“I hope that goes straight to your butt,” Phoebe muttered in a huff.
“Nothing wrong with a little extra cushion…” Carmen shrugged and began preparing the ingredients for her next Smore. I caught a fleeting glance between her and Ricker that involved grinning and a wink, but it could have been a trick of the flames. I still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her alone about seeing them cuddled up on the swing last night. I glanced beside me at Finn, who had been unusually silent and thoughtful all evening. Phoebe and Ian were next to him, then Carmen, Ricker, Cage, with Liam and Willow on my other side; completing the circle.
“Well you’re both wrong,” Cage piped up; his dark curly hair bouncing as he talked, “First, you pop a graham cracker in your mouth, then the chocolate goes in.” He carefully blew on his roasted marshmallow and proceeded to pull it off the stick with his teeth, “and them you adth amother gwaham cwacker…dewicious.” We all doubled over with laughter as he smiled; sending crackers crumbling and marshmallow dripping out of his mouth and down his chin. I could tell Finn’s laugh was forced, so I squeezed his hand and leaned my head on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. He peered down at me and grinned, but his blue eyes were despondent and sorrowful. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he scrambled to his feet.
“The game should be on by now….ya’ll coming?” he addressed the other guys, who eagerly jumped up too. He bent down and kissed me softly on the lips, before glaring out at the obscure ocean and turning on his heel to follow the rest of the guys to the house. There was a highly anticipated football game on tonight that they wanted to watch, which left us girls to our own devices. I watched him saunter down the boardwalk dejected; head down and shoulders slouched forward.
“What’s wrong with Finn?” Willow asked, following my eyes.
“I’m not sure. I thought he’d be happy that we figured out my birthday, but he’s been quiet and distant all night.” I ran a finger over my trace absently, watching it shimmer in the firelight.
“Maybe he’s just worried about you,” Phoebe offered with consoling eyes.
“Yeah, maybe so,” I agreed, not really convinced.
“Well I’ve got an idea that’ll take your mind off of him,” Carmen leaned in with a diabolical smile, “I think we should do a seance and see if we can figure out who your ghost girl is!”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good-“ I started.
“A seance! Oh my God, that’s the best idea I’ve heard all weekend!” Phoebe squealed.
“Do you think it would really work?” Willow wondered aloud, biting her lip.
“Beats me, but what can it hurt?” Carmen answered flippantly. I could think of a few things it could hurt; my already unstable sanity being one.
“What do we need?” Phoebe hopped to her feet, anxious to gather supplies.
“Really guys, I don’t know if we should do a seance,” I shook my head in doubt.
“Come on Stasia! It’ll be fun, plus maybe we’ll figure out who she is and what she wants!”
Phoebe advocated. As always, her enthusiasm was infectious.
“If it gets too weird or freaks us out, we’ll just stop,” Carmen urged. I looked at Willow for backup, but she just shrugged her shoulders; leaving the final decision up to me.
“Okay, but I don’t feel good about this,” I warned, but they ignored my dismal tone.
“Okay Phoebs, we’ll need some candles, a lighter, some sea salt, and a flower from the garden, since that’s where Stasia’s seen her.” She inclined her head at Phoebe who ran off in a flurry of anticipation, and then began to tidy up the bonfire site.
“So Carmen….” Willow raised a conspiring eyebrow at me, “what’s up with you and Ricker these days?”
“Me and Ricker?” Carmen’s eyes shot to me in a flash.
“I didn’t say anything, I swear!” I pleaded.
“It’s pretty obvious, Carmen. You could cut the sexual tension with a butter knife,” Willow snickered.
“There is nothing going on anymore. He’s the last person I’d want to hook up with. He is so annoying and talks too much. Plus, he’s too sarcastic and tries to push my buttons all the time. It’s so annoying.
“You said that already,” Willow chuckled again.
“Well, that’s because it’s true. He’s….annoying,” she made a face in disgust.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you aren’t looking,” Willow provoked her. And it worked like a charm.
“Really?” Carmen twisted around, eyes wide, before catching herself. “I mean, not that it matters or anything. I could care less how he looks at me.”
“You are the worst liar ever,” I accused her, and couldn’t help laughing at her futile efforts to hate him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He walks around like he’s God’s gift to women… showing off his nice body and flashing that sexy grin every chance he gets…” she trailed off as we started laughing. A guilty smile crept across her face and she looked down, “Whatever.”
“I’m back!” Phoebe scampered down the beach with as much finesse as a Bigfoot, “I found everything we need!”
Deciding to let Carmen off the hook for the time being, we abandoned our fire pit and helped her set up a circle several yards away using only the candles for light. Five minutes and one sea salt fight later, we were sitting around the candles in true seance fashion. Carmen had lit the four white pillar candles and placed them in a large hurricane glass that Phoebe had stolen off the mantel in the living room. A ring of sea salt encircled them, while another ring of salt surrounded us; creating the official ‘circle’. The blood red rose Phoebe had plucked from the garden lay in the sand in front of Carmen. Its soft petals had collapsed in on themselves; heavy with the finality of nightfall. The thorns protecting its long, slender stem were a vivid warning to anyone who dared to touch it. As I stared at its undying beauty, I could sense its will to live falter after being severed from its life source. Carmen’s voice broke into my thoughts and I tried to pay attention.
“Okay so here’s the plan. We want to contact a specific ghost, so first we’ll do a chant to calm our thoughts and energy, and then we’ll reach out to her. While we are calling out to her I’ll be burning the rose to release its energy into the air. It will help draw her spirit in.” She sat up straighter, “Now, we’ll need to close the circle during the calming chant. To do that, we just hold hands. Try to center your energy and breathe slowly.”
“What if we contact a bunch of ghosts and they all attack us?” Phoebe’s eyes grew wide with alarm.
“That’s not going to happen, trust me,” Carmen answered nonchalantly.
“What if we contact something other than ghosts?” Willow asked with apprehension.
“That’s not going to happen either,” Carmen declared. With a condescending cloud of fear looming over our circle, we timidly held hands and, following Carmen’s lead, closed our eyes.
“I am peaceful, I am strong. Though darkness sometimes seems so long. For day must follow every night, everything will be alright. I am peaceful, I am strong. Though darkness sometimes seems so long. For day must follow every night, everything will be alright. I am peaceful, I am strong….” We began chanting softly with her, centering our energy and opening our minds. The warm breeze swirling around us dwindled and I could feel my entire body relaxing; filling me with a serene sense of self.
“Now that we’ve closed the circle and calmed our souls, we must remain within this space to call upon her spirit,” Carmen instructed us in a low, eerie voice. We opened our eyes and glanced around with trepidation. The candles still danced, the sea salt still lay on the sand and the flower remained in front of Carmen. But I could tell something was different. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Carmen began the second chant as we watched on with fascination.
“Guardians of the Spirit realm hear and guide my plea. This sacred place in time and space was created just for thee. So bring her forth, the hour is near; our hearts and minds revere. On this night, I ask you thrice: Appear. Appear. Appear.” She began to repeat it again, but this time she vigilantly lifted the rose and dangled it above the jumping flames of the candles. I held my breath as she lowered it inch by inch; an agonizing display of torture playing out for the sacrificial flower. I made myself look away as the fire withered and blackened its petals; a steady stream of smoke ascending silently into the heavens. Willow and Phoebe were hopelessly entranced in the burning rose at the center of the circle, gazing at it with wonder. That’s when I felt the darkness.
