Gen One- Chapter Twelve

I was pretty much bouncing up and down in my seat, craning my neck to get a glimpse of the house I hadn't seen in a month. Eden swore the reason he slowed the car down was because the road was icy, but I couldn't help but to think that he was teasing me. I had been driving him crazy with my excitement since I had been given my release date from the hospital. For him to prolong my anxiousness was something I could easily see him doing. Although, even though we were going slow the house came up on us so fast. I couldn't believe I was finally back on my street. My house was almost as marvelous a sight as it had been the very first time I saw it. I gripped the sides of my seat tighter with every passing second.

I was already unbuckling my seatbelt when Eden pulled into the driveway. My door was opened before the car had even come to a complete stop, and my feet sunk into the snow the second the car was put in park. I don't think Eden had realized what had happened. I was running around the car so fast he had no time to react.

     "Ethe- Meadow, you can't get so riled up!" he called after me as I made my mad dash to the door.

I ignored him entirely, not noticing the name-slip that almost happened. I instead latched onto the door handle, frowned when I realized it was locked, and pouted at Eden.

     "Door open, please!" I requested, hating that I had left my own set of keys in my bedroom way back when.

     "I'll get there when I get there." Eden teased, walking as slow as humanly possible.

He also took a long time separating the keys to find the one for the front door. I'm sure he would have continued on with his nonsense had I not clutched at his clothes and shook him in order to get him to unlock the door faster.

A large part of the reason why I wanted to get inside fast was because I could hear the sound of a furry someone hurriedly pacing around behind the door. Button jumped up onto me so fast once the door was open that I barely had the chance to take those few steps in. She had been brought back to the house that morning as well, so we were both eager to share in the excitement of being home together. I gave my puppy a massive hug and lots of pets. I was rewarded with sloppy kisses, tail wagging, and a bit of cheerful barking. While I was making sure that Button didn't push me over, I took a second to glance around the house. Everything about it was the exact same. It was perhaps a bit dusty seeing as how Eden hadn't bothered to do much cleaning while I was sick, but other than that it was the good old place I had grown to love immensely. It was comfortable and familiar, and the sense of belonging was so strong I had the desire to cry for a brief moment.

I had something more important than crying on my agenda though. I had to give Button the command to settle down, so she restrained herself to simply moving about me merrily. Eden, who had been cleaning off his snowy boots, let out a small gasp of surprise when I tightly grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen.

     "Let's have some real food!" I suggested, although I was really commanding him more than anything.

I was ridiculously famished. Besides the little feast I had had on Christmas and then the stuff Eden had brought in for New Years, boring hospital food was all I had been eating for the past month. I was sick of it, and now that I was free from that place I wanted to stuff my face with whatever I wanted.

     "I'm going to have to start something from scratch. All the leftovers we had were thrown out a long time ago." Eden pointed out.

     "Don't care!"

     "Can I at least take off my jacket first?" Eden requested with a smile.

     "Nope."

     "Pfft, fine. What do you want?"

     "Friend peanut butter and banana sandwiches!" I demanded.

     "As much as I'd love to have some, no. You might be fine enough to come home from the hospital, but you're still sick Ethereal. You promised you would stick to the guidelines the doctors gave you, and those unhealthy monstrosities do not fall under your approved diet."

I pouted again. I know I had promised to eat pretty much only healthy food, but I had been hoping suggesting Eden's favorite meal would get him to cave. Unfortunately for me, Eden was too stubbornly steadfast about upholding things like doctor's orders.

     "Hot dogs? Grilled cheese sandwiches?" I requested next.

Eden shook his head.

     "How about some carbonara?" he suggested this time, "That's the best I can think of that I will allow."

     "Alright." I accepted.

I sat down on one of the stools, but Eden quickly ushered me upstairs after he began taking out ingredients.

     "This is going to take a while. You might be fine having me in wet clothes, but I'm not fine having you in wet clothes. Go change in something warm and dry. Heck, you probably even have time to take a bath if you want."

I skipped the bath. I was more interested in being in the kitchen that was soon full of delicious scents, which was why I changed fast into one of my sweater dresses before heading right back downstairs. Eden was steadily getting better and better at cooking. That was a good thing because I was adamant about trying all sorts of new foods. There was little I didn't like, and that left Eden scrambling to keep up. I was excited at that moment because I was granted permission to help Eden stir the pot, but the truth that he was right about me still being sick was quickly proven. It was exhausting to stand up and move about for so long. My lungs began to have trouble taking in air and my throat was growing dry. I returned to my seat willingly before Eden made me sit. I was content to watch and pet Button until the food was ready.

