The Quest For Sanity

The Year in the Living Realm

The "new" family stood in front of a small two story house. Marilynn had found a ghost of a sorceress who had used magic to make Gemina look like a forty year old mother, and Memory a sixteen year old.

"Should we go in?" Memory asked. Gemina nodded. Andrew just stared at the house with wide eyes. He wasn't used to seeing normal houses such as the ones in the living realm, since he lived in a dark chamber his entire life. The small house must have been a mansion to him.

"I call first pick on rooms!" Memory screamed as she ran up the stairs. Gemina didn't care, she was looking at the kitchen.

"Hey! No fair! You'll take the biggest!" Andrew raced after Memory. Gemina sighed and followed the two. As it turned out Marilynn decided on where everyone was rooming, and each room had a note attached to the door.

Dear Memory/Andrew/Gemina,

I decided to pick your rooms to keep you from bickering over them. To help you blend in, as soon as you enter the room, you will become mortal. Because of this you will lose all supernatural abilities you could use to keep in contact with us.

~Marilynn

"Well, who's ready to become mortal for a year?" Gemina asked as she entered her room. Andrew followed shortly after. Memory stood outside her room debating on whether or not she should back out of this. Finally she sighed and entered her room.

2.

Emma was not pleased. The voices of destroyed ghosts returned almost as soon as Memory left. So to make them fade again, Emma had decided to visit Memory in the living realm. Only to see that the angel had been turned into a mortal. Memory was humming a Green Day song that Emma didn't know the name of whilst unpacking the clothes Marilynn had got for her. Emma sat down on the bed, and watched with sad eyes. Suddenly Memory turned around.

"Who's there?" Memory hissed. Emma flinched. The angel sounded awfully demonic. Emma facepalmed. Of course Memory sounded demonic. She was a demon prior to being an angel. Emma sighed, and left the house. Looks like she would be stuck in her room after all.

*

"Hey Larlar," Andrew said as he walked into Memory's room. Memory sighed. It was going to be a long year. Especially since she couldn't talk to Emma. But thinking back to the feeling of being watched that she felt earlier, she came up with an idea.

"What's up Lara?" Andrew's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Get out of my room, Andrew!" Memory screamed, and threw a pillow at his head. Andrew ducked, and threw the pillow back at Memory, who caught it and put it back on the bed, before leaving. Memory grabbed a pen and notepad, and scribbled something on it. Placing the note on the bed, Memory left the room. She needed to find Gemina.

3.

Andrew left the house to find something to do. Marilynn said he needed to do something to make the neighborhood a better place to live. Yet she picked one of the most desolate neighborhoods in the world. The closest neighbor was ten miles away, and there was no homeless shelters in the middle of nowhere for him to volunteer at. Andrew decided to take the ten mile walk down to his neighbor's. It would at least give him something to do.

*

Maybe Marilynn picked a good spot after all. Andrew had discovered that their neighbor was an elderly women named Celestia. She had no children to look after her, or help around the house, so she gladly allowed Andrew to come over to watch over her. Plus, Andrew found out that she had great stories to tell from her younger days. He was sad to hear that her four of her only six friends had passed away the previous year. Four siblings. Celestia had laughed when she told him. Said that the four did everything together. She still had her two friends, Crystal and Ana, to talk to, but Ana was still recovering from the death of her husband Patrick.

"If you could come over again tomorrow I'll tell you the story of how the seven of us met. It was quite a memorable kindergarten experience," Celestia chuckled at the memory as Andrew stood on the doorstep.

"Of course I'll come Celestia," Andrew promised. "Maybe my mom will bake some cookies for me to bring too. Trust me they are to die for. And don't forget to call me if you need help with anything. I'm more then willing to help." Celestia grinned.

"Of course dear, now hurry along, don't want to worry your mother," Andrew turned and walked down the steps. As he stepped into the street he could have sworn that Celestia mutter, "Just like Patrick, my friend, so willing to help people, just like Patrick."

4.

Emma couldn't help but come visit Memory again, even though she knew Memory would not be able to speak to her, or even be able to see her. Sneaking back into Memory's room, Emma saw that the angel was not there. But she did see a note on the bed that read:
Emma,

I don't know if this is actually you or not, but I sure hope it is. I don't think I can last this year without you, but I can't give up on my son or my wings. Please understand this.

-Memory

Emma felt tears start to build up in her eyes. She realized that demons are made, not only through the cursed necklace, and not through the bad things that they have done, but from the lack of love they have received whilst living and while dead. Emma had started to go down that path. Memory and Marilynn pulled her out of it. Emma picked up the pen that was lying next to the note and wrote her own.

Memory,

I am the one watching over you. You were my guardian angel before this. Now I'll be yours.

-Emma

Emma put the note down on the bed before glancing around the room. The dresser, despite just moving in, was a cluttered mess. Paper was covering a hairbrush and hair ties. On the wall next to the bed was covered in posters. Emma saw one that was black with a red balloon that stated You'll float too. Another stated Join the hunt with a picture of two boys on it. A third was orange and purple with the letter CJ+CHB. Memory was apparently a fangirl. Across from the bed was a tv on top of another dresser. Next to the bed was a small table with a radio and a stack of books, and markers. Emma opened the drawer underneath the tv. She found more books. Unlike the books on the table, the books in the drawer were horror. More specifically Stephen King. One of the most known horror writers in the world. Emma wasn't too surprised by this. Memory used to be a demon. Demons love horror and gore. Stephen King books have plenty of it. Emma shuddered as she remembered reading Cujo back when she was alive and at the orphanage. She had nightmares for a month afterwards. This demon, however, also likes fantasy stories, as the books on the small table could testify. The door opened, and Memory walked in.

"Emma?" Memory whispered as she sat down on her bed. Emma moved closer to the red eyed girl, and put her hand on Memory's shoulder. "Emma." Memory whispered again, this time saying the ghost girl's name more confidently.

"I'm here," Emma stated. Memory sighed. Emma did as well. Knowing that Memory couldn't ever see or hear her during the duration of the year.