Death and the Girl

By the time Saturday arrived, I was no closer to seeing Collette. I had knocked her door that morning and gotten no answer. I felt like an interloper so I walked away. I had gotten up early in order to meet Andy at the cafe.

In the harsh light of day I was definitely aware of everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. In fact my brain had kept me awake most of the night. I'd thought of Hunter like I usually did. My dreams of him were all hand-holding and old timey romance where he was Mister Darcey and I was Elizabeth. After a while though he'd morph into someone else.

His height would change, hair would grow and I'd find myself thinking of Chris. Hunter seemed a distant memory. I simply couldn't get over it. I'd spent most of high school thinking of Hunter and dreaming about him asking me out and now it felt like he was being shunted out.

I left the dorms and made my way across the quad. The Autumn sun was losing its heat and Winter was definitely round the corner. The campus looked so pretty though. The leaves were starting to coat the ground in yellows and reds like a carpet. There weren't many students around this morning.

I arrived at the cafe with time to spare and saw Andy waiting outside. He was smoking, leaning against the railing. As I got closer I noticed he was with another guy. This guy was slightly shorter than Andy. His hair was longer. Andy saw me first and threw the cigarette away, practically skipping over.

"Good Morning, Junko." He grinned.

How was he so happy first thing in the morning? I managed a sleepy smile and Andy swooped in, hugging me. Someone had no boundaries. The other guy cleared his throat and Andy dragged me over.

"Junko, this is Ashley."

I raised my hand in a wave and Ashley smiled. On closer inspection i noted his eyes were brown, almost like Chris' but without the crimson edge. Just what I needed this weekend.

"Hey, Junko. Good to meet you." Ashley grinned.

"I'm gonna get coffee before the boss shows up." Andy said, mounting the steps to the cafe.

At his words, my face heated up. Chris was coming here. I wasn't mentally prepared. I turned towards a car and checked my face in the chrome side. This was awful. I looked like a sixteen year old still. I hadn't magically matured in the night.

"You look nervous," Ashley noted. "Care to share."

"I-i, no, mornings are, um." I stammered.

"Right. And how long have you liked my boss in that way?" Ashley asked.

"N-no, you don't understand." I had been caught.

"Relax, I won't say a word. This demon's lips are sealed. Besides it's kinda cute." He smirked.

Andy reappered, handing me a polystyrene cup of coffee. Ashley accepted his and sniffed it. Then whined that it wasn't Starbucks. Andy dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Time ticked by and my nerves were like bacteria, multiplying until I felt sick.

Chris soon appeared. He walked round the corner. Today was Saturday so he was dressed a lot more casually. He was wearing skinny jeans and a hoodie, a black beanie was on his head and he was wearing a pair of sunglasses. I stared at my coffee in order to be cool.

"Morning, boss." Ashley smiled, elbowing me.

Andy was shoving bags into the car. He waved and slammed the boot shut, joining us. Chris glanced at me and I managed to look at him for approximately one second. He lowered his glasses.

"Morning, Junko." He grinned.

The way he said my name made my knees tremble. I mumbled an obviously nervous good morning back. I could sense Ashley next to me, evidently enjoying the show. Andy seemed oblivious to the whole thing.

"We're ready to go." Andy said.

"Good. If there are any problems then contact Tris. She'll be available at all hours. Should you need any back-up then Roger is free this weekend as is Stevie." Chris replied.

"Awesome. We'll be in touch in any case." Ashley stated.

"Another thing," Chris said, before the two demons went to leave. "It is important that Junko is protected as much as possible. No harm must come to her."

Andy nodded, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. Ashley, meanwhile, smirked at my dumbstruck expression. Chris nodded and the two of them walked towards the car. I hesitated.

"You look better today. I-i hope you're ok." I murmured.

"I'll be fine, Junko. If you need me, your bracelet can contact me directly." He replied, smiling.

"O-ok, thanks," I said. Quick brain, think of something to say. Something witty. Something flirty like Collette. "I-i'll miss you." Gah, what the heck? Why'd I say that? Stupid, stupid brain.

I heard Ashley snort out a laugh at that. I stepped back, hoping to avoid possible embarrassment. I couldn't believe I'd said that. What a thing to blurt out.

"I'll miss you too, Junko," Chris chuckled. "Two days without you stammering and not looking at me will feel like torture."

I felt the heat rise in my face. I glanced at him to find he'd removed his glasses and was smirking at me. He was joking. He was messing with me, I realised and I managed a shy smile.

"W-well, bye." I said, turning and clambering into the back seat.

********************

We had driven half-way out of town and Ashley turned to face me from the passenger seat. He was grinning again.

"I'll miss you? Seriously, Junko?" He laughed.

"Please just drop it. I didn't mean it. I was on the spot." I shot back.

Andy was turning the car down the street towards the edge of town that led onto the highway. He was trying to concentrate and not laugh at the same time.