     "Here we go." Eden said merrily as he set the plate down on the counter.

My eyes widened at the sight of it.

     "There's so much." I said in awe at the steaming heap of cheesy pasta.

     "Well, I'm hungry too," Eden pointed out with a smile, "I haven't had a decent meal in a while either. Between the two of us, this might last us until dinner."

     "If that." I agreed with a laugh.

Eden sat down next to me, and we ate directly from the serving plate. We really did end up eating most of the pasta.

After being stuffed full, I contemplated taking that bath. That was my plan...until I decided to lay down on my bed for just a moment. That moment turned into hours and a nice, long nap. Just being in my room felt like being in heaven, but resting on my bed was sheer bliss. I honestly could not get myself to sit up again once I was down. Button decided to join me, and after she jumped up and snuggled against me there was no going back. I was asleep before too long. I woke up hours later under the covers with my shoes taken off. I had been so deeply unconscious that Eden had been able to move me and I hadn't noticed at all. Not that I minded. I was more than ready to relax and be lazy after being stressed and in so much pain for so long.

It was exactly one week later when I was given a check of good health. I still had to go the hospital frequently at first so the doctors could make sure the pneumonia had truly gone away, and I also took the first round of vaccinations that I was able to take. The trips were annoying at first, but I decided I didn't mind the hospital as much now that I didn't have to be there all the time. Then the trips became rare as the weeks turned into months and I experienced no further problems. Winter blossomed into spring gracefully, and I began to forget about my ordeal almost entirely. I was back playing with my friends again like nothing had happened. Our playing was normal playing until Sap told me that he and Allium had decided it was time to do something that hadn't been done since I arrived in Berrybrook- have a sleepover in Mrs. Bright's haunted loft.

Sap didn't have to do anything to persuade me. I was agreeing to go before he finished explaining me the details. Eden was a bit harder to convince, but with enough pleading and puppy-dog eyes he said it was alright if I went. I was just as excited and eager as I had been when coming home from the hospital. I drove Eden so crazy that he had to threaten to keep me home in order to get me to calm down. It was just so hard to wait until the sky darkened so Eden could drive me to the lot. For the most part we were unsupervised, so once Eden dropped me off I climbed up the ladder to find only Allium, Sap, and Cocoa there. I was surprised to see Cocoa since Sap told me she normally didn't come. I guess she had changed her mind.

     "Good to see you," Sap said when I walked over, "We've been waiting for a while so we weren't sure if you were coming or not."

     "Sorry. That's Eden fault. He's still being way too protective of me sometimes since my hospital stay, so he was purposely trying to make us late so I would change my mind about coming."

     "That's kinda annoying, but I guess I see where he's coming from. Sleeping in a place where a ghost lives does make some people act a bit weird."

     "I'll be fine." I said confidently, although now that I was in the loft I was more nervous than I had been before.

I got distracted by Allium running over to the window. He stared out it before turning back to us.

     "It looks like our fifth member has arrived." he announced.

Our fifth member was Amaranth. He, Allium, Sap, Cocoa, and I were the only one who were coming over to the sleepover. All the others had said there had been too much weird stuff that had happened during previous sleepovers which had scared them away from the get-togethers for good. I wasn't sure whether to mark that as a good thing or a bad thing. I wanted to see stuff happen, but I didn't know if I was ready for a full-blown paranormal experience just yet.

     "About time!" Allium complained to Amaranth as he climbed up the ladder.

     "Whine to Blaze, Charm. It's not my fault my cheapskate uncle won't buy a car. Trust me, I'd love to not have to take taxis or buses everywhere." Amaranth complained back, stepping onto the floor.

     "You don't have to worry about being late. I only just got here too." I reassured him.

Amaranth smiled as me before turning that smile to everyone else.

     "Nice to know I'm not the only late, but since I am here now we should get right to business." he suggested.

     "Good idea. We don't want the night to waste away." Sap agreed.

I kept a close watch on the two as they had that brief interaction. Ever since I had talked to Amaranth about Sap on Christmas, I hadn't seen a single moment of tension between the two again. Amaranth didn't frown and look annoyed anymore when Sap's named was mentioned, and the two got along like the friends Amaranth swore they wore. I should have been content, but it felt like things would go back to the way they were if I stopped watching them.

     "What do we do first?" I asked.

     "We scatter the hay. It both gets work done for Mrs. Bright, and it lures the ghost." Sap explained.

