Haunted Heiress

Jamie Doyle

With a sigh, he continued to the elevator. After a year everyone had gotten used to Stephanie’s occasional disappearance only he didn’t expect she would disappear this time because of the storm.

Stephanie walked the sidewalk along with other pedestrians hurrying to their destinations, it seemed that like them, not everyone had the luxury of staying in during the storm. The wind was cold and biting, she could tell from the reactions of others when a fierce wind blew past them but she was fine. Looking around curiously, she quickly entered an open coffee shop and spotted an empty booth.

Just as she sat, a waiter walked up to her.

“Hello there, would you like to order?”

Stephanie looked up at the waiter and smiled.

“Jamie, why are you working here now?” she asked.

Jamie was her friend from school but she wasn’t a student, Jamie was a teacher. When she had to leave home to become a maid in the Voltz family, Jamie followed and that was when she learned that Jamie was not just a teacher friend but also her guard.

Smiling back at Stephanie, Jamie sat across from her and leaned on the table.

“It’s almost time Steph and we still know nothing about this curse” she whispered.

“Stop whispering, it’s more suspicious. And it’s not a curse” Stephanie leaned back in her seat studying Jamie.

Jamie looked to only be in her early twenties but Stephanie knew better, this woman should be about fifty if not double the number. She was the greatest enigma in her entire family, she groomed her mother and grandmother and was now her protector. Still she looked very young, if she dressed right, she would look like a teenager.

“Jamie what are you really?” Stephanie asked curiously.

“Hey this is serious” Jamie frowned at the question. She had made it clear countless times that it was one she would not answer.

“Yes this is serious too. You know, I checked our family’s Wikipedia page and I saw someone who looks awfully like you in a three hundred years old photo. Was that you?” Stephanie asked, her face flushed with excitement as she leaned closer to Jamie.

“Are you a vampire?” she asked then frowned, “no you have no fangs, are they retractable?”

A contemplating expression replaced the excitement as she pondered not noticing how Jamie’s expression was becoming uglier.

“I’d say a zombie but you don’t look pale. Wait! Huh? Hey Jamie I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll stop, come back” she called quickly.

Jamie had gotten up and was about to return to work. Hearing Stephanie’s call, she rolled her eyes and sat back down in her seat, a frown on her face as she eyes Stephanie like a raven.

“You already know my opinion on this issue Jamie, it’s not a curse, there has to be someone responsible for it” Stephanie returned to the subject Jamie was asking her about.

“Is that why you became Wraith? To get involved in the dark world?” Jamie asked raising a brow.

“Bingo, and I think it’s the best thing. My parents and siblings spent all their time trying to undo a curse and they all died while at it, since they already walked that route, I see no need to. Especially because I very much like my life” Stephanie replied with a confident smirk.

Jamie stared at Stephanie for a while, a smile spread across her lips and she shook her head.

“Such a cute kid” she felt that Stephanie was unlike all her siblings who matured early, she was still a girl.

“Uh huh, my beauty is unmatched” Stephanie nodded proudly.

“But didn’t you tell me about that girl at school… what’s her name? Umm” Jamie snapped her fingers rapidly as she pretended to recall.

“Go away, back to work. I’ll like a cup of coffee please” Stephanie pushed back Jamie who was leaning on the table.

Raising her voice she called.

“A cup of coffee please, chop chop”

Jamie laughed and stood.

“Oh I remember, Megan, the fair Megan, with ember eyes and a perfect face” she looked into the distance dreamily, a teasing smile on her face as she sighed.

Stephanie was stomped at her performance and more so that Jamie would tease her with her arch nemesis.

“Come Jamie” she gestured for Jamie to lean down.

Unfazed, Jamie squatted by the table in front of the booth curious about Stephanie’s retaliation.

“You do know I could just kill her and end this rivalry right?” Stephanie whispered exaggeratedly.

“Yes, but you don’t have the heart” Jamie replied without any change in her expression. Stephanie was too different from her siblings, any of her siblings would have gotten rid of a troublesome rival long ago, but Stephanie couldn’t. Well she was capable of it but like every other human capable of killing, it wasn’t something she even contemplated. That of course did not stop her from making jokes about it.

Becoming serious, Jamie handed Stephanie a phone.

“Don’t lose it this time. Details about your next target are in there and umm…” Jamie hesitated to continue, she looked around then up at the curious Stephanie, her expression turning solemn.

“I am not a vampire or zombie, those things are not real. At least I haven’t seen any, I am an AI, as in artificial intelligence… a robot, so um. I can’t age or die, got it?” Jamie stared at Stephanie’s blank expression and rolled her eyes.

“Pretend to be shocked all you want but you absolutely cannot tell anyone this. I am the only real AI in existence and yes, there is a lot I can do but I am not nearly as powerful as those fictional stuff so get those ideas out of your head” finishing what she had to say, she rose and returned to the counter to get Stephanie a cup of coffee.

“Huh” Stephanie woke from her stupor and collapsed into her seat. Her eyes lit up and she quickly opened the phone Jamie had given her and sent Jamie a text.

Stephanie: So what can you do? Do you need a phone to text?

Jamie replied instantly.

Jamie: I said I can’t do cool things like on those movies and books, I never said I am stupid.

Stephanie: What’s that supposed to mean, are you calling me stupid?

Jamie: If not stupid then just inferior, like every other human.

Stephanie scoffed loudly attracting attention from others receiving warmth in the coffee shop.

Stephanie: Says the one who might not even be capable of emotions.

Jamie: Oh I am, I programed myself, then I created myself, so no, my emotions were not programed into me. Take that b*tch.

Stephanie froze, her mouth agape as she turned to Jamie who was busy making coffee like the world had nothing to do with her.

Stephanie: Are you kidding me? I’m twelve you moron.

Jamie: Right what a wuss.

At a loss for word she decided to stop talking with the old devil, there was no way she would win against her anyways.

‘I am not an inferior human like the rest of them so I don’t have to mind her.’ She comforted herself with that and nodded.

Less than a minute later, Jamie brought her coffee, black as she always liked it but as she took a sip she could instantly tell that Jamie had added some sugar to it, probably just a pinch but she could taste it still. Annoyed, she turned to glare at the woman who winked at her, her phone vibrated and she checked it, a text from Jamie.

Jamie: “Only weirdos drink black coffee.”

Unwilling to say anything back to her, she walked out of the coffee shop and took a deep long breath of the fresh … well not fresh, there was snow particles in the air!

She hurried along and quickly returned to the Acia Tower, she feared that she had taken too long this time and Donna would be worried about her. Although this wasn’t the first time, if she took too long it would still worry Donna after all concern for a loved one hardly worked with logic.

On returning However, she didn’t see anyone waiting for her in the lobby so she quickly took the elevator up.

Just as it was about to move, a hand reached out to stop it. Stephanie who was resting lazily in a corner quickly stood upright and put on a half smiling expression like every normal business person despite only being a kid.

For a moment Stephanie was confused, from the veins in the hand, she could tell that this person was a man but the complexion of the skin and the hairs seemed very much like a woman’s.

‘Must be a man who takes good care of himself ‘ she thought as the door opened and a man in a suit walked in.

The moment she saw him enter, her pupils shrunk but she neither moved nor changed her expression.