Sabrina Ross

“Uh—thanks again.” she replied. “Oh—” her eyes glanced briefly at his nametag. “Chester, do you know of any houses for sale in town?”

He tapped his bottom lip thinking, and then answered. “If you go see Mr. Spencer, he deals with the real estate in town.” He then scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

Avery nodded, accepting the piece of paper. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Snow,” Chester called out as she walked away.

She craned her neck and gave him a quick wave. “It’s just Avery thanks.” She called back. She found him odd, a little too nice. Trust was a big issue with Avery, and it doesn’t come easily to her. Perhaps it was her family’s history, or her gift, maybe even her own personal experiences with friends or boyfriends. Being a clairvoyant medium wasn’t always easy. Seeing ghosts, and then not being able to touch someone, was hard on her emotionally. Love was non-existent since her gifts began on her 18th birthday.

“Where to Miss Snow,” Jason, one of the pair helping her move, asked.

Avery shook off the memories swarming around in her head, and looked over at him. “Penthouse suite,” she said. “Here is the key. I’ll be back in a flash,” she said, handing him her keys.

As Jason and his partner Kelvin helped move a few things up to her room, she stepped out to grab some food. She figured that a delicious pizza would be appreciated along with a tip, after such a long drive.

On her way out, she asked the doorman, “Is there a pizzeria in town?”

“Yes, on Kessel lane,” he said.

Avery pulled in to the downtown area and parked her fully restored, metallic blue, 1970 Chevelle, given to her from her dad before he died.  The town appeared quiet and vacant.

Opening up a web browser, Avery frowned as it seemed to take forever to load. Getting out, she walked around to the front of the car and leaned back, hoping for a better signal. “One bar,” she cursed, raising her phone higher as if it would help. The cell service in this area was horrible. She walked down the street a little, looking around, when she spotted Grannie Annie’s Pizza stop on the opposite side of the street. It was the place the doorman had mentioned, or so she assumed. The street sign was too far away for her to read.

Going inside, the pizza place was smaller than she thought. There was a waist high counter with a stout man behind it and a bar style-like table up against the window, with bar stools planted in the floor. It wasn’t a sit-in kind of place, unless you were alone or with a friend.

“Welcome to Grannie Annie’s Pizza stop. What can I get you?” the stout man asked, his thick, dark mustache curling with his lips into a polite smile.

She looked over the menu board and said. “Can I order a party size pepperoni pizza?”

“Of course,” he said turning away.

“I’ll be just outside the door.”

“Okay,” he shouted over his shoulder.

Avery stood outside, leaning against the giant storefront window with her phone in hand, trying to get a decent signal. Then unexpectedly, a figure appeared out of nothing, standing next to her.

“What are you trying to do?” the tall, ghostly woman asked.

Avery gave the ghost a brief glance. “See whether or not I can get a good signal,” she muttered to herself. The woman was burnt on the one side of her face. “When did you pass?”

The ghost crossed her arms, leaning back to match Avery’s stance. “I think it has been fifty years.” The woman replied, crossing her arms, leaning back matching Avery’s stance. “Time sort of melts together after a while. Every now and again, I try to find something with a date on it to remind myself.”

“What happened?” Avery motioned on her own face.

 “My husband used to beat me,” she sighed, “He burned my face with the iron one morning, and that was it for me. I took my life a few days later. The burns were too unbearable to live with.” Tears trickled down her face.

Avery’s lips curved down, frowning. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Her sympathy was honest; nothing irritated her more than abusive people. “Is he still around?” she added.

“Oh hell no,” the ghost laughed, “I haunted the shit out of that son of a bitch until he drank himself to death.” She smirked.

Avery chuckled, glancing down at the ground. Her gift was a challenge most times. Ghosts appeared very real to her, and when they pop up out of nowhere, which was often, Avery had a tendency to forget that other people could not see who she was talking to. They generally assumed she was crazy.

Then the pizza guy’s shout grabbed Avery’s attention. She acknowledged him through the window and turned back to the ghost. “What’s your name?”

“Brenda.”

Avery added a nod as she walked around Brenda. “Well, Brenda. If you need help moving on, I’m your girl.” There was nothing worse than walking through a ghost. The chill always lingered long after contact. There was no other feeling like it. Almost like an ache in your bones.

