• "Damn you Tara, why is it everytime I want to go somewhere you take an hour just
    to get dressed. We are going to be late, lets go!" Matt yelled up the stairs to
    me, I was trying to cover the bruises on my arms.
    No, the bruises are not from abuse, well, not from Matthew, he was the sweetest
    guy I know, just a bit pushy sometimes. The bruises are from something far more
    dangerous then a man, something unseen, a ghost, maybe two. Like I said, unseen.
    I want to tell Matt, mainly because I get tired of covering myself in make-up,
    not too much like me. I have the skin most girls want, hazel eyes with a hint of
    gold, long black hair, almost like a dolls. Someone guys chase for, but can
    never get because I am in love. I just can't tell him, because I am afraid he
    wont believe me, that he'll think I am crazy.
    "Taralee! Let's go!" Matt was getting impatient.
    "Damn you, you are always in a rush. Lets be 'fasionably late' for once." I was
    trying to cover as fast as I could.
    About 4 months after Matt and I got married, I've been getting attacked, we have
    only been married for a year and 4 months. So I've been haunted for a year now.
    It's been getting so hard to hide this much longer, ever night that he wants to
    cuddle or be close to me, I can't because I hurt so much from bruises. I never
    see anything happen, I only wake up with marks, all over my body. Sometimes it
    makes me wonder exactly what this ghost wants from me.
    "Tara...what are you doing?" Matt asked me as he stood behind me.
    "Matty, hun...."
    "No, what the hell happened?" He demanded, searching my body for more scratches
    and bruises.
    "You won't believe me." I said, turning to him looking him in the eyes.
    "Tell me, because the only things going through my mind are Dominatrix or you
    got in a bad accident and didn't tell me." He ran his fingers accross my bruised
    skin.
    "Well...that's the problem really, I-I don't know. All I know is I go to sleep
    and wake up like this."
    "How long has this been happening?"
    "Started 4 months after we got married." I looked down to the ground.
    "A year? You have to be kidding me, and you never told me?"
    "Well, I didn't think you would believe me!" I looked him in the eyes.
    "God, Tara, I love you, why wouldn't I believe you?"
    "Because it's...not natural." I sighed. "Help me finish up here, we have to get
    to that party. What was it for again?" He looked at me unsure for a moment, then
    started carefully putting make-up over the bruises.
    "It's for my team, they are offically best in state."
    "Oh, yeah, look who they have for a coach." I kissed him and grabbed my jacket.
    "Ready?"
    "I have been for the last hour." He replied, grabbing the keys to the car, he still looked concerned, like, I wasn't telling the whole truth.
    We walked to his Navy blue Camero, I enjoyed this car, the interior was an amazing slick black leather and his radio had all the stations you could ask for. I'm not sure how he got the money to pull this together, but it really didn't matter, I wasn't much for the kind of car he drove, honestly, he pulled this all together within 6 months of our marriage.
    "You know, I only hide the truth and covered up so you wouldn't look bad when we went out with your friends. I mean, how would they take it if they saw bruises all over me and you always looked so tence, like you do now?" I said placing my hand on his as he drove, I gave it a little squeeze and his face lightened up a bit.
    "My friends wouldn't think I had hurt you in anyway, yeah, questions would go through their heads, but, they would have asked something." He looked over at me when he stopped for a red light.
    "But then what would you say? 'A ghost attacked my wife.', they would probably think you are mental!" I lowered my voice and kept quiet for the rest of the ride to the high school.
    "Coach, glad you could make it." Mr. Bednorth the NorthWood Hights principle said.
    "Wouldn't let the guys down, you know."
    "Mrs. Coach, want to hit the movies tomorrow?" Brink, the high schools "lady's man" asked me.
    "Brink, you know that I am with coach and it's Mrs. Death to you." I said walking away as he licked his wounds.
    "Damn girl, that hurt." He yelled at me.
    "Get use to rejection." I said linking arms with Matt and looking around for Caroline, Brinks mom and my best friend.
    "Tahrah! Get your butt over here!" Caroline always did that, she couldn't say Tara like other poeple, she had to make it sound...different, if that's the word for it.
    "Your son is unbelievable." I said, as I reached her side.
    "Yeah, I know. But, you got to thank him, if he never joined your hunk of a husbands hockey team, we never would have met." She smiled.
    "Yeah, got to hand it to him. Just, he really needs to stop hitting on me, I am married, and he still wants to date me, makes me wonder what kind of girls he dates." I sighed and kissed each of her cheeks. "Sorry hun, I have to get going. Matt's calling." I looked over at Matt, he was staring at me, mouthing "Save me." I had to laugh.
    "Alright, give him a hug from me, or more." She smiles innoccently.
    "You'd love that, go find your own husband."
    "Fine, ruin the dreams. I'm just playing, have fun." She walked off and Matt rushed over.
    "You know how much these dads talk. They are worse then girls and daily gossip. I'd much rather talk to them right now." He handed me some punch and sat in the chair next to me.
    "You wouldn't say that after you joined a girls gossip session, trust me, if you'd like, I'll start it."
