Afterlife Home Agency

5) The Psychics Way

Well that worked out as worse as I thought it would especially since I had a long, dark chat with Jane. "Alright so what if we just had a few more details about this place then most?" She stands there in the hall arms crossed, "What are you getting at, Kit?" "What I'm saying is what if we just tell people things they want to hear? For example we know this house is haunted people were fucking murdered here but what we don't know is what really happened back in the eighties... So what if we just bent the truth a bit to get something out of it?" Jane rolls her eyes and pushes me aside to head to the front porch. "Oh come on, Janie how much longer do you really want to be in that institute anyway? Every time I see you the life drains from your face just a little more I mean you've been in school for the last two years and just now chose a profession. Think it through, you've got the charisma and the mouth and I've got the technology we could take people for all they got." She pulls out a cigarette as we're standing there just watching across the street at the neighbors unloading groceries, "Speaking of food in bags I'm actually hungry." I say glancing toward Jane, "You want to go get something to eat?" She shrugs flicking her cigarette, "I thought you said we weren't buying food?" I shrug, "I changed my mind." I add heading to the car she throws her cigarette across the road and gets in the car.
We drive ten minutes to town and it doesn't really matter what we ate as long as it was edible. "So what are you in the mood for?" I ask driving around looking for a diner or fast food place Jane doesn't answer. She must have mulled over what we were talking about because she finally answers and it's not even about food, "Do you really think I should just drop out of college and go on this awkward brother sister road trip? Listen, Kit, I can't waste my life wandering the US with you because you want to scam people..." I stop the car at a drive thru place called Stormy's, "That's the beauty of this plan, Janie no one will ever really know. There are things like what we're doing on tv all the time the only difference is that they're professionals about making the haunting seem real." She huffs, "And I suppose I'm not real enough for you now? Well listen we may be the same age but at least I'm putting some good use to my brain unlike you..." I laugh, "Yeah right, J the only use you're using is your mouth and that's to suck drama club dick." She slaps my arm hard, "We swore you wouldn't talk about that again. Look if you're gonna be stupid and shit I have enough for a bus ticket I'll just go ok? I don't want to be a side show attraction, Kit... How'd that fair to me? Do you think I want people coming to me demanding me to read tea leaves and they're fucking palms? No, no I don't. Why? Because I don't want to be a fucking psychic, Kit. I dont want to do whatever it is your wanting to do." She adds folding her arms. As we're waiting in the drive thru line in awkward silence I finally break the tension, "It wouldn't be as if we were lying to people, Jane. Think of it more as giving living people a finale you know? I mean I have the know how you have the name... This could work... If you help me." I beg.
We finally get to the drive thru window, "What can I get for you?" The cute sounding lady at the machine says. "Yes I want a cheeseburger with bacon and a medium fries. What about you, Janie?" She shrugs, "Do they have chicken I'm not a hamburger fan." She takes a moment, "Yeah I'll take a four piece chicken nuggets and french fries with a Sprite." She says. "That will be 12.50 at the window, thank you." Jane doesn't say anything for a few more minutes the only noise is the radio, "Fine, say I do do this with you... How much am I getting paid?" My mouth goes slack, "I didn't think about that." She rolls her eyes, "See? See?! You ant even come up with a fucking plan based on small goals! You haven't actually put any thought into your life recently have you?" I shrug not wanting to answer because I knew she was right. I was never one to plan things out I just went with the flow in hopes of something would work out, "Alright you want to be paid? How about we split the profit 50\50, right down the middle everything. Whatever I charge per investigation we both get a cut of. Why? Because I want something out of this project too and I know you're not helping unless I put up or shut up." Jane rolls her eyes once more, "How do I know you're not just spinning my wheels?" When we get to the window I hand her a twenty while she hands us our food. "Because you know me, when have I ever steered you wrong? When have I ever lied or disappointed you?" She laughs turning to glance out the window, "Almost everyday since you were born." I mock laugh back at her. The girl hands me my change back and we head to the parking lot somewhere to eat in the car.
