Guest UnfortuNATE

Chapter 6: The Entity

"Ace?" A pair of cold hands cupped her face, waking her up.
"Mmmmm?"
"Good morning, darling."
"Good morning, Dia."
"Breakfast is ready."
Ace opened her eyes but closed it again when she's blinded by the sun's rays.Diamond laughed before alighting on top of her and just laying there, being lulled by her friend's steady heartbeat.
"What time is it?" Ace asked groggily.
"It's almost 8, darling."
"Shit, it's late. Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"Heart told us to just let you be. You seem to have just gone to sleep when we were up by six."
Ace recalled that she might have finally dozed off around five that morning.
"Six?"
"Yeah, Spade's alarm was the culprit. We could have used another hour of sleep given that we went to bed pretty late," Diamond mumbled apologetic. "You slept through it so we're guessing Heart was right. You ain't a heavy sleeper and when you ain't that tired, you might have been the one who threw her phone on the floor."
"Like I'd ever do that."
"Yeah, you ain't Heart," Diamond laughed as she narrates how Heart woke up irritated by the alarm and thought it was her phone so she just slammed it hard on the floor. It's a good thing it landed on the carpet or Spade's phone might have to be brought over to the repair shop. But knowing their friend, she would just buy herself a new one.
"Heart was an asshole, good thing Spade's in a good mood so they just laughed it off. She even took that chance to brag about the quality of her phone," Diamond rolled her eyes at that.
"Dia! You need help dragging Ace's ass out of bed? My coffee's gone cold already! Another minute and her pancake might just be mine!"
They both laughed when they heard Heart's complaining voice echoing through the whole house.
"Coming!"
"Make it quick or there's no bacon for you!" She threatens to which Diamond finally got up groaning and pull Ace out of bed.
"I'll be coming right down. Let me just wash up."
"Fine but don't take too long or Heart and Spade won't spare you a bacon."
Ace smiled and nodded as she goes to her own room and took a quick shower.
"Look at her looking fresh while we three look like old hags, good morning Ace." Spade beamed at her as she comes down the stair.
"Good morning, girls." She smiled as she returns their greetings.
"Slept well?" Heart asked as she passed her her plate.
"Yeah, thanks."
"What time did you sleep?"
"Around 5, I guess."
"Eh? I woke up around 4:30 to use the bathroom and you weren't in bed," Spade said with an eyebrow raised. "Then, I went downstairs to grab a drink when I saw you come out of the spare room. I called out to you but you didn't hear me, I guess. You just went up without glancing at me and when I came back you're already in bed."
Ace froze, looking at Spade incredulously.
"I never went downstairs," she said in disbelief to which Spade frowned.
"Were you sleepwalking?" She asked instead.
"Or were you the one dreaming? I was awake til 5 this morning." Ace argued.
"You sure?" This made Spade question herself when she heard the certainty in Ace's voice. Right, she might have been the one dreaming but the coldness of the water she drank that morning was still etched in her throat. And the bruise on her thigh. She looked down to inspect the purple mark on her thigh now turning dark that she acquired when she hit herself on the table's edge as she tried to ran after Ace. She winced in pain when she tried to touch it and it didn't escape the other girl's sharp eyes. She can't be dreaming. But, Ace can't be lying either.

"Ace..."
"Yes?"
Spade sat down beside her friend who was trying to read a book by their patio.
"Do you believe in spirits? Ghosts?"
"You know I do write about them," Ace turned to her with a questioning look.
Yeah, right. Ace also writes horror and paranormal stories during her free time and she may or not have published some wide-acclaimed works under a pen name she doesn't want to tell the others.
"Yes but, what made you interested in them? I mean, have you had experiences with them, ghost encounters or such?"
"I take inspirations from experiences that runs my imagination wild," came the simple answer.
"I hate it when you talk in riddles, please talk in a language I can understand," Spade grumbled to which Ace only chuckled.
"Why do you wanna know?"
"Yesterday and this morning," was the quick reply.
Ace closed the book and laid back, prompting Spade to do the same.
"Tell me more, then."
"More? What do you mean?"
"This morning."
Spade gulped.
"That must've been just me dreaming."
"The bruise on your thigh says otherwise."
"Or I sleepwalked."
"Spade...we both knew it wasn't."
"What's going on, Ace?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out as well. A lot had been happening since yesterday and I don't like it at all." Ace sighed. "Just when I thought everything's starting to be okay."
She doesn't know what to feel but one thing she's sure of is when Ace is bothered, it would be a bad thing.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything is. Since yesterday."
"I don't get it."
"I'll tell you girls soon, but not for now. Just please, give me time to atleast put two and two together and I need you to tell me what you saw this morning."
Ace is adamant and so Heart started to narrate how she woke up to use the toilet, finding Ace not in bed then going downstairs.
"I was drinking when the door in that spare room just creaked open. I turned and saw a figure come out of it, I really can't see because the only light was coming from the kitchen. I called out to you but you didn't even spare me a glance. You just went straight towards the stairs then up, I tried running after you but hit my thigh on the table's edge, I toppled over, hitting the floor. I wasn't able to get up for like about 5 minutes, the pain unbelievably tormenting. When I finally managed to get back in our room, you were sleeping like a baby. Like..."
"Like I was never up?" Ace finished.
"Now, that got me thinking..."
Spade had her brows furrowed as she tried to think more about it.
"Are you sure that was me?"
"What do you mean?"
Spade suddenly felt a chill run down her spine when she realized what Ace is trying to imply. Her eyes went wide with terror, hands shaking.
"Are you thinking...?"
It got even wider when she remembered some details she forgot to add to her story.
"Shit! She was on a fucking dress! And she was gliding up the fucking stairs! What the fuck!"
Ace immediately closed the gap between them to envelop her in a hug when she noticed Spade shaking, fear evident in her eyes.
"Shhhh...it's okay. I'm here."
"She's here, too! But why? I mean who? Who is she? Why is she doing this? Why me? What the fuck does she want from me?" Spade coudn't stop babbling as she tightly grips at her friend's shirt, burrowing her face in her chest as if hiding herself from that entity.
"I plan on finding the answers to that soon. I just hope she doesn't have any ill intentions towards us, maybe she needs our help."
"Help from what?"
"Could be anything, to help her crossover."
"I hate this."
"Don't be afraid. Maybe she chose you because she knows you could help her."
"Or she hates me and wants to hurt me."
"Had she tried to hurt you in any way?"
"Not really."
"Then so far so good, I need you to be brave. It won't be good if it has to feast on your fear. You know it's the delicacy of the unworldly, human's fear and weakness."
"Stop! Don't talk like that! You're scaring me!"
"Fine, fine...just remember, she can't hurt you. As long as I am here."
"What if it will hurt you?"
"Don't you trust me? I can manage. But can you promise not to tell the others first? I don't want you all getting scared by this."
"Of course. You tell them when you think is time. I trust you on that."
"Thanks."
"I'll try to be brave for you."
"That's my girl. You have always been brave, though."
"You're so cheesy."
"Shut up."
Ace lets go of her but Spade just won't stop clinging to her.
"What's with you today?"
"Just let me savor this moment. It's not everyday I got to be this way."
Ace scoffed but let her be.