writing Girl at the window

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

                                                                 The girl at the window

 

 

Part 1: The mystery

 

                Thomas Baker was walking home from school with his best friend Mitchell. They were both ten years old and in the fourth grade. They basked in the freedom that only comes from being free to spend the rest of the afternoon as they wished. They lived in a small town that was big on outdoor activities.

                As the two were walking along, joking and looking for some people to play ball with, Thomas happened to glance up towards the sky to look at the clouds. As his head went back down he noticed something in an upstairs window. At first he thought it was a doll, but then it moved and he realized it was a girl. She seemed to be scanning the street. He judged her to be about six to eight years old.

                Ordinarily he wouldn’t pay her any mind, but she had such a sad look on her face that he stopped and gave her a cheery wave, all he was really able to do. He mentally kicked himself for such a silly action, but he looked on with surprise as it actually seemed to do the trick. Her eyes stopped moving around and focused on him with excited surprise. She waved her hand really hard at him, looking almost ecstatic. Her action perplexed him. It was just a wave, after all.

                He was pulled away from thoughts of the blonde haired girl by Mitchell, who had turned around to see what was holding him up. Putting it out of his mind he ran to catch up.

                The next two days were weekend days, but Monday afternoon as they were walking home Thomas took notice of the house and giggled with amusement.

                “What?” Asked Mitchell. “What’re you laughing at?”

                “Oh, it’s nothing really. The other day I saw a girl in the window at that white house. I don’t know why, but I waved at her, and she reacted like we would if we were told there was no homework for the rest of the year.”

                “Well, that’s silly.”

                Glancing up towards the window he saw she was there again, still just looking around. As if she had felt him looking she turned towards him, waving very animatedly. Wondering if she recognized him as the boy from a few days ago he waved back automatically, once more finding her reaction odd.

                He went to point her out but some of their school friends came running up to them, asking them if they wanted to play some baseball.

                Heading home from school the next day his eyes habitually went to the window in the house. As usual she was there, and he took the initiative this time. She responded just as cheerily as she always did. He wondered why she was always looking out the window, but the answer seemed obvious. That was probably her bedroom, and she was waiting for her brother or sister to come home from school so they could play together.

                It became a daily routine for him. It only took a few seconds of every day, but a  part of him always waited with a touch of excitement as he loved the joy he caused in her. Beyond that they had no interaction.

                One day after school, his curiosity aroused after a month of the little waving ritual, he went to his mom to see if she knew anything. Even though he had been living there two years he didn’t know that many people outside of kids from school. But his mom was a social animal, always anxious to meet new people and expand her circle.

                He described the house and the girl. His mother, Penny, was busy straightening up, but she took the time to think it over. “Hmmm. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve never seen a girl like you described. I don’t know everyone in town, you know?”

                “Not yet.” Thomas replied with a laugh.

                Handing her dishes to place in the cabinet she suddenly paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Unless I miss my guess, I thought that house was unoccupied.”

                “It can’t be. I mean, yeah, it did look a little uncared for, but I’ve seen her a bunch of times.”

                “Hmm. I’m going to have to check back with you on that. If that child is routinely going into an empty house there is something wrong going on.”

                The next day he waved to the girl as usual. When he got home his mom called him, not sounding happy. Setting his bookbag on the couch he went to the kitchen to see his mother, her eyes narrowed. “So, are you happy now, now that you’ve wasted valuable time that could have gone to something more important?”

                “What?” He asked, a perplexed look on his face.

                “I asked about that house you were telling me about, and I was told it’s been empty since the year before we moved here. Three years!” Thomas started to respond but she cut over him. “So I called the sheriff to investigate whether some kids are using it as a playhouse or some such. They told me it doesn’t look like anyone’s been in it for a long time, even in that upstairs bedroom.”

                “How could that be? I mean-“

                Again Penny talked over him. “I don’t know what your intention was in making up such a story, but that officer could have been using his time on an actual emergency. Feh. You probably just wanted an excuse to go in there yourself. ‘Oh, I had to go in there to see why this girl was in there.’”

                “I’m not making it up!” Thomas said strongly. “I didn’t even know that house was abandoned until you told me about it.”

                “I can’t be sure. Now go do your homework.”

                Thomas was fuming as he grabbed his bag from the living room, doing his homework as quick as possible before leaving to go see who was around the park to play. He saw Mitchell playing soccer with a few kids and got an idea. Mitchell wanted to be a photographer when he grew up, and was always borrowing his parents’ camera, so they got him his own for his birthday. He waited for a little bit for the game to finish, then went up to him.

                Mitchell turned toward him as he called. “Hey, Tommy.” He called out, using his nickname. “What’s up?”

                “I need your help.”

                “With what?”

                “I need to borrow that digital camera of yours.”

                “No way!”

                “Come on! I’ll lend you one of my video games or something.”

                “You seem really heated up about something. What’s up?”

                “My mom is mad at me. She thinks I’m lying when I’m not.”

                Mitchell slapped his hand to his face. “Man, I hate it when that happens. So, what, you want the camera to prove what you’re saying?”

                “Yes! You know that girl in the window?”

                “Ah, your little waving buddy.” Putting on a goofy face he waved both arms like his life depended on it. “Oh, hewwo! I wike to wave!” He started laughing hard.

                Thomas playfully tackled him to the ground and they began wrestling.

                For a whole minute the two went back and forth, neither able to get a definitive edge on the other. “Alright, alright!” Mitchell said with a laugh. “You win! I’m far too weak and helpless to beat you.”

                “That’s right!” Thomas said. In a dramatic voice he cried out, “I am victorious!”

                When he loosened his grip, though, Mitchell took advantage of his lapse, knocking him back down. The two now took this match seriously, each of them trying their hardest to win until they were panting and sweating. They could feel the crowd of kids watching them, which only served to make them push harder. In the end, though, it was Thomas who came out on top.

                Tired from all the exertion he lay down in the grass next to his friend. “Better?” Mitchell asked.

                Turning his face slightly toward Mitchell he said, “Yeah.” He took in several more gasps of air before asking, “You let me win, didn’t you?”

                A sly look crossed Mitchell’s features. “Maybe. You’ll never know, will you?”

                Thomas raised his hand, then dropped it. “Oh, forget it. I’m too tired to keep going.” For the next few minutes it was quiet, the two of them trying to regain their breath and strength back. “Thank you.” Thomas finally said, breaking the silence between them.

                “Heh. You looked like you needed to get that anger out of your system.

                “So now, what about your little girlfriend?”

                “She’s not my girlfriend!”

                “Alright. Fine!”

                “You’ve seen her, right?”

                “I never paid attention. I don’t know why you do, either.”

                “According to my mom that house has been abandoned for three years.”

                “Ah!” Mitchell exclaimed loudly, shooting up. “So an investigation.”

                “Not hardly!” Replied Thomas, sitting up as well. “I just want to take a picture of her from the outside. I know your camera has a zoom function. My stupid camera is just a disposable so I need yours.”

                “Meh!” Mitchell let out a sigh as he leaned back onto the grass. “I thought this was going to be fun.”

                “It might be. My mom called the sheriff to check out the house, and he claims it looks like no one’s been there for a long time. So how could that girl keep being there if no one lives there?”

                “So what’s the plan?” A twinkle had returned to his eyes. “You wanna see if we can get inside the house to check it out?”

                “Well, go get your camera. I’ll see if she’s there. If she is I’ll take a picture and shove it right in my mom’s face!” Mitchell suppressed a laugh at the venom in Thomas’ voice. “If she isn’t…” A strange feeling began forming in his stomach, a mix of fear and excitement and anticipation. He didn’t want to just wait until the next day. He wanted to prove her wrong… right now! “Sure…we’ll try to find a way in.”

                Mitchell pumped his fist. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s go to my house. My camera is in the bottom drawer of the red dresser. They don’t like me taking it out of the house without them around so I figure you can grab it and they won’t know.”

                “Sounds good to me.”

                When they arrived at Mitchell’s house they greeted his parents, saying they were only grabbing a few things before heading out again.

                Ten minutes later the two of them were standing in the yard of the house. “No sign of her.” Said Thomas. “Of course! Fine. We’ll have to do it the hard way.”

                “Hey! Did you hear that?” Asked Mitchell.

                “Hear what?”

                “I could have sworn I just heard a bang in there, like something fell.”

                Thomas let out a triumphant laugh. “Call me a liar, will she? She won’t be saying that soon, when I have proof. Someone is in there. I don’t care what the sheriff says.”

                As they hopped the small fence they began walking toward the house. “I wonder why the house has been empty so long.” Wondered Mitchell. “Three years. You’d think it would have been sold once the old people moved out.”

                “I don’t know. Maybe they still own it. Maybe it’s like…what does my mom call it? Sentimental value, or something like that.”

                “That makes no sense. Why would they let it get so messy looking? I mean, the lawn hasn’t been mowed in forever, there’s leaves everywhere, and look at all the garbage people have just thrown away.”

                “Well, who cares? It’s not important.”

                Trying the front door they surprisingly found it opened easily. Thomas gave Mitchell an arrogant smirk. “If no one is coming in here, why isn’t the door locked?”

                “I think you’re right. This is so exciting.”

                The pair entered the house, closing the door behind them. As it did the two of them got an eerie feeling, as all the natural light faded away with it. The windows were all covered with shades and the sun was going to set soon. Everything was still visible, but not as clearly as they would have hoped.

                “Tommy?” Started Mitchell with a small amount of trepidation.

                “Yeah, Mitch. I know. I’m a little nervous too. Let’s just go through the house quickly, see if anyone’s here, then leave.”

                Trying to bring a sense of excitement back to their little adventure he said, “Hey, let’s pretend like we’re secret agents.”

                “Okay. Sounds good.”

                Making a game out of it helped to get their minds off their fear. They creeped around on tiptoes, looked around corners before going down them. The house was relatively barren. Very little remained of what was likely a full house at its prime.

                They came upon a door that went to a basement. In a tone that made clear there was to be no argument Mitchell said, “I am NOT going down there! I don’t care if there is a light. Basements creep me out.”

                Thomas let out a little shuddering breath. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Thomas closed the door, covering his mouth as he sneezed. “Ah, this dust is starting to get to me.”

                “Me too. Well, all we have is the upstairs left.”

                The two of them jumped, letting out little exclamations of fear as they heard creaking upstairs. Their hearts were racing. “I think we should get out of here. There’s definitely someone here besides us.”

                “No way!” Said Thomas strongly. “It’s got to be her. We’re getting that picture. Come on.”

                Going back to their stealth mode they went to the stairs. They were carpeted so they made no noise as the pair cautiously climbed up. “I think her room is this way.” He said, pointing towards one of the rooms to the left. The two jumped again as they heard movement coming from the very room Thomas was pointing at. “This is it. Let’s go.”

                The door was half open, and the pair inched towards it, Thomas stifling another sneeze. As he poked his head inside he saw nothing on either side of the room. Pushing the door open all the way the two of them walked inside. “I could have sworn I heard it coming from here.”

                The two were suddenly screaming as hands grabbed them both, a rough male voice saying, “Gotcha!”

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2: Determination

 

 

 

                Penny gave out a big sigh, standing in the kitchen, her lips thin and her arms crossed as she looked down upon her son and his friend sitting at the kitchen table. “Thank you, sir, for bringing my son home.” She said in a curt voice.

                Thomas didn’t dare look up at the moment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the sheriff standing nearby.

                “It was no problem. After getting word that someone may have been going inside I decided to hang around for a little while today to see if anyone showed up.”

                “I see…” Thomas felt his mother’s glare on him. “Well, my son, the one in the red, was the reason I called you yesterday in the first place.” With a very obvious change in tone she said, “And did you find anything?”

                “Not today, and not yesterday either.”

                “There! You see, Thomas? There is NOTHING to be found in that stupid house. Are you satisfied now?”

                He didn’t bother answering. It was one of those questions that you knew you weren’t supposed to answer.

                “Well, I have to get back on the beat.” Said the sheriff, tipping his hat to her. “Have a good day.” Directing his words to the two boys he said, “As for you two, don’t go playing around in abandoned houses anymore.”

                “Yes, sir.” Said the two boys mechanically.

                Thomas waited once the sheriff left, knowing the boom wouldn’t be far away.

                “I cannot believe this.” Penny started. “After talking to you yesterday you still decided to go into that house. What were you thinking?”

                “I don’t understand why you’re so mad.” Replied Thomas.

