3 GONE AND RETURN part 3

Morrisey looks at her ringing phone. It's Elsa. She's probably mad because Morrisey skip the party last night. Well who's in the mood for party after your mom left a blue mark on your face.

Morrisey look at her missed call records, Elsa has been calling her since early morning. 9 missed calls, she must be really mad. Then the ringing stop, Morrisey throw her phone on the bed as she lays on it. She doesn't want to deal with anything until her face doesn't hurt anymore. She plans on holing up in her room until Monday comes, and seriously considering to take a part time job.

Another ring, she looks at her phone again. It's Dylan. Woww, Elsa must be really that mad, she needs to tell her boyfriend to call Morrisey.

Morrisey picks up the phone. "Look, Dylan, just tell Elsa I can't go to the part.."

"Morri, something happened." Dylan said in serious tone.

Morrisey stops talking. "What's going on?" she said again slowly.

"It's Elsa. Elsa's mom.. she had an accident and.. and she's dead."

Morri can't believed what she just heard. "I'm on my way."

She quickly wears the nearest sweat shirt she can find, and heads out. A few steps outside and she suddenly stops. She can't believe what she sees in front of her house. There's a police car outside her home again, but different from yesterday the police is now gathers in the house next door, the Sanderson's residents.

Morrisey approaches one of the bystander.

"What's going on?"

A middle age woman in a jumpsuits holding her dog answers her question. "You live next door, don't you know? It's Mrs. Sanderson, she died in a car accident last night. Apparently she just came home from one of her church meeting, and instead of asking her son to picked her up, she went home with another person who's in the same direction with her. I think she leaves here to, what was her name again.."

Morrisey doesn't wait until the lady finished her sentence. She pedals her bike as fast as she can to Elsa's house. There are larger crowd over there, Morrisey quickly make her way through it and she find Dylan just next to the front door.

"Where is she?" Morrisey asked.

"Where were you?" Dylan replied.

"I got preoccupied."

"She's inside with her brother and her dad. Talking to the cops."

"Geez, what happened last night?"

"We went to the party without you. Her mom called in the middle of it, asked if you're with her. She said no, they got into a little argument.. I didn't know she was driving.. with that old lady.." Dylan hold her tears.

Morrisey stunned.

"Are you.. you're telling me like it was my fault she died."

Dylan looks at her. "Is it important if I think its your fault or not?"

Morrisey left him, and she forces her way to the house.

"Excuse me. Elsa, Elsa!" Morrisey shouted as she try makes her eay through the front door.

"I'm sorry, Miss Elsa and her family asked for their privacy today. You can leave your number and message to me." A woman tells her in the front door, she must be somw kind of Elsa's dad assistant or something.

"I'm here almost every day." Morrisey said abruptly.

She has no choice but comes back home.

***

At her house she faced another gloomy situation. The Sanderson's house is less crowded than Elsa's house, now the police car is gone. Only a few people still outside. Morrisey hesitant for a moment, but she finally decided to ring the Sanderson's bell.

"What?!" John Sanderson answered the door like there had been a hundreds other people knocked that door this morning. He looks distraught and tired.

Morrisey realizes she didn't prepared anything to say.

"Umm.. Morning, Mr. Sanderson. I'm.. So sorry to hear about your mother. My mom and I just want to say our condolences.." Morrisey said.

John Sanderson wipes his forehead. "Oh, it's you Morrisey. I'm sorry, I thought it's either the police or those vultures out there aiming for gossip materials."

Morrisey doesn't know how to say anything back.

"Come on in, Morrisey." John Sanderson said.

"Umm.. I don't know."

"Please do, or I get insane in this house alone. I got ton of casseroles, you're welcome to take one with you."

Morrisey hesitantly comes inside the house. It's not like she never been inside before. The late Mrs. Sanderson invited her a couple times, maybe after she heard the noise her mom making next door, and she felt sorry for her.

Morrisey looks at the table in the living room. Clearly, Mr. Sanderson has been drinking.

"Do you want anything to drink? What do highschoolers drink these days? Are you guys still drinks soda?" he asked randomly.

"That's alright, Mr. Sanderson. I won't be long anyway." Morrisey said still standing near the door. Even though it's next door the facts she's alone in a room with an adult man makes her guards up.

John Sanderson seating in the living room looking at his glass of liquor quietly. His eyes are empty, but his glass is not.

"I know she was old, and maybe she'll be gone in a couple of years, but I don't think she will be gone like this.. not like this." John said.

Morrisey uncomfortably steps back to the door.

"I know you've met her a couple times Morri, why don't you take a memento.. a souvenir to remember her. Come on."

"I.. I don't think that's.."

"Come. I already packed a couple of her stuff." he pointed at some box with messy clothing inside it. He then laughed. "I thought it will quickly make me move on, but in the middle of it.." he stopped talking.

"Just look there at her room, I'll wait here." he said again.

Morrisey looks at the door of Mrs. Sanderson's room. If The alcohol John drank makes him aggressive, she can still run through the back door. All the experience she encounterd with her mom are enough explanation how alcohol can brings trouble to her.

"Okay, but after I get one, I'll go home, okay." she said.

"Why one? Take three for crying out loud. And don't forget the casserole." John shouted from the living room.

Morrisey enters Mrs. Sanderson's room. It was a neat room, doesn't smells like an old lady room. It was clean and uncrowded with belongings. Some old people like to collect unnecessary stuff, but Mrs. Sanderson isn't one. Morrisey quickly swept the room looking for thing she can grabs. But there isn't any dolls or mini statue on her desk or her bed. All her clothes already being thrown to the box outside. Mr. Sanderson must have a breakdown before. She looks to her desk, there's a book there. Now she remembered she once saw Mrs. Sanderson read it. She thought it was a healing book, Mrs. Sanderson told her that the book helped her a lot in hard times and she promised one day she'll lent it to Morrisey. At that time Morrisey thought she just being nice, learning that her mom abused her sometimes.

Morrisey touch the book, it was a normal book aside that there is no title on the hardcover. She opens it and read a couple words in the beginning. Maybe it's one of those book enhancing on respecting nature and stuff, because the prologue speaks about nature a lot.

She heards a noise from the living room. Wait for no time, she grabs the book and heads to the living room.

"You don't mind if I take this book, Mr. Sanderson?" she noticed John had already finished another glass.

"Sure.. sure, go ahead. Grab some scarf in the box. Do teenager wear that nowadays? Scarf?" he then chuckles again.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna go now, Mr. Sanderson. My mom will be mad if I stay here too long."

"Wait, the casserole..."

"Bye, Mr. Sanderson." Morrisey doesn't give John anymore opportunity to offers her the casserole.

She hugs the book and heads back to her room.

***

Saturday night is the safest night for her, because almost definitely her mom will be out partying. If she's lucky, her mom will be out untill Sunday evening. The only problem sometimes she will be left alone with no food, but yesterday groceries had her covered.

Morrisey looks at her phone, still no news from Elsa. She wonders if she should go back to Elsa's house again. While wondering she unintentionally opens the book she got from the Sanderson. The book begins about nature and how human soul worshipped them. Bored, she skips a couple pages and chapters, but she stops around the 5th chapter. There's chapter about spells and how mother nature provide humans with power beyond their imagination. All they have to do is called upon them and the power will help human overcome their natural weaknesses. Such as death and short life duration.

Morrisey looks back to the cover just to make sure. It's brownish in colour, like an old book. It isn't black with pentagram or skull on it.

The book has multiple spells, one of it is how to protect oneself from other's harm. There's also a spell to make one happy in ill time. She's about to close the book where she founds it, a spell.. how to call back the dead in exchange for the living.