Allium was already gathering pitchforks from a closet. There were four, but that worked out fine. Cocoa didn't want to scatter hay because she didn't want to get her nightgown dirty. I had prepared ahead this time by wearing my less expensive pajamas. They were ones I had actually had to beg Eden to get because he seriously refused to buy me anything else other than super nice quality, cute clothes. Sometimes he acted as if I was a doll to dress up.

It took a long time to get all that hay scattered. That it was still chilly outside was a good thing because the four of us worked up a sweat. I had been thinking that working in some sort of barn looked like it would be fun work, but I now I was getting the feeling it was hard work I wouldn't actually want to do. When the hay was loosened from its piles, Amaranth and Allium thought it would be better to get it on the floor by kicking and throwing it at each other. They proceeded to do just that. Sap and I watched from a distance while the two continued with their antics and occasionally pestered Cocoa by throwing stuff at her as well. The two of us chatted until we grew bored of waiting for them to settle down.

     "Hey! Anyone who doesn't want to act like sugar-crazed toddlers and wants to hear the story of the ghost come over here!" he called.

I giggled. His call did get Amaranth and Allium to calm down. They along with Cocoa made their way over to where we were.

Sap got a flashlight and Amaranth turned off the lights. Allium, Cocoa, and I took a seat in the hay. Amaranth didn't, and I soon realized he was the smart one. The hay wasn't soft and smooth like I thought it would be. It was more like I was sitting on a bunch of needles. However, Sap began the story and I got so lost in it that I forgot about my uncomfortableness.

     "It was early fall. The day was bright with sunlight, but the constant breeze left a stinging chill on the skin. The falling leaves left the fading grass coated in a sea of red. The long season of work was just about to end, but the work here on what used to be a much larger farm continued on. It had been a prosperous year. However, it had been filled with strife and anger. The owner of this land, Mr. Silk, had been having family troubles since the spring. His younger brother's wife struggled with fertility problems after the birth of their first child. Thus, their son, Yarrow, was the only child they had. One would think that they would have treasured him greatly. This was not the case. Yarrow was born with an unhinged mind. It took him years to learn how to walk and speak. He was often not sensible and prone to fits of anger and violence. The younger brother and his wife felt cursed for being given such a child. One day they left him at Mr. Silk's farm and ran far away.

     Mr. Silk, a generous and loving man, willingly took in his troubled nephew. The simple but strenuous farm work kept Yarrow under control. Never having experienced any real love from his parents, Yarrow took to his uncle readily. In fact, he adored his new family so much that his unstable mind accepted with might the fake reality that they were his true family. He believed himself to be his uncle's actual son. No matter how much Mr. Silk tried to convince him that what he thought wasn't the case, Yarrow wouldn't be swayed. Mr. Silk eventually stopped his attempts at correcting him. He didn't see what harm could come out of his nephew believing the lie. He had no idea that the lie would mean the end of his own daughter, young Snowbell.

     Naturally, Mr. Silk put his daughter above Yarrow in terms of inheritance. After an accident that nearly took his life, Mr. Silk began to put his will together after he recovered. The farm was to go to his wife if she still lived after his death, and if she was not the ownership would pass to Snowbell. Yarrow was outraged to find that he had not only been supposedly skipped over, because if he had been the true elder son his birthright would have him claiming the farm, but that he was not put down as an inheritor to the farm at all. Because of his medical condition, he could not understand that he never would have been able to maintain the land with his handicap. Yarrow's poor grasp at logic had him blaming not Mr. Silk, but Snowbell. He then came to the conclusion that the only way he could inherit the farm was if she was taken out of the picture.

     Snowbell, a girl with a weak body, generally did not help on the farm and stayed inside studying. On one particular day, Yarrow appeared in her room claiming that he had finished his chores early and that he wanted to play with her. He led her up to this very loft- to this very spot. Snowbell had no idea what kind of game her cousin was trying to play when he asked her to close her eyes, but she had no reason to suspect that he wished any danger to her, so she complied with his command. Sadly, it would be seconds later when all freedom was denied her. Yarrow grabbed her from behind and wrestled her to the floor so that she couldn't move. Her attempts at crying out made no difference, for Yarrow forced her mouth open to stuff fistful after fistful of hay into her throat. The strands cut her and made her bleed. Suffocating on both her blood and the hay, Snowbell slowly went quiet. She stopped struggling and was soon still for eternity.