                Big, BIG mistake. Penny had been restraining her anger to try to talk to him, but his careless comment pushed her over the edge. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You don’t  UN-DER-STAND why I’m so angry? You don’t understand? Do YOU understand the danger you were in? What if you had fallen down the stairs? No one goes in there so no one could have ever told where you had gone. There’s all sorts of mold and dust and mildew all around that could have gotten you sick! What if that hadn’t been the sheriff looking around there? What if it had been some kind of insane lunatic? What if he was a rapist? You’re not usually this stupid! You have to be smarter than this. It’s not your concern whether someone was in that house. That’s why we have the sheriff in the first place!”

                Her breathing was getting sharper and shorter. “And you, Mitchell!” She snapped, now directing her words at him.  “Don’t think you’re getting out of this scot-free. You went along with this plan of his. Get in the car. You’re going home. And you, Thomas, can tell them how you dragged your friend into this dangerous situation.”

                It wasn’t a pleasant rest of the day. After getting yelled at by his mom he had to explain to Mitchell’s parents, who were just as angry as his mother was, and the two of them got lectured again by both of their parents. A little later, after getting home, his father came home from work, and he got scolded again, his dad expressing clear disappointment in his choices. He wasn’t as loud or outwardly emotional, but his tone was obvious.

                He was told he was grounded for a week and would be getting a lot of chores. The next day Mitchell barely talked to him, mad because his camera had been taken away and he had been grounded too.

                After school, for the first time in a long while, Mitchell didn’t walk home with him. Without thinking about it he walked down the same way he always did. The way to Mitchell’s was a little out of his way. He found himself near the elusive house. Automatically his eyes went to the window, and there she was, as always. He found himself getting angry, and nearly just kept walking. With a sigh he thought that he shouldn’t take his anger out on her and gave her a quick wave, her returning it.

                After doing his homework and an hour’s worth of chores he went to his room. This mystery was driving him crazy.

                 “I know I’m not making it up.” He said to his ceiling, lying on his bed. He thought of everything he knew about her. He could picture her clearly in his head. “She has blonde hair that goes to her shoulders, blue eyes, loves wearing a red shirt.”

                That was it. Tonight the mystery was going to be solved. He didn’t care what anyone said. He was going to solve this thing once and for all. He would wait until night, and find a way into the house. The sheer ridiculousness of that idea didn’t escape him. He knew if his mother found out he had been out in the middle of the night, going into that house again, he was going to be grounded for at least a few years. He just had to know. There was something…something compelling him to go forward with his plan.

                Going to sleep early he waited for his alarm to go off at one o’clock.

                When he heard it he quickly shut it off so it wouldn’t wake his parents. He jumped out of bed, still fully dressed in the blackest clothes he had. He threw on his shoes and opened his window. It was a slightly cool night, so he kept his jacket on as he climbed out.

                On the way there, partly out of curiosity and partly to distract himself from his fear, both of getting caught and of getting hurt, he asked himself the question that had been bugging him the whole day: If the house was empty, and no one was supposed to be in it, then why was she there? He had seen her too many times for him to believe it was just an illusion or a doll. Was someone pulling a prank on him? Was the sheriff in on it? He shook his head, thinking he was starting to jump to wild conclusions. No one told him to go in the house. And who would pull a prank like that? And why? To get someone in trouble?

                He stopped moving as a peculiar thought came to mind. Was she a ghost? ‘A real live ghost.’ He thought wondrously. He had never seen a ghost before. But was she really? It would explain why she was there, how no one had seen her, and solve the issue of needing food. However, he couldn’t give up just at that conclusion.

                As he snuck into the backyard of the house he promised himself that, no matter what he found, or didn’t find as the case may be, that tonight would be the last time he would go there. He would see if there really was someone in there, and then stay away from it. If he didn’t find anything he’d just have to accept that he couldn’t explain why he was seeing her. No matter how afraid he felt he would search the house top to bottom.

                He tried the front door, unsurprised to find it locked. He was pretty sure he had seen the sheriff lock it as they left. The back door and all the windows were locked too. He eyed a pretty big rock, but put it out of his mind. Abandoned house or not, he didn’t want to just go around busting windows. Nevermind the fact that the sound would draw attention to the house. As his eyes refocused he saw something that made him investigate further. Moving the rock out of the way his eyes lit up. There was another locked window, but the glass was cracked, pieces of it missing. If he just put his weight on it a bit he thought he might be able to get his hand in enough to undo the lock or just rid himself of the pane altogether.

                The glass was broken in pretty big chucks, and to his delight they came out easily, chunk by chunk. When all the pieces were out he stopped, his heart starting to speed up. Sure, now he had a way in, but he was heading right into the basement. He went into his pocket, taking out the flashlight, and stuck his head in the window, shining the light inside. Having seen several horror movies he half expected a clown face to be right in front of him, ready to drag him to his doom. The reality, of course, was different. There was no sign of life.

                Aiming the flashlight straight down he saw with luck that there was what looked like a work bench, along with shelves straight against the wall, giving him two footholds to get down on.

                “Last chance to back out.” He said quietly to himself. He moved the flashlight around one more time to be absolutely sure no one was around. It was deathly quiet.

                Turning himself around and laying himself flat on the ground he pushed himself backwards with his hands until he felt empty air beneath his feet. He continued until he could bend his legs and touch the top of the shelves. Edging himself further until his whole body was in he lowered himself to the top of the bench, then to the floor. The room was in the shape of a square, with the stairs in the middle, so there were parts that he couldn’t see. His heart now hammering in his chest he kept looking around as he walked.

                He let out a scream as he bumped into something, something that felt human, the flashlight falling from his hand and going out. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god!” He kept saying as he felt his breath catch in his throat at the raw blackness that had taken over the room. Getting on his hands and knees he quickly scrambled around for the flashlight.

                When he finally found it he quickly turned it back on, aiming it in the direction of the thing he had bumped into, expecting to see an eight foot tall madman. To his relief it was only one of the dummies that designers use to model dresses.

                Being down there was seriously getting to him. He made a quick check around, finding no one. He started to head up the stairs, but stopped, feeling like there was someone behind him. He quickly turned the flashlight that way, and there was nothing there. Then it felt like they were in front of him. Forgetting about being quiet he started running up the stairs, feeling he was going to have a panic attack if he didn’t get out of there. He closed the door behind him, panting hard, looking towards the slight bit of moonlight with a sense of relief. He checked the ground floor, a little less unnerved because of that little bit of illumination. Finally there was only the upstairs left. After this, no matter what, the mystery of the house would be solved. Was there, or was there not, someone here?

                He looked through all the other rooms, leaving the one he was certain he was always seeing her from for last. All empty.

                Finally…there was only room left. The last place she could possibly be. The only place he had ever seen her. Despite the risks he had taken in getting this far, part of him wanted to just leave right then, to not open that door, to not know the truth. If he left it alone he could always claim he was right in his mind, because he hadn’t proved himself wrong. If he opened it, and there was nothing there, he would have to accept that he had been mistaken, no matter what his eyes had been telling him all this time. That he had gotten his friend in trouble for nothing.

                The other half of him would accept no such thing. He had come this far. Why not go all the way? Why not prove he was not lying?

                He struggled with himself, but finally he came to a decision. He had already made a promise not to come back. If he left now, he would always wonder what the truth was. No matter what was behind the door, he would know the truth, one way or the other.

                Taking a deep breath he put his hand on the handle, anticipation building up as he twisted it, pushing it open….

 

 

 

 

 

Part 3: Nightly romps

 

                The door creaked as it swung open, the dull moonlight left the room nearly in shadow. However, in front of the window was a dark mass that quickly turned around. Standing there in front of him was the girl he had been seeing the whole time.

                Thomas was taken by surprise. After all the trouble he had gone through he hadn’t been expecting anything when he opened the door. She was real! He was seeing her up close.

                Thoughts of his victory were quickly cut short as her voice cried out, “Who are you?” She sounded frightened.

                “Whoa, whoa!” He said quickly, putting his hands up by his head like he was surrendering. “I’m not going to hurt you. What are you doing here?”

                “I should be asking you that! You shouldn’t be here.” She shivered as he took a few steps toward her.

                “It’s okay. It’s okay. I just wanted to ask you something.” She cowered as he approached.

                Her only response was to head towards the corner to hide. “Just go away!”

                “Come on. You don’t have to be scared of me. Don’t you recognize me?”

                She looked up at him quizzically, suspiciously. Standing near the window he was more visible, and the fear instantly left her eyes as recognition crossed her features. “It’s you!” She said joyfully, standing up again. “You’re the nice boy who always waves to me.” She ran over to him, throwing her arms around the surprised ten year old.

                In his head he thought, ‘She’s touching me. I can feel her arms around me. That means she can’t be a ghost. She has to be real.’ Besides that, in his mind he thought of the ghosts he saw on TV or movies. They looked white and pale, and instead of legs they had what was like a tail at the end.

                Awkwardly he put one hand around her, patting her back with the other. “So…um, what are you doing here?”

                Looking up at him mischievously she said, “I should be asking you that. What are you doing in my house?”

                “Your…house?”

                “Yeah. I live here.”

                He mentally shrugged. She used this place as a hideout for something, so if she wanted to call it ‘her’ house, then whatever. “Were you here today, when that other guy was here? I was trying to visit you but I got in trouble. I’m not even supposed to be out here. My mom would have a fit if she knew I was here again.”

                “Yeah, but I was scared so I hid.”

                “There’s something I’ve been wondering for a while. You’re always looking out the window whenever I see you after school. Are you waiting for someone?”

                That had apparently been the wrong question to ask, as the joy left her face as tears started brimming around her eyes. “I’m waiting for my parents.”

                “Your parents? Where are they?”

                Again, that was the wrong question to ask. The tears began streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t know! I don’t know!” She buried her head in his chest and began sobbing.

                “Um…there, there.” He started patting her back again. “Don’t cry. It’s okay.”

                After a short while she seemed to calm down, little shudders still rocking her body as her emotions began settling. She pulled back from him, looking him in the eyes. “Thank you.”

                “Um…no problem.”

                “I like you. Will you play with me? It’s been so long since I had somebody to play with. You’re the only person who ever waved to me. Everybody always walked by, but nobody ever came to visit, or waved to me. Everyone else just ignored me.”

                “Well, sure. Why not?”

                A gleeful smile came back to her lips as she went into the closet, pulling out some toys. For about an hour he played with her, when he suddenly remembered the time constraints. He had to get home and quick before his parents figured out he was gone. He also needed to sleep. If he was exhausted in the morning he was sure his mom wouldn’t buy that he had been reading all night.

                “Listen, um…” He suddenly realized that he didn’t even know her name. “My name is Thomas. What’s yours?”

                “I’m Saya.” She replied, letting out a laugh.

                “What’s so funny about that?” He asked, a smile pulling at his lips.

                “I asked my mom one time why she named me that, and she said it made a good joke.”

                “What’s the joke?”

                “She named me Saya because I make her sigh-uh.”

                Thomas let out a giggle. “That is kinda funny. Well, Saya, I have to go home now before I get in ever bigger trouble.”

                “Can you come back and play with me again sometime?”

                Thomas wanted to say no. He didn’t want to risk getting in such big trouble again. However, the sad, pleading look on her face,  a fresh round of tears already starting to coat the bottom of her eyes as he hesitated in his answer…he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Sure. I don’t know when, but I’ll come back again.” She clapped, that giant grin back on her face as she hugged him again. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright here by yourself?”

                She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

                He headed back downstairs, with a touch of reluctance to the basement, and climbed the bench and shelves to get back out the window. He moved the rock back in place, but wasn’t sure what to with the glass pieces. If the sheriff started poking around again and saw them he would know someone had gone in there. Taking his coat off he slipped off his undershirt, putting the pieces on top of it and lightly tying the ends together, hoping his shirt wouldn’t get too holey. The next day was trash day, so he simply chucked the pieces in a garbage can before heading back home.

                Slipping his coat off he threw on a new shirt and lay in bed. He could hardly believe it. The girl was really real. However…he didn’t know what to do with that information. Nobody believed him. Even if he took a picture of her up close how would he prove that it actually wasn’t just some random girl,  considering that no one else seemed to have seen her? He shrugged, figuring he would have to be content with knowing that he was right, even if no one wanted to believe it.

                The next day, on the way to school, Mitchell was taking to him again. “I’m sorry I was mean to you. I was just upset because I can’t use my camera anymore right now.”

                “That’s okay. I forgive you.”

                With a small voice he said, “It was fun while it lasted though. It was pretty cool to check out that house.”

