24

"Oh, hey Vesper," Regan spoke, her voice dripping with boredom, her expression careless. Vesper had a smile on her face, holding her schoolbag."Hey, Reggie," Vesper greeted.Regan couldn't help but frown a little when Vesper entered in. She knew that she was her friend but all she wanted was to stay a bit alone now."So, what's up?" she asked, closing the door behind her.Vesper shrugged, "Oh, you know. Just thought we'd have some fun. I was bored.""Yeah, me too," Regan said, sitting down on the couch.Vesper sat beside her, "So, why did you leave so abruptly from school? I mean, I was waiting for you after detention."Regan sighed, "Oh, that. I just don't want to talk about it."Vesper was going to speak but Monica stepped in. She greeted Vesper and told Regan to come upstairs with her for a moment and Regan only nodded.As they entered Monica's room, she closed the door."Regan, look. I'm not saying you're insane or anything. I'm just saying that your psychology is a little tangled. But that doesn't mean you're crazy," she said, her voice soft and calm."I'm not messed up," Regan retorted, "he's real and he's around here." As she finished her words, she caught a glimpse of the one she was talking about, but when she blinked, he disappeared."I know sweetie, he's haunting you and that's what pills and psychological therapy are for." Monica tried to reason with her niece.Regan smacked her forehead, feeling the tears prickle her eyes. She wanted to make Monica understand, to make her realize that paranormal stuff existed but Monica wasn't going to believe her.She was tired from explaining it anymore."Just don't buy the pills at least. I'm not going to drink them." She said, not looking at her aunt, wiping the tears of.Then, she walked away from the room and stepped downstairs, trying to collect herself. Vesper was still there, looking down at her phone.Monica stepped down as well, and Vesper looked at them both, sensing the tension in the air. Monica said that she was going out to do some work out and left."You're gonna tell me now," Vesper then said. "We're friends, right? Did your aunt do something?""No, she didn't," Regan said, looking away.Vesper noticed something was wrong. "Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is, I'll listen and help.""I know, but it's just stupid," Regan mumbled, sitting on the couch."Come on, spill it," Vesper insisted.With a sigh, Regan began to tell Vesper about what had happened at the doctor's office, how her aunt and the psychiatrist thought she was crazy, how they thought she was just imagining everything. "And then they said some crap about how I should see some psychotherapy and take some pills," she finished, sounding disgusted. "I can't believe they think I'm making this up."Vesper smirked for a moment but then put a comforting hand on Regan's shoulder. "Hey, I believe you. I mean, I've felt these creepy crawlies and chills in your house."Regan felt a shiver run down her spine. Creepy crawlies? Were there even creepy crawlies?"Thanks Vesper. I'm very grateful you do," she replied, her voice grateful, "but I still don't know how to get rid of that haunting feeling. It's just... I can't shake it off. He talks in my mind, he....he.... he's everywhere!"A frown twisted Vesper's face but she quickly washed it away, "Well, I have an idea about it."Regan leaned on the couch, brushing her strands of hair out of her face."What idea?" She asked, curiosity spread on her face."Listen, I know a ghost hunter out there." Vesper said with a mischievous smile."A ghost hunter?" Regan asked surprised."Don't tell me now you don't know what a ghost hunter is.""Someone who tracks paranormal activity." Regan crossed her arms, uninterested."Exactly! She can help you, too!"Regan nearly jumped away, "Me? No way! Just because I know what a ghost hunter is, doesn't mean I believe in this sort of work," she said but the worlds themselves felt hollow.Vesper rolled her eyes, "See, you're being difficult again. Didn't you earlier say you believe in supernatural stuff? And if you don't need medical help, what other help would you need except for this?"Regan took Vesper's words into consideration. After all if she didn't need medical help, she needed some other kind of help."Whatever, that's not possible now." The girl replied when she thought about how her aunt would react to this."Why?""I need to think about it."Vesper let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back on the couch. Regan turned to her, thinking of what to say, she noticed a mark on her neck. It was visible because Vesper had her hair pushed to the other side. The mark was an 'S' in purple color.She couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Vesper, why do you have an 'S' on your neck?"Vesper's expression turned stiff and guarded, "An 'S'?""Yeah, on your neck. It's purple. Why do you have it?" Regan asked, curiosity getting the better of her.Vesper hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached up to touch the mark, "Oh, this? It's just something I do." She said, trying to play it off casually."But what's the 'S' for?""Nothing, really. It's just a thing." Vesper answered evasively."Come on, you can tell me."Her friend looked away, shaking her head, "It's nothing, really. Just a thing I do, okay?""It's a tattoo?"Vesper's eyes narrowed, and she turned to look at Regan, "Why does it matter so much to you?""Well... I just asked out of curiosity. I mean, it's not like I'm prying or anything," Regan tried to play it cool.Vesper studied her for a moment, then seemed to relax a bit, "It's just something personal, okay? I don't want to talk about it if you don't mind.""Yes, of course," Regan mumbled, although the mark on Vesper's neck still nagged her mind. She was so damn curious about it. Why was Vesper so guarded?"You know, how about we go shopping? We're both bored and your house doesn't have much fun in it," Vesper suggested.Regan didn't know what to say. She didn't want to go out but she didn't want to stay home either. And knowing that her aunt would nag about the pills and psychotic stuff, Regan decided to accept.She texted her aunt she was going to the mall with Vesper, and they headed out.The mall was still buzzing and they entered some stores they found interesting to. The whole walk, Vesper brought up the topic of the ghost hunter. She kept insisting that Regan had to agree on it.While inside the stores, Vesper was the one who shopped. She didn't seem to mind spending money. In fact, she spent quite a lot. She bought men clothes as well and Regan was confused. Was she supposed to wear those?They ended up in a lingerie store and Vesper insisted on buying some things there too. Regan was embarrassed and awkward but she didn't say anything. Vesper bought here as well and finally, they decided to get some food. They sat down in a small cafe and ordered. While they were eating, Vesper took out her phone and started browsing through it.Regan on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder why Vesper bought men's clothes and lingerie. She decided not to ask, after all, it was embarrassing and she didn't want to pry into personal matters.After they finished their food, they drove back using Regan's car. When they arrived, they stepped out of the car, Vesper had a smirk on her face. In fact, she had been having it all along."I had so much fun," she exclaimed."Good for you." Regan's expression took a melancholic and disappointed turn when she stared at her house. Her aunt must be inside as well."Well, have a nice weekend," Vesper said and waved."You too." Regan waved back, and entered her house.