     The stable-hand who had come to feed the horses and heard the last of the commotion had arrived too late. Snowbell was indeed dead when he climbed into the loft, and with Yarrow standing over her laughing and cheering there was just one explanation that the stable-hand could make. So enraged at his daughter's death, Mr. Silk, who had much influence over the town due to the farm supplying most of their food, had Yarrow tried as a competent adult despite him being a mentally disturbed teenager. Yarrow was found guilty of murder and was hung for the crime.

     It was weeks after his death when strange things began happening on the farm. No matter how much hay was bought, it would soon disappear without a trace. Mr. Silk and his wife heard ragged breathing following them around, and everyone could hear the same breathing coming from the loft at night. Nasty things also began happening to Snowbell's old belongings. Her dolls were torn apart, her books were ripped to shreds, and her clothes were thrown outside. It was soon concluded that the farm was haunted by both Yarrow and Snowbell. Mr. Silk and his wife were distraught and frightened enough that they moved to the other side of the country. Even with the large farm becoming a modest horse stable, the peculiar events happen to this day. Hay often disappears, and strange breathing can be heard. This is Snowbell working to prevent her fate from being repeated. Misfortune often befalls the little girls that wander unaware here. This is a confused Yarrow still trying desperately to get rid of Snowbell so that the farm can be his."

Sap stared right at me and Cocoa as he concluded the story. I did my best not to shiver. Now I could see why Sunset and Sunflower didn't like coming on these sleepovers.

     "You didn't say anything about there being another spirit who is angry and does mean things to girls when you told me the story the first time around." I pouted at Sap.

     "Of course not. I wanted you to come on the next sleepover, so I didn't want to scare you off. I also didn't want to tell the full story because it's really only heard best in a creepy atmosphere like what we have now." Sap explained mischievously, although he gave me an apologetic smile as well.

     "Yeah, and now that we have some girls along we have a better chance at seeing the ghosts. Spottings of them happen more when there are girls around." Allium revealed.

     "Wonderful." I mumbled.

I wasn't as happy as I was before. Snowbell I wanted to see. Yarrow...not so much.

     "We should try to think of another way to get Snowbell to come out instead of offering our friends as bait for Yarrow, which is what I know you're about to suggest so don't even think of it Al." Amaranth said with a light-hearted warning towards Allium.

     "If Snowbell takes the hay away because she doesn't want anyone to be killed like her, what if one of us puts a bit of hay in our mouths?" Cocoa proposed.

     "That is a stupid idea." Allium frowned.

     "I don't mean like a whole fistful!" Cocoa glared, "And I don't mean we should eat it either! Just chew on a piece for a minute or something."

     "I think it could be worth trying." Amaranth went along supportively.

     "You be the one to do it then." Allium demanded.

Amaranth shrugged, grabbed a strand of hay, and placed it harmlessly in his mouth. He munched on it, giving Allium a smirk. The five of us waited silently for a moment, but nothing happened. Amaranth spit the hay out into a trashcan.

He also got the lights again. I felt worlds better having the brightness return. In truth, Sap's story unnerved me more than I wanted to admit. Ghosts had seemed like a fun idea when the stories were a bit nicer or when I saw stuff about them on television. Knowing that Yarrow and Snowbell's story was true and of how heartbreaking it was, being in the place of a murder, and purposely doing things to upset the spirits didn't feel like the best plan of action. I grew more unsure when Allium took charge of starting the next activity.

     "Now that the scattering and story are out of the way, I believe it's time to proceed with another sleepover tradition." he said dramatically.

     "What's that?" I asked timidly.

     "Night-time hide-and-seek."

     "Mr. and Mrs. Bright said we had to stay in the loft though." I reminded him.

     "We never pay attention to that," Allium rolled his eyes, "But you can stay here and not play if you want to be a goody-two-shoes chicken."

     "You can be such a bully sometimes." Amaranth frowned, "Meadow, it's perfectly fine if you don't want to play."

     "No. I'll join." I replied with fake confidence.

Allium had known me long enough to understand my weaknesses. I really hated to back down from a challenge, especially if it was something everyone else was doing. It was all too easy to get me to join with the right kind of prompting. I made sure to give Allium a friendly smack on the shoulder before we climbed down the ladders though.

The rules were explained as we moved to the starting point. The loft was where one went if he or she was found. No hiding in the stalls with the horses were allowed. We also couldn't go off the lot or behind the fences. Other than that, anything went. A game of rock-paper-scissors had Sap selected as the seeker. The lot was so big that we had a whole minute to secure a hiding place. I was at a disadvantage. I was getting more scared by the second, and the others knew the area much better than I did. When we rushed off after Sap began counting, I went in a different direction from everyone else hoping I could come across a decent place. I ended up making my way around a pond and hunkering down behind a large bush. Me being green was turning out very handy. It would have been better if my pajamas had been a darker shade instead of a brighter one, but it was so black out that that hardly made any difference. I blended in almost perfectly with the grass and shrubbery.

