New Winslow S8E52
The curse was broken. Something that, despite everything, Olivia was having a hard time wrapping her mind around. Andrew had left three days ago and nobody would be getting stuck in New Winslow ever again. At least not by a paranormal force at the town line. There were plenty of other things that could keep someone here, but that was no longer one of them.
She was at the general store. It was late, her mother had Mia at her house, and Olivia hadn’t seen Noah all day. He’d said something about AA, which was a relief even if she didn’t know if he’d actually decided to go again. But she had a few things to pick up, so now she was idly considering what to make for dinner and whether she could convince him to come downstairs for a little while.
She was taking her time here though. It was quiet. A few people were milling around by the counter, where Nancy was still conspicuously absent. The resignation of Charles Baxter had been the topic of conversation when Olivia came in. And was it her imagination or did the conversation dim as she’d entered? She supposed it made sense. Even if they didn’t know all the details about the curse’s end, it was her shop that Baxter burned down. And while the support, as it were, was appreciated, she would have preferred anonymity.
But she was in the small aisles now, pushing an old, tiny carriage with a rattling wheel as she considered what to make. Maybe gnocchi? She had some at home. If the produce here wasn’t too dire, she could make up something light for them for dinner. Because she was going to assume that Noah was coming back downstairs for dinner, and was not going to sit alone in his apartment all night.
But it was over. And if the curse was over, then maybe it was time for her to face one of her other fears. It was coming up on a year since she’d been possessed. She knew she had told Isabel that she’d never be over it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make progress. Maybe she was strong enough to be outside her house with this ability again. She’d just ignore the spirits, pretend she didn’t see them, and make them go away. She’d been able to manage having Samuel Alderidge riding shotgun twice, and having that happen successfully made the idea of facing a spirit and standing up to them a little more plausible. She’d be compassionate, but firm in her refusal.
The aisle was empty, as was the space at the end, nothing there but a small shelf of decidedly dire produce. Nobody was visible at the other end either, though she knew a few people were still over by the counter. Taking a slow, deep breath, Olivia pulled off her amulet.
Nothing happened. She was still alone in the aisle, nobody around to see her gaze flit nervously from overpriced grocery item to overpriced grocery item. That was it, she was done. She could go in public without the medallion around her neck. She didn’t have to be so afraid, she could-
“You can see me!”
The spirit was a large man, suddenly looming between Olivia and the exit. He was translucent, but she could see the way his eyes locked on her own. “You’re going to help me,” he said, jabbing a finger in her direction. His voice was not angry, but it didn’t leave any room for argument either. “Stay right there, you’re-”
Hands trembling so hard that she nearly dropped the amulet, Olivia scrambled to put it back around her neck as he moved toward her. The amulet settled against her pounding heart as the spirit was only a few feet away. He looked around, bewilderment and anger on his faded face, then disappeared into the shelf.
Carriage abandoned behind her, Olivia ran toward the door, ignoring the eyes on her from the group by the counter. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the same spirit she’d seen so long ago, that older woman in the hat sitting motionless at the same table, gazing out the window. As she got to the door and hurried out, it slammed shut behind her.
“Liv!”
She ran directly into a solid human body. There was a hand on her shoulder and she screamed, then realized it was Noah. He was standing just outside the general store with a few older men, including their high school physics teacher? Was Mr. Rodowicz still alive or was that yet another spirit?
And then she was sobbing, falling into Noah’s arms without caring who saw, living or dead. He didn’t ask any questions, just said something to whoever he was with and began steering her toward his truck, which was parked nearby.
“Come on, it’s alright,” he said once they were there. “Are you hurt, Liv?”
Olivia shook her head where she was pressed against his chest, blocking out the world. She wasn’t ready to talk yet, even if her body had been capable of actual speech right now.
His hand was against the back of her head, pressing her firmly against his chest. “It’s alright, Liv,” Noah whispered, his voice slightly shaky even as his thumb moved against her hair soothingly. “Tell me what happened.”
“I tried taking off the amulet,” she finally whispered. “Someone found me immediately and said I was going to help him.”
He moved over, jolting her, and she realized he was checking to make sure that the amulet was secure around her neck. “I’m okay,” she said, aware of how red and sweaty her face was.
Olivia looked over his shoulder and could see the men he’d come with had gone inside. But she could still see Mr. Rodowicz standing by the entrance, looking at them. What was he doing here? What did he want? He was looking right at her with concern. None of the spirits that had interacted with her had given a shit about Olivia. And she had the amulet on, so how…
Noah saw her looking behind him and an expression of unease crossed his face as he slowly turned around. “We’re okay!” he called over, and Mr. Rodowicz nodded. “I’m going to bring Liv home.”
“Take care, you two. Oh, I’ll email you that book title for your sister, alright, Noah?”
Thank God her face was already red as Noah turned back to her. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
Olivia couldn’t stop laughing long enough to answer.
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