Phantom

Chapter 4: Alone
I understood Nathan’s reaction to the text message. The Vanburen’s were the Ashburton’s mortal enemies. Both family’s supposedly killed each other and now we had to finish what they started which we didn’t know anything about. I didn’t know that the Vanburen’s settled themselves into a body from our time. No one told me and I was absolutely sure that Keith, Sarah, and obviously Nathan knew.
“C’mon, Natalia,” Nathan said, finally out of shock. He took my hand and we headed into the tree’s so Nathan could transform out of the sight of humans.
Once Nathan finished transformed within seconds, he took me in his arms and he started to run.
I was disappointed that our date was cut short but I was desperate to find out what this message meant.
The wind was blowing harder than usual which meant Nathan was in a very large hurry to get to his destination.
When the wind stopped blowing, Nathan set me down and I opened my eyes. We were back at Nathan’s house and I was standing in his TV room where Keith and Sarah were already at, sitting and waiting for Nathan and I. Their faces also looked as dead as Nathan’s. I was most surprised to see Sarah with actual emotion.
I sat down next to Nathan on the couch in front of the TV. I waited for someone to say something, but no one spoke.
“What does this mean?” I asked quietly and held up the text message on my phone.
“It means exactly what it says,” Keith mumbled.
“The Vanburen’s are coming after me and Nathan?” I asked.
Keith nodded his head subtly.
“Why just us?”
“Natalia, there is something we need to explain to you to understand what this is about.”
“So explain,” I insisted.
“Long ago, before Sarah and I found Nathan and knew very little about the Vanburen’s, the Vanburen’s hunted us down. Sarah, me, and our mother and step-father.”
Mother and step-father? Sarah and Keith were related?
“They tried to kill us. Wiping out each ghost family one at a time, taking their singular powers along the way.
“When the Vanburen’s invaded our home, they destroyed everything. It was a good thing we lived far away from everything or else people would have heard what was going on in our farm.
“The whole house went down in ruins. It was extraordinary what Zachary did. He didn’t burn down the house, but melted it. He wasn’t very much in control of his powers then so it was involuntary.
“Klarissa thought that by the heat Zachary gave off that we succumbed as well-died of the heat. What she forgot was Petronella, my mother’s underground training room. We waited underground as Klarissa blew up in fury. She was happy that we were dead, but she was infuriated that she didn’t get anything from us as in our powers.
“She knew that there were more Ashburton’s out there and I heard her right before she left that she was going to hunt them down, take their powers and kill them.” Keith’s voice came down to a whisper.
I looked around at my ghost family. Each of them looked as if they were dead in their coffins. “So if they’re coming for us, why are we sitting around?” I asked, irritated by everyone’s mood. “Why don’t we hunt them down ourselves and kill them before they do to us?”
“You stupid girl, this isn’t an episode of Power Rangers. You talk like it’s so simple to take someone down as of them,” Sarah said with utter abhorrence for the Vanburen’s.
“She’s right, Natalia. They are a very powerful family and the center of them all is Klarissa who has the power to absorb anything mental from someone as of our singular powers. The Vanburen’s go from ghost to ghost, taking their powers one by one. That was five years ago that she attacked us. I cannot possibly imagine how strong she’s gotten since then.”
“So what’re we going to do?” I murmured. “Just wait for her to come?” Nathan took my hand in his to comfort me even though both us needed the comfort.
Just when I thought my life was finally coming together and my puzzle was completed, something had to go and shatter everything.
Keith took in a deep breath and stood up. “No. We’re not. Robert said to save Natalia and Nathan and that’s what we’re going to do. The Vanburen’s think Sarah and I are dead, so we’ll be the one’s to hunt them down.”
“No you’re not,” I disagreed and stood up as well. “I’m not going to stay here. I’m coming with you two.”
“Natalia, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Nathan murmured.
“I know very well what I’m saying. Why am I always being left out of things? I thought we were supposed to be some kind of family? Is it because I’m the youngest? If so, that’s a ridiculous reason.”
“Natalia, you barely know how to control Clarabelle, how do you think you’re going to be able to go against the Vanburen’s?” said Keith.
“I need to do something!” I begged.
