“Evantra?”
Her mother’s voice shook her out of her preoccupation with the match. She abruptly closed the stream, muting the phone.
“Yes?”
“You alright in there?”
“Yeah, just some… indigestion.”
She paused, waiting a while to flush the toilet, so it wouldn’t seem too contrived an act. Then she washed her hands in the sink, and realised quite regrettably, that she needed to pee.
Damn… Guess I’m going to have to hold out if I want to keep this act up.
Evantra opened the door and saw the slightest hint of something akin to concern in her mother's eyes, before they hardened.
“Em wants to speak to you. Go keep her company.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed, and Evantra’s heartbeat began to quicken.
Damn it, damn it, damn it. She’s on to me. Play it cool.
Returning to Emily’s bedside, the woman raised an eyebrow, giving her a wordless glare as if to say: Why the fuck were you so greedy with your time?
Evantra just returned a small shrug. Then she watched Emily fix her gaze on her mother.
“Shoo, Evange.”
“What are you doing?” Evangeline stared with full-blown suspicion at the pair of them seated on the bed.
“Having a word with your daughter, what else? Let me have my one-on-one time before I lose it for the foreseeable future.”
Her mother huffed, exhaling briskly through her nose, before heading to the kitchen where her father was seated.
“Cough it up. Your end of the bargain.”
“Just… be discreet, ok? If my mum catches you giving me this, I’ll be strung up in our church—”
“Do you really think she has it out for you?”
Evantra frowned as she met Emily’s eyes. The teasing tone in the woman’s voice seemed to dissipate a degree, but she still wore a hint of a smile. Emily let out a small breath.
“You want to know what she told me when she walked in here? After your argument?”
“That giving birth is a pain. That I’m a pain. What else?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Evantra’s breath caught, and her shoulders slumped imperceptibly. Her lips widened, her skin stretching into a forced, drawn smile at Emily’s words.
“Then after she said that, Evange said you were the best thing that’s ever happened to her. That no matter the pain of childbirth, she has never once regretted bringing you into this ghouldark world. She loves you very much… even if she doesn’t know how to show it. I’ve always thought she was such an idiot, thinking of what she used to do, when she’s so protective with you… but…”
The woman began to rub at her womb gingerly.
“I’m starting to get it. So cut her some slack. And go give her a hug, will you? She has feelings too. Under all the bible verses shot straight into her veins, along with the other stuff.”
Evantra gaped at Emily as the woman grinned at her.
“I’m kidding.”
“I… don’t know if I believe you.”
“You had your time with my phone. Now go away and let me spiral in peace. ‘Is it normal for me to crave munchies when pregnan—”
Evantra quickly fled the scene, leaving Emily to her devices – both in a literal and figurative sense.
She came to a halt in the kitchen and watched as her parents glanced towards her.
“Hey.”
Evantra stared at her mother as the word escaped her lips. She watched as her father watched on with approval, giving a reassuring nod to her mother.
“I’ll leave you two to it.”
He rose from where he was seated and walked back into the living room.
The silence drew on between them before her mum let out a small, incredulous laugh.
“Whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
Evantra stared as her mother broke out another verse. She felt her hands begin to clench into fists before her mother laughed.
“Go on, I know you want to slap me,” she pointed to her left cheek. “I’ll give you one shot.”
“Was that really your attempt at a joke? Too soon, mum.”
Evantra cringed inwardly at her mother’s failed attempt at levity, before letting out a sigh. Her mum shifted awkwardly in her spot.
Then Evantra let her curled fists fall free, giving her mother a smile.
“Thanks. Mum…. I—”
A scream pierced the air.
The silence was shattered, and Evantra saw her mother’s hint of a smile morph into shock, then fear. Despite the utter terror on her expression, Evangeline shot to her feet, sending the kitchen chair she was seated on clattering back, before rushing past Evantra, making a break for the living room. Evantra twisted, following after her as her heart hammered in her chest.
“What’s—”
“NO.”
Emily’s voice reverberated against the edges of a bloody throat, hoarse screams causing the word to tremble as it reached her through the stagnant air. The woman’s hair was tangled, and strewn across the front of her face, her cheeks coated in sweat.
Her single word, laced with despair.
“HE’S DEAD.”
“Emily! Emily, focus on my voi—”
“Jung.”
Her husband’s name escaped her lips in a deafening whisper, as Evantra stared wide-eyed at the woman, tears dripping from her eyes down her cheek. She stared at the buzzing phone in the woman’s hands, watching as notification after notification flooded her lock screen, informing her of—
The phone.
