XPLR | Colby Brock

~57~

We got to the gas-chamber like building, which had a chain on it. That was very unsettling, but the perfect setting for a ouija board video. I smirked at Elena and bent down next to my backpack and started to open it. "Elena," I sang, showing her the board.

She turned the camera to me. "No, no, we're not doing that," she said. I smiled and sat down in the dirt, starting to open the box. "Come on, please? It would get us a lot of views!" I said as I look up at her, blinded by the flashlight on the camera.

She thought for a second. "Okay... Fine, but you ask the questions," she said as she set up the camera in front of us. I criss-crossed my legs as I waited for her to get ready. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, her gorgeous hair. I've always been jealous of it. It's naturally light blonde, it's so long it goes to the middle of her back. A lot to grab on to. A guy had told me once when Elena stepped away. I hated that no matter what she does she has that reputation following her.

I love Elena. I don't care what she does with her body or with her school work or whatever, I love her and I always will. Even if I don't do what she does with my body or my time, I shouldn't shame her for it. No one should. I mean, seriously? Forty men could call a girl a hoe and everyone would believe it. But If forty women called a man a rapist, she would be shunned. I hate that.

Maybe I should go to hot topic and buy myself a feminist hat. I think I would be an awesome feminist icon. Actually, just an icon in general. I mean, I'm a pianist and I'm pretty good at it. If I start working good jobs in the future with music, I could change a lot of lives... especially with Colby's help.

I place my hands on the planchette, waiting for Elena. She hesitantly put her hands on the planchette. "Ready? Spin it around twice," I told her. Once for every player. I ushered the move, moving it around the board while saying, "Spirits, we welcome you." Just to add a little pizzazz and scare Elena.

She squirmed. "So. Is there anyone here?" I ask as I rest my fingertips on the planchette. After a few seconds it slowly moved to yes. I smirked at her, and she immediately said, "Rose, Stop it!"

I laughed, a nervous one. The kind of laugh you have when something scary happens. "I'm not doing anything!" I said honestly.

She huffed and turned back to the board. "Are you a boy or a girl?" Elena asked. The planchette moved to g. "A girl," Elena echoed. "How did you die?" I asked the board and smirked at Elena. "Rose, no!" She whined. I shrugged as the board began to move.

"D"

"R"

"O"

"W"

"N"

I spelled with the board. There was a creek near by. Elena shifted uncomfortably. Elena started to think of a question, when she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Hello?" She called and shone her flashlight toward that direction, keeping one hand on the board. "It was nothing, Elen-" I started to say, but suddenly there was a loud boom then a scream. Elena cursed under her breath and I calmly scrambled for my bag. "Let's go. Quickly," I said. We still had a mile to get back to our car.

We left the ouija board in a hurry, running back towards where we came from. We didn't talk until we were too tired to keep running. "This was stupid," I admitted as we finally got service back, and my phone dang a few times. It was Colby. By now it was almost one a.m., and I had two missed calls, two hours apart, and a few texts. All along the lines of "what's wrong, are you mad at me?"

The car came back into sight and I sighed. "I'm gonna call Colby, okay?" I asked. I could be honest with her now, Colby and I are together... and he makes me happy. So she wouldn't mind that I wanted to call him back, right?

"Okay," she said and gave me a fake smile. I know she's still freaked out from Murphy's Ranch. I put my phone to my ear, and it barely rang once. "Hello?" Colby said immediately. "Hey," I said with a slight chuckle, he didn't give me enough time to say anything before he said. "What's up, why didn't you call me back? I don't want to sound clingy or dramatic, but I don't think I've ever seen you angry, so I didn't think you could be angry at me so I thought you died and that scared the shit out of me!" He talked so quickly I almost didn't understand him.

I chuckle. "Calm down, calm down. Elena and I were filming a video," I told him. "We had no service. I should've texted you, I know."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. I didn't know what I did! I didn't know what I was going to do to apologize either," he said through a chuckle.

I chuckled at that, then he said, "How did the video with Kat go?" He asked. "Fine, it went really well. I think her and I make a good team," I said, then yawned with a small squeak.

He chuckled. "I miss you so much, Rose," he said, and I could hear his bed move. He's been talking quietly, so Sam must already be asleep.

I smiled, then glanced at Elena. She was listening to the radio and seemed zoned out as she drove us home. "I miss you too," I said quietly.

"I have a surprise for you from New York when I get home. Well a few of them, since you're the only one I really wanted to bring stuff home to," he said with a chuckle. I smiled. "Well then I'm looking forward to it," I said, "you're tired, you have your tomorrow you should go to sleep."

"You should too, then," he said. "Two more days, gorgeous."

"Two more days," I echoed.