Out of the Darkness

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Her gaze caught mine, and she froze in shock. This gave Kat the perfect opportunity to jump up behind her, and force her head under the water. "Oh! Hey Colby!" Kat exclaimed, laughing, while Anna came back up, sputtering water. "When did you guys get back?" "Just now," I replied, holding Anna's gaze. I really had it so bad. "Can I talk to you for a second, Anna?" She nodded, and moved to get out of the pool. I tried not to stare, but failed miserably. I held my hand out to her, offering my help. She smiled shyly and took it, letting me pull her up beside me. Kat followed, so I held my hand out to her too. "Such the gentleman," she quipped, grinning at me. "I'll push you back in," I exclaimed, moving like that was exactly what I was about to do. "NO!" she screamed, ducking away from me. She grabbed their towels and threw one to Anna. "Sam's in the living room," I told her. "Maybe go around, instead of through, though. We have company." She nodded, and left Anna and I on the back patio. "Is something wrong?" she asked me, fidgeting with the towel that she had wrapped around her. "No, nothing's wrong," I answered. "I just wanted to kind of warn you, I guess. I don't know if that's the right word to use. We do have company, and it may be someone that can help us, help you. She knows...a lot about the Witch's House. Are you feeling up to speaking with her?" She chewed her bottom lip and met my gaze. Her emerald green eyes had worry shining through. "If you think it's a good idea, then yes. Does she know that I'm a ghost...or whatever I am? I actually faded out a couple of times in the pool. Had to go inside to change back into my swimsuit. It was so embarrassing." My mind went to places that weren't appropriate, especially in that moment, so I shook the images from my head. "She knows. It shouldn't be a problem. Uh, if you'd like to change first, you can go to my room," I replied. "Oh," she said, looking down at herself in embarrassment. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." I opened the door for her to go through, and followed her inside. "I guess I'll be right back then," she said, and turned to walk around to the staircase. "Hey, Anna?" I called out. She stopped and turned back to me. "Yeah, Colby?" "You look beautiful," I replied, enjoying the way her cheeks pinkened up. "Oh, um, thank you," she squeaked out, before turning and walking even faster to the staircase. I chuckled to myself, about how easy it was to make  her blush. When I walked back into the living room, Christine was sitting on the large wrap around couch, her legs crossed, and a water bottle in her hand. Sam was sitting a few seats down, speaking with her. "That's amazing!" he was saying, excitedly. "We, Colby and I, have been interested in the supernatural for such a long time. We didn't really know anything about it though. Hell, I didn't even believe in it, if I'm being honest. Not until we really dove into it, and starting having these amazing experiences. Now, I know there's something out there. Something more than what we see, or feel. Probably an entire world of things." I cleared my throat, and made my way to the couch. After I sat next to Christine, I met her gaze. "She'll be down soon. She wanted to change out of her swimsuit." Her eyebrows lifted, almost disappearing into her hair. "She had to change? But she's a ghost, right?" Sam and I looked at one another and almost burst out laughing. "Trust me, we wonder the same things on most days. This is something that we've never encountered before," I answered. "She's special." Christine stared at me, watching my face so intently, that it made me start to feel uncomfortable. "You really like her," she said. It wasn't a question. I nodded, and shrugged. "It's impossible not too." "Yes, but you have feelings for her. It's written all over your face," she replied, softly. I shifted on the couch, and looked away from her. That was not a conversation that I wanted to have, because I didn't have the answers to any questions that were bound to follow. Thankfully, Anna saved me from having too. She stepped into the living room, dressed in her normal clothes with the jean jacket. Her hair was even dry. If I had to guess, I'd say that she phased out, then back in. There was no way that she had time to blow dry her hair. Christine sucked in a deep breath and quickly stood. "Stacia," she breathed out. I watched Anna's face for any semblance of recognition. All I saw was confusion. "No. My name is Anna," she replied, staring at Christine intensely. "Do I know you? You look kind of familiar." "Oh, um," Christine stammered out. She looked at me for help. "No, Christine is just here to help. She's made progress with helping people regain their memories, so I figured why not try, at least," I said, reaching out for Anna's hand. She met my gaze, smiled, and took my hand. We all sat back down, with Anna only a foot away from the best friend that she didn't remember. Christine was staring so openly at Anna, it was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. Imagine a stranger just staring at you, without saying a word. Anna was clearly uneasy. "What did you call me?" she asked Christine, confusion still evident on her face. Christine still looked like someone had just dropped an anvil on her head, like Looney Tunes, and she had those little birds flapping around. "I called you Stacia. My mistake. You just remind me of someone that I used to know. I apologize,' she replied. "It's okay," Anna replied. "I kind of like that name, actually." Everyone was quiet for another few minutes, until Anna cleared her throat. "So, where do we start? Sam and Colby said that you may be able to help with my memories. I haven't been able to remember much. Just that my name is Anna, I have a baby sister, and...well, I guess that's all I really remember."