I counted out a minute in my head. That gave me the guarantee that Sap was looking by then. Honestly, I hoped he would find me quick. I forgot my nerves for a moment, but the eerie silence that covered the stables had me shivering with fright. Learning about Yarrow's angry spirit was really ruining the experience for me. It wasn't that I fully believed in ghosts that strongly, but being all alone in the dark hidden behind a bush in such a creepy place wasn't exactly encouraging me to be skeptic. I had to sit up more and take deep breaths to calm myself after a few minutes. Because of that stupid pneumonia, my body's reaction to fear was now to make it hard for me to breathe.

For another minute or so, I thought it was me taking those breaths that was the source of the strange noise.

Then...I realized I couldn't possibly be breathing that loud. I marked it off as the wind rustling the blades of the bush, but there wasn't good logic behind that argument. The wind was barely blowing. The blades weren't moving much. And yet, the sound kept coming. It was faraway at first, but with every passing second it got closer. I tensed up, wanting to scream. The noise, which I recognized as the scratchy breathing I had heard upon my first visit to the loft, was definitely approaching me. I swore I heard footsteps. I think the only reason I didn't freak out was because I was able to convince myself it was Sap or Allium playing a trick on me. I forced myself to take a peak. The sound stopped right away, and the further I looked the clearer it became that no one was there.

I wanted to leap up and dash away, but I was so shaken that I couldn't move for a long while. The thought that the noise would resume and a ghost would jump out at me the second I twitched was too terrifying. So there I sat, dumfounded and petrified, until some sense made its way back into my head. I hadn't heard anything from the others at all. The lot wasn't that big. It didn't feel right that someone, someone alive anyway, hadn't come in my direction. My legs shook as I stood, but the further I walked away from that spot the better I felt. Seeing the lights on the fence and the familiar horse jumps also raised my confidence. However, Sap suddenly appearing next to me from around the corner of the little platform dock next to the pond certainly gave me a good scare. I might have shrieked a little and hurriedly ran away.

I slowed when I realized it was Sap chasing me and not an otherworldly being. He caught me easily because of that, which I didn't complain about.

     "Geez, I was beginning to think you had disappeared completely." Sap said.

He was frowning and looking much more worried than seemed normal.

     "What do you mean?" I asked.

     "I found everyone really quickly, but you just dropped off the face of the planet. To tell the truth, I don't like this game much either. I was getting worried that something might have happened."

     "I was hiding behind that bush in the corner past the pond." I revealed.

     "No, you weren't."

     "Uh, yes I was." I retorted, giving him a curious look.

     "But that's the first place I looked, because that's where someone always hides. You definitely weren't there."

     "I was though, and I never heard you come over that way at all. In fact, the lone thing I heard..." I trailed off.

Sap tilted his head in confusion.

     "What?" he asked.

     "I heard scratchy, strange breathing. It got super close." I told him quietly.

     "Woah. I guess something really freaky must have been happening then. That would have been Snowbell." Sap replied in amazement.

     "Or Allium playing a trick."

     "Couldn't have been. He didn't find a good hiding spot. I got him a minute after we started, and he's been in the loft ever since."

Chills went down my spine.

     "We'll have to talk about it later. We actually need to go back or else we're going to get in trouble. We forgot that Mr. Bright was going to bring up pizza. I had to lie and say you were in the bathroom." Sap explained.

A different kind of terror came over me. Sap and I made a mad run back to the loft. I had promised Eden I wouldn't do anything to get in trouble, and I really needed to do better at sticking to my promises. Thankfully, Amaranth and Allium had smartly being distracting Mr. Bright with their antics. He paid no attention to us when we arrived, and it took us getting some pizza for him to notice our return. After helping us to take out the plastic chairs from the closet, he departed. The five of us sat down and were quiet for a while as we ate. Then Sap brought up the peculiar thing that happened to me while hiding. It was an unanimous consensus by everyone that the breathing had been Snowbell, and that her approaching me had done something weird to cause Sap to not have noticed me.

