The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part Two of Two)

Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/spirit-jenny-jones-part-one-two

 

The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part Two of Two)

“Is that you, Jenny Jones? Please keep the noise down. This is a library, as you full well know.” The librarian’s glasses had slid all the way to the end of her nose as she barked with her head tilted forward. She was pleased at the chance to finally castigate somebody. It had been a quiet day so far.

“Sorry miss.” Jenny offered back wondering what all the fuss was about with there being just the two of them in the entire library other than the woman downstairs, hollering at them.

The girls lowered their voices.

“I know some stuff. I can help you. Why don’t you speak to them later? I can come with you.” Addison put the book back on the shelf and turned to face Jenny. She smiled innocently awaiting a reply.

Jenny thought again about confronting her parents. She wasn’t naturally confident. She never liked the idea of things like standing in front of the class to speak. It wasn’t as though she said much during lessons. This was a big deal. Maybe she should speak up but having someone else there might makes things a little less scary.

Jenny looked at Addison, searching her friend’s features for reassurance. At that moment, the lights in the library started flickering. Shadows and silhouettes were cast on walls and floors as the room was plunged into darkness and then light again. In the strange hue, the girls exchanged glances. The fleeting blackouts were like saccadic blinks. Jenny stared as Addison’s face became a mask of black soot and scorch marks. Sloughed skin slid down her face, eyeballs incinerated in a hail of heat. What was left of any kind of facial expression was of torment and agony, features obscured by the scars of inferno.

Jenny closed her eyes and re-opened them again. Addison was smiling, the black smoke and burns gone as though nothing had happened.

“But….your face.”

Addison put her hand to her cheek.

“What do you mean?” The tall girl looked perplexed.

“Oh…it's nothing. Just me.” Jenny shook the incident off, quietly shaking her head and putting it down to an over-active imagination. She had been dealing with a lot lately.

“OK. You’re on. I think my dad is due to come over again this evening. Maybe seven-ish. Come round then.”

****

It was a rainy evening, the weather gods had sought to deny July its sunny, summer status and demanded precipitation to accompany the transition into night. The doorbell at 10 Rowley Drive did its musical somersault, announcing the arrival of Jenny’s new friend. Replete in a hooded, yellow mac, Addison shuffled over the threshold after acknowledging Jenny.

Inside, the new arrival peeled off her coat, showering drips of water onto the carpet. The lounge was a comfortable room, flat screen tv in the corner, a patterned sofa with two separate chairs, all surrounding a coffee table perched on top of a furry, white rug. Pictures of family adorned the walls and mantelpiece above the fireplace. The Jones family had always been close.

“Made it as soon as I could.” Addison noted that it was a few minutes past seven and sounded out of breath.

“Oh you’re fine. Dad’s not here yet. I think he’s on his way. He tends to come in through the back door to make a point that he still lives here. Well, sort of.” Jenny looked rueful having second thoughts about the whole thing. She sat down on the settee and motioned her friend to take a seat.

“How are you feeling? Ready to rumble?” Addison glanced at her friend, looking unconvinced about Jenny’s resolve.

“We’ll see.” Mumbled Jenny.

A muffled commotion was coming from the kitchen; Jenny’s dad had arrived. She imagined him already sitting at the kitchen table, ready for more negotiating. The girls held hands and headed for the hallway and then the kitchen.

James Jones was a man of slender build, short, blonde hair, a tattoo of a ship on his bicep and a handsome face. He was still wearing his white shirt and tie from working in the car dealer showroom all day. He had married Sylvia when both were in their twenties. Despite their differences, there was still a lingering chemistry between them even if they didn’t realise. A flame was still burning.

Jenny marched into the kitchen and stood resolutely with both feet planted firmly apart. Her heart was racing. She was so far out of her comfort zone that she felt ill.

Both parents turned to look up from the table.

“You alright, darlin’?” Asked James. Steam from cups of tea rose into the air.

“Mum, dad, I need to tell you something…” Jenny closed her eyes wondering whether this was really happening; whether this was really her saying these words.

