Chapter 13

Charlotte

We drove in silence, and I resisted the urge to ask questions. Dimitri clenched and unclenched his fists, and his nervousness was rubbing off on me.

We reached the hospital in Canal Winchester after thirty-eight minutes of driving.

I had not been to many hospitals. I was healthy and had never broken any bones. My family also never needed to go to the hospital.

I entered the building first, and Dimitri fell in step beside me. The too-clean smell hit me like a punch in the nose. The floors were white and polished, and made me think of an asylum. What were we doing here?

Dimitri led the way to a room with many empty beds. His shoulders tensed as he went to a single bed at the end of the room where a little boy lay.

He had the same curly hair as Dimitri, his eyes were closed, and his eyelids fluttered as if he was dreaming. His left leg was in a cast.

“Is this your brother?” I asked.

“Yes, this is Ethan,” Dimitri said.

Most of the beds were empty, but the one opposite Ethan had an old lady. She was on a drip, and she sat upright in her bed as she watched the small television in the corner of the room.

The sound was off, and she turned her eyes to me.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He has multiple myeloma,” Dimitri said. “Because of the cancer, he has a lack of calcium, and his bones are weak. He fell from the stairs last night.” Dimitri cleared his throat. “I tried to catch him—”

“This isn’t your fault,” I said.

My friend was on the verge of tears, and it clearly took everything inside of him not to have a meltdown. I could not help it. I reached for him, but he stepped aside before I could embrace him.

“Don’t touch me,” he snarled.

I took a startled step back. “I am sorry... I just wanted to comfort you.”

His face softened. “If you hug me now, I will have a breakdown in front of all of these people. I don’t want that.”

I nodded and became aware of the old lady who was now gaping at me. What was the old lady’s problem? I hadn’t assaulted my friend—I just wanted to comfort him.

Then Ethan’s body started to shake violently.

“What’s happening?”

“Call the nurse!” Dimitri demanded.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Charlotte, call the nurse!” Dimitri cried.

He rushed to his brother’s side and gripped the side of the bed. “Come on, Ethan! Hold on!”

I raced into the hall. “Help! Someone help me!” Several nurses heard me cry and rushed over. I pointed them to Ethan.

Dimitri watched as they pushed the bed out of the room. He rushed after them, but I blocked his way.

“Let them do their job,” I told him.

Dimitri looked at me then tracked his brother’s bed as the nurses pushed him around the corner and out of sight. His eyes filled with tears, and he nodded. This time I did not attempt to hug him.

I took a seat in the waiting room while he paced around like a caged animal. My heart went out to him. What must it feel like to love someone so much and not be able to help them?

“Do you want to get something to eat?” I asked Dimitri.

“I can’t leave him,” Dimitri said.

“There is a cafeteria by the entrance of the hospital.”

“I’m not hungry,” he groused.

I sighed and wondered if he was like me—he didn’t eat when he was stressed or sad. I had a tendency to lose weight before my exams even started.

“You can go if you want,” he said to me.

I could not leave him. He needed me now more than ever, so I picked up a magazine from the table in the center of the waiting room and flipped through the pages. He would speak to me when he was ready.

After a while, Dimitri spotted one of the nurses who had taken away his brother. He pointed to her, and I got to my feet.

I approached the nurse. “Excuse me, nurse.”

The nurse turned to me and smiled.

“The boy—Ethan Collins—is he alright?”

The nurse nodded. “His family can speak to the doctor for more details.”

“Thank you.”

The nurse walked away, and I stared after her. I was so glad Ethan was still alive. Relief washed over me like a cold shower. How much longer did the child have left?

I looked at Dimitri, but he didn’t appear relieved. He looked tired, sad, and like he had aged twenty years in the time we had waited.

It was getting late, and if I was home after my parents, they would get worried. But I did not want to leave Dimitri here.

“Can I take you home?” I offered.

“I’ll ask my stepfather to come get me.” Dimitri looked at me with thankful eyes. “You have such a kind heart.”

“Alright,” I said, “but I have to go home.”

“Don’t feel guilty,” Dimitri said. “I didn’t expect you to stay this long. I’m so thankful to have you in my life.” His gaze was so sincere and as intense as I had never seen before.