                He considered telling Mitchell about breaking into the house and finding out the truth of the mystery child, but ultimately decided not to. His friend hadn’t really believed him before, only coming along for the excitement of checking out an empty house, so why would he believe now? On the way home he slowed down a bit, letting Mitchell get a little ahead of him before he waved to her. She responded even more enthusiastically than usual, probably wondering whether he would visit again that night.

                Though he didn’t intend to go that night, something compelled him to wake up in the middle of the night, and he couldn’t fall back asleep no matter how long he stayed in bed with his eyes closed. With that same sense of reckless excitement from the night before he decided that he might as well go, leaving his house and heading over to Saya’s. He was fortunate it was pretty close by, only about ten minutes away. Moving the big rock he saw to his relief that the way in was still unblocked.

                As he was backing into the window a sudden light from an approaching car got his attention, making him move too quickly. He fell off the top of the shelf, landing on the desk on his side. He rubbed his stinging arm as he climbed down off the bench and up the stairs. He wasn’t nearly as frightened as he had been the first time he was here. His investigation of the house the night before had shown that no one else but Saya was there.

                This time, knowing for sure someone was there, he knocked on the door before coming in. He saw Saya looking out the window as always, though she turned around when she heard the knocking. “Hey, Saya. I’m back.”

                “Thomas!” She cried out happily, leaving her vigil to run over to him, almost knocking him down as she crashed into him, looking overjoyed as she hugged him. “You came back! I was so scared you wouldn’t.”

                “It’s okay. Calm down. I said I would come back, and so I did.”

                “Let’s play!” She said excitedly, her face bright with energy.

                As they played their games Thomas couldn’t help but ponder all the questions going through his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to ask them, and ruin her fun. Where were her parents? Why had they left her in an unoccupied house instead of with a friend or relative? The kitchen had a sink, so a drink wasn’t a problem, but where was she getting food to eat? How long had she been there? It had been a few weeks since he had first noticed her.

                His mind started coming up with solutions for those questions. Maybe she was the daughter of someone important, like the president, and they hid her away so she wouldn’t be in danger. It wasn’t safe yet, so her parents couldn’t come pick her up. It was also possible that she had a stash of food hidden somewhere in the house for when she wanted to eat. Still, even if all that was true, he thought that it had to be incredibly boring being stuck in the house all the time. He hadn’t seen any TV’s left so he guessed she just read books during the day or something.

                Once more he played with her for about an hour before he left, Saya making him promise to come visit again.

                That became his new routine. Since the first time he played with her he would always wake up sometime in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. There was a part of him wondering whether he was dreaming those times, but he didn’t think so. His memories of playing with her were very vivid, unlike with a dream where it would start fading away as soon as he woke up properly. Maybe it was just him, but the rest of the memory was rather fuzzy. His trips to and from the house seemed to not be there, and he found it amazing he wasn’t caught a single time.

                He found he was getting quite attached to the little girl, gradually staying for longer periods of time, feeling bad for her being unable to leave the house and always having to be alone. She was always so joyful when he arrived, and very upset when he had to go.

                One day he woke up feeling sick and run down. His mother woke him for school, and he could hardly muster the energy to get out of bed. He stumbled around in a daze, trying to get ready, but his mind still back in bed. He wondered why he couldn’t get his shoe on for a time, until he looked down and saw he already had a shoe on that foot.

                He asked his mom if he could stay home. She felt his head and took his temperature. He didn’t have a fever, but she could see the fatigue in his face. After confirming he didn’t have any tests for the day she agreed to let him stay home as long as he rested. If she saw him getting wild she was taking him to school. He agreed easily, throwing his clothes back off and going right to bed. As he began drifting off he wondered if his nightly excursions were taking their toll on him.

                He woke up to eat and go to the bathroom, but otherwise stayed in bed. At one point he thought he heard voices, perhaps coming from the TV, but they seemed close by and made no sense.

                “So what do you think?” Said one of the voices, a male.

                “Not bad, but not ready yet.” Said the other, a female.

                “I agree. Needs more time to mature.”

                “We’ll give it some more time and then send her in. She’ll make it all better.”

                “For now.” That sentence was punctuated with a laugh.

                “Yes, yes…for now.” The other one laughed too.

                “Soon it will be ready, the peak of perfection.”

                Though he stayed in bed and slept a lot, and his mom gave him some medicine when she became fully convinced he wasn’t faking, he still felt no better by nightfall. As midnight passed and a new day began his thoughts began drifting to Saya, wondering how she was doing. He already knew there was no way he could go visit her in his condition. Though it was a cool night, he felt like he was burning hot and couldn’t sleep. A few more hours passed and he felt like the worst of the hot spell had passed. He was drifting in and out of consciousness.

                He jumped with a start when he suddenly felt something moist and slimy on his forehead. To his immense surprise when he opened his eyes he looked into the face of Saya, who was placing a cold washcloth on his head.

                “Saya?” He asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

                “I had some visitors.” She said mournfully.

                “Visitors?” He asked.

                “Yeah. They came by about the same time you usually do, and told me that you were very sick and needed a friend to help you.”

                His brain couldn’t fully process that information. Who could it possibly be? Someone that both knew that Saya was in the house and that he went to visit her in the middle of the night.

                “Did you know these people?”

                “No, I don’t think so. I thought it was you at first. But they didn’t come far enough in the room for me to see them. When I saw it was two people I got afraid until they told me about you. After that they just left. I was worried, so I decided to come see you.”

                In his state of mind he couldn’t take trying to comprehend all the things that didn’t make sense, so he decided to just let it go for now. Giving her a weak smile he said, “Thank you for coming all the way here. It means a lot to me.”

                Her face lit up with happiness. “Of course I came to visit. You’re my best friend.”

                “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be able to play with you tonight. I hope you’re not mad.”

                “Of course I’m not mad, silly!” She gave him a big hug. “I just want to spend some time with you.”

                He felt really touched she had went out of her way to come over. Every once in a while he had tried to talk her into leaving the house but she would refuse, worried about what her parents would think if they came back and she was gone. That she had come over regardless meant a lot to him.

                She stayed for a short time, trying to be little miss doctor, but she didn’t really know anything about it. Still, his heart lightened at her attempts. At the end of a half hour she decided to leave to let him rest and keep an eye out for her parents.

                Despite her meager doctor skills he felt better than he had before she had arrived, and he fell into an easy sleep.

                In the morning he felt good enough to go to school, guessing that he had just caught a bug or something, and went back to his nightly ritual, thanking her a lot that night for all her help.

                After about two more weeks he suddenly thought of a question, something he hadn’t been able to deal with when he had been sick.

                “So how did you know where I lived anyway?” He asked.

                “Oh.” She said, without a break in her playing. “Those two people told me.”

                That scared him a little. “So two people just came here, told you I was sick and where I lived, then just left?”

                “Yeah.” She responded easily, clearly seeing nothing strange about it. She noticed that he did, though. “What’s wrong?”

                “I thought you said that no one else ever noticed you? They had to know who you were, right? And that I was coming to visit you.”

                “I guess they did too. They didn’t seem like bad people. They didn’t hurt me or anything.”

                He felt troubled by this knowledge, but didn’t know what to do about it. His mother’s words finally began sinking in, about how a crazy psychopath or rapist could be lying in wait there. There were some unknown people who knew where he lived, that he kept leaving his house in the middle of the night, and that Saya and him were becoming really close friends. It gave him a really bad feeling, making him want to go home right then. It also made him worry about Saya. What if they came after her while he wasn’t there? What could he do if they came after her even while he was there?

                “Saya…are you sure that no one else has ever come in here besides me before?

                “Well…yeah. Except for those two people and that man I don’t remember hearing anybody for a long time.”

                He assumed ‘that man’ was the sheriff. “Listen. I think you should leave this house with me.”

                “Oh, I can’t do that. I have to wait for them. They’ll come.”

                “You can’t stay here forever. It will be better if we just get the sheriff. Your parents might be…” He stopped, unable to say the last word.

                “Might be what?” She asked.

                “Um…maybe they don’t know where you are?” He covered.

                “No. They should know where I’d be.”

                Though he wanted to pursue trying to get her to leave it slowly started seeming unimportant for some reason. Those people hadn’t busted him, and hadn’t done anything to either of them about it. What did it matter, really? It meant someone was still looking out for her besides him. He went back to his thought that she was the daughter of someone important. Maybe those two people were her protectors. They were supposed to be incognito, but decided to partly reveal themselves so she wouldn’t worry where he was. And maybe they knew where he lived because they had to investigate him to make sure he wouldn’t harm her.

                Having come up with the answers to his questions again he continued playing with her, but still remained a little troubled. He didn’t completely believe his excuses. He didn’t know what to do. If those people did have some kind of evil intention all he had to do was not come to the house anymore. But what could he do about Saya? Everyone else thought he was a liar. They didn’t believe him about the girl, so why would they believe that two other people might be after him either? Given the source of his information, he had no way of explaining himself.

                He woke up the next day with that run down feeling again, but he decided to try going to school anyway. As his mom tried to hurry him or he’d be late he felt like he was nodding off. He suddenly felt a heavy stab of pain that seemed to ring throughout his entire body, making him cry out. He panted heavily before his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the floor to a scream from his mother.

                Just before he was out completely he heard the same two voices again.

                “You fool! I told you not to do that! You’ll ruin everything!”

                “It was too much to resist! Besides, he was getting too suspicious. It’s time!”

                An hour later Penny was sitting in a chair in the waiting room of the hospital, bent over with her hands on her face like she was praying. A doctor came over to her, holding a clipboard. “Hello, Mrs. Baker.” Said the man. “I am Doctor Patel.”

                “Hello, Doctor.” She croaked, pulling her hands from the face to look at the man with reds eyes. “How is he?”

                “His vitals are stable. So far we’re not seeing anything that would cause him to pass out like this. What was he doing right before this?”

                “Nothing, really. All he was doing was getting dressed and getting ready to sit down for breakfast before I sent him to school.”

                “I see. Very well. Even when he wakes up I think we’ll keep him overnight for observation. With your permission we’d like to take some blood and test it for any abnormalities that may have played a part in this.”

                She nodded her head, taking the clipboard in his hand and signing her consent.

                Penny was directed to her son’s room. He lay there, breathing, but otherwise still. She had no idea when he’d wake up. If he’d wake up. She had no idea what had caused it.

                Hours passed but there was no change. He lay there as if dead, his chest movements and the beeping of the devices monitoring his vitals the only proof he was still alive.

                Dr. Patel returned, this time with another doctor. Dr. Patel pointed to the other doctor, saying, “This is Dr. Marston.”

                Penny greeted the two, then asked, “Anything?”

                “We’d just like to ask you a few questions.”

                “Of course.” She replied.

                “Has anything like this happened before, even if it was slight enough that you just let it go?”

                “No. Wait. Actually, yes. Just one time. It was less than a month ago. He seemed rather exhausted so I let him stay home. He just stayed in bed the whole day and rested, and was fine in the morning.”

                “Okay. Recently, within the past six months or so, can you think of anything that may have changed that may have caused this?”

                She put her mind to it. She couldn’t think of anything right out. Nothing of real importance had changed. But something suddenly came to her mind. “My son harbored a small time obsession with an empty house off Spruce Street.”

                “Go on.”

                “I was told it had been abandoned for three years. My son insisted that he kept seeing this girl in there with long blonde hair and blue eyes so one day him and his friend decided to break in to try to see what she was doing in there. Of course no one was in there, as confirmed by the sheriff. I could see him picking up some kind of contaminant from there. Who knows what kind of mold or bacteria he could have been inhaling.”

                “Blonde hair and blue eyes?” Asked Doctor Marston. “Are you referring to that white house with the fir tree in front and the red shutters?”

                “Yes. I told him no girl could be in there.”

                “Of course that girl shouldn’t be there. She’s dead!”

                Penny stared in surprise at that comment. “What do you mean…dead? There really was a girl there? I thought my son was just making it up. When did it happen?”

                “Much longer ago than your son claims to have seen her.” Dr. Marston replied. “It was three years ago, and that’s why that house is empty in the first place.”

                “What happened?”

                “The entire family died in a car accident. Her name was Saya. She died at the scene. The parents lived a little longer, just long enough to learn of their daughters fate. Damn drunk driver ran a red light, crashing into the back seat of the car where she was sitting. The house has been empty ever since.”

                “B-but…” She could hear her son’s words in her head. “My son claims he’s been seeing her for quite a while. After being caught sneaking around in there he stopped mentioning her. So let’s say he was telling the truth the whole time. What does that mean? He’s been seeing a ghost? Even if he was what does that have to do with what happened to him this morning?”

