With My Dying Breath (GirlxGirl)

Delusion

The cold of winter is turning Seraphine's blood into ice. These unforgiving months have been especially cruel to her. Her feet are bare and bloodied as she walks through the somber forest. The trees tower over her, and a blanket of fog rests around them like a blanket. Within the gray cloud, she hears a faint voice. Having seen nothing for as long as she can remember, she follows it. The voice, which is barely above a whisper, appears to be crying for help. As Seraphine desperately tries to locate the voice, she finds herself in a small clearing. In the center of it is a large two-story brick house with shattered windows. As Seraphine begins to walk towards the house, she realizes the voice has vanished. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she turns around. She releases a breath after seeing the same familiar trees. When she turns to face the house again, it's gone. Instead, she meets the contorted gaze of a clearly dead woman. Her blonde curls hang loosely over her shoulder, and her skin glows a ghastly white. There is nothing but gaping holes where her eyes should be. The woman grabs Seraphine's shoulders, causing her to gasp. The woman leans her face into Seraphine's before screaming at the top of her lungs. 

𓈒⠀𓂃 ˖ ‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿ ˖ 𓂃⠀𓈒

Seraphine wakes with a start. Her breath catches in her chest before she starts hyperventilating. Her pale skin is slick with sweat, yet she shivers. She digs her palms into her eyes as she tries to process this dream of hers. She is used to these nightmares, but this one felt so real. She gazes at her nightstand and reaches for the glass of water she had previously set there. The crystal clanks against her teeth, and water messily slides down the sides of her mouth. When the water is gone, she gasps for air and sets the glass aside. Her fear is still unwavering, and her body feels heavy with emotion and sleeplessness. She eyes her near-empty room to confirm that nothing lurks in its corners before getting out of bed. Her feet hit the unsanded wood floors with a creak. The sound makes her gasp. She lets out a quiet yet irritated laugh before she makes her way out of the room. She glides down a rounded staircase before heading out of the front door. The sky is still pitch black, and she can hear the crickets' screech. She knows her mare Annabel is still asleep, yet she seeks her out regardless. After weaving through trees and anything else that gets in her way, she finds her gray horse staring into the forest. 

Seraphine calls out to her, "Annabel darling, what are you doing?" 

Annabel doesn't avert her gaze, but she starts to tremble. Seraphine calls out again, confusion plain in her voice. When she doesn't get the reaction she wants, she begins to walk over to her. When she gets close enough, she places her hand on her horse's lower back. Her gaze follows that of Annabel's. She stares into an opening in the woods. There is nothing but an endless void and her feeling of dread. She begins to look harder before hearing a faint whisper. The very same one she heard in her dream.

Before she has much time to react, a woman begins to walk out of the forest opening. Her feet are bare and pointed as she elegantly makes her way toward Seraphine. Her tattered white gown drags behind her. She lifts her head as she takes a delicate hand and tucks a loose curl behind her ear, revealing her pale red eyes. It's the same woman from Sera's dream. 

Seraphine breaks from her reverie when Annabel screeches and begins to rear. Before she can react, her mare is already running; before she knows it, she's running too. She's never felt this scared in her life. She was always told she was a lunatic, and now she's starting to believe it. Her chest heaves, and she pushes her frail body to its limits. Before she reaches her front door, her nightgown snags on a thick tree root. It yanks her back, and she hits the ground, painfully expelling all air from her lungs. Her vision goes white before a delicate face comes within her line of sight. The ghost's face scrunches up with concern as a cold hand cups Seraphine's cheek. 

"I am not here to hurt you, dearest," she whispers, and her expression contorts as if in agony. 

Seraphine opens her mouth to say something, anything. But before she can, the front door opens, and her father calls her name. With that, the ghost is gone.