Chapter 2: Autumn and Ellie

Autumn and Ellie

    "He's going there."

    Autumn Rosewood didn't react to the ethereal whisper that floated somewhere between her ears. She slid a cheese-coated pot into the soapy water, and gave it a quick rub down with the cleaning sponge before pausing to look out the window. The snow was still coming down, tiny faeries dancing in the winter air. She watched them for a moment, knowing that the conversation was just beginning.

    "Autumn, do you hear me? He's going there. To the apartment! You've got to stop him!"

    Autumn cleared her throat and drew in a deep breath. "I've already tried to help, Ellie. I've told him what I know. What he does with that information is his own choice."

    She reached down and gave the pot another swipe with the sponge. She knew how difficult it was for Ellie to communicate with her, despite Autumn's inborn talent for being able to hear those from the other side. Tonight, though, she knew that Ellie was wasting her energy. Nothing was going to stop Jason from returning to that awful place, despite all that he knew about it. She understood his reasons. She could understand Ellie's concern also.

    The whisper came again. "He's not strong enough!"

    Autumn nodded mentally as a small frown slid across her lips. She had met Jason through the very same book club that he had Miranda. Both of them were very intelligent, Miranda more full of life than Jason, he being quieter, more watchful. As the months had gone on, Autumn had witnessed a change in Jason, as he became more and more comfortable sharing his thoughts and ideas on the various books that had been discussed. He had been growing in front of their very eyes. Even when things started turning bad for Miranda, she could see that he wanted to be even stronger for her. They all did. That night she died had put an end to that. Or so Autumn had thought.

    She finished scrubbing the last of the melted cheese off of the pot, rinsed the last of the soap off, and placed it into the dish try to dry. She lived alone, but today she had had her only son and his children over for lunch and a little afternoon playtime. Michael had run to do some much needed errands, giving Autumn time with her grandkids. At the ages of eight and six, the two boys were old enough to enjoy playing their Nintendo DS's for hours at a time, but Autumn didn't let them. Playtime with her was always something educational. Today had been crystal day, where she brought out her large collection of crystals and a guidebook about them, and she had explained how the different crystals had different properties, that each one had a specific purpose. The boys had enjoyed it, being able to touch each one and feel its different weight, and how each one reacted to light in different ways. Alex had been the more interested of the two, perhaps since he was younger and new things seemed even newer to him, Mitchell was more interested in finding out if there was a DS game that involved crystals in some way.

    "How can you be happy at a time like this? Don't you care at all about him? I thought you were his friend!"

    The desperate whispers brought Autumn out of her reminiscing. "I do care about Jason, Ellie. I do. But at some point you just have to let people do what they are determined to do, even if you know it's going to be bad for them. Michael went through a very bad period of drinking. He's stopped now, I think that having the boys has really put a different perspective on his outlook on life. But when he was drinking, and I knew he was, even though he tried to keep it from me, there wasn't anything that I could do for him other than be there when he decided to come to terms with his break-up from Serena. I knew that there were all sorts of bad things that could happen. And I knew that the harder that I'd push to get him to stop, the more he would pull away from me. I just had to be there for him. That's all I could do. And eventually, he did come to me for help, and he did quit. I knew what Jason would end up doing as well, Ellie. I knew after that day that he came to me, not more than a few days after Miranda died. I knew by the sort of questions that he was asking that he wasn't planning on letting it go, he wasn't going to be able to walk away. And from what I've learned about your family's history there, I don't find that surprising at all."

    Autumn grabbed a nearby dish towel, wiped away the few soapy bubbles that had managed to escape the confines of the sink, and dried off her hands. She saw that her electronic cigartette had finished charging, and unscrewed it from its power base. She walked over to the pack of cartomizers sitting on top of the microwave and removed one from the packaging, taking note that she was starting to get low. She would need to order more online today in order to ensure that her supply of the nicotine that helped her stay sane would not be interrupted. The local convenience store usually carried her brand, but it seemed a new non-smoker had bought up all of this week's stock. She couldn't blame them, since she had been turned on to the cigarette substitutes she'd been feeling a lot more energetic, not to mention that her constant urge to cough had decreased considerably. The e-cigs were probably going to end up saving her life, she had no doubt. Smoking for twenty years had been bad enough for her, she didn't believe that her body would've put up with another twenty. Sometime or other, bodies made the decision that they couldn't continue on in what appeared to be a toxic atmosphere, and simply went into self-destruction mode. She screwed the nicotine-filled cartomizer into the battery, popped the end into her mouth, and took a deep drag.

    It may not be the perfect solution, she thought, but it's much better than the alternative.

