Dream for the Dead (Completed/Editing)

39

As I was in the car, I had to use every last scrap of energy that I could muster up to keep acting completely happy, and not at all heartbroken. I hated the fact that I might die without resolving anything with him. Would we end up in the same place in the afterlife? Or would he go back to the forest Analetta had sent him to? There were so many questions that I craved the answers to.
"Oh, what's that?" Mum's voice made me snap out of my deep thoughts.
"What's what?" Unconsciously, I moved my wrist to hide the bracelet.
"The bracelet. On your wrist." She nodded her head towards my wrist. "I've never seen it before."
"Oh, something a friend got me from school." I answered bluntly. "For my birthday."
"Oh, really? And has this friend given you a reason for the little heart charm?"
"Er-"
"And the fact that it's suspiciously placed in the middle of the two letter charms?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
I hadn't noticed that before. I'd been trying to read too deeply into the charm itself that I hadn't even realised that it was placed between the letter charms, just surrounded by a few other charms too. My mind began to stray to all the possibilities, but I quickly suppressed those thoughts.
Even if it was true before, it isn't now.
"So?" She held the 'o' for a couple of beats.
"So?" I repeated.
She tutted. "Who is he? Clearly not that Elias kid. What happened to him, anyway?"
"God, so many questions! Shouldn't you be keeping your eyes on the road?" I regretted being moody immediately.
She looked slightly hurt - as well as irritated - but turned her attention back to the road. As we were about to exit the town, I noticed movement in my peripheral vision. That was odd, since this part of the town was just empty fields, so I looked to the side of the road in my curiosity. That's when my heart dropped into my stomach.
His eyes widened, and he tried to chase after the car, shouting something I couldn't hear from inside the car. He was thrown backwards at the sign telling us we were exiting the town and I tried to turn my neck to catch one last glimpse of him. Was that worry I had seen in Seth's eyes?

"Here we are! One of Blackpool's better hotels." Mum giggled when we arrived.
"I can't wait to go to the arcades."
"Me neither, but first-" she paused to make sure she'd grabbed my full attention. "I want to take you somewhere. Somewhere very special to me."
"Oh?" I was intrigued, moving closer.
"You'll have to wait and see." She bopped me on the nose lightly.
We got out of the car and grabbed our bags from the boot of the car.
"So, Tabs," her tone worried me slightly, "now that we're out of the car, and I no longer have to keep my eyes on the road..."
I groaned as we walked towards the hotel. "I told you. Just a friend."
"Girl or boy?"
"Boy." I didn't think about what I was saying until I'd said it, as Seth's image had been in my head. I gritted my teeth.
"Ooh." She sounded excited. "You think he has a crush on you or something?"
"No. We're just friends." I made sure there was enough irritation in my voice to get her to stop interrogating me, but not enough to upset her and ruin the vacation.
"Alright, whatever you say." From the corner of my eye, I saw her grinning to herself.

"You gonna tell me where we're going yet?" I asked as we stepped out of our hotel room.
"I said, you'll have to wait and see." She smiled like a Cheshire Cat, and I rolled my eyes, provoking a giggle from her.
We walked down the front, and I admired the lights coming from the arcades, the ocean breeze and the Pepsi Max ride popping up out of Pleasure Beach. We were going there tomorrow, and the day after.
"This place isn't on the main street?" I asked as we walked straight past most of the larger arcades.
"Nope." The suspicious grin made its way back onto her face.
"So-"
"Wait and see."
After about ten minutes of walking, we turned down a small street - not very pretty, it was quite dingy and old - and Mum sped up her walking.
"Almost there!" She clapped her hands together. What could be so exciting about a string of dark, worn down buildings?
"Aaand...here we are!" She stopped at a door slightly different from the others: chipped, burgundy paint as opposed to the other grey doors, with a golden-coloured handle, rusted now.
"The front is a little more exciting. I was told to use the back door, though, because there's a seance taking place at the front of the building right now." She grinned widely at me, moving her hand slowly towards the door, probably for suspense.
I took it upon myself to knock on the door since Mum was messing around. The word 'seance' had already given me an idea of where we were. The door creaked open, and there stood who I expected to be there. Analetta.
"Hello, darlings." She moved aside and made a gesture to welcome us into the house. "Please, sit down."