Regan paced around anxiously, her heart pounding nonstop. Just seeing the woman that Vesper brought to her house, was adding up to her unease.
A air of mystery and menace hanged around her, making Regan sense it immediately.
She watched the woman suspiciously as she walked around, her looks and clothing were not one of an ordinary looking person. Her messy black curls fell a long way down to her waist, a big white clip, holding her bangs in place. She looked at her fifties but Regan wasn't sure about that either.
Her makeup was weird, the way the black eyeliner was done resembled the queens of Egypt and her eyes, a color of dark brown, seemed to stretch in dullness.
And then her clothes. She wore a long black layered skirt with shades of grey and purple; black leggings and black boots with chains. She had a white shirt with the same chains stuck to one side.
On the top of her attire, was a thin purple cloak. Her wrists held different bracelets, one of them showed a symbol of a skull. The others, Regan couldn't make them out.
Regan was unsettled from the woman and she hoped she would leave her house as soon as possible.
"What is she even doing!" She muttered angrily to her friend, who was seated comfortably on the couch, her expression unreadable.
"She's scanning your house around for spirits. Don't talk because she doesn't want to be underestimated." Vesper answered nonchalantly.
"Where did you find that weirdo?" Asked Regan.
"I have so many resources around, that you have no idea of."
"I guess that's what you did while skipping classes." Regan said rolling her eyes.
She couldn't wait until the woman would leave. If Monica would come now, she'd be dead. Regina assumed that what was happening, was just the result of her being a bad niece.
The woman slowly approached Vesper and muttered something to her ears. Vesper nodded in response.
"What?" Regan said raising an eyebrow.
"She has to go up to your room." Vesper replied, "that's more important."
Regan showed her reluctance but agreed still.
The woman slowly walked upstairs, leaving an eerie energy wherever she went. Regan could feel the unease and even if it sounded silly, she couldn't shake the thought that the woman was just witch.
Regan followed her and so did Vesper. They waited for a while, Regan scanning the woman's movements and at the same time, looking all over the place that she saw him before.
After five minutes they were all downstairs. Regan's patience was hanging on a thin line. Neither Vesper, nor the mysterious woman was saying a word, like the cat had eaten their tongues.
"So? Is there anything to say? I don't have all the day free." Regan said, crossing her arms.
The woman's eyes bored into Regan's which made the girl dart her eyes around.
"As you saw, I traced your house and I don't think there's any more work to do. I've got enough." The woman spoke for the first time.
"So what is there to know?" Vesper asked leaning comfortably on the couch.
"It's pretty obvious that what's going around with you girl, it has nothing to do with your house." The ghost hunter said.
Regan's heart pounded fast. It wasn't like she wasn't believing this. It made sense. That maybe was why Monica never saw anything. But at the same time it made it look like it was all Regan's imagination.
"You mean, this house isn't haunted. So am I the one with the problem? I have hallucinations?" She asked with disbelief, her voice skeptical.
The woman looked at her with anticipation, "No, you aren't. A spirit is haunting you, but only you in that house.
Regan couldn't believe that he was a spirit. He looked so....so human.
"And why is that spirit haunting me?" Regan asked, her voice turned to a tremble.
The woman shrugged like in search for words and threw Vesper a look.
"There are a lot of reasons why. But you wouldn't want to know that now." She said, trailing in her words.
At hearing this, Regan anger raised. She hated having more suspense.
"I would want to know anything, now." She said with determination.
"Uh, wait you both! I think that Ruxena should tell the solution instead." Vesper cracked an embarrassing laugh and put her hand on Regan's shoulder, indicating that she shouldn't ask about it anymore. But Regan didn't listen.
"No, why? It's my right to know this. Am I cursed or what?"
"Oh dear, you aren't cursed. Spirits haunt these they take their interest on." The woman said with a softer voice but earned a death stare from Vesper.
"Why it looks like you both are exchanging words with secret looks?" Regan said frustrated. She could sense something was weird.
"We're not doing anything, Ruxena, stop with that interest bullshit! I think you should tell Regan what she needs to do." Vesper said and turned her gaze on Ruxena.
Regan was caught off guard at the rudeness of her friend but it was deserved.
"Well, I can help you get rid of the spirit. I'll give you some herbs and you will place them around." Ruxena said as she took some herbs from her old maroon satchel.
"Fine. Anything else?" Vesper said as she took the herbs.
"You need to stop overthinking about it." Ruxena said to Regan.