                “As a doctor all I can tell you is that medical science can find nothing wrong with him. His vitals are steady, his blood work and physical examinations show no abnormalities. As a man who has some belief in the paranormal it’s rumored that children are more attuned to the supernatural, maybe because they’re less skeptical and believe more in these things. What does that have to do with anything? Well…not all spirits are friendly.”

                ”So…what? Are you trying to tell me my son’s been possessed or something?” She asked skeptically.

                “I don’t know. Speaking as a doctor again there’s always the logical possibility that this is just an unfortunate experience caused by an unforeseen circumstance. Maybe overworking himself. There’s always the possibility that it’s something new that we cannot detect with a test yet. Right now all we can do is keep him here until he wakes up.”

                As she looked down at her son, still as death, the harsh thought of ‘IF he wakes up’ passed through her mind again, which brought tears to her eyes.

                After talking with her for a while longer the two doctors left, leaving her all alone with her thoughts. ‘My son has been seeing a dead child, in what was undoubtedly her bedroom when she was alive. The whole family is dead. Vengeful spirits? But he claims she was always so happy to have his attention.’ Taking a breath she tried to pull away from those thoughts, to insist to herself it was something normal afflicting her son, but no matter how hard she tried, the fact that her son had been seeing someone who shouldn’t be there wouldn’t leave her. Having never seen anything of the sort she had never given credence to people talking about things like ghosts. All she could say for certain was that her son had never had such intense fatigue spells before talking about this child.

                “Oh, Thomas. What’s happening to you?” She said in a quiet voice, the tears now falling freely. “Please wake up.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 4: Soul food

 

                The sound of crying echoed, seeming unnaturally loud. Who was it? Why? Why couldn’t he move? What was going on?

                Thomas felt a hand rubbing his head, the crying getting a little louder. He forced his eyes open, surprised at how difficult it was. His eyes tried to focus, only seeing blurry shapes for a short time. Finally, he could see clearly enough to make out the form of Saya. He could see her eyes and face were red, and he wondered how long it had been going on.  Once more struggling he said, “Why are you crying?”

                She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “It’s over.” She cried out.

                “W-what’s over?” He asked. He wanted to put a comforting arm around her, but he couldn’t move them, not a bit.

                “My parents finally came to get me.”

                “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

                “Yes…but they said we can’t be friends anymore.” She pulled back, sitting on her knees, looking ready to progress to full-on sobbing. “Tomorrow we’re going away, and they said I won’t have you as a friend.”

                As his love for her filled his heart he used every ounce of strength he had to put his hand on her head, giving it a little rub. “Well, that’s fine. I don’t want you as a friend anyway.” She looked crestfallen at his remark, but he wasn’t done. “I’d much rather have you as a little sister.” He said with a laugh. “They can’t take that away from you.”

                Happiness lit up her features as she hugged him again. “A big brother! I’ve always wanted one!”

                Movement came easier to him as he sat up, not having to work nearly as hard to get his body to comply, hugging her too, closing his eyes and enjoying the contact, the pain and exhaustion quickly slipping away.

                “My, my. Isn’t this cozy?” Said a familiar voice.

                Thomas jumped at the sound, looking for the source.

                Saya pulled away from him, looking a little distraught as she walked a short ways away to a set of people. “Thomas, this is my parents.”

                “Barbara.” Said the woman.

                “Anthony.” Said the man.

                Thomas studied the couple. Saya closely resembled her mother, with traits from her father. “Hello…” He replied, not sure how to feel. All the questions he had dismissed back then or made up his own answers for came to the surface.

                “Our daughter is quite taken with you.” Said her dad. “Too bad. I’m afraid that you have served your purpose and are no longer needed.”

                “What do you mean? Why did you leave your daughter behind? Wasn’t she important to you?” Anger was clear in his voice. Their only response was a smirk. That made him furious. “You think this is funny? It’s not! Why did you leave her there?”

                “Ah, foolish child. Did you really believe our daughter was your friend? She was only toying with you to win your affection.”

                “What?” Cried out Saya, looking heartbroken. “Thomas, that’s not true.”

                “Oh, isn’t it?” Said Barbara. “Darling daughter, it’s time you take your true form, and show this boy what you really think of him.”

                “Wha…what are you talking about?” She asked.

                The two of them extended a finger, placing them in the center of her chest by her neck. What looked like black mist began covering her body, spreading from her toes to her face. She let out a scream, sounding like she was in intense pain.

                Thomas gaped openmouthed, unsure what he was seeing. “What are you doing to her!” He yelled out.

                They turned away from her to him, and he stumbled back a few steps, feeling sweat come down his face. He heard a dark laugh and moved his eyes to Saya. He felt his breath catching in his throat. All three of them still had human shape, but they were clearly not human. They looked corrupted, tainted, rotting…the bare minimum of what a human should look like. It reminded him of a zombie.

                He shuddered hard, his heart hammering in his throat as his legs shook. “W-w-what…are you?”

                “We are the festering grudges of lingering dreams.” Said Anthony, though now his voice had a sinister hiss, sounding darker, deeper, angrier. “We hate living humans and all that they represent. We never got to have a peaceful end and fulfill our dreams, so why should we let others have the same?”

                “That’s right!” Said Barbara, her voice carrying that same twisted change. “We are doing this for revenge.”

                Thomas shuddered again at the glares they were giving him. “B-b-but I haven’t done anything to you.”

                “You’re alive!” She spat with venom. “That’s enough. Your living spits in the face of our deaths.”

                “W-w-what? You’re going to…to…kill me?”  He backed up a few more steps.

                “Oh, no. Nothing so easy.”

                Despite his fear for himself he asked, “What did you do to Saya?”

                “Nothing. We told you that she never cared for you truly. She was only bait.”

                “You’re lying! I don’t believe you!” He thought of all the time they spent together, getting closer. How could all that have been fake?

                “Wellllll…” Said Anthony. “You’re partly right. The Saya you played with is not the same Saya here now. Neither are we her real parents. When people die holding strong unresolved feelings their spirits cannot rest in peace, and they drift in a space between life and death. These bodies were perfect. All of them felt strong feelings for something that went unfulfilled, thus those bright and colorful feelings were corrupted beyond repair when they met their end, leaving them full of rage, hatred, and regret. All we did was stir up those feelings. Playing with you gave her a friend, then we told her she was going to lose him, bringing her emotions right back where they were when she died, making it easy to take her over.”

                “L-let her go!” He said, trying to sound strong but he could hear the stutter in his own voice.

                They seemed to get immense joy out of that. “Ah, intense protective love, and a healthy dose of fear. Truly the salt and pepper of the soul.”

                “W-what?”

                “We told you before, we won’t kill you. You’re not even really here right now. You’ve never actually left your house to go to hers at night. All we’ve been doing is forcing a body and soul separation, which is why you couldn’t fall asleep afterward. A little bit of mental manipulation, and you felt something driving you to go to her every night. And just a little bit more when your thoughts became too smart for your age. We could have taken you at any time, but just like all food it tastes the best with the proper seasoning. It took some experimentation, but now we’re sure we know what works the best. Of course we had to test it. We held ourselves back to help cultivate your feelings toward this child, but we couldn’t resist a little nibble here and there to ensure it was coming along nicely.”

                Thomas felt frozen stiff, in disbelief of what he was hearing. This kind of stuff wasn’t REALLY real. It only happened in movies

                Barbara turned to her husband. “Oh look, honey. It looks like he doesn’t believe us.”

                “I do believe you’re right.” He replied. “You remember when you got ‘sick?’”

                Thomas gulped loudly. “I…I…I WAS just sick.”

                “I guess you didn’t find it strange at all that you only got better after this child came to visit you.”

                “It…it had nothing to do with her.”

                “On the contrary. It had everything to do with her. Just like love is the only cure for a broken heart, it also helps the soul to grow. We’d been feasting on you for a while, your growing love for her keeping you from being adversely affected much, though one time we did get a little greedy. Your life force was getting richer in flavor every night, and we lost sight of ourselves for a short while.

                “As we said before, you won’t die. Your body can survive without the soul, and it is the greatest way to toy with the living. Your body will lay there unresponsive for the rest of your life, all your loved ones wondering when you’ll wake up…and you never will!” All three of them laughed hysterically.

                Thomas was almost hyperventilating now, terrified of what was happening. He turned and ran, fearful tears coming down his eyes. He got about two hundred feet before he stopped with a scream, digging in his feet as they appeared in front of him. He fell to the ground and backed up, trying to run another way, only for them to appear in front of him again.

                “Oh, no, no, no.” Said Barbara, wagging her finger. “Bad boy. Do you think you can escape? Even if you run a hundred miles and managed to lose us…then what? Your soul is still trapped here. Your body will still be immobile and unmoving. We are the only ones who can send you back, and we don’t feel like doing that. So you see…now it’s time for you to go.”

                Thomas heard them sniffing, but it sounded more like a rasping breath, reminding him of mold and decay and making him retch.

                “You smell that, honey? That is the smell of a ripe soul. The scent of his fear is so mouthwatering I can barely stand it!”

                “Yesssssss.” Anthony replied. “It’s been so irksome to have to settle for appetizers. I’m ready for the full-course meal.”

                With that the two of them left the ground, flying straight at him. Thomas tried running again, the only thing he could do, but it wasn’t enough.

                Thomas felt a deathly chill and a volcanic heat go throughout his body, time seeming to slow down, before the two spirits emerged from his chest, landing once more. Thomas felt his vision blurring as he yelled out in pain. It felt like all the energy had all gone out of him, sending him to his knees.

                Anthony patted his stomach. “Mmmm, now that’s a meal!”

                “Delicious!” Said Barbara.

                “Go ahead, sweetheart.” He said to Saya, patting her head. “He’s weakened. You may have the last piece.”

                “Thank you, Daddy.” She said, speaking for the first time since they had touched her, her voice raspy and dead like the others. “You’re so good to me.”

                She walked toward him, a demented glee covering her corrupted features. “Saya!” He weakly rasped out. “Please!” She just kept walking, seemingly indifferent. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn’t obey. He felt so heavy and sleepy. “Saya!” He croaked out again, his voice cracking. “Please don’t do this. Wasn’t I a good friend to you? Don’t you…” He gasped in oxygen, feeling like he was fading away. “Don’t you remember all the fun times we had?”

                “So?” She replied. “It’s just like my parents said. I was never really your friend. They just wanted a nice warm meal. My first taste of soul.” She let out an excited giggle, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I bet it’s going to be amazing!”

                She was getting closer and closer, and Thomas had no idea what to do. He felt tears coming down his eyes, feeling regret for the way they had tarnished her. “I’m sorry, Saya. I said that I was your big brother, but I still let this happen to you. I don’t know if you can hear me anymore, but I’m not mad at you. I know you’re not really the one attacking me. I don’t know if you can still hear me, but…I love you, Saya!”

                Anthony laughed. “Will you listen to him? There is nothing left of this girl but hatred and revenge. Don’t you get it?”

                “Feh!” Snickered Barbara. “So those are your last words, are they, boy? I hope you’re content with them. Hurry up and finish him off, and we’ll find a new person to feast on.”

                “…Yes, mother.” She replied with a small hesitation. Saya left the ground just like her parents had, flying toward him. Thomas closed his eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do. He felt the impact of something crashing into him, then a complete emptiness.

                “What!” Cried out Anthony. Thomas and Saya had disappeared. “Where did she go?”

                “Cursed child!” Spat out Barbara, turning around slowly in a circle. “Where has she taken him?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 5: Chasing dreams

 

 

                “…mas? Thomas?” Thomas felt a return to consciousness, though he still felt exhausted, from the voice calling his name. He opened one eye, and he could see the upside-down face of Saya. She looked normal again. “Are you okay?” She asked with concern.

                He forced himself up, before pushing her as hard as he could away from him. In his weakened state he only succeeded in gently pushing her onto her side. “G-get away from me!” He sputtered coldly. “Is this just your next trap? What, did I not look delicious enough?”

                Tears streamed down her eyes. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I didn’t mean-“

                “I don’t want to hear it!” He said angrily, pointedly turning away from her.

                She sat back, extending a hand toward him before changing her mind.

                Despite himself, Thomas couldn’t help but turn around at the sound of Saya sobbing. She was curled up in a ball on the floor, her head buried in her knees. He tried to ignore her, but it quickly got to him, his anger fading away as he crawled toward her, not having the strength to stand. He sat next to her, putting an arm around her. After a few seconds she followed suit, before quickly hopping onto his lap, holding onto him as tight as she could, apologizing endlessly.