I was thoroughly relieved when the topic finally shifted away from ghosts. We shared the candy we all had brought before playing normal games. Having cut it too close with hide-and-seek, we didn't even attempt to leave the loft again. One would think we would grow bored being stuck in the same place, but the hour grew later and later without any of us noticing. My fear having been forgotten, I enjoyed myself fully. I was actually rather sad when everyone else tired and started pulling out their sleeping bags. My body was more exhausted than my mind thought though, for I was falling asleep the second I snuggled into my spot. I had to suppress a smile when I realized that a sleeping bag on a floor was even more comfortable than that bed in that hidden house Eden and I had stayed at. Me remarking at how far things had come since then were the thoughts that lulled me to sleep.

I woke up sometime late at night or during the early morning. I didn't have a watch and there was no clock in the loft, so I couldn't be sure. I hadn't wanted to get up, but I had had a bit too much juice to drink from what Mr. Bright had brought us. It was a dark and almost creepily silent walk to the bathroom downstairs. However, I was so groggy and tired that I didn't even notice the fact. In actuality, I was so tired I wasn't going to wash my hands at first. Remembering how the doctors told me of how easy it was for me to catch illnesses had me changing my mind. I would rather spend an extra minute awake washing my hands than risk catching something that would send me to the hospital again.

I was turning off the water when the room was unexpectedly thrown into darkness. I cried out in alarm, looking this way and that for anything strange. The shock had woken me right up. There I stood frozen in fright for a few seconds, but rationality soon swept over me. I flicked the light switch up and down. The light didn't turn back on, but that had to have been because the bulb burned out.

Thinking to myself how unamusing it was to have it burn out right when I really didn't want it to, I shook my head to throw out the last of my fear and moved to leave the restroom. My heart sank when I tried to turn the knob and it hardly rotated. I dried my hands better on my pajamas and tried again. The knob refused to move, and the door didn't budge when I pressed my shoulder against it. Grasping the knob with both hands, I gave turning it and pressing against the wood my all. The thing just wouldn't give in. I had to face reality and accept that the door was now locked- and I had no way to unlock it.

I rubbed at my arms. More chills were tingling across my skin. I wasn't sure if it was because I was growing scared again or if it was because of the sudden cold draft seeping in through the crack at the bottom of the door.

     "Al?" I called out.

Doors didn't just lock themselves. With both the light going out and me being stuck, Allium playing a prank on me was the single way I could think to reason what was going on.

     "Al?" I called again, "Allium Charm, this isn't funny. Let me out."

I could hardly believe Amaranth, Sap, or Cocoa would being doing such a thing to me, so I didn't bother trying to address them. What I did do was peer through the keyhole after I heard shuffling sounds from beyond the wall. I wished as soon as I had that I hadn't looked. It was too dark to make out any specific person, but I could see just enough movement to understand that the other one with me was also bending over to look through the keyhole.

I backed away from the door in a flash, shaking and my eyes filling with tears. I really didn't like this. It was at that moment that I had to recall what Sap said about Yarrow- that he made misfortune befall the little girls who wandered unaware. Then, of course, I had to remember other stuff that increased the fear gripping me. There could always be a Company member nearby. There could be an inmate who escaped from jail like that one who was around during the summer. Perhaps I was being paranoid, but I backed further away from the door. I swore I felt a malicious gaze watching me. The cold draft got worse.

There was nothing I could do. My voice was entrapped by my terror. I doubted that I could even make a squeak. Calling for help was out of the question. I also didn't want to alarm whoever or whatever was out there into making any sort of move. I couldn't get out, but he or she could easily unlock the door and get me. My breaths shortening and my legs weakening again forced me to sit on the floor. I felt a little safer, but not much. I did what I could to not let my fear drive me out of my mind. The minutes dragged on and on until an eternity passed. The malicious sensation departed after a while, but I didn't dare make a move for the door. It wasn't like it had been unlocked anyway. I assumed it was about an hour later when I resigned myself to the fact that I would be spending the rest of the night in that bathroom. There was at least a rug in which I could make some sort of bed or blanket out of if I wanted, but there was a slim chance I would fall asleep given my predicament. I hoped Cocoa would have to use the bathroom as well and come and find me.

Another half hour dragged on by. Counting the seconds was the best thing that helped me to remain calm. The cold air and shuffling sounds had vanished. If I remained quiet, the person hopefully wouldn't come back. I thought that exactly as a horrifying noise reached my ears. The lock turned. I inhaled sharply and froze solid. Someone really was there. Was it someone who wished me harm? Was it someone who would help? The risk was too big for me to open the door and discover the answer myself. I waited in a terrified stupor for the door to open. However, it didn't swing open. More minutes full of silent intensity came and went, but no one came inside. Desperate to end my agony, I gritted my teeth, stood up, flung open the door which swung smoothly at my touch, and glanced around for another presence.

