Life After Death

Chapter 29

For the most part, there was a stunned silence for what must've been around ten seconds. Both us and, judging by the looks atop their faces, the other two realised the connection. Leesa presumably having told her story to them, the way Nathaniel had to us.

None of us wanting to break the moment of realisation that would be treasured for each of them for the rest of their lives, we waited until they suddenly ran at each other and hugged each other tightly. We could see the extent of their grasp as their fingers begun to change colour, with how hard their grip on one another was.

"You're alive!?" He cried out, though it still seemed to be a sort of question rather than a statement, like he needed it confirming.

"And you're alive!" She cried out, a tear slipping from its place and down her cheek, "I thought you'd be... you know."

"Well, someone has to come back to annoy you, right? And no one does it as good as me."

"Even two years' worth of Lurkers hasn't changed you," she laughed, sniffling slightly.

"Maybe, but you. You're all grown up!"

I couldn't remember her exact age, Nathaniel never went into great detail, but from what I could recall, and based on our ages, I figured she was about 15. Around two years younger than Nathaniel was. Making her survival all the more impressive.

"I wear this every day," she begun, clutching what looked to be a locket on her neck, and I briefly remembered him speaking of a locket, one he had lost, "Do you still have yours?" she asked, opening it to show the picture inside, of the two of them and their mum.

"No," he said with a regrettable tone, "I lost it one day. No idea how, but I went to look at it and it wasn't there. Must've fallen through a hole in my pocket or something."

"Oh... Well, that's alright! You don't need it now anyway!"

It was then, as he smiled in response, that he suddenly seemed to remember we were all there too - not that we minded of course - and he turned to introduce us all.

"Guys, this is Leesa, my sister," he said with a beaming smile, "Leesa, this is Axel, Whitney, Javon, Jace, Jade, and Viv- Vivian."

"Wow, so many J's," She laughed before smiling back at our own "Nice to meet you all, twins I'm guessing?" She said, nodding towards Jace and Jade.

"Yep!" She smiled, before her face twisted mischievously, "Sadly."

"Hey, you want more J's?" I laughed now joining the conversation, "Their last names Jones."

"Jace and Jade Jones, huh. That's quite cool actually."

Even Jace laughed at this. It seemed even he, with all his distrusting ways, couldn't find it in himself to be rigid around her. Besides, she was clearly known around here, trusted, even if she hadn't of been Nathaniels own sister.

"Leesa Lee. That's quite the name too," Jace laughed, earning one from all of us too.

"Come on, let's go somewhere slightly warmer."

For a moment I assumed we were going to be going to someone's house, but we were led to the campfire instead. Although, this did make sense considering I realised that the houses had no heating, so besides from the closed windows, or all of us bunching into someone's bed, a warm fire was probably what we were going to get the most heat from.

And as we sat around, a few other people from around introducing themselves, and vis versa, I could almost sense the deep talk approaching. Not in a dreary, gloomy, menacing way, but the atmosphere was somewhat more serious, rather than looser.