    She walked through her dining room, taking a moment to admire the charming arrangement of flowers that had been delivered today. It was a bouquet of gerbera daisies, carnations, and asters, all bright summer colors. The vase was nothing spectacular, but it was adorned with a nice bow of yellow plaid ribbon. Just because, the note had said. Autumn smiled, knowing that Eric, her online friend that had sent them, had probably spent hours analyzing each individual arrangement that the florists offered before settling on this one. He wasn't one to make snap decisions, and she had to admit, he had made a very good one in this case.

    Autumn wasn't surprised that it had taken a few minutes for Ellie to respond. Communicating across the barrier took tremendous energy and willpower, even with Autumn's help, and Ellie didn't have enormous stores of either. Autumn felt a pang of guilt that she wasn't doing more to ease the burden on Ellie, and walked over to her favorite lounger to sit down and get more comfortable.

    "I can't be there for him. Not anymore. I try, but he just thinks it's voices in his head. He doesn't know that it's really me. And I'm not powerful enough to do much more than speak across the barrier. I know that there are some that can, some that can actually touch, and even let people see them. I just can't. I don't have the strength, it's so hard. I've even asked some of the ones that can do it to help me, but no one will."

Communicating with the spirits was rarely difficult for Autumn. Most of the effort was on their part, if they wanted to be heard badly enough. Autumn's gift seemed to open her up more to hearing them. Some people seemed immune to the spirits attempts at communication, some part of their mind subconsciously blocking off the idea that such things were even possible. Autumn had had to spend a lot of time practicing how to keep their sometimes stringent outburst out of her head, and most times she was able to do that, when she chose to. She didn't often feel the need to. Most of the spirits that she encountered realized early on in their relationship with her that she wasn't interested in doing large favors for them, and that she was skilled enough to shut them out if they became to demanding with her. She had found it necessary to shut Ellie out at times. She hoped this time didn't have to be like that.

"Who have you talked to about it, Ellie?" Autumn asked the empty room after she took another drag off of her e-cig. She closed her eyes and let the herself envision the barrier parting to allow Ellie easier access to the world of the living.

    "Melinda. That lady that used to work at the grocery store that came down with that strange flu bug last year. I guess she has a natural talent for getting across the barrier. She's too wrapped up in making her ex-boyfriend's new squeeze to be bothered. I asked Clifford too, but you know him, everything with him is tit-for-tat. I don't know what I'm supposed to offer in return. I'm not going to join their stupid club, or whatever it is."

    Autumn nodded absently. She had had dealings with Clifford before. His main obsession seemed to be keeping his former car, a beautiful 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, which was the color of the blackest night, out the hands of anyone he deemed unsuitable to own it. The current target of his dissatisfaction was a young man with decidedly low scruples, and an even lower standard of living. Autumn couldn't recall the man's name at the moment, but she knew that from Clifford's rants that he had a history of abusing some fine automobiles, and had the skill necessary to cover up any obvious damage that he had caused before dumping it to the next gullible would-be owner.

    Clifford had also hinted to Autumn on occasion that there was a group of the passed-on that had formed a group to allow for those without the necessary abilities to affect the living to still be able to make a mark on them. Clifford hadn't elaborated on what all of those abilities might be, nor what exactly those lacking ability could trade in return for help, but had hinted that there was more going on beyond the barrier than just the deceased trying to affect this reality. What exactly that entailed, Autumn had been careful not to pry too much into. She often realized that the information she gained from directly inquiring about such things tended to be tainted by the spirit's own perceptions, and no two spirits ever had precisely the same interpretation of things. There were things that she had pieced together from her various sources, but it had not been an easy task. Spirits could be just as coy and cunning about trading information as any living person.

    Autumn mentally scrolled through a list of the spirits that she'd had contact with. It seemed that list was getting a lot longer than she remembered. "What about Willis? He was around yesterday, asking is there's anything I'd like him to do in return for getting someone to go mow the grass at his old place. He seems like someone who's willing to help out without expecting much in return."

    Autumn heard something that might have been a gasp of laughter or a stifled sob, it was brief and quiet. Knowing Ellie, it was probably both.

    "I asked him too! He told me that I had too much of the dark on me. He told me he'd help me out when I got that taken care of. But I don't want to, Autumn. I don't like the one who takes care of that sort of thing for us, at least in this area. He always makes me end up feeling so bad about things. He's so mean about it too. I don't know why he has to be so mean..."