No one was around. Or maybe there might have been, but I wasn't going to remain alone in an empty part of the stable to find out. My legs found their proper strength, and I was running like mad back to the closest ladder that would take me up to the loft. Seeing an empty sleeping bag scared me that something had happened to others until I realized it was mine. Then I felt silly. Amaranth, Allium, Sap, and Cocoa were all right there sleeping peacefully. I sighed in relief.

Until I noticed that almost all of the hay was gone. While we had been eating the pizza I had thought it seemed like there was less, but I had assumed I hadn't been paying attention. There was no way to deny the vanishing of it now though. For a brief moment, my brain reasoned a likely answer for what had been going on. Perhaps one of my friends had locked me in the bathroom. They had gotten rid of most of the hay in the meantime, and now that there was barely anything remaining they had let me out and used the time I had been hesitating to come back up and pretend to be asleep. It made the most sense.

My mouth then dropped open. What I suddenly saw was something that could never make any sense. I had thought the bits of hay moving around were being pushed by the wind coming in from somewhere. However, the longer I stared at the last pile that remaining the more a shape took form. A slight distortion at first, the transparent body of a young girl soon appeared.

I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. There was no way I was actually seeing the ghost of Snowbell Silk. So intense was my belief that what I saw was nothing more than my unconscious imagination that I felt no fear when Snowbell noticed me, turned around, and smiled.

     "Sorry for scaring you before. It's been a long time since I've played with anyone, so I thought I would join your game of hide-and-seek. I forgot I can't really play that game since no one can see me."

He apology was quiet- her voice thick and struggling had her speaking no louder than the weak wind. Remembering what her cousin had done to her, I felt guilty that I was able to breath properly. Then I felt silly. She was a ghost. She didn't need to breathe anymore.

     "I-It's alright." I whispered back before pausing, "But...wait. I can see you."

     "I guess you can. I wonder if it's because you're white like me."

I glanced around nervously. I still believed I was dreaming, but even in my dreams I didn't want my friends to find out my secret.

     "N-No. I'm green." I corrected softly.

     "You can't fool me," Snowbell laughed gently, "I can see you as you are."

I hesitated, not knowing what to say.

     "I think you being white is why Yarrow was being mean to you. Even though he's a ghost too, he can't see me either. He gets so confused. I'm sure he thought it was me he was locking up. I have to apologize again. I was so busy up here that I stopped paying attention to him. I would have let you out sooner otherwise."

     "It's alright," I repeated, "But don't you hate Yarrow for what he did?"

Snowbell glanced around before looking to the floor as she thought.

     "I don't know. It was terrible what he did, but that was the first time he had ever been mean to me. I liked it when it was me, mama, papa, and him together. Part of me dreams he'll calm down so we can be that way again." she answered hopefully.

     "Is that why you haven't moved on yet?" I questioned curiously.

I didn't get a response. Snowbell smiled at me again, but my world changed radically in the next few seconds. The sight of her disappeared as blackness descended on my vision. I was no longer standing up, but lying in my sleeping bag.

     "Meadow, get up! You have to see this!"

Sap was shaking me. I rubbed at my eyes as I sat up. I had been so deeply asleep, which only made me confident that my encounter had been nothing more than a dream.

Although, getting up to see what Sap was so excited about did cast some doubt on that. I joined the others in staring in amazement at the loft entirely devoid of the smallest strand of hay.

     "Okay. One of you definitely got up and got rid of it all while the rest of us were sleeping." Allium said.

     "Where did it all go though? I checked downstairs, and it's not there either." Sap pointed out.

     "Maybe it was Mr. or Mrs. Bright? They would have to have a good place where they could hide it." Cocoa suggested.

     "There's not one bit left though. I don't think they would be able to be so thorough without waking at least one of us up." Amaranth countered.

     "Then one of us is hiding the truth." Allium concluded suspiciously.

The four turned their heads towards me. I guess I was the most obvious culprit since I hadn't said anything yet.

     "I think it was Snowbell." I explained.

     "Yup. You're totally the co-conspirator." Allium declared confidently.

     "It was her!" I pouted.

Allium brushed me off. I pouted for a moment more, but I soon got over my annoyance. Otherwise, why I would I insist it had been Snowbell taking away the hay if I really did believe what I saw was my imagination? For all I knew, it most likely had been Mr. or Mrs. Bright cleaning up the loft.

The others began packing up their stuff. We had slept in late, and with Mrs. Bright calling up to us saying that it was time for breakfast they were encouraged to move faster. Sap lingered though, which I was glad for. There was something I had to ask him.

