thought. She took her phone from her pocket and hit record. 'Now I can show everyone what a lying bitch she is.'

"Erm, I, um, well." Cat took a deep breath. "Johnny, I want to apologize for falsely accusing you. I'm sorry."

"You do?" Johnny asked. He seemed shocked.

Cat nodded. She stared down at her hands, unable to make eye contact with him.

"Just please say you forgive me. Please. Please, Johnny. Please say you forgive me," Cat begged without looking up.

"Erm," Johnny looked over at Jess and shrugged as though it was meaningless. "Whatever. Yeah, I forgive you."

Jess let the camera drop to her side. Something about the interaction felt wrong. So very wrong.

When Cat slipped out of the chair and clung to her side, she could feel her fear. It was warm and smelt like salt.

She pulled the shaking girl into her living room, away from Johnny. The sound of his fork clinking against the plate followed them as he continued with his dinner as though nothing had changed.

She sat beside her former best friend, watching her try her hardest to keep the tears back.

"He did it, didn't he?" Jess asked.

Cat said nothing.

"Cat?" Jess poked her.

After a low, quiet whine the tears began to flow. She watched as the girl folded over, sobbing quietly into herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry—"

"I forgive you!" Jess cried, throwing her arms around her friend in a giant embrace. "I forgive you. Don't worry anymore."

She stroked her hair and rocked in time with her as she began to calm down.

They sat like that for a while, in silence, holding on to each other for support. Eventually, they both turned to the clock.

"I best go." Cat yawned.

Jess nodded and followed her to the door, waving as she left.

'What have I done,' Jess thought. She realized her hands were shaking as she closed the door. Her brother passed her as she stood at the door, giving her an odd look.

'You raped my friend,' she thought. After denying it and defending him so vigorously for so long, she was having a hard time coming to terms with it and couldn't bring herself to confront him.

Ignoring him, she went up to bed.

She didn’t notice herself falling asleep, but when she woke something was standing over her bed. It was shaped like a human, but taller.

'It's just a dream,' she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut in desperation.

When finally she dared open them, he was gone.

Listening to her heartbeat and drenched in sweat, Jess lay perfectly still, afraid to move a muscle. When she plucked up the courage to turn her head, she let out a squeaky cry, seeing him fill the doorframe.

"Release me," it rasped.

Jess tried to scream but the sounds wouldn't come out of her throat. As she lay gasping, the figure stepped forward and began to nudge her.

"Jess, it's a nightmare," he was saying.

"What are you doing?" Jess asked, suddenly feeling incredibly confused.

"Are you okay?" her father asked as Jess rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"T—there was a man. A tall man. He was right there," Jess tried to tell him.

"Don't worry, darling, it was just a nightmare," he said, taking a seat on the bed and tucking her back into the uncomfortably hot and sweaty duvet.

Once he'd gone, Jess slipped out of her bed and turned the lights on. She always felt safer in the light.

The following morning at school Jess hunted for the others. After a quick scan of the courtyard, she spotted Kiaan talking to Sammy and Mike.

"Can I borrow you?" she asked, pulling Kiaan away by his coat before he could answer.

"Jess? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Did you forgive Grace yet?" Jess asked, ignoring his question.

"I've been trying to get hold of her." Kiaan shook his head. "She apologized on my thread and admitted everything, but someone deleted it before I could respond."

"Who would—" Jess started to ask, though the answer seemed obvious.

Kiaan made a face.

"You think Caine did it?" Jess whispered, for some reason worried he might overhear.

She looked over Kiaan's shoulder, scanning the area for any sign of Caine. He was sitting on the opposite fence, talking to Damien.

'He won't hear us from here,' she figured, but was still worried when he glanced over, pinning her with his crystal green eyes. She thought about Ricky's observations.

'I think he's a ghost,' his words echoed in her memory.

As Jess glanced back, she noticed Ricky was right. His hair and clothes didn't move in the wind, but to be fair, today was a fairly mild day weather-wise.

'You're being ridiculous,' Jess scolded herself. She'd seen Caine touch people and interact with the world on numerous occasions. He couldn't possibly be a ghost.

"Grace has been sectioned," Kiaan said, interrupting her thoughts. "I've asked to visit but her Mum won't let me. What am I supposed to say? I need to see her because I'm causing her mental breakdown?"

"We did this," Jess said, taking Kiaan's hand. "We have to help her. Even if it means breaking into a medical facility and getting into trouble."

"I'll see if those two want to help," Kiaan said, gesturing at Sammy and Mike.

"Has he forgiven Mike?" Jess whispered.

Kiaan winced, sucking air in from the side of his mouth.

"He says he will... soon," Kiaan assured her.

"Convince him," Jess said. "We need to end this thing."

"Okay." Kiaan nodded enthusiastically. As he turned away, he added a sly, "You convince Damien."

Dropping her shoulders, she turned to face Damien. Belle had followed him to school yet again and was sitting on the wall opposite.

‘Poor girl.’

Whatever Belle had done, she didn't deserve this. Damien had to be stopped. But how? She'd already tried reasoning with him, even going as far as pleading with him.

'Maybe Ricky can talk some sense into him,' she thought as the school's bad boy rolled up to her, giving her that sexy half-smile that made her tummy fill with butterflies.

"We need to practice our lines after school," he said.

"Yes." Jess smiled sweetly. "But first, do you want to help us break into Oxford Memorial hospital?"

"Why?" Ricky frowned.

"We need to see Grace," Jess told him.

"You haven't seen the news?" Ricky asked.

As soon as he said it, she could tell from his face. She didn't need to ask.

She watched in dull silence as Ricky lifted the phone in his hand, showing her a picture of Grace smiling.

"Grace died last night. Suicide they think." Ricky shrugged. "I ain't gonna pretend like she was a good person because she's dead."

"No," Jess muttered.

"Oh no."