The picture book

I snapped the album open once I returned home but Oliva still wouldn’t appear.

“Come on why aren’t you coming out now, I just want to know why you are sending me to all these people. Was Emilo the one who killed you?”

Maybe he was and that was the reason she wasn’t coming out. She finally could rest in peace. But I couldn’t. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. But it seemed I wasn’t getting them now.

I remembered that I needed to work on some things for school and started up on it. Though I was so distracted by thinking of the events of the day I could hardly concentrate on my work at all. While I was working Oliva finally stared to show herself. I was relived to see her since I thought maybe my questions that I had would never get answers.

“No Emilo didn’t kill me but I knew he felt guilty because of my death and I wanted to put his troubles at ease.”

“Finally you show up. I have so many things I want to ask you. It seems you been using me to put things straight in your life. I thought you were trying to help me but you were really trying to help youself this whole time. Why won’t you rest, just who killed you. Why won’t you leave me alone?”

The ghost turned even paler than usual.

“I thought we were friends. I didn’t see the harm in helping me and you at the same time. Now you have a friend and a boyfriend because of my help. If you really want me to leave you alone I will. I am just trying to find a way to get where I belong. In movies and stories settling earthly business usually does the trick. I never meant to hurt you by what I did. I guess I just have to stay in this album forever and never be able to rest.”

I felt guilty but I was still mad of how she used me like that. Still she was right about how her meddling had gained me two new friends. I probably would of never met them if it wasn’t for her.

But still I felt like she was trying to make me be a clone of her. Was she really trying to help me, or just making me take over her life. She wanted me to be friends with her sister, and stuck me with a boy who had been obviously in love with her.

“I don’t need your help anymore. I am not going to replace you. Now I know how to make friends I am sure I can do it myself.”

I slammed the picture book shut and threw it in the trash. I didn’t need it anymore.

Sitting in my room, I wondered what to do now. Well guessing I should probably break up with Greg. The only reason he had any feelings for me is because I looked like Olivia.

I picked up the phone and dialed.

“Hello, Greg here.”

“Hi this is Ayita...” I fiddled with the phone cord. Did I really want to break up with him? I had always wanted a boyfriend, but he wanted me to be someone else.

“Oh hi Ayita, good to hear from you. I was just about to call you to ask you on a date. I guess you read my mind.”

“Yeah, about that. I have something I wanted to tell you...” I took a deep breath, it couldn’t be too hard to find another boyfriend could it? All this time I thought I was ugly. Maybe I did have something good looking about me to attract Greg in the first place. Though it wasn’t my looks that got to him, it was Olivia’s.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Well I don’t think we should go out anymore. The only reason you like me is because I look like...that girl that died in the fire.”

“What? That is not the only reason I like you! Anyways me and Olivia were only good friends and nothing more.”

“Yeah right. You loved her and you want me to be her. I just can’t live with knowing that.” I started to cry, not wanting to listen to whatever else he had to say.

“But we were just kids! I don’t want you to be her, what ever made you think...” Before he got to finish the sentence, I hung up the phone still crying. I felt so angry at Olivia. She said she wanted to help me but all this time she was just trying to help herself.

I felt so upset, I needed to get out of the house take a walk and get my mind off all this mess. I slammed the door of my room and started off outside thinking about Greg and Laura. They would be out of her life now. Already I felt so lonely...

Little did I know something was happening in the house while I was gone. My sister had returned from her meeting and was heading for my room to talk to me when she noticed the picture book in the garbage. “Humm funny she didn’t finish this. I know she wanted for me to stop taking her picture so much. Maybe it accidently fell into the garbage or something. Well I am curious if she did anything to this or not.”

She picked it out of the garbage, then opened it jumping about three feet in the air when she saw Olivia appear. “What the hell? Is this some drug induced vision?”

“Who are you? Your not Ayita. I thought when the book opened she was going to forgive me.” Olivia looked down, seeming very disappointed.

“I am Denise, Ayita’s sister. Your...your not really real are you? I don’t believe in ghosts.” She dropped the book on the ground, staring at Olivia with big eyes.

“Yes I am real. Ghosts are real as you can see since I am one. Maybe...maybe I could help you instead of her. I am supposed to help people.”

“Your not real, this must be just a dream or something. This can’t be real.” Denise started to pinch herself, then reached out to try to touch the ghost, her hand passing right through Olivia’s body.

“What do I have to do to prove to you I am real?” She floated closer to Denise, who was trying to shoo her away with a hand.

“What are you going to do to me? You said you wanted to help me? Aren’t you the one who really needs help? If...you really are a ghost that is.” She sat on the bed, shaking like a leaf.

