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Chapter 7: Fourth Ward

   Valarie was a little off this morning, I kept catching her staring off into the distance, her mind elsewhere. I knew she necessarily didn't have anything to be excited about but she looked gone completely. "Are you okay?"

   "What? Yes of course!" Her smile wasn't convincing. The morning has been weird in general, I expected my Aunt to be furious but she was clinging to me thanking god I was ok. She was more shaken up then me. "I just haven't been feeling well."

   "What do you mean? Ghosts don't get sick," I said sitting on the window ledge, so she could finally look me in the eye. "What is really going on?"

   "There's something about this town, that damn Manor, this house, something bad." She wasn't making sense, I noticed she scratched her arm now and then vigorously. If she was human I knew she would have left marks.

   "This house what are you talking about?"

   "Do you know why this house hasn't been bought?" She whispered as if she was talking to herself, "A family was murdered here ten years ago, the killer was never found. We're surrounded by the dead."

   "You mean people like you," I couldn't breathe as I waited for her to answer.

   "I can't see them but I can feel them, in this house, at that manor even at your school. There's something not right about this town, and something tells me it started a long time ago. This town is covered in lies, murder, I don't know how I know but this town is cursed entirely."

   "You're scaring me."

   "You should be scared," was all she said as she got up and walked away. I didn't stop her, I was still trying to wrap my head around everything she said. This wasn't like Valarie, she didn't get scared. This town by all means gave me the creeps, and I guess the reality of there being more ghosts was always a suspicion. But she couldn't see them, she could feel them what did that mean?

   The moment we stepped into this town my walls have been up, the shivers none stop. How can you be sure of something you feel but cannot see?

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   "Do you think Bryce would like this?" Sharon asked coming out of the dressing room in a yellow strapless gown.

   "Why should that matter, do you like how you look?" I asked, "I think yellow compliments your skin complexion perfectly."

   "I thought the same thing!" She beamed down at me, the dress of course had way too many embellishments but it suited her. I caught Amber staring at herself in the mirror, almost clutching her chest her hands shaking slightly.

   "What's wrong?" I asked as Amber turned to me, her brown doe eyes settling on mine in a hum of worry.

   "I dont feel beautiful not in red, green, blue not even in gold," she said as she looked back at herself. I was a bit shocked to hear that, the girl would be beautiful in every color in the rainbow, "I dont mean to sound like I'm complaining but every time I look at myself I cant stand what I see," she frowned.

   "Amber you are one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen, don't cut yourself short. If you cannot see your beauty then how could anyone else? Its there, but you need to see it for your self," I said reaching for her hand. "You will find a dress that is beautiful because you're in it."

    I hoped she believed me, she needed to know she was noticed we all do. I figured most people didnt notice Jordan, or Charollette even though they seemed like interesting people. I find my mind drifting to them too often, how does that even happen? I barely knew the two, but I was eager to. No matter how cold Jordan seemed, or how odd Charlotte was I wondered when I'd see them again. Ive been meaning to ask the girls about the stories but they got skirmish around the subject, saying we shouldn't speak of such "horrid things."