"I've never seen Chris smile like that." Andy chimed in.

"I know. He's always grumpy and moody," Ashley grinned. "It's Junko. She's softening him."

"N-no, I didn't." I protested.

The drive was just Ashley teasing me and I quickly found out he liked turning innocent sentences into dirty puns and laughing when I blushed. Andy drove into the reservation and we found a parking spot. There were a few cars here already. A camper van was parked across the way and a couple were sitting by a BBQ.

Across the way in a clearing was a children's play area. A couple of boys were on the swings. The car park led out towards a little cafe made of distressed wood and next to that was a cute, little gift shop. On the other side was a trail, leading through the woods I guessed that's where we'd be going.

I clambered out and started helping Andy unload the car. He gave me my bag and nothing else. I guessed he didn't mind doing the carrying. He practically threw Ashley's bag at him and laughed when Ashley threw the empty coffee cup at him.

I picked up the cup, throwing it in the bin, not wanting to give the park reservationists a reason to evict us. Andy slammed the boot and locked the car. I followed him as we walked down the pathway and through another clearing, clearly designated for campers. We set up our little area, just down from a group of girls and boys.

"We need to look like average college students partying." Ashley said, when I queried the location.

"Hey guys," One of the guys from the group across the way wandered over.

"Hey man, what's up?" Andy grinned.

"Noticed you guys didn't bring any kegs. You're welcome to share ours," The guy said, smiling. "I'm Austin, by the way."

"I'm Ashley, this is Andy," Ashley smiled. "And this is Junko."

I waved from my spot, setting up my tent. I was fairly good at it after camping a lot with the Girl Guides in middle school. Austin seemed like a nice guy. He was about Ashley's height and had shoulder length brown hair. He had a shark-fin necklace on. Clearly he was a surfer. He looked like one that would appear in a movie.

"Good to meet you all." Austin grinned.

Thankfully, he didn't seem that interested in me. I was glad of that. I finished my tent and helped Andy whilst Ashley and Austin chatted.

"Thanks, Junko." Andy smiled.

"You're welcome." I replied.

We set up a fire and sat down once the tents were assembled. I glanced at my bracelet and smiled a little. Ashley was across the way, cooking on the make-shift BBQ. They might not have bought beer, but Andy and Ashley had bought a lot of food. I was kinda glad there was no alcohol. I didn't drink. Never had, apart from at my cousin's wedding.

"We're gonna take a walk up the route in a bit." Andy said, and I nodded.

Once we'd eaten. Ashley asked Austin to keep an eye on our stuff. The younger guy agreed and we set off. The path weaved round and the trail sloped up a hill. We walked up there and came to the top of a hill. The drop from the hill was quite steep. I stared down then felt sick so looked away.

The day was already slowly turning to dusk. Ashley walked to the far side of the hill and looked across the forest. No one was up here yet. I couldn't see any ghosts or anything spooky. We stayed there for a little while, just searching. We came up empty. Eventually, giving up and going back down.

Ashley went and chatted with Austin and his friends when we got back. Meanwhile, Andy stayed with me, sitting by the fire. We were quiet for a few minutes until Andy broke the silence.

"So, you can see ghosts?" He asked.

"Yeah, it would seem that way." I replied.

"Normally humans can only see them when someone close to them dies or they percieve death," Andy stated. "So, which is it for you?"

I had never been dead before so the only thing that I could think of was something only a few people close to me knew. The college knew and were very understanding.

"Well, my parents passed away when I was six." I said, and Andy looked shocked.

"Junko, I'm so sorry." He murmured, seeming genuinely contrite.

"It's fine. Don't look so sad. It doesn't suit you," I laughed a little. "We were in the car. A drunk guy hit the driver's side. Dad died instantly. Mom was crushed."

"You were in the car too?" Andy asked, but he already knew.

"Y-yeah, I was in the back. They had to remove the roof to get me out, but all I had were some scratches." I mumbled.

"Junko, I'm- I just can't belive that happened to you." Andy shook his head.

I waved him off. I had flashes of memories from that time. I'm remember vague details like sitting in the hospital, crying. They'd got a nurse to sit with me and hold my hand. I couldn't really recall when Mom had died. Was it the same day or the day after?

My Mom's sister, Auntie Makoto came to get me from the hospital. She was distressed too, but had pulled herself together for my sake. We cried on the way home though. I'd lived with her right up until I came to college. I'd used money my parents left to pay my tuition fees. The money was fine, but I would have traded it all to have my parents back.

"Don't worry, Andy. I'm glad we talked about it." I smiled, and he did too.

"Cool. Let's talk about something more light-hearted," He replied. "So, you and Chris, eh?"

Yep, this was way worse. I shuffled nervously now. I would have spoken about anything other than this. Anything at all. The weather, that awesome tree over there, even Ashley making out with some girl across the way.

