Chapter 7 #3
“There will never be a moment in which you are alone,” I said, lowering my voice in hopes of better communicating my stone-hard seriousness.
“These cameras are for thermal imaging. If we see something on our monitors, we’ll wait until we have enough data.
Jonah and I will be in here before anything can happen.
The cameras are the final bit of confirmation needed to stay on and work here.
But your safety is our highest priority.
We won’t ask for over thirty seconds of proof before ending the observation. ”
Octavia nodded numbly and moved to the bed. She sat with one foot tucked underneath her, a fingernail between her teeth as she digested my words.
“It kills me,” she finally confessed. “Not understanding this.”
I resisted the pull to join her on the other side of the bed, opting for the bench again. I rested my hand on the turned-down comforter, not reaching for her but still stretching toward something akin to an offer of comfort. Companionship.
“You think I’m ridiculous for not believing in ghosts after the footage?
For having no real solution forward?” There was genuine curiosity in her gaze.
Her hands pulled in a tight fist, bracing for the impact of judgement or mocking.
Octavia was so unmoving in her stance, yet so conscious of it, that it affected her interactions.
I’d never met someone so self-consciously headstrong.
“You should know, my favorite kind of people are often non-believers.”
Octavia shifted her position, so her knees pointed toward me.
“I don’t think you all are ridiculous,” I said. “Who can blame you all for not jumping on the bandwagon and riding it into the sunset?”
She laughed under her breath. “How often do you guys ride into the sunset?”
“Every evening. The point is, I think a woman who stands her ground and favors logic amid uncertainty is intellectual. You can be wrong and not ridiculous, Octavia.”
Her fingers relaxed and opened.
“I’m going to figure this out for you,” I promised. “Whether it’s a ghost or imagination.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. “I appreciate that, I do, but I think this is something I’m eventually going to figure out myself.”
The crushing weight of sleepless nights cast dense shadows under her eyes.
I admired the will to carry the responsibility on her own despite clear, back-breaking exhaustion.
Her fire for the future burned without flickering.
I used to have that same flame about this job.
Until now, I didn’t think its fading was that noticeable.
But next to her, all I owned were cinders.
“And I will.” Octavia threw a couple more logs onto her fire. “Figure it out. Once I get back to my usual self. Get some real sleep. Once you’re gone.”
I couldn’t spend the night arguing with a woman determined to forge her own path. And even though I wanted to, I couldn’t continue basking in awe and hoping some of her sparks settled on my skin. But I could offer a bit of peace for one night.
“Would you like me to stay here until you nod off?” I asked.
Her eyes went wide. “What?”
“I could bring a chair in here.” My gaze settled on the closet. “Set it there? That way you won’t have to worry about anything coming out because if it does, it’ll have to go through me first.”
She laughed, head shaking as if it sounded silly. When I didn’t join in her amusement, Octavia’s smile faded. Her eyes held fear of what this might mean for her. A big, strong rancher in need of company to fall asleep.
“I do this type of thing all the time.” A lie. I hadn’t ever offered to stay in the room with clients until they drifted off. But with the combination of her forlorn look and chewed nail beds, I’d never forgive myself if I left her to chase sleep on her own.
“This is…a part of your protocol?” she asked.
I nodded. Octavia studied me. A part of me knew she sensed the thinly veiled lie. I expected a dismissal that didn’t come.
“I like to leave the bathroom light on,” she said as if it were non-negotiable.
I smiled and got up to turn the room light off. Octavia slipped under the covers, enveloped in the purple silk sheets.
“Give me a second.” I stepped out of the room and back across the hall.
“How are we looking?” I passed the portable monitor to Jonah, who gave me a curious glance.
“Good…” He brushed his hand across his mouth, clearly embarrassed about having listened to our conversation. “So, you’re actually staying in there?”
I let my hair out of its tie and grabbed a folded blanket from one of the twin beds. “I am.”
“Won’t that…I don’t know, skew the data?”
“You’re more than capable of answering that.” I tilted my brow up in a challenge. “Remember what I said before?”
Jonah straightened and nodded.
“Well?” I didn’t care if he disagreed with me; I was going to do what I wanted anyway and stay in the room with Octavia. But the point was to get him brave enough to push back.
“If you’re out of there before anything serious occurs,” he said. “The readings would still have a good chance of being accurate. You just have to be…fast.”
His gaze flickered to my ankle, but he didn’t voice that concern out loud.
“And so, I shall be.” I squeezed his shoulder before leaving him to monitor.