Phantom

Chapter 18: Vital
I decided to stay at Nathans’ house a bit longer just to spend quality time with my returned family. I spoke with Keith as he made everyone lunch with the help of Nathan. Sarah sat in the TV room painting her nails black. She wasn’t really engaged in our conversation. The Scarboroughs’ were in the backyard enjoying the swimming pool.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” Keith said sincerely after I told him about my frequent emotional breakdowns.
“It’s normal for me I guess,” I said and shrugged. “I’m sure it bothered the crap out of Nathan though.”
“It was fine! I didn’t mind it.”
“Who would have thought my baby’s would buy such a beautiful home!” Ella marveled when she entered the house while drying off her hair. “That fortune really does come in handy.”
“Thanks mom,” Keith said and laughed.
“I wanted to buy a house with a guest house so I could live in it by myself but once again Keith always uses the ‘family sticks together’ stuff,” Sarah mimicked Keiths’ voice.
“Is Leo your biological father?” I asked Keith.
“Leo is my stepfather. My biological father… he left when I was eight.” There was evident pain in his voice when he talked about his father.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Keith said with a forced chuckle.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking but have you figured out who the Vital One is yet?” Ella asked Keith, changing the subject.
I looked at Keith, confused. “What’s a Vital One?”
Keith looked away from me and continued to stir the food in the pan. I looked over at Nathan and he was holding the knife so tight that his knuckles were turning white.
“Awkward,” Sarah sang.
“Oh my goodness,” Ella gasped and covered her mouth.
“Keith? Nathan?” I waited for them to answer me but no one answered. “Will someone talk to me?” I begged angrily.
“I should probably go,” Ella murmured. “I’m sorry.” She opened the door and walked back outside.
“Nathan, answer me,” I grumbled.
He sighed, dropped the knife and stretched out his fingers. “The Vital One is the one ghost in a ghost family that is kind of like the life support. The main source. If the Vital One is lost or if their ghost is somehow removed then all of the other members of that families’ ghost will be removed as well.
“But you don’t have to worry about that stuff. It’s not like it matters,” he said indifferently with a hint of frusteration that made me suspicious.
“Yeah, because the Vital One doesn’t matter,” Sarah said sarcastically.
“Sarah. Stop it,” Nathan hissed.
“Just speaking the truth,” Sarah said, defending herself.
“Okay, Sarah. Why don’t you tell me why this Vital One stuff is important since Keith and my honest boyfriend won’t tell me themselves.” I looked at Nathan and glowered at him.
“Natalia, this is something you don’t need to know,” Nathan said seriously.
“And why is that?” I asked.
Nathan went quiet.
“Why don’t I need to know, Nathan?” I pressed.
“The dreams you had… the video dreams… none of us exept you had them. We had pictures. The video dreams signify’s that… you’re the Vital One.” Nathans’ voice went down to a whisper.
“And why didn’t you want to tell me that?” I asked.
“Well… I thought that you’d be… infuriated,” he admitted.
I scoffed. “Why? So I’m the life support for all of you….” My voice faded at the end. That was too much responsibility. Of course responsibility was what I wanted but being the crucial, essential, and key to their ghost was too much to handle.
“Natalia, are you okay?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah, yeah. I just got to sit down,” I mumbled in monotone.
Nathan halped me back into my chair.
“So my video dreams… are they supposed to tell me something?” I asked still stupefied.
Nathan sighed. It was obvious that he was reluctant to tell me anymore than what I already knew. “It’s your future.” There was pain and anger in his voice.
“I don’t understand,” I muttered. But deep inside, I understood very well I just wished that I had a misinterpretation.
Suddenly I remembered something that happened a while back in the past when I first told Nathan about the voices in my dream. He was infuriated when I told him. He rushed me to his house and him and Keith had a private altercation. Nathan said something about putting too much pressure upon me. Nathan knew all along….
I looked up at Nathan in shock, frusteration, and sadness. “How could you keep this from me?” I whispered.
“I didn’t want you to worry about this,” he murmured gently.
“You didn’t want me to worry about this?” I asked incredulously. “Nathan, you knew for so long and you never told me! You knew something about me that I didn’t and you chose not to tell me!” I cried.
“This is awkward,” Sarah muttered, got up from the couch and walked outside to the backyard.
“I can’t believe this,” I sighed. “I can’t even find the words to say.”
“Natalia, Nathan is telling the truth,” Keith said. “Before you had enough to worry about and he didn’t want to put anymore weight on your shoulders than you already had. Nathan knew that someday you’d know but he didn’t want it to be when you had so much to deal with already. He knew that you’d be angry with him but he was willing to risk that.
“I know that I was wrong as well to have kept this from you but Nathan insisted on telling you himself. We’re both sincerely sorry for this.”
Nathan took my hands in his and looked me in the eye. “Do you forgive us?” He murmured.
I scrutinized his face and succumbed with a kiss. “Of course I forgive you two,” I sighed and smiled. “Now that I look at it, I’m kind of glad you kept it from me for a while because I probably would have killed myself if I knew this a couple months ago,” I chuckled.
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows and frowned.
“I was kidding,” I laughed. “But I probably would have gone ballistic. It’s really sweet of you two to put my feelings into consideration though.”
“Well, I should get back to my cooking,” Keith said and walked back into the kitchen.
“So I’m the Vital One,” I mused. “That’s really weird knowing that I basically own all of your lives.” I laughed.
“Our ghosts,” he corrected.
“Well, it’s good thing you saved me the time I fell from the ceiling. I could have died under that boulder!”
“Your life always has to be monitored twenty-four seven even if you weren’t the Vital One,” he said and laughed.
I rolled my eyes. “Another reason for you to help me do the littlest things.”