I Became an Imaginary Friend

Chapter 3- A New Friend

So... that guy that came into Stella's room earlier this week? Totally called it! It was her uncle, that sick pervert. His name is Darrel Green, and he is the richer brother of the family. Stella's father, Henry Green, would have claimed that title if he hadn't married a middle-class woman. 

Honestly, Stella's mother is a beautiful woman. The woman had bright auburn hair and dazzling green eyes. She had small, full rosy lips and a slender figure that would attract any males attention. Not completely mine, however. What caught my attention first was her caring personality towards her daughter. 

Their relationship was a strong one. Her name is Layla, meaning night. Stella's name means star, so their names already connect them on a deeper level. Layla never missed a playdate with Stella, even when she was busy with her older daughter, Seraphina, who was fifteen and believed she was going through a midlife crisis. She would read to Stella every night before bed, and her voice was a soft bell blessed with strength and grace. She was also quirky with how she read each fairytale, giving characters their own voice, bringing them to life. It made me feel secure and safe to listen to these stories. I never had that as a child.

Oh, right. I said the first thing. Well, there are two.

The second was that she could see me.

Yeah... I wasn't prepared for that either.

The night Darrel had come into Stella's room and witnessed her "float", he had left the room screaming, and he had stayed away, knowing he would have sounded crazy to the people downstairs. Layla had come up to tuck her child in, and to check on her. She knew Darrel was a creep, but she had no proof to accuse her husband's brother. She would have to be patient. She walked into Stella's bedroom and had gasped. I had fallen asleep with my arms wrapped around Stella protectively, though Layla didn't see it that way at first.

What woke me up was the footsteps coming closer. I had opened my eyes and saw a figure looming over me with a long object in their hands. My eyes flew wide open, and I held onto Stella as I rolled away from her swing. I looked closer at the object and realized she had a kiddie size baseball bat. In the moment, I thought she was trying to kill her own daughter, so I cradled the child closer to me.

" Get away from my child, you creep!" the woman shouted at me.

That was when Stella woke up, and the moment I realized the woman could actually see me.

" Mommy, stop!" Stella cried, jumping out of my arms and holding out her hands. " He's a friend!"

The woman stopped and looked at her child, then to me. Those green orbs were mesmerizing, to say the least.

" What do you mean, 'friend'?" she asked Stella.

" I mean, a man in a black robe came out of a bright light and put him on my bed. He's my friend!" Stella declared, crossing her little arms over her chest.

The woman looked at mean with both astonishment and disbelief.

" You're dead?" she asked me.

" Yeah, I guess so," I answered, running a hand through my hair.

She dropped the bat in her hands and went to the door, closing it swiftly. She then faced the two of us, a smile on her lips.

" Her abilities have finally emerged!" her mother cried joyously, clapping her hands together excitedly like a small child.

" Psychic abilities?" I asked.

The woman nodded. " At least one woman in each generation from my family is given this ability. Our older daughter, Seraphina, has shown no sign of seeing the supernatural. But Stella can see you. She can TOUCH you! I never thought the ability would go to her."