Amelia Salvatore

I See Dead People

I was crazy.

That was the only explanation of what was happening right now.

My night had been perfectly ordinary. I'd watched Lord of the Rings and ate ice cream. At one point, I'd had the sudden urge to make brownies, so I'd headed downstairs into the kitchen. I was just pulling a bowl out of the cupboard when I saw her.

She was standing in the doorway, wearing exactly what she had been the last time I'd seen her; a dirty, torn, white dress. Her skin was deathly pale and dark rings circled her eyes. I barely noticed the glass bowl in my hands shattered against the floor as I subconsciously dropped it.

It was impossible. She couldn't be here. Like, literally, I'd seen her heart get ripped from her chest. I mean, I'd bounced back from some pretty hectic injuries, but coming back from the dead was drastic even for me.

She didn't say anything, she just stared at me murderously. It was a little awkward, to be honest. I thought of saying something, but I was a little too shocked for words. So instead, I just stood there awkwardly and stared back.

This went on for another three minutes, and just as I was deciding to take some form of action, she beat me to it. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

She screamed. She screamed so loud that I'm pretty sure I could feel my eardrums bursting as clasped my hands over my ears. The windows in the room all shattered and I ducked into a crouch, avoiding the shards of glass that came flying towards me.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Dead silence filled the room and I peered up through my hair, only to find that she was gone.

-

*Ireland, 1959*

-

It was nearly midnight as I walked the streets of Dublin. I still had a slight buzz from the alcohol I'd consumed, and I hummed happily to myself. The moon shone bright in the sky, illuminating the path before me.

I was nearly home when I heard voices.

"Did you really think you could use her to get to me?"

"You don't have many weaknesses, but she's one of them."

"Then it's a good thing you'll no longer be a threat to her."

I frowned. I'd know those voices anywhere. Curiosity getting the better of me, I cut across the street and entered the alley that the voices came from. I was surprised by the sight I found.

About four years ago, my life had been saved by a witch, Magdalena Calligan. Despite my slight aversion to witches, I'd found myself actually liking the girl. Give or take a few events, we'd become friends, and good ones at that. I could honestly say that I would willing give my life for her. But despite us being extremely close, she'd always had a dislike for Klaus, who disliked her just as much.

Which was why I found it odd seeing them together in the alley. What was stranger, was that Magdalena was only wearing a night gown. Before I could read more into it, things took a turn for the worst.

Klaus shoved his hand through Magdalena's chest and ripped her heart out.

It felt like the world stopped spinning as her body dropped to the ground and he carelessly tossed her heart away. A loud, anguished scream filled my ears and it took me a moment to realise it was my own.

Klaus spun, and his expression was a mix between surprise and regret when he saw me. He wasn't expecting me to be here.

"Amelia-"