                As her sadness brought out protective feelings from him he felt his fatigue and pain fading away as he held her too, trying to comfort her and tell her it was okay.

                After a time, when it seemed she had settled down, he asked, “What happened?”

                “I…I’m not sure.” She said at first, but then said, “I remember everything. I could see you being hurt, but I couldn’t do anything. That…that…whatever it was…it was making me move. I couldn’t stop. When you said that you weren’t mad at me and that you loved me, I thought of all the fun times we had together and then I could do what I wanted, so I got you away from them. I don’t know why it let me go.”

                Thomas thought for a minute, before the answer presented itself to him. “Those…things. They said that they take control of people who are very angry or upset. So maybe they can’t control you if you’re feeling a lot of love and happiness.”

                “I don’t care what it was. I’m just glad I didn’t have to hurt you.” She gave him a squeeze.

                “Me too. So I have a question for you.”

                “What?”

                “Are you…are you really dead?”

                Pain filled her eyes when he asked that question. She took in a deep breath before saying, “Yes.”

                “So were those things right? Was there something you really wanted to do before you died that you didn’t get to do?”

                 “Yes…” She replied.

                “So what was it?”

                Her voice wouldn’t work properly. There was so much to say. How was she supposed to explain it all?

                An idea came to her. “When those two touched me they made me feel weird. I felt so mad and angry. They made me remember how sad and upset I was. I don’t know if I can, but maybe if I touch you I can let you see my memories.”

                “Okay. It’s worth a shot.”

                She took a steadying breath before extending her finger, touching him in the center of his chest just like the other two had done to her.

                All of a sudden Thomas felt a flood of images and emotions emanating from her, passing in front of his eyes. The more he saw the more he understood, understood how strong she really was.

                Her earliest memory was of pain. Intense pain. She had been a very sickly child nearly from the time she had been born, suffering from a cancer that had passed her mother’s genes by. She had spent most of her life in the hospital, always fragile, always near the brink. Her whole life seemed to revolve around pills and needles, pumping medicine into her body. There were always tubes and wires close by, monitoring her, making her feel like she was on an operating table for a robot.

                She could hardly move most of the time. She spent a lot of time crying, wanting the pain to go away. Her mother always held her when she was able, doing her best to show her daughter all the love she could. At night they would give her a mild sedative to help her sleep.

                Rarely, when it was daytime and the pain was so intense she couldn’t function, they would give her something stronger. She both lived for, and hated, those times most of all. She loved it because for a time her whole world changed. There was a blessed cessation of pain, her head began swimming in a good way. Everything become funny. On the other hand she hated it so much because she couldn’t have it all the time. She knew that it was only temporary, that once it wore off the pain was still waiting for her at the other end.

                Outside, nearby, was a park. Whenever the window was open she could hear the happy sounds floating up to her room. Sometimes she would look down upon the park, and she could actual see what was causing the noises: children playing, dogs barking, people on their cell phones, the splashing of fish from the pond.

                One day, when she was six, she asked her mom when she would be able to play outside like the other kids. Her mother quickly grabbed her, holding her daughter tight to her so she wouldn’t see the tears coming down her face. It didn’t stop the sounds though, and she could hear her mother crying, unable to answer her.

                Despite the fact that their daughter may never leave the hospital, except in a coffin, her parents did their best to teach her things she needed to know, like the alphabet and numbers. While most kids hate schoolwork, she loved it. Having something to do helped keep her mind off her condition, and she struggled to learn as best she could. She quickly learned to love reading.

                There were several times both the doctors and her parents offered to move her room, because of how sad she’d become whenever she looked outside, but every time she refused. Although she didn’t understand it consciously, looking outside reminded her of her greatest wish. It kept her goal clear in her mind, and that desire made her want to get out of the hospital. She wanted to play like regular kids. She WOULD get to play like the other kids.

                Then…one day…the miracle happened. Shortly after she woke up, a month after her eight birthday, she woke up to a strange sensation. Or, to be more precise, a strange LACK of sensation. A welcome lack of the agony that had been her worst enemy for the longest time!

                Her parents were overjoyed. All the treatments she had been through had finally worked. She finally got to have her dream of playing in the park. Her parents had to hold her hands throughout as her leg muscles were feeble from lack of use. She didn’t care. She could feel the warm rays of the sun, the cool air of the breeze, see the brown and orange and yellow of the autumn leaves. However, she wasn’t able to run around like she wanted to...YET!

                She did have to return to the hospital later. They wanted to keep an eye on her a little longer, to make sure her feeling better wasn’t just a fluke. After getting officially discharged a week later when she didn’t have a relapse she was sent to physical therapy sessions, to help build up her weak muscles. Her parents frequently took her to the park. Though it was out of the way for them now they always took her to the one by the hospital. Partly because it was where she had spent so much time dreaming of being, and the other part for just in case something went wrong.

                Once her strength had developed to the point where she could run short stretches on her own she came to her parents with her newest dream. Of all the things she had read and saw on TV or books, there was one thing in particular that caught her interest: Ballet. The cute dresses, the synchronized choreography, the music; It all appealed to her in a big way. Her parents were a little hesitant at first, seeing as she was still pretty frail and recovering, but her doctors were fully on board with the idea, telling them that something like ballet, which required a lot of working out and constant use of many parts of the body, would help accelerate her development, especially since her eagerness meant she would put in that extra effort.

                With that her parents gave up their reluctance, especially as they felt she had been in enough pain the past few years and couldn’t bear to give her any more, even if it was only emotional.

                They went to a ballet school, she hopping on the balls of her feet as she waited to speak with the teacher. So much excitement was going through her she just couldn’t sit still.

                Finally they were able to speak to the teacher, Miss Valencia. She had trouble containing herself as she eagerly explained that she wanted to be a part of the class. Her parents explained the special case of their daughter likely needing some extra help. Miss Valencia was very understanding.

                So it began, her new dream being fulfilled. A few days a week she would put on her dress, listen to the music, and danced with the other kids. Though she gave it all she had, her body fought her every step of the way. She often lagged behind the others no matter how hard she tried. Most of them were considerate, but there were two who were very discontent with her. They made no secret of the fact that she was holding them back.

                She paid them no mind. Their criticism’s only made her try harder, made her strive to new heights. She would become just as good as them. NO! Even better! Even when sweat was pouring down her face, even when her muscles burned as she worked them to their limits, even when she tripped and fell flat on her face, she never gave up her enthusiasm. She was finally getting a chance to do the things she really wanted to do.

                After two months of hard effort, adding in practice at home, she had improved significantly. She no longer needed the physical therapy sessions. Her parents were very proud of her, always giving her encouragement. Through her never-ending drive she had even won over her two antagonists. They had come to admire how hard she worked to make something of herself, and apologized for their attitudes. She even got to be in a small show, entertaining people.

                One day Miss Valencia made an announcement that there was going to be a ballet competition the following month. It was to be held at a theatre with various people, including a few talent agents who might be able to take the best of the class and make them into stars. Each of them was to pick one of the songs from a list and do their best dance, to show off their stuff. The winner would be given a trophy, and possibly more depending on if even the best of them were good enough to impress the agents.

                From that day forward it was like she was possessed. She practiced with a drive her previous one couldn’t even compare to. She trained harder than ever before. That was her next big goal. She wanted to win this competition. She HAD to win it.

                Her mother was growing concerned. Zeal was one thing, but her daughter was taking it too far. She was so unwavering that she would practice her dance moves until she literally collapsed from exhaustion. Her mother sat her down to have a talk with her.

                “Saya, honey.” She had started. “I understand how important this is to you, but I feel you’re going a bit overboard. You’re overworking yourself, and your body can’t keep up.”

                “That doesn’t matter.” Saya replied. “I just have to work harder. When I first started I could hardly move, but now I can do all the things the other kids can. If I get stronger then I can dance longer, right? I have to win this.”

                “Why? So you can rub it in the faces of your classmates?”

                “No! That’s not why!”

                Sitting down next to her daughter she said, “Okay, I’m listening. Why do you have to win? So you can prove that you’re strong, or that you’ve grown since back then?”

                “No!” She said again, climbing into her mother’s lap. “I have to win for everyone else.”

                “Everyone else?” She asked, looking into her daughters eyes and trying to understand what she was thinking.

                “I was very sick for a long time. I always wanted to be able to be like all the other kids. I wanted to play outside like everyone else, and now I can. Now my dream is ballet. It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of great people there, but I’m not talking about them. If I win then I want to take my trophy to the hospital.”

                “The hospital?”

                Saya nodded. “Yes, I’m not the only child in the hospital who wants to get out of there and be like the other kids. I want to take it around to all the other kids I met and tell them not to give up, because one day they can do all the things they dream of too, just like I did!”

                Her mother’s eyes grew wet, as understanding came to her. “I see.” She said, holding her daughter tight. “So that’s why. You want to inspire all the other children who are also stuck in the hospital.”

                Her mother pointed out that if she worked herself so tirelessly without giving her body enough time to rest, she was going to make herself very sore, and that would cost her days of practice, and that would only harm her desire. Saya accepted that, slowing down her pace from then on.

                Finally, the day arrived. The day she had been waiting so anxiously for. As they got in the car, headed to the theatre, she envisioned what the day would be like; she would watch some of the other kids before her, the audience only giving polite applause, the judges bored. She would go up, and their faces would perk up, wondering who this lovely lady was. The music would start. She would start slow, getting their attention. The music would pick up, and she in turn picked up her pace little by little, before going at it with all she had.

                When she finished everyone would cheer and whoop and give her a standing ovation. Everyone else competing would look nervous; The one that already danced because they didn’t think their dancing measured up, and the ones yet to compete because they had to beat the standard she had set. When it was all over she would be declared the winner. As she received her trophy her parents would run over, crying their eyes out as they hugged her and kissed her and held her and told her how proud they were.

                She was pulled from her daydream as she heard honking to her right, the last thing she remembered seeing was a fast moving car coming right at her.

                As the last of her memories faded away Thomas couldn’t stop crying as he saw all the things she had gone through. He pulled her to him, crying on her.

                She held him back, crying now too. “I just can’t believe I died. All I wanted to do was win, to be able to show everyone how good I could dance. Now I never will be able to. After I died I didn’t know what had happened at first. I just knew I had missed the competition. I decided to go to my house because I thought my parents would show up someday to get me, but they never showed until a few hours ago.”

                Thomas said, “Well, your dream doesn’t have to be over completely.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “Well, I know I’m not as good as an entire theatre, and I don’t have a trophy, but I would love to see you dance.” When he looked at her he could see a deep blush had suffused her face. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

                “Oh, no. I can’t!” She cried out.

                “Why not?”

                “Because I’m out of practice! I don’t even have my uniform, or my music.”

                “So? This is your dream! It’s what you always wanted, right?”

                “Wellllll…” She exhaled a quick huff, pulling away from him and standing up. “I guess.”

                She moved a short ways away from him, and hummed the beat that had she listened to a million times during her practice sessions. She slowly moved her body, self-conscious of his eyes on her. Her conscious thoughts of fear gave way to instinct, quickly leaving her current surroundings. In her mind she was back in the grand theatre of her dreams, her paltry humming was the real track, and the eyes of hundreds were upon her. And with that shift in thought came a drastically different change in the way she moved. The hesitance, the shyness, was gone. She was now prancing around, dancing, playing to the crowd. Her heart was completely in every move that she made.

                She went through her entire routine, not slipping once, before she came to a stop and looked out towards her solo audience member, noticing it was quiet except for her panting. Did he not like it? She glanced at him, unsure what he thought as he sat there, his mouth agape. “So…” She started shyly. “Did you like it?”

                Thomas moved his head back and forth a few times. “I’m…speechless. That was absolutely amazing. You would have won that contest easily.”

                Her heart swelled with pride as she clapped and jumped up and down with an excited squeal.

                Thomas laughed at her reaction, until he saw something weird happening to her. It looked she was sweating black drops of water profusely. It looked like what had happened before when the two had touched her, only in reverse.

                “Again?” She asked.

                “Huh…?” He asked dumbly, too focused on the darkness that had been dripping from her.

                “I SAID…again?”

                “Of course. I could watch you dance forever.”

                She laughed. “Okay, but only for you.”

                She went through her routine again, this time with full confidence from the very beginning. It was even more marvelous to watch the second time. As her heart blazed Thomas once again saw what looked like black mist falling away from her body. It was a little distracting, but he was sure it wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, as it happened, she appeared to glow just a little bit. Her body had certainly taken on a lighter hue.