“That is what I am supposed to do to become free of this book. Help people. I was trying to help Ayita, but she rejected me.”

“You helped my sister, just what exactly did you do for her?”

“Well I helped her get a friend, and a boyfriend.”

“Yeah. Ayita is kind of a loser in the friend department. Look maybe I can help you out. Maybe she is freaked out by a ghost trying to help her. Maybe I can introduce her to some of my friends so maybe she can hook up with some of them?” She seemed a whole lot less nervous now, like she was becoming comfortable with the existance of ghosts.

“You would help me? Well...I am not really sure that would count. I am the one who is supposed to be doing the helping, not someone else. What would you need help with?”

“I don’t really need anything. I got friends, but I don’t have a boyfriend yet. How in the world did you get her a boyfriend anyways? She has so little confidence in herself. Certianly any boy she met would figure that out.”

“Well...I just knew the guy. I am sure I can try to help you find a boyfriend if that is what you want.”

Denise shook her head. “No I am not a loser like my sister. I can find a boyfriend by myself.” She blinks. “What do you mean you knew the guy, is there something your not telling me?”

“Well we were friends when I was alive, that’s all. Look can you do something to make Ayita to trust me? I know she still needs help. If I don’t help her I will never be free of this book.”

“I shouldn’t even know about this in the first place. I am sort of nosing through her stuff when I am not supposed to. But trust me, I will help you out. I will find out why your stuck here in the first place. I don’t buy the business that your here to help people out. Something must of happened to make you stuck between worlds, Just what is your name? How did you die?”

“I am not supposed to tell anyone about myself. I am just supposed to help people...” Then she disappeared from view.

Denise started shaking the book. “Hey come back here! Ugh, well I guess I will just try to help my sister out. At least it is better than doing nothing for that poor ghost.” She picked up the book, and carried it into her room before going off to find where I was at.

I sat in the park, swinging on a swing watching the children playing. How young and innocent they seemed to be, with lives that were not full of troubles like my own. Some parents were giving me weird looks so I decided to just sit on a bench while watching the children. I remembered when I was that age. Still then I had trouble making friends. My sister was so cool and had a big group of friends that always tried to pick on me. She either didn’t notice what her friends were doing, or didn’t care since she never did anything to stop them. I was so miserable . I thought I was everything they said I was. Ugly, fat a nerd. I never had the nerve to talk to anyone my own age since I thought they would share the opinion of the older kids. It was hard to think about the past, so I tried to think about the future. Everything would be different now. I was sad to lose the two friends I had made by the help of Olivia, but making those friends made me realise that I could make friends in the first place. That people really could like me and my fears for all those years were unfounded. As I sat there daydreaming about being popular, I saw my sister walking through the park heading in my direction.

“Hey Ayita, I wanted to invite you to a party that my friends were going to have!” Denise had a strange expression on her face. That really surprised me when she said that.

“Uh, your friends hate me. They always teased me when I was younger. Why would you think they would want me at a party?”

Denise gave me a nudge. “They just teased you because they liked you and wanted your attention. Your going to have loads of fun at this party and make a lot of friends. Now that your getting more confidence in yourself because of that project I gave you.”

“I don’t believe that crap in people giving me a hard time because they liked me. They just are jerks, and I am not interested in going to a party with them. And if you saw any confidence in me now, it isn’t because of that dumb picture book.” I turned away from my sister, thinking about what she was saying. Maybe..going to a party was a good idea. There would be other people there besides just her friends. Maybe I could meet someone new?

“Come on Ayita, please. I will make sure my friends will be nice to you!” Denise was...begging? I never saw her like this before. Just what had happened to her? Really besides taking thousands of pictures of me, she never took much interest in me.

“Well if it means that much to you, I will go. When is this party?”

“It’s tomorrow night. You won’t be sorry. Soon instead of being alone, you will have so many friends! I bet you will be happy!” I stared at Denise as she spoke, it was like someone else had took the place of my sister. I wasn’t used to her being so nice.

“Um, why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden. You never seemed interested in having me and your friends being in the same room even.”

“Well...” There was a long pause. Something fishy seemed to be up here. Was Denise trying to play a trick on me? “I just wanted to thank you for taking me to that meeting. I never realised that my taking drugs was a problem until I spoke about my habit to other people. Now I know I should really stop smoking to try to impress people. If people are going to like me, it is going to be for me and not because I smoke.”

Wow it seemed the group had really made a difference, but something just didn’t seem right about this. I tried to put my finger on it but shrugged. Whatever was really going on I could find out at the party tomorrow.