"What the fuck, Stella?" Arielle couldn't help but glare at her friend—her best friend, supposedly—who snuck stuff into her trunk when she wasn't looking and lied about things. Big things.
Bigger than me thinking I might be in love with our deceased "other" best friend.
"A Ouija board?" She banged her fists against the table and stood up, groaning. Stella had no idea of Arielle's history with the occult object; but was now the right time to fill her in? To start a screaming match in a restaurant far from home?
No.
"It's not some random one I picked up at a trashy store, Ari," said Stella, cheeks red, sweat forming above her near-white eyebrows. "It's my mom's, homemade, legit, somewhat safe."
"Somewhat?" Arielle huffed, set her hands on her hips, tipped her head back. "After everything that's already happened to us? The black mass, the girl apparition, the Cemetery seance, the bathroom—" she stopped herself before she announced the nitty-gritty of her bloody moment at Queen's University. "You'd hide this from me? You'd want to try to use it? Ouija boards are not safe. Store-bought or homemade, doesn't matter."
Stella cocked her head and squinted. "I don't disagree, but how do you know so much about Ouija boards?"
You're a hypocrite, Arielle. A ridiculous hypocrite—
"Because of Jade?" Stella sat up straight. "She had one, right?"
Arielle glanced at Stella in feigned confusion. "Huh?"
Stella dug her crimson nails through her platinum locks, yanking them off her face where they'd fallen in sleek curtains. "Jade had a Ouija board. She said she used it once... and it spooked the shit out of her. But she kept it... I think. Did she tell you about that? Or... does this have to do with your mysterious past before you moved to our town? You never wanted to tell me more about that."
Shit.
Should she tell a minor lie—yes, she knew about Jade's board, no she never used it—or divulge all her former troubles? All the death surrounding her loved ones, all the risks Stella took by being in her presence?
"Uh... she told me of it once, yeah." Peeking at her shoes to avoid eye-contact, Arielle sighed. "And it has come up in my past, too."
Not a lie. Not a lie.
She'd never explained to Stella why she and her dad moved to Ohio. It was Jade she spoke to about the crap in her youth, about how afraid she was that death followed her, stalked her, wanted her. Stella was the fun friend, the one she drank alcohol with and danced with. The one she had crazy adventures with, who shared memories they struggled to remember but laughed at once they did. Not the one she confided all her anxieties and fears to.
Jade...
Since they'd started their Spring Break... there had been a lot of serious moments, more so than usual with Stella.
"So... you don't like them, is that it?" Stella rose, pulled her purse onto the table, and extracted her wallet. "Fine, I get that. But you'll be safe with me. Mom always said if you follow proper procedures, there's no risk. And I know those proper procedures, Ari. Despite hating that stuff, I have watched Mom do her thing. I'm not stupid."
"And I'm not saying you are, but I don't appreciate the lie. And no, I don't like Ouija boards."
Stella forked out a few bills for their meal, then slugged her purse strap over her shoulder. Her gaze turned somber, stern as she gaped at Arielle and walked up to her. "Do you want to find Jade? Talk to her? Keep asking your what happens after death questions? Because this is how we do it. We can investigate these places for her, provoke spirits until we're blue in the face—but if we don't detect the right spirit, we'll never talk to her. You'll never get your closure."
"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.
Night had fallen, and the lights flashing over the place didn't help its aura—it appeared scarier and more intimidating. "Ready?" asked Stella, digging out her crystals once more, tossing them up and down with ease.
Arielle gulped. "I guess." After days of whispers and apparitions and experiments that made the hairs on her arms stand up, she still hadn't received the replies she wanted and needed. The farther they traveled, the worse her nightmares became, and the more apprehensive she was. Would tonight finally provide her with what she required to ease her soul, if only a little?
Once inside, their tour-guide welcomed them with a bit of background information. "The Old City Jail was home to the city's most disturbed criminals, folks. Thousands of individuals, men, women, and even children were jailed here. Some erroneously, too. And all died." His face showed excitement, but his voice was gloomy, setting the scene for their adventure to come. "Tonight, you'll see things you might not be able to explain."
Several visitors sneered and rolled their eyes; but not Arielle or Stella. They gritted their teeth and tightened their fists, bracing for more activity. It was, after all, the reason they took this trip.
"Objects move, voices fizzle through the halls and float around the cells, doors slam—anything can happen."
They proceeded onward after the guide gave them safety information and reminded them to not wander off on their own. He prepared them for heart-palpitating moments to come and the rich history he'd be giving them as they moved through the prison.
"Civil war prisoners, slaves, thieves, nineteenth-century pirates... and let's not forget good old Lavinia and John... they are the stars here." His voice became faint as Arielle and Stella loitered at the end of the group, trailing behind.
Stella squeezed the crystals and murmured into them. "I am open to you, spirits," she whispered, as the guide spoke louder, luckily camouflaging her words. "I can channel you with these stones... reveal yourself." She twirled the gems in her hand, chanting as she walked, her steps slow and steady.
"... and it's said a young boy died around here..." the guide continued, and Arielle tugged at Stella's sleeve, to make sure they didn't draw attention by dawdling.