“All you need to do is keep each other safe. Sarah and I are going to go pack. C’mon, Sarah.” Sarah and Keith headed upstairs. I heard their shoes clunking against the floor as they ran from room to room and gave each other directions on what to bring.
I slowly sat back down next to Nathan who was still paralyzed. I myself felt paralyzed as well. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight, things were running through my mind, and I couldn’t find my mouth to talk.
I heard Keith running down the stairs and Nathan stoop up and walked toward Keith who waiting for Sarah. His movements were robotic.
Although I was in shock, I was still able to hear what they were saying from the echo of the house.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Nathan said, no emotion in his voice.
“And you’ll keep yourself safe as well.”
“Natalia is my main priority. The only way they would ever get to her is if they were to kill me.”
I cringed at his words and pulled my knees to my chest.
“Nathan, I don’t want you to fight them. If they get through Sarah and I and ever come near here, Robert will be sure to warn you and when he does, I want you to run. Run far away. Don’t even stay in the country.”
“What about her family? They would wonder where she is.”
“Her family can’t know what’s happening. If they even get affiliated with what’s going on, her family will be the Vanburen’s first stop before coming to you two.”
Nathan went silent.
“And, Nathan. If we don’t come back by next month, I want you to run as well. Stay with her at all times. Never leave each others sides,” Keith directed.
“Okay,” Nathan whispered.
“Tell Natalia goodbye for me,” said Keith. “Goodbye, Nathan.”
I heard the door swing open then close. Sarah started running down the stairs, her stilettos making a sharp pang sound on each step.
“Nathan,” she breathed when she got to the bottom of the stairs.
“If we don’t… come back. I want to say sorry. To you and Natalia. I’m sorry for being rude all the time but it’s just in my nature. I honestly can’t stand to… see you guys get hurt.
“This apology stuff is making me transform. I feel all squishy inside.”
“It’s called sympathy,” Nathan said with a bit of a smile in his voice.
“It’s called gross,” Sarah said, back to her old self.
“Goodbye, Sarah.”
“Nathan.” Sarah opened the door and walked outside. They were gone.
It was utterly ridiculous how people would go so far to save someone else. I guess this was the meaning of sacrifice. But it wasn’t right. I should have gone with them. I felt guilty and deep down inside, I knew Nathan felt guilty as well.
It was outrageously quiet in the house. Nathan and I sat on the couch not waiting for anything but cherishing the moment we had together.
Nathan laid across the couch looking up at the ceiling, one arm behind his head and the other on my back. My arms were around Nathan as I cried silently.
Even though Sarah and Keith had just left about five hours ago, it felt like it’s been ten years. The day went by so slowly. The sunlight gradually faded away and it was now pitch-black in the house. There wasn’t even a moon outside. Everything was so black that I didn’t even know if my eyes were open or closed.
Then my phone started vibrating and I wondered if it was another text message from the Robert person.
I sat up. It was my mom. “Honey?” She asked. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Nathan’s.” My voice was coarse and dry from the lack of use.
“Are you coming home soon?”
“Uhm… yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Bye sweetie.”
I hung up my phone without saying goodbye.
“What’re we going to do?” I asked Nathan.
“Keith said we have to stay together at all times so I guess for a couple of week’s we’ll stay at your house then in the middle of summer, we’ll transfer here. We can’t let your family get involved in this.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“I’m going to pack my things. Do you want to help?” He asked, sounding optimistic as usual.
“Sure.”
Nathan and I walked upstairs I the dark and went into his bedroom to start packing up his things.
When I walked back into Nathan’s room from the bathroom to retrieve his toothbrush, he was already waiting for me in his ghost form.
I put his toothbrush in his duffle bag and he swung it around his back. I hoped into his arms and he jumped out of his balcony, landing outside. Nathan started running quickly and started to jump over Lake Washington. For once, I wanted to look down as he ran. We were above Lake Washington and the water was pitch-black just as the sky but the stars above were reflecting off of the lake. I looked up at Nathan who’s face was white yet expressionless. He looked very concentrated.
Although he was willing to sacrifice his life for mine, I was the same. I wanted to keep him safe just like he wanted to keep me safe.
I slowly fell asleep in Nathan’s arms where I wanted to stay.