CW in the description

Chapter 14- How it Works

I’Ksha blinked back at Lee. After a second she raised her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side. When Lee remained quiet, heart palpitating quickly in their chest so hard they could feel it in their toes, she took a bite of her toast and sighed. “I know I’ve told you I am a wiccan,” she started, mouth full of toast, “and I’ve got this whole ‘goth chick’ thing going on but, you don't have to lie to try and make yourself look cool.”

Lee furrowed their brows, taken aback. "I’m sorry, but you and I both were in your bedroom the other night, we saw and heard the same thing, right? The room turned red, the creepy voice, that wasn't just me?” Lee tapped at the table. Their voice didn't sound nearly as annoyed as they felt. 

I'Ksha set the crusts of her toast down on the plate in front of her, reached for a napkin and wiped her mouth. She spoke as she wiped her fingers off. “Yeah, I was there, and those things happened. I'm not doubting that we both experienced that or that you experienced it on your own before. But you're saying this type of thing is normal for you?” I’Ksha squinted at Lee as she took a sip of coffee and shook her head.

Lee looked around the room like somehow, magically, someone would help them out. “I mean, not like that but I do see things almost every day.”

I’Ksha stood up and Lee was about to protest but she raised up a finger and left the table headed to the front counter. Lee just watched as she talked to the waitress and waited at the counter for something. This was not the way Lee had expected this to turn out. They could feel the wheels turning in thier head, the first indicator that they were going to start cycling thier negative thoughts in their head once again. Lee inhaled through thier nose, counted to 8 while holding it and slowly released the breath from thier mouth. They tried to refocus on thier meal and take a bite of their waffle and while it was good, the sweetness of the whipped cream and blueberries on top, it was hard getting it down. It tasted like sweet woodshavings. When I’Ksha returned she had a a copy of the weekly sunday newspaper. Slapping it on the table she flipped through the pages to the back of the paper and turned it around for Lee to see. The obituaries. I’Ksha tapped the page with her purple nail. 

Lee looked back up at her, a questioning look in their face. “What am I supposed to do here?”

I’Ksha crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I’m assuming you've seen them walking around lately?”

Lee looked again at the pages and around the room but none of the faces matched up with the people on the page. No one seemed to have been ignored by the waitress and everyone was either eating or drinking coffee. Lee had notived early on that when it was hard to tell when someone was dead there were little things to look for. sometimes, like Alice, they had a scar that related to how they died. rarely were they translucent or glowing. often they would look like they were trying to walk but thier feet didnt quite reach the floor. They looked at I’Ksha and tilted their head. “None of those people are here.” they folded the page closed. “Not everyone becomes a ghost. They have to need something and need it so bad that they stay.”

I’Ksha let out a silent laugh, “That seems a bit cliche.”

Lee rolled their eyes. “I’m sorry, I don't control how it works. I can't just make them appear or come to me. It's kind of like running into a teacher at the store. There is a chance it could happen but it isn't necessarily on your mind every time you go to the store.” Lee knew they often passed ghosts without ever noticing they were there. most of the time when Lee stumbled onto a spirit because they needed help it was because they apologised for passing them or gave them a nod as they walked by each other on the sidewalk.

I’Ksha nodded and poked at her eggs with her fork, letting out a deep sigh. “I…” she paused and rubbed her hands together. “I’m going to need some proof.”

Lee crossed their arms over the table. They could feel their face was bright red. Both anger and embarrassment had settled there. They knew that it sounded bad, like they were lying. Who really, aside from maybe ghost hunters, would actually believe someone when they said they saw and talked to ghosts. This is why you don't go around telling people, the thought creeped into their mind. Even with everything going on it felt a bit out of place but they couldn't tell how. 