Evangeline rushed to draw the pregnant woman into her arms, arms tightening around Emily as she trembled. She shot a wide-eyed look towards William, who muttered under his breath in shock, only audible to Evantra.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“An accident on the way back…”
“Jung’s…” Evantra staggered, her eyes flicking to the phone in Emily’s trembling, vice-like grip.
“Em, Em. Sit down, hun,” Evangeline whispered, her voice as soft and comforting, gently inviting her friend to sit back down on her bed.
Emily placed a hand on her belly, and the woman stilled.
“Oh no,” Evangeline whispered, “No. William get th—”
Evantra watched as Emily morphed.
Innumerable fissures erupted across her skin, blood fountaining from the wounds at such a rate that the blood spread outwards, coating the floor of the living room in a pool of stagnant liquid, which defied all reason. Emily’s pale, beige skin turned grey, deprived of every last shred of vitality. Her skin stretched, losing its natural elasticity and bringing the muscles beneath into sickening definition. The beautiful features of her face, so full of hope and warmth, began to recede, drawing into themselves until nothing was left but a featureless plane of dark, grey skin. Her arms lengthened, and she heard the crack of bone as it expanded, stretching her skin, framing the bulge that still remained in her womb.
Creating alien proportions, the sight of which instilled—
Terror.
Every fibre and cell in Evantra’s body screamed for her to run. As if simply witnessing the scene was an affront to the natural order. She felt the urge to claw out her eyes to rid the creature from her vision, and Evantra watched the hand she had raised involuntarily begin to tremble, as her fingernails dug into her cheek—
She ran.
Evantra turned, obliging the instructions that her body screamed at her. To run, to flee the sight of the monstrosity that had conjured itself in her vision. That had twisted Emily Huang into—
A wraith.
She heard a scream that made her heart stop in its place.
Despair washed over her, and she felt her body itself respond to the creature, as if its very presence compelled her internal organs to cease in their functioning. Her vision went blurry, her hearing grew dulled, and her skin crawled as the feeling of a million needles struck her, as her extremities were deprived of blood flow. Her eyes felt like they had come alight, their dark black hue adopting the misty, white hue characteristic of those that were Wraithmarked. Dark, black eyes like her mother’s, replaced by the mark of a ghost.
She ran.
Footstep after numb footstep, Evantra ran to the front door of the home. Her ears were ringing, and it mercifully concealed the screams tearing free from her throat.
Even still, she heard a thump.
In the mirrored reflection of the window pane she passed, she saw her mother intercept the blow meant for her. The pale grey arm, protruding from her chest, emerging from Evangeline Blair’s back. Her father, who joined her mother, in—
Holding back the ghost.
She ran.
---
Santa Muerte answering the call.
Archdemon deployed.
Lucifer inbound.
Acknowledged, Santa Muerte. PIU has deployed the Ghostslayer. [Wraith] rank. Occupy the ghost until termination is possible. Relegate the target to Wisptown and its surrounds.
Santa Muerte requesting PIU to advise on civilian casualties.
Disregard civilians. Priority is to keep the ghost from advancing towards Elsecaller City.
Santa Muerte… acknowledged.
Death walks with us.
“Evantra? Evantra?”
Evantra was snapped out of her reverie as Kugan the psychologist regarded her with concern, his brows slightly furrowed.
She recalled the exchange between Santa Muerte and the PIU dispatcher that somehow found its way online, not that the megacorporation or Paranormal Investigations Unit had cared that it had been leaked. If anything, it only bolstered their reputations. That exchange was the only thing resembling information or footage that remained from the wraith attack.
Evantra returned her attention to the psychologist who had called out for her.
“Let’s not beat around the bush. You want to know why I’m so hard on other people? It’s because I’ve made mistakes in the past. Mistakes I can never take back, and that I will never be able to make up for,” Evantra pushed the words out, gritting her teeth as she did so. The only reason she spoke up at all was because she thought of how much money Carmen had dropped on the session.
“And you think you’re irredeemable?”
Evantra remained silent, but her silence was an answer in itself.
“And that extends to your beliefs about others as well,” Kugan nodded along, not a hint of condescension evident across his expression. “That they are incapable or unwilling to make up for their mistakes?”
“Yes.”
Kugan fell silent. He seemed to mull over her response as he nodded.
“There are some mistakes… that are truly irredeemable.”
Evantra’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Irredeemable to the degree that the only path forwards is a life of penance. Paying for the mistake. For anything else, even your own death would be an undeserved—”
“Escape,” Evantra whispered.
Kugan graced her with a small smile, seemingly unaffected by the weight of their words.
“Alright. Then let us take a step back. I’m not here to tell you what to do or what you should believe. I’m here to help you achieve your goals, as misguided as they may be. So, Evantra. In service of your penance… can you see any problems with imposing this belief on others? The belief that people are incapable of change?”
