Abeyance

Chapter 6. Feeling.

Chapter 6. Feeling.

"Instead of describing a 'ghost' as a dead person permitted to communicate with the living, let us define it as a manifestation of a persistent energy." ~ Fred Myers.

"Mom...what?" Callie began, unsure of the sight before her. The woman, sitting in the small, bare, unattended to room was like the empty shell version of what used to be her mother. Her dark brunette hair hung in her face dully, covering all parts of her face that her long, thin fingers didn't. 

"Mom, what's wrong?" Callie spoke out loud; knowing full and well that people couldn't see and interact with her. She looked over at her mom's hands that cupped her small face and noticed that her wedding ring was no longer there. Not even the slightest hint of a tan line. There was no trace that the delicate piece of jewelry had ever even existed.

Across the room on one of her old dressers was every framed picture of Callie that they had. Callie walked towards them with a hollow feeling in her chest. It was like a shrine to her. There were even candles lit around the pictures. She hesitantly looked back over to her mother's weeping form.

This can't be happening. This can't be happening! This can't be real!

Callie screamed as loudly as she could. The pictures and the candles and her mother, it was all too damn much for her. Twenty-four hours ago she was a semi-normal angsty girl who was pissed at the world. Because she was too stupid to listen to her mother and go to school for one day, she lost her life and everything she loved.

Callie screamed again, her fingers entwined in her short messy hair hair out of frustration. Tears unwittingly spilled down her face. "No! This isn't real!" she cried out in agony. "I don't believe it. No!" She slowly slumped down on the floor now, gently raising her hands to cradle her face beside her mom, mirroring the heartbroken women.

"Callie?"

Callie looked up in surprise at the sound of Kalen's voice calling out to her from the staircase. She wiped at her face frantically.

"Callie," he called again just as desperately, now in the room with her and kneeling beside her gently. "Are you okay?" His eyes pleaded sorrowfully as he took notice to the shrine of her, and then the sight of her mother across the room. He tentatively reached out towards her, then decided against it and let his arm go limp at his side.

"Yeah," she sighed, attempting to calm herself. "Yes. I-I'm fine. I'm good." She tried to stand, but reluctantly found that she needed him for support.

"Really?" he questioned with noticeable doubt. Though the pair weren't exactly amicable, he felt empathy for the poor girl, and wanted nothing more than to help ease her pain. After all, who else in this world could relate more to her pain at this very moment?

"Come on, Callie," Kalen grabbed at her arm and tried pulling her out of the room. She rocked back on her heels in resistance. "This isn't good for you! You should probably get out of here." The fight was futile, and Kalen retracted his hand and released the distraught redhead.

"Look, I'm really okay. Really." She fixed her hair and swiped at the wetness under her pale blue eyes. "I can't leave. Not yet." She looked back at Kalen and, upon seeing the strange, pained look in his puppy dog eyes, she felt a small smile tug at her lips. She reached out, despite the bitter, scared feeling in her gut, and gave his shoulder a slight squeeze as a thank you.

"If you need anything..." He drifted off awkwardly.

"Thank you. Do you think you could give us some time? I just... I want to say goodbye." Callie's eyes landed back onto her mother, whose quiet sobs could still be heard. Callie swallowed a hard lump in her throat and momentarily closed her tired eyes.