Caleb is the cat in the hat (worth_therisk) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-03-09 12:54:00 |
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Caleb was seriously getting used to having Hanna around, a lot. They were beginning to get a regular routine down as well. While Hanna was in the shower he usually made them breakfast. Which was precisely what he should be getting to. Getting out of bed was always difficult, especially when he had a night filled with more Ravenswood dreams. Hanna had even showed up which scared the hell out of him. He didn’t want her getting mixed up in everything. At least he finally came clean to her about Miranda being dead and Hanna left without anything happening to her. Then there was the thing where Miranda’s uncle tried to save them all by releasing the original Caleb with the jar of hair. Weird shit.
Rolling over he got out of bed and began walking down the stairs of his loft, he spotted someone on the couch. Okay maybe he had stayed in bed too long. “Sorry Han,” he called as he made his way over to the kitchen. “I couldn’t seem to -“ he froze. That wasn’t Hanna. It was his Aunt Patty, the one who had put him in foster care back when he was six. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked anger rising in his voice. “How’d you get in?” because seriously what the fuck?
Patty stood up from the couch, taking a few tentative steps toward Caleb. “I just wanted to apologize. I should have taken care of you.”
“Yeah, a little late for that now isn’t it?” Caleb spat back at her. He had overcome a lot lately, but forgiving her or his mother was not something that was on his to-do list. “I did fine without you,” there was a coldness in his voice, and that wasn’t entirely true. Sure his life was pretty much together now but it wasn’t an easy road to get here. Especially with what happened to Hanna. He wasn’t about to get into that with his aunt though.
“I know,” Patty replied softly. “You’ve done well for yourself, Caleb. I’m proud of you.”
“That doesn’t mean shit,” Caleb replied his voice cracking slightly. No, he wasn’t going to do this, he couldn’t get into this. Not, now after all this time. “Look, I don’t know how you got in here but you need to get out.”
Routines were good, and in the whole trying to balance all parts of her life, usually staying the night at Caleb’s was a good way to do that. That was their time together and then they did their own thing and then came back together. It had taken some adjustment (re-adjustment?) but things were evening out now. More dreams, more confusion. Typical Rosewood/A stuff. Honestly it was exhausting so it was just...shower away the grime and….
What the hell?
Hearing Caleb raise his voice, Hanna turned the water off and blinked. That… didn’t sound good. So wrapping herself in a towel, the blonde went to investigate. Only to see Caleb talking to…. air? Oh hell no. Had the dreams made her boyfriend go crazy? No. She knew that there was something going on there. She had been to Ravenswood. And yet….
“Uh… Caleb? Who are you talking to?”
Hanna’s voice startled him. He hadn’t forgotten she was over, he had just been so wrapped up in his conversation with his aunt. He looked from his girlfriend to his aunt, brows knitted together in confusion. Then it hit him. Hanna had no idea who this lady was. It wasn’t like she had ever met his aunt before and Caleb had zero pictures of her, or any pictures from his childhood.
“Right, sorry. Hanna, this is my Aunt Patty,” he motioned to her with his hand to his aunt. “But she was just leaving,” he added bitterly. Because he really didn’t want to see her right now.
Caleb’s explanation really wasn’t doing anything to calm Hanna down. Because it meant that whatever weird thing was going on in Ravenswood was now happening here. And sure, she was all too aware that things like that could cross over. She saw people talk about it all the time on the network. Had injuries cross over for herself. But….
“Caleb… no one’s there… It’s just us here.”
Yeah. Hanna was definitely worried.
“What are you talking about? She’s right there.” He pointed again. What was Hanna blind or something.
Patty finally spoke up, “actually, she can’t see me.”
What the fuck? How could Hanna not see her? “What the hell is going on?”
“I died,” Patty informed her nephew. “And I realized all the mistakes I made, mostly with you. I know I can’t make them right but I wanted to at least apologize.”
