‘Why are you curled up in the foetal position, with Nurse Tilly trying to get to your arse?’ said Josh, walking into my room while I watched bad TV. Bored in my incapacitated state, I’d texted him to keep myself entertained. He’d come over during his free period after lunch to keep me company.
I switched the TV off and tried to turn to face him, but immediately regretted it when a sharp pain shot through my spine. I yelped. Nurse Tilly sprung into action, jumping all over me and making it harder for me to sit straight and calm my back down.
Josh picked her up, holding her wriggling form to him. Her gaze was fixed on me; she did not want to leave me alone. It would’ve been adorable if it wasn’t so painful.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘So what happened?’
I sighed. ‘Smacked my coccyx on concrete. Wouldn’t recommend it.’
He sucked in air through his teeth.
‘Yeah. It’s that kind of pain.’
‘How?’
As much as I loved Josh, he actually liked Tessa. Occasionally they hung out together with a group of others. I wasn’t invited to these things. Well, Josh had tried, but I’d declined for obvious reasons. I had more interesting conversations with dead people. Tessa and her friends were most definitely not my kind of people.
‘Tessa pushed me.’
He put Tilly on the bed and perched on the end of it. She galloped over to me, jumping up and licking my face. I tensed my body, holding her still so that she’d calm down.
‘She wouldn’t do that,’ he said.
‘And yet she did,’ I said. Why didn’t he believe me? Did he have a thing for Tessa? No. He wasn’t that much of an idiot. Was he?
Tilly calmed down, settling into the crux of my hip. Cutie.
‘It was probably just an accident,’ he said.
‘You know what? Just go. I’ll be fine.’
‘Edie—’
‘No, really. Please.’
Please stop defending that bitch, you’re breaking my heart.
As Josh stood, his phone rang. A frantic Maggie was on the other end, telling him to meet her at the hospital. Something about Abigail having a fit.
I pulled back the covers, startling Tilly and my injury. How long would I have to put up with the pain? Could I get stronger painkillers?
‘Where are you going?’ said Josh.
‘Something’s wrong with Abigail. I’m coming with you.’
*
‘Mum! Mum!’ I called, limping my way towards where she, Maggie, and Harry were standing. It wasn’t my best look, but I couldn’t not go and see Abigail. And obviously Josh wouldn’t leave her, either. So he’d helped me into his car and driven us to the hospital. Sitting in his car had been painful but necessary. He’d driven as carefully as he could, but it still stung. Abigail needed me, so I had to suck it up.
‘Edie!’ said Mum, coming over to Josh and me. She put her hands on my arms. ‘You didn’t have to come.’
‘Yes we did,’ said Josh. ‘How is she?’
‘Asleep at the minute,’ said Mum. ‘The doctors aren’t sure what caused it, so they want to do some more tests.’
‘Do they think it’s anything bad?’ he asked, his eyes pleading with Mum to give him answers. He wouldn’t like it if she did…
‘We’ll get answers soon, don’t you worry.’
Josh folded his arms and turned away from us. Mum put her hand on his arm. ‘She’ll be OK.’
He snivelled. ‘’Scuse me.’ He walked away, leaving Mum and me alone in the corridor.
‘Should I go after him?’ I said.
Mum shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think he wants us to see him so upset. Better to leave him.’
‘I hate this!’ I said, waving my arms in the air.
Mum hugged me. ‘Me too. But we’ll sort it.’
I pulled away and looked up at her. ‘So what really happened?’
Mum guided me to the chairs a few feet away and we sat down. Well, I perched at a forty-five degree angle so that my tailbone didn’t touch the plastic chair. Mum sat properly.
‘We were on our way back from the school when she had a fit. She’s been suspended for picking a fight,’ said Mum.
‘What? She’d never do that!’
Abigail was the cutest, sweetest kid ever. She once told Harry off for using a fly swatter.
‘She’s not in control of her body right now, remember?’ said Mum.
