In Your Arms

Spirits

"Are you okay?" Farrah asked, rocking back and forth on her heels as she examined Isen hunched down in the corner of the home they had resided in.

She had woken up a few minutes ago and was surprised to find a cowering Isen seeking shelter in the darkness of their place.

"It is the sun," he responded, facing the rays of bright light seeping through the glass windows, "It is far too bright this morning."

"Can't you use your umbrella?" Farrah asked curiously, hoping to help the creature.

"Not this time. Yesterday, a few clouds were shielding the sky, but there are no clouds today. It hurts."

On hearing this, Farrah started to search around for something to cover Isen's face. She recalled the blankets she had slept with and grabbed a hold of them, bringing them to Isen and cautiously placing the soft material over his head. Isen let her, and in return, he thanked her as well.

"Will you be okay?"

"I am fine, small human. You do not need to fret."

"Okay...do you want breakfast?"

"I prefer not to."

Farrah raised an eyebrow, nodding to herself as she glanced around at the abandoned place they had spent the night in. She noticed a small picture frame sitting on the edge of a decaying wooden table and went over to examine it. From behind, Isen watched her cautiously and without a word.

There was a family in the photo- one girl, a mother, a father, grandparents, and a dog. It was just like the perfect family Farrah used to read about in books or saw in commercials. She stared at the picture a bit longer, but before she could open her mouth, Isen seemed to know what she was going to ask.

"They have died here in this house. It was not the cleansing that caused their demise, but rather starvation."

Farrah stared at the small girl and her wide grin, her eyes watering as she imagined how awful their deaths must have been.

"Farrah?"

"What is it?"

"Their spirits are still here. It is best if you do not touch their prized possessions."

Chills ran down Farrah's spine, and her sadness was replaced with slight terror. She quickly placed the photo back exactly where it was.

The place creaked under the weight of the wind, and Farrah found herself trying to hide under the blankets next to Isen. He cocked his head, confused as to why Farrah looked so scared beside him.

"What is wrong?"

"Nothing...just don't talk about ghosts. I'm superstitious."

Isen stayed quiet underneath the sheets, his long horns creating a perfect tent like structure for the both of them. Farrah brought her knees up to her chest and nearly jumped at the slightest sound of a door gaping open.

"Do not be afraid. It is just the wind."

"I know that. Something just bit my leg, geez," Farrah lied, pretending to rub her thigh a bit.

The both of them were silent as the air continued to create strange noises around the small house. Farrah was sure she started hearing whispers from time to time, but she tried her to ignore it.

"It is a lovely day," Isen suddenly remarked, "It is best if you go out and enjoy the world. I will wait here."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I don't know where I am and I might get lost again." Farrah lied, trying to hide the fact that she was nervous.

She had been living in Windsburg for so long and was used to its everyday noises. This world Isen had brought her in was proving to be difficult to adjust to, even though they were still on the same planet.

"You must be hungry, at least."

"Not really. I just want to stay here for a while."

Though Farrah did not know, Isen enjoyed having her close to him. He could hear her heart beating against her ribs much more clearly know, and the deafening rhythm was proving to be relaxing.

"Very well. You can stay with me. When night has fallen, I will take you somewhere nice."

Farrah shrugged like she didn't care, but in reality, she was glad to finally be able to do something to get her mind off of her worries. With a satisfied, quiet laugh she nudged Isen on his arm and glanced up at his smooth face.

Part of her wanted to touch his skin and mess with his horns, but the sharp teeth he was flashing scared her quite a bit and stopped her from doing so.

"Since we're here, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Anything."

"I know I said not to talk about it...but are you some kind of ghost whisperer?"

Isen shook his head from side to side, pointing to his head with a curved nail, "I can hear them and their troubles. They are visible to me, but I am avoided quite often."

Farrah didn't blame the spirits. She would have avoided Isen also if it wasn't for his human-like qualities.

"The dead do not do much," Isen added, his voice suspiciously growing lower, "They stare at the living. That is all they do, now is that not odd?"

Farrah's heart picked up speed, and she shielded her eyes with palm of her hands. Though she was shivering from fear, she couldn't help but want to hear more about the topic at hand.

"A-are they staring right now?"

"Oh, yes. They are staring right at you, Farrah." Isen was only half joking, because in all honesty the dead family was sneaking glances at him also, but it appeared that that was enough to make Farrah start to tear up.

The girl wrapped an arm around Isen's own, squeezing like a cobra before burying her face into his dark, short fur. Isen was about to peel her away, but he merely sighed and understood that she was only human. Humans, he thought to himself, were frail and therefore prone to being afraid of many things.

Farrah refused to loosen her grip on Isen as time passed by, but the creature did not mind. He could sense the dead speaking amongst themselves, whispering words in a quick, unnatural tone that only he could understand.

It was decided the two unlikely duo would not stay at the hut any longer. The voices were warning Isen that he should keep moving, and keep the girl safe as well. Earth had changed since the Purification, and Isen knew there were things going around that he had no control or no knowledge of.

For Farrah's sake, the both of them will keep moving until Isen felt they were safe. He only hoped that they didn't cross into any trouble along the way.