MAX

7

Emily stepped into her brother's room, and immediately it felt as if the temperature in He room dropped twenty degrees. Emily clutched harder onto the plate of food she was holding in her hand. Max didn't need to say that these ghosts would be dangerous for Emily to know. This particular ghost had a teddy bear knife.

The little girl sat on the bed, staring at the wall ahead of her. The teddy bear knife was cradled in her arms. She had no emotion to her expression, and Emily wanted to cry. She'd rather let the ghosts torment her than her face to face with one that liked to slice with a knife.

The little girl slowly turned her head to look at Emily, and Emily nearly cried out in fear. This little girl was the reason why Emily hated children. Nevertheless, Emily took a step forward, slowly holding out her free hand. The little girl did not let her eyes stray from Emily. Emily shakily touched the little girl's yellow hair and ran her hand through it. She continued the motion until the little girl looked forward again, staring back at the wall.

With her legs about to give in, Emily slowly sat down next to the little girl. She cleared her throat. "I... I'm not going to hurt you."

The little girl did not reply.

"I want to help." Emily said. She held up the plate of food to show the little girl she meant no harm.

The little girl whipped her head to stare at the food. She turned her attention from the food to Emily, then hastily grabbed the plate. She set it down on her lap and stared at it, but did not eat it.

Emily took a deep breath. "You can eat. It won't hurt you."

Still he little girl did not budge.

"I don't see just a little kid who people say is a psychopath." Emily said. "When I look at you, I see a brave, strong, beautiful young girl. I also see a girl who is exhausted." Emily ran her hand through the little girl's hair. "It's okay to get some rest."

The little girl slowly glanced up at Emily, and Emily noticed that the girl was frowning. She did not dare to speak, however.

Emily smiled slightly. "You deserve to be at peace."

The little girl looked back down at the plate of food that lie on her lap. She hesitantly grabbed an apple slice that lie on the plate and bit into it. As soon as she did so, she began to laugh.

Emily smiled with her. "It's okay." She said as a tear slipped down her face. She couldn't tell if it was a tear of happiness or fear.

The little girl slowly dissolved into a white light, until all that was left was the plate of food that now sat on the bed. Emily noticed that the little girl's teddy bear knife also lie on the plate. A wave of relief washed over Emily and she smiled in happiness. She stood to her feet and exited the room with a new wave of confidence.

Emily suddenly came face to face with Young Age. Her eyes bore into Emily's skull, and Emily's happiness was replaced with fear.

Young Age didn't grab Emily or move. She just stood there, staring.

Emily swallowed, trying to control her fear. "I-I can help you." She said. She didn't want to call the ghost by Young Age. Emily didn't even know her real name.

Emily walked further down the hallway, keeping her eyes on Young Age as she did so. She walked at a snail's pace, wanting the ghost to follow her. Young Age wasn't budging. Emily neared the end of the hallway where the bathroom was, and flipped on the light switch in the bathroom. She paused, staring at Young Age; hoping that Young Age would follow.

The ghost began moving slowly toward Emily, her Pom-Pom shaking slightly. Slowly but surely, Young Age reached Emily and walked through her into the bathroom. Emily shivered, and butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She hated when ghosts walked through her. It left her with an unpleasant feeling.

Emily turned and entered the bathroom as well. Young Age was staring at her reflection in the mirror as a few streams of blood dropped from her eyes. Emily could see the ghost's cheekbones broke through her melted skin, and Emily shivered. She didn't even know how the ghost still had eyeballs, with no eyelids and everything.

Emily slowly moved past Young Age and sat on the toilet seat. She drummed her leg up and down. Emily cleared her throat. "I'm not going to judge you. I'm not going to hurt you, either." Emily spoke slowly.

Young Age slowly turned to look at Emily. Emily stopped drumming her leg, a new wave of fear coursing through her veins. Slowly Young Age took a step toward Emily and reached out her hand. Before Emily could react, Young Age was wrapping her fingers around Emily's wrist. Emily cried out in fear.

Young Age did not do anything but continue to stare at Emily. Then, the Pom-Pom fell from Young Age's grasp.

Emily did not look away from the ghost. She couldn't. "You weren't always like this." She whispered. "You had a voice. You had friends, and you were beautiful."

Another stream of blood came from Young Age's eye, as if it was a tear.

"You can be beautiful." Emily said. "You'll be with your friends. Your family. All you have to do is rest."

Young Age let go of Emily's wrist. Emily could feel the pinch of a bruise forming on her wrist, but she ignored it. Young Age raised her torn hand to Emily's face and ran her fingers down Emily's cheek. A tear escaped from Emily's eye. Young Age always scared her, but she was never there to hurt Emily.

Young Age stepped into the bathtub that was filled with cold water and ice. As she slid further into the water, her body dissolved into a white cloud of ash.

Emily exhaled, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. Two down, three to go.