‘What does a fit have to do with possession?’
‘She’s trying to fight it off. She may only be five, but even she knows something’s wrong. Knowing sweet little Abigail, she’s probably upset something is using her body to hurt others.’
I kicked the chair leg with the heel of my boot. ‘Of all the people to pick on. Everyone knows you don’t hurt kids!’
An old couple walked past and glared at me. I glared back, hoping my expression displayed my internal feelings of ‘bite me’. If that didn’t work, my T-shirt saying it in silver studs should.
They scurried away without saying anything. Nosy gits.
‘These aren’t people, remember. They’re ghosts, and old ones at that. They may not have empathy anymore – they’ve been isolated for too long. We have no idea how much they remember about being human.’
‘They forget?’
Mum leaned forwards in her chair and rested her arms on her lap. ‘Yeah. Some faster than others. Their memory and identity get erased until they’re just empty shells, floating around.’
‘That’s terrifying.’
What did that mean for Thomas? Would he forget everything one day and stop being so cute and helpful? I hoped not. Was it weird that he was one of my closest friends? Probably.
‘Yeah. They still have the same basic human urges to love, be loved, feel touch, etc. So they seek it out in any way they can. Some will go to the last place they remember, which is how you get ghosts haunting places. Others will go to the last person—’
‘Which is how you get ghosts haunting people?’
‘Exactly. And some are so desperate to feel human again that they’ll take advantage of the nearest vulnerable person they can find. They don’t care if that person is weak or not fully grown yet. They just miss basic human things that we take for granted.’
‘Wow. I can’t even imagine. That must be horrible.’
‘I have no doubt.’ She sat up. ‘The ghosts don’t always know they’re doing harm, but they’re not where they need to be. It’s my job to help them.’
I cleared my throat. ‘Our job.’
Mum sighed.
‘I mean it, Mum. Why else was I the one who saw Josh’s granddad?’
‘Because it’s genetic. It doesn’t mean you have to use it.’
I gestured to a ghost floating down the corridor. ‘It’s hard not to when you see them everywhere.’
Mum glanced at the old man and sighed.
*
‘Hey Josh, how’s your sister?’ asked Tessa as soon as he walked through the college gates the next day. What, had she been waiting for him or something? The way she and her cronies had been lurking by the gates made it seem that way. Weirdos.
‘How did you hear what happened to Abigail?’ he said, flashing me a look as we kept walking. Annoyingly, Tessa and her cronies followed.
I shrugged. How would I know?
‘Laura’s dad works at the hospital.’
‘Then you must know how she is,’ I said.
Tessa glared at me. ‘His shift finished before there was an update.’
Of course it had. She wasn’t after an opportunity to talk to him or anything. That wasn’t her style.
‘She’s back home and resting,’ he said.
‘That’s great!’ said Tessa.
‘She’s still weak. Mum won’t let her out of her sight.’
Tessa’s tone changed to match Josh’s sombre one. ‘That’s understandable. But at least she’s home and recovering, right?’ She nudged his arm playfully, with what she probably thought was a reassuring smile on her face. It wasn’t reassuring, it was creepy, if you asked me.
‘I guess.’
The bell rang, signalling it was time for us to get to class.
‘Well, I’ll see you later,’ said Tessa.
‘Bye,’ said Josh.
Tessa and her cronies walked away, Tessa with a spring in her step. If I could punch her without repercussions, I would have.
‘That was nice of them, to ask about her,’ said Josh as we walked to our first class. We shared some and not others. Our first lesson was one we did have together.
‘Yeah, I guess,’ I agreed half-heartedly. Given how low Josh felt, I didn’t want to contradict him. I wanted to wrap him in a duvet and make him watch bad films to make him feel better.
Whenever one of us needed a pick-me-up, we’d always arrange a movie night watching films we loved to hate and hated to love. I wasn’t sure it would help this time, though. Not when something was wrong with Abigail and we didn’t know what.