There once was a girl, who quite predictably believed her life was boring and without adventure. She wished for more. What she wanted was what every little girl dreamed of. A life filled with grand adventures and a handsome prince to whisk her away from her humdrum life to live happily ever after.

That wasn't her fate. She spent her days roaming her home feeling alone and unappreciated. Those around her ignored her as if she didn't exist. If they did happen to catch a whiff of her presence, that feeling was quickly dismissed as a draft or the creaking of an old house settling. It was not the existence she wanted nor was it one she felt she deserved.

Yet, there was little she could do about it.

No one can cheat the fates.

Even pretty girls who believe they're princesses who deserve their fairy tale story. 

Leitis Ciarach drew the tips of her finger over the back of the sofa. She neither felt the fabric nor did the two occupants of the room seem to take notice of her presence. When the female released a squeal and hugged her husband, Lei took notice and paid attention to the words they spoke.

"Are you sure?"

The man grinned. "Yes, she offered the full asking price and she paid in cash! She wants to move in as soon as possible."

"Oh thank God! I never thought we'd sell this place. I should have listened to my gut when we looked at the house but I loved the space so much I ignored it." She rubbed her hands over her arms. "I've never felt comfortable here. I've always felt like we were being watched."

"You are," Lei muttered though neither heard her words. After nearly two hundred years she was sick of being overlooked. When you're a ghost, however, there is little choice left to you. Here she had died and here she would stay. If she could turn back time she'd do things differently. She wouldn't have spent so much time dreaming of the things she wanted. Instead, she would have left this house and gone out and done those things. She would have sought adventure. "Women don't do such things," she grumbled in a mocking tone. Those were words her very proper mother had spoken to her every day of her young life. She allowed herself a laugh. "If only you could see how things have changed, Mother. Women do what they wish when they wish and they no longer need a man by their side to survive. I was born much too soon."

The young couple was excitedly talking about packing and moving out of the house. She drifted from the room, no longer interested in their conversation.

***

Lei stood in the window and watched as the couple got into their car and pulled away from the house for the last time. "Good riddance." She left the window and wandered the house. It was quiet and empty and she wondered how long it would be before the new owner showed up. She'd enjoy the peace while she could.

She glided from the living room into the foyer and tipped her head back to stare up at the chandelier that hung there. Her mother had been proud of the ugly thing, she showed it off to every guest. It was hideous and Leitis wished someone would have the guts to remove the damn thing.

Behind her, the door opened.

"Ah, good you're here!"

She pivoted to face the woman with a frown. "Surely you aren't speaking to me?"

"Yes I am, my dear."

Lei stared in stunned silence for what she was certain had to be at least five minutes. "You can see me?"

"And hear you. Yes. I have a deep spiritual connection to other realms. Including the realm you currently inhabit. I am Emilia Sharp and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Leitis Ciarach and you don't know what it means to me that you can see and hear me."

"I imagine that I do. I've spoken with many spirits in my life. The moment I stepped foot into this house I knew you were here. It was difficult to pretend that I couldn't see or hear you. I knew immediately I must purchase this house."

Lei led her into the living room so they could continue their conversation. "Can you free me from this place?"

"I'm sorry that is not something I can do. It is up to you to discover what is keeping you here. But I'm here to help however I can."

Lei turned to stare out the window. "I've been here so long I don't think there is much of a chance that I'll ever be free."

Emilia took a seat on the sofa. Also a leftover from the family estate. Much of the fixtures and furniture had been with the house for as long as Lei could remember. It had been moved around, stored in the attic, brought back down, and put back up throughout the years as people moved in and out of the place. "How did you pass?" Emilia asked her.

Lei took a seat beside her carefully. If she didn't concentrate she would drop to the floor. "My mother saw my desire to explore the world on my own as defiance of how a woman is supposed to behave. In her mind the desire to roam the world instead of throw parties and find a husband was an aberration that she needed to get rid of. She thought she could starve it out of me."

"You poor dear. Tell me the tale."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"If you never speak of it then you will never discover why you're trapped here," Emi told her.

Lei stood and wandered back to the windows. "She locked me in the attic and left me there with a parting comment that went like this ..." She sighed and turned to face Emi. "When you learn to behave as a proper lady should then you may return downstairs. I will hear no more talk of adventures and you wearing trousers!"

"I'm so sorry."

Lei nodded and turned away again. "My stepfather never cared for me, he would have preferred to marry a woman who had no children but he needed the money my mother's family had so he accepted the match. The money to pay off his debts was what he cared about the most, though I saw affection for my mother there as well. He came home one evening and surprised my mother with a getaway to the country. My mother left instructions with a maid to check on me and they left. For a two month holiday. The maid stole all she could from the house and left."

"And she didn't release you from the attic?" Emilia asked with a shocked gasp.

