I stand outside his front door. He squeezes my hand.
"Don't be nervous." He says. I shake my head and walk in the door, trying to show my bravery. I hear knocking around in the room to the side of us. I make my way towards it.
Riley's mom is beautiful. She's tall. Her hair is a perfect silky blonde and her eyes a beautiful green, just like Riley's. Her face is speckled with freckles that bring out her eyes.
"Hey, I made chicken for-. Oh, you brought Autumn home." She smiles widely at me.
"You know my name." I say, surprised.
"Of course I do. I've known you for a long time, my dear." She comes up to us and hugs me. Riley stiffens.
"Loosen up. She'll know who I am eventually so it's not like it matters now." She says to him when she releases me.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sablo."
"Oh, that's not my name. That's specifically for Riley. My name is Ariel." She smiles at me. I smile back,already feeling comfortable.
"Okay, well eat! I made all this food for a reason." She practically pushes us to the table. I eat better than I have in a long time.It's filled with laughs and smiles. I feel like I actually have a family again.
"So, how's Jamie?" She asks. I look at Riley with confusion. She's supposed to be psychic, isn't she?
"Um, he's passed on." I say quietly. She looks at me like she's expecting me to say more. When I don't say anything else, she sighs.
"C'mon. I know you've seen him. And you've seen others too. Jess?" How could she have possibly known that? I sit there, stunned. Riley looks at me accusingly.
"What is she talking about?" Riley asks me.
"I didn't want to put anymore pressure on you." I say.
"What is she talking about?" He asks again. I put my head down.
"Sometimes I see..ghosts or something. I saw Jessica who was the one that told me to check on Jamie. And now I keep seeing Jamie." I say.
"You're more powerful than we thought." I look up, surprised. Riley and Ariel are beaming at me.
"What?" I say.
"Autumn, you see the lost spirits. You have the ability to help them. In a way, you're a reaper. There's only one other person that can do that, and that's God." He says proudly. I smile with relief. Now that I know mostly everything, I feel relieved.
"Why can't someone just tell me what I am?" I say enthusiastically. I sound more like a whining child. Riley looks at his mom, letting her answer.
"Because everyone has their own journeys."
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"I'll be here, all night, making sure the darkness doesn't come." Riley holds my hands tightly like he never wants to let go.
"You can come inside if you want to." I whisper to him, hoping he'll take my offer.
"I might take you up on that." I smirk at him. "Goodbye, for now." He kisses me quickly before I run up to my front porch and into my house. I stand with my head against the door. I put my fingers to my lips. My smile is still plastered on my face. I hope it never leaves.
I turn around and gasp at the sight in front of me. Down the entire hallway is paper. Small pieces of paper. The edges are all frayed, as if it was torn from a journal. I get on my hands and knees and clutch the paper in my hands. They're all from Jamie's journals. This was my only connection to him, and now he's gone.
I hear a laugh come from the kitchen. I look up, surprised at who I see.
"You're the darkness." I say. She laughs maniacally again.
"This is going to be fun." Mary says.
Then everything goes black.
