Ghostly Plea

Ashlyn

I wake up head pounding, trying to remember what happened. I open my eyes and blink. The world around me is spinning. I close my eyes again and take a deep breath when everything starts to flood back. The garden, Danny, Harper, the pain. It all makes sense now. When Whintle was possessed, Liam said I had made a pretty friend, but he was talking to Harper. The girl in the mirror wasn't my imagination, it was her. And when Geoffrey said I could end it all, he was talking to Harper, not me. She's been with me this entire time.

How could Poppy not realize? She knew when Whintle was possessed. It makes no sense. I sit up from where I lay. An uncomfortable rose patterned couch is under me. I look at my surroundings and panic. None of this is familiar. The house is small. A tiny living room, bed in the corner, and a little kitchen nook. Old photographs hang on the walls, and sheets are draped over furniture. Dust particles hang in the air, dancing on the fading light of the sun coming through the lace curtains.

I stand up slowly, not wanting to fall from the dizziness. I walk to the window, and I'm greeted by the view of Eleanor Manors property. I can see everything. That garden, maze, and the house. But what most surprises me is the rolling fields to the side. My hands start to shake at the realization. I've somehow left the property, and no one knows. There's a way to escape. I can save my friends. My heart starts to beat rapidly at the thought. A hand touches my shoulder and I jump, startled.

"It's okay Ashlyn, It's just me." I relax at the sound of Will's voice.

"How did I get here?" I ask skeptically.

"I carried you." I blush at the thought of me being in his arms. The color in my cheeks makes him smirk.

"Why did you carry me exactly?" How much did he see? Is what I'm really asking.

"You were passed out on the ground. You know, I really need to stop finding you like that. It's getting kinda weird." His lip tugs up on the side, teasing me.

"That's all you saw?" I ask him. He nods. Relief fills me, but just another thought crosses my mind. Why was he in the garden during the day? The maze at night is one thing, but never during the day. "Why were you in the garden?"

He stares at me for a beat, then runs a hand through his dark hair. "I was curious." Is all he says.

"About what?" I lift an eyebrow and stare him down.

"You." He looks away and stares at his feet.

"Sure," I say sarcastically and roll my eyes. "That's bull. Admit it, you were curious about the mystery, weren't you?" He runs a hand over his face and holds his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, I was curious about that too." He said the word too, as if a small part of him did want to see me. I smile at him and remember my location.

"What is this place?"

"Servant quarters." He shrugs and looks at the place. "I didn't want your friends to see me, so I brought you here." I start to look at the pictures on the walls.

"How do you get here?" I say nonchalantly.

"The maze, and the woods."

"Is it easy?"

"If you know your way around the maze it is." My heart leaps. There's truly a way to leave.

My gaze catches sight of a picture hanging in the center of the wall. The setting is in a field. Six people look at the camera. A couple in their twenties, with their children, two little boys, and behind them stand Geoffrey and Martha. This is where they lived. The girl with the kids must be Geoffrey's daughter, she looks just like Martha. I've never pictured them with kids, and grandkids. It must have been devastating for their family when they died. I study the little boys and look at the oldest. He seems to be around eleven, maybe twelve. He looks familiar.