Restless Soul

25

   Olivier Fullwood knew not what awaited behind that door. The solid oak barrier couldn't keep the secret of Amanda's roaring cry. If he was to break it down, may God give him strength because he wouldn't stop until he little girl was safely in his arms. Her muffled sobs sent him on high alert and he once again reached for the handle, cursing when he found it locked as if expecting it to twist open out of sheer will.

Turning back to Matt, he spoke with urgency as he spoke out his order, "Go to my study. In my desk draw, the third one to the left, you'll find a keychain. Bring it to me now, I need to get to her."

   With a curt nod Matt was on his way while Mayor Fullwood remained at the door, an ear pressed firmly against the cool wood surface.
Within the quiet walls of the house, his thumping heart threatened to muffle further Amanda's soft sobs on the other side. The seconds lengthened their pacing as his impatience grew.

"Hurry up, Matt!" he shouted, rushing to the staircase.

   Anxiously, he ran a hand through his hair, furiously fisting the strands before releasing his grip when Matt appeared in the foyer, keys in hand. The tension left his scalp, but not his body. Not when he got a hold of the skeleton key, or even when the lock clicked open, and granted him access. For what he found troubled him further.

   Amanda laid balled up on the floor, her face red and stained by the rush of tears streaming her cheeks. Her bag was open on the ground, its content poured out on the carpet and the trash can imitated the scene. She hickupped into her sleeves, hair wild but her gaze didn't hold the expected sadness of teenage hormones. Instead, her eyes were wide, lost, and in shock, as if she knew of pending doom she had no power to stop. 

Taking in the sight, Olivier gripped the handle and took a careful step forward, closing the door behind him.

   Since her return from that horrible place, he'd threaded carefully and avoided discussions that could further her trauma. Now, he fear to be left with no choice but to wander those dangerous waters, their treacherous depths threatening to unleash a beast Amanda didn't at all look ready for. The look in her eyes was one of a terror-stiken girl, similar to the one she sported back at the asylum, only now she was concious and her failure to respond to his calling wasn't drug induced, but instead was the cause of something he ignore and perhaps, she did too.

So, ignoring the many wrinkles that would surely ensue from his next action, Mayor Fullwood sat down on the ground in front of the bed, right by his daughter's fidgeting head.

   Warm air blew out of her nostrils, tickling her knuckles. She didn't know the reason for her tears. Her father's presence which usually brought her so much comfort loomed over her like a cloud of disappointment. It's menacing thunder ready to drench her in shame.

"He probably regrets getting me out of Whisperwood"  she thought and nearly chuckled at the irony.

"Why can't you be more like your brother?" her mother would often say. As always, she had to agree.

   The unwanted one she always had been. Maybe her mother knew all along she'd be the one to wreak havoc over this family. Maybe she was cursed. Amanda sniffled at the thought.

   She didn't believe in ghost stories. Although, she couldn't deny what was happening to her eerily resembled a haunting. It was either that or the mind of a mad girl trying to find reasons for her wild imagination.

"My sweet little girl," Amanda heard her father's voice, the fondness in his tone surprising given their situation.

"So much was going on that night. I was working late at the mayor's office when your mother called. There had been some reported break-ins throughout that week so the tension was high. You can imagine how much worse it got when a girl was found buried alive in the woods."

Mayor Fullwood sighed and Amanda frowned, intrigued by this conversation.

"That poor girl didn't make it and the story spread like wildfire. Your grandfather hated me with a newfound patio during that week. Nothing new there, but I couldn't care less this time around."

He paused, leaning his head against the mattress as he started ahead a small smile on his face as he remember those times.

"I'm not sure if you knew this, Amanda, but when you were born, you were..." he stopped himself as if rethinking his words.

Finally, he cleared his throat, "When you were born, your heart was beating."

Dread blew a chilling wind over her father as the bittersweet memories replayed in his head.

A stillbirth was what it seemed to be at first.

He stood across the operation room while the doctors tried to save the life of an infant who had yet to live.

At this point, Amanda had checked back into reality. Pushing off the floor, she joined him as she sat crisscrossed on the floor.

A few minutes of silence passed between them, Amanda processing this information, while Mayor Fullwood reminisced about that night.

He swallowed hard and the noise had her preparing for the rest of his tale.

"The doctors had given up hope, and I'm ashamed to say for a moment I did too." 

Looking at her, Olivier wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side.

As he planted a firm kiss on top of her head, Amanda closed her eyes and basked in the comfort of his action.

"Amanda you've faced far greater challenges and came out victorious," he whispered into her hair, rubbing her shoulder before pulling away to look at her.

She gazed at him with sad green eyes. That tore a piece of his heart right out of his chest, but he didn't show his pain as he spoke affirming words over her.

"Whatever it is that you're going through, I know you'll find the answers to what you seek. But remember that even when you feel the most alone, I'll always be there for you. Alright, sweetheart?" he asked and she nodded against his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist.

He held her right against his side, relieved to have helped but he wasn't foolish enough to think this was over. For now, he'd enjoy this small victory.

"I love you so much, baby girl," he told her, and for a moment, they sat in silence, holding each other as they found resolution in this sweet embrace.

"I love you, Dad," she finally said.

A smile raised his lips as he nodded to himself.

   The answer still may be missing, and so many questions remained unanswered, but that interaction confirmed something Amanda questioned for far too long. She wasn't crazy.
Something else was going in with her, something that bordered on insanity yet still resided in reality. A search on the town news website would show an article from February 24th, 2000, corroborated her father's story.

"Girl found buried alive in the woods' identity confirmed by brother."

   With shaking fingers, Amanda scrolled down on her iPad screen. As if the name hadn't confirmed her theory, the picture of the siblings side to side sent chills down her spine.
It was her, the girl from her visions and the man from earlier.

Sky and Steven Ballum

"So you're real," Amanda whispered and just then a shiver ran up her spine.

   This weird sensation was different this time. There was no dread, no whispers, just a midnight silence and the calm of a cooling breeze. Amanda didn't yet give in to the relief that washed over her. Now, all the pieces were laid out in front of her, confirming the existence of the girl in her head... the dead girl... in her.

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