Wicker Candles by Leah Crowe (free ebook reader for iphone .txt) 📖

I'll never forget the Halloween I saw my first ghost. I was fifteen and hanging out with my friends in our apartment. We each had a bag of popcorn in hand and were watching cheesy chick flicks. "Pass the sodas, Trish." called one of the girls to me. As I handed out bottles of Coke to the four other girls in the room, I felt a shiver down my spine, but I knew it wasn't from the cold. "One sec girls. I'm going to go get a blanket. I'm really cold!" I called as I fled the room. Quickly rubbing my arms, I checked the calendar. Halloween was tomorrow. I looked at the clock. It was midnight. No wonder I shivered. It was Halloween. Not now! I thought of Halloween's past, grabbing some white liquid meds from the kitchen cabinet. Quickly inserting the medication into the shot, I counted to three, and then inserted the needle into my arm. Numbness shot through my body, I was instantly calmed, calm and sleepy as well. I started towards the TV room to tell the girls I was going to go to sleep, but I collapsed and everything went dark. The black rose.......the black rose.... "Trisha! You ok?" Tiffany asked, shaking me awake. I slowing sat up, shaking my head. "Wha....What happened?" I asked. "I don't know. You were going to get a blanket but you never got back and we started worrying, then we found you on the ground." said Emily, concern written on her face. "Thanks guys. I'm ok now but I really want to go to bed if its ok with you guys. You can stay if you want...." I started. "It's ok. We already called our rides. Hope you feel better though!" Amanda said, walking over to her duffle bag. "Need help getting up to your room?" Emily asked. "No. I'm fine." I said, standing up and walking to the stairs. Once in my room, I ran through what had just happened. The black rose...... the black rose..... Instantly, pain shot up my body. My arm started to tingle, then glow, then all went back to normal except a place on my shoulder kept buzzng. I ran to the vanity table in my room. Quickly pulling up my sleeve, I gasped. There, just below my shoulder, was a sketching of a black rose! This is gettng creepy. This never happened the other years! What's going on?! Maybe just need some sleep.Maybe am halucinatng. Wth that, I layed down on my bed, turned off the light, and drfted in and out of a restless sleep. At about three in the mornng, the shiver came back. I tried to ignore it but after a while it became exchruciating. I slowly got out of bed, not wanting to leave the warmth on this frisky October/November evening. Quietly walking down the stairs, I got to the kitchen and opened the cabinet. It was gone! I searched everywhere! The shivers were getting worse and my hands were full of static electricity. I had to find that shot! Finally giving up, I started to walk upstairs When realized the drugstore would be open tonight. I could get another shot and some more medication! Quietly, I grabbed my mom's ID and the keys to her car. This is an emergency! I rushed outside, started the car, and sped off. I only had my permit but my mom was not at home and I never knew who my dad was. The car was quiet. Too quiet. I turned on the radio. Static. Trying every station only came out with static, except for one. "Trisha Maxwell. We are here. Do not take the medication!" A husky voice whispered so low, I had to strain to hear what he said. "Wait.......wait......wa..." The voice said, then everything turned to normal and the stations started working again. Country music played right on the station the voice had spoken on. I was numb.....with fright. "What just happened." I said to myself, trying to figure it out. At once, I got to the drugstore. The lights were off. On the door read a sign. Under quarantine. Outrage of death. Do not enter. "Ok," I said to myself, "that is just scary." Quickly, I got into the car and started for home. Once there, I went upstairs to the vanity to check my arm again. On the mirror was writing, as if some unseen finger had done it! It was still writing before my eyes! We are here. Wait for the black rose...... "Oh my gosh!" I said flipping on the lights. There it was. I tried to rub it off but it would not come off my mirror! I sat on the bed and waited. Something was going to happen, I knew it, but I had no clue what would happen! I looked to my left and there, by the light switch was a small rose, dead and black. Then, my arms started tingling. My head went numb. I started convulsing, shaking the whole bed. Vapers shot out of my hands and mouth. The lights flickered, then went out. Moans could be heard all around me. The room started spinning. Shapes flickered in and out of my room. Glass everywhere started to shatter. Suddenly, it all stopped and before me stode two pale faces. More like corpses, their flesh rotted their eyes were hollow sockets. They floated about, as if to examine me. One touched me and a tingling cold went through me. Then my eyes shone and my mouth opened and they flew through! I no longer felt cold, no longer felt anything. Everything was brighter and my vision was sharper. More shapes flew in and started to circle around me. They flew faster and faster and shone brightly. I started convulsing again as they all flew in me. Then at once they all flew out! My insides felt like jelly! The two who stood before me earlier came out of me and stood once more. The first one, a woman, spoke. "Trisha, speaker of the dead and the living, you have come to us to commune with us. To learn from us the secrets of the past to help the future. Though it took us long to reach you, we now have, according to the prophecy," she stopped and her eyeholes shown. The room got darker as she spoke with a deep resonding voice.
