The Hauntings

Chapter 8

Elizabeth steps back into the kitchen that still looks as much as a disaster as it did an hour ago. She takes a deep breathe and reties her hair in a bun, rolling up her sleeves and placing her iPod on the speaker dock. She turns the music on loud blast so it goes deep into her soul blocking at the conflicting feelings and the restraints closing in on her. 

She clings to the hope that she will enjoy the rest of the day with her best friend, who is having a shower, freshening in up from the disaster she made in the kitchen. But Elizabeth doesn't mind cleaning up, it gives her time to recollect her thoughts and sort herself out before Scarlett comes pounding downstairs. 

They had spent the last hour watching an episode of "Vampire Diaries" they had both missed in their very busy schedules, which consisted of Elizabeth being in rehab and then later going through her songs restively until everything was pitch perfect and Scarlett practicing every complex dance routine involved in the concerts until every minuscule detail was executed with precision. 

"Invincible Invinsibbbllleee, we're in invincible they said we wouldn't, they said we couldn't..." Invincible by Tinie Tempah featuring Kelly Rowland blares out of the speakers, a song Elizabeth had downloaded years ago, bringing up memories of the times when the song was released.

The words swept her away, as she brushed the floor, the stress lifted a little as she dwelled in her own company. 

"We don't need any shields cuz love is all the armour we need. We're in invisible, invinsibleeee!" The out of tune voice follows suit with the song. 

Elizabeth looks up baffled at the unwanted interruption, the creature who is causing her so much trouble, sauntering into the kitchen grabbing the mop Scarlett discarded earlier, in the corner. Then he starts to mop the floor. 

"W..what are you doing?" Elizabeth stammers as she straightens up with a deer in the headlights expression. She wants to grab the mop out of his hands and yell at him to not touch her stuff. But she just stands there, gawping. 

"Mopping your floor. Thought it was obvious." He simply says meeting her shocked eyes, with his dark glimmering ones.

"Why?" she asks aghast. 

"Can't I be a gentleman, once in a while?" Francis smirks at her.

Those words slap Elizabeth, causing her to find her words again, dispersing her shock at this supernatural thing helping out in her chores. The cheek of it. Anger bubbles up in Elizabeth. 

"No you can't actually, you want me to commit suicide and there's no going back after that. You know what you are, you're a dick head, a fat ugly one! Leave me alone! And get your filthy hands of my mop!" she rants in a sharp tone, slicing through the now happy, upbeat tune that is now hooting out of the pounding stereos. .

The song fills the silence after Elizabeth's cutting accusation.

"That was a rhetorical question." Francis mumbles as he continues to mop looking at the floor, as if he is shielded from Elizabeth's harsh demands.

Elizabeth wants to scream and physically hurt him but she shrivels it inside of her, telling herself she is better than that. That he only wants a reaction from her so she won't give that arrogant creature the satisfaction. Therefore they end up cleaning in silence, Francis with a smug smile on his face and Elizabeth with a deep angry scowl. 

After six songs, Elizabeth can't keep the question that has been burning inside of her. She's always hated awkward silences but she would withhold this one so she wouldn't have to talk to the beast. However her control wears thin.