[Not Just Any Other] Ghost Story

Epilogue

Jane's VW sped down the road, splattering dirty snow slush on the 'You're Now Leaving New Bedford' sign.

Good riddance, Sarah thought from the passenger seat.

"Last chance to tell me to turn around, otherwise if you left anything behind it's staying for at least another week," Jane said with way too much cheer for the first Sunday after New Year's.

But Sarah shook her head. The little stuff she already had plus the dorm-life necessities her aunt had helped her buy were all safely stowed in the Golf's trunk. Not one piece of her had been left in the quaint cottage room she'd occupied for the last three months.

"Nope. I'm good," she said as they merged onto the highway and she cranked up the radio volume.

Def Leppard's Hysteria was still blasting when they pulled up in front of Waltham College.

"Eeek. I'm so excited for you!" Jane squealed as she eyed the nearest red-brick building complete with a tall spire and grecian columns. "College was such a fun time in my life and I hope—"

"Okay, okay," Sarah stopped her aunt before she could say something embarrassing. "We can do the pep talk once we're inside. It's getting dark, and I want to unpack and find the dining hall while it's still light out."

Jane turned more serious. "Right. What was the name of your dorm? I thought I saw a sign over there for parking."

It only took them two trips to unload the car, and their haul didn't even attract attention among the students returning from Winter break. As a Spring semester admit, Sarah also lucked out in getting a single room so even the dreaded roommate meet-and-greet was avoided. She was feeling better already.

As she pulled the fitted sheet on her mattress, Sarah determined that she deserved this. It was just about damn time that she felt better.

Thanksgiving with Officer Quinn's family and Jane had been nice enough. And Christmas with just the two of them was perfectly low-key. Even the weekly sessions with her therapist were bearable. But her entire goal in leaving California was ultimately to be on her own. To start college early and become independent.

And she was now here.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly Ivy League—although to be fair, Harvard was just a few miles away. She could definitely skip down there at some point and pretend to be bougie for a few hours. But beggars couldn't be choosers and Sarah was definitely a beggar. It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work for her to get this far, and she couldn't forget that. She couldn't take it for granted. She had to make this count.

"I think that about does it," said Jane as she shook a pillow into its case. "What do you think? Should I get out of here and let you start making some new friends?"

The crack in her aunt's voice in those final words tugged at Sarah's heart, but when she noticed a glint in Jane's eye, she finally lost it. "Don't do this, please. You're going to make me cry, too," she said, but it was too late.

Both unsuccessfully held back tears as they hugged, and for a moment, Sarah's resolve wavered. Was this really a good idea? Could she make it on her own?

"You're going to do great, sweetie," Jane said as if she'd read her mind. Pulling away, she continued. "Your mom would be so proud of you and I'm so sorry that she couldn't be here."

Sarah sniffled. "Yeah, I know."

Jane touched her shoulder. "I'm serious. You've been so strong since her death and have accomplished so much. We're all very, very proud of you, Sarah. Truly."

"Thank you," she said, focusing on a hole in the cinderblock wall to subtly signal her unwillingness to continue with the topic.

Therapy might have started to make her come to grips with the loss—she hadn't had any hallucinations in over a month—but Sarah still found it easier to ignore the pain. It was the same thing she did with what happened (or didn't happen) with Caleb and why she ultimately never sent in her article to the paper. In her mind, watching it burn in Jane's fireplace symbolically closed that door forever, too.

Jane got the hint. "Well then, I'll let you get to it," she said before giving her niece one more hug. "Call if you need anything and visit as often as you'd like."

After she was left alone, Sarah needed a minute to pull herself together. Taking the chance to also check out the facilities, she wandered the hallway until she'd found the bathroom.

The communal showers were definitely something she'd need to get used to, but she'd worry about that later. Walking to the sink, she grabbed the edges of the bowl and leaned in. With her eyes closed, she practiced her breathing exercises until she could feel her body relax again. Only after splashing cold water on her face did she remember that she didn't have a towel, so she used the bottom of her shirt to wipe her face.

Looking up, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Thank god for waterproof makeup. Otherwise she'd look like a raccoon.

Sarah smiled at herself and it felt good. Maybe everything would be okay now.

She lifted her hand, touching her index finger to the mirror. One by one, she slowly wrote an invisible message: H - E - L . . .

"You're the new girl, right?"

The unexpected question made Sarah jump.

"Oh, sorry," said the other girl. "Didn't mean to scare you. I'm Yuna. I'm the Junior residence hall advisor on this floor."

Sarah forced a smile and gave an awkward wave. She didn't like being caught off guard and she hadn't been mentally prepared to talk to strangers. "Sarah. Nice to meet you," she croaked, probably from the recent sobbing.

Awesome first impression, dork.

"Sarah. That's cool. Where are you from?" Yuna asked, demonstrating the hospitality that probably earned her the hall advisor job.

Sarah hesitated. "Uhm, California," she finally said as if the last three months of her life never even existed.

The other girl's face lit up. "California? Really? You're so lucky. I'm practically local from right across the border in New Hampshire. I've always wanted to go to the West Coast," she said with unbridled longing.

This was her chance. Sarah walked up to the girl and threaded her arm into Yuna's. "Maybe you could come out to visit," she said as they left the bathroom.

Yuna giggled. "Seriously? That would be amazing. You sure your parents would be cool with it?"

Sarah nodded. "Oh yeah. Don't worry about that," she said, feeling like a new person already.  

THE END

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading - I hope you enjoyed this story!  You may have been expecting a more substantial ending, so if you are left with questions, that's not surprising. That was actually my intent! You see, this story was made to be read in more than one way and it should make you ask questions. Was there really a ghost and did Sarah uncover her hidden secrets? You can definitely argue this theory. Or was everything just all in Sarah's mind due to her own fragile mental state? There is evidence for this, too. What about a combination of the two? Depending on your interpretation, each conversation and every act by the characters could be viewed differently. If Sarah turned out to be an unreliable narrator, Caleb's whole transformation could be seen in a new light. Who's telling the truth and who only thinks they are? If you like having these types of themes in a story, you may want to check out my Gothic novella THE KEEPERS, in which things also may not be as they seem. I also have a lot of other complete stories in various genres on my profile - both Paid and FREE - so check those out, too. And if you want to be one of the first to read a totally new to Wattpad story, scroll to the next chapter for a sneak peek at my steamy contemporary romance coming in a few weeks!