"No, she believed I would tell my mother what she'd done. If she had freed me I would have told her to enjoy what she'd taken before I stole the contents of my stepfather's safe and made off with it. But that isn't how it happened. Instead, I was left alone, locked in the attic and I died. It wasn't until after my death that I realized what had happened. My mother hadn't even come up to tell me goodbye before they left. If I had known she'd gone away I would have attempted to escape the attic but I remained because I feared the repercussions from her if she caught me trying to free myself. I never forgave my mother for her actions. I did all I could to make her as uncomfortable in this house as I could. I'm quite proud to say I drove her mad and my stepfather had her committed. She died in the asylum but not before he came to her to tell her he believed her, that he knew I was still here in the house. She died two days later, after her death he sold the house and left without taking anything with him. He feared my spirit would attach itself to anything he took."

Emi grinned. "I'm certain you were quite happy to see the last of them both."

"Yes, but it hasn't been easy watching the parade of people move through this house. It is my home."

Emi rose. "Well, now you have me. You can tell me what you wished changed and what you'd like left alone. We will do our best to live in harmony. I'm not here to take over your space, I am here to share it with you and I will do my best to respect your home and your place in it."

Leitis smiled. "Thank you. The first thing you can do is get rid of that hideous chandelier in the foyer."

"Thank goodness, I'm happy you want it gone. I couldn't imagine living with that horrific crystal monstrosity hanging there." She grinned at Lei. "We can go room by room and make a list of things you'd like to keep and what I am allowed to change."

"There is nothing here I'd like to keep. It all reminds me of them," Lei replied. "You can change whatever you'd like."

"I would still like to walk through the house with you. I'm sure there is a lot you can tell me about it."

Emi grinned. "I can show you the wall where the safe is. Someone covered it up about ten years after my stepfather sold the house. They never bothered to open it. Some of my mother's jewelry is still inside. It's worth quite a bit by now I'm sure. It would fund any repairs you need to make to the house!"

Emilia laughed. "Come, let's explore."

***

Leitis listened as Emilia spoke to the young man who sat across the table from her. It had been a treat to have Emi here and the last five years had been wonderful. Emi did all she could to assist spirits and help them find their final rest. Lei assisted however she could, the spirits sometimes felt more comfortable speaking to her since she was also dead. They made a good team.

They were good friends and Emi had shown her so much of the outside world. It was wonderful to see it all, even if she could no longer touch it or experience it on her own. Through Emi's eyes, she felt as though she'd been out there and felt the sun on her face as she stood before the Great Pyramids. Or listened to the rush of water over Niagara Falls. And many other places and things that Emi described in great detail. She was a remarkable woman. Emi was the type of woman Lei had once hoped to be. A traveler who experienced all that life had to offer. She had wanted it all. Independence and love, and family, and ... just everything. She could no longer have it but through Emi she could see what her life may have been like.

A man stepped up beside her, a frown on his face. "Why am I here?"

"I am assuming it is to speak to the young man sitting at the table."

The man looked in the direction she pointed. "Angus? Why is he here, why am I here?"

"He wishes to speak to you," Lei told him. "Go ahead, Emi will tell him everything you say."

"I'm dead."

"So am I." She grinned. "Emi, do tell this gentleman you can see and hear him, he's not a believer."

"I can see you quite well, young man."

The man scowled. "I am not a young man, no matter how I appear."

Emi chuckled. "All right then. What is your name?"

"Lach," he answered.

Emi's grin grew. "He is here, Angus. Tell him what you need to say."

Angus cleared his throat. "Lach, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"It wasn't his fault. Why the hell is he blaming himself?" Lach looked at Lei who shrugged.

Emi relayed what Lach had said to Angus.

An hour later both Angus and Lach were in tears, still apologizing to one another for the car accident that had taken Lach's life. It took another twenty minutes before Lach was able to move on and Angus was at peace.

Once Angus was gone, Emi sprawled on the sofa in the living room. I'm exhausted."

"Go to sleep, you know I'll keep an eye on things."

"I know you will but I don't want to take advantage of you."

"I don't sleep, Em, let it go. Get some rest."

"All right, I will." Emi stopped in the foyer and turned to her. "Good night, Lei. You are the best friend I've had in a long while."

"I feel the same. Thank you for buying this house."

"That is what friends are for." She left after a wink.

Lei moved through the house once Emi was all tucked into bed and she made certain everything was locked up tight. After she died she saw this existence as a curse. To see the world and never again touch it. To be reminded each day of all she'd lost and all she missed out on doing. She had considered her existence to be torture. Then Em came along and taught her to see her blessings. To be proud of the things she had accomplished in her short life.

To be proud of the life she now led.

Most importantly, she'd taught her that friends come along when you least expect them to and to accept them into your life no matter what form they may take.

Being a ghost wasn't so bad after all.