Status: completed
Escape This Afterlife
Hayden
Chapter Three
I can't say I wasn't thinking about the short boy as I walked home. It feels weird thinking of him as Mr. Hewitt, since that makes me sound weird and formal, but I don't know his name. I really should have paid more attention in math. Someone had to say it at some point. People even say mine, albeit not in a good way.
It was cold outside. I don't ride the bus obviously. That wouldn't be a good idea. Oh, Hayden, why not get on a bus filled with adolescent Neanderthals who have decided it's pretty awesome to torture me. THAT seems like a good idea. I don't mind the cold so much, compared to that. What I mind is the hills. I have calves of steel from walking up all these leg-killing hills.
It's about five miles from school to home--I call it home for lack of a better word. I hate it there. It's cold and empty in that house and I make a point to spend as little time in it as I can. I stopped halfway once I got to the trail that leads to my house. My parents like feeling as separate as they can from the people in here. I guess that's the one trait I share with them. They didn't think about the fact that they'd have to, if they ever decided to settle down here, cut back all the bushes and trees and whatever else was growing here. What had once been a road, now could barely constitute a deer trail.
There were lots of animals here though, which was kind of cool. Don't be "Oh, I've found your weakness now, Hayden! You're an animal lover!" because you didn't. It's kind of impossible to be back stabbed by a rabbit.
I sat on a tree stump, a reminder of my parents trying to our property "presentable" before that, like all of my parents other projects had been abandoned. They really need to stick with an idea, because right now, the house looks like shit. I can't do anything about it though. It's not like they send home a monthly check for food, electricity, and all that stuff people tend to need. I do work sometimes, until people at school find out where I work and make that company so miserable they get rid of me. Now, no one will hire me. I have to get the hell out of here if I have any chance of making something of my life.
I don't know why they don't mess with me at home--most of the time. The house does have some comments, courtesy of my school, but not nearly what you'd expect. I guess their hatred is dampened by the fact that they'd have to walk over two miles from the street, since there's no way to drive here, not anymore.
I have to wonder if I'd even know if my parents decided not to come back. It's not like they care enough to send me postcards and I doubt they would dirty their feet actually coming home. Don't get me wrong. This isn't one of those "my parents know I'm gay and hate me" kind of things. They don't know, not because I don't tell them but like I said, I just don't see them. They couldn't care less.
It was so quiet for once, like the calm before the storm. There were no ghosts, no people, nothing to bother me and it felt good. I decided to make the best of it while I could, so I pulled out my mountain of math homework.
I finished my homework just as the sun sank below the trees. I still didn't go inside, even though it had gotten even colder. I just shifted my coat closer to me. It's not like it's any warmer inside--it hasn't been since my heat was cut off a couple of months ago.
"Hello? Am I interrupting? My name is Ewa, in case you're interested."
I looked up ready to get rid of the newest ghost to irritate me, but what I saw made me pause. She girl was extremely pale with her wheat colored hair tied back with a white bow that perfectly matched her simple dress that was just long enough to brush against her bare feet. That's not what shocked me though. The yellow and orange cat ears and tail did that well enough.
"It sucks to die during the musical Cats, doesn't it?" I commented, coolly. I tried not to sound too freaked out, but this was one of the strangest things I'd ever seen. Why would someone wander around in a cat costume? It's not normal behavior.
"What?" The girl sounded as confused as I felt. An ear twitched and her tail wrapped around her as she absentmindedly played with the tip of it.
"H-how did you do that?" I asked, almost running away before realizing that no matter how weird she was, she was still a ghost and she could never hurt me. After that, I calmed down a bit…but not much.
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything." She seemed even more confused then she had been. I could feel sympathy, believe me.
"You have a tail!"
"…I know." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't have a tail. What happened to it? I'm sorry, but are you deformed? Is that why?"
"Me deformed! You're the one with the tail!"
"Is that not normal? I guess I should pay better attention to people from now on, but I haven't seen one in a long time. I guess there tails fell off at some point during that time." Ewa paused, thoughtfully. "No one could talk to me after I died, so I got lonely. It felt wrong following people around--like I was stalking them, so I moved away from people to the forest here." She paused, looking around. "It used to be a forest at least, until people moved closer and closer to me and then about fifty years ago, someone built a house here but they didn't stay long. The house has been empty since, until you came, that is. I heard you talking to another one of us and I decided I had to talk to you, so here I am."
I noticed how she avoided saying ghosts. Most of them do. They either pretend they're still alive or have some other trouble with accepting it. I guess it's kind of understandable, but I don't think I should have to play mediator. I'm not fixing your feud with your brother and all that. While I was thinking this, Ewa watched patiently. I don't know what she was expecting me to say. There's really no right comment for this situation. When in doubt: don't say anything.
"I'm not lying," she said.
I still didn't say a word.
"Honest. I can show you if you want."
I almost answered. Bad, Hayden. You shouldn't talk back to the voices. This can't be good for your mental health. I held back an answer just in time.
Ewa sighed, dramatically. "Fine. I don't care, but if you want to know, I'll be around." With that, she disappeared. I wish, just once, that they'd walk away instead of doing all that magic trick disappearing shit. What a shame. The annoying, boring ghosts I can't get rid of, but the one, semi interesting ghost I manage to piss off in a grand total of five minutes.
I wonder if she was serious about there being others like her. It's not like they'd be any different from other people, but it'd be nice to know there are other freaks out there.
I decided to go into the house then. I don't have anything better to do. As I crawled into bed, I couldn't help but think about the other cat people. That's not the last thing I thought about though. The boy from earlier had that place.
