Chapter Nine
“Holy Shit,” Shannon said, her eyes wide in shock.
When their eyes met, Regina’s widened in shock. It worked, Regina thought to herself. I’m back.
“Regina?” Hearing her name on this girl’s lips filled her with hope.
As she watched the petite brunette get to her feet, Regina was still. The look of awe and happiness shocked her to her core. She had never expected to illicit any emotion other than fear again. She thought Libby had been perfect, but she was wrong. Shannon King, in her long pink skirt that clashed horribly with her green nails, was perfect.
“Shannon,” she said softly, the name rolling off her tongue like it belonged there.
Shannon grinned when she heard Regina say her name. She reached out her hand to touch the girl’s face, but she never made contact. The skin of Regina’s face dissolved into silvery mist around Shannon’s fingers.
Shannon felt like her heart broke a little bit at not being able to touch the girl.
“Is she here?” Joanie asked breaking Shannon from the trance she was in.
“Yeah,” Shannon said, her eyes still fixed on the beautiful girl in front of her. “Can you not see her?”
“No, but I think I heard her,” Joanie said. “Gravelly voice, said your name, sounds like she’s been watching you change.”
Shannon saw Regina’s pale skin flush and realised it was true. Shannon felt like she should be creeped out by a girl spying on her, but she felt kind of flattered. She had never had someone as beautiful as Regina interested in her before. Jess was pretty, not that the slut counts, but she was nothing compared to the blond girl before her.
“I’m kind of all right with that,” Shannon said and Joanie burst into laughter.
“Ghost girl’s a hottie, huh?” she said between giggles. “I thought all women back then were dogs.”
“Sexy lesbians,” Ben interrupted, looking to the heavens like he couldn’t believe his luck. “Flick, could you become a lesbian?” he asked his girlfriend.
“No,” she said simply and ruffled his hair.
Jordan scrunched up his nose like he couldn’t think of anything grosser than lesbians.
Shannon shook her head at Ben. “She’s like, our age.” She told Joanie, ignoring the boys.
“Nineteen,” Regina confirmed, becoming fed up with them talking about her like she wasn’t there.
“Sorry,” Shannon apologised to her. “She said she was nineteen,” she told the others, “when she died.”
“You guys,” Flick said, looking at Shannon’s expression. “I think we should probably go. I need to get back to school anyway.” That girl didn’t miss a thing.
“Right,” Ben agreed after looking at Flick. “Joanie, Jordan, I’ll drop you guys off.”
The four of them left the room, leaving the two girls alone.
Shannon and Regina stood in silence before Regina opened her mouth. “Can I go outside?” She asked, looking at the darkening sky outside the window.
Shannon shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it part of your ghost rules?” she asked.
“I used to go outside, before he cast the spell. I went to see my father just after I died.” Regina explained. “Did it say anything about him, in your file?”
It did, Shannon remembered but she didn’t want to say it. She knew it would hurt the girl. So instead she shook her head. “Let’s go outside.”
“Can we go to the ocean?” Regina asked and Shannon shot her a smile.
“Sure.”
Regina ran on ahead, going straight through Shannon’s closed bedroom door and down the stairs. Shannon had to sprint to catch up.
Shannon watched as Regina pranced barefoot down the narrow path to the small beach. The wind didn’t blow in her hair, or mould her nightgown to her body, unfortunately. Regina was impervious to the elements, and looked so happy to be out of the house.
“Reggie,” Shannon called as the girl got too far ahead. “Wait for me. I actually have to be cautious.”
Regina flitted back up the path like a nymph, and walked backwards in front of Shannon. “You called me Reggie,” she stated.
“Um,” Shannon said nervously, unsure of what she meant. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, a peaceful smile spreading across her face, making her look a lot more innocent then she was. “My daddy called me Reggie. I was named after him you know?”
“He was called Regina too?” Shannon asked.
Reggie laughed. “No. Reginald. I was his angel.”
When they reached the sandy shore Reggie skipped off to stand at the water. The waves lapped through her feet like they weren’t there, and she didn’t disturb the sand like Shannon did.
Reggie threw her head back and grinned. “I can’t feel it, but I can remember what it feels like. The wind and the salt and the water.”
“It feels like magic.” Shannon said.
“Yes, just like magic.” Reggie agreed. “I wonder…” she mumbled.
Shannon gasped when Reggie’s body disappeared into the water. “Reggie!” Shannon yelled, afraid that something had happened to the girl. Her eyes swept over the ocean and she let out a relieved breath when she saw Reggie’s body rise out of the sea like the lady in the lake.
“Fish!” Reggie yelled with excitement and began sprinting towards the shore. She opened her arms to wrap them around Shannon but she ran right through her, her body dissolving and reforming in the sand behind Shannon.
“Holy shit, that was nuts,” Shannon gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. “You just walked on water.” she turned around and collapsed onto the sand next to Reggie, her body trembling from the icy chills that shot through her body when Reggie did.
“Like Jesus.” Reggie said with a chuckle.
Shannon snorted.
“Can I ask you something?” Shannon asked after sitting a few minutes in a comfortable silence.
Reggie smiled a dazzling smile. “You can ask me anything you like, and I promise it answer it honestly.”
Shannon squeezed her eyes shut. “How did you die?”
After a century of having nothing to but ruminate on her few years of life, Reggie was comfortable with this topic, more so than anyone would expect. But saying it out loud hurt more than she thought it would.
“My husband beat me to death.”
“Why?”
“Because he caught me with Libby.”
Thinking back over the articles she read she remembered reading about her. “Your maid?”
“Yes,” Reggie breathed. The subject of Libby was something she had yet to resign herself with, even now.
“Your husband killed her too.” Shannon stated, rather than asked. She knew it was the truth the second she thought it.
Reggie bit her lip and nodded. “I could have forgiven him my death; that was passion filled. I had betrayed him. But not Libby. He planned her death, every meticulous detail.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you love her?” Shannon blurted, jealousy swirling inside her.
The tinge of jealousy in Shannon’s voice made butterflies erupt in Reggie’s stomach and she shook her head. “No, I thought I did,” she admitted, “but Libby was just a pretty face. She was nice to me and she wanted me.”
Shannon couldn’t help but be delirious at that thought.
She never thought she would ever be such a loser in love.