DARK SECRET OF THE OUIJA
CHAPTER 10
Carol's face turned white. She hung up the phone slowly, unable to move, her thoughts racing. Phoenix stepped into the lighted hallway from the semi-darkness of Carol's room. Seeing Carol's expression, she laughed.
"You look like you've seen a ghost!" she said.
"Jenny's been in an accident." Carol glared at Phoenix. "She's in the hospital! They were on their way to church when they were hit by another car. Her leg's busted up. She could have been killed!"
Phoenix shrugged. "That'll stop her from meddling with our Ouija for a while."
Carol gasped. "You sound like you're happy she's hurt!"
Phoenix chewed her gum loudly for a minute before she replied. "Of course I'm not happy about it."
"Don't you feel at all guilty that maybe we caused the accident?" Carol asked.
Phoenix snickered. "Really, Carol. How could we be responsible? We were here when it happened."
"Yeah, we were here playing with that Ouija board. You were telling it to do something to stop Jenny from interfering." Her voice rose. "She could have been killed!"
Phoenix shushed her and yanked her back into the bedroom. "We had nothing to do with the accident," she said in a hushed tone. "If it happened because of the Ouija's powers—and I think that would prove just how awesome the Ouija's powers are—it still wouldn't be our fault. We told the Ouija our problem. It decided what to do about it. It did the deed, not us. It knows better than we do how to solve our problems."
Carol's jaw dropped open. "I don't believe I'm hearing this! So what if we didn't tell it to cause an accident. We told it to stop her. It's our fault. And if she'd gotten killed—." Her chin quivered as she fought back tears. She leaned on her dresser to keep her weakening knees from collapsing. She accidentally knocked over a glass owl that Jenny had given her. Thank goodness this didn't break, she thought as she picked it up.
Phoenix grabbed Carol by the shoulders. "Did you want the Ouija to kill Jenny?"
"Of course not!"
"And I didn't, either. And I'm sure neither of us wanted her to get her leg broken. So we're not to blame. It's not our fault."
Carol squirmed free from Phoenix's grasp and turned on all the room lights. "So you're saying it's only the Ouija's fault?"
"You're catching on, now." Phoenix smiled.
"What is the Ouija, that it can do this?"
Phoenix shrugged. "A higher spiritual force."
"A demon?"
Phoenix doubled over with forced laughter. "You heard that from Jenny, didn't you?"
Carol blushed. "How do you know it's not evil?"
"How could an evil spirit do good, as this Ouija has done?"
"How could a spirit that's not evil try to kill someone?"
"Who says it even tried to kill Jenny? It could have been a coincidence. You're just confused," Phoenix said, sitting down on a bed.
"You're right about that. Leave me alone to think." She plucked Phoenix's jacket from a chair and tossed it to the girl.
Later that night, Carol wrestled with her thoughts as she tried to sleep. Guilt and doubt pinned her down and threw her around. Whose face was that on the enemy? Jenny's? Phoenix's? Too dark to see. The Ouija's? It laughed at her and choked her with its poisonous breath. Then she saw Jenny getting crushed by a car. More laughter—now coming from Phoenix. Carol bolted up from her pillow.
As her mind cleared, she realized that if it had been Phoenix in the accident, Jenny would never have laughed about it. Even though Jenny didn't like Phoenix, she would have cared. Jenny was the better friend. Why hadn't she seen that before?
After school the next day, Carol visited Jenny, who was now home, lying on the sofa under blankets. Her leg was in a large cast and propped up by pillows. A coffee table in arm's reach was cluttered with books, tissues, a radio, a soda can and other "necessities." Though her face was swollen with bruises, Jenny smiled.
"I'm glad you came," she said.
"Are you okay?" Carol asked, taking a nervous step closer.
"It hurts some. And this sofa is fast becoming uncomfortable. But I'm all right."
"I—I think I know how it happened," Carol said feebly.
"A drunken driver," Jenny said with disgust.
"No, I mean why—." Carol wanted to gain Jenny's trust again by telling her everything. But would telling her help or make things worse? She wanted Jenny to know how very sorry she was for asking the Ouija to do something to her. But could she find the right words?
"Why it happened?" Jenny asked, snarling. "People drive drunk because they don't care about anyone else. Like my father. But I'm glad it happened."
Carol's face showed the surprise she felt.
Jenny continued. "Yup, I'm actually glad. Want to know why? Because it reminded me of the evil thing my father did. You wouldn't believe where I was going when the accident happened. To a meeting on forgiveness! Hah! I was actually thinking I might forgive my father. But that drunken driver who did this to me reminded me of just how evil drunken driving is. It reminded me that I should never forgive my father."
Carol didn't know how to respond.
"Quit standing there with you're mouth open," Jenny said, "and tell me why you came."
"I wanted to tell you I'm—." Carol couldn't get the next word out. A giant lump of fear blocked her throat.
"You're what?" Jenny said, her tone softening.
"Ahh, I'm glad you weren't hurt worse."
"Oh." Jenny looked disappointed. "Well, I guess I had an angel protecting me. My mom says it seemed like some invisible force pushed the other car aside so it wouldn't hit us full force."
"Do you think an evil spirit could have caused the accident?" Carol asked quietly.
"Never thought about that." Jenny paused. "Maybe. But we can't put the blame on evil spirits. That other driver chose to get drunk, and then he chose to drive. Just like you can't blame evil spirits for what my father did. It was his choice. That's why I can't forgive him."
Carol shuffled a foot and stared at the floor. After an awkward silence, Jenny said, "Is there anything else you came here for?"
Carol wanted to answer yes. She wanted to say something that would restore their friendship. But she was afraid Jenny wouldn't forgive her if she knew what Carol knew about the accident.
"Carol," Jenny said.
"Huh?"
"I am glad you came."
Their eyes met, and they quickly looked elsewhere. It was a moment of hope slipping through the cracks of fear and unforgiveness.
"I wish we could be friends again," Carol blurted before she could chicken out.
Jenny's face turned quickly into a smile. Just as quickly, it dissolved. "What about Phoenix?" she asked. "You told me you don't want me interfering in your friendship with her."
Carol felt her face get hot. "You didn't have to bring her into this."
"She's part of the problem, whether I bring her into this or not," Jenny replied.
"Why can't you trust me?" Carol asked. "You don't think I can figure out who's a good friend and who's not!"
"You've become a different person!" Jenny shouted back.
Carol glared at her ex-friend. She felt smothered by Jenny's unforgiveness. To breathe again, she'd have to get out of there. She turned and fled.