Dead Girl's Fate (discontinued)

Chapter 9

I followed Jess through the house, still stunned by her presence.

Why couldn't I feel her?

I dismissed the thought when Jess waved me over to the stairway. I followed her into the room I was in moments before, but now something was different. There was a girl sitting on the foot of the bed, the same girl I had seen in my dream along side Jess. She was staring down at her feet.

"Cara," Jess said to me, "This is Gianna."

I waved to her, and she gave a small smile in return.

"So will she help us?" asked Gianna. She was maybe 16 years old, with red soft curls that hung loose around her face. Her outfit seemed quite strange and outdated.

"I'll help when one of you explains to me what's going on," I said. Honestly, I still felt like an emotional roller coaster. My best friend just appeared out of nowhere, and now this freaky girl from my dreams is asking me for help.

"I'm not freaky," Gianna said in a quiet defense.

Wait, what?

"I never said that," I said, trying to act unsurprised by her comment.

Did she just read my mind?

"Yes, I did," she responds to my thought, "some ghosts can do that."

"Ghost? Oh no, I'm out of here," I started walking towards the door, but before I got out it slammed right in my face. I whipped around, seeing Jess with an arm extended towards the door, her hand open. She dropped it when I saw it.

"D-did you just do that?" My voice was nearly a whisper. She only gave a nod in response.

"So are you..." I didn't have to finish my sentence for her to know what I'm asking. She nods again. The barely lit room began to spin, and I felt hot tears cloud my sight. I didn't want to cry, but this time I couldn't help it. At first, I thought it was nonsense.

I couldn't feel her.

My legs gave out and I was about to hit the floor, when suddenly I was lifted up. Something was holding me. I opened my eyes to see Jess, with her arms around me, holding me up and comforting me. I wanted to lean into her and let her hold me like she did when I got really upset. But instead, it just made me cry even more, because I couldn't feel the heat of her skin or the softness of her hair. I put my hand out and placed it upon her shoulder. All I felt was a cold exterior. I pushed her away.

"You're dead!" I yelled, and fell to my knees. Giant sobs escaped my mouth.

I never wanted this. I was perfectly fine moments ago. What did I do to deserve this?

"You don't deserve this, Cara," it was Gianna who spoke, "But you're the only one who can help us,"

"Stop reading my mind!" I screamed at her. She shrunk back on the bed, and winced at my harsh tone. She was scared. My tears were slowly dripping down my nose.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just really upset and-

"It's okay," she told me, "I would be upset, too," she retreated back to the edge of the bed.

"Cara," Gianna's still foreign voice rang through the room, "We need you. Look, I know you're freaked out by all of this, but we need your help. Just let me explain."

I nodded my head, "Okay, okay tell me what you need, but that doesn't mean I'll do it," I warn them. Jess and Gianna exchange glances, and Jess begins to talk.

"We're not dead, Cara, not technically. We're in a state of bardo. We're in between life and death. It was horrifying at first, but I've had some help from some people. Gianna wasn't so fortunate, she figured it out on her own,"

Gianna nodded to verify this.

"There's someone here, on the other side, as I call it. She's a witch. I know, crazy. But she said there's this balance, a force of nature, that keeps the world in tact, and if you mess with the forces of nature, they will take it out on you. Gianna and I, we kind of messed with the balance...accidentally,"

I noticed that Jess still talks with a vivid amount of hand gestures.

"And..I tracked you down, because I thought you could help with our situation. Me and Gianna..."

I mentally noted her grammar mistake.

"..."died" at the same time,"

I cringed at the word "died"

"...But one of us was supposed to die, and the other one wasn't. The other one was a mistake, and that's why we're both stuck in this in between state,"

"So, what does this have to do with me?" I ask. Surprisingly, I'm super calm about this.

"We don't know which one was supposed to die, and which one wasn't," it was Gianna who spoke this time.

"We think you could figure it out," Jess said, "You're smart, Car, and you're the only one that can see me-see us, that would be willing to help out."

"Okay, so what do I need to do?"

"You can bring one of us back with that book," Gianna said, pointing to the red bound book I found a few nights ago. She must have brought it here.

"I can't read it though, it's all in Latin," I told her.

"I know, I brought it to the witch I told you about earlier, she said she had told me enough, and she couldn't tell me any more with getting in trouble. With who, I don't know, but she wouldn't help me no matter what," Jess said.

"But Cara," she added on, "This is up to you, whether you want to do it or not, but we can't help you with anything outside of this house."

"Why this house?"

"Because it's my house," Gianna said. Makes sense.

This has gone by so fast, I barely even recognize what's in front of me, Jess, my best friend, who's been missing for years, and a girl I don't even know. Suddenly I feel guilty for bombarding into her house two nights ago.

A thought suddenly came to my head.

"Wait, how come I'm the only one that can see you?" I ask Jess.

"Because you never let me go."

----

I went home after my mom called me and told me to "get my butt home or she'd ground me for all eternity". I was out longer than expected. When I got home, laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, I realized how crazy this all is.

Witches, ghosts, what else? Vampires?

It's strange how twisted my life became in just one simple little moment, and it scares me. That's a new feeling, being completely and utterly terrified for your life.

It's a new kind of fear, and I don't like it.