Evantra stared, stunned at the man’s question. She had expected him, at the very least, to attack her belief, to make light of it, or undermine it. What she hadn’t expected was for him to accept the premise.
“Is this belief that you see as problematic? As something you want to change?”
“To change?” Evantra stared incredulously at the man. “No. If someone shows you who you are—”
“—then you believe them,” Kugan finished for her, and she responded with a curt nod. The young psychologist seemed to sigh and sit back in his chair. He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.
“It’s good advice, generally speaking. But when we try to reduce entire rules and guidelines for living into short, quirky statements, we often lose some much-needed nuance. There are plenty of people out there whom the statement applies to. Yes. But there are also people, much like yourself, who are aware and acknowledge their mistakes, and are desperately trying to change. To be better, as futile an effort as they themselves envision it. If you use that catchy piece of wisdom as a sweeping justification not to see the value in those people, then it will undoubtedly harm you.”
Kugan rose.
“Look, I’m going to be straight with you. Telling you what to think or believe was never the point of the session. But I want to present to you a different perspective. Would you want to live in a world where people don’t have the potential to change for the better?”
“What does it matter what I want? That’s the reality of it.”
“Then you should shoot yourself.”
Evantra stared flatly at the psychologist as he chuckled under his breath.
“Kidding, kidding. I can be facetious; it’s one of my many flaws. Don’t come after my licence. Consider this, Evantra. There are people out there who fit the description. Hopeless saps like yourself that spend the rest of their lives trying to be better because they’re haunted by whatever mistakes they’ve made in the past, even if they’re exceedingly rare. You have to admit that failing to trust that sad sap would be doing them an injustice,” Kugan continued, as Evantra shifted.
“Try to pick the good from the bad, rather than applying it as a sweeping rule. That way, you don’t expose yourself to the… drawbacks of such an uncompromising approach to trusting others, wouldn’t you agree? People have a lot to offer, believe it or not,” Kugan said softly with a wistful smile. “Where you draw the line on whether they are worth the risk, and whether to afford them a chance, is ultimately up to you.”
“I’m giving you a negative review.”
Kugan grinned.
“Please do. That’s how the other sad saps will know that my therapy works.”
---
Kugan watched as Evantra Wraithmarked walked out of his office. Regrettably, she had elected to forgo a follow-up session to further delve into the other slew of problems that she was undoubtedly plagued with.
It was impressive, frankly.
“Maybe if you learn to see the value in people who’ve made irredeemable mistakes…”
Kugan smiled in the direction of his now closed office door.
“Just maybe… they’ll teach you to see the value in yourself.”
---
Evantra sat outside, putting some distance between her and the psychologist’s clinic that lied in the comforting presence that it promised. She watched as dark ectorain pattered onto the windshield, staining it with black liquid. She stared down at the surface of her phone, at the draft review she had written about her practitioner. Kugan’s smiling profile stared back at her.
Kugan thinks he knows what’s best for his patients, and is preachy as hell. He even told me to shoot myself. Don’t waste your time or money – go for a run instead. 1/5.
She turned as Carmen opened the door, jumping into the driver’s seat with a smile of relief on her face, after ushering Lucas into the back. Evantra turned towards the boy with a mischievous smile.
“So, Lucas? Want to leave him a bad review with me? You had Kugan as well, right?”
Lucas and Carmen turned to Evantra with a look of sheer horror.
“Evantra, what are you talking about? He was lovely – Lucas and Kugan got along so well, isn’t that right, mijo?”
Lucas replied by feverishly nodding his head, his brows drawing together in the beginnings of a protective frown.
Guess I won’t be finding any allies in these two.
“I was surprised, to be honest with you. He was very gentle, and I think he helped Lucas process some things,” Carmen whispered to her, leaning over. “Even tried to get him to understand how to deal with his emotions when the people he loves run off into Veilsurges, that bit was useful for me too. How was your session?”
“Tsk,” Evantra grunted, biting her lip as her attention remained on her phone screen.
Carmen rolled her eyes when Evantra failed to respond, starting the car. Evantra’s thumbs moved rapidly as she completed her review.
“Well?”
“I suppose… he did have some useful suggestions.”
Carmen smiled, and they pulled out of the parking lot to make their way back to Wisptown.
Disrespects patient boundaries but asked me about my week. 3.5/5
A hint of a smile played across Evantra’s face before it fell, and she shut her eyes, listening to the rhythmic sounds of Demeteria’s wind turbines in the distance amidst the pouring ectostorm as they drove back to Wisptown.
I miss you, Mills.
20 chaps ahead on my Patreon! (they're up to the next appearance of a ghost if that interests you :D)
