Page 13 of Haunting Phantom
Phantom pauses. “You could say that, Autumn.” He’s staring at her in a way I’ve never seen him look at a woman before. He’s devouring her with his gaze, strangely fascinated with her cheekbones that are oddly perfect. It’s like he thinks she’s special or something. His gaze roves over her body, only stopping when he reaches her chest, that’s a bit small, if you ask me. Then he does something I loathe. He smiles, the stupid corners of his mouth lifting in appreciation of her beauty.
So what if she has perfect cheekbones? Medusa had perfect cheekbones too, and that bitch stoned people to death. Well, at least the two have that in common because all the men in the room have suddenly gone eerily still, frozen in place by the sudden new onslaught of tits and ass. It’s probably because she’s going for a bohemian goddess look with her gold-streaked chestnut hair, falling in ringlets around her face. Two delicate strands are pinned back with a fake flower clip, the kind you’d find in a dollar bin, and somehow, she makes it look romantic.
Fuck, I already hate her.
She’s got no ass, but her jeans cling to her just right, giving her curves she doesn’t deserve underneath the patched and faded fabric that looks DIY instead of designer.
What’s with that damn top?
This isn’t some Victorian movie set; it’s a biker club, for fuck’s sake!
She’s wearing an overly dramatic flowy top that shifts when she moves, giving her an airy look that makes her look like she’s made of breath and sunlight.
She looks effortless. Untouchable. Human. I fucking hate it.
And then there are those freckles. Scattered across her nose like stardust. I hate them too. Each one feels like it was placedthere on purpose, some cruel reminder that imperfections can look beautiful on therightkind of person.
They make her glow.
They make her real.
They make me remember that I’m not.
Her eyes are what send me over the edge, though. They’re too green, too bright, too alive. The color of spring after a long, hard winter. They shouldn’t exist. No one’s eyes should look like that. When she blinks, it’s like the world pauses to admire her. Even the light bends around her face, jealous that it can’t compare.
I used to think I knew what beauty was. Then she walked in, and I realize beauty is what’s left behind to haunt you.
Fuck! What is happening here?
Damien invades my thoughts by placing an unwanted arm around my shoulders, which I quickly shrug off.“Looks like your boy has a bit of a crush going on, Dollface. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him smile like that. He’s almost attractive when he flashes those perfect teeth.”He cocks his head to the side and grins.“He’s still not as pretty as me. Half my face is missing, and I still look better than him.”
“Shut up!”I snap.“I’m trying to listen.”
Phantom says something, and the girl starts laughing, nervously placing a piece of hair behind her ear.
Great! Now she’s smiling back. There’s a whole lot of smiling going on here, and I don’t like it. Not one bit.
My hand clenches around something within my reach, and a single bottle of alcohol smashes against a chair to their left.
“You have a bit of a problem here; I hope you know that?”
Voorhees pipes in. “Oh yes, he knows that very well. And so do I. See this scar? This is because of his club ghoulfriend. She doesn’t like it when people talk to Phantom or speak ill ofher.” He points to the infamous gash I gave him the last time he crossed me.
Might I say, the scar does give him a little more charm than before. At least he has a cool scar story. The bad part is I can envision him deep in conversation, pointing to the small scar below his eye with pride.“Check it out, man. I got this shit when I pissed off a ghost…”Yeah, I can already see his cocky grin as he says it, doing his best to play it off like I didn’t scare the piss out of him and make him want to take stock in adult diapers. The pussy.
Autumn laughs. “So, what are you wanting me to do here?”
“Well, I guess we need you to contact her and find out why she’s still here. After that, we just want her to leave and crossover.”
Autumn shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
Phantom crosses his arms. “Why do you say that?”
The Autumn girl closes her eyes again. “She’s very possessive of you. She’s not like other spirits. I feel a wall between us, almost like she’s blocking me from really connecting with her.”
“If you want a connection, Darlin’, all you have to do is get on your knees and—”
Autumn pales. “Yeah, she’s definitely not like the other guy. He’s a bit… um…too full of himself.”
