Kismet

"You Can See Me?"

CHAPTER 1

"All rights reserved" ©2019

The Dead Woman's wails at the backside table were really getting on my nerves. I tried to ignore her incessant moaning, as I swung through the kitchen swinging door into the dining room of the Corner Eatery where I've worked evenings for the last three years, every since my freshmen year at Xavier University. I carried a tray heavy with burgers, fries and cokes with one little lonely side salad thrown in the mix. The woman's cries grew louder as I entered the dining room to deliver my load to what looked like a group of freshman students. They were easy to spot, over dressed with perfect hair and make-up; upper classmen like me did good to remember to shower.

I unloaded my tray at the booth, when the Spirit's moan filled the room. The girls chattered, oblivious to the annoying ghost two tables over. Sampson curse strikes again. I swung around almost head butting fellow Eatery hostess and my best friend since freshmen orientation, Serena Cox.

She said. "Whoa Jade, heads up!"

Serena did some fancy maneuvering to avoid dumping the three steaming plates of macaroni and cheese on my head. She showed all the grace of the former child gymnast star tuned physical education major. Two inches made a difference, enough to cause me to look up at her wide eyes and always present smile. She obliterated the myth of the temperamental redhead; Serena remained even-tempered, pretty much always, which really helped when I became prickly. Other than her, I tried to avoid too many peoply areas. "Sorry, a little distracted." I said. Pain shot through my head as the incessant wails continued with only me for an audience.

Serena smiled good-naturedly as she turned and headed to her customers. I eased over to the Wailer's table. "Be quiet! Go towards the light. Or not. Just get out of here!"

The ghost looked up, surprised. "You can see me?"

She said it in a hopeful whisper. My stomach rolled from compassion, which annoyed me, and disgust, ghost shouldn't cry. It's not a pretty sight. And this Haunt was one of the bad ones. She was tall, blond with one blue eyed covered with a cloudy covering and the other eyeball hung out. Trails of bloody tears tracked down her gray cheeks. She actually looked familiar. "You can see me. You can see me!" she repeated.

Worst than a crying ghost was a needy one; I get that it had to be awful. Not being seen or heard...lost in a cold nothingness. Grandmother says it was our duty our gift to send them to their next path. It was humane. Whatever. I just didn't want them becoming clingy. When you're the only one that can see or hear them, they'll never leave. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't drawing too much attention. I pulled the towel I carried from my waistband and pretended to wipe the table. "Yes, yes I can see and hear you. It's time to go. You'll feel better once you're...well, anywhere else."

I could see in my mind's eye Grandmother's disapproving frown which she wore a lot because of me when she was alive. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Look, go towards the light."

The ghost tilted her head. "Jade? Jade Sampson?"

Ugh, please do not be someone I knew. That only complicated things; and provoked feelings to get involved. I really just needed to finish this shift and go study for my Ancient Artifacts exam which I had at 8am the next morning.

She clapped her hands. "You ARE Jade Sampson. Macy Bently? We had classes together every semester?"

I squinted and then I could see the beautiful face of Macy in the midst of the decaying grayness; although she showed the signs of her death...a blow to the back of her head; the entire backside caved inwards. But around the gore, her hair still lie in perfect waves. I looked at her designer clothes. Even in death she dressed better than me. "You disappeared over two months ago? Why're you now just showing up?"

Usually the dead would show within minutes after death. I remembered the campus crawling with gossip after she had gone missing. Her boyfriend and friends had been brought in for questioning to her whereabouts. But without a body, it couldn't be called foul play. Rumors started to surface that she'd run off with a lover and lived the luxe life. Wrong. But where she'd been all this time would be a curiosity if I'd wanted to get involved which I didn't. She said. "I don't know. I went to check on the decorations for the newcomers get together at the old Millis Farmhouse. I remember walking in the door and feeling a sharp pain. Then I woke up here, at this table."

I frowned. "It's October."

"October?! Wow." She repeated. Then she looked at me with that squinty judgmental look I remembered from when she was alive. "You can see ghost? No wonder. I always just thought you strange and anti-social. I guess seeing dead people could cause a bad attitude."

I breathed deeply trying to perform the 10 steps to calm breathing that Serena taught me. "Well, it's been good catching up. But..."

She leaned forward, which caused her hanging eye ball to swing a little on the decaying tendons. "Somebody killed me! I can't leave yet!"

I opened my mouth to argue when Serena came up behind me. She tugged on the sleeve of my shirt, a generic polo. The owner wasn't very creative. "Jade! Jade they're here."

Serena focused happily on me, not even noticing the corpse at the table. I said. "Who?" I turned and I saw them coming in the door, the group who came every Thursday evening for the last month, I called them the Beautiful Ones. Three males and Two drop dead...sorry Macy...gorgeous females. One of the males, the obvious leader was so beautiful it physically hurt to look at him. Irritation spiked through me. Around six feet, his slender athletic build looked incredible in suits or as he was now in black jeans, blue turtle neck and a white button down. His black hair styled meticulously and feathered towards his forehead ending in a slight point, accentuated his pale creamy skin. He walked with his hands in his pockets, the others in his group surrounding him like dazzling peacocks. His dark slanted gaze trailed over the room and rested on us. He smiled and I heard Serena sigh. I frowned because I knew it meant trouble. I heard Macy squeak fearfully and his eyes shifted to look directly at her. He can see ghost too?

I looked at Macy's but she was gone! I turned back seeing the group had sat down and Serena rushing to their table. The one I dubbed, Handsome but Irritating, glanced at me again with a "I plan to cause all sorts of havoc grin". I knew trouble had arrived.

Pain shot through my temple once more. Ah stress.