Bleeding Hearts

What Was Hidden

Joaquin
~~

Cassandra left me and I felt sad. What had I done wrong? I hadn't asked her for any help. She just assumed that's what I wanted. I might have been confused as to how I died, but I wasn't asking her to be Nancy Drew for me and figure it for me. I was fine being a ghost as long as I had company. I sulked in her room wondering if she'd never come back. All her things were here.

Didn't she want to come back and sleep on her giant hamburger backpack? I watched as the red light came on the DVR. That'd be for our next episode of Doctor Who. Maybe it'd be better if I just went away. The front door opened up, and much to my surprise Cassandra came in.

"Cass!" I was too joyful, but I wasn't hiding it, my friend was back.

"Hey Joaquin," she sounded beat, she needed sleep.

"Are you alright? You should sleep. Want me to leave? I can leave." I was rambling, but I didn't want her to go away. A whole year I'd been existing on my own, but now the thought of another day by myself made me fill with melancholy and sadness.

"I'm fine Joaquin... I just, needed time to figure things out. You scared me," she said throwing herself on her bed.

"I am a ghost, some people find that terrifying," I joked weakly, but she shook her head.

"You brought back bad memories," she explained.

"Oh? I'm sorry."

"I need to tell you why I have a problem helping ghosts, it started with Isaac."
Cassandra told me about her encounter when she was fifteen with the ghost boy named Isaac. He had tried to kill her so that they'd be together forever. I might not have had skin, but I was certain I had goosebumps.

"Cassandra, I'd never do that to you. I don't want anything from you but your friendship, please believe—"

"I believe you." She said looking at me,

"Besides, I wanna help you," I sat there dumbly for moments. "Joaquin?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you hear me? I'm going to help you cross over,"

"Like... are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"I'm dead serious." She smirked and I burst out laughing in spite of everything.

Days went by and Cassandra became devoted to me, I was worried she'd forget her studies considering the amount of time she put into looking stuff about me, but somehow she stayed balanced. I reminded her to eat, when she stayed up too late. We took care of each other, and I could feel myself growing fonder and fonder of her with each passing day. I didn't want to say anything to her about it. I knew her past, I didn't want to be another Isaac for her. She'd found the courage to help a ghost, but I could ruin that being a bad experience for her again.

"December eleventh of last year two bodies were found at the Morningside Fountain in the early dawn hours." Cassandra read from her journal, my death hadn't been televised it hadn't been written about, just a minor bump that nobody took notice when it happened.

"The bodies were identified as Joaquin Rossignol and Camellia Bloodworth, both victims suffered gunshot wounds to the head. No witnesses reported seeing anyone suspicious leaving the area, and police have yet to arrest a suspect."

"Who did that?" I asked aloud. The words sounded empty and meaningless, but the question was still there.

"I wish I knew Joaquin," she asked sincerely, she looked back at the her notes. She'd gone around collecting what information she could from the NYPD and morgue reports, piecing them together. "Tomorrow's the eleventh." She said.