The Collymore Family

Chapter 19

"You found fingernails? "

This was the first time Irene had heard Ivy's voice in such a surprised tone. In all of the conversations Irene had with her, Ivy's voice was sweet, soft, and gentle. Now, she sounded shocked. Though, the strange thing was, despite Ivy's drastic change in her voice, Irene could still sense relaxation in it. She sounded surprised, sure, but even now she didn't sound in the least bit frightened. But in a situation like this, all Irene had on her mind right now was what had just happened less than an hour ago.

"Do you think...they belonged to...to..." Irene could barely get the words out.

"Irene, take a deep breath. You need to sit down." Ivy gestured over to her sofa, and Irene practically ran over to it. She needed to lie down as the feeling of passing out was growing heavy. Ivy carefully sat down beside her as Irene laid down.

"I'm sorry I came so late, Ivy. I should've gone straight home, but I just--" Ivy interrupted her.

"It's okay, Irene." Ivy assured her. "Take a deep breath."

"Deep breathing doesn't help me." Irene told her, her voice tight and quiet.

"Nonsense. If you're doing it properly, it can calm you down." Ivy told her. "Take a deep breath."

Irene complied, despite not wanting to. And she was right. The first breath she took became stuck in her throat just like her words. If anything, it probably made it worse. But Ivy kept going.

"Breath in. Hold it for five, then let go." Ivy noticed her struggling. "Irene, you can't just breathe out that quickly."

Irene sighed. The last time she'd properly tried to do deep breathing was when she was a child, and the only thing that seemed to do was make her cry even more, but she was willing to give it a chance if it meant to stop thinking about this whole fingernail thing. So, she took a deep breath.

"...two...three...four...five." Once Ivy finished counting, Irene exhaled, and to her absolute surprise, it wasn't all that bad.

"That...that actually helped a little." The voice coming out of her own mouth surprised her. It was much more calm and relaxed. "You're actually...good at calming people down."

"My mother works as a therapist. She's taught me a thing or two." Ivy smiled. "Do you need to take more, or are you alright now?"

To be honest, Irene felt as though she needed to take more. Much more. But, it felt like she would be a nuisance if she were to tell Ivy again. She didn't want to waste the woman's time any further. Besides, she'd come here for advice, not a deep breathing session, even if Ivy was incredibly good at it because of her mother. So, she shook her head.

"No, that's fine." Irene replied. "Ivy, do you think those fingernails belonged to her?"

"Her, as in Angelica? The spirit?" Ivy questioned. "Are you sure they're hers? Wouldn't they have decomposed by now?"

"If kept in cold and dry temperatures, I think fingernails can last many years without decomposing." Irene explained to her.

"Really? Hm, I never knew that." Ivy shrugged.

"My dad...his job had to do with it. Whenever he was home, every few Sundays, he would tell me about it."

"Is your father a scientist? Anthropologist?" Ivy said curiously.

"No...uhm...I actually don't know where he worked. My parents quit their last job for a high-paying new one when I was eight, but they never told me what it was. They were rarely ever home, so I could never ask them." Irene explained quietly.