                As she danced he clapped and cheered and whistled, spurring her to new heights.

                When she finished she took a bow as he gave her a standing ovation, whooping loudly.

                Her face took on an angelic tone as it looked like a whole flood of mist fled her body. She ran over to him, jumping into his arms and crying her eyes out in bliss. Thomas put his arms around her. “Come on, there’s no need to cry.” He said gently, him crying just a little bit himself at her jubilance.

                She sniffed a few times before saying, “I did it! I finally did it! I got to have what I always dreamed of.” It hadn’t taken the form she had wanted but, being a ghost now, it was the closest she could get to it.

                “Saya…”

                “Yes?” She asked

                “Not yet. If we find a way out of here, then I promise to finish your wish as your big brother.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “I’LL go to the hospital and talk to the other children about you, and try to inspire them for you.”

                “You will?” She asked in a hopeful voice.

                “Yes, Saya, I will.”

                “That makes me feel so happy. But how will you get out of here? Those two said only they can send you back.”

                “I have an idea now. Those two people really ARE your parents, but they were taken over just like you were. Your parents loved you very much. They watched you do all those dances, and your mom loved the idea of you going to the hospital and inspiring other sick children. I think they were just as upset as you that you weren’t able to do it. That’s why those things were able to take their bodies.”

                “So what do we do?”

                “You have to talk to them.”

                “Why? They’re just going to attack us again.”

                “When they touched you, I saw this black fog go all over your body, and you said that it reminded you of bad things, and made you feel really angry and upset. But when I told you I loved you, you felt happy and were able to break free. If you talk to them and tell them you’re happy now and you got your dream and stuff like that, then maybe your parents can break free too.”

                “Ohhhh.” She said, as understanding came to her. Tears started coming down her eyes again. “I would love to have my parents back.”

                “I know. We can do it.”

                “My goodness. How quickly you recover, don’t you?”

                Thomas heard the voice, like the sound of cracking leaves, sending a chill down his spine. He spun around to find Anthony and Barbara standing nearby. “How did you find us?”

                They both looked at each other, sneering and rolling their eyes. “How did we find you? Maybe because a certain silly, stupid little boy was screaming his head off.”

                He felt cold as he realized his cheering for Saya’s dance had lead the pair right to them.

                “So.” Said Anthony. “You’re already up and about already. Your love for her is much stronger than we thought. I never expected to have such a filling meal today.”

                Saya whispered to him, “You have to leave. I don’t think they’ll attack me.”

                “No way!” Thomas muttered back. “I’m not letting them do that to you again.”

                “Making plans, are we?” Asked Barbara. “It will come to nothing. You cannot take these bodies back. We set you up with that child so you would love her, and then we were going to rip you away from her to take advantage of her previous heartache. We just underestimated how much of an influence you would have on her. Even with the threat of taking you away, playing with you so much eased her loneliness and hurtful feelings and it made the bonding weak, allowing her to break free of our influence pretty easily. These bodies have no such weakness.”

                “Well, we had a lot of fun.” Said Anthony. “But playtime is over. Not only did we get a hearty lunch, but now that your soul has repaired we even get dinner too, and…” The two of them glared angrily at Saya. “A nice little desert to top it all off.”

                “What?” Cried out Saya.

                “Why so surprised? You betrayed us by aiding this boy, though we thank you for the extra food that came of it. Now you have no further purpose but to leave along with him.”

                As the pair started walking toward them he grabbed Saya’s hand, feeling her shivering next to him. “Saya, the plan! Talk!” He cried out with urgency. He knew they were only going slow to stoke the flames of their fear. But they wouldn’t wait forever.

                “Oh, um…right.” She clasped his hand hard. “Mommy, Daddy, it’s alright. You don’t have to be sad or upset anymore. I got to do what I always wanted.” Her voice was weak, fear taking hold.

                She continued talking, trying to get through to them. Thomas kept a close eye on them, and he was sure he saw little bits of black smoke falling away from them, but it was a small amount at a time, nothing like what happened with Saya.

                He suddenly felt Saya collapse on him. “Saya? What’s wrong?”

                “I can’t!” She cried out. “I can’t take it, My parents are trying to kill me.”

                “Saya, you can’t quit now! We’re so close.”

                He could feel her shivering like a leaf and crying on his chest. Thomas grimaced. She couldn’t handle it. There was only one thing to do. Pushing her away from him he said, “Get out of here!”

                “What? I can’t go.”

                As she tried to hug him again he slapped her hard, knocking her to the ground. “I told you I’m not going to let them hurt you like that again. Now go! Leave!”

                She stood up, holding her burning cheek, meeting his gaze with teary eyes before she started running away. Thomas put his arms out protectively.

                “Cute.” Said Barbara sarcastically. “Like that’s going to be enough.”

                The two of them disappeared. Thomas looked behind him. They were closing in on her, Anthony screaming, “You’re not getting away!” With a growl Thomas glared at the pair, and suddenly something happened. There was a feeling of intense disorientation, and for a split second a complete absence of everything. The next thing he knew he was in front of the flying pair, hearing Saya still running behind him.

                The two stopped, looking stunned and impressed. “Well, well. Your desire to protect her was so strong you even forced your spirit body to learn to teleport like us. This just gets better and better. We already got to taste the fruits of your fear. I wonder how your protectiveness will add to the taste of you now.”

                Thomas was just as shocked as they were. With the knowledge he had just gained he wondered if he could do all the things he had seen them do, if being a spirit allowed him to do things he couldn’t do with his human body. If that was the case…

                Focusing all his concentration on one thing, he felt his desire become reality, and his body left the ground a little bit. ‘I can do this!’ He thought. ‘For her, I can do this.’ Moving his feet back to the ground for a second, he pushed off with his legs to give himself some extra acceleration as he charged at them.

                Barbara couldn’t put her hands up in time as Thomas crashed into her, pushing her back several hundred feet as she strained against his momentum before she fell to the ground from his impact. He jumped on top of her while she was temporarily stunned and without a thought started punching her in the face.

                Thomas felt a finger lightly tapping his shoulder. Instinct worked against him as he automatically looked toward the tapper, stopping his assault. He saw a hand coming toward him. He felt himself go flying as the fist of Anthony knocked him away.

                Anthony helped Barbara up, her holding her head and stomach. “Damn brat!” She cried out. “I grow tired of this.”

                “He’s got spunk in him, I’ll give him that. He’s a quick learner, this one, learning tricks it took us a while to learn.”

                Barbara angrily hit Anthony. “Stop sounding so impressed, you moron!”

                “Oh, come on! Relax! The more he heats up to protect her, the richer his soul will taste.”

                “I don’t CARE about taste right now. I want this urchin gone.”

                Thomas stood up, also holding his face. ‘I just have to keep going, so Saya can get away.’

                Barbara charged at him, Thomas not feeling nearly as scared as he had been. These new tricks he had learned might let him fight on a level playing field with the pair. As she approached he focused, feeling his body traversing space, and he was suddenly looking at her back, her stopping short where he had just been. He jumped toward her, saying, “Right here, stupid.”

                She turned around, her eyes widening as all she registered in her sight were a pair of shoes. She went flying again as he socked her as hard as her could, letting out cries of pain as her body crashed into the ground several times. “AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” She yelled out, slamming her hands onto the floor. “You stupid bastard! You think you can just toy with me? You’re DEAD!”

                Anthony just laughed. “Really, you’re getting beat by a little boy? How did the prey suddenly become the hunter?”

                She glared at him. “You better believe you’re next.”

                Anthony shrugged. “If such is meant to be, but you know I’m stronger than you.”

                She growled, fixing her eyes back on Thomas. She vanished, Thomas just barely jumping out of the way as she tried to attack him from behind. She continued after him, Thomas straining to teleport again, barely succeeding a second before her hands reached him. She looked all around. “Where did you go this time, brat? You know you can’t keep hiding forever!” She didn’t see him anywhere. “I know you’re not just going to run. You want to protect that other brat, and you’re the only thing stopping us from going after her. So you better come out NOW!”

                Her eyes turned to Anthony as he cried out in pain, falling to his knees, holding his hands between his legs. As he fell it revealed the form of Thomas standing behind him, smirking at her. He stuck out his tongue and spit a raspberry at her. Fury blurring her mind she rushed at him full force. Thomas jumped out of the way, with the result that she crashed right into Anthony. The two fell to the ground in a heap.

                Anthony wasn’t grinning anymore as he got to his feet with a groan. Barbara seemed to have cooled off slightly, as she just glared at him quietly. “I agree, Barbara. I don’t care about taste anymore. I just want this child gone. Our meal is a little too feisty, but we did not spend all this time ripening him so he could get away. So we’ll do that.”

                “Right. Together this time.”

                They moved a little slower as they walked, appearing sore. Barbara took the lead, jumping toward him. Thomas started to concentrate when he noticed that he could no longer see Anthony. Before he could process that his eyes bugged out as he saw Anthony’s head and upper torso emerge from his stomach. “Way too gullible you are, boy.”

                He felt that same mix of extreme heat and cold as Barbara passed through him in his lapse of concentration. He fell to his knees, then to the ground.

                The pair stared down at him disdainfully. “So that was it, huh? I thought he’d have a little more fight in him. How boring. Oh, well. Let’s go look for the girl.”

                As they went to fly toward the direction Saya had run off in they heard a yell coming from their right side. As they turned to look they saw Thomas, knocking the two of them into each other again as he body slammed them.

                The two of them rose once more, decidedly slower this time. “What is this?” Asked Barbara. “He looks fine.”

                Thomas was panting, rubbing his stinging shoulder. They were stronger than him, so the only thing he could use to really increase his strength was momentum. “Did you forget already?” He asked with a small laugh. “You said protective love helps the soul to grow. You threatened to go after Saya, and that was enough to get me to rise. I’m not going to let you hurt her no matter what.”

                “I see…” She let out a sigh. “Well, this is annoying. It’s going to be difficult to destroy you if you can just keep getting back up because you care about the little urchin. Very well. Forget the girl. We’ll be sure to finish you this time.”

                Thomas kept his attention on the both of them. He couldn’t afford to be attacked from behind again.

                As the three got ready to move they were all taken by surprise as, yet again, the pair were suddenly knocked to the ground for seemingly no reason. “Saya!” Thomas cried out as she came to a stop, having decided to try the feet first method he had used. She quickly went to the stunned pair, touching them, before running to Thomas. “Saya! What are you doing here? I told you to run.”

                “No!” She said, a few tears coming down her eyes as she grabbed him tight. “I love you too much. I’m not going to let them keep hurting you. And I think I found a way to beat them.”

                “How?”

                “I already did it. You said that if we could convince my parents not to be upset over me anymore then they could break free. So I gave them my memories of all our time together.”

                “You think that’ll be enough?”

                “No!” Cried out a furious voice.

                From opposite sides the spirit pair crashed through the two children, both of them crying out in pain, sending them to their knees.

                “Feh! What is this useless crap you put into our heads?” Spat out Anthony. “What a pathetic dream you had. You deserve to be dead for that alone. All that fuss over a stupid dance.”

                “Sa…ya?” Thomas said weakly. She looked pale and her eyes were bleary and unfocused.

                “So what will you do now, boy?” Asked Anthony triumphantly.

                He glared at Anthony, gently moving Saya to the ground as he stood up.

                Barbara laughed. “As expected you got up quick. But how will you fight us with that shackle around your legs? You can’t fight us both and protect the girl. So your only options are to forget the girl and lose her and that feeling of protectiveness that lets you keep standing or you keep protecting her. Either way it’s over. She should have never come back. She just cost you the small chance you had to win.”

                Thomas glanced toward Saya, a grimace slowly taking over his features. They had a point. “Anthony! Barbara!”

                “No need to yell. We can hear you just fine.”

                “I’m not talking to you! I’m talking to Saya’s parents. I know you can hear me, because Saya could hear me when she was taken over. Your daughter needs you! She told me she showed you her memories. You’re her parents, but you’re letting these things hurt her. You’re the ones who should be protecting her. Please! Fight! I can’t do it all by myself.”

                The pair were cracking up. “Really, child.” Said Barbara condescendingly. “You just don’t listen, do you? You cannot break our control of these bodies. We’ve had quite a long time to establish a proper bonding with them.”

                Anthony said, “Are you done with your little speech now, or can we just move ahead to the part where we eliminate you?”

                “PLEASE!” Thomas cried out. “WAKE UP! Or your daughter will be gone forever!”

