𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

[𝟏𝟑] 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧

Annie settles her hand on my knee, causing it to stop bouncing up and down. My leg's been at it for a good ten minutes now but every time I try to stop it, it starts back up like it has a broken off switch.

Annie the miracle worker everyone. Let's give her a round of applause.

No? Sorry, Annie, they don't love you.

"It'll be okay, it hasn't even been that long since you saw your mom, has it?"

I shrugged, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. "I don't know, it's been almost a year-ish. She ran out right after Spencer went missing."

And why the hell was I even going home? Because Sam summoned me there?

Yes.

No, stop it.

But seriously, why can't I just be freaking mad at him without it completely backfiring on me? This whole... crush thing is seriously not working out for me.

Mkay, Sam, can I have my fucking heart back now?

No?

K, well, may I rest in peace.

Coffin, here I come.

"I've been meaning to ask you something about him actually." With this, she gains my undivided attention. Anything to do with my brother has always been interesting to me. Especially after... ya' know.

"What about him?" I ask. I'm not really all that curious because something tells me she's not actually going to go through with telling me. I guess it's just easy to tell when Annie's gonna wuss out.

Sorry, Annie.

"You remember the other day when I went to go get you water after you got out of the shower?" I nod. "My dad was watching the news and... well, I-"

"You what?" I demand. I have no idea where she's going with this but-

"I saw a guy on TV and he's allegedly been kidnapping kids our age for years and it just reminded me of your brother."

-but she's not going anywhere with it.

She clears her throat, turning into my driveway.

"Oh," I say, shrugging. I have a feeling she's not telling me everything but I'm too tired to care or even-

"GraCiE!" Sam bangs on my window. He pulls open my door and then he pulls me out and into his arms. "Help, please help, I'm going fucking crazy."

He just figured this out? Damn, he's slow.

I pull away, cupping his face and searching his eyes. I don't know what the hell is going on but I do know that he's scared. "What happened?"

He squishes my cheeks together, leaning in. "I saw my fucking sister."

My jaw drops. His what?

"The dead one?"

He nods vigorously. "The dead one. The only one."

Holy hell, it's the dead one.

"Let's go see your ghost sister. You think she's making cookie- OW!" I yelp when he smacks the back of my head. Before I can speak up again, he pushes me towards the front door.

"Carry me," I order and he scoops me up before placing me on his shoulders, not stopping his walking towards the kitchen for even a second. "Bro- I was joking, and of all places, why your shoulders, I'll hit my- FUCK!"

Of course just when I say I'm going to hit my head, I hit my freaking head.

I hope I need brain surgery that would be cool.

Wait, what-

"You'd rather hang from my dick or what?"

"Samuel!" Someone screams sternly just as someone else screams, "Grace, watch your goddamn mouth!"

"I know you're blushin', sweetheart." He looks up at me and winks. I lean over and smack him on the man-boobie. "Ow." He grumbles.

I mean, obviously, he was right. Who wouldn't be after someone that looks like that says something like what Sam had just said?

We turn into the kitchen and when I tell you, I almost fucking died... I'm not even kidding because at the sight of his sister, Sam almost drops me. After a moment of helping me settle back on his shoulders, I look back to who's sitting on the counter.

Spencer.

Oh and Ms. dead-girl-Madison. Speaking of dead... isn't she? How- when- where-

I need a nap.

She smiles at the sight of my expression. "Don't worry, I don't get it either."

"Sammy?" I whisper, leaning down so my lips brush over his ear. "You see them too right?"

"Hey, Gracie?" Sam whispers back.

"Yeah?"

"You remember that movie we watched that one night and the little kid said, 'I see dead people'?" I nod and he turns his head to look at me, our lips almost brushing as he whispers, "We see dead people, Grace."

I scramble off of his shoulder, screaming and turning to leave.

"Nope, if you're leaving, I'm leaving too. You can't leave me because if you leave me I'm going to be left with the dead people."

I narrow my eyes at him, shoving his hand away. "That made absolutely no goddamn sense and because you can't speak proper English, I'm leaving you and you can't come because I'm leaving you so you can be left with the dead people." Sticking my nose in the air, I turn for the stairs.

"You're not freaking leaving me so I can be left with the dead people because you left me!" He hisses, throwing me over his shoulder and earning a scream from me.

Sometimes I seriously regret this whole not eating things. If I was a normal way, it wouldn't be so easy for him to pull me over his shoulder and scare me shitless.

"Samuel! Put me down right this instant!" I yelp, squirming around in his grip.

"Do they always do this?" Spencer whispers to Madison. She shrugs.

"I don't know, I was dead."

"Spencer, help me!" I call as Sam goes up the stairs. He grins cheekily, waving goodbye to me as I'm dragged up the stairs.

God? When I prayed he'd come home, I didn't actually mean it. Take him back. Please.

🥥

"You know you can't ignore him forever, right?" Sam nudges me, rinsing off a plate and looking behind his at my brother.

