SMOKE SPIRIT

9:~promise~

Sweat dripped along the length of her spine as the startled figure sat up in bed. Her hair clung to her forehead, damp with perspiration, and her breath was shallow, almost unbearably slow. She struggled to breathe properly, flipping her trembling hands in front of her face, feeling unreal. Intense pain throbbed in her head, and she moaned when she tried to shake it off. Her eyes scanned the room and fixed on the full-length mirror. She gasped as she saw the greenish-purple figure of her sister reflected in it, her eyes dangerously white, almost engulfing the green of her irises. She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat nearly choking her. The figure stood frozen, staring at her. She lay back down, closing her eyes, trying to convince herself it was just a dream. "Alianora is dead," she told herself, "She died long ago. She can't be back." When she opened her eyes again and glanced at the mirror, the figure was gone. The sun was shining brightly, and then her eyes landed on a painting.

For a moment, she questioned where she was, whose painting it was, and what she was doing there. Who was the little girl in her dream? Slowly, everything started to slip back into her consciousness: Alianora, Jonathan, this mansion, Elic—the ghost, his unfinished painting, his wandering soul. And lastly, she remembered that she was Avery. The realization weighed heavily on her; she wished to remain nameless, unknown. Yet, instead of succumbing to the usual tears and despair over her nightmares, she found herself smiling. It was a deviation from her routine, but it didn't feel wrong.

She slipped out of bed and moved towards the painting instead of the bathroom. Sitting in front of it, she picked up a pencil from the case on the small table beside her, which held all her necessary art supplies. She started sketching stars on the canvas. She was not halfway done when Elic appeared. The conversation from the previous night still echoed in her mind, making her smile at his incessant chatter.

"What is your relation with Jonathan? I used to hear about you and your sister so much," he had asked last night. She had been trying to focus on the painting, answering him with monosyllabic replies and nods until this question made her smile—a rare occurrence for her.

"Jonathan is my mother's brother," she had said shortly, knowing that Jonathan wasn't her real uncle. There was no blood relation, but some bonds are forged through human ties, heart, and soul.

"Wait, are you my cousin?" he asked, bewildered. Avery looked up, disappointed on his face. She couldn't tell if he was excited, grief-stricken, or something else.

"My mother and Jonathan were best friends in college," she explained. Elic breathed heavily, then relaxed, making an 'o' face. He had always assumed they might be blood relatives based on how Jonathan spoke of them, but when he realized Avery loved and respected Jonathan deeply, it comforted him. Avery kept staring at his serene, perplexed face, finding his childlike pout cute."You know, you shouldn't smile to yourself. People will think you're mentally unstable," Elic called out after almost 15 minutes. Avery, lost in her flashbacks, diverted her gaze, a smile still tugging at her lips.

"Were you disappointed when you thought that I'm your cousin?" Avery asked, the question catching him off guard. She wasn't teasing, or maybe she was, but she also genuinely wanted to know what he was thinking last night.

"Oh no, no, no," he stuttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hmm, I see," she hummed and continued working on the grass. She planned to draw Elic's face last, needing either an old picture or his current young face.

"Avery," he called softly. She responded with a small hmm.

"What is one or more of your desires you want to fulfill before you leave this world?" he asked, his voice hesitant. She smiled, dropping her hands to her sides, thinking.

"Maybe I want to publish my book and go on a world tour," she said and returned to her painting, drawing fine lines for the grass.

"Should I tell you my desire other than this painting?" he asked, his voice heavy with emotion. Avery looked at him, nodded warmly.

"Of course," she said, expecting to see his eyes light up, but they were filled with pain. A tear rolled down her face.

"Oh, Avery, please don't cry," Elic panicked, trying to touch her hands. His cold hands clasped her warmer ones tightly. She smiled through her tears and mouthed a sorry.

"I promise, Elic," she hushed as she felt herself being clasped against Elic's colder self. He hugged her and caressed her back, stroking her morning-tangled hair with his cold, colorless fingers. She sobbed.

"I promise, Elic, this is my last wish too now."

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A/N

I want to fast pace this story, as it lies in the short story portions so I will be warping this up in next 10 chapter, so thats it, I guess I'm not rushing things.