                “I tire of your foolishness. We’re going to go after the girl first to prove a point, then while her being gone weighs on your soul we’ll easily rid ourselves of you. If you care to stand between us and her it really makes no difference, as you saw just a little while ago.”

                As they flew towards him Thomas didn’t know what else to do. Saya could no longer move, and he didn’t know how to protect her anymore.

                “NOOOOOOO!” Yelled out Saya, appearing in front of him with her arms outstretched protectively. She still looked worn out. With sadistic laughter the pair drew closer, uncaring how many times they rose. The end result would still be the same. “STOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPP!” Saya screamed as she closed her eyes. Just before the two reached her they stopped, quivering in place before falling to the ground.

                They began letting out cries of pain and aggravated howls. Thomas looked with surprise. What had happened? “What…what is this feeling?” Cried out Anthony. “What’s going on?”

                Barbara slammed her hand on the ground. “What the heck is this?”

                Saya opened her eyes as she felt Thomas hold onto her.

                “NEVER!” Cried out Anthony, his voice sounding completely demonic now. “NEVER! You…will…never…WIN!” Barbara sounded the same way as she said something similar.

                They looked like they were fighting with an invisible opponent.

                This went on for a few minutes, Thomas and Saya just confusedly observing, neither saying a word. Suddenly there was a big burst of light, making them cover their eyes as a colossal dark wave dispersed over the area. When it faded there was the sound of heavy panting, and when the pair could see again the two of them gasped.

                “Mommy! Daddy!” Saya cried out, running to her parents, the two looking whole again.

                With heavy breaths the two grabbed their daughter, holding tight to her. “Oh, Saya!” Cried out Barbara, her voice sounding normal now.

                “Our sweet little daughter.” Said Anthony, closing his eyes and enjoying the embrace with his child.

                “Hold on!” Said Thomas, pulling Saya away from them. “How do we know this isn’t just another trap?”

                Saya looked up at him with teary eyes, smiling. “I can tell.” She said simply. “It’s them.”

                He accepted her explanation, sitting on the floor. He felt exhausted from the whole ordeal.

                The family embraced for a while. Barbara was the first to speak. “We have to thank you, Thomas.”

                “Huh?” He said, looking up toward them.

                “It was you who gave us the strength to fight them off. When you yelled out to us how we were failing Saya as parents it made us wake up a little more. Those memories Saya showed us came in fuzzy as they were in control of our bodies.”

                “Yeah.” Said Anthony. “But it was only after Saya screamed and we were about to destroy her forever that we felt able to fight them off. Those things really underestimated the power of a parents love for their child.”

                “So, Saya, would you mind showing us those memories again so we can see them properly this time?”

                “Sure!” She replied cheerily, poking both of them in the chest.

                They closed their eyes to watch before Anthony said with a laugh, “A big brother, huh?”

                Saya nodded. “Yeah! Is that okay?”

                “Of course it is. It’s obvious he loves you very much.”

                She just smiled and snuggled in deeper with a content sigh.

                “Thomas?” Said Barbara.

                “Yes?”

                “Come over here, would you?”

                “Sure.” He replied, getting up and walking over to them.

                Barbara gave him a strong hug. “Thank you…for watching over our child, and for stopping us from doing the unthinkable.”

                “It was…it was…” He couldn’t finish. He couldn’t say it was nothing, because he knew it wasn’t true.

                When she let him go the two sat back down, and Saya jumped over to him, hugging him as well. “You’re a great big brother.” She said.

                “Thank you, Saya.” Thomas looked around. “So what happens now?”

                Barbara responded, “We’ve seen all that we need to see. We were alive a little while after the accident, long enough to get to a hospital. We learned of her death, both of her and the dream she so strongly fought for, and…it made us give up as well. That’s likely why we were a prime target for those evil spirits. But that’s all over now. We’ve seen through her memories that our daughter is content with what she was able to show you. And you promised to do what she can no longer do.”

                “Yeah.” Said Thomas. “To talk to other people in the hospital.” He shook his head with a mournful sigh. “Don’t know how I’m going to do it, though. My mom doesn’t believe I was seeing anyone in that house.” He got a puzzled look on his face, then continued, “Well, since Saya is a ghost, I guess she was right. But she won’t want to take me. I’ll find a way though.”

                “In that case I have no regrets anymore.”

                “Same here.” Said Anthony.

                “And I’m just glad I have my parents back.” Saya added, holding onto both of them.

                “I have been waiting to hear these words for quite some time.”

                All four of them looked around for the source of the words. It sounded different from any of their voices. “Oh, what now?” Asked Thomas, wondering if those things were coming back again.

                A bright golden light shined down upon the black space, making all of them look up. From it emerged a holy looking figure who descended upon them. It appeared to be an angel. Large golden wings slowly flapped until it reached the ground.

                Thomas stared at the figure. Despite all the things that had happened, just seeing this being gave him a feeling of peace in his heart. He knew without even asking that this was a benevolent presence.

                “I am Sariel, the angel of guidance. For years we have been waiting to collect you, but your grudges and hatred weighed too heavily upon you for you to ascend to paradise. I feel those things holding you back are gone, so now I ask you to come with me to your final rest.”

                The voice was male, and it sounded so soothing.

                “I’m not scared.” Said Saya. “Because we’re together.” She held onto her parents hands.

                “Wait!” Said Thomas. “What about me?”

                The angel looked over at him, extending his hand and touching him. Thomas’ entire body began glowing. “You go back to your body. You are yet alive. There is still quite some time remaining until we come to collect you.”

                “And what about those evil things? Will they try to get me again?”

                “Nay, child. They are no more. The feelings you instilled in these two were strong enough to rob them of their power forever. They shall not return.

                “Now, when you are ready, simply concentrate, and you will return. For now, speak your final words to each other. Until the point in the future that you meet your own end, you and them shall exchange no further words together.”

                Thomas walked toward the family, and all of them hugged. It was the last time he’d be able to see her until he died. He didn’t want to let her go, but he knew…he knew he had to. She had to go to heaven with her parents.

                When they broke apart he looked at her, seeing tears coming down her eyes. “Oh, Saya.” He said, his voice shaking. “You don’t need to cry.”

                “S-speak for yourself.” She replied, wiping her face. “You’re crying more than I am.”

                “I know. But I can’t help it.” He grabbed her and held her again. “Oh, little sister. I’ll never forget you.”

                “Me, neither.” She replied, neither of them bothering to hide their tears anymore. “I love you!”

                “I love you, too!”

                They both squeezed hard, prolonging it as long as possible, before letting go. “I promise, Saya. When I die I’ll come find you as soon as I can, and we can play together like we used to.”

                She smiled through her tears. “Sounds good. Goodbye for now.”

                “Yeah…goodbye.” Thomas let out a big sigh. He wanted to keep talking, for as long as he could…but he knew if he didn’t make himself stop soon then he wouldn’t be able to. “I’m…I’m done.”

                “Very well. Until the day we meet again, human.” A golden light suffused the bodies of Saya and her parents, and all of them flew skyward.

                Thomas watched until, with another burst of light, the four of them disappeared. He watched for a while, tears still coming down his face. He closed his eyes and fell to his knees, starting to sob as he knew she was gone for good.

                After a few more minutes he got control over himself. She was at peace now, where she was supposed to be. And he would be able to see her again someday. He knew that for sure now. Wiping his eyes as the last of his tears tapered off, he said mournfully, “Goodbye…my sister.”

                Ready to go home he concentrated…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 6: Final words

 

                Thomas’ eyelids fluttered as they opened, and he blinked a few times, stretching a bit before being startled by his mother crying out his name. She threw her arms around him, crying heavily.

                “Mom, what are you doing?” He asked, not having his bearings yet.

                “I was so worried about you, you silly child.”

                “Worried about what?”

                She pulled back, looking him in the eyes. “You don’t remember? You weren’t feeling well this morning, and you suddenly passed out.”

                Thomas glanced around, the scenery telling him where he was. “The hospital?”

                “Yes. I panicked. You’ve been out for a few hours. The doctors couldn’t tell me anything about what was wrong with you. How are you feeling?”

                “Oh, I’m…” He stopped, his eyes fading out, a flood of memories flowing through his brain, and he shut his eyes tight as tears started coming down. “Absolutely terrible.” He looked up at his mother, and he knew he had to tell her, even if she got mad. He was in the hospital already. This may be his one chance.

                “Mom, I have to tell you something. A lot of somethings. I know you’re not going to believe me, but I just have to tell you.”

                She wondered what had brought this about. “Okay, I’m listening. Say whatever you have to.”

                He let out a sigh as he stared at the bed, hoping she wouldn’t snap right away. “You remember that girl I kept telling you about?”

                “Saya?”

                Thomas glanced at her, a bemused expression on his face. “Y-yes. But…but how did you…?”

                “The doctor told me about her. She was a real girl who lived in that house, but she died in a car accident that took her whole family. Though I never really believed in those things, I guess you’ve been waving to a ghost.”

                That gave him a sense of relief. If she knew that much he didn’t have to tell her everything. He thought she might freak out if he mentioned soul devouring monsters who took over people’s ghosts. He simply explained it as Saya’s ghost being lonely, so she would come into his dreams and ask him to play with her at her house while she waited for her parents to show up. When they did she was happy they were together again. He explained about her life in the hospital and all the things afterward, ending with her final wishes as the angel came to took them away to heaven.

                Penny didn’t know how to respond to her son’s tale. She didn’t care for the supernatural. She didn’t know how much she believed of it all. The most important thing, she reasoned, was that her son was hurting. She had to take his words as the truth for now. An easy way to know at least part of it would be to ask that doctor they had talked to before. They had to let him know that Thomas was awake anyway.

                Penny hit the button to page the staff. A minute later a nurse walked in. “Yes?” She asked kindly. “How can I help you?”

                 “My son woke up, so I would like to speak to Dr. Marston.”

                 “Of course.” She replied, leaving.

                About five minutes later Dr. Marston came in. “Hello again, Miss Penny. How are you, Thomas?”

                “Fine.” He responded.

                “Dr. Marston.” Said Penny. “You said to me that you believe in the supernatural, so I believe my son can tell you what he needs to say.”

                “Yes?” He asked, interest sparking.

                So Thomas went through his experience again, once more leaving out the evil spirits. Throughout Dr. Marston looked fascinated, but when it finished he got a melancholy look on his face. He went to the window and looked outside. “I see.” He said in a quiet voice. “I remember that child, from back when she was alive. She had a very strong spirit. A lot of children are fortunate they never have to spend the start of their childhoods experiencing pain like she did. Children like her…they really do need someone to tell them not to give up. Mental state is one of the most important factors in recovery. If they believe they are weak and are never going to recover, their body obeys their thoughts. The harder they believe and the harder they fight the quicker that glorious period of normalcy comes. Though…for some, there can be no proper recovery.”

                Thomas stood up, going to the window as well. As he looked out upon the park he felt a powerful rush of feelings. It seemed so simple, to go play at a park, but for some it may as well be as far away as the moon. He tried to picture Saya, constantly wishing she could have it, but not being able to because she was too unwell. Not just her. There were likely quite a few of them just like her.

                “If you give me a little time I can set up things so you can fulfill her final wish. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Most of the nurses and doctors will remember her. Although…it would probably be for the best if you didn’t mention you got that message from a ghost.”

                “Yeah…” Thomas responded distractedly, still looking down towards the park.

                 A few hours later Dr. Marston came to collect him and his mother.

                After taking an elevator to the pediatric wing he was led to a near empty room, except some chairs and the people gathered to hear his words. Her words.

                He thought of sitting down at the chair near the front, but he didn’t want to. He looked around at the other children, some of them not appearing fully conscious, some of them looking pale. He felt really bad for them. If these were indeed all the kids who had been in the hospital when Saya had been it meant they had been there for at least three years after Saya had left.

                He noticed quite a few nurses staring intently after him. He guessed that they were the ones who had played some part in taking care of Saya when she had been there.

                Taking a steadying breath he began, “Hello, everyone. I’m not sure how much you were told of why I’m holding this meeting, but…it involves a certain person who used to be in this hospital. Her name was Saya.”

                A flash of recognition crossed the kids features, and he saw increased attention go through the room. “I don’t know how many of you were told the news, but she’s dead. She has been for a few years.” The shock and hurt made it clear that the children had NOT been told. “Now, my name is Thomas. I was a friend of hers. Um…” He stopped, trying to come up with something. “I found out recently from a diary they found in her house that there was a message that she left for all of you.

