A Mourner and the Mourned

(Trigger Alert: This passage contains mental health and self-harm.)

I knew I wanted to die.

I knew that my family would appreciate it.

But I couldn't. Sadly.

Now, I'm not a psycho, I want to die because- I want to reunite with my mom. She passed away from breast cancer yesterday, even though the doctors suspected she would survive. My brother Colby told me what happened, and I was extremely devastated.

Why? No one supported me like my mom did. My dad says he has to "work the night shift at the gas station", and I know he's lying. He's probably going out with Celeste, his coworker, only because her sister is a movie star and he wants to be rich.

And all Colby does is go to our neighbor's house and play video games. He's supposed to babysit me, but he doesn't really care. Neither do I. Honestly, I kind of like it by myself.

I mean, I get to watch Mom's favorite show, "The Crown". Colby says it's "too inappropriate for girls my age", but if my cousin Marlee can watch it when she's 12, I can surely watch it when I'm 14.

A tear went down my cheek. I remembered.

To be honest, I tried to forget Mom. Not because I didn't love her, but because it will help my life, basically. But forgetting the woman that gave birth to you and supported you throughout was not going to be easy.

I yelled Colby's name to see if he was still home.

No answer.

I ran to the window and saw him playing football with his teammate. My ambitions wanted me to open the door and yell at him. I obviously knew I shouldn't have done that, so I just opened the door.

"Colby," I said. "Dad told you to stay in the house."

"Well, I'm sixteen. And the caretaker. I can break the rules." he snorted as if swatting away my comment.

"You might be sixteen, but you're also the dumbest," I said, striking back with a minor laugh.

"Ingrid, go inside. I'm a growing man. Go."

If Dad figured out that I didn't listen to Colby, I would get into big trouble, so I had no choice.

I decided to head into my room. The bed's sheets were Mom's, her old lilac comforter and pink sheets. Weird colors, I know. But Mom believed that color fights negativity, and I loved Mom and her beliefs, so here we are.

In my closet, I heard a big smash. I grabbed my flashlight and trembled. That's what Mom always taught me.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Leave my closet!"

No answer.

I tiptoed closer, frightened but ready.

The door was unnaturally open, with a box that must've fell from the upper shelf.

It's just a stupid box, I thought.

But I was wrong.

I went into the closet and looked at the tag on the box.

For Ingrid.

That's me. I'm Ingrid. How did I not know there was a secret box in my closet?

I opened the box and saw a dusted picture of a small girl in what looked like Peru. She had huge curls, she was short, like me, and she looked about my age.

Then, there was a journal. It was huge, just like her curls. On the front, it said:

Property of Tiffany Mary Foster.

I couldn't believe it.

Tiffany Mary Foster was-

-my mom.

I opened the journal, and started to read the first letter,

"I love Peru! It's so beautiful-"

So happy, too much. I turned the pages a bit more.

"Oh, I've met the greatest man I've ever seen! His name is Albert, and he claims I am the love of his life! We had a date today and he said he created Amazon-"

This was lies. Dad was a liar, and I knew it. Next.

"I just gave birth to Colby Grayson Allberry. How excited I am. Me and Albert are determined to raise him as a proud young man. How I want to see him play football like Albert did in college. God bless Colby Grayson-"

Well, sorry, Mom, but your plan to make Colby a "proud young man" failed.

"My second child is here! My dear Ingrid Marie Allberry is my mini-me! This is supposed to be a secret, but I'm going to take her to NYC one day! Early plan maker! Oh, but I wished she looked less depressed. She looked like she came out of cage. New goal: make Ingrid pretty-"

Well, I'm pretty, but you made me more depressed, thank you very much.

"I figured out I have breast cancer. I hate to be away from my family. If I die, this will be the last entry I write. I have a plan of what to do with you: give it to Ingrid. She will preserve my legacy; I just know it. Colby doesn't care about death and Albert is a ruthless traitor. I hate traitors. Ingrid came to the hospital yesterday and gave me flowers. I love you, Ingrid. I hope you are reading this."

I started to cry. Randomly. I miss Mom. I want her back.

"She found it," I heard a voice mutter in the background. "She found my writings."

I turned around to see a pale woman, with huge curls, flying through the closet door.

No.

Never.

This couldn't be.

No way.

"M-m-Mom?" I stuttered.

The lady gasped. "You can see me?"

I slightly nodded.

"Ingrid, I, I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, flying towards me.

However, as a ghost, her body split through me and came back together as one.

"Colby has to see this. He won't believe it!"

"I'm afraid Colby has let me go. I learned yesterday that the living can see the dead if they are still mourning."

"W-What about Dad?"

Mom sighed. I knew something was obviously wrong.

"What?"

"Your Dad has been going out with Celeste. That's all he cares about now. He never came to the hospital to give me offerings. Only you and Colby did."

"But Colby's stopped mourning."

"So, all I have left is you, Ingrid."

"So why are you here?"

"Surely you know how your father and maybe even Colby has betrayed us. From a dead mom to a living daughter, how about they get a taste of their own medicine?"

"You mean- revenge?"

I nearly froze. I've never seen Mom so bloodthirsty before. Maybe ghosts have a reputation to kill.

"So, what do you say?" Mom started. "Are you helping me, or will you be a traitor as well as the rest of the Allberry family? Join the Foster family, and you and I will finally reunite- without you sacrificing your own life."

Mom's words touched my heart, too much, and I couldn't say no.

"Why don't we give the Allberry boys a taste of their own medicine?" I replied.

Mom cheered. "Welcome to the Foster family, where you belong, Ingrid."

Little did I know, my actions would change me and my family's life forever.