 “I’ll keep you posted.” Brenda smiled as she disappeared.

Avery turned to go inside, but caught a glimpse of a man out of the corner of her eyes, watching her from across the street. When she stopped to focus on him. As she stepped in his direction, the mystery man turn and walked in the opposite direction. She watched him a little longer to see if he turned back to look at her but he continued until he disappeared around the corner.

Back at the hotel, Avery had just made it to the suite as the movers were leaving. “Hey guys are you hungry?” she said, taking the keys from Jason.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have, Miss Snow.” They replied in unison.

There was an awkward silence as Kelvin opened the door wide for her to walk through with the pizza. “It’s the least I can do.” She placing it on the corner table, she handed them each a can of pop and an envelope with a generous tip.

It had taken several hours just to unload all of Avery’s clothes and put them away, burning the day into evening. However it was pointless to leave them in boxes, in case it took a while to find a place to live. It was frustrating to move so far from where she grew up in California,

 but she needed a change of scenery. She had lost everyone close to her and after getting the inheritance, it was more than what she wanted to take on. She hadn’t even gotten her feet wet in her new job as a nurse, back in California, when her dad died. In such a short time, cancer had taken both her parents from her. It was only after both their passing that she discovered the family journals. It had information about her ancestors. Belladonna Acres was the place her great-great grandparents grew up, and the last place she was hoping to find a living relative, considering she was fresh out.

Her stomach grumbled, alerting her to check the clock on her phone. She could do for another meal soon. Finishing up with the last bit of folding, she tucked her clothes in a drawer. On her way past the front desk, Avery asked Chester for a map of the city. It would be faster than waiting for her phone to get a signal.

“Is the signal here always so bad?” she asked, taking the map from him.

“Yeah, they’re working on it—or so I’ve been told.” He shrugged.

“Great,” she grumbled, as she walked away.

Avery pulled into the town’s business district and parked the Chevelle at the end of the block.

“Nice ride.” Avery glanced up at the commentator, a tall, slender man dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. Avery climbed out of the driver’s side, shutting the door behind her.

“Thanks.” She armed the car’s alarm, the Chevelle letting out a brief chirp.

“Haven’t seen you or this beauty of a car before. Are you new in town?”

Avery eyed him speculatively. “Yes.” She said, stepping up onto the curb.

“Oh good,” he exclaimed. “Chester had called me today, and mentioned there was someone new in town that was looking for a place to live.” The man held out his hand. “The name’s Jack.” Avery took his hand into her own gloved one, offering her name in reply.

“So what is it you are looking for, Avery? Do you have any ideas?” Jack asked, walking alongside her.

“Well it’s just me, so I don’t need anything spectacular. I’m simple really.”

“We can set something up for tomorrow. There are a few places up for sale around town, none of which are close to the other.”

“Sounds great,” she said happily. “I’ll meet you here, same time?”

“Perfect.” Jack gave her hand another shake.

Before he got away, she called out. “Oh, know of anywhere to eat in this place, other than pizza?”

“Oh sure, Henry’s Diner, it’s just at the end of this block.” He pointed in the opposite direction that they were walking.

“Perfect, thanks.”

“Have a good night, Avery.” He waved her on her way as she turned to head towards the diner.

As Avery walked into the diner, the nearest server smiled and walked over.  “Are you meeting someone?”

“No,” Avery blushed. “I’m alone.”

“That’s okay. Come with me.” The server led Avery over to the table against the window.  Handing Avery a menu, the server then told her another server would be right over to help her. Avery nodded, picking up the menu. She didn’t have long to peruse it when a cheerful voice caught her attention.

“Hi, my name is Penny, and I’ll be your waitress. Can I get you a drink to start?”

Avery glanced up at the young woman she had long, strawberry blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, hazel eyes, glossy full lips and a perfectly little round belly, a clear indication she was a few months pregnant.  

Avery smiled back. “Yes that would be great, Penny. I’ll have a glass of water, please.”

By the time Penny returned with the water, Avery had decided on what she wanted to eat. The young, strawberry blonde took the menu after writing down Avery’s order, smiling pleasantly as she walked away. Avery watched Penny as she waddled herself around, as she worked. The young woman couldn’t have been more than nineteen years old. Then again, who was Avery to judge someone’s appearance? She had been mistaken many times for looking a lot younger than she was. Great genes, her mother used to say.

