H. Mallory - Ghouls Rush In

Christopher nodded as he retrieved one of his bags and started repacking the items on the table. “And Drake will push you to allow him to experience this new world he’s seeing for the first time in a long time. You must remember to go at your own pace. He’s tasting life again and will not want to pause in his quest for new experiences, but you must keep in mind your own needs and do not allow him to push you.”

I just nodded and suddenly felt just as tired as Lovie warned me I would be. But before I took their advice and went in search of my bed, there was one question that still remained unanswered. “What about the entity?” I started, my voice coming out fatigued. “Is the entity still in my house?”

Lovie didn’t respond but glanced over at Christopher, who folded the tablecloth and put it away. Then he started folding the table’s legs into itself. He looked at me and his expression was one of distraction. “Yes, the entity is still here. We have not yet performed the exorcism.”

I swallowed hard. “But…”

“It will not be able to hurt you because your psychic defenses have been buttressed by Drake’s spirit,” Christopher continued as he carried the now folded card table to the wall on the opposite side of the room and began folding the chairs into themselves to make for easier carrying.

“Okay,” I started, not exactly thrilled with the fact that there was still a highly malevolent and powerful force in my house. “When can you perform the exorcism?”

Christopher sighed as if he was annoyed with me. “Both Lovie and I require at least a couple of days to rebuild our psychic defenses. Just as your body requires sleep and nutrition to heal its psychic wall, so will ours. If we attempted the exorcism now, the entity would be far too strong for us and the results could be disastrous.”

“So should I…,” I started.

“We will contact you as soon as we feel we are ready ta return,” Lovie said in a kind voice before Christopher could blast me with another of his less than friendly statements.

Christopher glanced at Lovie and pointed to the table he held under one arm and the two chairs he held under the other. “Are you able to get the rest, Lovie?” he asked as he motioned to the two bags and the box, which sat unattended in the corner of the room.

She simply nodded as Christopher started for the door but, thinking better of it, paused and turned back to face me. “You’ll be getting our bill in the mail.”

Lovie offered me an apologetic smile as she followed Christopher out of the double doors and I turned to the task of getting some sleep.

I think I managed to get about an hour of sleep…maybe. Even though I couldn’t hear Drake’s voice in my head, presumably because I’d forced it out, there was a general restlessness inside of me that hinted to the fact that he was excited and wanted to be out and about exploring.

After tossing and turning for the last however long, I finally gave up and, sitting up in my bed, rubbed my eyes as I stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock. It was eight in the morning, which meant that either I’d slept longer than I imagined or the possession ritual had taken a really long time to perform.

“ Drake, ” I thought. “ Are you there? ”

“Bien sûr, je suis là ! Of course I’m here! ”came the irritated response . “ I’ve been here the entire time you’ve been asleep, waiting for you to wake up! I’ve been keeping myself company! ”

I laughed—I couldn’t help it. He just sounded so irritated and somehow I found his irritation amusing. Feeling like I had to pee, I stood up and started for the bathroom when something occurred to me…since Drake was sharing my body that meant he would play witness to me peeing and, furthermore, eventually he’d also see me naked…

“ Ah, oui, ” he said, his voice taking on a pleased tone. “ I had not considered that absolute benefit to our arrangement. ”

“ Ugh, I need to be better at hiding my thoughts from you! ” I railed back at him as I pushed open the door to the bathroom and wondered if there was a way to keep him from seeing me during times I’d rather he not. Thinking it might work, I craned my neck upward so I could only see the ceiling as I pulled up the ridiculous nightgown Christopher had lent me and, feeling for the toilet, blindly guided myself down.

“ Do you really think this necessary? ” Drake demanded in a put out tone.

“ Yes! I need to maintain some shred of my own privacy! ” I yelled back at him.

He chuckled. “ Has it not crossed your mind, ma minette dearest, that I have already seen you in every state of your undress? ”

Hmm, I’d forgotten about the fact that Drake had already witnessed all my embarrassing moments considering he was haunting my house and he was beyond nosy. I didn’t say anything but frowned as I exhaled and figured I might as well not encourage a neck cramp. After I finished my business, I flushed the toilet and walked to the sink where I glanced at myself in the mirror. I didn’t look any different, I thought to myself as I washed my hands and wondered how much my life would change now that I had Drake eavesdropping on it.

“ Let’s practice something, ” I thought.

“ Practice what? ” came his perturbed response.

“ What can you see at the moment? ” I continued as I stared into the mirror.

“ I see your reflection, ma beauté . And while I must admit I am not in the least bit fond of that nightgown the warlock lent you, I am quite fond of the way in which your nipples protrude through the very thin fabric. ”

“ Really, Drake? ” I ground out at him. But then I reminded myself that being upset with Drake for his constant suggestive remarks was like being upset with the wind for blowing. And, what was more, I had a theory to test. I focused on myself in the mirror again and then thought the words, “ I’m shutting you out so you can’t see what I am seeing at the moment. ”

“Pourquoi ? Why would you do that? ” he demanded.

I smiled broadly as I wondered if my words had the desired effect. “Can you still see me?” I asked aloud. “And for that matter, can you hear me when I talk out loud like this?”

I could feel the fact that he was annoyed. “Bien sûr ! Of course I can hear you! You do possess ears, you know? And as to whether or not I can see you, when you disallow me to share in your vision, what do you expect the outcome to be? ”

So it had worked. Drake could only partake of my life and experiences when I willingly allowed him to. That was a huge relief in and of itself because it meant I could force him out whenever I wanted to. Both of us were spared when a loud knock on the front door announced we had a visitor. Not knowing who would be visiting this early in the morning, I reached for my robe, which was hanging on a hook behind the bathroom door.

“ Please enable me to see again, ” Drake announced . “ I am curious and slightly ill at ease that we have a visitor. ”

“Okay, I give you permission to see what I see,” I announced out loud as I pulled on my robe and started for the front door. There was another knock on the door, which apparently meant I was taking too long to answer it. “Who is it?” I called out, my hand perched on the doorknob.

“It’s me,” Ryan called back.

Hearing his voice caused my entire stomach to sink in on itself, which alerted me to the fact that apparently I still wasn’t over the fact that he and I had a wonderful future ahead of us as friends…just friends. I pulled open the door and smiled at him as he gazed down at me and grinned in turn.