"He's been helping me look for her." Meri broke the silence. "So did the other's at the retreat. We all broke off to go looking. At first we thought she ran off on her own... but then I realized that wasn't the case. We connected with her for a short time in a circle, but it was foggy." 

"She she ripped my soul out!" Molly interjected angrily. "And in their circle, they were too busy talking over each other to find me." 

"Well if no one took her...how did she go missing?" I ask a little sarcastically.

"A spirit." Meri hesitates. "Or demon..."

"Oh my god!" I groan. When my mother makes a mess, it's colossal. "So, the cottage is actually haunted?"

"Usually, the spirits are great hostesses." Meri defends. Nick raises and eyebrow at my mother, and she spills "One is a bit of a prankster... Slightly malicious willed at times. Usually not very strong or disruptive though. Maybe it came from somewhere else, I'm not sure."

"Wherever it came from it walked off in Molly's body." Nick adds. Meri starts to cry again. "These things feed off of negative energy. You're mother, and Molly were playing around with possession and astral projection."

"Then I saw you on top of Molly...." Meri cries.

"I was doing CPR! I saw a girl laying on the floor unconscious, not breathing, ALONE!" Nick yells, then calms himself with a deep exhale. "What you two were playing with was dangerous. I told you not to do it!"

"An understatement." Molly echoes.

"But she's talking to you!" My mother perked up. "You can help us."

***

"We know where Molly's soul currently occupies. Find her body... do a cleanse ceremony to rid the possession and reconnect Molly to her body... Without an evil spirit in it. Connecting to the body with an evil being inside, can be...unpleasant." My grandmother says calmly as she places bacon onto Meri's plate. "And maybe stop playing with astral projection in haunted building to prevent this happening in the future..." 

"That sounds simple enough." I say sarcastically. If only dingbats Meri, and the psychics could get their shit together, maybe we could find the other half of Molly. "Thank you." I say as grandma drops some bacon onto my plate.

"We have been looking." Meri said in between nibbling her bacon. "No idea where her body is."

Jared, wearing my grandmother's green apron, and matching oven mitts, was pulling out fresh bread from the oven. Whenever he went missing for a while in my house, he was usually helping my grandmother with something. Even before Jared, and I started dating, he was coming over here with his father. Helping put new shingles on the roof after a few had fallen into their yard. Every snowfall they would be over shoveling the driveway, and in the summer mowing the lawn. Jared claims it was an excuse to come see me, and sweeten my grandmother up enough to ask permission to ask me out. I think it was actually all the cakes, and pies she baked for them through the years. I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time. Here Jared still was, helping my grandmother bake breakfast, while I argued with my mother.

"So much for this conversation being discussed privately." Nick complained gesturing at Jared who was slicing the fresh bread.

"He is more of a believer than I am," I say defending Jared's presence. I still haven't completely shut out the idea that he's got her body locked up somewhere. 

"Believer or not, at least we know her soul is hanging out, which I'm kind of offended about." Lavender teased. "Molly is my friend after all. You thought she was annoying."

I thought she was more than annoying, but now wasn't the time to discuss my list of why's. "I think you're annoying too Lavender, but you're still always hanging around me." I rebuttal. I really don't know why she attached to me, probably out of spite.

"This is serious girls," Meri urges. 

"This is serious," Jared agrees. "Lana's been tormented with this for weeks, but because you lied about where Molly was. When she went missing you didn't go to the police, like you should have..." 

My grandmother sat down, finally. Her breakfast plate filled with eggs, bacon and fresh buttered bread, all getting cold. "I know this is strange for you Elana, but you need to tell us everything. We need as much information as possible. In order to find Molly, and put her back together."

"And we need the police." Jared added in. 

"Last time I said something to your father, he laughed it off. And he thinks my mom is full of it more than me." I say.

"Meri can confirm Molly went with her, and never at her father's place a missing persons report will be easier. Besides, the detective Derrick will believe every word your mother says. They work with psychics, and mediums all the time to solve cases."

"Great," sarcasm just falls out of my mouth. 

Meri reaches over the table, gripping my hands with urgency. "Please?" She pleads.

"Promise me you'll just believe this is real, until we find her... or at least a few days." Jared gazes into my eyes, "Lean into this feeling for just a little while, and let the police do the searching. I'll be by your side the entire time."

"Ok," I agree. Still sitting in my chair. My feet uncontrollably bounce, and butterflies flutter in my belly. Molly's echo has changed from just a voice, to something a little stronger. I fear if we don't find her soon, this might get worse. I'm not fond of sharing, my body or anything else.

Author's Note:
This chapter's prompt is A promise is made.
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!