The Ghost of RoseBurn Mansion

Chapter 15: I'm Trapped

     The gift shop told me not to come in again. It seemed strange but I shrugged it off as they might want to give the new staff hours. It gave me time to rest before my shift tonight. Working at the mansion didn't feel like work. I was always happy to go there. If Thomas wasn't there, then things would be different. I took the time to get some sleep in. I didn't dream about the mansion thankfully. Then, there was a loud bang! Sitting up in my bed, I listened again. The loud bang came again. I got up to check it out. Going over to the front door, I looked out the front door peep hole. My worst nightmare was standing there. Theodore. "Open up Lizzy!" He shouted. I backed away from the door. My body flinched at every bang. Dropping to my knees after the last bang, I just wanted to scream for him to go away. Maybe if I didn't answer, he might think I wasn't home. He growled. "You have to come out sometime to go to the mansion to see your new boyfriend. I'll know when you leave." His footsteps faded away from the door. I didn't know what to do. Calling the police wouldn't help. I had no proof he was trying to hurt me. What could I do? I immediately called Sue and told her I couldn't come in tonight. She told me the house would be fine for one night. Problem was, what about tomorrow night? And the night after that? I had my other job to go to. I couldn't be trapped in this apartment forever. I managed to pick myself up off the floor, still rattled by the banging. There was only one person who could help me.

I grabbed the Ouija board and three candles. I lit them all. Trying to control my tears, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. "I need Thomas." I looked at the piece of paper. Nothing was happening. Maybe it didn't hear me? "I am summoning Thomas here." My voice got louder. I waited. Nothing was happening. The pen didn't move. My tears hit the board. I gave up. Nothing was going to save me on this one. This was the one time I needed him to hear me. I was about to blow out the candles when my ears picked up a noise. I looked down. The pen moved. Turn around.

I glanced behind me. Thomas stood there. His eyes gazed at me. His hand touched my face. I flinched at his touch. Thomas pulled me into his arms. I hugged him tightly. "Lizzy, what happened?" His voice was calm.

My eyes stared at him for a few moments before speaking. "He's outside. Waiting for me to come out. I can't go to the mansion." I was hyperventilating, shaking and sweating. Thomas rubbed my back. I couldn't control my fear. I didn't want to die. Thomas led me into my living room. We sat on the couch. Thomas placed my head on his shoulder. He was trying to calm me down. It was working. Slowly taking in a few deep breaths, I wanted this to end. This torture wasn't fair. "Lizzy." He whispered sweetly. I gazed up at him. "It's going to be okay. I'll stay with you day and night." He was trying to make me feel safe.

My eyes widened. "You're resting! What if I can't ever see you again?"

Thomas stopped me before I could say anything more. "You summoned me remember? I'm not using my energy. It's going to be okay." I nodded. He wrapped his arms around my waist. It felt so good to be close to him. It was even better that he was in my apartment, keeping me safe. Thomas kissed my head. "Are you tired?" I shrugged. "You can sleep it off for a little bit if you want. I'll still be here." I was tired but I didn't want to sleep. Thomas picked me up and headed towards my bed. I tried to get away, but his grip was tight on me. He placed me on the bed. He went over to the window and gazed at the parking lot. Did he see Theodore? Standing in the parking lot, waiting. He shut the curtains without saying a word. I got comfy in my bed. "I'm fine. Really, I am."

Thomas raised his eyebrow. "Really now?" He came over to me and got on top of me. His body hovering over mine. His eyes locked onto mine. It was another intense moment between us. I had no words to say. He smirked at me as his lips kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes. He sat next to me and held my hands. I didn't want to miss being with Thomas. But I had to give into sleep. It would help me later on.

*******************************************

I opened my eyes. It was dark inside the room. I sat up and looked around. It must have been 8 or 9 at night. I wondered if the candles had burned out. I went to go check. Arms pulled me backwards. Thomas was lying next to me. "Where are you going?"

I turned to face him. "To find you. I didn't know you were right here." My heart skipped a beat. He was still here. Just like he said.

He kissed me. "I told you I wasn't going to leave you Liz. I wouldn't lie to you like that." He kissed my jaw. I snuggled into his firm body. This all felt too good to be true. Which my gut feeling ended up being right. Before I knew it, the front door flew into the hallway. I jumped out of bed. He broke in! Thomas grabbed me. "Go to the mansion!"

I shook my head. "The doors are locked." Thomas smiled at me. He was going to let me in. My hands grabbed my head. "The candles are still lit." This wasn't good. If he was still here, he'd be seen. Theodore came in. "Candles? I know they're not for any dates." I watched him blow them out. Thomas disappeared in front of me. I grabbed some shoes off the floor and hopped out the window onto the fire escape. Running down the street, I had to get away. Have to make it to the mansion. Without warning, I was tackled to the ground. We fought for a moment. Then I flipped whoever it was onto their back. My eyes widened. Alison was puffing as she tried to get her hair out of her eyes. This wasn't good.

While in my state of shock, she slapped me across the face as hard as she could. My head hit the ground. The world was starting to spin. She stood up and kicked me in my stomach. I groaned as she managed to hurt me even more. She got close to my ear. "After everything, my brother had done for you. You have some nerve to break-up with him. I knew it was for that owner of the mansion. But..." She held up a couple of files she pulled out of her handbag. She crouched next to me and smiled evilly. "We did a little research. Your friend, what was his name? Oh Thomas, isn't the owner. The real one is a little old lady and her husband who fixed up the place. We discovered that Thomas, is one of the ghosts that haunt the mansion." They must have been really pissed at me.

I gathered myself. "Why are you helping him? I've never done anything to you." She stood up and kicked me in the stomach again. I cried out in pain. It felt like my insides were bleeding.

"I've never liked you Lizzy. I thought you only dated my brother for his money. He treated you well. Bought you gifts, planned special romantic visits away from his work. Just to spend time with you. But what do you do? Dump him at an old falling apart house. And immediately move on to another man? A dead one for that matter." She put the files away and pulled out some candles. "But don't worry, it's all going to change tonight. We have some stuff to get rid of your ghost."

My eyes widened. They were going to get rid of Thomas! Theodore came down the street. He clapped his hands. "Bravo sis." He came over and yanked me up to my feet. I started hitting him. Theodore chuckled as he started dragging me down the street. "I'm sure you and your dead lover thought your plan worked to scare me off. Alison was so nice to help me out. Paying off the right people to get the right information. And I bet you don't even really know the real Thomas."

I tried getting out of his grip. He was pissing me off. "At least he doesn't smack me around. He has better qualities than you." He halted and yanked me to his side. I stared at him wondering if he was going to hit me again. He just laughed at me. Like he found my words amusing. He shoved me in front of him and made me walk to the mansion.