In each cell they visited, Stella mumbled to herself. Arielle stood in front of her, masking her, protecting her from any tourists who'd give her weird looks or think her to be crazy. Several times Stella shuddered, rubbed the crystals between both hands, her whispers harsh and violent.
"I don't understand you!" she said once, breathing hard into Arielle's back. Arielle turned rigid at that and coughed to cover the noise Stella made.
Later, Stella convulsed when saying, "Do you speak English?" and dropped one of her crystals.
Arielle hurried to pick it up as it rolled towards the tour-guide, who interrupted his speech and peeked at her, raising a brow. "Everything okay, ladies? Any questions?"
Swallowing and striding backwards until she reached Stella and slipped the crystal to her, Arielle nodded. "Yes! Sorry, she's... she's uneasy in these places so I... protect her."
A few laughed; the tour-guide smiled. "That's quite all right, whatever works for you. Heck, I once led a group with a person who had to keep their eyes closed the entire time. I don't judge."
"... but we do," muttered one visitor under their breath, as they exited the cell they'd finished exploring.
Lingering behind, Arielle nudged Stella, who gasped, so focused on her questions she appeared elsewhere. She'd been glaring at her stones as if they held the answers to humanity itself. "Huh?"
"Stel... these people are jerks. Watch it." She took Stella by the elbow and sped up their pace. "I don't like how they're mocking you."
"Mocking me?" Stella's head jerked up as she glowered at the visitors and their turned backs. "For real? Ha. Let's see if they mock me once the spiritual shit goes on."
Arielle clenched her teeth and forced a smile at one of the ladies who continuously asked questions and doubted everything the tour-guide said. "Spiritual shit?"
Arms tensing, Stella pulled Arielle closer to her and approached her ear. "They are speaking. The beings in here, they're lively... but only with me."
Arielle suppressed a shiver, nearly missing a step as they started climbing a set of dilapidated stairs. "For real? What are they saying?" It wasn't hard for Arielle to believe Stella told the truth. With all they'd been through in so little time, and with all she'd witnessed Mrs. Sullivan doing in the past few years... she didn't doubt it.
"They don't like this group," said Stella, perking up, her voice morphing to a darker, deeper tone that unsettled Arielle. "And they want to scare them."
Though Arielle wouldn't deny seeing these people freaking out would make her laugh, it sent icy chills up and down her legs and arms to hear they'd said as much to Stella. "Did you ask them... what happens after death?" She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip. "Can I... can I ask them?"
Stella hesitated, but joined their palms; uniting their energies, connecting their souls. She'd mentioned earlier, in the car, that she might have to do that at some point. "Go ahead. Speak, they'll hear you."
For someone once so reluctant and full of hatred towards her heritage, Stella appeared so confident, so skilled. As if she'd never doubted herself, never declined who she really was.
"What happens after death?" Arielle kept her voice low, her chin high, and her hopes somewhere between. "Can you tell us?"
Almost at once, a cell door creaked open ahead of them. All visitors had stopped walking and were listening to the guide as he explained a particular stain on the wall. And all held their breaths as the guide's gaze whipped towards the source of the noise. "Whoa." One arm outstretched to halt anyone from passing him, he slouched. "Shh," he said, a finger pressed to his lips.
A raspy whisper erupted through the area, breaking the sudden silence. "Secret... secret..." From the way everyone stilled, hunched, afraid and confused... they all heard it.
"Holy shit," said Stella, no longer muffling herself. "Secrets? Again?"
"Secret... secret..."
Arielle shook her head, realization looming before her, flashing like a green light. "Stel... it said secret. No plural. One secret."
Everyone stared at the two girls—including the tour-guide—as they faced each other, eyes wide. Arielle's eyebrows soared skywards and Stella's did the same as they both squeaked.
"What happens after death is a secret!" they said in tandem.
"Wow, they're actually responding, this time!" Stella held up the crystals to give them a closer look.
The guide marched over and leaned in. "What are those?" He jutted his chin at Stella's stones. "What are you doing?"
"Really, dude? We made the visit more interesting. Those whispers were for everyone's ears, so you're welcome," said Stella, sneering at him. "And these are crystals. Nothing you need to worry about and not illegal to have."
"Crystals?" He blew out his cheeks, setting one hand on his hip, dragging the other down his face. "Okay, what's going on? I've been sensing creepier than usual stuff since the tour started. Are you... are you some sort of Ghost Adventures fanatic, summoning weird shit to the Jail? We don't need more issues. One of our janitors fell this morning and he's in the hospital. There's already so much negativity—"
"—I'm a medium," hissed Stella, "not some paranormal investigator with fancy devices. I use crystals and vibrations and candles, got it?" A few people peered over, curious; but Stella cleared her throat, stood tall, and smiled. "Yeah, guys, you listening? I'm a medium. Those whispers were a spirit answering our question. What happens after death? And they said secret. It's a fucking secret!"
Despite the glares, the winces at her cursing, the muffled giggles, Arielle gaped at her best friend. She'd never been more proud of her outspoken ways and I-don't-give-a-crap attitude.
Embrace it, girl. That's what Jade wanted.