Death Caller

Chapter Two

“Hello? Is anyone here? Hello?” is sounds slightly familiar, and distinctly female.

I quickly pause my iPod and throw it behind me, and grab my shawl. “Yes, dear, one moment.” I say, quickly trying to untangle it from my lamp.

            I’m in the process of untangling it when she walks in. I swear under my breath, and turn around so she can’t see my face.

“Hey… I know you. You’re in orchestra.”

            Shoot. It’s Zara. She goes to school with me. She’s a cheerleader, and is extremely popular… and her boyfriend just died in a hit and run. I didn’t know she was so desperate she would come to a Psychic.

“Hm? No, I don’t go to school anymore. One moment, I need to find my scarf… the, um, light hurts my eyes.” I stay with my head turned, trying to find something to cover my face.

“No, I definitely know you.” The sad tone lifts slightly from her voice. “You play first violin… I’m sorry, I don’t know you’re name.”

I raise my eyebrows. She’s nicer than I gave her credit for; she apologized for not knowing my name. That’s impressive.

I turn around. “Elle. The names Elle. What do you want?”

Her face crumples. And I realize how depressed she must be. Her curly black hair frizzes around her face in a dark halo, and she’s not wearing makeup. Her eyes are slightly puffy, and are rimmed red.

I soften my tone. “Sorry, Zara.”

She wipes her eyes. “It’s ok. You… you heard about Michael?”

I disguise my snort as a cough. Of course I heard about Michael. The star quarterback on the football team dying doesn’t go unnoticed. The school put on a whole dramatic assembly for him.

“Yeah. I heard about Michael. You… you want me to See him for you?”

She gives me a watery smile and sits down in the chair across from me.

“Yeah.” Her demeanor changes from sad to wary. “Wait- but you can’t really see dead people… so I guess not then…” She goes back to being sad, and stands up again.

“No- I really can see dead people. Really. It’s this weird thing I have… I don’t know how, but I can, like, look up a person in my brain, and I can see them. And you can contact them through me, and I’ll see his reaction.” I’m babbling, and I have no idea why I’m telling Zara all of this.

She looks at me suspiciously. “Are you serious? You really expect me to believe that?”

“Well, you’re the one who came in here expecting to see Michael! I didn’t ask you to come.” I fold my arms across my chest and look at her.

She sits down and sighs. “You’re right. I’m just… ok. Can you see Michael for me?”

I sit down across from her and hold out my hand, irritated. She looks at me questioningly.

“You have to hold my hand for it to work.” I say.

“Oh.” She tentatively gives me her hand.

“Close your eyes.” She closes her eyes. I close my eyes and breathe out slowly. “State the name of the person you wish to Bring.”

“Michael Regan.”

I summon him from Death, and open my eyes to use my crystal ball to focus him better. He walks out of the mist, and waits there expectantly.

“Ok, he’s here. You can talk to him.”

She waits a second and then says, “Can you… close your ears? I’d rather you not hear…”

I sigh in exasperation and grab my iPod while still holding her hand. I turn up the volume so that I can’t hear what Zara is saying, but wait until her lips are finished moving to take out the earphones.

            I look in the crystal ball to see Michael’ reaction, and see him looking lovingly out into the distance. Then, he turns to me, and says, “I love you too, Zara. Go live a happy life with someone else, but know you will always be in my heart.”

I nearly fall out of my chair.

Zara looks at me, concern dominating her face. “Are you okay? Did what does his face look like? Did he hear me?”

“Shut up.” I mutter, barely able to think.

“What? I didn’t hear that. What did you say? Elle, what happened? Is something wrong?” Zara’s voice is rising in hysterics.

I look back into the crystal ball, but Michael has already wandered back into the cloudy distance.

I stand up and put my hands to my head, pacing around the tight space in the tent.

“Elle? Elle, what happened?”

I don’t answer, and Zara gets up and comes right up to me. She grabs my shoulders and stares into my face. “Elle. Tell. Me. What. Happened. Now.” I focus at her commanding tone, and look up at her.

“He’s not supposed to talk.” I say bluntly. “He spoke, and they never speak. Its impossible.”

She goes quiet for a second, thinking. She obviously doesn’t understand the depth of the situation. A Dead spoke. A Dead. The Dead cannot talk. The Dead just kind of stand in the mist of my brain, or wherever I am focusing my power to (usually it’s a crystal ball), and show whatever emotion. They never. Ever. Ever. Talk.

Zara furrows her brows, and then says, “Well, can we Call him again? And ask him how he can talk, and stuff?”

I brighten up. “Yeah! Why didn’t I think of tha- oh wait. You can’t Call the same person twice…”

I sit down hard on my chair, and put my face in my hands. I hear Zara go and sit down. “Well, we can try. He spoke to us, who says he can’t also be Called twice?”

I look up. “That’s not a bad idea…” I say slowly.

Zara holds out her hand and I grab it.  She closes her eyes and I close mine, and breathe out slowly. “Okay, say his name.”

Zara takes a breath. “Michael Regan.”

I summon him from Dead, and, hoping that he will be standing in the crystal ball, tentatively open my eyes.