Out of the Darkness

99

I held my breath, waiting for her to continue. "Various memories like this are coming back to me, Colby, but it doesn't matter. None of it does now. I wish I could explain to you what has happened but I just can't." She looked up again and met my eyes in the mirror. "Just please know that this isn't how I wanted things to be." Her eyes begged me to understand, glassy with tears. I walked slowly towards her, and pulled her into my arms, hesitantly. She came freely, wrapping her arms around my waist, as I wrapped mine around her shoulders. I drew her head in to rest against my chest, and  held her tightly. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice sounding like she was about to cry. "Anna, you can tell me anything. You know that. Whatever it is, I'll help you. Or I'll just listen. Whatever you want from me, I'll do my best," I replied. I breathed in her scent, the same scent that freaked me out when I first started smelling it randomly in my room. Now, it was something that I had come to love. "I can't though. You don't understand. I physically can't tell you. I'll die for real if I do," she cried. I felt warm tears wet my chest where my shirt was unbuttoned and my heart broke for her. "I don't understand," I said, pushing her back from me so that I could see her face. She bit her rosy bottom lip, and looked at me with glassy eyes. "It doesn't matter," she said, moving away from me. "Just know that I really do appreciate you and I wish that things could be different. You should live your life, Colby. Stop worrying about me so much. Besides, I'm already dead." She gave me a half smile that didn't reach her eyes, and then faded out of sight. "Anna?!" I said hastily, thinking that she had disappeared again, that she was back in the darkness. "I'm here." I heard her voice floating on the slight breeze that had appeared out of nowhere in my room. "This is how it needs to be for now Colby. I'll see you soon." With that, I felt her presence fade. The breeze lifted, the soft, citrusy scent faded, and I then felt like I was alone. I stood there for a few moments, confused. None of what had just happened made any sense to me. I hated that. I didn't like being left in the dark. I needed to know what was going on, even if what she said was true, and I couldn't help her. I had to know. So, I pulled out my phone and called the guy, Ash, the dream walker, to see if maybe he would answer this time. I wasn't sure why but I felt like this was the only way to find out anything. I still felt like I needed to revisit that house, but honestly, I was scared too. I wanted to exhaust all other possibilities before I did. I was absentmindedly thinking about all of this while the tinny ringing of the landline rang in my ear. "Hello?" I didn't even realize that someone had answered at first. "Hello, hello?" The voice said again, bringing me back to reality. "Oh, hello," I replied, kind of in shock. "Yes, how can I help you?" The deep voice with a whimsical sound asked. "Uh, my name is Colby. Colby Brock. I'm looking for Ash?" It sounded like a question to my own ears. "I'm Ash," he answered. "Oh, uh, Amethyst told me that you may be able to help me with a...problem?" Again, everything I said sounded like a question. I sounded like the biggest fucking dork. "Amy? How is she doing? I haven't spoken to her in...well, I don't know. I don't even know what today is." He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound emitting from my phone speaker. I kind of laughed awkwardly with him. When he finally stopped, I waited for him to say something else. When he didn't, I broke the silence. "So, um, can you help me?" I asked. "Well, I don't know, do I? I don't even know what your problem is," he answered, his voice full of humor. I was starting to get a little annoyed but I held my tongue. "Well, I need some help getting answers, I guess," I replied. "From another place...or time. Dimension? I don't know." He laughed again, the sound starting to grate on my nerves. "Oh, it does seem like you need help, huh? Another dimension! Another plane of existence? Do you really thing those exist?" His tone indicated that I was stupid for believing such a thing. I'd had enough. "Never mind. If you're just going to make fun, and dance around the situation, then I'll figure out some other way. Amethyst was apparently wrong about you," I spat into the phone. He laughed again, the booming sound pissing me off even more. When I was about to hang up, he spoke words that had chills going down my spine. "Your friend. The green eyes. She's in danger. You want to help her," he said, all humor gone from his tone. "Yes," I breathed into the phone. "How do you  know that?" "Spirits, they tell me things. What is happening with your friend is a big deal, even in the spirit world. What has her is disrupting their plane of existence." "What do I do?" I asked, anxiety running through me. "I don't know. Yet. But I will try to help you. Show you. Can you be here...hmm...well, it looks like I have appointments all the way up until next Friday. I can push this around...mmm." I listened to him mutter into the phone for a few minutes, before I couldn't stay quiet any longer. "If she's in danger, isn't this more important that someone speaking to their dead grandfather?" I knew that my question was callous, but it was also true. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke with an annoyed tone.