Page 36 of Shadowing My Dreams
“We’re not going to jail. I’ll take care of everything. I’m very charming.” He let go of my hand and pulled out a pamphlet from his back pocket.
“I’ll give you that.”
“Trust me.” He opened the small kissing gate, and we walked onto the property. Roses lined the flowery walkway.
“This is… maybe a little more dangerous than what you’re used to, Jack. If I can make contact and allow him inside, I won’t really be me in the way that you know me anymore – not until I release him into your house.” I stepped in front of him at the base of the small porch. He needed to really understand what I was planning on doing.
“I can’t believe you can even do this. Is it possession? Wait, are you going to be possessed?” His eyes widened with concern.
“In a way, but not in the way that you think. We’ll be sharing my vessel – my body. Our two souls will be cohabitating in a way. I have to make sure that he’s… willing to do this, of course, and I have to decide that I feel safe enough after finding him. Reading a spirit’s energy is a little harder than a human's, but I can do it. You’ll have two ghosts in your house,” I chuckled. “Super spooky.”
“Not for long, I hope.”
“Fingers crossed. This is dangerous, Jack. But I think it’s the only way. But – and that’s a very big but, by the way – I must find him inside the house. If I can’t locate him or talk to him, we’re back to square one. We’ll have to find another way.”
“According to the obituary we found online, Drew died five years ago at home. He owned this house that he bought from his landlord ten years earlier. We have to have hope that he’s in there, Arch. I just feel it – I know he is. You don’t forget how someone like Isaac loved you. I’m sure of it.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me slowly up the stairs. My feet were heavy – I can readily admit that I was nervous about the whole thing. What I needed to do was dangerous if I let the wrong spirit in. But I didn’t see another way. It’s not like you can catch a ghost and screw the cap on. This wasn’t fucking Ghostbusters.
“Ready? It’s showtime,” Jack chuckled as he rang the doorbell.
“Hold on!” A male voice said in asing-song.
Jack winked at me and pulled his tank top over his head. He stuffed it in his back pocket, and it hung out like a small tail. “I did my research.”
The door opened slowly, and a forty-ish-year-old man stood in the doorway. The little man gasped as he caught sight of Jack. The way he looked at him made my stomach churn. “Well, I… How can I help you, Sir?”
Jack shamelessly flexed his torso. “I’m here to see if I can help you, actually.”
“Are you a shirtless handyman? I am looking for someone new to take care of the lawn and garden.”
“That’s not what I do, unfortunately. I’m a shirtless trainer, and I’m very hands-on, and I’m offering a free try-out to new clients. I work out of Gym Bros down on Santa Monica, but wealso do private one on ones in house for those people who don’t like going to the gym. No weights necessary.”
“Working out? I’ve never been into that.” He patted his small gut.
“It’s because you don’t like going to the gym. The people there and the lifestyle of meatheads who look down on newbies are the real reasons, though, right? You’re what, in your thirties?” God, he was laying it on thick. But the guy was totally buying it.
“Well, I… maybe. I mean, I used to get on the treadmill at LA Fitness. But I didn’t go very often, so I gave up my membership.”
“Memberships are not the way of the future. No one wants to pay a monthly fee. I think you would excel at the in-home training. And I can totally tell that you used the treadmill. Your legs look amazing.”
“Oh, I… Thank you!”
“Can I come in? I can show you some of the things that we might do if you chose to do some in house workouts with me? I could also use a glass of water. That walk up the hill in this heat made me real thirsty.”
“Of course.” He was flustered, and his face was turning red. “I’m not really dressed to work out.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do it, and you can watch. There's no need for you to get sweaty until you decideto. I’m already sweaty enough for both of us,” Jack laughed, and I had to suppress a giggle. He was so fucking stupid, but it was working. The guy was practically salivating in front of us, and I didn’t blame him.
“Oh, of course. It is really hot out.” He stepped aside, and we walked in.
“This is my friend, Arch. He’s here to answer any questions you might have about… uh… billing. I’ll just follow you into the kitchen for that water, and Arch will hang out in the living room. He’s not into muscles,” he winked at me, and I threw my hand infront of my mouth to hide my grin. He knew exactly how much I was into his muscles. But his plan had worked, and I had a few minutes alone to try to see what, if anything, was inside this house.
“Do you like the way my abs look? How about my chest? I think I’m pretty massive, and all I do is this program that I’m about to show you. I hope you don’t mind my sweat…” He followed the guy into his kitchen, and I went over to sit down on the couch.
I didn’t know how much time I might have. I cleared my mind and opened myself up broader than I usually did – casting out my energy to feed any spirits inside the house. I connected automatically, but it was vague. The spirit wasn’t strong and had faded over the years. Five years… I could feel him.
“Drew?” I whispered, continuing to push my energy forward.
Nothing.