"He hates me." I stated, automatically.

"No, he doesn't. He seems to be warming up to you." Andy said.

He glanced up and seemed to notice Ashley making out with the girl too and sighed. He stood and politely excused himself. I was left sitting by the fire. Dusk had well and truely settled now and I heard the commotion as Andy helped a very drunk Ashley back to our area. I got up and opened my tent, crawling inside.

We hadn't found anything today. What if we didn't? I guessed these falls could be attributed to freak accidents. I could hear Andy talking to someone. He was being awfully sweet so I assumed he was using his bracelet to talk his girlfriend. Ashley must have gone to sleep. I wasn't surprised.

I checked my phone and texted Collette to ring me. I knew Liam would be spending tonight with his boyfriend so I didn't want to bother him. I sat and waited for Collette to ring and when she didn't, I phoned her. The phone rang until it cut to voicemail. Was she avoiding me? I set the phone down and set my head in my hands. With a sudden burst of courage, I lifted my arm to look at the bracelet.

Keith had worked it yesterday. I pressed one panel and it bought up Tris' contact details on a holographic screen. This thing was so advanced. Humans could only dream of this tech. I pressed the next panel and saw Chris' details.

Should I really ring him, or whatever this device did? He was probably only telling me I could contact him directly just to set my mind at ease. He obviously didn't want me to do so. I paused and listened to Andy's hushed conversation. I didn't want to bother him. I lifted my finger and found I could touch the hologram.

I pressed the name and a circle appeared on the hologram. It began to cycle round like how a YouTube video loads. I was amazed by this. I didn't have long to be amazed though.

"Hello? Junko?" Chris sounded confused.

"U-um, yeah it's me. Just updating you on stuff." I murmured. I heard him chuckle.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Y-yeah, Andy's talking to someone," I paused, biting my lip. "And Ashley's passed out."

"He get drunk again?" Chris said, and I guessed this happened often.

"Yeah, he did." I replied.

"And you're all alone now." He said, and I could hear the amusement in his tone.

I made a vague sound of agreement and shuffled nervously. Was this a bad idea? Yep, it was the worst idea to do this. He probably didn't want to talk to me. He'd said he could take or leave my company so he surely wouldn't want to converse with me.

"I know you probably don't want to chat with me, but I'm kinda lonely right now." I said, really quickly, aware I was being slightly snarky.

"Why would you assume I don't want to speak to you?" Chris asked. Oh great, I'd annoyed him.

"Because you're all scary and stuff." I laughed when I said the word scary in a slightly deeper voice.

Chris must have found it funny becuase I heard him laugh again. I smiled at the sound. A chill raced through my body.

"If I'm so scary then why are you contacting me, Junko?" He murmured, tone causing me to blush.

"I-i, no reason." I replied.

The night was starting to become really cold. I shuddered a little at the sudden dip in temperature. I was reminded that it would be October in a week's time.

"Cold?" Chris' voice snapped me back to reality.

"Y-yeah, it's chilly here," I whispered, stifling a yawn. "I liked seeing you in casual clothes today."

"Well, I liked seeing you in a dress." He replied.

My eyes widened and I stared down at my green, woolen style dress. It was a mint colour with a row of decorative buttons down the front. It had been a present from my Auntie last Christmas. I'd thrown it on this morning in an effort to appear presentable as well as plaiting my hair.

"U-um, I'm not sure what to say to that." I mumbled, toying with the buttons on the dress.

"You could take it that I think you're pretty." He murmured.

My throat closed up and I thought really hard to try and say something clever. Was he really saying this? It felt like a dream. A nasty part of my mind giggled and mocked me, saying that he was being friendly. The compliments were just politeness. I was still an annoying human that had interfered with a mission and interloped on his time. I pretty much interloped on everyone's time.

"I-i should get some sleep. Lots of stuff to do." I said, wiping my eyes, sniffling a little.

Pathetic. I was totally pathetic. As if someone like Chris would even look at me. I was short for my age and had a round face. This made me look child-like despite just turning twenty-one.

"Ok, be careful," He sounded resigned. I was about to cancel the communication when he spoke again. "Junko, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." I replied, taking a shuddering breath.

I cancelled the communication after that and sighed, smiling a little. A noise outside disturbed me and I whirled round, ready to confront the evil outside my tent.

"No, you hang up first." Ashley laughed, and I groaned.

Had he heard the entire conversation? There was no clear confirmation of that yet.

"Chris and Junko sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-." Ashley only got so far.

"Ash, I'm trying to fucking sleep." Andy snapped.

"All right fine, stroppy-pants." Ashley giggled.

I rolled my eyes at that. Unfurling my sleeping bag, I opened my bag and removed my PJs, changing into them and slipping into the sleeping bag. My view of the tent roof was uninspiring, but I smiled then. I felt my heart flutter. I clung to that feeling even as I fell asleep.

Notes