     "Hey, Sap?" I said as I went over to him.

     "Hmm?"

     "Snowbell was white, wasn't she?"

     "Oh yeah, I didn't mention that in the story. She was. That was the other reason why Yarrow was tried as an adult. Everyone was super upset that he had dared to kill someone who was white," he revealed before pausing curiously, "How did you know that she was though? I thought the only times you had heard the story was when I told it to you?"

     "Uh..."

Well, now I had done it. My panicking mind couldn't think of an excuse to tell.

     "I...just had a feeling..." I mumbled uncertainly.

     "Maybe it was her name that gave you the impression. It would be weird to be named after a white flower if you weren't white." he suggested.

     "That's probably what it is. I love snowbells, so I suppose I was making the connection without realizing it."

I was absolutely lying. I had never even seen a picture of a snowbell before.

Breakfast was some bread, bacon, and a whole bunch of fruit that we roasted over a fire Mr. Bright started. Normally I would have been more interested in the bacon, but charring a banana was much more fun in this instance.

     "Ugh, I can't believe school starts again on Monday." Allium complained after accidentally dropping a bit of his apple onto the ground.

     "I forgot that spring vacation is almost over for you guys." I said.

     "It must be nice getting to stay in your pajamas all day and having so much time off." Cocoa replied to me.

     "You're way off there, Cocoa." Amaranth smiled.

She looked confused.

     "Meadow's crazy," Allium explained with a laugh, "She doesn't get to be in her pajamas all day, but that's because Eden won't let her. However, this girl willingly worked all through summer vacation. Even when she was in the hospital she was like, 'I wanna do school work. I wanna do school work.' It was ridiculous."

     "You've been studying this whole past week too even though we've had it off, right?" Sap asked.

     "Yeah," I nodded, "I really want to join you guys in normal school, and because of...the stuff I went through I still have a lot of things to catch up on."

I stared at my banana.

     "I'm not that smart either, so I have to do a lot of studying." I mumbled.

     "Nonsense. I can guarantee you you're a whole lot smarter than Mr. Charm over here." Amaranth both encouraged and teased.

     "And my situation has been so bad so many times with my grades that I don't even have the right to deny it." Allium joked along.

I don't know why I was surprised when Eden was the first one to arrive. I barely had time to finish eating, but I wasn't that upset. After such a weird night where I didn't know exactly what had happened, going home where I would be safe and sound didn't seem like a bad idea. Eden and I didn't talk much on the way. Sleepiness returned to me during the short drive. I was going to head upstairs and go back to sleep until an idea popped into my head. I fought with myself for a while. I had a strong prediction Eden would never go along with it, which had me convinced that it wasn't worth it to ask. Then I thought over how terrified I had been. I might as well give it a shot. I found Eden reading a book in the living room.

     "What's up?" he asked when I came over.

     "I wanted to ask you something. Well, ask you for something."

     "And what's that?"

I fiddled nervously.

     "Can I have a cellphone?"

     "What?" Eden looked at me in surprised disbelief before scoffing in amusement, "No way."

My chest went slightly hollow with disappointment. I had been hoping there would have been just a smidge more support for the idea. Given how Eden reacted, my plan was to not push the matter forward. It turned out it was Eden who did that.

     "What's with that look on your face?" Eden questioned, more concerned.

I guess more than my feelings of disappointment had been showing.

     "Why do you think you need a cellphone?" he asked next before I could respond.

     "During the night, I went to the bathroom downstairs. The light suddenly went out and the door got locked somehow. I couldn't get out, and I was stuck in there for over an hour. It was probably just me being paranoid, but it felt like there was someone weird around too. I kept thinking of that person who escaped from jail and people from The Company."

I left out Yarrow so as to not hinder my case.

     "One of the others could have heard me if I screamed I guess, but I was so scared that I couldn't make a noise." I finished.

Eden stared at me rather seriously for a few good seconds. He exhaled loudly.

     "Let me think about it, alright?" he conceded.

     "Alright." I agreed with content, happy I had gotten that much.

I moved to leave, but I stopped before I took a step.

     "Oh, I have another question. About me going to normal school-"

     "You've progressed way more than I thought you would, but there's too much uncertainty with where you'll be when the time comes to sign you up," Eden cut me off with a sigh, "So, we'll just have to see. We'll just have to see."

I nodded, forcing myself to feel the same way about that answer as I had to the one about the cellphone. I gave Eden a hug before continuing my plan of heading to my bed and going back to sleep.