“Sybil…Sybil it’s time to get up.” Clarence prodded me with her finger giving me no choice but to turn over. Her freckled face loomed so close to me I almost screamed.
“Urghh…” I groaned and shut my eyes again. I just needed 5 more minutes…
“Come on, get up.” Clarence was all business now “No-one else gets to sleep in so that means you don’t either.”
I sat up…Too fast. My head started spinning, I almost missed grabbing the cup and pill that Clarence handed to me.
I almost dropped it. Riley was sitting on my wardrobe, mouth pulled into a cheeky grin and a single cookie in his hand.
My eyes widened, and I almost screamed ‘get the fu*k out of my room!’ Somehow, I didn’t think that would go down well with Clarence.
“Sybil dear, what’s the matter?” asked Clarence, not amused at all. I snatched the pill out of her cold hand and put it in my mouth. Riley looked at me and pointed at me as if to say ‘Don’t you dare’. He made a cut-throat sign that rolled over laughing at my expression.
I swallowed the water. Not the pill. Clarence nodded and walked out. “Five minutes and I want you down for breakfast.”
The minute the door clicked shut I spat the pill out into the bin.
Riley jumped down from the wardrobe “Oh yeah! We sure showed her!” He held his hand up in a high five. I eyed it and raised my eyebrow slowly in a way he’d always thought was creepy.
“Oh, right. Ghost.” He lowered his hand and gazed around my room, staring thoughtfully at the furniture. “They really put you away?”
“Uh huh. Not exactly 5 star, right.” He said, eyes solemn. His hair was messy, making him look like a small boy. It was then I realized he really was a boy: He hadn’t aged a day since he died. He looked about thirteen.
“Yeah well…we aren’t exactly worthy guests.” I said “You so owe me one for not swallowing that pill.”
“I can spy on people if you like!” He said, winking. I gave a tiny laugh at the prospect of Riley drifting around, spying on people and finding out there deepest secrets.
There was question that had been bugging me for a long time “Hey Riley…What’s it like being dead?”
Riley stared at me for a minute and then burst out laughing. I put my hands on my hips and waited for him to stop.
He stood up gasping and floated over to sit on my bed, messing up the bed I had just made “Yeah, its alright I guess.”
I raised an eyebrow “You guess?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not as good as being alive right?” I winced. He hurried on hastily, fingering a bracelet I had on my bed “It’s kind of fun really. Spying on people, causing trouble…” He said, winking.
I chuckled “Yeah, you always were quite good that, weren’t you?”
He gave me a mock look of horror before the door opened and Clarence stepped through, a look of annoyance on her round face.
“Sybil, hurry up and change. All the cornflakes will be gone.” Wow, the cornflakes. Better get ready then…sigh.
When she leaves, begin to pull my polka dot pyjama top off my head. I feel Riley’s eyes on me and stop.
“Hey, turn around please.” I said. Riley chuckled and turned around slowly. I checked to make sure he wasn’t peeking when I changed.
When I was changed – I picked out an old pair of jeans and a yellow tee with a paint splatter print – I went to leave and Riley made a move to follow me.
“Don’t you dare Riley Dawson!” I said, pointing the warning finger at him as he grinned mischievously
“Yeah, like you could stop me…” And of course, he was right. That doesn’t mean I had to like it.
I rolled my eyes and watched as his body slowly appeared from the other side of the door. I tried not to cringe as I saw him walk through the door, it actually really creeped me out. Maybe because my memory was used to seeing him open doors…
The rest of the day was pretty normal, apart from the ghosts that clouded my vision that if I had taken the pink pill, wouldn’t be there. Riley so owed me…
“Hey freak. Sybil, whatever. He wants to see you.” Patricia said, jabbing her finger towards Dr. Hart who was standing by Clarence with a warm smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that made you instantly like the person, so without thinking I got up and walked over. Riley tailed me, grinning wildly.
“Um, you wanted to see me Dr.Hart?” I asked, ignoring the funny faces Riley was pulling. Dr. Hart gave me yet another smile that took my breath away.
“Oh Sybil, yes! I wanted to start our therapy today if you don’t mind? After lunch maybe?”
That meant missing my class with Mary. That was fine by me, I hated talking about how I was holding up in here.
“Yeah, sure I guess…” I said, and he shot me that award-winning smile again. It was like being wrapped in a warm embrace, something I’d never had before. He nodded once before turning to leave. Riley stood in front of him, invisible and making funny motions.
Dr hart walked right around him.
“I’ll see you later Sybil!” I barely heard him, because I was busy mirroring Riley’s freaked expression.
“Did he just?-.”
“Yes.” I said “Yes, he just walked around you.”
“A coincidence?” Riley said hopefully, shifting nervously from side to side.
“Maybe. But why would he walk around you when he could have just walked straight on.”
It’s almost as if…
As if he could see him.
**********
Clarence made me take one more pink pill – much to Riley’s dismay – before I headed to Dr. Harts office. I rapped on the door lightly.
Dr. Hart mumbled something that sounded like ‘come in’, so I did. He was slouched out on the velvet armchair like he didn’t have a care in the world, he legs crossed underneath him. There was a book in his lap with a torn cover. He looked up and gave me a smile before putting the book down and gesturing me to sit down. He tossed his legs over the arm of the couch carelessly, and gazed at me, hands on his lap.
“I’m glad you could come Sybil. There’s a lot for us to talk about.” He said. I nodded, slightly anxious about where this was going.
“Like what?”
“Like what you can see Sybil.” He replied, his eyes kind and crinkled at the edges.
“Dr. Hart-”
“You can call me Seth if you like.”
I coughed “Alright then, Seth. I have no idea what your talking about. I don’t see things!”
Seth got out of his chair and came to kneel in front of me. His green eyes shone out from the shag of green hair, wide and kind.
“You can tell me Sybil, its OK. I know what you see. I know.”
I know.
I’m not sure what made me do it, but those two words made me bolt out of my seat. He knew. He knew my darkest secret; even the nurses didn’t know I saw ghosts, just that I heard things.
“Sybil?”
Before he could say another word I was out the door and running down the hallways to my room. I flung open the door, and Callie was in there. I froze, unable to move. Clarence was standing next to her, an arm on Callie’s shoulder. Callie looked like she woul punch her any minute.
“Im sorry Sybil, I meant to tell you earlier.”
“Tell me what?” Oh please Clarence, don’t do this to me…
“Sybil, meet your new roommate, Callie!” She said, acting as if nothing in the world could be wrong.
Callie stepped forward, a sly look on her face “Hello roommate. I hope we can be… friends…”