                “When she got out of the hospital, the first thing she did was go to the park right by here, because she always looked out of her window at it while she was sick. After she got her wish of playing in the park she decided that she wanted to try ballet, one of the things she wanted to do most if she ever got out. She was weak from being in the hospital so long, and she needed a lot of time and practice before she became strong enough to be as good as the other kids.

                “Her final dream…was one she never got to complete.” He felt tears start coming down his eyes as her memories, her feelings, came to mind. “So I decided to do it for her. There was a ballet competition that was going to be held the day she died. She…she never made it there.” He took a heavy breath before continuing. “She said that she wanted to win no matter what. That was why she was trying so hard. If she won she would have gotten a nice trophy, and she had planned to bring it here.”

                “Here?” Asked one of the kids.

                “Why here?” Asked another one.

                “She was planning to leave it here for all of you.” Responded Thomas. “What she wanted the most was for all of you to NEVER give up. Even if you’re sick or hurt or whatever, she wanted all of you to keep fighting, because one day all of you will get out of the hospital too, and get to do all the things you dream of as well. THAT was what she wanted to do. Since she is no longer around, I knew I had to be the one to tell you.”

                Thomas looked around the room, to see if his words had any impact. He could see the nurses were crying pretty hard, doubtlessly because they had known Saya almost as well as her parents. As for the children, he could see that they had all perked up some. They likely didn’t feel too optimistic after being there so long.

                “I sure missed Saya.” Said a boy. “It’s too bad she’s gone, but she’ll always be with us here.” He pointed to his heart.

                “Yeah.” Said a girl. “She didn’t forget about us. She wanted to help us.”

                As chatter continued amongst them Thomas could just feel the mood in the room had changed. He could feel…the flower of hope blossoming. He didn’t know if it would be sufficient to get them better enough to get out of the hospital, but it was a perfect first step.

                The hospital wanted to keep an eye on him just in case, so he knew he wouldn’t be leaving that night. When his mom asked if he was ready to go back to his room he started to say yes but then he changed his mind. As he glanced around at the brighter atmosphere of the room he once again thought of Saya’s memories. Though the staff was very friendly and supportive, the picture he had gotten of what it was like to spend years in a hospital was as black as the space he had occupied in the spirit world. “No, Mom.” He said. “I’m…I think I’d like to stay a little longer, and play with these children as well.”

                His mother gave an approving nod. “Very well.”

                Thomas tried to make the most of his time there, telling them stories or jokes or playing games with them. They seemed delighted to have a new playmate in their group.

                After a time he bid them farewell, returning to his room with the help of a nurse. As he sat in his bed his mother said, “So, Thomas…”

                “Yes?”

                “I believe that every experience has a lesson that can be learned. Did your experience playing with a ghost teach you anything?”

                He got a heavy look on his face as he looked down at his lap. “Yes…” He said in a quiet voice. “It…it actually feels like a scary lesson.”

                “Why’s that?”

                “Now it feels like I shouldn’t try to have any dreams. I don’t know when I’m going to die, and if I die without doing my dream I could just be a ghost too.”

                “I don’t think so. What Saya and her parents were fighting for was a wish to bring light to the down feelings of the children here. It was something she put her whole heart and soul into, and it was a gift that would be good for so many people. If dreams that weren’t complete are all it takes then EVERYONE would be a ghost after they died. Every single person has something they wish to do before they go. Even when they accomplish it their thoughts simply turn to their next goal. Look at Saya. She wished to go to the park she always saw out her window, then to be a ballet dancer, then to win a competition. It’s an endless cycle.

                “I believe the real message you should take from this is that you should accomplish all you can each day, because you never know when the day will come you cannot get what you want anymore. As you saw not all children are as fortunate as you. You can run and jump and see and do everything yourself.”

                Thomas was quiet for a while, then he looked up at her. “Well, I think my dream for now is to keep Saya’s dream. The hospital isn’t really that far from our house. I could come here and keep inspiring the children.”

                “That sounds like a wonderful dream. If you keep at it and keep their spirits high, then…who knows. Maybe you could be the reason one of these kids gets to experience a new life like she did.”

                “I think that would feel wonderful, and make Saya really happy where she is.”

                “Me, too.” She said as she hugged him.

                Later on his dad showed up, having just got off work. His dad was a bit bemused as he was told the story, but seemed to accept it without much fuss.

                The next day Thomas left the hospital. His parents had stayed overnight, but his dad had to leave again in the morning to go back to work.  One of the first things he did when he left was go to the park. He walked slowly, trying to appreciate everything. He looked at every little thing that caught his attention. His mother stayed just a little behind him, giving him some space. As he walked he couldn’t stop the tears from coming again. He missed Saya. Even though those evil spirits had only been using him so he would make a good meal, he had genuinely came to care for her.

                It was a very melancholy walk for a time, before he managed to convince himself to stop dwelling on her absence. This wasn’t what she wanted for him. She would want him to be happy and inspired too. He played on the playground for a while, trying out some stunts. He skipped rocks across the pond. He observed interesting people. Slowly his gloom turned to excitement. Yes, it was far from the end. There was so much more he could do. Maybe one day he could bring one of those kids hear someday.

                The next day he went back to school. On the way home he glanced up at the window of the empty house. As expected there was no one there. There never was.

                After a week of this Mitchell finally asked, “So what’s the deal? You stopped waving to your little girlfriend.”

                With a sad laugh he responded, “She…moved.” He hadn’t told his friend about his little adventure. He didn’t want it spreading throughout the school, and he certainly didn’t want to answer questions about it.

                Once a week his mom would drop him off at the hospital for a few hours to entertain the kids. He could quickly see that they were coming to expect his visits, always looking anxious and excited when he showed up. It reminded him of Saya. Though deep down he knew he was simplifying things too much, he thought that the abandoned house and the hospital weren’t that different. They both felt like prisons everyone wanted to escape from. He did his best to keep their moods up. Once he had their trust, he spoke to them in private and told them about how he actually knew Saya, though just like with everyone else kept out the part about the evil spirits inhabiting her parents. All of them being young they had no problem accepting his ghost story. Most of them found it touching that the only thing that kept Saya’s spirit from ascending was thoughts of not being able to help them.

                He developed a nice rapport with them, growing attached to them just like he’d done with Saya. He knew all their names by heart, and was quite knowledgeable about their likes and dislikes. The nurses liked him quite a bit as well for being so generous and unselfish with his free time.

                During his sixth month there he got the most wonderful news. One of the children, a girl named Melinda, was getting released. Her dream was mostly the same as Saya’s, though instead of a ballet dancer, she just wanted to be a plain old dancer. There was a big party thrown, and Thomas was overjoyed, cheering and whooping and dancing. None of the kids there felt jealous. All of them would get out sooner or later. Through Thomas’ help and Saya’s last words, that was what all of them truly believed. They only had to wait for their turn.

 

 

 

 

                Somewhere, far above the world, in a golden brown land, a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was looking upon the world. Her essence was flushed with a slight glow, and closed wings spanned her back  She was on her stomach, he face propped up on her hands and her feet moving leisurely back and forth. Through a gap she watched the party with a joyous feeling in her heart. “He did it.” She said in a bright voice.

                “Did what, dear?” Asked Barbara, walking over to her daughter.

                “Melinda is getting to go home today.”

                “That’s great!”

                “Yeah.” She said dreamily. “I hope she becomes the best dancer in the whole world and gets to do all the things I couldn’t do.”

                “Not jealous at all, are you?” Asked Anthony, coming over to watch too.

                She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m so happy right now. I didn’t expect Thomas to visit the hospital every week. I thought he was just going to tell the kids what I wanted to say and not go back.”

                “Well, it’s better that way, isn’t it?”

                “Yeah.” She said with a big smile. “I can’t wait until I get to play with him again.” She thought for a second of what had happened to her when she had died too soon. With a small giggle she said, “Nah.” She looked at Thomas warmly, a happy tear coming down her eye. “I can wait.”

 

 

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Holy shizzle that was amazing. Barbara and Anthony are kind of like changelings huh? They feasted on Thomas' love and care towards Saya. Genius!! Great story

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

Holy shizzle that was amazing. Barbara and Anthony are kind of like changelings huh? They feasted on Thomas' love and care towards Saya. Genius!! Great story

Thank you! Not exactly like changelings. It was more like their spirits were possessed by evil spirits. Glad you enjoyed it. I have some more works on this site if you're interested.

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Thank you! Not exactly like changelings. It was more like their spirits were possessed by evil spirits. Glad you enjoyed it. I have some more works on this site if you're interested.

I am interested This was a really great story and I bet your other works are cool too From the beginning I seriously thought the story would end with Thomas finding out she was a ghost or something, since everything pointed to that. But WHOA I was not expecting what came next

[Sig Hoovestrong 838]

It is book! Now feel like egghead, haha. No really think will save this for later. When need something too read. But ontill then.

 

Sig, out. *Squee*

[HeartFeltPuma23 180]

Man,wow,this story was fantastic,really,at first i thought that it was just a "normal" ghost story,but when i was at the end i saw that it wasn't,you have done a really great job,on the story,the characters,everything,everything is fantastic in this story! Keep up the good work,i totally know that your new works will be fantastic as this one (and this has to remain beetween me and you,but i cried a little at the end,but don't tell anyone,okay?) 

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

I am interested This was a really great story and I bet your other works are cool too From the beginning I seriously thought the story would end with Thomas finding out she was a ghost or something, since everything pointed to that. But WHOA I was not expecting what came next

My mom had the same reaction. She said she was curios about where Saya's parents were, and thought it would end with her meeting up with them, but that whole possessed parents thing and pushing her and Thomas together to feast on his soul really threw her for a loop.

 

Links to my other stories. http://mlpforums.com/topic/76964-brotherly-hate-brotherly-love/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/76962-the-last-goodbye/

Hope they meet your satisfaction like this one

So what did you think of Saya's backstory? I think Saya's death had a little more meaning because she didn't just die of cancer. She got out and was just starting to find the joys of life before it was taken away trying to do a good deed for her former hospital mates.

Man,wow,this story was fantastic,really,at first i thought that it was just a "normal" ghost story,but when i was at the end i saw that it wasn't,you have done a really great job,on the story,the characters,everything,everything is fantastic in this story! Keep up the good work,i totally know that your new works will be fantastic as this one (and this has to remain beetween me and you,but i cried a little at the end,but don't tell anyone,okay?) 

Thank you very much!   I'm glad you liked the twist I threw in. Possessed soul devouring parents was something that threw my mom off too, and really got her into the story. 

 

Links to my other stories if you'd like to see more of my work. http://mlpforums.com/topic/76962-the-last-goodbye/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/76964-brotherly-hate-brotherly-love/

 

I'm not sure which part of the ending you TOTALLY didn't cry at , but I'm glad I could help inspire some emotions in you.

I think Saya's backstory had a little more meaning because she didn't just die of cancer. She got out and was just starting to find the joys of life before it was taken away trying to do a good deed for her former hospital mates.

[Never2muchpinkie 211]

I am interested This was a really great story and I bet your other works are cool too From the beginning I seriously thought the story would end with Thomas finding out she was a ghost or something, since everything pointed to that. But WHOA I was not expecting what came next

Man,wow,this story was fantastic,really,at first i thought that it was just a "normal" ghost story,but when i was at the end i saw that it wasn't,you have done a really great job,on the story,the characters,everything,everything is fantastic in this story! Keep up the good work,i totally know that your new works will be fantastic as this one (and this has to remain beetween me and you,but i cried a little at the end,but don't tell anyone,okay?) 

Hey there. I posted a Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash fic. It's mostly told from first person view of Scootaloo, and it shows her growth from fearing she can't fly because of an injury she got as a baby and from being an orphan.  I put her through a lot, but she perseveres through it all! Give it a look see if those characters interest you. Be warned though. It's pretty long. About a two hour read.

 

Link: http://mlpforums.com/topic/80077-my-first-mlp-fanfic-pack-a-lunch-scootaloorainbow-dash-fic/#entry2059686

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Hey there. I posted a Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash fic. It's mostly told from first person view of Scootaloo, and it shows her growth from fearing she can't fly because of an injury she got as a baby and from being an orphan.  I put her through a lot, but she perseveres through it all! Give it a look see if those characters interest you. Be warned though. It's pretty long. About a two hour read.

 

Link: http://mlpforums.com/topic/80077-my-first-mlp-fanfic-pack-a-lunch-scootaloorainbow-dash-fic/#entry2059686

 

I'm gonna make sure to read it. Thanks for telling me about it