VANISHED (#1 in the VANISHED series) #NaNoWriMo2019 ✔

t h i r t e e n ✔

"My closure?" Arielle winced as Stella slid her arm over her shoulder and guided her out of the restaurant. "What about yours? Using a Ouija board to chat with our dead best friend is your solution?"

"Ari..." Stella stopped once outside and sucked in a breath of fresh air as she glanced at her boots. "I got my closure. To accept who I was. And okay, granted, I haven't quite done that yet, but I'm getting there... because it's what Jade wanted. So I... I feel accomplished. I'm fine. Yes, I miss her, I always will; and yes, I'll always want to know what happened to her. But... death is final. She's gone, and I... I've accepted it."

Arielle scoffed and stormed over to the car. "Well, good for you, Stel, fucking good for you."

"Ari, wait—"

"—no! I haven't accepted it, okay?" Her arms shook and her shoulders weighed like five-hundred pound barbells rested on them. "I'm super happy you're so swell, but I'm not! So, whatever! Let's get to the hotel before they give our room away!"

Stella trudged up to her, lips tugging downward, a heavy sadness coating her usually cheerful features in a pallid shade of dread. "Please... let's not fight. Let's... agree we're on this trip for different reasons, and we're different people. Always have been. Jade was our glue, and... we can't let her disappearance ruin us. Ruin our friendship."

She was correct. "I'll never be over her disappearance, Stel. I'm not as strong as you." Arielle's chin quivered and her throat constricted as she tried to stop herself from crying. "I need answers. It's the closest I'll get to closure... but I'll never fully move on."

Eyes brimming with tears, Stella squeezed her in her arms. Her tangy scent swirled into Arielle's nostrils, and in its own weird way, it soothed her. Lies or no lies, secrets or no secrets... they had each other, and that was all that mattered in the end.

***

After checking into the hotel and dropping off their bags, the girls left for the Old City Jail. Another of Jade's obsessions, another place the Ghost Adventures Crew had investigated.

Lovely.

"We can't use any of our apps in there." Stella cringed as she fished something out of her cleavage—she had no pockets in her leggings and stashed things between her breasts when necessary—and smirked. "But I will smuggle these in."

Glancing away from the road for a second, Arielle saw what Stella held in her palm—blue and purple and pink crystals. "You salvaged a few of them?" The image of the stones shattering against the tree-trunk in the Hollywood Cemetery still haunted her. She gripped the steering wheel tight, fighting her never-ending dizziness.

Stella shrugged. "They're pretty resilient. And I know I said they were shit, but... I figure if they can't protect us, it's possible they'll draw spirits to us. If I can get a few to respond, shake them up... it'll be an excellent omen for tomorrow. For the Oui—" she scrunched her nose and put the gems in her bra again, "—for the seance."

They'd agreed to not say the word Ouija again; for that evening, at least. Stella felt terrible for lying, and worse for upsetting Arielle, she'd said. And though her concealment of such a horrible object in the trunk of her car hurt Arielle, she forgave her, since her own secrets... were no better.

I used the board with Jade... death follows me... I'm in love with Jade.

Three things she knew she'd never be able to admit.

The Old City Jail was reputed to be Charleston's most haunted building. Its grim castle-like structure towered over the girls as they stood before it, preparing for their eight PM tour. High arches and iron bars, rounded windows, faded exterior—everything screamed prison and sent uncomfortable jabs of pain to Arielle's core.