"Long years will undead grope without and heir or any hope.
Then one day shall one appear.
Half living half dead she will listen.
The Speaker will grow and hear.
Until deads's hope will glisten.
Undead-dead are long without rest.
The Speaker's life will be put on test.
But then an heir is made.
Or distroyed, only time will say."
Then the ghost went back to her whisper. "You, Trisha, are The Speaker. The heir to the throne and will help us to rest in peace for the rest of our dead lives." My head started to clear. "WHAT?! Oh my gosh I am seeing GHOSTS!! This isn't happening! I am no Speaker! I stink at Language Arts! You guys are the freakiest things I have ever seen! I am hallucinating because this is crazy!" The ghost reached out and went through my head and I felt calm. "You are only half alive. Part of you is and will forever be half dead. You are very special!" The second ghost, a man this time, said. "So wait. I'm part of some sort of prophecy?" I asked. "Years ago we were cursed. Never to rest until someone sat on the throne of the dead. Well our Queen was exiled our King, broken and we have waited. Waited for one who was half mortal half dead and of royal blood. You were the one and will be tested greatly but in the end, you shall bring peace to our relm." "I'm not royal! Of course I'm alive! What are you talking about?" I said . "This is alot to think about. We will wait." he said and he looked at me and smiled. It was the most bone chilling thing I ever saw. Then all the ghosts passed through me again and inside of me and I was alone. I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep.

"Honey. Wake up! You are going to be late for school!" My mom called. I slowly woke up, the sun shining through my...... Then everything hit me from last night. The broken windows. The ghosts. Everything. I hopped out of bed and nicked my toe on some glass. I didn't feel anything. I hopped into the shower. Nothing. I stabbed myself with a pen. Absolutly nothing. The gash I had made in my hand healed instantly. Woah! I thought. Slowly I walked downstairs, promising myself I would tell no one. "Mom The window in my room broke last night. There was a gust of wind and a tree limb broke the glass." My moms face clouded with consern. "Are you all right?" "Yeah I'm fine. It kinda scared me last night but I'm ok." I said lying. "Well sure I'll get it replaced today and get the tree outside your room trimmed." my mother replied. I grabbed an apple and hurried out to catch the bus. "Hey! Come sit over here." My best friend Ted called out from a seat on the bus. I sat down beside him. "I heard what happened last night. You ok?" he said with genuine consern that touched me. "Yeah I'm ok now." I said smiling. Ted and I had known each other since third grade. He had definately changed from the goofy kid who liked airplanes to the handsome basketball player he was now. No! I said to myself. You can't like your best friend! it's too akward! He was five foot eight, I was five three. He had shaggy blonde hair and green eyes, I had long black hair and pale blue eyes. We were very different looking! I smiled thinking about it. "What are you smiling at?" he asked. "How we met, that's all." I said turning to him. He was staring at me. I looked away. "You were the girl who always wore pigtails. I would try and pull them. You got mad. Then you had a birthday party and your mom made you invite me. I Got you hair ties for your pigtails and it was friendship from that day forth!" He said laughing. He touched my hand. "Woah!" he said, "Your hand is freezing! Are you sure your ok?" I was bursting at the seams! I had to tell him! "I have to tell you something that is going to blow your mind! I hardly know if it was real or not! But not here. Meet me out behind the school during study hall." I said to him as the bus rolled up to the school and I hopped out. It took all my strength to wait until third period when we had study hall but finally, the bell rang as I peeled off toward the back door. He was already waiting there for me. "So what's this big secret you wanted to tell me?" Ted asked. " Ok Here it is. You mght want to sit down." I said and I told him everything. He just stared. We didn't say anything for a while. Finally, I broke the silence. " So you see, that's why my hand was cold. I guess I have spirits inside me right now." I said, the idea donning on me. I shivered. He looked into my eyes. "Could you show me?" "I don't know. I don't even know if it all was real