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“All of it. Why are you here? Why haunt The White Witch? What exactly is going on, Kit?” Stephanie demanded.
“Few people can handle the reality,” Kit declared, causing Stephanie to frown.
“Well, I can, and I need it.”
“Then will you tell me your story, Miss Stephanie? About what happened to you?” Kit challenged.
Stephanie paled.
Could she tell this strong but caring ghost what had happened to her? How she’d become broken and scared? Kit didn’t seem judgemental, but she couldn’t exactly say she knew him.
“I’ll give you my truth, but it’s ugly,” she finally muttered.
“The truth, Stephanie, is a thing of outstanding beauty or a creature of dire ugliness. But once spoken, you’re often free from the burden.”
“But not always,” Stephanie disagreed.
“The only chains truth holds on a person are the bonds people put upon themselves. Should you still be burdened, I’d ask yourself why.”
“So, tell me what that was attacking the inn.” Stephanie wasn’t willing to argue further.
“That was an angry spirit. A ghost so full of hate and anger, it has its own name. It’s called a Human Killer because the force of the emotions it experiences can kill a person. They are rare and incredibly dark and evil. Human Killers can be mistaken for shadow people or poltergeists, but they are neither. The problem with Human Killers is their feelings are so strong they can affect the living and often destroy their target.
“Once that happens, there is no outlet for their anger. They turn into something else. And that creature is terrifying. Buttonight, that spirit had only one intention. To reach and harm you. Killing you was most definitely on its mind. I could taste the hate as it tracked you. You once knew this spirit,” Kit said calmly, even as Stephanie felt the blood drain from her.
“They can kill?”
“Yes, Miss Stephanie. The question I have to ask is, who the hell hates you that much that they’d turn into such a monster?”
Stephanie guessed her face reflected how uncomfortable she was with that inquiry and how much she wanted to sidestep it, but she couldn’t. Kit and whatever the strange presence had been had saved her life tonight.
“Justin, his name is Justin. He is my ex-boyfriend, and he died a few days ago,” Stephanie offered.
“It was a terrible relationship?” Kit quizzed.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Justin had a cousin, Cole, one of my best friends. Cole is my pseudo-big brother and is a wonderful guy. His parents are wealthy, but Cole always made a stand by making his own living and never gave himself airs and graces. Cole is somebody everyone liked. Justin, on the other hand, was jealous. His parents were once rich, too, but Justin burned through their money.
“From a young age, Justin was spoiled, whereas Cole wasn’t. Cole was an easy-going child, and Justin was difficult, selfish, and prone to temper tantrums. I met Justin for the first time a few years ago, and he snowed me. The persona Justin displayed wasn’t his real self. But he showered me with attention and appeared to dote on me. Cole kept warning me not to believe what I was seeing, that his cousin was all types of bad. Sadly, I shrugged it off as Cole not wanting to share his best friend. That’s the excuse Justin gave, and… and I believed it.
“Justin moved into my small home, and as soon as his foot was through the door, he changed. He became controlling and mean. His adoring words turned into constant criticism, and he madeno bones about how he hated Cole. I attempted to throw him out and learned that Justin didn’t care about using his fists to get his own way.” Stephanie broke off and gazed into the distance.
“He beat you?” Kit demanded, appalled.
“More than once. Slowly, Justin tried to stop me from seeing my friends. He knew bruises kept me away from them. But Cole saw them once and nearly started a fight with Justin. My friends and I stopped it from escalating. Justin sought any reason to get Cole into trouble.
“He thought he’d won; I was so scared of him that I didn’t have the strength to kick him out. But his actions backfired. Once Cole knew I was being beaten, he made sure someone was with me constantly.
“That infuriated Justin even more because my friends wouldn’t back down. The girls arrived in pairs, and Cole would just turn up. Justin was furious and began hitting me where nobody would see the marks. I couldn’t tell Cole that he was making matters worse. He only wanted to help. As soon as the door closed behind my friends, Justin made his feelings very clear. Until Cole saw the bruises again and beat the daylights out of Justin.” Stephanie paused and sighed. The words were hollow on her tongue.
“And Justin had been waiting for Cole’s reaction,” Kit surmised.
“Yes. He was crowing about calling the police and having Cole arrested. That’s when Cole’s parents stepped in and made it plain what would happen. For one, they would stop giving Justin’s parents money, as they were now bankrupt. Cole’s parents were paying the mortgage on their home as well, so they’d all be homeless should Cole be arrested. Cole and my friends had also taken pictures of my bruises when I wasn’t aware. They informed Justin’s parents that Justin would be arrested, too.
“Justin’s parents forced him to drop the charges and behave. Justin was furious and came to my house, where he found all my friends had packed his items up and left them outside. Cole stayed with me for weeks until my nightmares stopped, and Justin quit coming around. Justin wouldn’t take no for an answer at first. Not until he realised he couldn’t get to me anymore. That Cole and my friends had made me safe again. They escorted me to work and back. We had lunches together. I was never alone for Justin to reach.
“And the truth was, Justin only wanted me so he could hurt Cole. He never cared for me. It was just a way of making Cole suffer. The fact he got to harm me was just another bonus because he really only liked to injure people. He was so far gone in his meanness that he was unrecognisable. Luckily, he still had some feelings for his parents, or things may have been much different.”
Stephanie stared into space as memories threatened to overwhelm her. She shrugged them away. She was a survivor and refused to regress to the terrified state Justin had created for her.
