Chapter 1: Curiouser and Curiouser
October 2023: Pendle Hill, Nevada
Dorothea POV
The fragile fragments of my mind where never at ease during this time of year. Anxiety kept her place snug at the forefront of my mind. Samhain, Halloween, All Souls day, I refered to it as "Spirit Special." It was just around the corner, and they were restless, nonetheless.
Of course, I wasn't a fearful child anymore, and I understood more of the universe around me. It had balance, positives and negatives coiled perfectly together in nearly all spaces. Overwhelming? Yes. Escapable? No.
I'd met my first spirit, not of my own will, at six years old, and since then had been plagued by the plethora of unresolved souls that lurked around the spaces I'd visit. My life had become a dice roll. I never knew what kind of interaction I would get, and over time, I'd begun blocking them out. Blocking my mind as best I could. I couldn't create a wall, more like a sheer, satin curtain. It did the job at home, in public, not so much.
The longer I stayed in one place, the easier it was to be bombarded with "guests," so to speak.
Relocating may seem like an unnecessary exertion of energy. Truthfully, It just became the easier way to deal with it.
Gaining experience to secure a remote job, and ensuring leases never strayed past six months proved to be the best path I could have taken for my life.
I'd only been in Pendle Hill for two weeks, and yet the same woman had appeared to me several times. Near my apartment, by the water fountain at the towns center. She was just, everywhere here, and she knew.
Strange as it was, I was intrigued by her appearance. Spirits with tragic passings or unresolved issues in the physical world took the form of the last moment of their life. Her demise appeared, unusually brutal.
Scarring marred her face, burns and scrapes on her exposed arms. the most shocking, the wound on the left side of her head. It couldn't have been from a traditional gun shot, nor a knife. Call it morbid, but I was curious.
The large exposure of skull meant her death involved overkill beyond comparison, and part of my heart ached for her demise. I'd been shocked the first time I'd seen her, and let my guard down. She'd been persistent ever since.
"You know, at some point you're gonna have to acknowledge me." She taunted skipping next to me.
I kept my eyes trained on the sidewalk ahead of me, and ignored her.
"I just want you to tell my brother something." She said once again.
I knew she wanted to get a message to her brother, but I wasn't up for that again. Not after last time.
Relaying messages to loved ones was never the easiest part of this. I'd had heart enough earlier on to do so. After experiencing one or two negative family members, I strayed from that as often as possible. No one ever wants to accept that a person they held dear to them has passed, but nearly killing the messenger? A bit dramatic for my taste.
"He's being such an ass."
...
"I've got to get him to see how he's destroying himself."
... Just one more block, one more block.
"His name's-"
"I'm not giving any messages right now." I muttered, cutting her off.
She paused her skipping, and I continued on. Maybe a dose of shock would send her away. I pushed my headphones further into my ears, and retreated into my apartment. My shopping had been done for the day, and I deserved a nap.
The place I had stumbled upon when searching online looked better in the pictures, but for the price, it was worth it. I'd spiced up the living area with various pastel blankets, old copies of books I'd read multiple times. I even carefully placed a few plants on the coffee and end tables. They survived from my old apartment, and I liked the fresh oxygen they provided. I never took much with me, because I never had much to begin with, but they held special places in my heart.
I grabbed a small cup from the table and strolled over to the sink. Turning the tap to the right, I filled the cup, and made rounds to water each one. As I made my way to the last plant, a voice chimed in from behind me.
"You know, it's rude to cut someone off."
Gasping, I spun around, and was faced with the same woman. Mere feet from me. She leaned against the entryway to the hall, a triumphant smirk on her face. Blood trickled into her eyes, yet she made no move to wipe it away.
Confusion bubbled inside me, and panic soon followed. Eyeing the salt on the kitchen counter, I tried to stay as composed as possible.
"How did you get into my apartment?" My voice was even as I inched closer to the counter.
"I'm dead. Physical walls aren't an impediment to me." She scoffed, taking interest in my movements.
"I have protections, and blocks in place." I muttered, slowing my advancements.
"I'm just that good." She shrugged, striding closer. Something about her demeanor shifted. She wasn't as confident in her answer, and something told me she was just as confused as I was.
"What year did you die?" I blurted.
It was something I wanted to ask, however, it was needed information to piece together the missing parts of the situation. I'd encountered many things that passed through the veils, and I wanted to make sure that she was no threat. She may not know how long ago she died, but she'd know the year. They all knew the year.
"Twenty Twenty." She murmured, taken aback by my question.
Three years ago. Her soul was fresh, and unresolved. The circumstances surrounding her death may still be unanswered. I didn't want that for anyone, yet, I still had to look out for my own well being. I quarreled with my own thoughts, debating whether to entertain the woman further.
"From the looks of it, you were murdered. The case is still open?" I blurted out, forgetting the salt completely.
It was common for cases to go unanswered, and deaths unsolved. I had come to the conclusion that this was the main component in souls becoming trapped in the physical world. The more time that passed on, the harder it was for the soul to pass through the veils.
"Wow, way to get into things." She muttered.
"Sorry."
"Maybe start with an introduction?" She offered in a snarky tone.
"Well, my name is Dottie." I conceded, gesturing for her to answer me.
"That's better. I'm Katarina, and yes. The case is still open. I've been trying to give my dumbass brother hint after hint, and nothing."
She needed me to hand deliver these hints then. She'd made no progress, and her soul was desperate. The only thing now, was to decide if I had the energy to do this again.