A breeze rattled the cracked window in Lenore’s kitchen as she entered her house. There was a chill encapsulating the room as if the previous snow storm had happened only in the confines of her small apartment. Lenore’s breath puffed out of her mouth in waves of steam, again reminding her of Michael in his youth. 

“You can’t just let me have one day!? One friend!?” Lenore screamed into the cold and empty room. Samson was no doubt tucked away, hiding under the bed in the other room. Lenore could feel a force pushing against her as she stormed down the hall, slamming her scarf on the floor to be picked up later, at a time she felt less angry. 

The bedroom door slammed behind her as she entered the room, the force creeping up her neck as she came to a halt in front of her mirror. She thought the anger on her face matched something the devil himself would have feared. The reflection showed the familiar shadowy-figure standing behind her. 

“You think this is funny, do you!? You can’t–!” Lenore cut herself off, She had caught a glimpse of the look in her eye, as familiar to her as an old sweater. It was the same look her father would get in his eyes when something would set him off.

She took a deep breath, calming herself and turning to face the figure. If she knew where its eyes were, she would have looked them right on. “Listen, I just– You need– You have to let me do what I need to do. I don’t know what you want, or why, but please, I am begging…” She pressed her forefinger and thumb to the bridge of her nose, hoping to prevent the oncoming migraine. For months, the influence of this being has been bothering and berating her; for months she had been doing anything she could to appease it.  

“At some point you have to give it a rest. Let me make my own decisions,” She tried reasoning. The pressure on her chest and neck felt like it was calming down to some degree, “If I want to kiss boys and make bad choices…” she started before the pressure returned worse than before, and a wind rattled her floorboards. She felt like she was talking to a child or a brick wall.

“I get you’re angry, but please, don’t take it out on me, Dad,” She said the last word with tears in her eyes; the room went still, and the pressure was gone altogether. She took a look in the mirror again, and the figure was gone as well. She hadn’t even meant for the word to slip out, the emotions she had been feeling for much longer than just tonight must have taken control. 

Lenore stood looking at herself in the mirror for some time, lost in thought. She thought about her mom, and how kind she was, how she was too kind for her own good. She thought about her brother, how young he was, how innocent and small. Lastly she thought of her father. She thought of those really good days when he would play with Mikey in the living room or out in tall grass during the summer. How he would come home from work on those days with a grin on his face that would make Lenroe completely forget how awful he truly was. 

Dirty work thud against the creaky hardwood of the kitchen as Ben came home. He left a swift kiss on Sarah’s cheek as he passed her, a dirty hand on the small of her back as she washed dishes at the sink. 

“Where’s’uh kids?” he asked as he dropped his lunch bag on the counter.

“Michael’s out in the field, Lenny’s watching him, ‘Think she’s reading or something.” She said with a smile on her face, makeup hiding the bruise he had left on her face two nights prior. “Michael was waiting for you to get home, he wanted to play catch.”

Ben grinned as he moved toward the stairs, “Well,  I guess i’ll go change. Can’t leave my boy hangin’ n’all”

Lenore was sitting against a post in the fence when she heard her father come back outside. She braced herself for the yell of her name, but it never came. Instead, she heard the crunch of the dried dirt as he came further towards them. She clutched the journal where it sat against her knees as he stalked past, headed toward where Mikey was playing. 

“What’chu got there Mikey?” he asked as he crouched near the boy. 

Michael grinned a toothy smile, “its some roly-poly-ollies. You want to see’em Daddy?” He held up a handful of bugs for Benjamin to see. 

“Why don’t you let them things go’an we’ll play some ball?” He patted Michael on the back as he stood and dusted his hands off on his worn jeans. 

For a while they tossed the ball back and forth, Michael making up his own jokes and laughing at them. After some time, Sarah called for them all to eat, The boy’s ears perking up at the mention of food.

“You go on and tell mamma we’ll be in a bit, I need’a talk to our sweet Lenny for a minute,” Ben told Michael, who agreed and ran off toward the house. 

From her position, Lenore couldn’t see the house through all the tall grass and fence that ran between the field and the building. 

“Dad, I– I think I should go in too–,” she tried.

“Sit down. What are you writing about?” Ben said as he collapsed down on the ground next to her, his voice firm and commanding. 

“I–I’m not writing, I'm drawing, bugs and grass mostly.” she said as she tried to scoot a little away from him. She didn’t like when he was in good moods like this, they were almost as bad as the bad moods. 

She could smell the musk of his sweat and the beer he no doubt had before he came home; the scent swirling through her nose. She could almost feel his breath on her neck as he pulled her to him, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers. 

“You know I love you, right Len’?” He said as he rested his hand on her thigh.

“Y–yes, Can I– she tried to pull herself away from him, but his holden her tightened.

Lenore’s breath picked up panic setting in. She knew where this was going, and hated it just as much as any other time it had happened. 

She was still struggling when Sarah called again, oblivious to what could have been happening out of her line of sight. Lenore kicked Benjamin in the leg and ran from him toward the house. She would pay for that later, but anything was better than what might have happened had she stayed there in the field with him. 

Lenore was fixing her skirt as she walked up the steps on the porch. Avoiding her mother’s eyes.

“Wait Where’s your father?” Sarah tried.

“He’s coming,” Lenore waved her off as she pushed past. 

She could hear Benjamin’s footsteps crunching up the path after her. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Sarah asked him as he reached the porch.

“Oh, ya’know how kids are,” He laughed as they came inside for dinner. 

Lenore wiped the tears from her face as she cleared her mind of her thoughts. If that thing is her father…”I hope it’s not him”, she thought as she undressed and got ready for bed. Samson crawled out from his hiding place and stretched before jumping on the bed and curling round Lenore, comforting her in the only way he knew how. 

Lenore hadn’t thought of her father in a long, long time. She had been trying to avoid thoughts of him altogether. She didn’t exactly have good thoughts about the guy. “In fact,” she thought, “He just about ruined me for anyone that ever wants to get close to me. Now now this shit with the fuck’n “ghost!”

“Shit. Is it a ghost?If it is, why can’t it be someone I don't hate?” She asked Samson, petting the soft tuft of fur on the top of his head. She sighed as she leaned back against the pillows, her eyes feeling like sandpaper from crying. 

She was just dozing off as her phone rang, the twinkling of her ringtone snapping her awake. She looked at the caller ID and her heart raced just a little. Silas?? It read. 

She fumbled to answer it, mumbling a quiet, “Hello?” as she picked up. 

“I was wondering if you’d pick up.” he chuckled in response.