The Guidance - By Marley Gibson Page 0,82

hits me!

"That's it!"

"What?" Celia asks.

I lower my voice so only Loreen and Celia can hear. "The onus is on Courtney. I've got to get through to her, piss her off even, just get her to throw the bum out like the squatter he is."

Celia looks at me like I'm crazy. "Can you do that?"

I say, "I have absolutely no freakin' clue, but I'm sure as hell gonna try!"

I walk over to where Courtney is sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocks back and forth. Her tear-streaked face is pale, and her eyelashes are clumped together. I smile at her, hoping she sees me for the friend I'm trying to be. Taking her hand, I squeeze tightly. She grips back.

"Courtney, can you hear me?"

She blinks several times.

"I know I'm not your favorite person, but you've got to listen to me. I want you to push him out with all of your might. Muster up all of your feelings and emotions—and hatred and anger at me, if you need to—and tell this ghost that he's no longer welcome. That you want control of your mind, body, and soul. I'm here to help, but you've got to do it."

She nods slightly, enough of an acknowledgment that I know she's going to try.

Father Mass kneels next to her, mumbling Scripture. Surely that can't hurt.

A moment later, Courtney's face turns scarlet red. She struggles and fights, writhing on the floor. "That's it, Courtney. You're strong. You're a cheerleader. You can do this!"

Father Mass tosses holy water and blesses her. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I beseech you to leave this child of God and be on your way. Pray with me, Courtney."

She mutters the Lord's Prayer under her breath the best she can with tears still gushing out. She collapses onto the floor, kicking her feet. Jason moves to help her and puts her sweat-covered head in his lap.

A tortured shriek escapes from her chest, as if she's cheering for the most important sports event of her life. "Leaaaaave meeeeee!"

Taylor, Becca, Celia, and Stephanie stand wide-eyed, locked in place. I too don't move and resist the urge to do anything other than pray.

Courtney's body sags in Jason's arms, and she tries to speak. "I-I-I need a garbage can."

"Quick!" Jason states.

Stephanie grabs a decorative brass pail that sits by the door and hurls it to Jason. Next thing we know, Courtney retches into the bucket, dry heaves that have her sobbing even more. Then, all is quiet.

Loreen holds her hands out. "He's left her."

"You think?"

"Yeah," Courtney whimpers. "He's out of me."

Father Mass dips his thumb into the holy water and makes the sign of the cross on Courtney's forehead while whispering something.

A feeble smile crosses her face. "I'm, like, Southern Baptist. Will that still work on me?"

"God is interdenominational," my priest says.

"Is the soldier gone?" Taylor asks. She looks around the room and then back at her camera. "I don't know if anything will show on the video, but I got every bit of it recorded."

"Good work," Celia and I say in unison.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. "I don't think he's gone though."

The snicker inside my head that turns to soft weeping confirms that Major Fair is still around. Out of Courtney, but not at peace.

"Nathan? Where are you?"

"Trapped. Destined to be in this purgatory forever."

My heart races in my chest. "Not if you don't want to be. This hell is of your own making because you took your own life."

"The gun backfired."

"But you intended to kill Kenney," I say.

"I'd killed hundreds before. You can't say that's what's keeping me here."

I plead with my eyes to Father Massimo.

"Tell him to pray for God's mercy."

There isn't a need for me to repeat anything because Nathan closes his eyes, and his lips begin to move. Then he falls to his knees with his hands clamped together in front of him.

"God forgive me! Ada, forgive me! I just want to go to heaven and be with her."

My heart surely breaks into millions of tiny pieces over the sincerity in his voice. Will he be rewarded with entry into eternity, where he'll hopefully find Ada?

"Do you see the light?" It's got to be there.

"Not yet..."

But I see a light. Holy crap! What the—

Loreen nudges me. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"That's not what I think it is, is it?" I ask with a tremble in my voice.

"No, it's not that light. But it's