Indwell (Chasing Natalie's Ghosts) Read Online Free PDF Page A

alone in my room.  I never felt alone there though. There was someone in that room, always waiting for me to come home. I had decided at that time to not acknowledge her and she respected my wishes. I assumed she would eventually leave. `Such a quiet and sad child’ I heard her whisper some nights.
    The fighting between my parents started again, louder, more violent and menacing than before. One grey and rainy Saturday I can remember the most dreadful words were spoken. My mother was broken again, the black around her eyes was back and her arm hurt so much she couldn’t pick up Luke.
    “We are moving,” she said meekly. The tears began again as she turned her back and walked out into the backyard and crumpled down onto her garden. I followed her out then slowly turned away. I walked as if in a trance back into the house and up to my room and shut the door.
    “Can anyone in here tell me why this is happening?” I whispered.
    “I wish I could tell you the answer you want to hear. I wish I could say that it is for the best, that it will get better, that your next house will be prettier with a nicer garden, but I cannot. You will have to grow stronger to get through this.” The voice in the shadows answered back. I sat on the little round, red rug in my room and stared at this girl, this vision. I was not afraid of her. I really wanted to hold her. We just spent a moment staring at each other. She reached her hand out to me, but not to actually touch me, just the gesture that she was there for me and I felt that she would find me no matter where I went. Her name was Elizabeth. She was one of three girls that would visit me here in my room. The other two never spoke, they just watched me. They were young and thin, quite pretty actually. Their skin was pale and their hair was almost white. Their blue eyes even had specks of white in them. I thought of them as my angels. I thought they were there just for me.
    I rolled over to look out the window and saw Adam, so quietly lying beside me.
    “How did you do that?” I whispered calmly, a smile creeping across my face.
    “Very carefully, my darling,” he said, grinning, as though enjoying some inside joke. I couldn’t help but smile back. He held my hand and kissed my fingers.
    “I’m so glad your home now. I am very sorry I wasn’t able to see you at the hospital. I tried. Believe me I did,” he explained.
    “That’s okay. I was pretty sleepy there anyway. I think I’m starting to feel more alert now,” I told him. I pulled myself up so I could look at him.
    “Please don’t leave me again, like you did before I was sick,” I begged.
    “I’m sorry about that. I thought maybe I was breaking some unspoken rules and would be condemned for getting too close to you. I didn’t want you to be involved in any trouble that may have arisen. I had to get back to you Natalie.”
    “I’m so happy your back, even though I’m not following the condemned bit. Is that because you felt bad for kissing me?” I asked him, hoping it wasn’t.
    “I didn’t feel bad, as long as you’re not upset?” he asked me cautiously.
    “Of course not, do you want to try again? I’ll protect you from condemnation, I promise,” I said, winking at him.
    “You really shouldn’t make light about such matters and you definitely shouldn’t be so tempting to me,” he grinned. I carefully reached over to him and held his face in my hands. He leaned closer and very gently put his lips over mine. He felt like home to me. I never wanted him to leave me again. I was feeling dizzy as he laid me back down on the pillow. He pulled my blankets up to my chin and carefully held me in his arms. I was pleasantly surprised when he quietly began humming, it was like a lullaby. I’m sure it must have been one of his mother or fathers favorites. I couldn’t help but fall asleep, no matter how hard I tried to fight it.
    In the morning, I awoke and reached for him. Thankfully he was still there.
    “Good