After a moment Lee let out the breath they had been holding, uncrossed their arms and tried to look I’Ksha in the eyes. “ You're kind of the first person I have told since… well, since Alice. We were kids and my mom helped me. I don't exactly know if it is hereditary but she could see them too. I’m not unwell, I don't need antipsychotics, and I'm not lying. I just also don't know how to convince you either.” Lee noticed they were picking at their fingernails and tried to stop. They quickly averted their gaze to their hand. 

I’Ksha looked out the window. Dawn had not yet creeped up but the sky had turned to a shade of navy blue and the stars weren't as bright as they had been. She sighed. Across the table Lee watched. They tried not to but they were so nervous that they were trying to grasp onto anything they could do to change this situation for the better. And they were furious with themself. Their gut had told them to trust her but, maybe, she wasn't able to trust them. They understood why. In the short time they had known each other, maybe a week Lee thought, I’Ksha had seen Lee run away from their problems several times as well as just cause more for her. They were still anxious she would lose her job for helping them and they were just now realizing that the basement she slept in probably didn't feel safe anymore. She looked tired. They hoped that they hadn't cost her sleep. 

After a few moments of Lee panicking as the two sat silently, I’Ksha finally spoke. “If there are ghosts, do you know where they are or how to talk to them?”

Lee thought for a moment and then sat up straight in their seat. They held out their hand and opened their phone searching for the article. After a moment they turned their phone to face I’Ksha. Displayed on the screen was an article about a young man going missing one winter night. “His name is Nick, I last saw him at the park with the gazebo but normally he hangs out around the school because he knows that is where I usually am.”

I’Ksha gave Lee a questioning look. “Why does he hang out around the school if he died somewhere in the woods?”

“They don't have to stay in one spot, some do because it feels scary to leave the area, but they can go almost anywhere they want to. Nick was just wandering around the city when I met him. He looked out of place because he was wearing winter clothes during summer. He saw me staring at him and followed me for a bit asking if I saw him.” and he had pestered them until they finally found an ally to talk to him in. It was shocking to Lee that they had seemed excited to talk about Nick. In honesty, they had not realized just how much they had missed him and almost wished he had broken their rule and shown up at the apartment or the shop. 

The waitress dropped the bill off at the table along with a to-go box. Lee looked down at their hardly eaten waffle and sighed, scraping it into the box. A quick look around the room showed that the diner was becoming busier and Lee assumed that the two had overstayed their welcome. I’Ksha grabbed her jacket and hat and put them on, waiting at the table for Lee to gather their items and stand. They swung their jacket on and fumbled with the zipper as they walked to the front counter. I’Ksha reached into her coffin purse to pull out some cash to pay but Lee beat her to it, covering the bill. It felt wrong to ask someone to meet up super early in the morning and not pay for their meal. Especially when the conversation went somewhere that person didn't expect it to go. 

They didn't speak again until they were outside next to I’Ksha’s car. Overhead the soft continuous buzz from the yellow neon sign of the dinner coated everything in its light. Lee could hear cars driving by behind them. The stillness of the morning was gone. I’Ksha  jingled the keys out of her pocket and unlocked her car. Hesitating, she looked up at Lee. “I have work today. I get off at around 4 pm. You said that… 'Nick' hangs around the school right?” she made air quotes with her fingers when she said Nick's name.

Lee nodded, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in her voice at mention of their friend’s name. “Yeah.”

I’Ksha nodded, looking at her car door. She paused there, still, looking at a spot on her door before looking back up at Lee with an expression they couldn't pin down. “I’ll meet you there around 4.” 

“Uh, how are we going to get in? Isn't it closed until Monday?" Lee asked. 

I’Ksha smiled at Lee. “I’ll see you there at 4.” She opened her door and before she climbed into the car she looked up at Lee. “Do you need a ride?”

Lee shook their head. They could tell that she needed some time alone to process the conversion they just had. The cold air of the morning felt nice on their cheeks and their apartment wasn't too far away. At least there wasn't any ice on the roads or sidewalks now. I’Ksha backed out of the parking space and gave a small honk as they passed Lee. Lee waved goodbye.