Finding A Ghost (Completed)

Chapter 14

Surprise!! It's a double update. For kaylapipkin Sorry, I wanted to update during the week for you but life is life, so you get a double update today! Enjoy.

**| Past Sang's POV |**

"You don't know," I laughed at North and he scowled at me but I knew he was being playful.

"Of course I don't know," he said. "This language makes no sense to me."

"I'm just trying to teach you the easy phrases, the everyday ones," I said. "Come on, try again. Bitte (Please)."

He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. I was sad because he had it cut recently so it was to his scalp. He said his papa made him. I didn't like his papa. I knew North's wounds were from that man. Just like how mine came from my mama.

"Frui—"

"Es froyt," I corrected, correcting the way he was saying it.

He eyed me for a moment before trying again.

"Es freut mich. (Pleased to meet you.)"

I suppressed a giggle and answered him. "Gleichfalls. Wo wohnst du? (Likewise. Where do you live?)"

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what I said, his lips moving. After a moment, he broke out in a smile. "Ich wohne in Lübeck." He grinned wide, his cheeks rounding out with his happiness.

I smiled and nodded.

"Now, say Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?)"

"Ich verstehe nicht. (I don't understand.)"

I laughed. "Yay, you said it right this time. I asked 'How old are you?'

I repeated the question to him slowly so he could hear it clearly and then he repeated it. It took him a couple of tries but he eventually got it.

I looked around the park we were currently at and noticed the sun was going to be down in a few minutes. People were clearing out, the park closing at dusk. North shifted, something I noticed he'd been doing since we met here a couple hours ago.

My smile faltered. I knew he was hurting. I could see a hint of bruising when he moved just right, his baggy shirt shifting to reveal the damaged skin below his neck. Just like I knew he could see the bruising on my upper arms when I try to reach for something and the sleeve moves up a little.

But what could either of us do. We were only nine. The people who should be protecting us were doing the opposite. My thoughts grew dark and I shook my head.

"Everything okay?" North asked.

I nodded and sent him a smile. Couldn't think of those things. They didn't matter. They couldn't. With that thought, an idea formed. Maybe North needed a safe place as much as I did. I knew one and I didn't mind sharing it with him.

My smile widened and I climbed to my feet, wiping off my knees, the grass sticking to my skin.

I grabbed North's right hand and tugged him. He didn't move, being so much bigger than me. He cocked an eyebrow at me, asking me to tell him what I was doing, why I wanted him to get up.

"Night sky," I said. "I know good place."

He looked around the area before nodding at me. I tugged him up to his feet with North doing most of the work. We worked our way through Lübeck, going to one of my favorite super secret spots that was only a couple blocks away. By the time we got to where I wanted to go, the sun was completely down.

It was night time—the best time to be invisible.

North pulled his arm back, making me stop. I turned to look at what was wrong. Did I hurt him?

His eyes flickered around the sad looking building I was about to drag him into, with boarded up windows and peeling paint.

"This isn't a safe area, Sang Baby."

"It's okay, just sad house," I explained, the excitement growing in me. "Trust me."

He focused on me, taking note of my smile and the way I was nearly hopping on my feet before finally nodding and letting me drag him with me. We entered the building and I quickly brought him up the stairs. We had to climb five stories to get to the top floor. When we got to the top, I was a little out of breath, my ribs hurting from the strain. It was still healing from the latest punishment. I pushed away the pain and went over to a window without boards or glass.

"Wait—" North yelled out, but it was too late, I was already out the window and on the roof part that covered the back porch. North poked his head out and scowled at me but I just giggled before scrambling up to the top.

"Baby, you'll fall," he called out.

"Sh, they'll hear you," I warned.

He pressed his lips together before slowly and carefully coming out to follow me. He wasn't as fast as me, unpractice with climbing a roof but the determination in his face stayed as he slowly made his way up to me.

When he sat next to me, I pushed his shoulder to get him to lay back so all we could see were the stars.

North took in a sharp breath and I turned my head to stare at him. His dark eyes were wide with wonder as they flickered over all the pretty stars in the sky.

"This is amazing," he whispered.

I nodded, still staring at him. "I come here and remind myself that we are just a spec in the grand scheme of things. That my parents don't matter, my sister don't matter. Nothing matters. I come here and I feel like I belong to something bigger. The world keeps spinning, life keeps going, no matter what. I come here and I'm out of my head, all my problems go away. I think you need something like this too. I think you need to come out of your head too."

"He doesn't matter," North said and finally turned his head to look at me, his eyes a little shiny. I smiled and shifted closer to him, tilting my head so that it leaned against his shoulder.

"No, he doesn't matter," I whispered. "Alles ist in Ordnung. (Everything is fine.)"

"What did you say?" North asked.

"Only that everything is fine," I replied. "Here, nothing matters so it has to be fine."

He nodded and we spent a long time up on that roof, just watching the stars. North pointed a shooting star he spotted and I made him make a wish. I watched as he closed his eyes and his lips moved silently as he made his wish.

"Danke," I said, sitting up and knowing I needed to head back home. If I was gone too long, my family would notice.

"For what?" North asked.

I pointed up at the brightest star. "Since meeting you, you've guided me. You're a fixed point in my life, even if we don't meet often. I know someday, we will separate, because that's life." My throat tightened at the thought. "But right now, you're my rock. Danke. You're my North Star."

North swallowed hard, his eyes wide. He looked at me and then up at the bright star in the sky. The North star. "Bitte schön. (You're welcome.)"

I smiled at him. "Good pronunciation," I said and then giggled.

He chuckled and rubbed his hand on top of my head. "You're a goof. Come on, I'll make sure you get to your road."

I nodded and was nice to enough to even let him help me off the roof even though I didn't need it. He really was my North Star.