Linger

It took her several fake excuses and more than an hour to lose Jimmy. Granted, she’d asked for his help in finding the cemetery, but now she needed time alone - to process what on earth was going on. He’d headed back home, a little disgruntled and more than a bit suspicious.

Jayden didn’t really have a plan. She walked down the sidewalk in a daze, unfazed by the things going on around her. She thought of her newly acquired friends, and what they’d think if she told them what was happening. They’d think she was insane for sure, making up a story of their long-dead friend in order to get them to like her.

She had no real destination, nowhere to go and nobody to help her solve her problem.

But wait, she thought. Her mind quickly flickered back to the previous evening at the fair. The dim canvas tent came to mind, the battered old chest full of mystical objects, and the penetrating lamp-like eyes of Rosa Santiago.

Instantly, she pulled her phone from her pocket and found Carmen’s number. She paced the pavement as it rang, and stopped as a voice picked up with a whisper, “Hello?”

“Carmen!”

“Jayden? Where are you?!”

She looked around and spotted a street sign, “42nd Street. Where are you? Why are you whispering?”

“Because I’m in school, third period Trig. You know, where you’re meant to be right now.”

Jayden bit her lip and cursed herself for forgetting that it was a school day. All of the business with Brian had made her completely overlook the previous night and her morning hangover, as well as the fact that she was meant to be in school.

“Jay? Are you still there?”

Jayden was brought back to reality as Carmen’s hushed voice called for her. She shook her head and replied, “Yeah, sorry. Umm, could you tell me where your aunt’s shop is?”

She heard the curiosity in Carmen’s voice, “Why do you need to know?”

“There’s something I need to ask her,” Jayden quickly thought of an excuse, “it’s about last night.”

“Alright then,”Carmen replied sceptically, “It’s on 5th and 8th, shop numbe-”

The line went dead.

Jayden cursed to herself quietly before beginning to walk again. Carmen must’ve been caught, and she hoped that she hadn’t gotten her friend in trouble. Another problem then made itself apparent; she had no idea where 5th and 8th was.

Wandering in vain, Jayden’s mind mulled over her experiences since moving to Huntington. Back in New York, she’d been so sure of everything. Since travelling across the country and setting up home, most of her ideas had been shot to the wind and she no longer found comfort in her concrete thoughts of the world. It unnerved her, and she didn’t like not knowing the answers she’d so long believed.

Not aware that her feet were carrying her regardless of her lack of conscience, Jayden looked up and discovered herself on Main Street. Surprised at how far she’d travelled, she began looking around for signs of the street she needed.

Time passed slowly and just as she was beginning to loose hope, she spotted a bus turning down the next junction. The sign in its window said 5th & 8th was the next stop. Grinning with a new sense of vigour, Jayden walked briskly after the vehicle and turned onto 5th and 8th.

Mid-way down the road, a lone shop stood out. Amongst the industrial-looking buildings that were aiming to reach the sky and the glass fronted departments stores, a poky little boutique with peeling paint and dusty windows stood its ground. As Jayden neared it, she saw the battered hanging sign sway in the breeze drifting in land from the sea. Santiago’s had a bucolic appeal to it, although shabby and tattered it maintained a degree of mystery.

A quiet bell sounded and dust mites floated from the floor, catching the sunlight filtering through the murky windows as Jayden opened the door. They danced melodically in front of her as she looked around the inside of the store.

A doorway with a beaded curtain stood behind the counter, upon which a telephone, several stacks of papers and a rustic old till stood proudly. Shelves upon shelves were cluttered with bottles of all shapes, sizes and colours, holding various contents ranging from glittering liquids to mixed herbs. She spotted the battered chest that had accompanied Rosa Santiago to the fair, sitting open near the window. Stacks of tarot cards and silk bags of runes also littered the shelves, leaving little to no room for anything new.

Just as Jayden reached out to touch a display of brightly coloured crystals, a voice came from behind her.

“You need my help already?”

Jayden jumped and turned on her heel as Rosa Santiago entered the shop from the store room behind the beaded door. She was exactly how Jayden had seen her the night pervious, with her mystery-spiked eyes and alluring presence. They stared at one another, considering each other before Jayden bit her lip and said quietly, “How do I get rid of him?”

A pause. A chuckle. Then the answer, “You can’t.”

Surprisingly, it didn’t shock Jayden that Rosa Santiago appeared to know what she was talking about. She had never spoken to the woman about Brian or about anything that had gone on, but she’s had the suspicion that the gypsy just knew. Nothing made her reconsider this fact as Rosa sat at a small table in the corner of the room and nodded towards the vacant chair opposite. Jayden looked around before edging over and sitting down with a slump, “Why not?”

“He’ll leave when he has to, not when you want him to.”

“When will that be?” she asked impatiently.

Their eyes met once more. “When his purpose on earth is fulfilled.”

“What is his purpose?”

Rosa stood and backed away from the table, her eyes focused on a shelf on the opposite side of the shop, “I don’t know. It’s unfinished business. He needs to complete it or get over the thing that’s grounding him here before he’ll be at peace.”

Jayden also stood and followed Rosa around, eyeing her desperately, “So there’s no way to make him disappear? What about an exorcism? Holy water? The Ghostbusters?”

Rosa chuckled to herself and shook her head before busying herself with re-stocking a precarious display of tarot cards. She said no more. Her unsatisfied customer left without another word, heading in the direction of home, feeling thoroughly discouraged.

---

Tired, frustrated, and generally confused, Jayden entered the house and took the stairs slowly. She meandered towards her door, but stopped when voices travelled down the hall from her room. Cautiously, she stepped forward, and the faint voices took on identities.

“So you’re in 6th grade?”

“Yep. I go to Huntington Beach Elementary.”

“Sweet, I went there too. Who’s your grade teacher?”

“Mrs Anderson.”

“She’s still there?! Wow, I thought that old crone would’ve retired by now!”

Without thinking, Jayden thrust the door open and the shaking laughter coming from the occupants of the room fell silent. Sat on her bed, perfectly at ease as if the situation was completely normal, was her little brother David, and the somewhat transparent entity of Brian.