Ghost

Chapter 4

"It's easier to dismiss ghosts in the daylight."
- Patricia Briggs
~~~~~~~~~~

Louis' POV

Adele's putting on make up and I don't understand why as she's in her pyjamas and it's pretty late at night.

She's drinking wine again. I'm fairly certain that she drinks far too much. Every time she pours a glass I wait until she's left the kitchen and pour a little bit down the sink, just a little so that she won't notice.

This reminds me of that poet who lived here in the 18th century. I used to do the same for him. It killed him anyway, the drinking. I always felt oddly guilty about that, I always do if I haven't done enough to help them.

I watch fascinated as she coats mascara on her lashes, her full mouth hanging open as she does it.

She picks up her phone and begins to take pictures of her face, pouting and smiling as she does.

What on earth are you doing Adele?

"I've got 850 followers on instagram." She smiles proudly to Mr T.

I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about.

Followers? As in disciples, like Jesus?

Well I follow her every movement religiously so it doesn't surprise me that other people do. I wonder if they follow her when she leaves the house and why she doesn't invite any of them inside. She might not be so lonely then.

I hope they're mainly women that follow her.

"Which filter do you think?" She carries on. I stand at her shoulder and watch as the photo of her changes slightly.

The first one, it brings out the blue of your eyes.

"Hmm, yeah, my eyes do look nice in that one."

I freeze.

She's looking at the picture absentmindedly and I can tell she's a little bit drunk.

A-Adele?

I speak louder than I usually would and she looks up confused.

"Hello?" Her tone is sharp and she suddenly seems to sober up.

Suddenly she stands up and grabs Mr T.

"Do you hear it?" She whispers to him. "It's like a whisper from far away, I can't make out what it's saying!"

So that's what she hears. But I know she heard me just then, when she wasn't concentrating, she actually replied to me. I'm so excited, she's the first adult to talk to me in 300 years! I want to try again but I'm sure that she's to on edge now.

I watch as she sits down shakily.

I won't harm you Adele. I'd never hurt you.

I can't help but wonder why she's still here, she hasn't run away.

"Something's not right here." She inhales deeply.

Well apart from the fact that your two best friends are a cat and a 300 year old dead man that you don't know exists... Everything's fine.

She gropes for her wine glass and sits back. I can tell by her face that she's convincing herself that it was all a figment of her imagination but when she finally goes to bed it takes her a long time to get to sleep.

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Much as I hate to admit it, I'm beginning to think that Zayn is right. In the four months that she's lived here Adele has only been out once on a night and that was to dinner with him and his girlfriend.