“I’m glad to have you too,” I said, and felt our invisible connection, a line of energy and emotion. “But don’t you think you should go home as well? And get some rest?”

He shook his head. “I can’t leave him.”

I gave him a sad smile, then I headed to my car. Dimitri returned to his little brother.

**

That night, I informed my family about Dimitri’s brother. I explained to them that he could not attend dinner because his brother had broken his leg and had spent the night at the hospital.

“That is terrible!” Andrea exclaimed.

“This is why we should not assume things. It’s always better to wait for the facts,” Ned told us.

“I’m glad he had a good excuse,” Juan said. “Will he join us for dinner another time?”

“I am sure he will,” I said.

I was happy that my family had accepted Dimitri’s excuse, and I felt much better about the whole situation.

After dinner, Juan walked with me to my room, and I could tell that something was wrong with her. She had been off the whole night. She was too quiet, and she was not smiling enough.

Whatever it was, she did not want to discuss it in front of our parents.

“What is wrong?” I asked, once our parents were out of sight.

“I just had a horrible day,” Juan said. “I got into a fight with one of my friends.”

“About what?”

“She claims her boyfriend has a crush on me.”

“Does he?”

Juan gave me a look that suggested he did.

“It’s hard being beautiful,” I told her.

Juan managed to smile. “Yes, it is. Anyway, the girl acted like it was my fault he was into me. It’s not my fault, and I would never steal anyone’s boyfriend.”

“She sounds insecure,” I said.

“She is very insecure!” Juan said. “Girls are so much drama. Sometimes I wish I was like you—happy in my own company.”

“I always wish I was as charismatic as you.”

“I did not know that,” Juan said as we entered my room. “I’m lonely, and I am sleeping here tonight.”

“Alright,” I said.

We bathed, brushed teeth, and got dressed into our sleepwear. I usually slept on the side of the bed that was the closest to my desk.

I tried to switch my bed light on but it flickered and went out. Instead, I switched on the bed light on the other side of the bed—where Juan would sleep.

I picked Amore up onto the bed and climbed in under the sheets where it was warm and comfortable.

Juan came in with her hair still wet and in her comfortable night clothes. She closed the door and switched off the light.

“My bedside light is fused,” I told her.

“Do you want me to leave mine on during the night?” she asked, but I could tell from her tone that she did not want to.

“That’s alright,” I said. “I know you don’t like it.”

Juan gave me a smile and switched off the light. Amore lay at my feet and was the first to snore.

“I love you. Sleep well,” Juan said.

“Goodnight,” I said as my eyes adjusted to the dark. I fell asleep on my side, facing my desk and the window.

***

I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of a book being dropped. I rubbed my eyes and looked toward my desk. It was dark, and I was not wearing my glasses.

“Juan?” I asked.

My sister was standing by my desk looking at my books. She had her back turned to the bed, so I could not see her face.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

I got no answer and decided to switch on the bed light. That was when I remembered that it did not work. I would have to use the one on the other side of the bed. I sat up and leaned over so that I could reach it.

I leaned over my sleeping sister.

I froze, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I looked down at Juan, who was sleeping peacefully. My sister was unaware of the stranger in my room. Slowly, I lay down again.

I tried my best not to cry, because that would make noise. I lay close to my sister, as if we could protect each other, and squeezed my eyes shut.

~It can’t hurt me. It can’t hurt me. It can’t hurt me~.

Amore was also sleeping peacefully—she did not wake, and she did not bark. She did not see the ghost lurking around.

I could hear the ghost move, the footsteps, her paging through my books. She picked up pencils. Was she drawing?

I lay there like a corpse. There was no way I would fall asleep. I was too scared to move. I listened to everything the ghost did.

***

When my alarm clock went off, I was still awake. I turned to my desk, but the ghost was gone.

Juan was up immediately and said cheerfully, “Good morning.”

“Hey,” I mumbled.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Juan told me.

I shrugged and watched my sister get out of bed and go to her room. I got up and went to the desk. I was still scared.

The notebook Dimitri had bought me was open on the fourth page, where the ghost had drawn something. I had no doubt that it was the Red-eyed Lady who had done so. I swallowed. She had drawn pink and purple cosmos.

The flowers were beautiful, and I thought they’d look good as funeral flowers. This must mean that the Red-eyed Lady wanted me dead.