Pure • Stanley Uris

9

I nodded, sitting up in my bed.

"We're leaving in about ten minutes, okay?" I nodded again. "I'll see you guys later then."

After my parents left, I picked up an old book and began to read. My mind was somewhere else and my eyes seemed to droop.

I don't remember falling asleep that day.

"Wake up!" A hand shook me awake. I jumped, fearing it was Donny coming to beat me or worse.

"Mila?" I questioned. For some reason, I wasn't scared. I was completely mellow actually.

"That's right."

Her face, strikingly similar to my mother was staring down at me. She placed a hand on my arm.

That was all I needed before the memories came rushing back to me. Things I still remembered vividly and things I could hardly remember at all.

Her hand trailed from my arm towards my neck.

I hated when people touched my neck.

"Why have you been ignoring me?" Mila asked quietly. "I haven't. You're dead." I responded with the same tone. "Maybe... but you still see me. All the time. Even though you lie to mom and dad about it."

My face paled.

"Shut up! I—" but I didn't really know what to say. As usual, Mila had rendered me speechless. "And you're afraid of me. Donny told me a long time ago."

"I never s—"

"It doesn't matter if you said it, we just know."

"Do mom and dad know you're here?"

Mila rolled her eyes. "Of course not you idiot. If they did they'd be checking themselves into a psych ward because, in case you didn't know, you aren't supposed to see dead people."

"Why... are you here?"

"Because, darling, I have unfinished business with you fuckers." She said, examining a chipped nail. She swore under her breath then picked at it.

"Who?" I asked. "You. Perhaps some of the other town assholes."

"What did I do?"

She shrugged.

"You lived and I didn't. That's a problem."

"I—"

A knock at the window cut me off. I peered out to find Stan Uris looking up at me.

"Don't let him see me," Mila said with a loud laugh.

"You can't be here," I told him when I opened the window.

"We came here to get you. It's important. We found something out."

I turned to Mila who was smiling. "He's cute," she muttered, "would be a shame if something happened to him."

I frowned.

"My brother left, but—"

"But?"