    Autumn felt her heart race for a moment at Ellie's mention of the dark. To a spirit, the dark was another state of being that infected them with all the malice, hatred, jealousy, greed, and despair that they'd carried with them over to the other side. It was a dangerous spirit that gave itself over to the dark. Those were the ones that were responsible for the more gruesome ghostly interactions that the living had the misfortune to partake in. They weren't common, those interactions, for the dark spirits often had difficulty being able to see through to the land of the quick. On occasion, however, a very powerful one was able to establish a center of power, and from there, wreak havoc and cause much destruction, mostly to the emotional wellbeing of those unlucky enough to be a target of their attention.

    Autumn hadn't been able to parse together enough information on what exactly caused a spirit to go dark. Some seemed to be born directly to it. Most of their kind quickly faded away as the fires of hate and wrath burned themselves out quickly. For other spirits, though, it seemed that it was almost like a chronic illness that slowly developed over time. It was notorious for contaminating the good soul that, prior to becoming tainted with the dark, had seemingly come to terms with its new existence across the barrier. Most of the spirits that Autumn had become familiar with had shown indications of something dark lingering under their normally placid demeanor. Autumn had also learned that that was completely normal, each spirit had some internal struggle to deal with. Most of them were able to handle it, either on their own, or with the help of another spirit, one who's abilities included being able to wash away the dark taint from a spirit. The cleansing was never permanent, but a good deal of the spirits she had encountered had the sense to realize when they were starting to give into the dark, and took measures such as getting cleansed to hold off the dark for a little while longer.

    Autumn chose her words carefully. "Ellie, you know that when others can start to sense the dark in you that it's something you need to get taken care of. You know what happens when you don't. That thing in your old apartment, the thing that Jason and Miranda tried to go up against, that's a perfect example of what can become of you. I haven't been there, Ellie. I won't go there. I've seen what it can do though. And that's exactly what you'll become if you don't take care of this soon."

    Autumn could sense the change coming even before the first signs of it manifested. The air turned frosty, the lights seemed to be a little dimmer, even the ambient energy in the room seemed to drain. Ellie was drawing it in, and Autumn had witnessed it often enough to be aware of what was coming next.

    The voice in her head was strong and vibrant. "Why can't you help me?! You just sit there, and say stupid words, and do nothing! You're a pathetic excuse for a human being, you know that? You're a fucking loser. No wonder you live alone, no man would want you now. You're fat, and old, and disgusting. No wonder your husband left you. I bet he couldn't stand the sight of you."

    Autumn closed her eyes, at first being able to see the swirling colors of rage and pain and despair that were crashing around her. But they were outside of her, they could only hurt her if she allowed them to. As she took a deep breath, the storm of rapidly twisting colors was slowly replaced by a calm, pale light. She could feel it wrap around her, enshrouding her in its protection and peace. She envisioned the light spreading out from her, pulsating outward from her core, and it filled the room with tranquility. She opened her eyes, and the kitchen was once again warm, and brightly lit, somewhat even more so it seemed. She glanced outside again. The snow was still falling, as was night.

    "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Autumn knew that if Ellie could cry, that she would be right now. "I don't mean to do that. I don't know what it is. I don't know why it happens. When I'm angry, it's like I'm a different person. I'm so sorry."

    Autumn felt a small change in the energy around her. "Ellie?"

    She slowly opened her eyes, glimpsing for an instant the world as it was seen through the eyes of Ellie. The room had become run down, unkempt, disused. Dust and tiny cobwebs were everywhere. The furniture appeared to be stricken with decay. Even the glass frame of Autumn's treasured photo of her deceased parents had been cracked. She blinked, and the world returned to normal. Clean, warm, alive.

    "She's gone, Autumn." A man's voice, somber yet soothing, flitted in the air. Autumn recognized it immediately.

    "Willis. How long have you been here? Ellie said she'd asked you for help. What's going on? How did she not see you?"

    Autumn was sure that at times she could feel the spirits smile, the pride that accompanied some of them was palpable. It made her skin tingle, like a warm breeze. The gentle voice whispered, "Just one of my not inconsiderable skills, my dear. We don't always want the others to know what we're up to, especially when one of them is as unstable as Elllie is right now. I've been watching for a little while. Your ward is tricky, I like it, but the password makes it a bit weaker than it should be. I was surprised to see that you let Ellie know it. I guess I wasn't as blunt about her problems as I could've been though. Good thing you're quick with your shield, you never know what they can do when the dark swells in them like that. I have a bad feeling that you'll be needing that more often if you don't rebuild your wards. If she's not headed for dark, I'll be a monkey's uncle."

    Autumn frowned. "That's all Jason needs right now, his mother turning dark. She'll finish him, if that thing on Whitman Lane doesn't first."

    "I know how much you care about him. But you're right, you can't help him right now. That thing has it right where it wants him, and it'll take anyone out that dares try to aid him. I hope he's got it in him, I think that thing wants to play. It wants to play long and hard with him."