“What the fuck? How can you be here if you’re dead? This makes no sense,” Caleb ran his hands over his face. This was way too much. He couldn’t process it all. “I think I need to sit down.”
Hanna had no idea on how to handle this. All she could do was watch as her boyfriend seemed to put it all together. Honestly it still seemed like he had completely lost his mind. But between people on the network recently discussing talking to spirits and the Ravenswood dreams…. once Caleb asked how she could be dead….
But it was still a lot. Which was why she just quickly went to support her boyfriend and get him to a chair so he could do that.
He was grateful for Hanna and took a seat once they reached a chair, then slowly turned his attention back to his apparently dead aunt. “You need to go,” he said again. He couldn’t deal with her right now. He needed to process.
Patty seemed to understand what Caleb needed, she could at least give him that after all. And just like that she was gone. It was like she disappeared into thin air.
“I think I just saw a ghost,” he said to Hanna, his voice as well as his hands were a bit shaky. That was the only damn explanation for it. He talked to Miranda’s ghost in the dreams, and could see some of the other dead pact members but this was a whole other level of insanity, not to mention it was happening in his real life.
This was definitely not something any sort of relationship advice column might have on. ‘Hi, my boyfriend sees and speaks to ghosts, how do I help him?’ God. At least being stalked by A was normal in the sense it could happen in the real world. Sighing, Hanna just remained sort of crouched, supporting her weight on the balls of her feet, almost kneeling in front of her boyfriend, just holding his hand.
“Yeah… It looks that way….”
“She’s gone now,” he took a deep breath to try and calm himself. “Just disappeared.” And what the hell was that? He was still having trouble processing it all. Did he honestly get the ability to see ghosts thanks to Ravenswood? It was the only thing that made sense. He knew people got abilities from dreams but he didn’t think it would ever happen to him. His dreams had been so devoid of anything supernatural until recently.
“You really didn’t see her?”
Patient. Hanna could do patient. Okay, no she really could not do patient. She felt anxious and powerless and she wanted to do something but she knew that wasn’t an option at the moment. She just needed to let Caleb process what had happened so she remained as she was, worrying her lower lip absently. At least until he asked her the question about not seeing her.
“I really didn’t see her…”
“She was my aunt, the one that put me in foster care,” and yes the bitterness was back in his voice. He had no clue why he was explaining. It wasn’t like Hanna saw her anyway. “This has to be because of Ravenswood, right? I talk to Miranda’s ghost there.” He was beginning to process out loud now. Reason it all out. Caleb had always been a guy for reason and logic. This place had definitely changed that but he wasn’t entirely sure he was open enough to the idea that he could see ghosts. “You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?”
All Hanna could do was let Caleb talk, to try and use reason to make sense of what had happened. So she did just that. Because he was getting there, making the connection to Ravenswood and Miranda’s ghost and how he had been able to talk to her there.
“No. I don’t think you’re crazy, I mean, I have a friend who’s a freaking vampire and you got healed by a bird. So…. talking to ghosts thanks to Ravenswood happening here? It’s kinda not as hard to believe as it was in the dreams.”
Well at least Hanna didn’t think he was crazy. He wasn’t so sure himself but she was right this place was full of weird things. Hell he had flown a few weeks ago, and then was attacked by weird ass monkeys. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. At least the shakiness was subsiding. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he finally said. “Not how I was planning to start my day, but I guess I’m just going to have to get used to it?” Hopefully she wouldn’t come back though and he wouldn’t see any more dead people. It wasn’t exactly something he wanted to experience ever again.
“Anyway, breakfast.” He stood up walking into the kitchen. Getting back to normal, that’s what he needed right now. “What do you want?”
“Of course I’m right.” Because what else could she say? He seemed to be calming down though, so that was good. “Yeah. Hopefully.” As Caleb stood up, Hanna did as well, still holding her towel to herself since she had raced been in the shower when it all started.
“Mmm. I’m good with yogurt and fruit. But surprise me.” Kissing his cheek, Hanna headed up to the loft in order to get ready for the day.