Avery glanced down at her phone to see the time; it was getting dark out quickly. Even though she had arrived ahead of schedule, she didn’t feel a rush to get the business up and running again. She was preoccupied with finding a place to live that wouldn’t take a chunk of her inheritance.

Penny approached the table with the food, pulling Avery out of her thoughts. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks,” Avery said, reaching for the ketchup, drizzling it over her fries. Penny smiled, placing a few napkins on the table before walking away. Once alone, Avery removed her gloves and placed them on the table. As she ate dinner, she looked around, observing the people that surrounded her. People she will soon come to know, and hoped will keep her in business over the coming years.

At the table directly across from Avery, she noticed a young couple with a child. The woman had short, sooty black hair that tapered down her neck, with a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose.  The man had shaggy, flaxen blonde hair, with flecks of grey scattered throughout and that was all she could really see. The child next to the man had the same sooty black hair as his mother. Together they enjoyed a scrumptious looking chocolate cake.

Avery smiled, but it was a sad smile. She missed her family. Shaking off the memories she noticed an elderly couple in a booth. The woman held the man’s hand across the table and they were with a young boy who looked sad. Avery tried to listen in but the diner was too noisy. Up at the counter, all the barstools were occupied. Although no one seemed to be talking, some were watching the game on the television above the counter, and the rest were eating quietly. Avery craned her neck to look behind her, spotting a man sitting at the corner table. His dark hair curled down his forehead. She continued to watch him curiously.

At first glance, he looked mysterious and handsome. Avery was attracted to mysterious men; it’s what usually got her into trouble in the past. His eyes were focused on the amber liquid in his glass; he swirled it around then lifted the glass to his lips. That’s when his eyes captured hers.

Avery blushed, caught for staring, and directed her attention to the plate in front of her. As hard as it was, she avoided looking in his direction and instead stared out the window on the left of her. She immediately noticed the beautiful Victorian house for sale. It stood alone and dominant on what appeared to be a large piece of land. All she could see was the front of the house but the front lawn took up a block. As she admired how beautiful it was, she hadn’t noticed Penny’s return.

“It’s a pretty house,” she said, startling Avery as she grabbed the empty glass from the table.

“Huh—” Avery turned, looking up at her. “Oh, yes it is.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s as old as this town.”

Avery nodded, seeing the way Penny admired the house. “I’ll just take the check please,” she said, tucking her hands in her lap.

With a nod, Penny walked away with the dishes in her arms. When she returned, Avery glanced at the bill then handed Penny money.

“I’ll be back with the change.”

“That’s all right.” Avery replied, standing.

“This is thirty dollars?” Penny looked up at Avery, surprised.

“I know.” Avery smiled and winked.

Penny watched as Avery slipped on her gloves. “Isn’t it a little warm for gloves?”

Avery smirked but changed the subject. “Hey, who is the man in the corner?” She inconspicuously pointed at the man in in question.

“What man in the corner?” Penny replied looking over her shoulder in the direction.

Avery’s brow furrowed, she spun around to confirm what she said was true. There wasn’t anyone there now, not even the glass he had been drinking out of.

“He was sitting there, staring at me.”

“That table hasn’t been seated yet, today.” Penny said, crossing her arms and staring at Avery confused. “We are just starting to pick up now. It usually gets busy around this time.”

“He was a young man with dark wavy hair.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” She shrugged. “Maybe it was Malcom; you’ve described him to a T. Except, I haven’t seen him come in today, and he usually sits in my section.”

Avery nodded as she walked away, wondering if it had been a ghost sitting in the corner of the restaurant. Sometimes the lighting could mess with her eye sight. Before exiting, she glanced over at the table one last time. She saw nothing. Briefly glancing around the diner, she figured he must have left while she was talking to Penny. He looked too real to be a ghost. She turned and swiftly walked out of the diner, heading straight for her car.

“Hey there,” a voice from behind said.

Avery slowly turned around and immediately recognized the owner of the voice. The man sitting at the table. She eyed him warily. “Hello,” she said, tucking her arms behind her back.

“I couldn’t help but notice you in the diner.” His lips curved slightly into a smile. “You’re new in town.”