Layla- Chapter 2

"Mrs. Montgomery I didn't see anything unusual on her charts, maybe she just fell. Does she do any outside activity?"

"No! You don't understand, she woke up this morning with these bruises all over her body. She was perfectly fine yesterday."

"I don't know what to tell you, ma'am. There is nothing I can do for you. Take Ellie home and put ice on all of the bruises, that should do the trick. If anything else happens call me" Dr. Peters said as he handed her a card.

Her mom snatched the card out of his hand and stormed out of the doctor's office. Ellie and her mom both sat down in the car and sighed.

"Ellie have you--" she started to ask.

"No Mom, are you kidding? You know I'm not like that anymore" Ellie looked at her mother with frustration in her eyes.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure."

Ellie and her mother always had sort of a complicated relationship after her mother found she was hiding razor blades throughout her room. Her mother found them after her best friend-- now ex-best friend-- had gotten mad at her and decided to spill all of the details about Ellie's self-harming to her mother.
"Ellie, why are you doing this to yourself?" Her mom exclaimed.

"Mom you don't understand, just get out of my room!" she shouted back.

"No, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on. Is this about your father?"

Ellie pulled herself out of the flashback.

"Ellie. Hello? Answer my question." her mother waving her hand in Ellie's face.

"Sorry I zoned out, what was your question?" Ellie said flatly.

"Do you want to get some dinner? I know you didn't eat lunch. Also, I heard there was this new place downtown. I think it's called 'Dee's Grill' or something."

"Yeah Mom, sounds great," Ellie said, disregarding what her mother just said.

A week later

"Ugh, I'm stuffed." Katherine said as she grabbed a napkin and wiped the pizza sauce off her face.

The girls all looked at each other in exhaustion from all the food they had just eaten. Feeling like they could all throw up.

Julie grabbed Ellie's shoulders, "Let's go back up to your room and find something to do"

Ellie picked herself up off of the kitchen chair, using the wooden table for support. The girls raced up the stairs into Ellie's room and threw themselves on the bed.

Ellie looked at the girls, "What should we do?"

"Well, I was thinking we play a game. Involving Layla." Katherine smirked at Ellie.

"No way. She is the most valuable piece in my collection. Are you out of your mind?" Ellie said sternly.

"C'mon Ellie, loosen up a little. You are always telling us stories about how she is supposedly haunted, why don't we see if it's true? I know you would want to know if she is or not." Julie looked at her with pleading eyes.

"And how exactly would we do that?" Ellie said, uninterested in Julie's ideas.

Katherine pulled a box out of her overnight bag. It was a big rectangular box with the word "Ouija" plastered on the front.

Ellie immediately shook her head, "Absolutely not."

"One time Ells, that's it, and if something goes wrong we will put it up right away."

Ellie looked back and forth between the two girls. She felt a weird feeling in her gut. It's probably the pizza, she thought. "Fine. One time, but that's it."

Katherine and Julie both squealed at the same time.
Katherine took the objects out of the box and placed them on the floor. "You got any candles?"

"Bathroom" Ellie said.

They all sat on the floor, nervous but excited.

"Does everyone know what to do?" Katherine said.

Julie and Ellie both spoke at the same time, "Yeah"

"Okay no moving the planchette and also--"

Ellie sighed, "Katherine enough talking, let's just start"

They all fell silent, looking at each other.

"Are there any spirits here with us?" asked Julie.

Silence

"If there is a spirit here, reveal yourself" Katherine added.

A candle flickered, and the girls looked up at each other.

"Do you have a name?" Julie asked.

The planchette started to move and spelled L-A-Y-L-A

"Guys this is not funny. I don't want to do this anymore," said Ellie.

"Ells it's fine. Let's keep going" Katherine insisted. "Where are you?"

The planchette moved once again. E-L-L-I-E

"Ellie what? What about Ellie?" Julie asked nervously.

D-I-E

"Ellie die?" Katherine said with a confused look

The planchette moved again unexpectedly.

"T-R-A-I-N. Train? You died from a train?" Julie asked with a confused tone.

"Okay, guys this is over. Goodbye, spirit thingy or whoever you are" Ellie said while getting up to go to the bathroom. The girls rushing behind her.

"Ells you okay?" Julie asked.

"This was a bad idea. I feel nauseous." Ellie said rubbing her head. "We should just go to sleep. It's getting late"

The girls went back to the bedroom. They all got in their sleeping bags. Julie and Katherine continued to talk and giggle while Ellie stared at the wall, pretending to be asleep.