Ghost of Her Past [Rewrite]

Chapter 12- Beyond the Grave

The moon was high in the sky, gleaming a pristine silver. Its glow lit up the entire sky like a beacon, extinguishing any star around it. Jesse sighed, gazing up at it from the window seat and curling in on herself. She couldn't do anything to get rid of the goosebumps that had risen out of her pale skin, or the fear that clung to her heart.

Everyone else had headed off to bed in their own rooms, and Jesse once again found herself alone in hers. She shivered again, and hugged herself, only now noticing how dark it was. After years of being trapped isolated in this very room, Jesse felt confined to it. It had become something of a prison to her. The idea of being trapped alone, without knowing, without being... it terrified her.

So it was no wonder that she couldn't sleep.

Not to mention the nightmares that would come if she did. Much to Jesse's dismay, Ivor hadn't had enough ingredients to make more dosages of the Potion of Sleeping, so it was back to being an insomniac. Really, though, what else was new?

A few more moments passed, and when the walls started closing in on her and she started to become short of a breath, she decided that she had had enough of this depressing room. Her hand reached for the cool handle and turned it, and she was relieved to hear the creaking of the door as it opened, allowing her to escape.

The living room seemed like the most ideal choice. The fire was still glowing in the fireplace, casting off a welcoming orange glow throughout the room. The way the flames danced and cracked was soothing, and the warmth immediately enveloped her body as she laid down on the couch. Comfortable, Jesse's eyes started to droop, and her consciousness faded away.

•••••

When Jesse awoke, she found herself bathed in darkness once more. She flinched back with a gasp and gripped the sides of her head, not wanting to go through the mental torture again. Her breathing came out in short pants, eyes squeezed shut to block out the world around her.

It's not real. She kept telling herself. It's not real, it's just a nightmare.

"Do not be afraid, little one."

Taken aback, Jesse opened her eyes and looked up. She was still staring into the darkness, but something was different. She could actually see.

It was then that Jesse realized light was coming from her. She was bathed in a soft golden glow, the shadows around her seeming to desperately claw at the force-field of light but unable to break through it. As Jesse's heart calmed down and realized she was safe, she lifted a hand to her face to admire the glow.

"Nothing will harm you here."

Jesse looked up and lowered her arm to find the source of the voice. "H-hello?" Her voice echoed into the darkness. "Who's there?"

A penetrating shine shattered the darkness, and Jesse shielded her eyes as a tiny ball of golden light, similar to hers, hovered before her. Awed, Jesse stepped towards it, and it flared, stretching longer and longer until it began to form a shape. The shape of a human.

As the glow dimmed, Jesse could see that it was a woman, with long, silky bronze hair and green eyes that matched her own. She was dressed in an animal pelt cloak, a green shirt and jeans covering her beneath it. She smiled warmly at Jesse.

"My name is Alex," The woman said. Jesse's mouth fell open, and she stumbled back a few steps.

"What?" She breathed. "I- it can't be. Y-you're an Immortal, b-but you're supposed to be-"

"Dead?" Alex chuckled, and lifted up her green shirt to reveal a fatal wound cutting through her stomach. Jesse paled, and the woman lowered her shirt once more before Jesse could faint. "Believe me, I am very much so."