"Yes she will. Now it's time for you to leave. Here's your money." Vesper gave her the money that was Regan's.
Regan saw as they both walked outside and left her there. It was weird how Vesper made the woman leave that way, Regan couldn't even thank her or anything.
But however, Regan knew that not the whole story was told. Something was being hidden. She looked through the window to see them talking about to each other. Vesper seemed mad, maybe because the woman didn't tell the whole story or something else.
"What were you saying to her?" She asked when Vesper came inside.
"Nothing, it was pointless to bring her here."
"Why? Weren't you the one who convinced me about this?"
"Yes, I was... nevermind. I'm going home." Vesper said and walked away.
Regan couldn't wait for her aunt to come home. After she left her house at night, she was at Vesper's house.
She looked at the plants that the woman gave her and did what she was supposed to do. But she couldn't let the feeling slide. She had to meet the mysterious woman again and to discover more about it.
***
The day tomorrow, it was Monday, and the girl had to force herself to go to school.
Monica had told her that she should stay home instead, but Regan was behind of the class, she needed to get notes and exams were right on the way.
The girl lazily managed to get ready. Her grumpiness reflected in her every action.
She ate breakfast, forced by Monica. Then her aunt brought her to school because Monica didn't see it right for Regan to drive her car.
The gloomy girl held a blank expression in her ride. She'd constantly look at Monica, who didn't know anything of the ghost hunter's matter.
Regan blamed herself of how abruptly she brought a stranger in her house, and the tornado that Monica would cause if this was ever found, knowing her aunt didn't like strangers at home; notably, a woman who claimed to track entities.
They arrived at her school and Regan grabbed her bag, mumbling goodbye to Monica.
As the girl walked around the school hall to her classroom, she couldn't help but notice the nasty stares she was getting from the students. This was unusual, because as she passed days in that school, students rarely payed attention at her.
Regan felt uncertain and her heart pounded rapidly. As she passed three girls who were laughing, one of them said:
"Hey look! It's the schizophrenic freak!"
These words rang on Regan's mind, like a cold bucked of water that falls in one's head, in an already frozen environment.
She turned to the perky girl and stared at her furiously, as the girl and her friends kept laughing.
Regan wanted to say something hurtful to the girl, but nothing came out of her mouth. She continued her way in an inner turmoil.
But almost everyone was saying the same thing. Even though Regan tried to ignore, it was frustrating. Poor girl, before was bullied for her scar and nature, now for her disoriented mind.
She kept wondering of how did they find out about her mistaken diagnosis.
Maybe someone had seen me there and then spread it all over the school, she thought. The thought made her angrier.
As she walked through the school's hallway, the air around her grew heavy, and a subtle tremor seemed to ripple through the walls.
It was all getting on her nerves. She didn't know how much she could hold anymore. If anyone would come and say it straight on her face, she'd beat them up.
But then she felt a strange sensation, a tingling in her hair. She looked down only to go straight in shock. Her hair was glowing, but not like silky glowing or straight sleek hair. It was glowing with an eerie red light, an otherworldly illumination that sent her heart racing. She touched her hair erratically and then realized almost everyone was staring at her in shock.
Regan quickly disappeared in the bathroom, trying to compose herself. She stared at her reflection, and she was even more shocked. Her eyes were red and her hair indeed had a faint, supernatural glow. Panic surged through her as she splashed cold water on her face, hoping it would dispel the eerie effect.
"I've gone insane," she thought to herself, gripping the sink tightly.
But still, even as she said she was insane, she knew he was real. He was real and her life was turned into a mockery of his malicious presence.
She looked at her reflection again and she saw the same crimson glow in her eyes. She tried desperately to blink or wash her eyes, but it didn't work.
Suddenly, a girl stepped in the bathroom and Regan quickly hid behind a stall door, hoping the girl hadn't seen her glowing eyes. She held her breath, heart racing with fear and confusion.
The girl walked to the mirror, fixing her hair and chatting with her friend on the phone, completely unaware of Regan's presence. Regan waited until the bathroom was empty before she cautiously stepped out of the stall. She avoided looking at the mirror, afraid of what she might see.
Finally, after some time, she gathered the courage to face her reflection. She saw that her hair had gone as it was, half red, half black and the red eerie glowing in her eyes had faded. She thanked God for that.
Still, as she left the bathroom, she realized she was terrified of herself as much as she was terrified of none other than the one who haunted her with those piercing blue eyes.