I can't say I wasn't thinking about the short boy as I walked home. It feels weird thinking of him as Mr. Hewitt, since that makes me sound weird and formal, but I don't know his name. I really should have paid more attention in math. Someone had to say it at some point. People even say mine, albeit not in a good way.
It was cold outside. I don't ride the bus obviously. That wouldn't be a good idea. Oh, Hayden, why not get on a bus filled with adolescent Neanderthals who have decided it's pretty awesome to torture me. THAT seems like a good idea. I don't mind the cold so much, compared to that. What I mind is the hills. I have calves of steel from walking up all these leg-killing hills.
It's about five miles from school to home--I call it home for lack of a better word. I hate it there. It's cold and empty in that house and I make a point to spend as little time in it as I can. I stopped halfway once I got to the trail that leads to my house. My parents like feeling as separate as they can from the people in here. I guess that's the one trait I share with them. They didn't think about the fact that they'd have to, if they ever decided to settle down here, cut back all the bushes and trees and whatever else was growing here. What had once been a road, now could barely constitute a deer trail.
There were lots of animals here though, which was kind of cool. Don't be "Oh, I've found your weakness now, Hayden! You're an animal lover!" because you didn't. It's kind of impossible to be back stabbed by a rabbit.
I sat on a tree stump, a reminder of my parents trying to our property "presentable" before that, like all of my parents other projects had been abandoned. They really need to stick with an idea, because right now, the house looks like shit. I can't do anything about it though. It's not like they send home a monthly check for food, electricity, and all that stuff people tend to need. I do work sometimes, until people at school find out where I work and make that company so miserable they get rid of me. Now, no one will hire me. I have to get the hell out of here if I have any chance of making something of my life.
I don't know why they don't mess with me at home--most of the time. The house does have some comments, courtesy of my school, but not nearly what you'd expect. I guess their hatred is dampened by the fact that they'd have to walk over two miles from the street, since there's no way to drive here, not anymore.
I have to wonder if I'd even know if my parents decided not to come back. It's not like they care enough to send me postcards and I doubt they would dirty their feet actually coming home. Don't get me wrong. This isn't one of those "my parents know I'm gay and hate me" kind of things. They don't know, not because I don't tell them but like I said, I just don't see them. They couldn't care less.
It was so quiet for once, like the calm before the storm. There were no ghosts, no people, nothing to bother me and it felt good. I decided to make the best of it while I could, so I pulled out my mountain of math homework.
I finished my homework just as the sun sank below the trees. I still didn't go inside, even though it had gotten even colder. I just shifted my coat closer to me. It's not like it's any warmer inside--it hasn't been since my heat was cut off a couple of months ago.
"Hello? Am I interrupting? My name is Ewa, in case you're interested."
I looked up ready to get rid of the newest ghost to irritate me, but what I saw made me pause. She girl was extremely pale with her wheat colored hair tied back with a white bow that perfectly matched her simple dress that was just long enough to brush against her bare feet. That's not what shocked me though. The yellow and orange cat ears and tail did that well enough.
"It sucks to die during the musical Cats, doesn't it?" I commented, coolly. I tried not to sound too freaked out, but this was one of the strangest things I'd ever seen. Why would someone wander around in a cat costume? It's not normal behavior.
"What?" The girl sounded as confused as I felt. An ear twitched and her tail wrapped around her as she absentmindedly played with the tip of it.
"H-how did you do that?" I asked, almost running away before realizing that no matter how weird she was, she was still a ghost and she could never hurt me. After that, I calmed down a bit…but not much.
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything." She seemed even more confused then she had been. I could feel sympathy, believe me.
"You have a tail!"
"…I know." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't have a tail. What happened to it? I'm sorry, but are you deformed? Is that why?"
"Me deformed! You're the one with the tail!"
"Is that not normal? I guess I should pay better attention to people from now on, but I haven't seen one in a long time. I guess there tails fell off at some point during that time." Ewa paused, thoughtfully. "No one could talk to me after I died, so I got lonely. It felt wrong following people around--like I was stalking them, so I moved away from people to the forest here." She paused, looking around. "It used to be a forest at least, until people moved closer and closer to me and then about fifty years ago, someone built a house here but they didn't stay long. The house has been empty since, until you came, that is. I heard you talking to another one of us and I decided I had to talk to you, so here I am."
I noticed how she avoided saying ghosts. Most of them do. They either pretend they're still alive or have some other trouble with accepting it. I guess it's kind of understandable, but I don't think I should have to play mediator. I'm not fixing your feud with your brother and all that. While I was thinking this, Ewa watched patiently. I don't know what she was expecting me to say. There's really no right comment for this situation. When in doubt: don't say anything.
"I'm not lying," she said.
I still didn't say a word.
"Honest. I can show you if you want."
I almost answered. Bad, Hayden. You shouldn't talk back to the voices. This can't be good for your mental health. I held back an answer just in time.
Ewa sighed, dramatically. "Fine. I don't care, but if you want to know, I'll be around." With that, she disappeared. I wish, just once, that they'd walk away instead of doing all that magic trick disappearing shit. What a shame. The annoying, boring ghosts I can't get rid of, but the one, semi interesting ghost I manage to piss off in a grand total of five minutes.
I wonder if she was serious about there being others like her. It's not like they'd be any different from other people, but it'd be nice to know there are other freaks out there.
I decided to go into the house then. I don't have anything better to do. As I crawled into bed, I couldn't help but think about the other cat people. That's not the last thing I thought about though. The boy from earlier had that place.
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