    "No, no...I am good." He put his head in his hands.
    "Coach!" Matt groaned as Brink came running up.
    "What Brink?" He said looking up.
    "Um...nevermind." He walked away, obviously noticing the frustration in Matts reaction.
    "Hey. Lets go home, you don't look so good."
    "I don't feel so good either." He stood up and grabbed my hand. "I have to let Coach Fred know, so he can talk to the parents about next practice and the whole plan for the rest of the season." I nodded and after Fred wished good health, we left.
    The drive home was quiet, I would look over at Matt a few times and his eyes would be glued to the road and he looked deep in thought. I was worried that maybe he was too deep, because every so often he would have to turn back onto our side of the road. Something was wrong with him, I just couldn't figure it out.
    We walked inside and and he went right up to bed. "Matt, do you want anything well I am down here?" There was no answer. "Matt, hun...are you okay?" I asked walking up the stairs.
    "Oh, um...yeah, fine. Sorry, I spaced out." He was sitting on the side of the bed, the room was dark and cold. Matt's usually always cold, so I found it odd he'd be sitting there with his shirt off.
    "Do you want me to get you anything?"
    "No, I just want to go to sleep." He layed down and covered up. I walked over and kissed his forehead, his temperature was kind of high, but nothing to worry about. "Love you, come to bed soon."
    "Love you too, I have some paper work to fill out for that job interveiw." He nodded and rolled on his side, closing his eyes.
    I walked down stairs, I was use to being alone, Matt was either asleep or at a game or overnight trip with the guys. I was the one who didn't really sleep at night, he was the one who could sleep for a week on end and only wake up to use the bathroom, get a drink or something small to eat so he would die. I on the other hand was the one who could spend 47 hours awake and sleep for only 4 to get all my energy back.
    I hummed to myself as I filled out my paper work. I was applying at the school Matt worked at, he said that there was a need for an English teacher. A sub has been there for over a month now. I had majored in English, I just never went at it, I was busy writing a book.
    "Taralee...." A voice called.
    "What Matt?" No one replied. I looked around.
    "Taralee...." It repeated. I walked up stairs to see what kind of joke Matt was playing on me, but he was sound asleep, and that wasn't something that he usually said in his sleep. So I gave up and layed down next to him, maybe I was just super tired.
    "Taralee...." The voice said again, this time I knew is wasn't Matt, because the voice was coming from the hallway.
    "Who are you?" I asked, sitting up.
    "Taralee!" It yelled this time, and something flew in the room, smashing against the wall.
    "What do you want?" I asked, bringing my knees to my chest.
    "Taralee...come here." It said, the voice soft now, almost caring. I ignored it. "I said, come here!" It yelled. Again something flew in the room, it landed on the bed between Matt and I. I picked it up, it was a picture of Matt and my wedding. I looked on the floor and found the other item tossed at me. It was another picture of Matt and I, from our prom, he was prom king, I was queen.
    "Go away!" I yelled. "Get out of here, I don't want you here!" I rocked while hugging my knees. Matt rolled over and looked at me.
    "Ta, hun, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting up and hugging me.
    "He...he yelled at me, threw things...he wants me to come to him." I look straight ahead.
    "He? Who is he? Who is in our house? Where is he." He got off the bed and walked over to my side, stepping on glass. "Ow, s**t. What the hell?" He reached down and picked up the picture and large pieces of glass. "He threw this? Tara, who is 'he'?"
    "He...the ghost. He called my name, the yelled it and tossed the prom picture. The he said 'come here' when I wouldn't he yelled it and tossed our wedding picture." Tears streamed my face now.
    "Tara, are you sure?"
    "How the hell else would these pictures get in here? Why would I break our prom picture? Why would I lie to you?" I let go of my knees and looked at him.
    "I am not saying that." He looked back at me and walked out of the room, comeing back with the vaccum. He cleaned up the glass.
    "Here, I'll fix your foot." I walked into our bathroom getting some tweezers and a band-aid.
    We were both silent as we finished cleaning up and layed back down. I just looked at the ceiling, but I could feel Matts worried eyes looking at me.
    "Taralee. I'm sorry. It's just really hard for me to believe that a ghost is terroizing my wife. I would much rather believe the wind did this." He said.
    I rolled over so my back was facing him. "Yeah, some wind we have huh? And only pictures of us, none of the family or anything." I sighed and closed my eyes.
    "Taralee, don't be like this."
    "How should I be, should I be happy and cuddlely? Yeah, I always love to do that after something tried to kill me with my own pictures."
    "Tara, be serious."
    "I am, you are the one trying to find other reasons to why pictures flew in our room. What now, the tv was saying my name? Wait, the tv is off, just like there is no wind."
    "You know what Taralee, you want to be this way, go ahead, I'll sleep on the couch."
    "Matt...please, I am sorry, I am just in shock and scared."
    "So you take it out on me?"
    "I'm sorry." I rolled over and looked at him.
    "It's okay." He whispered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Go to sleep now." He smiled and we closed our eyes.