‘Hey chicken, how are you feeling?’ I said, walking into Abigail’s room. Abigail looked awful. Her face was all red and splotchy and the skin around her nose was crispy from using so many tissues. She’d had a cold for about a week, and it didn’t seem to be getting any better. Movie nights were indefinitely postponed until she improved. None of us could concentrate in a silent room for three hours knowing Abigail wasn’t feeling well. We were all too worried.
Mum sent me over with some of her legendary chicken soup – one of Abigail’s favourites – to try to make her feel better.
Ever since I’d walked into Josh’s house, I’d sensed a weird atmosphere. It wasn’t as suffocating as the one from Lila’s house, but it made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong, and that unnerved me. I couldn’t see anything unusual, though.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised the atmosphere had been slowly creeping up on the house for a few weeks. Because it’d been a few more days than usual since I’d been there, it felt more pronounced. Could the others sense it? What did it mean?
I pushed the atmosphere to the back of my mind as I handed Abigail a Tupperware of soup.
‘Poo,’ said Abigail, pouting.
‘I brought you some of Mum’s soup. Will that help?’
She sat up, but it looked like doing just that took all the energy she had. I’d never seen a cold that bad before. Could it really be a cold, or was it something worse? Did she have the flu or some other nasty virus?
‘Maybe,’ she said.
‘Do you want the soup now, or do you want me to put it in the fridge for later?’
‘Can I try a bit now please?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I’ll just go downstairs and get you a spoon.’
She nodded, then I put the soup on her bedside table and went down to get a spoon. Josh was in the kitchen, making a drink. ‘Tea?’ he offered.
‘Please,’ I said.
‘How’s the patient looking?’
‘Pretty crappy,’ I said, fishing a teaspoon from the cutlery drawer.
He sighed, leaning against the counter by the sink. ‘Yeah, she’s been like it for a few days. If she gets much worse Dad’s going to march her to the doctor’s I think.’
I twirled the teaspoon around my fingers like a baton. ‘But if it’s a virus, there’s nothing they can do. They’ll just tell him to wait it out.’
‘Given how long it’s been going on it’s making him paranoid. He’s worried about her getting worse. We all are.’
I put my arms around his waist and leaned into him. He hugged me back, resting his head on top of mine. ‘She’ll get better,’ I promised.
‘Yeah, it’s just rough seeing her so weak, you know? She’s never been this ill before. None of us know how to cope.’
I rubbed his back. ‘Yeah. But this is Abigail. She’s tougher than all of us. And you’re all doing a good job of looking after her.’
‘Yeah, I guess.’
I leaned back so that I could look up at him. ‘I know you feel helpless, but in a few years’ time, you’ll barely remember this. It’ll just be another faded memory.’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right. You’re right. Thanks.’
I smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘Say, did your mum make any extra of that soup?’
‘There’s a vat of it in the slower cooker at home. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you stealing some.’
He grinned. ‘You read my mind. I’ll walk you home and grab some after this tea?’
‘Sounds good to me.’
I shifted from foot to foot while Josh milled around me making tea. If it wasn’t a cold, could it be related to the dodgy atmosphere in the house?
‘What is it?’ he said after a minute.
‘Has Abigail been acting weird lately?’
‘Weird how?’
‘Out of character.’
‘She got told off at school the other day. And it feels like my parents are telling her off all the time lately. We just assumed it was because of her age.’
I nodded. Was it just her age, or was something else going on?
*
Josh walked me home and told me more about Abigail’s weird behaviour. It didn’t do anything to reassure me. She’d been talking back to teachers, bullying classmates, and turning in half-arse homework. If she’d done it at all. That wasn’t the Abigail any of us knew.
Mum and I talked to Josh for a bit in the kitchen while he ate his soup, but I was desperate to fill Mum in on what I’d found out, so I pretended I didn’t feel well and needed to rest. Mum used it as an opportunity to get rid of Josh, sending him on his way with another Tupperware full of soup.
Once he was finally gone, she turned to me: ‘All right, what is it?’
‘I think Abigail is possessed.’
Mum sunk onto the chair opposite me. ‘Why?’
‘Have you been in her room lately?’
‘No, why?’
‘Neither had I. Until today. It reminds me of the atmosphere at Lila’s, but different. It’s worse in her room, but I can sense it in the whole house. Josh said she’s been acting weirdly too, like getting told off at school and stuff. That’s not like her.’
Mum stood up and paced back and forth in the kitchen. It wasn’t massive, so she only got a couple of steps before needing to change direction. If she walked any faster, she was going to make us both dizzy. ‘No, you’re right, it isn’t. Dammit, I was worried this would happen! If I’d known they were redecorating, I could’ve done something in place of the wards to protect them!’
Something told me she was talking more to herself than to me, so I sat in my chair and watched her.
Tilly stood in the doorway, also watching, with her head tilted to the side and a confused look on her expressive doggy face. Tilly looked at me with her confused face, as if hoping that I had the answers. I didn’t, so I just shrugged at her.
Giving up, Tilly waddled off into the living room and started playing with a squeaky toy. At least she didn’t have to worry about these things.
Mum abruptly stopped pacing and stared blankly across the room. I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. ‘I need to talk to Maggie.’ She tapped her foot.
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to try to exorcise Abigail,’ said Mum.
‘Harry won’t like that,’ I said.
‘No, he won’t. But how else can I get the ghost out of his five-year-old?’
‘Will it go away on its own if you don’t?’
‘When she’s on her deathbed, yeah.’