(Days Later)
The soft jolt made him wake. Mary was the first thing he saw.
"Mom, is that you?"
She nodded.
"I miss you so much." Tears welled up. "Why did you have to go?"
"We all have to go sometime."
They sat in silence for quite some time until Nick asked. "Are you Joyce Stephen?"
"I once was."
"Is dad... John Stephen?"
Mary shook her head. "No, but you'll meet him that troubled spirit again." No one said anything. "I don't really understand what's going on in this house. How could the house be haunted?... I see Brad, but Brad is me... so it can't be my ghost haunting the house cause I'm alive and that would mean... " He was confused.
"It's not a regular haunting... I don't even think you'd call it one... Sometimes when something traumatic happens, that incident stays imprinted in something... wheather it'd be a grain of sand, a wall, a picture frame.... bones..." She started fading.
"Mom! Don't leave me, please don't leave me again."
.--.--.--.--.--.
"Thanks mom." He said immideatly after waking. At ;east now he knew what he was dealing with.
Whatever had the imprint of the incident needed to be found and get rid of... otherwise there might be more tragedies.
But before he could start thinking of what held the imprint he needed to know what exactly had happened the night he (Brad) died. Whatever had the imprint must be in his room because that is where he always saw himself and Angela.
"I need to know what happened." Though it was late and the last trance had left him a bit tired he started to meditate again... It wasn't long before he was Brad again.
.--.--.--.--.--.
He grabbed her hands. "Angela, what did he do to make you think that? If he did anything to you, we need to go to the police."
"No, I can't." She shook her head.
"What did he do?" Brad asked firmly.
She gave into his request. "After the funeral... he was mad at me when he saw you there. When we got home he was still yelling at me and I came up here but he followed me up here and he started yelling at me and warning me not to see you again... I told him that I love you and he said I was a floozy just like my mom... I got angry and blamed him for her death...he slapped me and left." She wouldn't tell him about the suicide note. It would be her secret. "Minutes later he came back and apologized... He said he was only protecting me from you" She started crying a bit harder, but continued. "He got really close to me and said he wouldn't lose me to a guy like you...and then.... he... he kissed me on the lips and... I felt so disgusted and pulled away... he just left."
"Why not?"
"He's my father... he may be horrible guy but he's my dad."
Her attitude was frustrating.
"What are you gonna do Angela? Just wait until he rapes you?"
She said nothing.
"I can't leave you here with him." He paced around the room.
"We have to move up our plan... we leave tonight."
"No, Brad..we're supposed to leave when you finish school, it's important to you."
"Its dangerous for you to stay here."
She pondered for a while.
"I don't know, Brad."
"Angela, we have to leave tonight. Look at you, you're wasting away because of him...because of his beatings.. don't wait for things to get worse. You're in danger."
"I know, but..."
"But nothing. You're not gonna go through this alone, I'm here with you."
After thinking about it for a while she finally gave him an answer.
"Okay."
"Great...pack only the essential things...I'm gonna go home and do the same...we'll leave tonight."
"Tonight." She repeated.