I quirk a brow at him. "Then you can't ignore Maddie forever either."

"Fine." He sighs. When I think he's going to agree to talk to Maddie, he pats my shoulder and flashes me a small yet dimple-y smile. "You don't have to talk to your brother."

Before I can answer, Ray leans over me and turns off the faucet. "Why can't you both grow some balls and talk to them? It's not that hard."

"Have you talked to Spencer?" I ask her, my hand on my hip. She puckers her lips, turning on her heels and jumping onto the counter. "That's what I thought."

"Why don't you want to talk to him?" Sam asks me, passing me a plate to put in the dishwasher. "I don't want to talk to my sister because I thought she was fucking dead, but why can't you talk to Spencer?"

I shrug. "It's just weird. Plus if he wanted to talk to me, he would have. And I thought he was dead too, and finally when I was at peace with that, poof, here he is."

"I don't think that's the reason." He leans over me, placing a cup into the dishwasher. He cups one side of my face with his hand and angles my face to the side, kissing my cheek. "I have to go home but if you need anything, you know where to find me. Call me if you wanna go for a snack, kay?"

I nod, trying to get over the fact he just kissed my cheek. It's not that big of a deal but coming from him, it is. But then I'm stripped of the contentment when my stomach grumbles and I notice Spencer coming over.

"Sam, you mind if I catch a ride with you? I wanna see mom." Maddie calls after Sam. Instead of a reply or the closing of the front door, an extra set of footsteps set their sight in my direction.

Sam wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Looks like I'm staying over, bestie."

Spencer gives Sam a once over and passes him the coldest look I've ever seen. "Get your arm off of my sister, mini Grant."

"Speaking of Grant, where is he?" Maddie pipes up. Sam turns to me his eyes widening as he speaks to me using his eyes. And of course, because I'm so smart, I go along with his... eye-speaking.

I clear my throat, successfully earning their attention. "Grant's in college, failing probably."

My knowing smile falls when Sam smacks my butt. I yelp, turning to him with my eyes wide open.

"What?" He asks. I smack him upside the head.

"You just smacked my ass, what the hell do you mean what?"

His eyes widen at my words. "I meant to hit your back, I'm so sorry."

"You're sleeping on the fucking floor." I tell him, turning away from him and storming up the stairs.

"But I like your bed better!"

"The fuck you know about my sister's bed, shithead?"

"GrAciE heLpkSDjHg!"

🥥

I sit up from bed, moving Sam's arm away from my waist. I take small steps towards the door, opening it as it creeks.

I slip past my room and other rooms and then take light but quick steps down the stairs.

My head's been buzzing and the ringing in my ears hasn't gone away since dinner. I decided to wait it out but I couldn't take it anymore.

I pull out the folding stepping stool and reach up for the box with medicine in it when I finally make my way onto it after way too many stumbles to count. When I still can't reach it I lean up further.

I hate being short.

Can you get surgery to make yourself taller-

THUD

🥥

"What happened to her?" A voice booms as something or rather someone is pushed against a wall.

"I- I don't know," another voice sobs out, "I was sleeping, I didn't even know she left, I swear."

"Spencer, calm down, he really didn't know. Just leave him alone." A female voice spoke up.

I can't open my eyes, all I can do is listen and wait for my body to give me access to the rest of my normally functioning-human-functions.

"He fucking knows what happened, I know he does!"

What the hell is going on?

"Spencer, please, just sit down, the doctors coming back soon and we'll know what happened." That voice's unmistakably Mrs. Winters'. It's soft and motherly. Every time I hear it, I feel a warm rush in my heart, like when I used to when mom would pick me up from school early in elementary school. Sam's mom's voice is one I think I'll always look forward to hearing

I hear a sigh and the scraping of a chair against the floor.

If I could, I'd be the one sighing. I didn't have to see it for it to give me second hand anxiety, that's for sure.

"Mr. Rieder, I'm so sorry, I should've known, I should've heard her. It's all my fault." Sam sobs. It breaks my heart how his voice cracks and how sad he sounds. "Fuck, this is all my fault."

Then it stays silent apart from the tapping of an object against another and Sam's sobs. I want so bad to hug him and tell him I'm alright but I can't. How can I when I can't even open my damn eyes?

A creak rings throughout the room and after a few low greetings and screeching of chairs, the doctor speaks up. "I have good news and bad news."

I want to hear the good news first, please.

"Good." Sam croaks. "Good news, please, we need good news."

The doctor sighs and I imagine him nodding. "Good news is she's fine, she hit her head but nowhere that'll cause permanent damage."

"And the bad news?" Maddie pipes up, my parents still quiet like they aren't even in the room.

"Bad news is she's not doing well. She's very sick in the sense that it seems she hasn't eaten in a while."

If I could, I'd leave this place right now. I knew they'd figure it out but why now?

"W-what do you mean?" Maddie asks, and I can feel her eyes on me.

"As far as I can tell, we're looking at an eating disorder here."

Coffin, here I come.

No, but seriously, please kill me now.