A Spirit Between Us (bxb)

Chapter 33 - Arch.

The night was crisp, the air biting at their faces as Lyla and Archie made their way back to the school.
The streetlights illuminated patches of the snow-covered sidewalks, their breath visible in the cold as they hurried along. Lyla hugged her coat tighter to her body, glancing nervously at Archie, whose expression was unreadable.

The Mimic had left after its cryptic, ominous words, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake. Lyla immediately called Katherine.

When Lyla relayed what Finn had said, Katherine's voice had shifted, sharp with realization. She'd found something.

"It's not complete," she'd admitted over the phone, her words hurried and tinged with both hope and urgency. "But it might be the closest thing we have to a ritual. I need Archie here to confirm it."

The second the call ended, Archie and Lyla bolted out of her house, leaving behind the warmth of her cozy living room for the biting cold of the night.

"What do you think she found?" Lyla asked, breaking the silence.

Archie didn't respond immediately. His green eyes were fixed ahead, his mind racing. "She wouldn't want us there if it wasn't important." he finally said, his voice flat, though there was an edge of tension there.

Lyla sighed, her boots crunching in the snow. "I just hope she knows what she's talking about."

The rest of the walk was heavy with silence, the kind that buzzed with unspoken hope and tension. The
winter air seemed sharper, every step crunching against the snow amplifying the weight of what was ahead. If Katherine was right–if this was truly it, then they were on the brink of the moment they'd been fighting for.

This could be the end.

The end of the nightmare.

The end of the Mimic's hold on Finn.

They didn't need to say it aloud. The anticipation hung thick between them, every glance they exchanged filled with the same unspoken thought: We're going to get him back.

When they arrived at the school, the building loomed against the dark sky, its windows glowing faintly with light. Archie pushed open the heavy doors, the sound echoing in the empty hallways. He hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, his breath slowing as the familiar weight of the situation settled on his shoulders.

As they walked toward the library, Archie suddenly stopped. Lyla nearly bumped into him as a result.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Archie's gaze had locked onto something at the end of the corridor. A faint, glowing figure crouched low in the snow just beyond the large glass windows overlooking the courtyard.

Lyla followed his line of sight, though she couldn't see what he could.

"It's him." Archie hushed, his voice tight as he started toward the door leading to the courtyard. At this point, Archie was starting to suspect this spirit really was his guardian angel.

"Wait.. what are you doing?!" Lyla hissed, grabbing his arm.

"He's trying to show me something." Archie said firmly, pulling away. He stepped outside into the icy night, the snow crunching under his boots.

The spirit was there, crouched low in the snow like a shadow against the glowing white ground. Its form was faint but unmistakable, radiating a soft blue light that illuminated the frost around it. Archie felt the familiar pull toward it, the strange sense of familiarity that always accompanied its presence.

The spirit didn't move, its head tilted down as if studying something in the snow. Archie hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, his breath clouding the air as he approached.