Annie, a mature and friendless 13-year-old, originally lived in the bustling chaos of New York City, where she was an outcast at school and a target for relentless bullies. Her family life was equally challenging. Her father abandoned her before she...
Annie blinked, her eyelids heavy with the remnants of a dream that felt suspiciously like a slumber party thrown by IKEA. It was her dream room. heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
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"Delulu" was an understatement. This wasn't a dream. It was a full-blown, neon-lit, "what-in-the-world-is-going-on" situation.
She saw herself in a picture on the wall, posing with a goofy grin. It was her, alright. But the picture was old, the room around her had a weird, ghostly sheen to it, and the door... well, the door was a whole other story.
The door, a magnificent oak behemoth, was the same one she'd seen in that other dream, the one with the void and those creepy, black, shadow hands reaching out like a swarm of angry, intangible spiders.
She placed her hand on the cool oak, the wood surprisingly solid given its spectral appearance. It was real, yet it felt wrong, like a costume crafted from nightmares.
There was a sudden whisper, soft as a moth's wings brushing against a windowpane.
"You have freed me," the voice said.
Annie whipped around, her blood turning to ice.
A little girl sat in a fluffy armchair, legs dangling. She wore a dress ripped straight out of a Victorian dollhouse, complete with a jaunty, lopsided bow. Her smile was a chilling blend of innocent and malevolent, like a sugar-coated arsenic pill.
"Who...who are you?" Annie stammered, trying to maintain a brave facade that was crumbling faster than a stale gingerbread house.
The girl's smile stretched, revealing a gap-toothed grin.
"You must be freaked out," she chirped. "I'm Bell. Annie."
Annie's mind went haywire. "How do you know my name? Are you some kind of... stalker? You're creepy! And what's with this room? And the hands? And... oh God, am I dead?!"
Bell's smile widened, a mischievous glint in her eyes that suggested she could see the panicked hamster wheel churning in Annie's head.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Annie," Bell said, her voice a honeyed whisper that could curdle milk.
Annie felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. 'I... I can't help it,' she stammered. 'It's like my brain is running on a broken track.'
Bell, unfazed by Annie's distress, leaned forward.
'Just so you know,' she said, her voice dripping with a strange mix of sincerity and malice, 'I'm a nice girl. An ally. Your spirit... your protector.'
Annie blinked, a wave of bewilderment washing over her. 'Ally? My spirit? What's going on? I didn't choose you! And you're a little girl, like, a kid. You can't be my spirit.'
A wave of annoyance crossed Bell's features. She sighed, a sound like the rustling of dry leaves.
"Look," she said, her patience wearing thin, "there's a lot to explain. And I mean a lot. Like, I have to explain things to your father, your grandparents..."
Annie's jaw dropped. "Don't talk about them," she snapped, her voice sharp. 'Okay? Little girl?"
Bell's smile vanished.
'Okay,' she said, her voice laced with venom. 'Look here, young lady! I am not a little girl! I'm 190 decades old, and I know a lot more than you! And before you interrupt me again, I'm going to start explaining. And believe me, you're going to want to hear this. And you're going to wish you had a spirit, even if it was a 190-decade-old, slightly creepy little girl."
Bell: Just know that I'm your guardian, okay? Bell said, trying her best to keep her cool.
Annie: You're my ghost then? Annie asked, still confused.
Bell: No! Ghost is an understatement. I'm stronger and more superior than a ghost. I'm a divine spirit, and you're a divine spirit user. Bell said, pointing at Annie, her body floating through the air.
Annie: I see... but how? I'm just a friendless girl...
Bell shrugged.
Bell: All I know is that I've been sleeping here in your dream room for like... a hundred decades, and then I heard a voice in my head saying that you, Annie, are my master! That means you can command me to do things! I honestly don't know how I ended up here or where I came from... Bell said, pointing through Annie's chest. Annie could feel her heart beating faster as Bell's ghostly hand touched it.
Annie: Hey, yo! What the hell! Stop that! Annie shouted, her voice terrified. It felt like someone was touching her organs, making her feel sick.
Bell: I have a name... have you heard of respecting your elders? Isn't that what Asians usually do? Annie was shocked at Bell's comment. It felt kinda racist, and besides, the only elder she respected was her mother since her other relatives were either dead or deadbeats.
Annie: The only elder I respect is my mother since my other relatives are either dead or just bad people, okay?
Bell: Not even your teachers? Principals? Bell said, not believing that Annie only respected her mother. Surely, she must respect some heartthrob from school or an actor, like most 13-year-old girls. But Annie was different.
Annie thought for a while. She attended a lazy public school where the teachers mostly slacked off, and the principal barely did anything. The only change in three years was a new food item in the cafeteria.
Bell read Annie's thoughts and was surprised. Her school didn't sound educational at all...
Bell: Well, I read your mind, and I honestly feel bad for you, kid. But don't worry! I, Bell, will make your life an exciting adventure! Bell said, full of hope. But then Annie heard her mother's voice calling her name.
Hina: Annie! Annie? Sweetheart? Where are you? Hina's voice was full of worry and fear, her brow and palm starting to sweat.
Annie panicked. She was in her dream room, in the middle of the void! Her heart raced.
Annie: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! How do I get out of here??? Annie said, trying to shake Bell, but couldn't since she was a ghost! (Annie are you dumb? lol at this point Annie is loosing her brain cells)
Bell crossed her arms, sighing heavily.
Bell: You wanna go back? Well, honestly, I don't know...
Annie stared at her for a few seconds, then went into full panic mode.
Annie: What do you mean you don't know?! Are you saying I'm trapped here forever?! Are you insane?! I can't be stuck here forever!
She screamed at the top of her lungs and, to her surprise, managed to grab Bell. Just as she was about to shake her furiously, Annie suddenly found herself back in her room. She saw that Bell had turned into the creepy doll.
Annie dropped the doll, relieved but bewildered. How had she returned?
She rushed downstairs to the living room and saw it was late at night. Her mother, Hina, saw her and hugged her tightly.
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Hina: Oh my gosh! I was about to call the police! Where have you been?
Annie, breathless and shaken, tried to make sense of it all.