“Before I say anything else, I want you to meet my new friend…” Sylvia and James looked nonplussed. They both stared at her wondering what this had to do with the price of tea. Jenny saw the quizzical looks and turned her head to introduce Addison. She was gone. There was nobody with her.

****                                                                                                                                       

The previous night had been a rollercoaster for Jenny. She had told her parents how she felt about them getting divorced but, somehow, lost her friend in the process. Registration was nearly over but there had been no sign of Addison. It was true enough that she seemed to always be late but she did usually make an appearance. Not today.

With the last of the class filing out, Jenny stood in front of Mr Billings as he was about to stand. Her form teacher oozed authority dressed in his sharp, blue suit and tie. With head held high, chest puffed out and long strides whenever the school corridors were part of the route, this middle-aged leviathan was respected by most. He glanced at the schoolgirl now preventing him from moving on and said curtly “Yes?”

Jenny breathed in.

“Sir, I just wanted to know if there was a problem with Addison. I’ve been hanging out with her for the last few days.”

The teacher looked at his charge curiously.

“Addison? We haven’t got an Addison.”

Jenny’s heart raced. She was confused by the statement. Of course, there was an Addison. She was with her only last night.

“Sir, tall, gangly, blonde, enthusiastic.” A pen picture was fired off as though four words of description could embody a person.

Mr Billings stared vacantly into space.

“That sounds a bit like a girl from last year. But…it can’t be her.” There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

“I don’t understand. I have been friends with a girl called Addison for the last few days. She’s sat next to me in class. Maybe she goes by another name?” Jenny was clutching at as many straws as she could to make sense of what was going on.

Mr Billings looked straight through Jenny. “My dear, nobody has been sitting next to you. Not that I’ve seen. Certainly not in registration.”

The conversation was winding its way down a rabbit hole. Then Jenny remembered events from last year.

“Addison? Was….was that the girl in that tragedy? The one that died in a fire with her parents?” Jenny’s expression was strained.

“Yes, that’s the girl that matches the description you gave. I am sorry, Jenny, I really must be getting on now. I hope you sort it.” The form tutor deliberated over what to do. This was one of his quieter students. She didn’t seem particularly odd but this was a strange incident. There had definitely not been anyone sitting next to her recently. He decided not to worry any further. He had a lot to do. Mr Billings stood up, scraped his chair back, slid his laptop under his armpit and left.

Jenny’s mind was scrambling. She replayed the last few days in her head. Addison was always late to class and she couldn’t recall hearing her name called out for register. Not that Mr Billings went through a roll call vocally preferring to only check for the occasional student if he couldn’t see them from his desk.

Addison had not spoken to anyone else other than her during school hours. Jenny replayed all of the times she had seen her. Not once had she interacted with anyone else. Not a word, not a touch; nothing. A realisation was becoming apparent the more Jenny thought about the last few days. It was a weird realisation, one that didn’t belong among normal, every-day circumstances. The youngster continued mentally scouring for facts. There was that time the librarian had appeared to tell them both off but had only addressed Jenny. She dredged her brain, desperately trying to call up some evidence of any kind of recognition from anyone other than herself. Nope, the librarian had not addressed Addison.

And finally, the nebulous girl had disappeared when they went to confront her parents. One minute she was there, the next she had vanished into thin air. Jenny recalled talking then holding hands but just couldn’t place the moment their hands parted.

Having thought the entire episode through, it was that either her brain was playing tricks or Addison was a figment of her imagination. But Jenny wasn’t crazy. She knew she wasn’t. The tall girl was the spitting image of the unfortunate that had died in the fire. A doppelganger. Maybe a doppelganger? A twin? But nobody else had acknowledged her.

All that was left was the supernatural. An explanation soaked in mystery. If the tall girl had not been seen by anyone else then she must be a ghost. With everything that had happened and the meeting of minds with her parents then maybe this had been a spirit. In many ways, the spirit of Jenny Jones.

 

Image free to use via WikiCommons at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Large_bonfire.jpg