I wasn't going back in that house at least not if I was alone not after what happened that evening. We had set up the living room with a few pillows on the floor and the oujia on the small coffee table. The goal was simple we talked to at least one dead person in particular the goal was the killer herself, I would write down or record any responses and we would review the data with the tenet next door. "I have a dreaded feeling about this, Kit. I don't want to do this; like I really don't want to do this." Jane said as she paced and I set some candles around the room. "Don't be a chicken, J... Usually with these things nothing happens at least nothing that we an explain. I doubt we'll even contact anything in this house anyway." Jane glanced around begging to differ. "I don't know you remember when we saw this done on tv? Yeah, alot of bad things happen to people playing with this stupid thing. What makes you think nothing bad is going to happen to us?" I shrug, "I don't know that I'm just trying to make you feel better. There I said it. Now get your ass down here and out your hands on the fucking planchet." I demand. Jane shakes her head a bit skeptical but also afraid judging from the look behind her light brown eyes, "Ok... But I'm just telling you know this is a bad idea and we are gonna fucking die." She whispers. "Alright now concentrate. You want to ask a question first?" She shakes her head vehemently, "Fine you big ass baby... Are you here?" I ask. At first it's just this stillness an incredible stillness and quiet that I could describe but only as eerie. "Are you with us right now?" I ask again. Suddenly the planchet begins to move in our hands very slowly but surely, "You're doing that aren't you, Kit? Stop fucking with me." Jane quickly says as the piece moves to the single word, yes. We stare at each other the camera still recording, "What's your name?" I ask. Again eerie stillness and silence that is until we hear footsteps as if they were coming from the living room and walking in a circle around us, "I know you're here and that's really good but what is your name?" I command again. The piece moves once more only this time it's attempting to spell out something, "R-h-o-n-d-a... Rhonda?" Jane mumbles looking at me then at the bored, "Are you the one I saw in the backyard? Without a head and torso?" Jane asks I could feel this chill beside us as if someone had taken a seat right between us, "Yes." We both say I'm unison. "How did she kill you?" I ask. That was when things began to get really weird as we are sitting on the floor only talking amongst ourselves we both hear what sounds like something fall and it was made of glass. We both jump a little freaked out, "What was that?" I ask hand still on the planchet, "How should I know we're both sitting right here. I don't know you're the guy in this go see what it was." Jane commands. We hear something else fall but it wasnt glass, "Alright! Alright, I'll go look but you're coming with me." I demand Jane doesnt move, "Why do I have to go I'm not the jackass who started asking questions." I close my eyes a minute, "Oh my God... Fine... I'll be back in a minute." I whisper leaving Jane beside the oujia board on her own which probably freaked her out more than I. I head to where I think the sound come from and find that it's a picture frame that was knocked over; it was of an older woman the previous owner I believed. The frame glass was cracked I pick up the frame and put it it back on top of the table just as I'm about to walk back into the living room I realize the other item that fell was something that belonged to Jane... An object we had since or mother had died so many years ago; it was her small pendant heart necklace that was in the middle of the kitchen floor. "Jane, did you throw this?" I ask as I walked into the living room to find Jane missing. "Jane? Jane? J, where'd you go?" I ask glancing around the living room trying to figure out where she was. "Jane? Jane?..." When I head to the backyard at least something told me to head to the backyard I find Jane standing there.
I wasn't sure why I was in the backyard but I do remember following someone, it was the older man who kept rambling nonsense he led me to this one part in the yard and he kept saying something about his back, his back hurt, "Jane? Jane, can you hear me? Jane?!" Just as suddenly as the old man appeared he was gone and I was left confused and standing in the dark alone. "What the hell are you doing out here? What happened?" She doesn't answer me she seems more or less still confused glancing around, "How'd I get out here? This old man led me here, he said his back hurt and next thing I know you're here." I shrug just as lost as she was, "I don't know, Jane I think we should go back inside... We have to finish what we started..." Jane puts a hand to my face, "You're gonna finish this alone, Kit cause obviously someone or something doesn't want me here. If you need me I'll be sleeping in the car, I'm not staying in that fucking house." She snarks pushing past me.