Red Dawn - Book 6

Chapter 18

Three and a half hours had passed with me waiting as patiently as I could. Whatever ghost was haunting my daughter greatly influenced her and there was nothing I could do about it.

In that short amount of time I had grown close to losing what little sanity I had left, even as I held on tight.

I needed answers about this ghost.

I wanted them now.

Sophia was with my mother and my father when I went to the office to see what they had come up with so far.

My father, grandfather and husband were all on computers sifting through ancient articles on the web.

"Three hours and we still have nothing." I heard my father say as I entered.

"Certainly something has to come up." Carlisle began. "You see, I've been researching ghosts and spirits. Like Paul mentioned the sprit had to have been there."

"Maybe it is an undocumented death." My husband suggested.

"If that is the case then we are out of luck." My father said.

"No!" I rose my voice. "We have to find out who this ghost is and what it wants." I crossed the room to stand before the three, tears streaming down my face. "You have to think of something. Anything!"

"Love, I can assure you that we are trying everything. I can only find what I know to look for. I cannot simply find an answer if it is not there nor will it magically appear as if it was moved just because we want it." My father said calmly.

I dropped down into a chair and began sobbing.

After a few minutes my husband gasped. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "Father, you are a genius!" He began typing away on the computer.

"What... What have you found?" I asked, wiping away my tears as I began to feel hope swelling inside me.

"What if the reason that we have found nothing is because we were looking for the wrong thing?" My husband rushed out.

"That's it." My father said. "That has to be it." He began typing in a rapid manner like my husband.

Their secrecy was driving me insane. I needed to know what was blossoming inside their minds.

"Please tell me something or I will take your thoughts. I'm going crazy over here!" I snapped.

Finally, my husband stopped typing and turned his computer screen to face me. Then he pointed. "No one had died there but they did dump bodies of the dead in 1918."

"1918...The year of-" My father began before my husband cut him off.

"-The Spanish Influenza." He glanced at me. "It says the bodies were of those that died from the sickness."

I moved closer to the computer and began reading. Scrolling down I clicked onto the next page of the article and froze. "A list!" I gasped. "They have a list of all the bodies they had dumped."

I paused, reading the head note above the list.

"It says the grave yards filled quickly because there was too much death so they resorted to burning them but the ashes filled the air and made it hard to breath so they started taking them far out into the ocean to dump them."

"Renesmee, let me-" My husband said, clicking a few buttons.

Suddenly what was shown on the computer screen was now stretched across an even larger screen about 50 inches wide.

"There are about three hundred names on this list." I began. "How on earth are we going to find out who is haunting me daughter?"

My father came over and attached the wireless mouse to the laptop before he began quickly scrolling through the names on the list. After searching through fifteen pages he suddenly stopped.

"Impossible..." I heard him gasp as he shot quickly to his feet. "This is impossible."

"Edward?" Carlisle called.

Without looking at the screen he pointed at it. "Why is my mother on that screen? Carlisle, what happened during my change?"

He shook his head. "They death toll piled up dramatically in that last week so they started burning the bodies only people feared it would pollute the air so they decided to take the remaining bodies of the dead out to the middle of the ocean and dump them. They took them as far as they could travel to keep the fish they catch untainted."

"So my mother was one of those dumped?"

"It seems so. I counted at least 537 deaths before your mother passed."

I rose to my feet. "So this ghost that is haunting my daughter is my...biological grandmother?" I stuttered.

My face began to grow warm and the room began to slowly swim before me. Suddenly my legs gave out and I watched as the floor rose up to meet my face.

Then all went black.

When I opened my eyes I was looking down at myself as if I was floating.

Was I dead?

"Mommy!" I heard Sophia's voice call and my view adjusted to looking at the whole room at large as if I suddenly zoomed out.

My parents, my husband and my daughter were knelt around my unconscious body.

"She's just passed out, sweetheart." My father said to reassure her.

I had passed out numerous times in my past, but this was different. I had never seen myself like I was now. All the times I passed out it was like I was sleeping. Just darkness and then I wake up.

Then it was as if I blinked.

When I looked at my daughter now there was someone standing beside her with their hand resting on her shoulder.

A woman with long bronze hair and a beautiful face.

Only she looked stern. Severe.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I tried shouting as I made an attempt to move forward.

I was frozen.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't even speak.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I tried shouting again.

But still nothing.

I did my best to try and struggle against whatever bonds held me where I was, but it was futile.

I tried to scream for help. Nothing.

I continued to struggle for several more minutes, watching as the ghost whispered things to my daughter. Comforting her as she was scared for my condition.

It upset me because that was supposed to be me.

After ten minutes of standing around me my father suggested that we moved to off the floor.

"Daddy!" I tried calling.

Still, I was unable to speak. All I could do was watch myself and the others as they watched my unconscious body.

"What is wrong with her?" I heard my husband ask my grandfather.

All Carlisle could do was shake his head. "This is one scenario that I do not have a hypothesis for." He said clearly disappointed in himself.

"Edward, can you look into her mind and see what is happening?" My mother asked.

"Not if she has her shield up."

"Well, can you look?" she pressed.

My father walked forward and knelt down beside me. Slowly he pressed his forehead to mine and I watched him close his eyes.

After a few moments his eyes opened again.

"It is still up, but only partially. I keep getting trickles of insight into her mind. If I push against her mind long enough I might be able to bring it all the way down. With her unconscious she won't be able to fight it."

Without hesitation my husband spoke. "Do it! Do it now!" He rushed out.

My father nodded his head and then brought his forehead to meet mine again before he resumed closing his eyes to press against my mind.

And I could feel it.

I could feel him pressing against my mind as if someone was pushing me, only it felt weirder. The feeling grew, slowly but steadily until I felt as if I was about to be pushed over.

I didn't like the sensation that my father was making me feel as he attempted to bring down my shield. I wanted to push back to steady myself, but it was too late.

Suddenly I was filled with the sensation of falling. The way my stomach dropped was unpleasant and I wanted it to stop.

For thirty minutes I went through this until it was like I hit a brick wall.

Pain filled my mind and then it ended.

I heard my father sigh and then he opened his eyes.

"It is done." He said, relaxing slightly.

My attention was grabbed as I heard my daughter begin to whimper. Suddenly my perspective changed and I saw her.

"Daddy." She whispered, holding up her arms.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" He asked as he lifted her into his arms.

"When is momma going to wake up?"

I felt as if I was pricked by something sharp.

My perspective changed again and I was watching my father as he brought his forehead back to mine.

After a few seconds he slowly opened his eyes again only to look at my mother with a look of sadness.

"She is trapped in her mind." He whispered.

"Then how do we wake her?" My mother asked.

"I honestly don't know. I can try and talk to her but I don't think she will be able to hear me." He responded.

"Hello." I heard someone call to me.

Suddenly my vision changed and I was looking at the ghost.

"What do you want with my daughter!" I tried to scream only to be met with the same response of being unable to move or speak.

"She is in danger." The woman continued. "I have to protect her."

"Danger from what?" I tried to say.

Suddenly I felt myself begin to fade away.

"DANGER FROM WHAT!" I shouted as I opened my eyes and sat upright.

Glancing around the room my eyes settled on the woman who was haunting my daughter.

Rising to my feet I crossed the room to stand in front of her. "Why is my daughter in danger!" I shouted at her.

"We cannot speak right now, it isn't safe." She called back. "They will hear. They will act if they know that you know."

"WHO WILL ACT!" I shouted as I reached out to grab her only to grasp thin air.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Who do you think Edwards mother is trying to protect them from and why?

Post your thoughts and your idea could be featured in the next chapter.